114 
A VOYAGE TO SPITZBERGEN. 
endued with life for some minutes after death; and 
in the early months when the sailors find the wea¬ 
ther bitterly cold, the men put their hands into the 
still warm bodies of the newly killed seals, where the 
animal heat is retained for a considerable period after 
death. A rope is now attached to the hide, which is 
thickly coated with blubber, and the heavy mass 
(worth from <£35 to £40 per ton) is about to be 
dragged towards the boat, when, to our confusion, we 
find ourselves drifting slowly but surely away. Our 
boat rests moored to the piece we had fastened it to 
at a considerable distance off, and quite indistinguish¬ 
able in the heavy fog. What is to be done? The 
sailors, according to their invariable custom, begin to 
recall precedents which all, unfortunately, have a fatal 
termination. One horrible story after another is told. 
“ You remember them ’ere chaps as was left in this 
here way and was all froze to death ? ” “ As for that 
ship Enterprise , I assure you, sir,” says Magnus, “ we 
could speak to the men on the ice, but could not get 
at them ! blowing a gale and freezing hard at the time! 
thermometer 40 degrees below zero! We did all we 
could: the oars and foremasts were tied together 
to try and reach them by means of a raft, when they 
disappeared in the fog, lost to sight though not to 
memory, and they all perished ! ” Matters every 
