174 . LETTERS FROM HIGH LATITUDES. [XI. 



Bear Island, — the long, white, wave-lashed line suddenly 

 ran down into a low point, and then trended back with a 

 decided inclination to the North. Here, at all events, was 

 an improvement ; instead of our continuing to steer W. by 

 S., or at most W. by N., the schooner would often lay as high 

 up as N.W., and even N.W. by N. Evidently the action 

 of the Gulf Stream was beginning to tell, and our spirits 

 rose in proportion. In a few more hours, however, this 

 cheering prospect was interrupted by a fresh line of ice being 

 reported, not only ahead, but as far as the eye could reach 

 on the port bow ; so again the schooner's head was put to 

 the westward, and the old story recommenced. And now 

 the flank of the second barrier was turned, and we were able 

 to edge up a few hours to the northward; but only to be again 

 confronted by another line, more interminable, apparently, 

 than the last. But why should I weary you with the detail 

 of our various manoeuvres during the ensuing days ? They 

 were too tedious and disheartening at the time, for me to 

 look back upon them with any pleasure. Suffice it to say, 

 that by dint of sailing north whenever the ice would permit 

 us, and sailing west when we could not sail north, we found 

 ourselves on the 2nd of August, in the latitude of the 

 southern extremity of Spitzbergen, though divided from the 

 land by about fifty miles of ice. All this while the weather 

 had been pretty good, foggy and cold enough, but with a 

 fine stiff breeze that rattled us along at a good rate when- 

 ever we did get a chance of making any Northing. But 

 lately it had come on to blow very hard, the cold became 

 quite piercing, and what was worse — in every direction 

 round the whole circuit of the horizon, except along its 

 southern segment, — a blaze of iceblink illuminated the sky. 

 A more discouraging spectacle could not have met our 

 eyes. The iceblink is a luminous appearance, reflected on 

 the heavens from the fields of ice that still lie sunk beneath 

 the horizon ; it was, therefore on this occasion an unmis- 

 takable indication of the encumbered state of the sea in 

 front of us. 



