Indeed They Were Now So Familiar To Us, That
They Were Often Passed Unnoticed; But More Generally Unseen On Account Of
The Thick Weather.
At nine o'clock in the evening, we came to one, which
had a quantity of loose ice about it.
As the wind was moderate, and the
weather tolerably fair, we shortened sail, and stood on and off, with a
view of taking some on board on the return of light. But at four o'clock in
the morning, finding ourselves to leeward of this ice, we bore down to an
island to leeward of us; there being about it some loose ice, part of which
we saw break off. There we brought-to; hoisted out three boats; and in
about five or six hours, took up as much ice as yielded fifteen tons of
good fresh water. The pieces we took up were hard, and solid as a rock;
some of them were so large, that we were obliged to break them with pick-
axes before they could be taken into the boats.
The salt water which adhered to the ice, was so trifling as not to be
tasted, and, after it had lain on deck for a short time, entirely drained
off; and the water which the ice yielded, was perfectly sweet and well-
tasted. Part of the ice we broke in pieces, and put into casks; some we
melted in the coppers, and filled up the casks with the water; and some we
kept on deck for present use.
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