art, Captain, you may depend on't, as long as two of
my bones will stick together, but--well, to change the subject; what are
you going to do now?"

"Just all that can be done in the circumstances," replied the Captain.
"You see, we cannot advance over ice either with sail or steam, but
there's a basin just ahead which seems a little more secure than that in
which we lie. I'll try to get into it. There is nothing but a neck of
ice between us and it, which I think I could cut by charging in under
full steam, and there seems a faint gleam of something far ahead, which
encourages me. Tell the steward to fetch my glasses, Benjy."

"Butterface!" shouted the boy.

"Yis, massa."

"Fetch the Captain's glasses, please."

"Yis, massa."

A pair of large binoculars were brought up by a huge negro, whose name
was pre-eminently unsuggestive of his appearance.

After a long steady gaze at the horizon, the Captain shut up the glass
with an air of determination, and ordered the engineer to get up full
steam, and the crew to be ready with the ice-poles.

There was a large berg at the extremity of the lakelet of open water
into which Captain Vane wished to break. It was necessary to keep well
out of the way of that berg. The Captain trusted chiefly to his screw,
but got out the ice-poles in case they should be required.

When all the men were stationed, the order was given to go ahead full
steam. The gallant little yacht charged the neck of ice like a living
creature, hit it fair, cut right through, and scattered the fragments
right and left as she sailed majestically into the lakelet beyond. The
shock was severe, but no harm was done, everything on board having been
made as strong as possible, and of the very best material, for a voyage
in ice-laden seas.

An unforeseen event followed, however, which ended in a series of most
terrible catastrophes. The neck of ice through which they had broken
had acted as a check on the pressure of the great body of the floe, and
it was no sooner removed than the heavy mass began to close in with slow
but irresistible power, compelling the little vessel to steam close up
to the iceberg--so close that some of the upper parts actually overhung
the deck.

They were slowly forced into this dangerous position. With breathless
anxiety the Captain and crew watched the apparently gentle, but really
tremendous grinding of the ice against the vessel's side. Even the
youngest on board could