118 HOPES OF PROGRESSING BAFFLED. 



rigging and spars. As this was to be expected 

 for many months, and the consequent difficulty of 

 walking the decks was to be guarded against, I set 

 up the housing cloth between the fore and main 

 masts, and thus made an excellent shelter, and a 

 dryplace along the gangways for the people to take 

 exercise. Not that all idea of moving had been 

 abandoned, for I was determined to push up the 

 Strait whenever the slightest opportunity should 

 be given, whether now or in the middle of winter. 

 Nor, placed as we were, was such an opportunity 

 improbable, since Sir E. Parry had throughout 

 the whole winter, remarked more or less open 

 water to the south east of his anchorage at Winter 

 Island. About 10 h 40 m a. m. a very narrow sepa- 

 ration of the in-shore ice was seen, proving the 

 reasonableness of such expectations, especially 

 if a westerly gale, which some were yet sanguine 

 enough to hope for, should at last come to our 

 relief. During the afternoon the same ice closed 

 again without in any way affecting us. Thus 

 ended a month of vexation, disappointment, and 

 anxiety, to me personally more distressing and 

 intolerable than the worst pressure of the worst 

 evils which had befallen me in any other expe- 

 dition. 



