laurence could envision all too clearly the consequences should they run into a deadly storm : temeraire borne down by the frozen wind , wet snow and ice forming crusts upon the edges of his wings , beyond where any man of the crew could reach to break them loose ; the whirling snow blinding them to the hazards of the cliff walls around them and turning them in circles ; the dropping chill rendering him by insensible degrees heavier and more sluggish - and worse prey to the ice , with no shelter to be found .