230 BACK'S VOYAGE IN THE TERROR. 



Preparations were soon set on foot to spend another 

 winter in the wilderness. Once more the woods 

 resounded with the woodman's axe, and the little rooms 

 glowed with the blazing fires of wood. Again the nets 

 were set and the guns loaded, and the white man and 

 the red ranged the woods in company ; while Back and 

 Mr. King found ample and interesting occupation in 

 mapping their discoveries and writing their journals. 

 On the 28th of May, 1835, Back bade adieu to the polar 

 regions, and returned to England, where he arrived on 

 the 8th of September, after an absence of two years and 

 seven months. 



This was not the last of Back's labors. In 1836, at 

 the instance of the Geographical Society, the British 

 government equipped an expedition to complete the dis- 

 covery of the coast-line between Regent's Inlet and 

 Point Turnagain. The ship Terror was set apart for 

 the service ; and Captain Back, just returned from his 

 great land journey, was appointed to the command. 



The Terror left Chatham on the 14th of June, 1836. 

 On the 29th of July, when a good way across the mouth 

 of Davis's Straits, she came first in view of the ice. The 

 quantity of it was great, and one enormous berg pre- 

 sented a vertical face of not less than three hundred feet 

 in height. Occasional clear and pleasant runs were 

 afterwards made, but, in general, the obstructions were 

 incessant and tremendous. And, so early as from the 

 1st to the 3d of August, when the ship was near the 

 vexed and foggy shores of Resolution Island, she had 

 to bore and manoeuvre her way among dense floes, high 

 packs, and surging whirlpools. 



On the 8th of August she was moored to a large ice- 

 berg for protection from a gale. But the berg looked 

 dangerous, and was anxiously watched by the officers, 

 lest it should capsize and overwhelm them. Early 



