WE ARE DRIVEN AWAY BY ICE. 241 



at all events out of this anchorage before next tide, 

 as she had received some very severe bangs from 

 heavy icebergs already; and, not being protected 

 by exterior planking, like the other three vessels, 

 it would not do to expose her to such risk any 

 more. We held a council of war, and discussed 

 three alternatives which we had before us : 



First : We might shift again into the sloop, and 

 obstinately ride out the gale in her, and then, if it 

 abated within a few days, we might hope for three 

 or four days more at the walruses, if we could find 

 any. In this case the yacht must be sent away in 

 charge of a pilot to await us at South Cape, or else- 

 where, clear of the ice. One grave objection to this 

 course was, that if thick weather came on we might 

 not be able to find the yacht at sea, and there was 

 no harbor in which I would now trust her nearer 

 than Ice Fiord, as Horn Sound and Bell Sound are 

 liable to be choked up in one night when the ice is 

 moving fast round to the westward. 



Second : We could go home to Hammerfest 

 "holus-bolus," as Mr. Wood expressed it, and, 



Third: We could send the sloop over to Ham- 

 merfest, and go round to Ice Fiord ourselves in the 

 yacht for a few days. The advantages of the last 

 plan were that the sloop's crew could be paid off, 

 and our cargo valued and accounts squared by the 

 time that we should probably arrive, and that we 

 might thus escape the chance of detention in Ham- 

 merfest. We were also assured of getting plenty 



Q 



