d　not　have　met　our　eyes。　The　iceblink　is　a　luminous　appearance；　reflected　on　the　heavens　from　the　fields　of　ice　that　still　lie　sunk　beneath　the　horizon；　it　was；　therefore　on　this　occasion　an　unmistakable　indication　of　the　encumbered　state　of　the　sea　in　front　of　us。
  I　had　turned　in　for　a　few　hours　of　rest；　and　release　from　the　monotonous　sense　of　disappointment；　and　was　already　lost　in　a　dream　of　deep　bewildering　bays　of　ice；　and　gulfs　whose　shifting　shores　offered　to　the　eye　every　possible　combination　of　uncomfortable　scenery；　without　possible　issue；when　〃a　voice　in　my　dreaming　ear〃　shouted　〃LAND！〃　and　I　awoke　to　its　reality。　I　need　not　tell　you　in　what　double　quick　time　I　tumbled　up　the　companion；　or　with　what　greediness　I　feasted　my　eyes　on　that　longed…for　view；the　only　sightas　I　then　thoughtwe　were　ever　destined　to　enjoy　of　the　mountains　of　Spitzbergen！
  The　whole　heaven　was　overcast　with　a　dark　mantle　of　tempestuous　clouds；　that　stretched　down　in　umbrella…like　points　towards　the　horizon；　leaving　a　clear　space　between　their　edge　and　the　sea；　illuminated　by　the　sinister　brilliancy　of　the　iceblink。　In　an　easterly　direction；　this　belt　of　unclouded　atmosphere　was　etherealized　to　an　indescribable　transparency；　and　up　into　it　there　gradually　grewabove　the　dingy　line　of　starboard　icea　forest　of　thin　lilac　peaks；　so　faint；　so　pale；　that　had　it　not　been　for　the　gem…like　distinctness　of　their　outline；　one　could　have　deemed　them　as　unsubstantial　as　the　spires　of　fairy…land。　The　beautiful　vision　proved　only　too　transient；　in　one　short　half　hour　mist　and　cloud　had　blotted　it　all　out；　while　a　fresh　barrier　of　ice　compelled　us　to　turn　our　backs　on　the　very　land　we　were　striving　to　reach。
  Although　we　were　certainly　upwards　of　sixty　miles　distant　from　the　land　when　the　Spitzbergen　hills　were　first　observed；　the　intervening　space　seemed　infinitely　less；　but　in　these　high　latitudes　the　eye　is　constantly　liable　to　be　deceived　in　the　estimate　it　forms　of　distances。　Often；　from　some　change　suddenly　taking　place　in　the　state　of　the　atmosphere；　the　land　you　approach　will　appear　even　to　RECEDE；　and　on　one　occasion；　an　honest　skipperone　of　the　most　valiant　and　enterprising　mariners　of　his　dayactually　turned　back；　because；　after　sailing　for　several　hours　with　a　fair　wind　towards　the　land；　and　finding　himself　no　nearer　to　it　than　at　first；　he　concluded　that　some　loadstone　rock　beneath　the　sea　must　have　attracted　the　keel　of　his　ship；　and　kept　her　stationary。
  The　next　five　days　were　spent　in　a　continual　struggle　with　the　ice。　On　referring　to　our　log；　I　see　nothing　but　a　repetition　of　the　same　monotonous　observations。
  〃July　31st。Wind　W。　by　S。Courses　sundry　to　clear　ice。〃
  〃Ice　very　thick。〃
  〃These　twenty…four　hours　picking　our　way　through　ice。〃
  〃August　1st。Wind　W。courses　variablefoggycontinually　among　ice　these　twenty…four　hours。〃
  And　in　Fitz's　diary；　the　discouraging　state　of　the　weather　is　still　more　pithily　expressed：
