254 ARCTIC VOYAGES. Chap. VIII. 



one of the northern Esquimaux stations, mentioned 

 in his journal of the preceding voyage. 



On the 12th July the ice began to break up in 

 the neighbourhood, and about the same time the 

 ice which crossed the mouth of the harbour de- 

 tached itself at an old crack, and drifted off, leaving 

 onty about one mile and a quarter between the ships 

 and the sea. The men were now employed, with 

 the greatest cheerfulness and alacrity, from seven 

 in the morning till seven in the evening, daily, 

 when on the 19th a very welcome stop was put to 

 their operations by the entire separation of the floe 

 across the harbour. By a renewal of their labour 

 for the whole night till the following morning, 

 they succeeded in getting the ships clear, and also, 

 in two hours' towing, out to sea, after an imprison- 

 ment of between nine and ten months. 



" On standing to sea we sailed," says Parry, 

 " with a light southerly wind, towards the western 

 shore of Prince Regent's Inlet, which it was my 

 first wish to gain, on account of the evident ad- 

 vantage to be derived from coasting the southern 

 part of that portion of land called in the chart 

 * North Somerset,' as far as it might lead to the 

 westward ; which, from our former knowledge, we 

 had reason to suppose it would do, as far at least as 

 the longitude of 95°, in about the parallel of 72f°, 

 that is, at Cape Garry." But on his first voyage 

 he had been below 70° (Cape Kater), on the east 



