“That does he, and a good deal to spare.  Thompson, do you and Todd remain here, and look after the boat, while the rest of us will shape our course for the schooner.  She seems to be in a wicked berth, and ’twill be no more than neighbourly to try to get her out of it.”

Truly enough might Roswell call the berth of the Sea Lion, of the Vineyard, by any expressive name that implied danger.  When the party reached her, they found the situation of that vessel to be as follows.  She had been endeavouring to work her way through a passage between two large fields, when she found the ice closing, and that she was in great danger of being ‘nipped.’  Daggett was a man of fertile resources, and great decision of character.  Perceiving that escape was impossible, all means of getting clear being rendered useless by the floes soon touching, both before and behind him, he set about adopting the means most likely to save his vessel.  Selecting a spot where a curve, in the margin of the field to leeward, promised temporary security, at least, he got his vessel into it, anchored fast to the floe.  Then he commenced cutting away the ice, by means of axes first, and of saws afterwards, in the hope that he might make such a cavity as, by its size and shape, would receive the schooner’s hull, and prevent her destruction.  For several hours had he and his people been at this work, when, to their joy, as well as to their great astonishment, they were suddenly joined by Roswell and his party.  The fact was, that so intently had every one of the Vineyard men’s faculties been absorbed by their own danger, and so much was each individual occupied by his own duty, that not a man among them had seen the boat, or even any of the crew, until Gardiner called out to Daggett as he approached, announcing his presence by his voice.

“This is good fortune, truly, Captain Gar’ner,” said Daggett, shaking his brother master most cordially by the hand; “good fortune, do I call it!  I was satisfied that I should fall in with you, somewhere about this group of islands, for they lie just about where my late uncle had given us reason to suppose some good sealing ground might be met with; but I did not hope to see you this morning.  You observe our position, Captain Gar’ner; there is every prospect of a most awful nip!”

“There is, indeed, though I see you have been making some provision for it.  What luck have you had in digging a slip to let the schooner into?”

“Well, we might have had worse, though better would have been more agreeable.  It’s plain sailing, so long as we can work above water, and you see we’ve cleared a fine berth for the craft, down to the water’s edge; but, below that, ’tis blind work and slow.  The field is some thirty feet thick, and sawing through it is out of the question.  The most we can do is to get off pieces diagonally.  I am not without hopes that we have done enough of this to make a wedge, on which the schooner will rise, if pressed hard on her off-side.  I have heard of such things, Captain Gar’ner, though I cannot say I ever saw it.”