424 COOK S VOYAGE TO AUG. 



although that luminary is a considerable while above 

 the horizon, it seldom shines out for more than a few 

 hours at a time, and is not seen for several days in 

 succession. It is the wind, or rather the waves raised 

 by the wind, that bring down the bulk of these 

 enormous masses, by grinding one piece against 

 another, and by undermining and washing away 

 those parts that lie exposed to the surge of the sea. 

 This was evident, from our observing that the upper 

 surface of many pieces had been partly washed away, 

 while the base or under part remained firm for several 

 fathoms round that which appeared above water, 

 exactly like a shoal round an elevated rock. We 

 measured the depth of water upon one, and found 

 it to be fifteen feet, so that the ships might have 

 sailed over it. If I had not measured this depth, I 

 should not have believed that there was a sufficient 

 weight of ice above the surface, to have sunk the 

 other so much below it. Thus it may happen, that 

 more ice is destroyed in one stormy season than is 

 formed in several winters, and an endless accumu- 

 lation is prevented. But that there is always a re- 

 maining store, every one who has been upon the 

 spot will conclude, and none but closet-studying phi- 

 losophers will dispute. 



A thick fog, which came on while I was thus em- 

 ployed with the boats, hastened me aboard rather 

 sooner than I could have wished, with one sea-horse 

 to each ship. We had killed more, but could not 

 wait to bring them with us. The number of these 

 animals on all the ice that we had seen is almost in- 

 credible. We spent the night standing off and on, 

 amongst the drift ice ; and at nine o'clock the next 

 morning, the fog having partly dispersed, boats from 

 each ship were sent for sea-horses. For, by this 

 time, our people began to relish them, and those 

 we had procured before were all consumed. At 

 noon, our latitude was 69 17'> our longitude 183 ; 

 the variation, by the morning azimuths, Z5 5tY E. $ 



4 



