416 cook's voyage to aug. 



o'clock in the morning of the following, I steered 

 E. by N. ; which course brought us into sixteen fa- 

 thoms water. I now steered N. E. by E., thinking by 

 this course to deepen our water. But, in the space 

 of six leagues, it shoaled to eleven fathoms ; which 

 made me think it proper to haul close to the wind, 

 that now blew at west. Toward noon, both sun and 

 moon were seen clearly at intervals, and we got some 

 flying observations for the longitude ; which, reduced 

 to noon, when the latitude was 70 33', gave 197 41'. 

 The time-keeper, for the same time, gave 198; and 

 the variation was 35 1' %%'' E. We had afterward 

 reason to believe that the observed longitude w r as 

 within a very few miles of the truth. 



Some time before noon we perceived a brightness 

 in the northern horizon, like that reflected from ice, 

 commonly called the blink. It was little noticed, from 

 a supposition that it was improbable we should meet 

 with ice so soon. And yet the sharpness of the air, 

 and gloominess of the weather, for two or three days 

 past, seemed to indicate some sudden change. About 

 an hour after, the sight of a large field of ice left us 

 no longer in doubt about the cause of the brightness 

 of the horizon. At half past two, we tacked, close 

 to the edge of the ice, in twenty-two fathoms water, 

 being then in the latitude of 70 41' ; not being able 

 to stand on any farther. For the ice was quite impe- 

 netrable, and extended from west by south to east 

 by north, as far as the eye could reach. Here were 

 abundance of sea-horses ; some in the water, but far 

 more upon the ice. I had the thoughts of hoisting 

 out the boats to kill some ; but the wind freshening, 

 I gave up the design, and continued to ply to the 

 southward, or rather to the westward ; for the wind 

 came from that quarter. 



We gained nothing; for on the 18th at noon our 

 latitude was 70 44'; and we were near five leagues 

 farther to the eastward. We were, at this time, close 

 to the edge of the ice, which was as compact as a 



