110 Boring through the Ice. 



stationed on the floe, on each bow of the ship, 

 whose duties were to remove with long boat hooks 

 and handspikes the fragments of ice as they were 

 broken off and crushed by the force of our blows. 

 The ice in many places was several feet in thick- 

 ness, and the floes had long projecting tongues 

 under water, commonly called calves, and these 

 catching the fore foot of the ship would frequently 

 turn her head round, and consequently away from 

 the passage aimed at. 



Pieces of ice of considerable magnitude, broken 

 off by our repeated charges, would pass along 

 under the bottom of the ship, and, emerging up the 

 screw aperture, prevent the propeller from per- 

 forming its revolutions, and therefore bringing the 

 engines to a dead stop. Those of the ship's com- 

 pany remaining on board were all this time em- 

 ployed in running from side to side on the upper 

 deck, for the purpose of rolling the ship and thus 

 crushing the ice and making a free passage for us 

 to pass through. 



Our exertions were rewarded with success, and 

 we soon had the satisfaction of emerging into a 

 clear lead, through which we steamed into a fine 

 open water. The other two vessels, observing our 

 success, immediately took advantage of the opening 

 we had made, and were soon in our wake. 



Several large ground seals were seen lying on 

 the ice in divers directions, and also, later in • the 



