should get wood
enough, in my judgment, to see it out."

Roswell made no reply; but he looked intently at the boat-steerer for half
a minute. The idea was new to him; and the more he thought on the subject,
the greater was the confidence it gave him in the result. Daggett, he well
knew, would not consent to the mutilation of his schooner, wreck as it
was, so long as the most remote hope existed of getting her again into the
water. The tenacity with which this man clung to property was like that
which is imputed to the life of the cat; and it was idle to expect any
concessions from him on a subject like that. Nevertheless, necessity is a
hard master; and if the question were narrowed down to one of burning the
materials of a vessel that was in the water, and in good condition, and of
burning those of one that was out of the water, with holes cut through her
bottom in several places, and otherwise so situated as to render repairs
extremely difficult, if not impossible, even Duggett would be compelled to
submit to circumstances.

It was accordingly suggested to the people of the Vineyard Lion that they
could do no better than to begin at once to remove everything they could
come at, and which could be transported from the wreck to the house. As
there was little to do on board the vessel afloat, her crew cheerfully
offered to assist in this labour. The days were shortening sensibly and
fast, and no time was to be lost, the distance being so great as to make
two trips a day a matter of great labour. No sooner was the plan adopted,
therefore, than steps were taken to set about its execution.

It is unnecessary for us to dwell minutely on everything that occurred
during the succeeding week or ten days. The wind shifted to south-west the
very day that the Sea Lion got back into her little harbour; and this
seemed to put a sudden check on the pressure of the vast floe.
Nevertheless, there was no counter-movement, the ice remaining in the
Great Bay seemingly as firmly fastened as if it had originally been made
there. Notwithstanding this shift of the wind to a cold point of the
compass, the thermometer rose, and it thawed freely about the middle of
the day, in all places to which the rays of the sun had access. This
enabled the men to work with more comfort than they could have done in the
excessively severe weather; as it was found that respiration became
difficult when it was so very cold.

Access was now obtained to the wre