RECROSSING MELVILLE LAY. 411 



to lower a boat for his carcass, without a risk which 

 the circumstances did not warrant. 



The presence of this bear warned me that the pack 

 could not be very remote, and accordingly we short- 

 ened sail, and I took ray old station aloft on the fore- 

 yard. Sure enough the pack was there, as was sooji 

 evidenced by an " ice-blink," and in a little while we 

 were close upon it. Hauling by the wind, we skirted 

 its margin for some time without discovering any termi- 

 nation to it ; and, the ice appearing to be very loose and 

 rotten, I stood away again on our southerly course, 

 and entered the first favorable lead. It was some- 

 thing of a venture, as we could not, although the ice 

 was wholly different from that of Smith Sound, owing 

 to the condition of the schooner's bows, strike it with 

 safety. Luckily the wind favored us, and the schooner 

 answering her helm promptly, we managed to avoid 

 the floes for about twelve hours, at least without a 

 thump of any serious consequence, at the end of which 

 time the wind had fallen to calm ; and this continuing 

 for some time, with the temperature several degree;^ 

 below freezing, new ice was formed more than half an 

 inch thick, all over the sea. 



A light and fair breeze springing up again, we were 

 once more under way, crunching through this crystal 

 sheet much to the damage of the schooner's sides, 

 where there was no iron, and very embarrassing to 

 our progress, for we were often absolutely stuck fast. 

 We were glad enough when the breeze stiffened and 

 knocked the ice to pieces, giving us a free passage 

 into the " East Water." 



We made land on the morning of the 12th, and 

 found it to be the Horse's Head. The pack was now 

 far behind us, and our southern passage through Mel* 



