LOST IN THE FOG. 429 



reached Whale Sound. A heavy pack, apparently 

 hanging upon the Carey Islands, drove us far up the 

 North Water; and, to get to our destination, we 

 were obliged to hold in close to Hakluyt Island 

 Here, the air having fallen calm, I pulled ashore ; 

 and, when we set out to return, we found ourselves 

 enveloped in a fog which caused us some alarm. Ob- 

 serving its approach, we pulled to catch the schooner 

 before the dark curtain closed upon us, but were over- 

 taken when almost a mile away. Having no compass 

 we became totally ignorant of which way to steer; 

 and, although we heard the ship's bell and an occa- 

 sional discharge of guns to attract our attention, yet, 

 so deceptive is the ear where the eye is not concerned 

 in guiding it, that no two of us caught the sound 

 from the same direction ; so we lay on our oars, and 

 trusted to fortune. After a while, a light wind sprung 

 up ; and the schooner, getting under way, by the 

 merest chance bore right upon us, and came so sud- 

 denly in view out of the dark vapors that we had 

 like to have been run down before we could get 

 headway on the boat. 



We had much difficulty, owing to the fogs, current, 

 and icebergs, in getting up Whale Sound ; but, after 

 much patient perseverance, we arrived at length in 

 Barden Bay, and came to anchor off the native set- 

 tlement of Netlik. 



The settlement was found to be deserted. The fog 

 lifting next day, disclosing much heavy ice, among 

 which it would be dangerous to trust the schooner, I 

 took a whale-boat and pulled up the Sound. 



The Sound narrows steadily until a few miles be- 

 yond Barden Bay, where the coasts run parallel until 

 the waters terminate in a deep bay or gulf, to which 



