178 VOYAGE TO THE POLAR SEA. September 



hawser, its middle was dropped round the weather side 

 of a large berg ; the ships hanging one on each side, 

 balanced each other, and they rode thus very quietly. 



While in this position a sounding was obtained in 

 220 fathoms, the bottom being mud. 



On the 11th, with a temporary lull in the wind, we 

 proceeded under steam, but on closing the Greenland 

 shore about Whale Sound, the southerly wind freshened 

 and obliged me to put the ships under sail. 



The wet snow falling with a temperature of 34° 

 was very annoying ; as it clung to each of the ropes 

 without actually melting, they became more than double 

 their original sizes, and only wanted the temperature 

 to fall below freezing point to cause great trouble in 

 working the sails. 



It was now fairly dark at midnight, but fortunately 

 Ave met with few icebergs, except when within a dis- 

 tance of four miles of the land, and no floe-ice whatever. 



On the 12th we experienced a southerly gale, with 

 very misty weather, and a rapidly falling barometer. 

 On standing towards the shore we made the land about 

 Barden Bay, and when under shelter of the hills I 

 steamed in to obtain an anchorage. 



On entering we passed the dangerous rock, a- wash 

 at low-water, off Cape Powlett. It is apparently the 

 summit of a very extensive patch of rocky ground ; 

 which is probably the terminal moraine of the glacier 

 which in former times existed in the neighbourhood. 



On the northern side of the bay the level land 

 bordering the shore appeared to be well vegetated, 

 and on nearing the land we observed an inhabited 

 Eskimo encampment with seven natives and about a 



