s they
happened to fall into line,--a long three quarters of a mile. It was
lovely weather, and, though the long lane closed up so that they could
neither go back nor forward,--nobody apprehended injury till it was
announced on the morning of the 7th that the poor "McLellan" was nipped
in the ice and her crew were deserting her. Sir Edward Belcher was then
in condition to befriend her, sent his carpenters to examine her,--put a
few charges of powder into the ice to relieve the pressure upon
her,--and by the end of the day it was agreed that her injuries could be
repaired, and her crew went on board again. But there is no saying what
ice will do next. The next morning there was a fresh wind, the
"McLellan" was caught again, and the water poured into her, a steady
stream. She drifted about unmanageable, now into one ship, now into
another, and the English whalemen began to pour on board, to help
themselves to such plunder as they chose. At the Captain's request, Sir
Edward Belcher put an end to this, sent sentries on board, and working
parties, to clear her as far as might be, and keep account of what her
stores were and where they went to. In a day or two more she sank to the
water's edge and a friendly charge or two of powder put her out of the
way of harm to the rest of the fleet. After such a week spent together
it will easily be understood that the New London whalemen did not feel
strangers on board one of Sir Edward's vessels when they found her
"ready for occupation" three years and more afterwards.

In this tussle with the ice, the "Resolute" was nipped once or twice,
but she has known harder nips than that since. As July wore away, she
made her way across Baffin's Bay, and on the 10th of August made Beechey
Island,--known now as the head-quarters for years of the searching
squadrons, because, as it happened, the place where the last traces of
Franklin's ships were found,--the wintering place of his first winter.
But Captain Kellett was on what is called the "western search," and he
only stayed at Beechey Island to complete his provisions from the
storeships, and in the few days which this took, to see for himself the
sad memorials of Franklin's party,--and then the "Resolute" and
"Intrepid" were away, through Barrow's Straits,--on the track which
Parry ran along with such success thirty-three years before,--and which
no one had followed with as good fortune as he, until now.

On the 15th of August Captain Kellet