A DASH FOR THE SHORE. 217 



it was changed to south (magnetic), which would be about 

 south 17 (true), for there was about 17 degrees of easterly 

 variation. The captain then shaped the course toward the 

 point where land was thought to have been seen. At this 

 time we began to see a heavy water sky to the south and 

 southeast, and the ice to the southwest was more broken and 

 in greater motion, making traveling very difficult. About 

 July 20th we worked nearly twelve hours in advancing 1,000 

 yards over small pieces of ice constantly shifting. We could 

 not float the boats. The land already mentioned appeared 

 greatly distorted by atmospheric effects, and indeed, until 

 within a few days of reaching it, a great many would not 

 believe that it existed at all. 



Our progress toward the land was very slow, but finally 

 we could see the glaciers and water-courses upon it quite 

 distinctly. We were shaping a course toward the northeast 

 end of the island, the drift of the ice being along the east 

 face. At times we were forced to remain idle in our camp- 

 ing-place, it being quite impossible either to move over the 

 rough, broken ice, always in rapid motion, or to launch the 

 boats. On the 24th of July we reached a point not more 

 than two miles distant from the land, but the men were so 

 exhausted that we had to camp. Next morning we found 

 that we had drifted at least three miles to the southward 

 and along the east side of the island. 



July 27th was very foggy, and we were working our way 

 through living masses of ice, when the mist lifted a little 

 and an immense sugar-loaf towered above us. We had been 

 swept in by the current, and now seemed to be our chance of 

 reaching the ice-foot of the island, which was very narrow, 

 rugged, and broken, being aground in nineteen fathoms of 

 water. We finally got everything on one big floe-piece, and 

 as we caromed on the ice-foot we made a rally and jumped 

 everything upon the ice-clad beach. But before the last 

 boats and sleds were hauled up the floe-piece drifted away, 

 leaving them perched on the edge of the ice in a very 

 dangerous position, and they had to be left there for some 



