ANTARCTIC CRUISE. 303 



through when the icebergs closed in upon them, and pressed the gun- 

 wales 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 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 obscure, 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 fortu- 

 nately, 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 con- 

 tend 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 bow would be driven in, and on one 



