Chap. VI. CAPTAIN PARRY'S SECOND VOYAGE. 195 



ruses became more and more numerous every hour, 

 lying in large herds upon the loose pieces of drift- 

 ice, huddled close to and lying upon each other, in 

 separate droves of from twelve to thirty, the whole 

 number near the boats being probably about two 

 hundred. 



On the 16th a great deal of high land was 

 brought in sight to the northward and eastward, 

 which, on the first inspection of the Esquimaux 

 charts, was decided to be that large portion be- 

 tween which and the continent lay the promised 

 strait, that was to lead the ships to the westward 

 into the Polar Sea. So far all was satisfactorv ; 

 " but, after sailing a few miles farther, it is impos- 

 sible to describe our disappointment and mortifica- 

 tion on perceiving an unbroken sheet of ice, ex- 

 tending completely across the supposed passage 

 from one land to the other." Here they were 

 joined by several Esquimaux, but none of their 

 old friends, who had not yet arrived at any of 

 their stations. They obtained from the new ones, 

 however, one very interesting piece of informa- 

 tion, namely, that it was Igloolik on which they 

 were now about to land, and which they knew 

 from their Winter Island friends, Iligliuk in parti- 

 cular, was near to the strait that was to conduct 

 them into the Polar Sea. In this neighbourhood 

 were numerous Esquimaux of the same friendly 

 and cheerful character as those of Winter Island, 



o2 



