WE ABANDON THE SHIP 329 



climbing one upon the top of another. We were carried 

 along in this way for about a mile, until we were finally 

 jammed into a slight bay, wedged between blocks of 

 pack-ice. Soon afterwards the river fell some five or 

 six feet, the stream slackened, the ice stood still, and the 

 ship and the pack-ice were aground. 



The ship went through the terrible ordeal bravely. 

 So far she had made no water, and there was no evidence 

 of any injury except to the rudder. This had been 

 broken to pieces, and all trace of it carried away — a 

 loss which it would take some weeks to repair. How 

 could any one have committed the inconceivable blunder 

 of fitting out an Arctic yacht with every precaution 

 against ice, and leaving it with a complicated rudder, 

 exceedingly difficult to replace, and without provision for 

 its being unshipped ? 



The question now demanding immediate consideration 

 was — what would take place when the ice began to move 

 again ? It seemed most probable that the ship would 

 either be stranded on some sandbank or carried down 

 with the ice to the sea. The captain decided that it was 

 wisest to get as many valuables out of her as possible, 

 and to make preparations for abandoning her if the worst 

 came to the worst. The sailors accordingly occupied 

 themselves in getting the cargo ashore over the lumps 

 of stranded pack-ice and ice-floes. 



The pitch of excitement at which we were naturally 

 kept by the alarming character of the events in which 

 we were forced to take such an active part, was by no 

 means allayed by the weather. The brilliantly clear 

 skies to which we had become accustomed had changed 

 to stormy clouds, followed by drizzling rain and mist. 

 All nature seemed to share in our excitement. The 

 revolution in the ice took place to the accompaniment 



