The seal still hanging to his victim, was backing to the edge of the pack. A moment more and he would slide into the water.
Mains reached the spot the next moment. With a blow he killed the seal and then grasped Sturgeson’s hands.
But at that moment a fearful thing happened.
The section of ice upon which they were suddenly snapped and broke away from the main pack.
It drifted out into the black water. All might have been well even then had it not been for a phenomenon, almost always certain to occur.
There were huge, top-heavy peaks on the ice floe, which caused it to become unbalanced.
Suddenly it rocked violently, and then with a mighty vortex of waters keeled over and turned bottom side up, the heavy part of the berg sinking.
An awful cry of horror escaped Captain Hardy and Jack Wallis.
“My God, they are lost forever!” cried the young mate.
This was certainly true.