he great joy of Dr. Clawbonny, who asks the commander's
permission to keep a piece as a memorial."

"Of course," answered Shandon; "but let me tell you in my turn that
you will not be the only possessor of such a waif. The Danish governor
of the island of Disco--"

"On the coast of Greenland," continued the doctor, "has a mahogany
table, made from a tree found in the same way; I know it, my dear
Shandon. Very well; I don't grudge him his table, for if there were
room enough on board, I could easily make a sleeping-room out of
this."

On the night of Wednesday the wind blew with extreme violence;
drift-wood was frequently seen; the approach to the coast became more
dangerous at a time when icebergs are numerous; hence the commander
ordered sail to be shortened, and the _Forward_ went on under merely
her foresail and forestay-sail.

The thermometer fell below the freezing-point. Shandon distributed
among the crew suitable clothing, woollen trousers and jackets,
flannel shirts, and thick woollen stockings, such as are worn by
Norwegian peasants. Every man received in addition a pair of
water-proof boots.

As for Captain, he seemed contented with his fur; he appeared
indifferent to the changes of temperature, as if he were thoroughly
accustomed to such a life; and besides, a Danish dog was unlikely to
be very tender. The men seldom laid eyes on him, for he generally kept
himself concealed in the darkest parts of the vessel.

Towards evening, through a rift in the fog, the coast of Greenland
could be seen in longitude 37 degrees 2 minutes 7 seconds. Through his
glass the doctor was able to distinguish mountains separated by huge
glaciers; but the fog soon cut out this view, like the curtain of a
theatre falling at the most interesting part of a play.

[Illustration]

On the morning of the 20th of April, the _Forward_ found itself in
sight of an iceberg one hundred and fifty feet high, aground in this
place from time immemorial; the thaws have had no effect upon it, and
leave its strange shape unaltered. Snow saw it; in 1829 James Ross
took an exact drawing of it; and in 1851 the French lieutenant,
Bellot, on board of the _Prince Albert_, observed it. Naturally the
doctor wanted to preserve a memorial of the famous mountain, and he
made a very successful sketch of it.

It is not strange that such masses should run aground, and in
consequence become immovably fixed to the spot; as for every foot
above the surface