CHAPTER XIV 
HAIRBREADTH ESCAPES IN THE ICE 
“The ice was here, the ice was there, 
The ice was all around. 
It cracked and growled, and roared and howled 
Like noises in a swound.” 
— Coleridge. 
S IR JOHN FRANKLIN, the last to take leave of the 
departing ships, was the first to greet the returning 
heroes of the Antarctic when the Erebus and Terror 
dropped anchor in the Derwent on the morning of April 
7th, 1841, and it is easy to imagine the enthusiasm of the 
“ heroic sailor soul ” when he heard of the great achieve- 
ments of the summer. Communication with the mother- 
country was slow in those days and three months had to 
elapse before the news was received in London. Amongst 
all who were interested in the progress of discovery or 
in the affairs of the navy there was but one feeling of 
satisfaction and pride that the renewal of British naval 
exploration had been rewarded with such splendid re- 
sults. The Royal Geographical Society, though it had 
taken no part in promoting the expedition, was prompt 
in its praise, and at the next distribution of its annual 
awards the Founders Medal was adjudged to Captain 
Ross. 
For the wearied members of the expedition the stay 
in Hobart was paradise enough. They were feted by 
the Governor and the people. A special play entitled 
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