IN THE NORTH WATER. 65 



horizon, and the bold, dark- sided cape itself was, after 

 a while, seen " advancing in the bosom of the sea." 



We did not meet any field-ice until near noon of 

 the 25th. I had been aloft in anxious watching dur- 

 ing ahnost all of the whole preceding day and night ; 

 but when I had made up my mind that we should 

 clear Melville Bay without a single brush with the 

 enemy, a line of whiteness revealed itself in the dis- 

 tance. We were not long in reaching it, and, select- 

 ing the most conspicuous opening, forced our way 

 through. It proved to be only a loose " pack " about 

 fifteen miles wide, and, under a full pressure of can- 

 vas, we experienced little difficulty in -' boring " it. 



And now we were in the " North Water." We had 

 passed Melville Bay in fifty-five hours. 



Standing close in under Cape York, 1 kept a careful 

 lookout for natives. The readers of the narrative of 

 Dr. Kane may remember that that navigator took 

 with him from one of the southern settlements of 

 GreenLuid a native hunter, who, after adhering to the 

 fortunes of the expedition through nearly two years, 

 abandoned it, (as reported,) for a native bride, to live 

 with the wild Esquimaux who inhabit the shores of 

 the headw^aters of Baffin Bay. This boy was named 

 Hans. Anticipating that, growing tired of his self 

 imposed banishment, he would take up his residence 

 at Cape York, with the hope of being picked up by 

 some friendly ship, I ran in to seek him. Passing 

 along the coast at rifie-shot I soon discovered a group 

 of human being-s makino- sio^ns to attract attention. 

 Heaving the vessel to, I went ashore in a boat, and 

 there, sure enough, was the object of my search. He 

 quickly recognized Sonntag and myself, and called u? 



by name. 



6 



