17?8 THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 417 



wall, and seemed to be ten or twelve feet high at 

 least. But farther north, it appeared much higher. 

 Its surface was extremely rugged, and here and there 

 we saw upon it pools of water. 



We now stood to the southward, and, after running 

 six leagues, shoaled the water to seven fathoms ; but 

 it soon deepened to nine fathoms. At this time the 

 weather, which had been hazy, clearing up a little, 

 we saw land extending from south to south-east by 

 east, about three or four miles distant. The eastern 

 extreme forms a point, which was much encumbered 

 with ice ; for which reason it obtained the name o 

 Icy Cape. Its latitude is 79 %9', and its longitude 

 198 20'. The other extreme of the land was lost in 

 the horizon ; so that there can be no doubt of its be- 

 ing a continuation of the American continent. The 

 Discovery being about a mile astern, and to leeward, 

 found less water than we did, and tacking on that ac- 

 count, I was obliged to tack also, to prevent separation. 



Our situation was now more and more critical. 

 We were in shoal water, upon a lee shore ; and the 

 main body of the ice to windward, driving down upon 

 us. It was evident that if we remained much longer 

 between it and the land, it would force us ashore, un- 

 less it should happen to take the ground before us. 

 It seemed nearly to join the land to leeward ; and the 

 only direction that was open was to the south-west. 

 After making a short board to the northward, I made 

 the signal for the Discovery to tack, and tacked my- 

 self at the same time. The wind proved rather fa- 

 vourable, so that we lay up south-west, and south- 

 west by west. 



At eight in the morning of the 19th, the wind 

 veering back to west, I tacked to the northward ; and 

 at noon the latitude was 70 6', and the longitude 

 196 42'. In this situation we had a good deal of 

 drift-ice about us ; and the main ice was about two 

 leagues to the north. At half past one we got in 

 with the edge of it. It was not so compact as that 



VOL. VI. E E 



