“Get out the warps and ice-anchors there!” cried the captain.

In a moment the men were in the boats and busy heaving and planting ice-anchors, but it was not until several hours had been spent in this tedious process that they succeeded in making fast to the berg.  They had barely accomplished this when the berg gave indications of breaking up, so they cast off again in great haste, and not long afterwards a mass of ice, many tons in weight, fell from the edge of the berg close to where they had been moored.

The captain now beat up for the land in the hope of finding anchoring-ground.  At first the ice presented an impenetrable barrier, but at length a lead of open water was found, through which they passed to within a few hundred yards of the shore, which at this spot showed a front of high precipitous cliffs.

“Stand by to let go the anchor!” shouted the captain.

“Ay, ay, sir.”

“Down your helm!  Let go!”

Down went the anchor to the music of the rattling chain-cable—­a sound which had not been heard since the good ship left the shores of Old England.

“If we were only a few yards farther in, sir,” remarked the first-mate, “we should be better.  I’m afraid of the stream of ice coming round yonder point.”

“So am I,” replied the captain; “but we can scarcely manage it, I fear, on account of the shore ice.  Get out a boat, Mr. Saunders, and try to fix an anchor.  We may warp in a few yards.”

The anchor was fixed, and the men strained at the capstan with a will, but, notwithstanding their utmost efforts, they could not penetrate the shore ice.  Meanwhile the wind increased, and snow began to fall in large flakes.  The tide, too, as it receded, brought a stream of ice round the point ahead of them, which bore right down on their bows.  At first the concussions were slight, and the bow of the ship turned the floes aside; but heavier masses soon came down, and at last one fixed itself on the cable, and caused the anchor to drag with a harsh, grating sound.

Fred Ellice, who stood beside the second mate near the companion hatch, looked inquiringly at him.

“Ah! that’s bad,” said Saunders, shaking his head slowly; “I dinna like that sound.  If we’re carried out into the pack there, dear knows where we’ll turn up in the long run.”

“Perhaps we’ll turn bottom up, sir,” suggested the fat cook as he passed at the moment with a tray of meat.  Mizzle could not resist a joke—­no matter how unsuitable the time or dreadful the consequences.

“Hold your tongue, sir!” exclaimed Saunders indignantly.  “Attend to your business, and speak only when you’re spoken to.”

With some difficulty the mass of ice that had got foul of the cable was disengaged, but in a few moments another and a larger mass fixed upon it, and threatened to carry it away.  In this extremity the captain ordered the anchor to be hove up; but this was not easily accomplished, and when at last it was hove up to the bow both flukes were found to have been broken off, and the shank was polished bright with rubbing on the rocks.