July, 1858. BATTLING WITH THE ICE. 119 



Last night a westerly wind blew freshly and dispersed the 

 ice outside of us, so much so that this evening we have got 

 out into almost clear water. Farewell, Greenland, — hurrah 

 for the west ! 



^th. — After getting free from the ice off the Crimson Cliffs, 

 we soon lost sight of the last fragment, and steered for Pond's 

 Bay. And now we all set to work in zealous haste to write 

 our last letters for England, to go by the whalers, which we 

 hoped soon to meet at Pond's Bay. 



After running 60 miles the ice reappeared, and we sailed 

 through a vast deal of it, but it became more closely packed, 

 and a thick fog detained us for a day. 



When the weather became clear, the main pack was seen 

 to the W., S., and S.E. ; in the hope of rounding its northern 

 extreme we ran along it to the N.W. To-day it has led us 

 to the N. and N.E., so that this evening Wolstenholme Sound 

 is in sight. To the N. the pack appears impenetrable, and 

 there is a strong ice-blink over it. All the ice we have 

 lately sailed through is loose, and much decayed ; it seems 

 but recently to have broken away from the land, is not water- 

 washed, neither has it been exposed to a swell, the fractured 

 edges remaining sharp. 



6th.— Position, 75 17' N., 73 35' W. Midnight. Last 

 evening I persevered to the N. until every hope of progress 

 in that direction vanished. To the W. the pack appeared 

 tolerably loose; the wind was fresh at E.S.E., so I deter- 

 mined once more to push into it, and endeavour to battle 

 our way through ; I hoped it would prove to be merely a 

 belt of 30 or 40 miles in width. We found the ice to lie 

 for the most part in streams at right angles to the wind, and 

 therefore much more open than it had appeared : there was 

 seldom any difficulty in winding through it from one water 

 space to another. The wind greatly increased, bringing 

 much rain, but fortunately no fog ;— the dread of this hung 



