io 



FLOATING ICE. 



towards the ship. He immediately ordered 

 the jolly-boat to be lowered, and asked me to 

 accompany him in the attempt to kill her. 

 Some axes were put into the boat, in case the 

 ferocious animal should approach us in the 

 attack; and the sailors pulled away in the 

 direction she was swimming. At the first 

 shot, when within about one hundred yards, 

 she growled tremendously, and immediately 

 made for the boat ; but having the advantage 

 in rowing faster than she could swim, our 

 guns were reloaded till she was killed, and one 

 of the cubs also accidentally, from swimming 

 close to the mother ; the other got upon the 

 floating carcase, and was towed to the side of 

 the ship, when a noose was put around its 

 neck, and it was hauled on board for the 

 captain to take with him alive, on his return to 

 England. 



August 3. — We fell in with a great deal 

 of floating ice, the weather was very foggy, 

 and the thermometer at freezing point. The 

 ship occasionally received some heavy blows, 

 and with difficulty made way along a vein of 

 water. On the 5th we were completely 

 blocked in with ice, and nothing was to be 

 seen in every part of the horizon, but one vast 

 mass, as a barrier to our proceeding. It was a 



