92 THE LAST VOYAGE OF THE KARLUK 
It is always a tragic moment when a ship sinks, 
the ship that has been your home for months; it 
is not unlike losing some good and faithful friend. 
Twice before I had been shipwrecked, on both oc¬ 
casions on the southern coast of Newfoundland, 
so the sensation was not altogether new to me, but 
it was none the less poignant. Yet I could feel 
no despair in our present situation, for we had com¬ 
fortable quarters on a floe which was practically 
indestructible and plenty of food and fuel, so that 
with patience, perseverance, courage and good for¬ 
tune we should be able to win our way back to 
safety in due time. 
