DISCOVERY OF THE NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 419 



his road, but endeavoring to preserve a course by the 

 wind, M'Clure continued to hasten on, until repeated 

 and heavy falls amongst the broken ice warned him to 

 desist, or incur the additional peril of broken limbs. 



" I now," he says, " climbed on a mass of squeezed-up 

 ice, in the hope of seeing my party, should they pass 

 near, or of attracting the attention of some one on 

 board the vessel by firing my fowling-piece. Unfor- 

 tunately, I had no other ammunition than what it was 

 loaded with ; for I had fancied, when I left the sledge, 

 that the two charges in the gun would be all I should 

 be likely to require. After waiting for an hour patiently, 

 I was rejoiced to see through the mist the glare of a blue 

 light, evidently burnt in the direction in which I had left 

 the sledge. I immediately fired to denote my position ; 

 but my fire was unobserved, and, both barrels being dis- 

 charged, I was unable to repeat the signal. My only 

 hope now rested upon the ship's answering ; but noth- 

 ing was to be seen ; and, although I once more saw, at 

 a greater distance, the glare of another blue light from 

 the sledge, there seemed no probability of my having 

 any other shelter for the night than what the floe 

 afforded. Two hours elapsed ; I endeavored to see the 

 face of my pocket-compass by the light of a solitary 

 lucifer match, which happened to be in my pocket ; but 

 in this hope I was cruelly disappointed, for it fizzed 

 and went out, leaving me in total darkness. 



" It was now half-past eight ; there were eleven hours 

 of night before me, a temperature 15 below zero, bears 

 prowling about, and I with an unloaded gun in my 

 hands. The sledge-party might, however, reach the 

 ship, and, finding I had not arrived, search would be 

 made, and help be sent ; so I walked to and fro upon 

 my hummock until, I suppose, it must have been eleven 

 o'clock, when that hope fled likewise. Descending 



