54 RETURNS TO THE ' ASSISTANCE.' 



her, tossed about more than twenty feet above our heads, 

 like a nutshell, among pieces of ice twenty times her own 

 weight, and sustain so little damage. The crew soon got 

 her safe on the land, and we succeeded in saving nearly 

 all the gear." 



It is fortunate, perhaps, the crew were absent ; some 

 attempt to interfere with Nature might have caused 

 loss of life or severe injury. Mr. Loney's sextant was 

 severely injured, indeed ruined, the arc being twisted. 

 This dose is one of the prevailing liabilities to boats and 

 ships. 



At eight A.M. on the llth they left the south shore in 

 the two boats, and reached Barrow Island about four 

 P.M., both boats rather leaky. To us Barrow Island, 

 viewed on all sides, appeared to rise rather abruptly on 

 the low land, but Richards describes it as so smooth 

 as to render it difficult to determine its apex, much re- 

 sembling the back of a turtle. This is a deceptive point 

 to determine, to any but a practised eye, on any very ex- 

 tensive swell of land. A cairn was built, and at six A.M. 

 on the morning of the 1 2th of July they pushed forward, 

 landed on Spit Island, saw the ship, and came on, reach- 

 ing our floe as before stated, and bringing despatches 

 from Captain Kellett, at Melville Island, in thirty-five 

 days. 



