rowing a line, with what turned out
to be one of our small grapnels attached. The first throw fell short,
and the line was drawn in; the second and third went aside; but the
fourth landed the grapnel in the boat. It was hauled in. Weymouth and
Corliss then got aboard, and came off to us.

"Well, boys, what sort of a dry storm have you been having here?" said
the captain as they came up under where we stood.

"Never saw such a hole!" exclaimed Weymouth. "You don't know how we
were slat about! We went _right up on it_! Had to pay out six fathoms
of extra cable, anyway. D'ye mind what a thundering noise that ice
made?"

We went off to the schooner. Trull stood awaiting us, grinning grimly.

"I don't gen'ly give advice to my betters," he began, with a hitch at
his trousers; "but"--

"You'd be getting out of this?" finished Raed.

"I wud, sur."

There was a general laugh all round. But the wind had set dead in the
south-east again. There was no room for tacking in the narrow inlet.
To get out we should have to tow the schooner a mile against the
wind,--among ice too. Clearly we must lay here till the wind favored.
We concluded, however, to change our position for one a little lower
down, and nearer the middle of the cove. The anchor was heaved up
preparatory to towing the vessel along. The men had considerable
difficulty in starting it off the bottom; and, on getting it up, one
of the flukes was found to be chipped off,--bits as large as one's
fist, probably from catching among jagged rocks at the bottom. We
thought that this might also account for the tenacity with which the
anchor held against the tide. Doubtless there were crevices and
cracks, with great bowlders, scattered about on the bottom of the
cove. Towing "The Curlew" back not far from a hundred yards from our
first berth, the anchor was again let go in thirty-seven fathoms; and,
for additional security, a second cable was bent to our extra anchor,
which we dropped out of the stern. This matter, with arrangements for
heaving the anchor up with tackle and fall (for we had no windlass in
the stern), took up the time till considerably past noon.

CHAPTER V.

A Dead Narwhal.--Snowy Owls.--Two Bears in Sight.--Firing on
them with the Howitzer.--A Bear-Hunt among the Ice.--An Ice
"Jungle."--An Exciting Chase.--The Bear turns.--Palmleaf makes
"a Sure Shot."--"Run, you Black Son!"

About two o'clock a dead narwhal came floating out wit