ierce waves dashing
wildly and irregularly about us; the storm raging fiercely; the ship
driving onwards through pitchy darkness; wide, massive fields of ice
extending on every side; huge icebergs floating around we knew not
where; no lighthouse, no chart to guide us; our eyes and ears stretched
to the utmost, giving but short warning of approaching danger. Such are
the scenes which wear out a commander's strength, and make his hair turn
quickly grey. We knew full well that dangers still thickly surrounded
us, and heartily did we wish for the return of day to see them. Newman
and I were again forward. I was telling him that I had heard of a ship
striking a berg, and of several of her people being saved on it, while
she went down, when he startled me by singing out with a voice of
thunder, "Ice ahead!" At the same moment old Knowles cried out, "Ice on
the weather-bow!" and immediately I had to echo the shout with "Ice on
the lee-bow!" and another cried, "Ice abeam!"

To tack would have been instant destruction; to wear, there was no room.
Every moment we expected to feel the awful crash as the stout ship
encountered the hard ice. Captain Carr rushed forward. We must dash
onward. Though no opening could be seen, there might be one! Onward we
careered. Every man held his breath; and pale, I doubt not, turned the
faces of the bravest. Suddenly, high above us, on the weather-side,
appeared another iceberg. The sea became almost calm; but it was a
calmness fraught with danger rather than safety. The sails, caught by
the eddy-wind, were taken aback. In another moment we might have been
driven, without power of saving ourselves, under that frowning cliff of
ice. The storm raged above us--before us--behind us--on every side but
there we lay, as if exhausted. Still the ship had way on her, and we
continued our course. The channel was too narrow to allow the helm to
be put up.

Just as she was losing her way, and would inevitably, through the force
of the eddy-wind, have got stern-way on her, her headsails again felt
the force of the gale, and, like a hound loosed from the leash, she
started forward on her course. Again we were plunging madly through the
wildly breaking seas; but the wind blew steadily, and the ice-fields
widened away on either side till they were lost to view. Once again we
were saved by a merciful Providence from an almost inevitable
destruction. Still, we had some hours of darkness before u