DIFFICULT NAVIGATION. 31 



hope of penetrating. Wishing, however, to 

 keep as near mid channel as I could, I coasted 

 the edge of the pack until a narrow stream was 

 seen, through which we bored our way until 

 we again came to heavy sailing ice. It was 

 exceedingly difficult to ascertain whereabout we 

 were, for independently of the fog, which of 

 itself was bad enough, the whole of the com- 

 passes became so sluggish as to require tapping 

 with the finger every five or ten minutes to make 

 them traverse at all, and could not, therefore, be 

 depended on. There was, however, no choice, 

 but either to run on at all hazards, or to heave-to, 

 at the risk of being beset in the pack, which 

 every moment the wind was driving closer. 

 Rather than be detained in such a manner, at 

 least in this place, I determined to stretch over 

 to the north shore, which, in fact, had now be- 

 come the weather one, and to depend on the 

 sharpness of our sight for discovering the land, 

 at the same time, having every thing ready for 

 guarding against accidents. The manner in 

 which this resolution was executed was highly 

 creditable to the ice-mate, Mr. Green, and the 

 gunner, Mr. Donaldson, who took upon them 

 the duty of piloting the ship in these situations 

 by turns, — a duty for which the latter, in par- 

 ticular, was well qualified by the experience he 

 had acquired under Sir E. Parry. Frequently, 



