A Winter Amid the Ice

. The crew were almost all the time at work with the saws, and often powde

the vessel on all sides, so that she could neither advance nor retreat. The temperature remained at an

e of longitude west and the 76th degree of lati

e position would shelter the ship from the wind and breaking up of the ice. Land, which was probab

s Gradlin and Turquiette. Each man carried provisions for two days, for it was not likely that

ey often sank to their waists, and could only advance very cautiously, for fear of falling into cre

eberg which might shelter them from the wind, and after refreshing themselves, with regrets that they had no warm drink, the

ore than a foot deep. Happily their skins, perfectly impermeable, had preserved them,

of ice, cut perpendicularly, rose on the shore; their variegated summits, of all forms and shapes, reproduced on a large scale the phenomena of crysta

an, "we shall not want

dence of having been already visited by men; for in

s frequent these part

t," said Penellan, who had climbed up a high peak. "O captain!" he continued, "come h

boys!" said J

ed out like a promontory, and curving towards the coast, formed a little inlet of a mile in width at most. Some moving ice-bloc

destination. Some other creek, then, must be found; it was in vain that he explored northward. The coast remained steep and abrupt for a long distance, and beyond the point it was directly exposed to the attacks of the east-win

ss. The little band returned rapidly in the direction of the ship, as their provisions had begun to run short. Jean Cornbutte searched fo

ght. There had been no snow during the day, and they could recognize the imprint o

hen, at a waking moment, his attention was attracted by a dull rumbling. He listened atte

ose mind, according to a sailor's h

n, cap

ased, with perc

in so high a latitude,"

across some white be

We have not

expected a visit from them. Let

The darkness was very dense; he could discover nothing; but a new incident s

d with terror that this rumbling, which awake

d peals of thunder, was added a distinct undulating motion of

n!" cried

ome one

Gradlin! wh

uiette, shaking off the sno

cried Cornbutte to th

t we are lost!" shout

ellan. "Perhap

ound themselves in a most perilous position, for an ice-quake had occurred. The ice masses had just "weighed anchor," as the sailors say. The movement lasted nearly two minutes, and it was to be feared that the crevice would yawn at

plain, a compact mass the evening before, was now separated in a thousand places, and the

ship occurred to Je

he cried. "It mu

faces of his companions. The loss of the

a path across the ice, which will enable us to bring our ship to the bay for winter

nto a fissure, and would have certainly perished, had not Jean Cor

little band reached her. She was in good condition; but her rudder, whi