144 VOYAGE TO THE POLAR SEA. August 



constructed out of the empty preserved meat-tins, 

 refilled with gravel. A post-office box was placed in 

 the centre of the pile. 



The ' Discovery ' then crossed the bay and anchored 

 near Bellot Island. A heavy floe drifting past forced 

 her on shore with the falling tide ; but after a few 

 hours' discomfort, caused by the ship heeling fifteen 

 degrees, the rising tide floated her again, without the 

 ship having suffered any damage. 



From the summit of Bellot Island I observed that 

 the ice in Lady Franklin Sound was commencing to 

 move, and that water-pools were forming along the 

 eastern edge of a very large floe which extended half- 

 way across the mouth of the sound. On the south-east 

 shore a broad water-channel extended along the foot 

 of the cliffs of Daly Peninsula, and although it was 

 nearly calm at Bellot Island the waves raised in the 

 water showed that a strong southerly wind was blow- 

 ing on the opposite coast. 



As there was apparently a better prospect of our 

 being able to escape by the passage on the western 

 side of the island, the two ships proceeded to that 

 entrance, and after an unsuccessful attempt to push 

 out into the ice, in which the ' Alert ' damaged her 

 rudder, were secured amongst some heavy pieces of 

 ice stranded on a ten-fathom bank which extends 

 across the entrance and connects Bellot Island under 

 water with the peninsula to the westward of it. 



On the 19th the officer of the watch kept his look- 

 out from the high land of Bellot Island. During the 

 ebb-tide the ice gave promise of opening, and we 

 tried to force our way along the edge of the large floe, 



