22 OLD WHALING DAYS. 



tracking, and taking advantage of the light airs which prevail 

 at this season for short periods. These, however, cannot 

 be depended upon, for sometimes a sudden storm will rise 

 from the S.W., with rain or thick snow, which in a few hours 

 reduces us to despondency. We arrived off the Devil's 

 Thumb, a little north of the Duck Islands, and forming the 

 south side of Melville Bay. The Thumb is a very high 

 pinnacle or headland, in the shape of a thumb, and such 

 headlands in this region have singular formations. One is 

 called Kettle Bottom-up. It appears to resemble a pitch 

 kettle in one direction, but from another view it is called 

 Sugar Loaf Hill. Such names are given by the crews who 

 visit this part of the world. Charts are of no avail here, 

 and all must derive their knowledge of sunken rocks and 

 other objects by experience. 



We waited a few more days for the loose floes to open, 

 and towed and tracked several miles. The ice began to 

 close, and a breeze sprang up from the S.W., which 

 increased to a gale. The ships had secured the safest 

 places for the time, and we had sawed docks in the land 

 ice, which was a long and tedious job. Some had got into 

 their docks, but others had not, when the loose floes swept 

 on us and completely buried the land floe. Dismayed by 

 the crash, all hands launched their boats a distance from the 

 vessels, and filled them with provisions in preparation for 

 the worst. It was blowing and snowing heavily. One of 

 the ships was cut clean through by the ice, and her masts 

 laid on it. The awful squeezing and crushing lasted about 

 six hours, when the ice became stationary. Plundering of 

 the unfortunate ship which had been wrecked, followed, and 

 I am sorry to state it led to a most disgraceful exhibition. 

 Some of the men tumbled the rum puncheon out of the 

 cabin. The head was knocked out of the cask, and tins 

 and boots .were dipped into the rum, which was quaffed 

 until a number of them were intoxicated, and strayed away 



