104 MR. GORE SHOOTS A FOX. 



tory conviction that there must be an open space of 

 water somewhere to the west. We knew more- 

 over that the further we advanced in that direc- 

 tion the more we should be liable to the influence 

 of the high tides in the neighbourhood of the 

 Welcome, where the changes among the ice 

 would be more frequent, and our chance of 

 reaching Repulse Bay consequently improved. 

 In fact, a long narrow lane had begun to form 

 close to the beach, reaching nearly to the extre- 

 mity of the view, but the breeze freshening 

 from S.S.E. forced the seaward body of ice in, 

 and closed it up again. Baffin Island was visible 

 from the mast-head, but there was no opening in 

 that direction. A raven and a little snow bunt- 

 ing came near the ship. No soundings were got 

 with one hundred and fifty fathoms. As the 

 sun declined the breeze freshened still more, 

 sending the low and light scud before it with the 

 swiftness of an arrow. It was not however till 

 near midnight that we stirred, when the ice, driven 

 by the wind and tide, carried us about a mile. 



Sept. 19th sail was set to endeavour to force 

 the ship clear of some large pieces, which 

 ground with a grating noise against the bot- 

 tom, but it was to little purpose. About this 

 time an Arctic fox, probably allured by the 

 scent of the skeleton of the bear which was 

 hanging to the main-stay, came so close that it 



