VIEW OF GREENLAND. 23 



to be the southern extremity of Disco Island. The 

 lofty mountains broke suddenly through the thick 

 mist, and exposed their hoary heads, not a little to 

 our astonishment ; but they vanished again as quickly 

 as they had appeared. But we had got a clutch upon 

 the land, and found that, befogged though we were, 

 we had calculated our position to a nicety. From this 

 moment the interest of our cruise was doubled. 



The next day we were abreast the Nord Fiord of 

 Disco, in latitude 70°, and, gliding on with a light 

 wind, the Waigat and Oominak Fiord were soon be- 

 hind us ; and on the evening of August 2d we were 

 approaching the bold promontory of Svarte Huk, 

 which is only forty miles from Proven, whither we 

 were bound. 



"A man's heart deviseth his way, but the Lord 

 directeth his steps." Just as we were congratulating 

 ourselves upon the prospect of getting an appetite for 

 breakfast among the Greenland hills, the wind began 

 to show decided symptoms of weakness ; and, after a 

 succession of spasmodic efforts to recover itself, pro- 

 longed through the next four and twenty hours, it at 

 length died away completely, and left us lying on the 

 still waters, impatient and ill at ease. We were sadly 

 disappointed ; but the sun scattered the vapors which 

 had hung so long about us, and, in the scene which 

 broke out of the dissolving mist, we buried our vex- 

 ation. 



Greenland had been for some time regarded by my 

 companions as a sort of myth ; for, although fre- 

 quently only a few miles from its coast, so thick and 

 constant had been the clouds and fogs, that, except 

 for a few brief minutes, it had been wholly hidden 

 from our view. Here, however, it was at last, shaking 



ff^ 



