34 PROGRESS ACROSS THE BAY. Chap. III. 



adapted for arctic work, — an ardent sportsman, an agree- 

 able companion, never at a loss for occupation or amuse- 

 ment, and always contented and sanguine. Happily we 

 have many such dispositions in the ' Fox.' 



2,oth. — Position, 75 30' N., 64 4' W. The whole dis- 

 tance across Melville Bay is 170 miles : of this we have 

 performed about 120, 40 of which we have drifted in the 

 last fourteen days. The ' Isabel ' sailed freely over this spot 

 on 20th August, 1852 ; but the 'North Star' was beset on 

 30th July, 1849, to the southward of Melville Bay, and 

 carried in the ice across it and some 70 or 80 miles beyond, 

 when she was set free on 26th September, and went into 

 winter quarters in Wolstenholme Sound. What a precedent 

 for us ! 



Yesterday we set to work as usual to warp the ship along, 

 and moved her ten feet: an insignificant hummock then 

 blocked up the narrow passage ; as we could not push it 

 before us, a two-pound blasting charge was exploded, and 

 the surface ice was shattered, but such an immense quantity 

 of broken ice came up from beneath, that the difficulty was 

 greatly increased instead of being removed. This is one of 

 the many instances in which our small vessel labours under 

 very great disadvantages in ice-navigation — we have neither 

 sufficient manual power, steam power, nor impetus to force 

 the floes asunder. I am convinced that a steamer of mode- 

 rate size and power, with a crew of forty or fifty men, would 

 have got through a hundred miles of such ice in less time 

 than we have been beset. 



The temperature fell to 25 last night, and the pools are 

 strongly frozen over. I now look matters steadily and calmly 

 in the face ; whilst reasonable ground for hope remained I 

 was anxious in the extreme. The dismal prospect of a 

 "winter in the pack" has scarcely begun to dawn upon the 

 crew ; however, I do not think they will be much upset by 



