674 THE VOYAGE OF TPIE JE ANNETTE. 



and we were still separated from the land by a half mile 

 of broken ice, water lanes, etc. I at once made up my 

 mind that it could not be done to-night, and that I had 

 better devote a day to it. 



The wind had veered to E. S. E., was blowing fresh, 

 and rain began to fall steadily, and when, at 10.45 P. m., 

 just inside the blue floe edge, I gave the order to camp, 

 I think I did a very prudent and sensible thing. 



July 2&th, Thursday. — Called all hands at seven. 

 Breakfasted at eight. Windy (E. S. E), foggy, and dis- 

 agreeable. Land in sight at times. We have gone a 

 short distance to westward. Temperature 29°. Under 

 way at 8.50 a. m. Sent Mr. Dunbar ahead, and after 

 a while we succeeded in crossing the broken ice which 

 had stopped us last night. Here we had a small floe, 

 across which we speeded. The fog now shut in impen- 

 etrably, and I feared we were in for a troublesome 

 time. Mr. Dunbar returned, however, and informed 

 me, that after crossing this floe we should find large 

 ice blocks, with only two-foot openings, and that these 

 extended to the ice-foot, or fast ice, and that, more- 

 over, he had climbed up on the ice-foot, and advanced 

 one hundred yards over it toward the land. This 

 was too good a chance to lose, and away we went. 

 But though we made all haste, and got over our last 

 ferry, and across the small floe in splendid time, when 

 we reached the further edge we found everything fallen 

 to pieces, and more water and rapidly moving ice than 

 we could undertake. Much of the moving ice looked 

 like small bergs broken off from a glacier foot, and 

 from the rounded lumps of ice on top, and their almost 

 straight edges, I am inclined to think they were ice- 

 bergs. By 12.30 p. m. we had everything up to the floe 

 edge, and halted for dinner. 



