418 AT CAPE ISABELLA. 



water, crying piteously all the while, and, crawling 

 around it, pushed it before her into the sea. I en- 

 deavored first to frighten her off, and then tried to 

 arrest her, and save my specimen, with a fresh bullet ; 

 but all to no effect. Although badly wounded, she 

 succeeded in her purpose, and, falling upon the dead 

 calf with her breast, carried it down with her, and I 

 saw them no more. I have never seen a stronger or 

 more touching instance of the devotion of mother to 

 its young, among dumb animals, and it came from a 

 quarter wholly unexpected. 



Having leisure while the snow-storm lasted, I went 

 up to Cairn Point to see how the ice appeared from 

 that place. After waiting there for a day, the atmos- 

 phere cleared up, and I could see with much distinct- 

 ness to Cape Isabella. The line of the solid ice ex- 

 tended in a somewhat irregular curve up the Sound 

 from that cape to a few miles above Cairn Point. 

 The sea thence down into the North Water was filled 

 with a loose pack. 



The day after my return we put to sea. The pack 

 being now much scattered, we entered it and pene- 

 trated to the margin of the fast ice without difficulty. 

 In two days we reached the coast near Gale Point, 

 about ten miles below Cape Isabella. Thence to the 

 cape I went in a whale-boat ; but the cape itself could 

 not be passed ; so we hauled into the first convenient 

 bight, and climbed the hill. The view convinced me, 

 if I was not convinced already, of the folly of air 

 tempting any thing further with the schooner. I no 

 longer hesitated, even in thought. My opinions were 

 thus recorded at the time : — 



"I am fully persuaded, if there still remained a 



