zen
over.

It was now past noon, and the sun's rays were warm, although the
quantity of ice around rendered the air cold. As the men were returning
from fixing the anchors, the captain looked over the side, and said:

"It's not likely that we shall move out of this for some hours. What
say you, lads, to a game of football?"

The proposal was received with a loud cheer. The ball had been prepared
by the sail-maker, in expectation of some such opportunity as this. It
was at once tossed over the side; those men who were not already on the
field scrambled out of the brig, and the entire crew went leaping and
yelling over the ice with the wild delight of schoolboys let loose for
an unexpected holiday.

They were in the middle of the game when a loud shout came from the
brig, and the captain's voice was heard singing out:

"All hands ahoy! come aboard. Look alive!"

Instantly the men turned, and there was a general race toward the brig,
which lay nearly a quarter of a mile distant from them.

In summer, changes in the motions of the ice take place in the most
unexpected manner. Currents in the ocean are, no doubt, the chief cause
of these; the action of winds has also something to do with them. One
of these changes was now taking place. Almost before the men got on
board the ice had separated, and long canals of water were seen opening
up here and there. Soon after that a light breeze sprang up, the
ice-anchors were taken aboard, the sails trimmed, and soon the _Hope_
was again making her way slowly but steadily to the north.

CHAPTER FOUR.

DIFFICULTIES, TROUBLES, AND DANGERS.

For some hours the brig proceeded onward with a freshening breeze,
winding and turning in order to avoid the lumps of ice. Many of the
smaller pieces were not worth turning out of the way of, the mere weight
of the vessel being sufficient to push them aside.

Up to this time they had succeeded in steering clear of everything
without getting a thump; but they got one at last, which astonished
those among the crew who had not been in the ice before. The captain,
Gregory, and Dicey were seated in the cabin at the time taking tea. Ned
Dawkins, the steward, an active little man, was bringing in a tea-pot
with a second supply of tea. In his left hand he carried a tray of
biscuit. The captain sat at the head of the table, Dicey at the foot,
and the doctor at the side.

Suddenly a tremendous shock was felt! The captain's cup