142 
LAST VOYAGE OF CAPT. ROSS. 
however must have been one of great novelty, to observe the 
majestic berg with its new companion, affording its gratuitous 
aid towards accomplishing the discovery of the north west 
passage, and Capt. Ross cannot complain of not having met with 
an auxiliary, where he the least expected to find one, and one 
which by its formidable power, would enable him to dispense 
with the services of his most unserviceable steam engine. 
If however the berg was willing to perform its duty, the 
hawser was not or could not, for the former no sooner began to 
put its powers in action, than the latter broke, and it became 
necessary to apply to the berg again to have the hawser once 
more fastened to him. In the mean time the purser and the 
surgeon went on shore to examine the state of the ice, in case 
the new towing machine should prove successful in pulling the 
ship out of her icy bed, and their report was highly favourable. 
The wind was however blowing hard from the southward, and 
as night was coming on, Capt. Ross judged it most advisable to 
moor the ship again, and redouble their exertions on the following 
day. A snow storm came on towards night, and the most serious 
apprehensions were entertained that should the snow fall to any 
great thickness, the difficulty of liberating themselves would be 
greatly increased, in fact it became a question whether it could 
be accomplished at all. Early on the following morning all hands 
were turned out and employed on the ice, with axes and hand¬ 
spikes, to force the pieces of ice asunder: Capt. Ross and his 
nephew went on shore, and on their return to their unspeakable 
satisfaction, they found the Victory clear, and wholly effected by 
the main labour of the crew. The ship was immediately got 
under weigh, although the wind was foul, and by six o’clock 
p.m., they had sailed ten miles along the land; at night they 
made fast to a berg, and Commander James was sent in the whale 
boat to go round a point, under which the ship lay. On the 
return of Commander Ross, he reported that he had found a bay, 
but it was full of ice. The wind was now at the southwest with 
the ice going with a flood tide to the eastward. 
The satisfaction which had been experienced on the liberation 
of the ship was however of short duration. On the following 
