ceived his directions to abandon his ships. It
appears that he would rather have sent most of his men forward, and with
a small crew brought the "Resolute" home that autumn or the next. But
Sir Edward Belcher considered his orders peremptory "that the safety of
the crews must preclude any idea of extricating the ships." Both ships
were to be abandoned. Two distant travelling parties were away, one at
the "Investigator," one looking for traces of Collinson, which they
found. Word was left for them, at a proper point, not to seek the ship
again, but to come on to Beechey Island. And at last, having fitted the
"Intrepid's" engines so that she could be under steam in two hours,
having stored both ships with equal proportions of provisions, and made
both vessels "ready for occupation," the captain calked down the
hatches, and with all the crew he had not sent on before,--forty-two
persons in all,--left her Monday, the 15th of May, 1854, and started
with the sledges for Beechey Island.

Poor old "Resolute"! All this gay company is gone who have made her
sides split with their laughter. Here is Harlequin's dress, lying in one
of the wardrooms, but there is nobody to dance Harlequin's dances. "Here
is a lovely clear day,--surely to-day they will come on deck and take a
meridian!" No, nobody comes. The sun grows hot on the decks; but it is
all one, nobody looks at the thermometer! "And so the poor ship was
left all alone." Such gay times she has had with all these brave young
men on board! Such merry winters, such a lightsome summer! So much fun,
so much nonsense! So much science and wisdom, and now it is all so
still! Is the poor "Resolute" conscious of the change? Does she miss the
races on the ice, the scientific lecture every Tuesday, the occasional
racket and bustle of the theatre, and the worship of every Sunday? Has
not she shared the hope of Captain Kellett, of McClure, and of the crew,
that she may _break out well!_ She sees the last sledge leave her. The
captain drives off his six dogs,--vanishes over the ice, and they are
all gone. "Will they not come back again?" says the poor ship. And she
looks wistfully across the ice to her little friend the steam tender
"Intrepid," and she sees there is no one there. "Intrepid! Intrepid!
have they really deserted us? We have served them so well, and have they
really left us alone? A great many were away travelling last year, but
they came home. Will not any of these come home now