It Seemed To Be Drifting Slowly Toward The North, So That We Kept
Away And Avoided It.
It was in sight all the afternoon; and when we
got to leeward of it, the wind died away, so that we lay-to quite
near it for a greater part of the night.
Unfortunately, there was
no moon, but it was a clear night, and we could plainly mark the
long, regular heaving of the stupendous mass, as its edges moved
slowly against the stars. Several times in our watch loud cracks
were heard, which sounded as though they must have run through the
whole length of the iceberg, and several pieces fell down with a
thundering crash, plunging heavily into the sea. Toward morning,
a strong breeze sprang up, and we filled away, and left it astern,
and at daylight it was out of sight. The next day, which was
Sunday, July 3d, the breeze continued strong, the air exceedingly
chilly, and the thermometer low. In the course of the day we saw
several icebergs, of different sizes, but none so near as the
one which we saw the day before. Some of them, as well as we
could judge, at the distance at which we were, must have been
as large as that, if not larger. At noon we were in latitude
55° 12' south, and supposed longitude 89° 5' west. Toward night
the wind hauled to the southward, and headed us off our course
a little, and blew a tremendous gale; but this we did not mind,
as there was no rain nor snow, and we were already under close
sail.
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