noise continued. It too much reminded
us of that we had heard when the ice, in which we had been beset in our
passage through Baffin's Bay, had begun to break up.

"What's the matter now?" exclaimed several voices.

"The floe must be separating, and we are perhaps going to be drifted
away from the shore," remarked old David, "But never mind, mates, we
can't be much worse off than we were, and a short cruise won't do us any
harm."

"How can we tell that the floe will not break up into small pieces, or
perhaps drift out and join the middle ice?" I inquired. I thought such
a thing might possibly occur, and I wished to secure our retreat on
shore.

"There is little doubt that the floe is separating," said Andrew. "But
at all events we can do nothing while it remains dark. As soon as
daylight appears, we must decide, without loss of time, what is to be
done."

The noise continued for a considerable time, then all was silent; and I
suppose that the piece we were on had already begun to drift away from
the main body of ice. I fancied, even, that I could feel a peculiar
undulating movement, as if it was acted on by the waves. As soon as
morning dawned we eagerly looked out. At first there appeared to be no
change; but, as the light increased, we found that between us and the
main ice there was a wide passage of nearly a quarter of a mile.

The floe we were on was about a mile across in the narrowest part, and
two or three miles long. It seemed, while we watched the land, to be
advancing towards the northward and eastward. Our flagstaff was on the
same piece, and was not disturbed. But another object met our sight
which engaged all our attention. It was a sail to the southward. With
what deep anxiety we watched her, I need scarcely say.

"Which way is she heading?" was the general cry.

"To the southward," exclaimed old David. "She'll not come near us,
depend on that, mates; so we need not look after her. She must have
slipped by in the night or in the grey of the morning, or we should have
seen her."

"But don't you think she may be the _Shetland Maid_ come to look for
us?" I asked. "Who is certain that she is standing away from us? for I
am not."

One or two sided with me; but the others were of opinion that the
stranger was standing from us.

Meantime the floe drifted out to sea. There was no immediate danger,
and we might have remained as secure as we were before, provided it did
not come in