THE WORLD OF ICH. 13

Fred Ellice, who stood beside the second mate near
the companion hatch, looked inquiringly at him.

“ Ah! that’s bad,” said Saunders, shaking his head
slowly; “I dinna like that sound. If we're carried
out into the pack there, dear knows where we'll turn
up in the long run.”

“Perhaps we'll turn bottom up, sir,’ suggested the
fat cook as he passed at the moment with a tray of
meat. Mizzle could not resist a joke—no matter
how unsuitable the time or dreadful the consequences.

“ Hold your tongue, sir!” exclaimed Saunders indig-
nantly. “Attend to your business, and speak only
when you're spoken to.”

With some difficulty the mass of ice that had got
foul of the cable was disengaged, but in a few
moments another and a larger mass fixed upon it,
and threatened to carry it away. In this extremity
the captain ordered the anchor to be hove up; but
this was not easily accomplished, and when at last it
was hove up to the bow both flukes were found to
have been broken off, and the shank was polished
bright with rubbing on the rocks.

tee now came rolling down in great quantities and
with irresistible force, and at last the ship was whirled
into the much-dreaded pack, where she became firmly
embedded, and drifted along with it before the gale
into the unknown regions of the North all that night.
To add to their distress and danger a thick fog over-
spread the sea, so that they could not tell whither the
ice was carrying them, and to warp out of it was