and braved in their
play the snow whipped by the hurricane. This animation of the winged
tribe made the landscape more lively.

Numerous pieces of wood were floating to leeway, clashing with noise;
a few enormous, bloated-headed sharks approached the vessel, but
there was no question of chasing them, although Simpson, the harpooner,
was longing to have a hit at them. Towards evening several seals made
their appearance, nose above water, swimming between the blocks.

On the 22nd the temperature again lowered; the _Forward_ put on all
steam to catch the favourable passes: the wind was decidedly fixed
in the north-west; all sails were furled.

During that day, which was Sunday, the sailors had little to do. After
the reading of Divine service, which was conducted by Shandon, the
crew gave chase to sea-birds, of which they caught a great number.
They were suitably prepared according to the doctor's method, and
furnished an agreeable increase of provisions to the tables of the
officers and crew.

At three o'clock in the afternoon the _Forward_ had attained Thin
de Sael, Sukkertop Mountain; the sea was very rough; from time to
time a vast and inopportune fog fell from the grey sky; however, at
noon an exact observation could be taken. The vessel was in 65 degrees
20 minutes latitude by 54 degrees 22 minutes longitude. It was
necessary to attain two degrees more in order to meet with freer and
more favourable navigation.

During the three following days, the 24th, 25th, and 26th of April,
the _Forward_ had a continual struggle with the ice; the working of
the machines became very fatiguing. The steam was turned off quickly
or got up again at a moment's notice, and escaped whistling from its
valves. During the thick mist the nearing of icebergs was only known
by dull thundering produced by the avalanches; the brig was instantly
veered; it ran the risk of being crushed against the heaps of
fresh-water ice, remarkable for its crystal transparency, and as hard
as a rock.

Richard Shandon never missed completing his provision of water by
embarking several tons of ice every day. The doctor could not accustom
himself to the optical delusions that refraction produces on these
coasts. An iceberg sometimes appeared to him like a small white lump
within reach, when it was at least at ten or twelve miles' distance.
He endeavoured to accustom his eyesight to this singular phenomenon,
so that he might be able to correct its errors r