Then came a squall of rain and snow which caused the temperature to fall to thirty-six degrees (2'22 C.
above zero), and shut out the view of the ice-rampart from us.
During the next twenty-four hours the schooner lay within four miles of the icebergs.

To bring her nearer would have been to get among winding channels from which it might not have been possible to extricate her.

Not that Captain Len Guy did not long to do this, in his fear of passing some opening unperceived.
"If I had a consort," he said, "I would sail closer along the icebergs, and it is a great advantage to be two, when one is on such an enterprise as this! But the _Halbrane_ is alone, and if she were to fail us--" Even though we approached no nearer to the icebergs than prudence permitted, our ship was exposed to great risk, and West was constantly obliged to change his trim in order to avoid the shock of an icefield.
Fortunately, the wind blew from east to north-nor'-east without variation, and it did not freshen.

Had a tempest arisen I know not what would have become of the schooner--yes, though, I do know too well: she would have been lost and all on board of her.

In such a case the _Halbrane_ could not have escaped; we must have been flung on the base of the barrier.
After a long examination Captain Len Guy had to renounce the hope of finding a passage through the terrible wall of ice.