210 POOLS OF WATER ABOVE THE ICE. 



placed in the ' Hamilton,' but the jarring over the rough 

 ice induced me to transfer them to the gig, which was 

 secured on one of our newly-constructed sledges, adapted 

 for this special service. 



With reference to the travelling, and state of the ice 

 travelled over, I find the following rough notes. First, 

 as to the chances of the break-up this season. The fre- 

 quency of very extensive cracks, transverse to the Chan- 

 nel, or running east and west, seem to offer hopes of a 

 general disruption, as soon as the ice about Beechey Is- 

 land affords a space for southerly motion. Next, these 

 cracks, which in some instances had opened to widths of 

 fifteen and sixteen feet, rendered sledge travel very pre- 

 carious. Vast quantities of water, resulting from exten- 

 sive thaws, overlaid the ice, presenting almost the appear- 

 ance of lakes. In many instances very deep holes oc- 

 curred, but the general depth of the worst that we tra- 

 velled over did not exceed fourteen inches. This depth, 

 to those marching and dragging the sledges, was assumed 

 as " hip-high," to which limit they certainly wetted ; but 

 the criterion, from which my opinion is deduced, is found- 

 ed on the fact that the bottoms of the largest sledges 

 were not more than fourteen inches in height, and the 

 cargoes were not wet. One fact is worth a dozen as- 

 sertions. Knee- deep would be eighteen inches, and 

 hip-deep heavy wading. I know full well the depressing 

 effect of ten inches' water, and to overcome that, during 

 several hours' heavy drag, is killing. Once wet, the 

 greater part of a man's courage is damped ; and for that 

 day, or until he can obtain a change on reaching his tent 

 at night, his value at the drag-belt is to a considerable 



