114 THE WORLD OF ICE.

can be done by blasting the ice. The highest spring
tide will occur to-morrow, and if the ship don’t move
then we shal]—”

He did not finish the sentence, but turned on his
hecl and walked forward, where he found Buzzby
and some of the men preparing the ice-saws.

“ Ay, ay,’ muttered the mate, as he went below to
give the necessary directions, “you don’t need to
conclude your speech, captain. If we don’t get out
to-morrow, we’re locked up for one winter, at least, if
not more,”

“Ay, and yell no get oot to-morrow,” remarked
Saunders, with a shake of his head as he looked up
from the log-bock in which he was making an entry.
“We're hard and fast, so we'll just have to make the
best o’t.”

Saunders was right, as the efforts of the next day
proved. The ice lay around the vessel in solid masses,
as we have said, and with each of the last three tides
these masses had been slightly moved. Saws and ice
chisels, therefore, had been in constant operation, and
the men worked with the utmost energy, night and
day, taking it by turns, and having double allowance
of hot coffee served out to them. We may mention
here that the Dolphin carried no spirits, except what
was needed for medicinal purposes, and for fuel to
several small cooking lamps that had been recently
invented. It had now been proved by many voyagers
of experience that in cold countries, as well as hot,
men work harder, and endure the extremity of hard-