THE WORLD OF ICR. 117

“ Now, then, fire!” he said in a low voice.

In a moment the ice round the ship was rent, and
upheaved, as if some leviathan of the deep were rising
from beneath it, and the vessel swung slowly round.
A loud cheer burst from the men.

“Now, lads, heave with a will
captain,

1?

roared the

Round went the capstan, the windlass clanked, and
the ship forged slowly ahead, as the warps and
hawsers became rigid. At that moment a heavy
block of ice, which had been overbalanced by the
motion of the vessel, fell with a crash on the rudidex,
splitting off a large portion of it, and drawing the
iron bolts that held it completely out of the stern-
post.

“Never mind ; heave away—for your lives!” cried
the captain. “Jump on board, all of you !”

The few men who had until now remained on the
ice scrambled up the side. There was a sheet of ice
right ahead which the ship could not clear, but which
she was pushing out to sea in advance of her.
Suddenly this took the ground and remained motion-
less,

“Out there with ice-chisels! Sink a hole like
lightning! Prepare a canister, Mr. Bolton—quick !”
shouted the captain in desperation, as he sprang over
the side and assisted to eut into the unwieldy obstrue-
tion. The charge was soon fixed and fired, but it
only split the block in two and left it motionless as
before. A few minutes after the ship again grounded ;