THE SOUTHERN SHORE. 121 



present helpless state, I dared not approach 1824. 

 the Southampton shore for a supply, and it was Sept. 

 very doubtful when we might reach Hudson's 

 Strait, and, even in doing so, if we should find 

 any ice, from which we might fill our tanks, still 

 remaining in it. 



Had it not been for Mr. Leyson's contri- 

 vance, I was about to reduce our daily allow- 

 ance of water from a quart to a pint, which 

 would have been far too little for our support. 

 It may be well imagined how tantalizing it must 

 have been for us to know that water could have 

 easily been procured, had we been enabled to 

 anchor, and also to reflect, that, in a country 

 whose seas are almost constantly filled with 

 ice, we should, when we most wished for it, 

 be unblessed with the sight of the smallest 

 morsel. The prospect of having a homeward 

 passage of some thousand miles before us, 

 with only the uncertain supply from distilla- 

 tion for our support, was not the most enli- 

 vening, and I, in consequence, stopped all salt 

 provision, and only issued such as was not 

 likely to induce thirst. 



The wind freshened slowly from the south- 

 ward as we lay to during the night, which was 

 very dark ; and on the morning of the 20th, 

 we were under main-topsail and trysails. Snow 



