DISCOVERY OF THE NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 415 



neatly a frozen hawser. " Yes ! " was the rejoinder, as 

 the other shaded his eyes from the driving snow, and 

 cast a glance at the dark cliff looming through the 

 storm, "the old craft will double up like an old basket 

 when she gets alongside of them rocks ! ' 



The Investigator's hour was not yet come, however ; 

 and, when within five hundred yards of the rocks, the 

 ice coach-wheeled her along them, and finally swept her 

 past the islands upon the eastern side. 



No water was in sight from the mast-head ; yet 

 onwards they drifted slowly, and on the 30th became 

 again stationary, in latitude 72 50' N., and longitude 

 117 55' W., very nearly as far north as they had sailed 

 a fortnight before. 



" On the 8th of October," says M'Clure, " our per- 

 plexities terminated with a nip that lifted the vessel a 

 foot, and heeled her four degrees to port, in conse- 

 quence of a large tongue getting beneath her, in which 

 position we quietly remained." Here the Investigator 

 passed the winter of 1850-51. 



From the 10th to the 21st of October, preparations 

 were made to despatch a sledge-party to the northward 

 to reach Barrow's Strait, and get assurance of the fact 

 of the discovery of a north-west passage. A remarka- 

 ble rise of temperature to 24 %)lus of Fahrenheit, from 

 2 minus, with the wind blowing fresh from north-east, 

 would seem to indicate that the winter of this region is 

 modified by the warm air from the open water of Bar- 

 row's Strait. This sudden change was far from pleas- 

 ant to the crew ; and the old hands warned the novices 

 against " being fools enough to pull their clothes off on 

 account of such a bit of sunshine ; for, perhaps, in an 

 hour's time Zero would be about again." 



On the 21st October, 1850, M'Clure started for Bar- 

 row's Strait, with a sledge manned with six men ; but it 



