118 THE WORLD OF ICE.

the ice settled round her; the spring tide was lost, and
they were not delivered.

Those who know the bitterness of repeated dis-
appointment and of hope deferred, may judge of the
feelings with which the crew of the Dolphin now
regarded their position. Little, indeed, was said, but
the grave looks of most of the men, and the absence
of the usual laugh, and jest, and disposition to sky-
lark, which, on almost all other occasions characterized
them, showed too plainly how heavily the prospect of
a winter in the Arctic Regions weighed upon their
spirits. They continued their exertions to free the
ship, however, for several days after the high tide,
and did not finally give in until all reasonable hope
of moving her was utterly annihilated. Before this,
however, a reaction began to take place ; the prospects
of the coming winter were discussed ; and some of the
more sanguine looked even beyond the winter, and
began to consider how they would contrive to get the
ship out of her position into deep water again.

Fred Ellice, too, thought of his father, and this
abrupt check to the search, and his spirits sank again
as his hopes decayed. But poor Fred, like the others,
at last discovered that it was of no use to repine, and
that it was best to face his sorrows and difficulties
“like a man!”

Alas! poor human nature; how difficult do we
find it to face sorrows and difficulties cheerfully, even
when we do conscientiously try! Well would it be
for all of us could we submit to such, not only because