368 Narrative of Captain Parry's Attempt 



for one leg to enable us to extricate the other. . The pools of fresh water had 

 now also become very large, some of them being a quarter of a mile in length, 

 and their depth above our knees. Through these we were prevented taking 

 the sledges, for fear of wetting all our provisions ; but we preferred transport- 

 ing the boats across them, notwithstanding the severe cold of the snow-water, 

 the bottom being harder for the " runners" to slide upon. On this kind of 

 road we were, in one instance, above two hours in proceeding a distance of 

 one hundred yards." 



In defiance of these overpowering difBculties, they continued 

 to struggle towards the north, but with little success. Their 

 progress was very slow ; the quantity of rain which fell astonish- 

 ed every one ; and the high state of the thermometer was equal- 

 ly a subject of wonder. But a principal obstacle to their pro- 

 gress northward, and one which at length forced Captain Parry 

 to return, was the set of the arctic water towards the south. It 

 moved at the rate of 4 miles per day ; and, when assisted by a 

 northerly wind, which unfortunately set in, forced the floating 

 ice on which they dragged their boats, nearly as fast south as 

 they dragged them north. On the 10th of July, they met with 

 fresh-water lakes on the ice, as mentioned in the following ex- 

 tract from the narrative. 



" Soon after midnight, the rain being succeeded by one of the thickest fogs 

 I ever saw, we again proceeded, groping our way almost yard by yard from 

 one small piece of ice to another, and were very fortunate in halting upon 

 some with level surfaces, and also a few tolerable sized holes of water. At 

 half-past two we reached a floe, which at first appeared a level and large one, 

 but on landing we were much mortified to find it so covered ivith immense 

 • pondsy or rather small lakes of fresh water, that, to accomplish two miles in a 

 north direction, we were under the necessity of walking three or four, the 

 water being too deep for wading, and from 200 yards to one-third of a mile 

 in length. Towards the northern margin, we came among large hununocks, 

 liaving very deep snow about them, so that this floe, which had appeared so 

 promising, proved very laborious travelling, obliging us, in some pans, to 

 make three journeys with our loads ; that is, to traverse the same road five 

 times over*." 



On the 12th July, they reached north Lat. 82° 14' 28/^ The 

 day was remarkably clear and fine, and the thermometer from 

 35° to 36° F. 



" Setting out again (says the narrator) we crossed a small lane of water 

 to another floe, but this was so intersected with ponds, and by streams run- 

 ning into the sea, that we had to make a very circuitous route, some of the 

 ponds being half a mile in length. If any thing could have compensated for 

 the delay thus occasioned us, it would have been the beautiful blue colour 

 * Narrative, p. 76. 



