"The sight was tremendous and awfully grand; the large fields of ice,
raising themselves out of the water, striking against each other, and
plunging into the deep with a violence not to be described, and a noise
like the discharge of innumerable batteries of heavy guns. The darkness
of the night, the roaring of the wind and sea, and the dashing of the
waves and ice against the rocks, filled the travellers with sensations
of awe and horror, so as almost to deprive them of the power of
utterance. They stood overwhelmed with astonishment at their miraculous
escape, and even the heathen Esquimaux expressed gratitude to God for
their deliverance.
"The Esquimaux now began to build a snow-house, about thirty paces from
the beach; but before they had finished their work, the waves reached
the place where the sledges were secured, and they were with difficulty
saved from being washed into the sea.
[Illustration]
"About nine o'clock all of them crept into the snow-house, thanking
God for this place of refuge; for the wind was piercingly cold and so
violent, that it required great strength to be able to stand against it.
"Before they entered this habitation, they could not help once more
turning to the sea, which was now free from ice, and beheld with
horror, mingled with gratitude, the enormous waves, driving furiously
before the wind, like huge castles, and approaching the shore, where
with dreadful noise, they dashed against the rocks, foaming and filling
the air with the spray. The whole company now got their supper, and
having sung an evening hymn in the Esquimaux language, lay down to rest
about ten o'clock. They lay so close, that if any one stirred, his
neighbours were roused by it.
"The Esquimaux were soon fast asleep, but brother Liebisch could not
get any rest, partly on account of the dreadful roaring of the wind and
sea, and partly owing to a sore throat, which gave him great pain. Both
missionaries were also much engaged in their minds in contemplating
the dangerous situations into which they had been brought, and amidst
all thankfulness for their great deliverance from immediate death,
could not but cry unto their Heavenly Father for his help in this time
of need.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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