8o SET ADRIFT. Chap. VL 



A gull and a few terns appeared to-day ; these are the 

 first of our summer visitors. The temperature improves ; 

 yesterday at one o'clock it was -J-i9° in the shade, + I 5° 

 in the crow's-nest 70 feet high, and -f-51 against a black 

 surface exposed to the sun. 



i6t/i. — Last night a bear came to the ship, was wounded, 

 but escaped ; to-day the tracks were followed up for three 

 miles, the bear found, and again wounded — finally the un- 

 lucky beast was shot in the water seven miles from the ship; 

 it was lost in consequence of the rapid drifting of the ice, 

 which ran over the floating carcase. 



To-night a dense fog-bank rests upon the water to the 

 southward ; its upper edge is illuminated by aurora, showing 

 a faint tremulous light. 



i>jtk. — Position, 65 28' N., 58 24' W. Another northerly 

 gale ; holding fast to the ice with three hawsers ; snow-drift 

 limits the view to a couple of miles, so all to the eastward 

 appears water, and to the westward ice. 



Last night the ice opened considerably; to secure the 

 ship occupied us for six hours : several of the dogs were 

 again cut off; as the ice they were on was rapidly drifting 

 away, I sent a boat to recover them ; it was a difficult and 

 hazardous business, but at length the boat and dogs returned 

 in safety, to my great relief, for it was both dark and late. 



18//2. — Yesterday morning, when I wrote up my journal, 

 I was hoping to hold on quietly to the floe-edge until the 

 wind moderated, when with clear weather we could take 

 advantage of the openings and make some progress towards 

 the clear sea. But the storm increased, and the floe-edge 

 broke away, setting us adrift. Our expulsion from "winter 

 quarters " was a rude one. 



Amid the wild commotion of the shattered floes, and 

 clouds of piercing snowdrift, much anxious time was una- 

 voidably spent in fetching off our boats and dogs, five of 



