* The papers of the time fully corroborate Hartly's story. "The news of this barbarity," says the Annual Register for 1785, "has been received at Teneriffe by all ranks of people with the deepest concern and regret, and by none more than the Governor-General, who deplores it extremely. He could not at first give credit to it; but was at last convinced of the fatal truth, by letters from the wretch Briez de Calderon himself. Exasperated to the highest pitch, he has given a commission to an officer of rank to go over to Hierro to take cognizance of this tragical affair,"--of which we hear no more.
Though our apprehensions were great, our chief sufferings were from cold in that lofty and listless situation; yet our dread of impending dangers was so keen, our hope of a change so great, that even the oldest seamen on board never turned into their berths or bunks at night but with their clothes on, "to be ready," as they said, "to turn up with all standing at a moment's notice."
Hartly, who was rather scientific and was wont to expatiate upon the theory of storms, and so forth, endeavoured to account for the intensity of the frost, which I deemed a somewhat unnecessary illustration to us who were on the summit of an iceberg.
"Ugh! don't speak of the thermometer, Bob," said I, one day, when trembling in every fibre, as we endeavoured to tread to and fro on the sloping deck. "It is so cold now, that the atmosphere can never be colder!"
"--we are a few degrees further north, perhaps in the centre of an ice-field, and then you will know what cold is! But the _degree_ of it depends upon the power of the wind, after passing over snow-covered wastes, rather than the actual state of the mercury;--that was all I was about to remark."
I was too miserable to thank him for the information, but said:
"I do not think our vicinity to that other atrocious iceberg adds to the pleasantness of our temperature."
"Of course not--but see," he added, raising his voice, "by Heaven, it is oscillating!"
Just as he spoke, the cold, glistening, and splintered peaks of the mighty berg seemed to topple over and sink into the sea, as it _reversed_ with a stunning roar--its former base coming upward, and imparting an entirely new form to it.