IN A DEAD CALM. 409 



On an August evening, many years ago, Captain 

 Warrens, the master of a Greenland whale-ship, found 

 himself becalmed among an immense number of huge ice- 

 bergs, in about seventy-seven degrees of north latitude. 

 On one side, and within a mile of his vessel, these were 

 of colossal height, and closely wedged together, like an 

 array of giants ; while behind them appeared an almost 

 endless succession of snowy peaks, showing that the 

 ocean in that direction was completely barred against the 

 adventurous mariner. No wonder, then, that our captain 

 felt dissatisfied with his situation ; but owing to the dead 

 calm which prevailed he could not move in one direction 

 or the other. His vessel lay as motionless as 



"A painted ship 

 Upon a painted ocean ; " 



and all he could do was to maintain a strict watch, 

 knowing that he was safe so long as the bergs continued 

 in their respective places. About midnight, however, the 

 wind suddenly rose to a gale, and dense showers of snow 

 descended, while a succession of thundering, grinding, and 

 crashing noises showed only too clearly that the ice was 

 in motion. 



The vessel experienced violent shocks every moment, 

 for the haziness of the atmosphere prevented those on 

 board from discovering in what direction lay the open 

 water, or whether there were any at all on either side of 

 them. The night was spent in tacking as often as any 

 sign of danger was observed. - In the morning the storm 

 abated, and Captain Warrens found to his great joy that 

 his vessel had sustained no serious injury. He remarked 

 with surprise that the close barrier of icebergs had been 

 broken up by the fury of the storm, and that in one 



