THE NARRATIVE OF CHARLES WILKES. 381 
an increase of water it was discontinued. The ice had been rapidly 
accumulating around the ship, contracting still more narrowly the 
space or area in which they were, and rendering their situation more 
hazardous. 
At 4 p.m. they clewed up the topsails, the ship being fast in the ice, 
with the wind directly in from the seaward. The ice-anchors were now 
again run out in hopes of relieving her from some of the strain; a short 
time afterwards the ice clearing from the stern enabled them to unship 
the rudder, which was taken on board in two pieces ; it was immediately 
placed on the quarter-deck and all the carpenters employed on it. 
It soon began to snow violently, and no clear sea could be seen from 
the ship in any direction. It becoming dark, the chance was that they 
would have to take up their last abode there. About six o’clock the 
weather cleared a little and the wind freshened ; they parted the hawser 
attached to the ice-anchor, and made sail again for the clear sea, which 
could now be seen from the masthead. Towards 8 p.m., as if to blast 
the little hope that the continuance of clear weather inspired, the ship 
took a wrong cant, and was forced into a small opening leading farther 
into the ice to leeward, and towards the massive walls of the berg. Great 
exertions were made, and fortunately, by the aid of the ice-anchors and 
sails, they succeeded in getting her round, and her head again pointed 
towards the clear sea; but they were shortly afterwards wedged in 
between two large masses of ice. At midnight the sea was observed to 
rise, although the wind had not increased, causing much motion among 
the ice; and the stormy appearance of the sky continued, and gave 
promise of a gale. The only hope left was to force the ship through, 
and every means were employed to effect this object. The ice they had 
now to contend with was of larger dimensions, and the increased sea 
rendered it doubly dangerous. Some of the shocks against it were so 
heavy as to excite fears that the ship’s bows would be driven in, and on 
one occasion three of the chronometers were thrown out of their. beds of 
sawdust upon their sides. They continued to make but little headway, 
and the grinding and thumping on the ship was most painful. The 
hope of extricating her lessened every moment, for the quantity of ice 
between them and the sea was increasing, and the ship evidently moved 
with it to leeward. Few situations could be more trying, but the 
emergency was met by Captain Hudson with a coolness, perseverance, 
and presence of mind which secured the admiration of all who were 
present, and inspired full confidence and a firm reliance in his ability to 
overcome every difficulty that lay within the power of human means. 
In the afternoon of the 25th the sea continued to increase, and the 
ship frequently struck against the masses of ice, while every foot they 
forged ahead carried them seemingly into a more precarious situation. 
At about 3 p.m. they found that the gripe had been beaten off, and they 
were now bruising up the stem and grinding away the bows. There 
