made not the slightest movement as we came up, but stared at us in an
indifferent way. We killed two or three, and then debated whether to
go to the promontory or not. Agnew was eager to go, so as to touch the
actual rock; but I was satisfied with what we had done, and was now
desirous of returning. In the midst of this I felt a flake of snow on
my cheek. I started and looked up. To my great surprise I saw that the
sky had changed since I had last noticed it. When we left the ship it
was clear and blue, but now it was overspread with dark,
leaden-colored clouds, and the snow-flakes that had fallen were
ominous of evil. A snow-storm here, in the vicinity of the ice, was
too serious a thing to be disregarded. But one course now remained,
and that was an immediate return to the ship.

Each of us seized a seal and dragged it after us to the boat. We
reached it and flung them in. Just at that moment a gun sounded over
the water. It was from the ship--the signal of alarm--the summons from
the captain for our return. We saw now that she had been drifting
since we left her, and had moved southwest several miles. The row back
promised to be far harder than the pull ashore, and, what was worse,
the wind was coming up, the sea was rising, and the snow was
thickening. Neither of us said a word. We saw that our situation was
very serious, and that we had been very foolhardy; but the words were
useless now. The only thing to be done was to pull for the ship with
all our strength, and that was what we did.

So we pushed off, and rowed as we had never rowed before. Our progress
was difficult. The sea grew steadily rougher; the wind increased; the
snow thickened; and, worst of all, the day was drawing to a close. We
had miscalculated both as to distance and time. Even if it had
continued calm we should have had to row back in the dark; but now the