s much
interrupted, and we had to wait several days for the ice to open; then
we would get under way again, and push on. At length it seemed to me
that we must be very near the North Pole. It was a strange world we had
come into. The sun was shining all the time. There was no night at
all,--broad daylight constantly. This, of course, favored us; indeed,
had there been any darkness, we could not have sailed among the ice at
all. As it was, we were obliged to be very cautious, for the ice often
closed upon us without giving us a chance to escape, obliging us to get
out great long saws, and cut out and float away great blocks of the ice,
until we had made a dock for the ship, where she could ride with safety.
We had many narrow escapes from being crushed.

"At first, when we concluded to go after whales, there were several
vessels in company with us. At one time I counted nine, all in sight at
one time; but we had become separated in thick weather; and whether they
had gone ahead of us, or had fallen behind, we could not tell. However,
we kept on and on and on; where we were, or where we were going, I, of
course, had not the least idea; but I became aware, from day to day,
that greater dangers were threatening us, for _icebergs_ came in great
numbers to add their terrors to those which we had already in the
ice-fields. They became at length (and suddenly too) very numerous, and
not being able to go around them on account of the field-ice, which was
on either side, we entered right amongst them. The atmosphere was
somewhat foggy at the time, and it seemed as if the icebergs chilled the
very air we breathed. I fairly shuddered as we passed the first opening.
The ice was now at least three times as high as our masts, and very
likely more than that, and it appeared to cover the sea in every
direction. It seemed to me that we were going to certain destruction,
and indeed I thought I read a warning written as it were on the bergs
themselves. Upon the corner of an iceberg to the left of us there stood
a white figure, as plain as anything could possibly be. One hand of this
strange, weird-looking figure was resting on the ice beside it, while
the other was pointing partly upwards toward heaven, and backwards
toward the south whence we had come. I thought I saw the figure move,
and, much excited, I called the attention of one of the sailors to it.
'Why, you lubber,' said he, 'don't you know that the sun melts the ice
into all sorts