he middle of the North Sea; but still the
scene made an impression on my mind which I shall not forget. We had
struck on the lowest and least precipitous side of the iceberg, there
being a wide flat space some distance above the water, with one ledge
rising above the other, for some way up,--so that we had ample room to
walk about; nor was the ice so slippery as to cause us much fear of
tumbling into the water. I had heard a rippling noise during the night,
and could not conceive whence it came; but now, on looking around, I
perceived that it was caused by a small cascade, which, from the ice at
the top continually melting, came trickling down the side.

"We shall have fresh water, at all events, in abundance," I observed to
Andrew, who had awoke from a sleep into which he, with our other
companions, had fallen.

"Yes, Peter; and from what I see not far off, if I mistake not, we shall
have food also," he added, pointing to a dark object which lay on a
ledge below us, a little way to the left.

"If looks like an animal of some sort," I exclaimed. "But I am afraid
it will be off before we can catch it. Shall we run down and secure
it?"

"I have no fear on that score," he replied; "it is a seal, and from the
way it is lying, it is, I suspect, dead. Indeed, a live animal would
not have got on the ice so early in the morning. They are now feeding,
and love to come out of the water to bask at noon in the sun. We will
wake up Terence and Tom, and get them to help to drag it up out of the
reach of the sea. It will probably not be very palatable, though it
will doubtless serve to keep us alive. But before we commence the work
of the day, let us return thanks to Heaven for having preserved us
through the great perils of the past night."

We roused up our companions; and I believe did most sincerely offer up
our thanksgiving for the mercy which had been shown us in saving us out
of so many from destruction. We then, with care to avoid falling into
the sea, descended to where the body of the seal had been thrown. The
animal was dead, but it was quite fresh, and had probably been cast up
that very night; at all events, it could not have been there long.

"I doubted not that God would send us food. This did not happen by
chance," said Andrew. We found that we could not drag the entire body
of the seal up to the higher ledge, so we cut thin slices out of it,
hoping by drying them in the sun to preserve them longer.