on.  Roswell manifested the most judgment and seamanship.  He was now far enough from the cape to beat to windward; and, by going nearer to the enemy, he might always run along its southern boundary, profit by any opening, and would be by as much as he could thus gain, to windward of the coast.  Daggett had one advantage.  By standing on, in the event of a return becoming necessary, he would gain in time.  In ten minutes the two schooners were a mile asunder.  We shall first follow that, of Roswell Gardiner’s, in his attempt to escape.

The first floe, which was ripping and tearing one of its angles into fragments, as it came grinding down on the cape, soon compelled the vessel to tack.  Making short reaches, Roswell ere long found himself fully a mile to windward of the rocks, and sufficiently near to the new floe to discern its shape, drift, and general character.  Its eastern end had lodged upon the field that first came in, and was adding to the vast momentum with which that enormous floe was pressing down upon the cape.  Large as was that first visiter to the bay, this was of at least twice if not of thrice its dimensions.  What gave Roswell the most concern was the great distance that this field extended to the westward.  He went up into the crow’s-nest himself, and, aided by the light of a most brilliant moon, and a sky without a cloud, he could perceive the blink of ice in that direction, as he fancied, for fully two leagues.  What was unusual, perhaps, at that early season of the year, these floes did not consist of a vast collection of numberless cakes of ice; but the whole field, so far as could then be ascertained, was firm and united.  The nights were now so cold that ice made fast wherever there was water; and it occurred to our young master that, possibly, fragments that had once been separated and broken by the waves, might have become re-united by the agency of the frost.  Roswell descended from the crow’s-nest half chilled by a cutting wind, though it blew from a warm quarter.  Summoning his mates, he asked their advice.

“It seems to me, Captain Gar’ner,” Hazard replied, “there’s very little choice.  Here we are, so far as I can make it out, embayed, and we have only to box about until day-light comes, when some chance may turn up to help us.  If so, we must turn it to account; if not, we must make up our minds to winter here.”

This was coolly and calmly said; though it was clear enough that Hazard was quite in earnest.

“You forget there may be an open passage to the westward, Mr. Hazard,” Roswell rejoined, “and that we may yet pass out to sea by it.  Captain Daggett is already out of sight in the western board, and we may do well to stand on after him.”

“Ay, ay, sir—­I know all that, Captain Gar’ner, and it may be as you say, but when I was aloft, half an hour since, if there wasn’t the blink of ice in that direction, quite round to the back of the island, there wasn’t the blink of ice nowhere hereabouts.  I’m used to the sight of it, and can’t well be mistaken.”