VARIATION IN COMPASSES. 63 



on the floe, in firing at a mark. About ll h a.m. 

 an attempt was made by hauling the ship to an 

 outer point of the floe, and making all sail ; but 

 the light air was very faint, and she barely 

 glided through the water. Observations, at 

 noon, gave the latitude 65° O'V N., longitude 

 80° 44/ W., and variation 57° W.; which was 

 so far satisfactory as showing that no ground 

 had been lost. The compasses continued to be 

 very sluggish ; indeed so much so, that, on one 

 occasion, the larboard one showed the ship's 

 head to be south, while that of the starboard 

 made it north. The wind soon died away al- 

 together ; and none springing up, as had usually 

 before been the case, with the declining sun we 

 again moored to a floe for the night. The men 

 amused themselves by a riotous game of leap-frog 

 on the ice ; and the disaster of one of the officers, 

 who, in crossing a point covered with snow, fell 

 through and took a cold bath, excited a hearty 

 laugh. 



During the night, which was perfectly calm, 

 young ice formed entirely around us. A month 

 later this circumstance might have given me 

 some uneasiness ; but now it was deemed of con- 

 sequence only as adding to the delay and abridg- 

 ing the time which we hoped to employ in 

 the more interesting objects of the expedition. 

 Unless, indeed, this seasor. were to be very dif- 



