It was certain that she would never make the northern seas. A gloom settled down over ship and crew.
The sailors, brave fellows all, could not help a murmur.
Many of them thought of their homes in the far North where dear ones were awaiting them. Alas! it looked as if they would never see them again.
Day by day the vessel lost headway.
Then one day the black clouds shut in from the north and there came an ice storm, the like of which they had never seen before.
There was little use to attempt to face the wind now.
All they could do was to keep the vessel steady and look out for a collision with drift ice.
The nights were long sieges, with trying to keep the ship from being stove. The days were rigid battles against the careering blasts.
Then the sun disappeared below the horizon. The Antarctic night had begun.
There was no longer any hope of reaching northern waters that year.