"An iceberg driven in by the gale and jammed.

Now we are in a fix." "I should say as much," responded Cabot, "for there isn't space enough to let a rowboat out, much less a schooner.

No wonder this water is as still as that in a corked bottle.

What shall we do now ?" "Wait until it melts, I suppose," replied White gloomily, "or until the outside seas batter it away." So our lads had waited unhappily and impatiently for more than a month, and still the ice barrier was as immovable as ever.

Also, as the weather was growing steadily cooler, its melting became less and less with each succeeding day.
During this period of enforced imprisonment they had made several exploring trips into the interior, but had failed to find trace of human life; nor were they able to go far either north or south on account of impassable waterways.