seas just as she was. But Captain Harvey resolved to take every
precaution to insure the success of his voyage, and the safety and
comfort of his men. He, therefore, had the whole of the ship's bottom
sheathed with thick hardwood planking, which was carried up above her
water-line, as high as the ordinary floe-ice would be likely to reach.
The hull inside was strengthened with stout cross-beams, as well as with
beams running along the length of the vessel, and in every part that was
likely to be subjected to pressure iron stanchions were fastened. But
the bow of the vessel was the point where the utmost strength was aimed
at. Inside, just behind the cutwater, the whole space was so traversed
by cross-beams of oak that it almost became a solid mass, and outside
the sharp stem was cased in iron so as to resemble a giant's chisel.
The false keel was taken off, the whole vessel, in short, was rendered
as strong, outside and in, as wood and iron and skill could make her.
It need scarcely be said that all the other arrangements about her were
made with the greatest care and without regard to expense, for although
the owners of the brig did not wish to waste their money, they set too
high a value on human life to risk it for the sake of saving a few
pounds. She was provisioned for a cruise of two years and a half. But
this was in case of accidents, for Captain Harvey did not intend to be
absent much longer than one year.

But, to return to our story:

Jim Croft's fear that they would be set fast was realised sooner than he
expected. The floes began to close in, from no cause that could be
seen, for the wind was quite still, and in a short time the loose ice
pressed against the _Hope_ on all sides. It seemed to young Gregory as
if the story that the seaman had just related was about to be enacted
over again; and, being a stranger to ice, he could not help feeling a
little uneasy for some time. But there was in reality little or no
danger, for the pressure was light, and the brig had got into a small
bay in the edge of an ice-field, which lay in the midst of the smaller
masses.

Seeing that there was little prospect of the pack opening up just then,
the captain ordered the ice-anchors to be got out and fixed.

The appearance of the sea from the brig's deck was now extremely wintry,
but very bright and cheerful. Not a spot of blue water was to be seen
in any direction. The whole ocean appeared as if it had been fro