CHAP. VI.] ICE MORE COMPACT. 353 



shortly after ll h p. m., of course much fagged 

 with their exertions. 



June 4th. The ice closed at 4 h a. m., and, 

 with some trifling variety, remained so till noon, 

 when we were about four miles south, and 

 two east, of our former position. The tem- 

 perature had ranged from 23° + to 42° +, with 

 a light south-east wind. There was no favour- 

 able change of any description, either in the 

 afternoon or throughout the night, the ice being 

 rather more compact than heretofore, a fact 

 which I was unable to comprehend, as the wind 

 was much too light to affect it in any way, 

 still less when subject to the counter influence 

 of a spring- tide. The most probable conjecture 

 seemed to be, that this very tide might have dis- 

 lodged some heavy bodies of ice from the many 

 friths and bays to the north of Resolution Island; 

 and that, aided by the southerly current, together 

 with the light winds which had prevailed of late 

 between south-east and south, those bodies might 

 have been driven against, or partly into, the 

 mouth of Hudson's Straits, and so blocked up 

 the space between that and our position. Certain 

 it was, we had scarcely altered the bearing of 

 Salisbury Island, which at noon was N. 60° W. 

 In the afternoon, while occupied in exercising 

 the crew at small arms, and afterwards in reefing 

 and furling, the wind came from the eastward 



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