482 DR. KANE'S EXPEDITION. 



and of its difficulties, Dr. Kane taking credit to himself 

 for having effected this by an outside passage. 



The North Water, the highway to Smith's Sound, 

 was now fairly before them. On the 5th they passed 

 Sir John Ross's " Crimson Cliffs," and the patches of 

 red snow could be seen clearly at the distance of ten 

 miles from the coast ; and on the 7th they doubled Cape 

 Alexander the Arctic pillars of Hercules and 

 passed into Smith's Sound. Arriving at Littleton 

 Island, they deposited there a boat with a supply of 

 stores, nut far from the vestiges of an old Esquimaux 

 settlement. 



On the 8th they again closed with the ice, and were 

 forced into a land-locked cove. The dogs, of which 

 they had more than fifty on board, began to be very 

 troublesome ; they would devour almost everything that 

 came in their way, from an Esquimaux cranium to a 

 whole feather-bed ! The men tried to shoot some wal- 

 ruses, but the rifle-balls rebounded from their hides like 

 pebbles ; and it was only by accident that they found 

 the carcass of a narwhal, with which to appease the 

 poor dogs for a time. 



All attempts to work the vessel seaward through the 

 floes proving unsuccessful, it was resolved to try for a fur- 

 ther northing by following the coast-line. But, although 

 even warping was had recourse to, this also was followed 

 by but very trifling success. On midnight of the 14th 

 they reached the lee side of a rocky island, which, from 

 the shelter it afforded, was designated " Godsend Ledge. 7 ' 

 It was, however, destined to be so but a short time. 

 On the 20th it came on to blow a hurricane ; the haw- 

 sers parted one after the other, and the ship was left at 

 the mercy of the winds, waves, and ice, combined. It 

 was a most trying time, arid the party underwent many 

 perils ere they found temporary shelter beyond a lofty 



