on drawing out which they were jerked out also,
and before we could catch them, they had fallen over the steep side of
the berg. Away they bounded, from ledge to ledge, till they fell into
the sea. Had they lodged in any crevice, one of us might probably have
attempted to recover them, and should very likely have fallen into the
sea in so doing; so, as Andrew observed, all was for the best. It was
fortunate, we observed, that we had dried some of our seal's flesh, or
we should have had to eat it quite raw.

We now descended, and commenced at once to form our raft. We had few
materials, and our only tools were the knives and the heads of the
boarding-pikes. We first made a framework of the spars; and then,
knocking the hen-coop to pieces, we nailed the planks on to the top,
securing the whole fabric more firmly with ropes. When completed, as we
looked at it, we agreed that it was a very small ark to support four
people on the stormy ocean.

"I don't think it will have to float me, shipmates," said poor Tom, who
had not recovered his hurt. "I feel as if I could not weather out
another night like the last."

"On you'll do well enough, lad," answered Andrew, in a kind voice.
"Your clothes will be dry, you'll have a dry plank to lie on, and a roof
over your head. You'll do yet, trust to me." These encouraging words
had an immediate effect on Tom's spirits, and we heard no more of his
complaints.

We had observed, as we sat on the top of the berg, several articles
floating round the base, and some lodged in crevices which we had not
before discovered. Our raft being completed as far as our materials
would go, I volunteered to try and get hold of some of the things. To
do this with safety, I begged my shipmates to hold one end of a line,
which we had formed out of the various pieces collected, while the other
I secured round my body. By keeping the line always tight, I was able
to lean over the edge and pick up several things in the water. The
first was a bucket, in sound condition. This was valuable, as it would
contain fresh water, and prevent the necessity of our chewing the cold
ice, which chilled us extremely. Then I found some more spars, and the
fragments of one of the boats, which must have been stove in and got
adrift before the ship went down. These enabled us to increase our raft
to a size which afforded us hope that it might support us in our
necessity.

When I was tired, Terence followed my e