BOISTEROUS WEATHER. 283 



and the assistance of every man was required 

 for the boat, Mr. King taking charge of some 

 of the sledges. Nor was it without the most 

 laborious, or, as they called it, killing exer- 

 tions, that she was at length hauled to a shelter 

 under the lee of a rock, which, though it seemed 

 at the distance like the boundary of a bay, was 

 found to open upon a large expanse of lake. 

 As it was now about full moon, we looked for a 

 favourable change of the weather, not without 

 some anxiety ; for I was apprehensive that, with 

 the constant drenchings and fatigue together, 

 two or three of the weaker hands might be laid 

 up. But the night was more boisterous than 

 ever, and never was seen a more gloomy sky 

 than that which ushered in Midsummer's-day. 

 It was of a leaden grey colour, with horizontal 

 streaks of dirty brick-red clouds — except to the 

 north, where, in strong contrast with the cold 

 whiteness on which it rested, were accumulated, 

 in one black mass, all the horrors of an hyper- 

 borean winter. Hail, snow, and rain pelted us, 

 one after the other, for some time without respite, 

 and then only yielded to squalls that overturned 

 the tent. I watched till noon for some pro- 

 pitious omen, but watched in vain ; so, having 

 encouraged the men to stick to their work, we 

 again tried what could be done, though with 

 little expectation of making more than a few 



