at amusement of the
rest; however, very few escaped without a wetting, so that the laugh was
not entirely against us. We succeeded in killing the fish, and I do not
know whether it was not as exciting as chasing him in the water; at all
events there was more fun and novelty, and that is what a sailor likes.

A fair breeze at length sprung up, which, bringing warmer weather, and
enabling us to spread our canvas with effect, we cut away the ice round
the ship, and then she, with her strong bows, forced a passage through
it. While the wind lasted, with every yard of canvas alow and aloft the
ship could carry, we pressed our onward way--sometimes among floes,
threatening every instant to close in and nip us; at other times with
drift and brash-ice surrounding us; and at others amid open ice, with
here and there floating icebergs appearing near us.

To one of these we had to moor, on account of a shift of wind, which
blew strong in our teeth; and at first, when I turned into my berth, I
did not sleep as securely as usual, from remembering Andrew's account of
one toppling over and crushing a ship beneath it. However, I need
scarcely say that that feeling very soon wore off. The objects gained
by mooring to an iceberg are several. In the first place, from so large
a proportion of the mass being below the water, the wind has little
effect on it, and therefore the ship loses no ground; then it shields
her from the drift-ice as it passes by, and she has also smooth water
under its lee. Casting off from the iceberg, as did our consorts from
those to which they had been moored, when the wind again became
favourable, we continued our course.

We were now approaching the most dangerous part of our voyage, the
passage across Melville Bay, which may be considered the north-eastern
corner of Baffin's Bay. Ships may be sailing among open ice, when, a
south-westerly wind springing up, it may suddenly be pressed down upon
them with irresistible force, and they may be nipped or totally
destroyed.

All this I learned from old David, who was once here when upwards of
twelve ships were lost in sight of each other, though the crews escaped
by leaping on the ice.

"Remember, youngster, such may be our fate one of these days; and we
shall be fortunate if we have another ship at hand to take us on board,"
he remarked.

I never knew whether he uttered this not over-consolatory observation
for my benefit, to remind me how, at any momen