308 
GREENLAND VOYAGE. 
more dangers; and our previous state of anxious 
inaction instantly gave place to the most perse¬ 
vering and vigorous exertions for our preservation. 
Hitherto, while the floes were in contact about 
the ship, there had been a clear vein of water 
leading directly to leeward, in which it appeared 
that the ship might ride, under the protection of 
the icebergs, in safety. But two points of the 
bounding floes, betwixt which the ship lay, were 
now observed to be rapidly closing upon us, and 
threatening us with another squeeze. As the 
channel running to leeward was so narrow, that 
there was not room to swing the ship so as to get 
under-way, our only chance of safety depended 
upon our being able to drop to leeward with a 
considerable velocity*. Though we had little 
hope of accomplishing this under such a gale, 
without some of the ropes or anchors giving way, 
which would have been almost certain ruin, yet 
having no other resource, we were obliged to un¬ 
dertake the risk. With all imaginable care and 
* To drop a ship is a nautical phrase, expressive of the 
operation of removing under the simple action of the wind, 
by veering out the ropes by which the ihip is moored. 
Thus, in the present example, the wind, blowing directly 
down the channel betwixt the two floes where the ship was 
moored, forced her to leeward along the channel, when¬ 
ever the ropes were slacked. 
