crack. Now, you must know, sir, that when a nip o' this
sort takes a ship the ice usually eases off, after giving her a good
squeeze, or when the pressure is too much for her, the ice slips under
her bottom and lifts her right out o' the water. But our _Nancy_ was
what we call wall-sided. She was never fit to sail in them seas. The
consequence was that the ice crushed her sides in. The moment the
captain heard the beams begin to go he knew it was all up with the ship;
so he roared to take to the ice for our lives! You may be sure we took
his advice. Over the side we went, every man Jack of us, and got on the
ice. We did not take time to save an article belongin' to us; and it
was as well we did not, for the ice closed up with a crash, and we heard
the beams and timbers rending like a fire of musketry in the hold. Her
bottom must have been cut clean away, for she stood on the ice just as
she had floated on the sea. Then the noise stopped, the ice eased off,
and the ship began to settle. The lead of water opened up again; in ten
minutes after that the _Nancy_ went to the bottom and left us standing
there on the ice.

"It was the mercy of God that let it happen so near the _Bullfinch_. We
might have been out o' sight o' that ship at the time, and then every
man of us would have bin lost. As it was, we had a hard scramble over a
good deal of loose ice, jumpin' from lump to lump, and some of us
fallin' into the water several times, before we got aboard. Now that
was a bad nip, sir, warn't it?"

"It certainly was," replied Gregory; "and although I delight in being
among the ice, I sincerely hope that our tight little brig may not be
tried in the same way. But she is better able to stand it, I should
think."

"That she is, sir," replied Croft, with much confidence. "I seed her in
dock, sir, when they was a-puttin' of extra timbers on the bow, and I do
believe she would stand twice as much bad usage as the _Nancy_ got,
though she is only half the size."

Jim Croft's opinion on this point was well founded, for the _Hope_ had
indeed been strengthened and prepared for her ice battles with the
greatest care, by men of experience and ability. As some readers may be
interested in this subject, I shall give a brief account of the
additions that were made to her hull.

The vessel was nearly two hundred tons burden. She had originally been
built very strongly, and might even have ventured on a voyage to the
Polar