SHIP DRIVEN NEARER LAND. 103 



seen along the shore to the eastward, and there 

 seemed some likelihood of its overtaking us 

 by daylight, if by any means we could hold 

 on to some floe so as to let the smaller pieces 

 drift past. But this, however desirable, was 

 found impracticable, as the whole mass moved 

 together. Throughout the night the wind scarcely 

 abated, but towards morning of Sept. 18th it 

 became moderate ; and as the heavy clouds 

 cleared away before the rays of the rising sun, it 

 was discovered that we had been driven past 

 Cape Comfort about three or four miles, and at 

 the same time had been set considerably nearer 

 to the coast which, immediately abreast of us, 

 was fearfully forbidding. To the north it pre- 

 sented a towering and perpendicular front, rent 

 into fissures, or jagged with splintery ridges, all 

 deeply black ; whilst towards the south it receded 

 from the summit in round backed hills, entirely 

 (except where sharp-angled rocks peeped out) 

 covered with snow. Farther west the land gra- 

 dually declined with longer slopes and wider 

 vallies, and terminated in a point, either Cape 

 Bylot or Cape Welsford of Parry. Through- 

 out the entire range I was unable to detect any 

 of those marks which indicate the track of the 

 Esquimaux in their periodical migrations. 



The latitude at noon was 65° 12' N., and in 

 having been drifted thus far, we had the consola- 



h 4 



