CHAPTER I. 



At Sea. Reach the Orkneys. Stromness. Scarcity of Stock. De- 

 parture of the 'Basilisk' and ' Desperate. 'Enter Baffin's Bay. 

 Whalefish Islands. Eeception by Esquimaux. Lievely. Disasters. 

 Moored at Lievely. Survey of the Port. Quit Lievely. Search 

 for Coal. Quit the Waigat. 



UP to this moment all has gone well. The sun has shed 

 his cheering ray on all our movements, and not a day's 

 rain interfered either with our rigging or embarkation 

 of stores. One cannot but be grateful for all these bene- 

 fits, and deem them but a prelude, under God's blessing, 

 to a fortunate termination to our efforts. 



In tow of the steam-tugs ' Monkey' and 'African/ and 

 accompanied by the ' Desperate,' ' Basilisk,' ' Lightning,' 

 and our steam-tenders ' Pioneer' and ' Intrepid,' we 

 formed rather an imposing than warlike squadron. The 

 tide being in our favour, we moved rapidly through the 

 shoals of the Thames-mouth, and entering the North Sea 

 soon began to feel the old sensations of being again on 

 the ocean. The breeze freshening fast, and my instruc- 

 tions directing the return of the ' Lightning' and ' Monkey' 

 from the Sunk Light off Harwich, the ' Intrepid' also 

 having signalled defects in machinery, I determined on 



