454 OBSEEVATIONS ON THE CUKEENTS. 



spreading. Hour after hour passed away, and no appearance of the boat. Night 

 came on, dark as the grave, with a cold, benumbing drizzle, and a fog so dense 

 that we could scarcely see across the deck. My grand object was to keep the 

 ship as near the same spot as possible. All day and night we kept the bell tolling, 

 floid fired a great gun occasionally ; a tar barrel was also blazing at the main ytird- 

 arm, but all was unavailing. I shall never forget the terrors of that night. I 

 reproached myself as the cause of their destruction ; and I prayed most earnestly 

 for daylight and clear weather. I thought daylight would never come ; but it 

 came at last, and the fog was thicker, if possible, than the day before. The most 

 sanguine now began to despair. About 5 o'clock something was heard, like the 

 blowing of a conch shell, but so faint and indistinct that we thought it was only 

 the echo of the great noise we were making on board. However, it was soon dis- 

 covered that the sound was coming nearer and nearer ; but as no person on board 

 knew they had a shell in the boat, we were stiU in a sad state of anxiety ; for it 

 might, perhaps, be a ship sounding her shell in the fog, as is usual at sea. In a 

 few minutes the splash of oars was heard, and in five minutes more the boat was 

 alongside, with all hands safe and sound, thank God 1 but cold and hungry enough. 

 The mate tells me he rowed round the Iceberg, which he thinks was about 300 

 feet in length, 150 feet in breadth, and 40 or 50 feet above the surface of the water. 

 It was melting away rapidly ; streams of water were gushing down its sides, and 

 t'ney nsa only got a few yards from it, on their return, when (to use his own 

 words) ' it took a sally and fell over on its beam-ends.' Our last sight of the Ice, 

 when bearing S.W., 3 or 4 miles, was in lat. 42" 13', long. 49" 44'." 



