304- PROSPECTS. [CHAP.V. 



floe, on the starboard side, suddenly parted 

 from its better half, and glided mysteriously 

 away among the still rugged but looser fragments 

 near. But when our favourite look-out, which 

 we had jestingly denominated Mount Pleasant, 

 the faithful companion of our wanderings from 

 Cape Bylot to this spot, staunch and unshaken 

 amidst the crash and ruin which had surrounded 

 it ; when this, too, departed, and became lost 

 and indistinguishable amongst other peaks and 

 hummocks, what could we look for but an utter 

 dissolution of all the parts of our system ? In 

 spite, however, of all these defections, in spite of 

 upper or under current, spring or neap tide, for 

 the present we remained firm as a rock ; the only 

 alteration being, that the direction of the ship's 

 head was exactly reversed, having been turned 

 round from the south to N.W. by W., in much 

 the same manner as had been the case last 

 autumn at the western end of the island. All 

 these things plainly demonstrated that the eastern 

 ice was gradually drifting through Hudson's 

 Straits into the Atlantic, and making way for 

 our liberation ; which I still sanguinely hoped 

 would take place, so as to enable me to carry 

 into effect some of the objects of the expe- 

 dition. A narwhal was supposed to have been 

 seen in one of the adjoining lanes, and was 

 described as being spotted, like those seen last 