  〃August　2nd。Head　windsailing　westwardlarge　hummocks　of　ice　ahead；　and　on　port　bow；　i。e。　to　the　westwardhope　we　may　be　able　to　push　through。　In　evening；　ice　gets　thicker；　we　still　hold　onfog　comes　onice　getting　thickerwind　freshenswe　can　get　no　fartherice　impass…　able；　no　room　to　tackstruck　the　ice　several　times　obliged　to　sail　S。　and　W。things　look　very　shady。〃
  Sometimes　we　were　on　the　point　of　despairing　altogether；　then　a　plausible　opening　would　show　itself　as　if　leading　towards　the　land；　and　we　would　be　tempted　to　run　down　it　until　we　found　the　field　become　so　closely　packed；　that　it　was　with　great　difficulty　we　could　get　the　vessel　round；and　only　then　at　the　expense　of　collisions；　which　made　the　little　craft　shiver　from　stem　to　stern。　Then　a　fog　would　come　onso　thick；　you　could　almost　cut　it　like　a　cheese；　and　thus　render　the　sailing　among　the　loose　ice　very　critical　indeed　then　it　would　fall　dead　calm；　and　leave　us；　hours　together；　muffled　in　mist；　with　no　other　employment　than　chess　or　hopscotch。　It　was　during　one　of　those　intervals　of　quiet　that　I　executed　the　annexed　work　of　art；　which　is　intended　to　represent　Sigurdr；　in　the　act　of　meditating　a　complicated　gambit　for　the　Doctor's　benefit。
  About　this　period　Wilson　culminated。　Ever　since　leaving　Bear　Island　he　had　been　keeping　a　carnival　of　grief　in　the　pantry；　until　the　cook　became　almost　half…witted　by　reason　of　his　Jeremiads。　Yet　I　must　not　give　you　the　impression　that　the　poor　fellow　was　the　least　wanting　in　PLUCKfar　from　it。　　Surely　it　requires　the　highest　order　of　courage　to　anticipate　every　species　of　disaster　every　moment　of　the　day；　and　yet　to　meet　the　impending　fate　like　a　manas　he　did。　Was　it　his　fault　that　fate　was　not　equally　ready　to　meet　him？　HIS　share　of　the　business　was　always　done：　he　was　ever　prepared　for　the　worst；　but　the　most　critical　circumstances　never　disturbed　the　gravity　of　his　carriage；　and　the　fact　of　our　being　destined　to　go　to　the　bottom　before　tea…time　would　not　have　caused　him　to　lay　out　the　dinner…table　a　whit　less　symmetrically。　Still；　I　own；　the　style　of　his　service　was　slightly　depressing。　He　laid　out　my　clean　shirt　of　a　morning　as　if　it　had　been　a　shroud；　and　cleaned　my　boots　as　though　for　a　man　ON　HIS　LAST　LEGS。　The　fact　is；　he　was　imaginative　and　atrabilious；contemplating　life　through　a　medium　of　the　colour　of　his　own　complexion。
  This　was　the　cheerful　kind　of　report　he　used　invariably　to　bring　me　of　a　morning。　Coming　to　the　side　of　my　cot　with　the　air　of　a　man　announcing　the　stroke　of　doomsday；　he　used　to　say；　or　rather；　TOLL
  〃Seven　o'clock；　my　Lord！〃
  〃Very　well；　how's　the　wind？〃
  〃Dead　ahead；　my　LordDEAD！〃
  〃How　many　points　is　she　off　her　course？〃
  〃Four　points；　my　Lordfull　four　points！〃　（Four　points　being　as　much　as　she　could　be。）
  〃Is　it　pretty　clear？　eh！　Wilson？〃
  〃Can't　see　your　hand；　my　Lord！can't　see　your　hand！〃
  〃Much　ice　in　sight？〃
  〃Ice　all　round；　my　Lordice　a…all　ro…ound！〃and　so　exit；　sighing　deeply　over　my　trousers。
