e to attempt to escape in the two boats,
which, even without provisions, would not have held them all.

British seamen are not addicted to giving way to despair, and their
officers soon succeeded in rousing them, and in inducing them to set to
work to take measures for their safety. Having stowed away the most
portable and nutritious of their provisions in the boats, they began to
make a strong raft, to carry those whom the boats could not contain,
purposing afterwards, should the ice not break up before, to build a
barge out of the fragments of the wreck.

They were so busily employed that they did not see our approach, and a
loud shout we gave was the first intimation they had of it. They all
started up to see who was so unexpectedly coming to their relief; and
then responded to our cheer with a hearty good-will. They at once began
lightening the boats, so as to be able to drag them over the ice to our
ship; and some of the provisions we took into ours, as well as their
clothes.

The master gave a last glance at the wreck of the ship with which he had
been entrusted, and with a heavy heart, I doubt not, turned away from
her for ever. After taking some food, in the shape of salt pork and
biscuit, which we much needed, we commenced our return to the ship.
Delay, we all felt, was dangerous; for, should the commotion of the ice
recommence before we could regain the ship, we ran a great chance of
destruction.

At length, however, after four hours' toil, we accomplished our journey
in safety, and the shipwrecked crew were welcomed on board the _Shetland
Maid_. Some persons might say that, after all, they had little to
congratulate themselves on, for that the same accident which had
happened to them might occur to-morrow to us. Though we were, of
course, aware of this, I must say that I do not believe the idea ever
troubled any one of us; and we all fully expected to return home in the
autumn, notwithstanding the destruction which was, we saw, the lot of so
many.

That night in the forecastle there was as much fun and laughter as if we
had all come off some pleasant excursion, and our light-hearted guests
seemed entirely to have forgotten their losses.

"Well, mates, it is to be hoped none of the other ships has met with the
same ill-luck that yours has," said old David. "It will be a wonder if
they have not. I mind the time, for it's not long ago, that nineteen
fine ships were lost altogether, about here. It