PACIFIC AND BEERING'S STRAIT. 431 



little vessel, and perform the journey to Chamisso c ^' p ' 

 Island on foot — an undertaking we were by no w-v^ 

 means adequate to, and which the advanced state of ot *S£ 1 

 the season would render extremely fatiguing. At Barge * 

 eight we ascended a hill, but saw not the slightest 

 chance of an opening, the ice to the southward be- 

 ing very compact as far as the eye could reach, and 

 varying in its height from twelve to two feet above 

 the level of the sea. At midnight the weather was 

 cold, dark, and foggy, and seemed to indicate a S. W. 

 gale. 



Friday, 25th Aug. At four this morning the 

 current appeared to resume something of its former 

 rapidity, causing the ice to move to the northward, 

 and leaving small openings. This gave us faint 

 hopes of a release ; but the wind springing up as 

 we had anticipated, soon extinguished them. After 

 breakfast we again visited the hill, but with no 

 better success than before. The tide returning or 

 ebbing from the river brought back with it a quan- 

 tity of the ice, almost every piece of which drifted 

 athwart the boat ; so that we determined on getting 

 her afloat, and shifting her to a better berth, where 

 we should be ready to avail ourselves of the small- 

 est prospect of getting clear. Having laid out an 

 anchor astern, we with much difficulty got her 

 through the sand bank that had formed itself round 

 us ; and finding that at her own length farther out a 

 channel was left for the ice to drive either out or 

 into the river, we secured her to a large berg that 

 had grounded and afforded us much shelter. To- 

 wards noon a number of natives visited us, and were 

 presented with tobacco, &c. Among them was the 

 old man spoken of the day before ; who, on re- 



