XORTH MAGXETTC POLE AND XORTHWEST PASSAGE. 253 



to slip in. In thick fog we wound our way about throuofh fairly 

 penetrable ice. a few icebergs now and then lireaking up the dense 

 masses of the fog with the strength of their flashes, calling to us their 

 own warning. On August 13. at half past 2 in the morning, we saw 

 the last of this fog. the Gjoa quietly and calmly gliding out of the 

 thick masses, which had surrounded us as in a nightmare for several 

 days, into a new world, lighted up by the loveliest sunshine and with a 

 marvelously beautiful view. In the east we saw the head of Mellville 

 Bay filled with impenetrable ice fields ; to the north lay the fine moun- 

 tain scenery around Cape York beckoning and calling to us in the 

 sunshine ( the feeling was overwhelming I ) : before us. shining in blue 

 and white, lay the huge masses of drift ice. There was not much 

 open water to be seen from the masthead, but then we did not want 

 very much. On August 15 we reached Dalrymple rock, where two 

 Scotch captains. Milne and Adams, had left a largish depot for us. 

 Here we fell in with the Danish Literary Greenland expedition, and 

 spent a few lively and pleasant hours with the members of it. On 

 August IT we continued our voyage, and bore across Baffin Bay, in 

 sight of the Carey Islands. It was lucky for us that we met with 

 calm weather here, for with our deeply laden vessel a storm might 

 have had serious consequences. Besides our sky-scraping deck cargo, 

 there were to add to its burden our 18 dogs, the greater number of 

 which had been shipped at Godhavn. By way of making the time 

 go quicker, tlm^ had divided themselves into two about equally strong 

 sides, and from time to time made inroads on each other's territory. 

 This game, needless to say, was hardly to the liking of the man who 

 happened to have the watch, and many a round oath found its way 

 out into the world. On August 20 we stood into Lancaster Sound. 

 A few icebergs which had collected around Cape Horsburgh and some 

 slack ice stretched straight across the sound. We kept in under the 

 northern shore. The land made an exceedingly barren impression; 

 there was no vegetation to be seen, and the mountains were high and 

 table-topped. It was, however, not often that we were able to see 

 land, the fog for the most part being thick and heavy. 



On August 22 we reached Beechey Island, where I had arranged to 

 stop and take a series of magnetic observations which were to decide 

 our future course. Before the departure of the expedition several 

 persons more interested than learned in terrestrial magnetism had 

 written to me. pretending by a subtle method, which, however, they 

 did not disclose, to have discovered that the magnetic pole had moved, 

 with a speed of I don't know how many miles in the 3'^ear, in a north- 

 westerly direction, and was now on Prince Patrick Land. Tliey 

 might as well have said in the moon for all they knew. 



Beechey Island gives a barren and dismal impression, and particu- 

 larlv sad are the ruins of the house erected bv the British Government 



