LOSS OF BREDALBANE TRANSPORT. 449 



All the other usual expedients were resorted to to while 

 away the time ; but after the excitement of the search- 

 ing parties was over the summer passed drearily. The 

 ice showed no sign of breaking up. Mr. Roche, mate 

 of the Resolute, who had been sent down to the North 

 Star for provisions, returned unexpectedly, having been 

 to Beechey Island and back, a distance of six hundred 

 n.iles, in six weeks. Capt. Richards arrived from North- 

 umberland Sound, bringing news from Belcher's divi- 

 sion. Little else occurred to break the monotony. 



Meanwhile Lieut. Cresswell had been sent down to 

 Beechey Island with dispatches for the Admiralty. 

 There he had the good fortune to be taken on board of 

 the Phoenix, in which, as we have seen, he returned to 

 England, bringing the first news of the safety of the 

 Investigator, and the discovery of the north-west pas- 

 sage. 



Before we proceed further with the adventures of the 

 companions whom he left at Dealy Island, there are some 

 other matters of interest connected with this voyage 

 of the Phoenix, which it will be well to relate in this 

 place. One of these is the loss of the Bredalbane trans- 

 port, by one of those terrible " nips " which are so often 

 encountered in the polar seas. This occurred near Cape 

 Riley, on the 21st August, 1853, and was witnessed by 

 the crew of the Phoenix, in which vessel the Bredalbane's 

 crew took refuge. It shows how very easily a vessel 

 may be destro}^ed in the Arctic regions, without a ves- 

 tige being left behind to tell the tale. We give the 

 incident in the words of Mr. Fowckner, the agent for 

 the ship, who was on board at the time : 



"About ten minutes past four the ice passing the 



ship awoke me, and the door of my cabin, from the 



pressure, opened. I hurriedly put on my clothes, and, 



on .getting up, found some hands on the ice endeavor- 



29 



