120 A PARTY GO ON SHORE. 



4 h p. m. They described the walking as very 

 fatiguing, on account of the state of the ice, 

 thrown as it was into a heap of peaks and ridges, 

 with the exception of one floe about three 

 quarters of a mile broad, the whole way to the 

 shore, the distance of which was estimated to 

 be about four miles. The sludge ice between 

 the larger masses was frozen hard enough to 

 bear them ; and though painful to the feet, was 

 considered the most favourable for travelling on. 

 They did not perceive any open water near the 

 shore, but found some difficulty in reaching it, 

 on account of a chasm between the ice and the 

 nearest rocks, which however at last they con- 

 trived to leap over. After resting awhile, they 

 endeavoured to ascend the hills, but were soon 

 discouraged by the excessive fatigue of toiling 

 through snow, already in many places two and 

 three feet deep. Not a single track of an ani- 

 mal was seen to allure them on or cheer their 

 exertions ; and under these circumstances, they 

 very wisely retraced their steps to the vessel, 

 where they arrived well fagged with the trip. 

 On landing they had fired several shots, but 

 the sound did not reach us, though more than 

 one were watching their motions. The whole 

 line of coast to Cape Bylot seemed to them to 

 form a moderate bay, and the ice between the 

 ship and shore they thought decidedly more 



