rder to guard against the possibility of her
being carried away by any sudden disruption of the ice. The disposition
of the masts, yards, and sails were next determined on; the top-gallant
masts were struck, the lower yards got down to the housings. The
top-sail yards, gaff, and jib-boom, however, were left in their places.
The top-sails and courses were kept bent to the yards, the sheets being
unrove, and the clews tucked in. The rest of the binding sails were
stowed on deck to prevent their thawing during winter; and the spare
spars were lashed over the ship's sides, to leave a clear space for
taking exercise in bad weather.

The stores, in order to relieve the strain on the ship, were removed to
Store Island, and snugly housed under the tent erected there, and then a
thick bank of snow was heaped up round it. After this was accomplished,
all the boats were hauled up beside the tent and covered with snow,
except the two quarter boats, which were left hanging at the davits all
winter. When the thermometer fell below zero it was found that the
vapours below, and the breath of the men, condensed on the beams of the
lower deck and in the cabin near the hatchway. It was therefore
resolved to convert some sheet-iron, which they fortunately possessed,
into pipes, which, being conducted from the cooking-stove through the
length of the ship, served in some degree to raise the temperature and
ventilate the cabins. A regular daily allowance of coal was served out,
and four steady men appointed to attend to the fire in regular watches,
for the double purpose of seeing that none of the fuel should be wasted,
and of guarding against fire. They had likewise charge of the
fire-pumps and buckets, and two tanks of water, all of which were kept
in the hatchway in constant readiness in case of accidents. In addition
to this, a fire-brigade was formed, with Joseph West, a steady, quiet,
active young seaman, as its captain, and their stations in the event of
fire were fixed beforehand; also a hole was kept constantly open in the
ice alongside to ensure at all times a sufficient supply of water.

Strict regulations as to cleanliness, and the daily airing of the
hammocks, were laid down, and adhered to throughout the winter. A
regular allowance of provisions was appointed to each man, so that they
should not run the risk of starving before the return of the wild fowl
in spring. But those provisions were all salt, and the captain t