, disappointment,
and even despair which seized upon him, when he noticed that by means
of an imperceptible movement in the ice, the _Forward_ lost in the
night of the 18th all that had been gained by such toilsome efforts;
on Saturday morning he was opposite the Devil's Thumb, in a still more
critical position; the icebergs increased in number and passed by in
the mist like phantoms.

Shandon was thoroughly demoralized; it must be said that fear seized
both this bold man and all his crew. Shandon had heard of the
disappearance of the dog; but he did not dare to punish the guilty
persons; he feared exciting a mutiny.

The weather during that day was horrible; the snow, caught up in dense
whirls, covered the brig with an impenetrable veil; at times, under
the influence of the hurricane, the fog would rise, and their
terror-stricken eyes beheld the Devil's Thumb rising on the shore like
a spectre.

The _Forward_ was anchored to a large piece of ice; there was nothing
to be done, nothing to be tried; darkness was spreading about them,
and the man at the helm could not see James Wall, who was on watch
forward.

Shandon withdrew to his cabin, a prey to perpetual disquiet; the
doctor was arranging his notes of the expedition; some of the crew
were on the deck, others in the common room.

At a moment when the violence of the storm was redoubling, the Devil's
Thumb seemed to rise immoderately from the mist.

"Great God!" exclaimed Simpson, recoiling with terror.

"What's the matter?" asked Foker.

Soon shouts were heard on all sides.

"It's going to crush us!"

"We are lost!"

"Mr. Wall, Mr. Wall!"

"It's all over!"

"Commander, Commander!"

All these cries were uttered by the men on watch.

Wall hastened to the after-deck; Shandon, followed by the doctor, flew
to the deck and looked out.

Through a rift in the mist, the Devil's Thumb appeared to have
suddenly come near the brig; it seemed to have grown enormously in
size; on its summit was balanced a second cone, upside down, and
revolving on its point; it threatened to crush the ship with its
enormous mass; it wavered, ready to fall down. It was an alarming
sight. Every one drew back instinctively, and many of the men, jumping
upon the ice, abandoned the ship.

[Illustration]

"Let no one move!" cried the commander with a loud voice; "every one
to his place!"

"My friends, don't be frightened," said the doctor, "there is no
danger! See, Commander,