  Yet　it　was　immediately　after　one　of　these　unpromising　announcements；　that　for　the　first　time　matters　began　to　look　a　little　brighter。　The　preceding　four…and…twenty　hours　we　had　remained　enveloped　in　a　cold　and　dismal　fog。　But　on　coming　on　deck；　I　found　the　sky　had　already　begun　to　clear；　and　although　there　was　ice　as　far　as　the　eye　could　see　on　either　side　of　us；　in　front　a　narrow　passage　showed　itself　across　a　patch　of　loose　ice　into　what　seemed　a　freer　sea　beyond。　The　only　consideration　waswhether　we　could　be　certain　of　finding　our　way　out　again；　should　it　turn　out　that　the　open　water　we　saw　was　only　a　basin　without　any　exit　in　any　other　direction。　The　chance　was　too　tempting　to　throw　away；　so　the　little　schooner　gallantly　pushed　her　way　through　the　intervening　neck　of　ice　where　the　floes　seemed　to　be　least　huddled　up　together；　and　in　half　an　hour　afterwards　found　herself　running　up　along　the　edge　of　the　starboard　ice；　almost　in　a　due　northerly　direction。　And　here　I　must　take　occasion　to　say　that；　during　the　whole　of　this　rather　anxious　time；　my　masterMr。　Wyseconducted　himself　in　a　most　admirable　manner。　Vigilant；　cool；　and　attentive；　he　handled　the　vessel　most　skilfully；　and　never　seemed　to　lose　his　presence　of　mind　in　any　emergency。　It　is　true　the　silk　tartan　still　coruscated　on　Sabbaths；　but　its　brilliant　hues　were　quite　a　relief　to　the　colourless　scenes　which　surrounded　us；　and　the　dangling　chain　now　only　served　to　remind　me　of　what　firm　dependence　I　could　place　upon　its　wearer。
  Soon　after；　the　sun　came　out；　the　mist　entirely　disappeared；　and　again　on　the　starboard　hand　shone　a　vision　of　the　land；　this　time　not　in　the　sharp　peaks　and　spires　we　had　first　seen；　but　in　a　chain　of　pale　blue　egg…shaped　islands；　floating　in　the　air　a　long　way　above　the　horizon。　This　peculiar　appearance　was　the　result　of　extreme　refraction；　for；　later　in　the　day；　we　had　an　opportunity　of　watching　the　oval　cloud…like　forms　gradually　harden　into　the　same　pink　tapering　spikes　which　originally　caused　the　island　to　be　called　Spitzbergen：　　nay；　so　clear　did　it　become；　that　even　the　shadows　on　the　hills　became　quite　distinct；　and　we　could　easily　trace　the　outlines　of　the　enormous　glacierssometimes　ten　or　fifteen　miles　broadthat　fill　up　every　valley　along　the　shore。　　Towards　evening　the　line　of　coast　again　vanished　into　the　distance；　and　our　rising　hopes　received　an　almost　intolerable　disappointment　by　the　appearance　of　a　long　line　of　ice　right　ahead；　running　to　the　westward；　apparently；　as　far　as　the　eye　could　reach。　To　add　to　our　disgust；　the　wind　flew　right　round　into　the　North；　and　increasing　to　a　gale；　brought　down　upon　usnot　one　of　the　usual　thick　arctic　mists　to　which　we　were　accustomed；　but　a　dark；　yellowish　brown　fog；　that　rolled　along　the　surface　of　the　water　in　twisted　columns；　and　irregular　masses　of　vapour；　as　dense　as　coal　smoke。　　We　had　now　almost　reached　the　eightieth　parallel　of　north　latitude；　and　still　an　impenetrable　sheet　of　ice；　extending　fifty　or　sixty　miles　westward　from　the　shore；　rendered　all　hopes　of　reaching　the　land　out　of　the　question。　Our　expectation　of　finding　the　north…west　extremity　of　the　island　disengaged　from　ice　by　the　action　of　the　currents　wasat　all　events　for　this　seasonevidently　doomed　to　disappointment。　　We　were　already　almost　in　the　latitude　of　Amster