FAST ENOUGH. 
half an inch thick. This process of cementing going 
on in the month of July looks discouraging. We have 
now been ten days beset; and, with the exception of 
the 12th, when an unusual wind slightly affected our 
ice, we have advanced but little more than a couple 
of ship's lengths. Indeed, for the past five days, our 
progress has been absolutely nothing; for, although 
our daily observations prove that the great pack is in 
motion, our relative position remains unchanged. In 
four days we have made about four miles of southerly 
drift, and to-day our chronometers indicate another 
four to the west. How very sad it would be to remain 
prison-bound in this icy prairie until the season of 
search has passed by ! Certain it is that some great 
commotion must influence this ice, if it is ever to lih- 
erate us, for upon thaws we can place no reliance. 
" To-day we organized foot-races, and our friends of 
the Rescue had a regular divertissement of single-stick, 
foot-ball, and fancy matches against time. Our best 
runner made his mile in seven minutes eleven seconds. 
^^July 18. To-day is our eleventh day since enter- 
ing the ice, our sixth of nearly absolute immobility. 
We made, however, two ship's lengths by alternate 
warping and cutting through ice three feet thick. 
Our incessant exertions have fatigued us; we have 
already parted four cables by heaving ; fortunately no- 
body injured. 
" I took to-day a long gun-walk, bringing back a 
couple of tern and some gulls. Our commander 
counted from aloft nearly a hundred seals, distributed 
listlessly over the ice. I have tried, in vain to stalk 
them. 
^^July 19. The men turned in at midnight, to awake 
again at six. All hands are pretty well used up. 
