130 ARCTIC VOYAGES. Chap. V. 



merfest, should any accident happen to the Griper 

 in her absence. He sailed on the 5th July, and ran 

 due north twenty-five miles from Cloven Cliff; 

 found himself embayed among the ice ; and on 

 the 6th the ship struck against something which 

 turned out to be ice. This was discovered on the 

 fog dispersing, when a field of packed ice presented 

 itself to view, extending east and west as far as the 

 eye could reach ; the latitude observed was 80° 20', 

 which was the most northern obtained ; for having 

 skirted the margin in a line nearly west for about 

 60 miles, and finding it trending to the southward, 

 and everywhere closely packed, and perceiving no 

 appearance of an opening, or of clear water, it was 

 deemed useless to proceed farther, and the Griper 

 returned to the station, which she reached on the 

 11th July. 



Captain Sabine having completed his operations ; 

 a party having killed about fifty rein-deer, as a 

 supply of fresh provisions, and every thing being 

 re-embarked on the 22nd July, on the 24th they 

 put to sea, and steered S.W. for the eastern coast of 

 Greenland, a course that would bring them to Gael 

 Hamkes' Bay in about the latitude of 74° ; this being 

 considered as the highest point known to the north 

 on that coast. After many impediments from fields 

 of ice, they reached, on the 8th August, a tolerably 

 open channel between the ice and the coast, and 

 sent a boat on shore at a point which was named 



