CHAP. IV.] TRACKS OF ANIMALS. 193 



dark and unbroken sheet of bay ice. From the 

 Cape towards Frozen Strait, forming a wide se- 

 micircle as seen from the ship, was a continuous 

 line of dense vapour, which clearly indicated 

 open water, though the white gleam of ice might 

 be easily distinguished beyond it ; so that the 

 crushing and crumbling which had progressively 

 destroyed, separated, and almost pulverized 

 so many miles of floe ice around us, and which 

 providentially had ceased when within little more 

 than a hundred paces from the ship, must have 

 been mainly caused by the undulating motion 

 proceeding from this open water, acted upon of 

 course by wind and tide ; for it may be re- 

 membered that the extraordinary grinding com- 

 plained of, when the vessel lay to the westward, 

 near Smyth's Harbour, took place only at such 

 times and under such circumstances, as would 

 point to a combination of the above-mentioned 

 causes. 



Our gentlemen had seen but two tracks of 

 deer, with others of wolves, hares, and foxes ; 

 but what interested us most was the footstep of 

 an Esquimaux which Mr. Fisher had endeavoured 

 ineffectually to trace. If it were one (and it 

 gave rise to as many conjectures as the memo- 

 rable foot-print in Robinson Crusoe), it must 

 have been that of some one who had wandered 

 far out of his way in the eagerness of the chase j 



o 



