CHAP. V.] MR. GORE SNOW-BLIND. 347 



shot by Mr. Gore. The day was dedicated to 

 the celebration of His Majesty's birth, the crew 

 being allowed an extra store of good things to 

 quicken their loyalty. There was little wind, 

 and therefore little change of any kind. On 

 the 29th the temperature, which had sunk to 

 27° + , ran up the scale until at noon it reached 48°, 

 and in the sun 64° + . Our sportsman, Mr. Gore 

 after about ten hours' exposure on the ice, became 

 snow-blind. No water was to be seen. 



On the 30th the weather was thick with 



light snow, which shut out the land from 



sight. The crew were again examined by the 



medical officers, and reported to be a little 



improved, though there was not one instance 



of perfect recovery, and my steward was quite 



lame. At 6 h p. m. the east bluff of Salisbury 



Island bore N.N.W., by which it seemed we 



had been set something to the N.E. In the 



night the wind blew fresh from the S.E., and 



snow fell without cessation ; nor up to noon on 



May 31st was there any change. Still no water 



in sight, until at 5 h p. m, while the ice in the 



distance was perfectly close, we were surprised 



by the sudden opening of a serpentine lane 



thirty yards astern, extending to either side of 



the ship. The wind blew fresh in squalls during 



the night, and the entire body of the ice appeared 



to be setting to the north-east. 



