The men encamped upon the ice, and by four o’clock on the morning of the 13th, “amid the rattling and banging of her timbers and iron work, the ship righted and stood almost upright, the floes that had come in and crushed her slowly backed off, and she sank with slightly accelerated velocity; the yard arms were stripped and broken upward parallel to the masts; and so, like a great, gaunt skeleton clapping its hands above its head, she plunged out of sight. Those of us who saw her go down,” adds Chief Engineer Melville, “did so with mingled feelings of sadness and relief. We were now utterly isolated, beyond any rational hope of aid; with our proper means of escape, to which so many pleasant associations attached, destroyed before our eyes; and hence it was no wonder we felt lonely, and in a sense that few can appreciate. But we were satisfied, since we knew full well that the ship’s usefulness had long ago passed away, and we could now start at once, the sooner the better, on our long march to the south.” The following week was spent in preparations for the retreat; the route was laid due south, it being the intention of Captain De Long to make for the Lena River, after a brief stop at the New Siberian Island. The day’s march was accomplished under the most trying circumstances, the lateness of the season and the ruggedness of the ice necessitating road-making, bridging, and rafting, or dragging the loads through slush and water that lay knee-deep in the path. The foot-gear of the men became practically useless as a result of constant wettings, and every device was resorted to to keep the bare feet from contact with the ice. “A large number,” writes Melville, “marched with their toes protruding through their moccasins; some with the ‘uppers’ full of holes, out of which the water and slush spurted at every step. Yet no one murmured so long as his feet were clear of ice, and I have here to say that no ship’s company ever endured such severe toil with such little complaint. Another crew, perhaps, may be found to do as well; but _better_, never!” [Illustration: CAPTAIN G. W. DE LONG _From a portrait in the possession of A. Operti, Esq._] [Sidenote: _DAILY ROUTINE OF OFFICERS AND CREW_]