94 WHALEFISH ISLANDS. Chap. VII. 



the ground to undergo repairs ; the rise and fall at spring 

 tides is 10 feet. We cannot land at all times of tide, for a 

 very sufficient reason : at high-vvater-mark a broad fringe of 

 ice margins the shore to which it is firmly frozen, and is 

 convenient to step on to from a boat ; but at low-water this 

 "ice-foot" is several feet above one's head, and moreover 

 the rocks now exposed are worn smooth and slippery by the 

 constant attrition of ice. 



The harbour is so small that the ' Fox ' is moored by 

 hawsers to the rocks on each side, and yet the water is so 

 deep that our anchor lies in 1 7 fathoms. They tell me that 

 oysters abound here, but I am not quite clear that they do 

 not mean scallops. 



iot/1. — On the morning of the 8th we left Holsteinborg 

 with a pleasant land wind and bright weather. When 15 

 miles off shore we were stopped by ice formed during the 

 last two nights, the thermometer having fallen to 12 ; out in 

 the offing the weather was gloomy and cold, and strong 

 northerly winds were blowing. On closing the land again, 

 we regained the offshore wind, and bright weather. 



Keeping close alongshore, and threading our way through 

 a vast deal of pack and numerous icebergs, we caught 

 sight of Disco about noon to-day, and by the evening were 

 within an hour's sail of Godhavn, when we were again 

 stopped by a broad belt of ice stretching along the coast ; 

 this was a bitter disappointment, more particularly as a 

 gale of wind with heavy sea was fast rising, and snow 

 beginning to fall thickly ; there was nothing for it, however, 

 but to stand off under easy sail for the night. 



12///. — At anchor at the Whalefish Islands. On the 

 evening of the 10th we stood off from the inhospitable 

 barrier of ice, prepared to meet the storm j snow fell so 

 thickly that we could hardly see the icebergs in time to 

 avoid them. We supposed ourselves to be well to leeward 



