up to the height of thirty feet. "The land, blue from distance, and beautifully soft as contrasted with the white cold glare of the interminable ice around, reflecting by the setting sun the tints of the intervening masses thrown into the most picturesque groups and forms, spires, turrets, and pyramids, many in deep shade, presented altogether a scene sufficient for a time to cheat the imagination, and withdraw the mind from the cheerless reality of their situation." On the 5th of September, when they were firmly fixed about sixteen miles from Southampton Island, and saw some tempting lanes of water at no great distance, they fell to the spirited task of cutting a way through the ice by mechanical force. All the ship's company, officers and men, seized axes, ice-chisels, hand-pikes, and long poles, and vied with one another in driving the blocks asunder, and in driving them away to the nearest pool. They at length succeeded in setting the ship free, and got her into a run of several miles toward the land; but so early as next morning, they were once more "in a fix." High winds and foul weather at the same time came on, and seriously bewildered them, yet, on the whole, did them good service, by driving them slowly toward the shore. On the 14th of September, within about four miles of the Cape Comfort of Baffin, the ship became severely "nipped." A violent, agitative, landward motion pressed all the surrounding ice into the utmost possible compactness, raised much of it into ponderous pointed heaps of twenty feet and upwards in height, and jammed the ship with perilous tightness between the nearest masses. The hapless ship was for many days drifted backward and forward along the coast, and away from it, over a range of about thirty miles, just as the wind or the cur it of that y tear The laul. ble from tints of 1.autifuly sas contrasted with the e of the late minabh ice around, reflectrotting sta t Intervening masses thrown into the most picturesque groups and forms, soirs, ture, and pyramids, many in deep slc. le prosented gether a scene suficient for a time the lower tion, and withdraw the mird from ty of their sitiation." }. masser The hu pless ptember, when they were firmly fixed es from bomlampton Island, and saw laues of water at no great distance, they od tuck of crding a way though, the ship's company, offi sels, hand pinee, and another in driving the them away to the nearest ¿dia setting the ship of veral miles toward the ming, they were once and for wether at the Jusly bow lub red them, yet, on, and sa and ferved ak g range of our 4.. her driving them: about four miles of e ship became sevmey etive, lauaward motion Tet its the utmost possible anto ponderous pointed var is 'n height, and jammed *F* between the nearest Type dated backward sway from it, over a - the wind or the ear |