1875 THE 'valorous; 25 



ice refrozen into a solid form, such as would be the 

 case with a glacier forced over a rough steep incline ; 

 some were table-topped, as if broken from a smooth- 

 surfaced glacier sloping at a small angle to the water. 



None of these icebergs were more than fifty feet 

 high, but their number was sufficient to render great 

 care necessary in choosing a passage between them. 

 Not expecting to experience such close sailing the 

 boats had been left hanging to the davits outboard, 

 and were occasionally endangered when passing through 

 the narrow water-channels. 



When abreast of Atanekerdluk five kayaks, and 

 an omiak containing women and children, were met ; 

 they paddled alongside, keeping pace with the ships, 

 and we had the satisfaction of being able to supply 

 them with biscuit, no doubt a very welcome addition 

 to their usual meat and fish diet. 



Thinking that the ' Valorous ' with her projecting 

 paddles would not be able to force a passage through 

 such ice as we encountered, all hopes of meeting her 

 again were given up, but during the afternoon she was 

 sighted lying quietly at anchor off the coaling station, 

 having found, as we afterwards learnt, a channel much 

 clearer of ice near the land. Wishing to put on board 

 our last letters, we hauled to the wind and beat to 

 windward for her anchorage, but a very thick fog 

 setting in as the wind moderated, the separation of the 

 4 Alert ' and ' Discovery ' was feared ; hence we were 

 forced to abandon our intention of communicating, and 

 proceeded to the northward. By midnight, when we 

 had run through the most ice -encumbered part of the 

 channel, the wind died away, but as the fog continued 



