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 304 THE FUR COUNTRY. strong framework, resisted the pressure, and after sinking a certain depth the house remained stationary, with the water rather above the floor of the loft. The prisoners were obliged to take refuge amongst the rafters of the roof, and there they remained for many hours. Kalumah devoted herself to the service of the others, and carried food to them through the water. They could make no attempt to save themselves, succour could only come from without. It was a terrible situation, for breathing was difficult in the vitiated air deficient as it was in oxygen, and charged with a great excess of carbonic acid ... A few hours later Hobson would only have found the corpses of his friends ! The horror ot the position was increased by the gushing of the water through the lower rooms, which convinced Mrs Barnett that the island was drifting to the south. She had, in fact, guessed the whole truth ; she knew that the ice-wall had heeled over and fallen upon the island, and concluded that the boat was destroyed. It was this last fact which gave such terrible significance to her first words when she looked around her after her swoon — " The sea ! the sea ! " Those about her, however, could think of nothing yet but the fact, that they had saved her for whom they would have died, and ^vith her Madge, Kalumah, and Thomas Black. Thus far not one of those who had joined the Lieutenant in his disastrous expedition had succumbed to any of the fearful dangers through which they had passed. But matters were not yet at their worst, and fresh troubles were soon to hasten the final catastrophe. Hobson's first care after Mrs Barnett's recovery was to take the bearings of the island. It was useless now to think of quitting it, .IS the sea was open and their boat destroyed. A few ruins alone remained of the mighty ice-wall, the upper portion of which had crushed Cape Bathurst whilst the submerged base was driving the island to the south. The instruments and maps belonging to the astronomer were found in the ruins of the house, and were fortunately uninjured. The weather was cloudy, but Hobson succeeded in taking tho altitude of the sun with sufficienct accuracy for his purpose. We give the result obtained at noon on the 1 2th May. Victoria Island was then situated in longitude 168° 12' west of Greenwich, and in latitude 63° 37' N. The exact spot was looked out on the chart.