988 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY 
barren of incidents worthy of notice as any period 
of equal length, for some time. We crossed 
the Arctic circle on the 24th inst.; and since 
then we have had generally coarse weather; we 
have now, however, got clear of the ice, and 
have kept at such a distance from Cape Farewell, 
that there is nothing to apprehend whatever way 
the wind may blow. Our latitude, to-day, at 
noon, was 58° 44’ 51”, and longitude by chron. 
53° 12’ W. 
Monday, October 2d.— We have had a gale of 
wind during these two days past, which moderated 
considerably in the course of this afternoon. We 
lost sight of the Griper about six o’clock this 
morning: she appeared at the time that we last 
saw her to be lying to. We ran, however, until 
nine o’clock, at which time the wind began to abate 
a little, we, therefore, brought to, and waited for 
her until two in the afternoon; but as she had not 
made her appearance, although the weather had 
by that time cleared up, there was reason to sup- 
pose that she had taken a different course from 
that which we came, and had probably passed us 
before the weather cleared up; we, therefore, 
made sail, keeping rather tothe northward of our 
course, in hopes of falling in with her. 
Tuesday, 3d.—A vigilant look-out has been 
kept all day for the Griper, but nothing has as yet 
been seen of her; so that we now begin to suspect 
that we shall not see her again until we meet at 
Shetland, which, I understand, is the appointed 
place of rendezvous in case of separation. 
The Aurora Borealis appeared very beautifully 
