M'Keevor's Voyage to Hudson's Bay. 9 



doubt to be the fact. Indeed, I have frequently gone aloft my- 

 self for the purpose of ascertaining- their extent, but have 

 often been unable, as far as the eye could reach, to observe 

 even a single fissure in them. On their surface, \vhich is 

 generally raised three or four feet above the level of the water, 

 I have seen the seals bark and frolic in hundreds. The 

 coalition of two of these great fields produces a most singular 

 phenomenon ; the larger forces the lesser out of the water, 

 and adds it to its surface ; and in this way a second and a 

 third are often superadded, until the whole forms an aggre- 

 gate of a tremendous height. The collision of the greater 

 fields is often attended with a noise, that for a time deprives you 

 of the power of hearing any thing else, resembling very much 

 the sound of distant thunder ; the meeting of the smaller 

 pieces produces a harsh grinding kind of noise, not unlike*, 

 as Mr. Scoresby accurately remarks, that of complicated ma- 

 chinery. 



During the summer months these masses become very 

 brittle, and frequently give way with a tremendous report, in 

 this way laying the foundation for other islands similar to 

 themselves. At this time considerable risk is incurred, either 

 by going ashore on them, as we may term it, or by allowing 

 the vessel to approach too near their perpendicular front* It 

 has not unfrequently happened that ships have been sunk by 

 their detached portions falling in on the deck. That these 

 apprehensions are not imaginary, the following circumstance 

 will, I think, afford a satisfactory proof. 



One morning I went out with a party of the men in the 

 jolly-boat, for the purpose of towing away the vessel from one 

 of these ice-bergs, in order to guard against the accident to 

 which I have just alluded. In mis instance the island was so 

 high, that its summit stretched in an arched form for a consider- 

 able distance over the top-mast of the vessel. Before getting 

 to that part of the island to which the ice-anchor was attached, 

 it was necessary to pass a projecting point, where the island, 

 as it were, shelved out to a considerable distance. The man 

 who had the command of the boat, unwilling to lose time, in- 

 stead of sailing round this projecting portion, ordered the boat 

 to be rowed directly under it. We had scarcely got half-way 

 when a violent report,* like that of a piece of artillery, an- 



* Ice-bergs, on being struck with an axe for the purpose of placing a 

 mooring anchor, have been known to rend asunder, and precipitate the care- 

 less seaman into the watery chasm ; whilst, occasionally, the masses are 

 hurled apart and fall, in contrary directions, with a prodigious crash, bury- 



VOYAGES and TRAVELS, JVo. 8. Vol. II. C 



