380 THE ANTARCTIC MANUAL. 
native in prospect of being frozen to death, one after the other, or 
perishing in a body by the dissolving of the iceberg on which they 
should take refuge should the vessel sink. 
When the dinner hour arrived the vessel was again fast in the ice, 
and nothing could for a time be done: it was therefore piped as usual. 
This served to divert the minds of the men from the dangers around 
them. 
When the meal was over the former mancuvring was resorted to, 
the yards being kept swinging to and fro in order to keep the ship’s 
head in the required direction. She was labouring in the swell, with 
ice grinding and thumping against her on all sides; every moment some- 
thing either fore or aft was carried away—chains, bolts, bobstays, 
bowsprit shrouds; even the anchors were lifted, coming down with a 
surge that carried away the eyebolts and lashings, and left them to hang 
by the stoppers. The cut-water also was injured, and every timber 
seemed to groan. 
Similar dangers attended those in the boats. Passed Midshipman 
Eld was sent to plant the ice-anchors ; there was no room for the use of 
oars; the grinding and grating of the ice, as it rose and fell with the 
swell, rendered great precaution necessary to prevent the boat from 
being swamped or crushed ; and when it is stated that two hours of hard 
exertion were required to plant the ice-anchors, some idea of the difficulty 
attending this service will be had. But this was not all; the difficulty 
of returning was equally great, and no possible way of effecting it 
seemed to suggest itself ; the sides of the icebergs could not be ascended, 
and to approach the berg on the side next the ship was certain destruc- 
tion to the boat and crew, for the ice and water were foaming like a 
caldron ; and to abandon the former was equally out of the question. 
At last a chance offered (although almost a hopeless one), by passing 
between two of these bergs that appeared on the other side of a small 
clear space. The boat was upon a small piece of ice, from which, by 
great exertions, she was launched; a few pulls at the oars brought them 
to the passage ; the bergs were closing fast, and agitated by the swell ; 
no time, therefore, was to be lost; the danger was already great, and in 
a few seconds it would be impossible to pass. They entered ; their oars 
caught, and they got but halfway through when the icebergs closed in 
upon them and pressed the gunwales together, so as almost to crush the 
boat ; the water entered her, and she was near sinking ; when the berg 
stopped, retreated, and by another hard shove they went through, and 
were soon alongside the ship. 
Every exertion was now made to work the ship and avoid heavy 
thumps from the ice. The mode resorted to, to get the ship about, was 
a novel one, namely, by urging her lee-bow against a piece of ice, which 
had the same effect as giving her a lee-helm; but this was found rather 
too expensive a mode of effecting the object, and on the pumps showing 
