180 THE WHALEMAN ; OR, 



thus distributing ourselves along on the coast, 

 we should be more likely to see and notify any 

 ship or ships that might by chance be early upon 

 the coast, as to the locality and condition of the 

 Citizen's officers and crew. 



At this time, which was the first. of April, all 

 of the ship's company that had survived the hor- 

 rors of an arctic winter were at East Cape, and 

 at places just south of it, except one poor Ka- 

 naka, who, in consequence of frozen feet, was 

 unable to travel with the rest of us, and was 

 therefore left behind about one hundred miles 

 anions the natives. 



The weather was now softening very percep- 

 tibly, though there appeared to be but little dimi- 

 nution of ice and snow. The ocean was not yet 

 broken up, but presented one immovable body 

 of granite ice. 



Those who are familiar with arctic scenes well 

 remember the report of concussions between, 

 huge masses and blocks of ice, the hoarse and 

 dismal chafings between contending pieces, and 

 their violent agitation by the action of a heavy 

 swell, or winds, or currents ; at such times it 

 seemed as if the fabled giants or gods of my- 

 thology were engaged in some fierce and terrible 

 encounter. 



But now, while the ocean was frozen over with 



