driving the smashed pieces under the floes in order to open up
a free passage for the ship, and to thrust them away they were
compelled to use long iron-spiked poles.

At last, what with the working of the saws, the hauling, the capstan
and poles, incessant, dangerous, and forced work, in the midst of
fogs or thick snow, the temperature relatively low, ophthalmic
suffering and moral uneasiness, all contributed to discourage the
crew, and react on the men's imagination. When sailors have an
energetic, audacious, and convinced man to do with, who knows what
he wants, where he is bound for, and what end he has in view, confidence
sustains them in spite of everything. They make one with their chief,
feeling strong in his strength, and quiet in his tranquillity; but
on the brig it was felt that the commander was not sure of himself,
that he hesitated before his unknown end and destination. In spite
of his energetic nature, his weakness showed itself in his changing
orders, incomplete manoeuvres, stormy reflections, and a thousand
details which could not escape the notice of the crew.

Besides, Shandon was not captain of the ship, a sufficient reason
for argument about his orders; from argument to a refusal to obey
the step is easy. The discontented soon added to their number the
first engineer, who up to now had remained a slave to his duty.

On May 16th, six days after the _Forward's_ arrival at the icebergs,
Shandon had not gained two miles northward, and the ice threatened
to freeze in the brig till the following season. This was becoming
dangerous. Towards eight in the evening Shandon and the doctor,
accompanied by Garry, went on a voyage of discovery in the midst of
the immense plains; they took care not to go too far away from the
vessel, as it was difficult to fix any landmarks in those white
solitudes, the aspects of which changed constantly.

The refraction produced strange effects; they still astonished the
doctor; where he thought he had only one foot to leap he found it
was five or six, or the contrary; and in both cases the result was
a fall, if not dangerous, at least painful, on the frozen ice as hard
as glass.

Shandon and his two companions went in search of a practicable passage.
Three miles from the ship they succeeded, not without trouble, in
climbing the iceberg, which was perhaps three hundred feet high.

From this point their view extended over that desolated mass which
looked like the ruins of