pressed it, nearly out
of his own skin. Dogs are by nature extremely sympathetic and
remarkably inquisitive; and no sooner was Dumps's yell heard than it was
vigorously responded to by every dog in the ship, as the whole pack
rushed each from his respective sleeping-place, and looked round in
amazement.

"Hallo! what's wrong there for'ard?" enquired Saunders, who had been
pacing the quarter-deck with slow giant strides, arguing mentally with
himself in default of a better adversary.

"Only trod on Dumps's paw, sir," said Mivins as he hurried aft; "the men
are sky-larking."

"Sky-larking, are you?" said Saunders, going forward; "weel, lads,
you've had a lot o' hard work of late, ye may go and take a run on the
ice."

Instantly the men, like boys set free from school, sprang up, tumbled
over the side, and were scampering over the ice like madmen.

"Pitch over the ball!--the football!" they cried. In a second the ball
was tossed over the ship's side, and a vigorous game was begun.

For two days past the _Dolphin_ had been sailing with difficulty through
large fields of ice, sometimes driving against narrow necks and tongues
that interrupted her passage from one lead, or canal, to another; at
other times boring with difficulty through compact masses of sludge, or,
occasionally, when unable to advance farther, making fast to a large
berg or field. They were compelled to proceed north, however, in
consequence of the pack having become fixed towards the south, and thus
rendering retreat impossible in that direction until the ice should be
again set in motion. Captain Guy, however, saw, by the steady advance
of the larger bergs, that the current of the ocean in that place flowed
southward, and trusted that in a short time the ice which had been
forced into the strait by the gales, would be released, and open up a
passage. Meanwhile he pushed along the coast, examining every bay and
inlet in the hope of discovering some trace of the _Pole Star_ or her
crew.

On the day about which we are writing, the ship was beset by large
fields, the snow-white surfaces of which extended north and south to the
horizon, while on the east the cliffs rose in dark, frowning precipices
from the midst of the glaciers that encumber them all the year round.

It was a lovely Arctic day. The sun shone with unclouded splendour, and
the bright air, which trembled with that liquidity of appearance that
one occasionally sees in very hot weat