68 VOYAGE TO THE POLAR SEA. July 



our feet by the stream when attempting to ford the 

 Cape Sheridan Eavine, I have caused a boat to be 

 moored with lines to either shore for the help of any- 

 one crossing. 



' Mr. Egerton left with a strong party of men to 

 bring back the two boats advanced last autumn, but 

 which have not been used. He will make easy 

 journeys, as several of the men are convalescents and 

 have been sent in the hope of their obtaining fresh 

 meat. 



' To-day there was a very slight motion towards 

 the east in the outer pack.' 



On the 8th of July Captain Stephenson observed 

 pools of water in Kail's Basin and Lady Franklin 

 Sound. On the 15th Lieutenant Fulford crossed Hall's 

 Basin from Polaris to Discovery Bay, and found the ice 

 stationary until he arrived within two miles of the 

 west shore ; there he came to broken-up ice in motion, 

 across which he had a difficulty in reaching the shore 

 with his sledge crew. 



On the 18th St. Patrick's Bay was nearly clear of 

 ice, and on the 20th pools of water were seen extend- 

 ing across Kennedy Channel from Joe Island to Cape 

 Lieber. 



4 \Qth. — The water which last week was observed 

 to have collected in pools on the aged Polar floes has 

 now drained off. In the hollows there is left a 

 columnar structure like the "penknife ice" of Sir 

 Edward Parry, and that described by Sir John 

 Eichardson as formed on the surface of fresh-water 

 ice by the summer thaw. The columns are from one 

 to six inches in height, but as large collections of snow 



