140 SITUATION OF 'RESOLUTE.' [MttTC/i, 



Jaines Ross, now called Ommanney Inlet. To show you 

 how suddenly changes take place, the report from the 

 summit of Dealy Island on the morning of the 17th of 

 August was little change in the ice, a few more cracks, 

 but of no extent. The day commenced with light south- 

 erly winds. We had foot-races, wrestling, jumping in bags, 

 etc., on Dealy Island, all hands attending, even my poor 

 invalid Mate, Mr. Sainsbury, who had now greatly im- 

 proved in health and spirits. Towards evening the wind 

 began to freshen from the south-eastward, and at eight 

 P.M. blew a very strong gale ; too much drift to see what 

 was going on outside. A crack that was scarcely obser- 

 vable a day or two before, between us and ' Intrepid,' at 

 midnight opened out to some feet. I tried to moor the 

 piece, to keep us from jostling. At two A.M. (18th) the 

 wind shifted suddenly to the northward, blowing a fu- 

 rious gale. The piece between us and ' Intrepid' went 

 out, the whole floe breaking off at our sterns, left us fast 

 by our anchors to a good heavy old floe, and in open 

 water ; this soon followed, and away we went driving to- 

 gether until we came up with the ice astern of us, luckily 

 in a hole of water. We held on by this piece as long as 

 we could : it did more for us than we could do for our- 

 selves. Slewing, it carried us round on to its weather 

 edge, where w r e pounded for a few hours, having only a 

 little broken-up stuff to fence off the lipper that had now 

 got up. 



" At six P.M. we managed to get off, and made sail, 

 running along the land to the eastward : slowly water 

 making as we progressed. At four A.M. on the 19th we 

 had 'a block' for an hour off Point Griffiths; passed it, 



