Only Just In Time.

"When I came on deck again in the middle watch (midnight) my little weather glass told me there was some dirty weather coming, and I tookpage 56 in some of the small sail. About four bells I caught sight in the glare of the starboard light of something that was not the wash from the lee bow. It was a huge slab of ice a few feet above the water and stretching as far into the mist as I could see! I did not take long making up my mind about it that time, but yelled to "down helm," and it was only just in time. As we slithered alongside the ice I held my breath for the "crash," but we cleared it.

"As we swung up into the wind you could have jumped from our quarter on to the ice that had so nearly been our doom. I got to work 'quick and busy' shortening sail.

"Just as day was breaking, the

Enormous Iceberg.

weather cleared, and a remarkable sight met our eyes. We were surrounded by bergs of all shapes and sizes. Right in our wake there were several big fellows, and how we had cleared them has always been a mystery to me. The day turned out fine, the sun shining brightly, and a fresh south-west breeze blowing, so we made sail again, and sailed amongst the bergs the whole day. At night the weather came on thick again, and so we shortened down.