obedient to
her rudder, whirled round, as if sensible herself of the danger, and, in
less time than I had ever before known her to wear, we felt the wind on
the other quarter. Our cats and dogs bestirred themselves, for there was
no one there, Captain Noah Poke excepted, whose heart did not beat quick
and hard. In much less time than usual, the yards were braced up on the
other tack, and the ship was ploughing heavily against the sea, with her
head to the westward. It is impossible to give one who has never been
in such a situation, a just idea of the feverish impatience, the sinking
and mounting of hope, as we watch the crablike movement of a vessel that
is clawing off a lee-shore, in a gale. In the present case, it being
well known that the sea was fathomless, we had run so near the danger
that not even the smallest of its horrors was veiled from sight.

While the ship labored along, I saw the clouds fast shutting in to
windward, by the interposition of the promontory of ice--the certain
sign that our drift was rapid--and, as we drew nearer to the point,
breathing became labored and even audible. Here Noah took a chew of
tobacco, I presume on the principle of enjoying a last quid, should the
elements prove fatal; and then he went to the wheel in person.

"Let her go through the water," he said, easing the helm a little--"let
her jog ahead, or we shall lose command of her in this devil's-pot!"

The vessel felt the slight change, and drew faster through the foaming
brine, bringing us, with increasing velocity, nearer to the dreaded
point. As we came up to the promontory the water fell back in spray on
the decks, and there was an instant when it appeared as if the wind was
about to desert us. Happily the ship had drawn so far ahead as to feel
the good effects of a slight change of current that was caused by the
air rushing obliquely into the cove; and, as Noah, by easing the
helm still more, had anticipated this alteration, which had been felt
adversely but a moment before, while struggling to the eastward of
the promontory, we drew swiftly past the icy cape, opening the cove
handsomely, with the ship's head falling off fast towards the gorge.

There was but a minute or two, for squaring the yards and obtaining the
proper position to windward of the narrow strait. Instead of running
down in a direct line for the latter, Captain Poke kept the ship on such
a course as to lay it well open, before her head was pointed towa