36 VOYAGE TO THE POLAR SEA. July 



so thick as to hide from our view the ' Discovery,' in 

 tow astern of us. In vain did I look for an anchorage, 



or a suitably grounded iceberg to which to secure 

 the ships; the first was unobtainable in consequence 

 of the water a ship's length from the shore being 

 a hundred fathoms in depth, and the few icebergs 

 agrouna were so close to the land as to occasion 

 uncertain eddy currents in their near vicinity. After 

 drifting about in an unknown neighbourhood for six 

 anxiously spent hours, a momentary clearance of the 

 atmosphere took place, and we observed two Eskimo 

 in their kayaks close alongside. Everything was so 

 quiet, and the neighbourhood apparently so destitute of 

 life, that their appearance quite startled us ; and it is 

 difficult to imagine the first impressions of the natives at 

 so unexpected a sight as our ships must have presented 

 on suddenly emerging from the fog. After a short 

 consultation through Petersen and the pilot they 

 volunteered to conduct us to an anchorage. 



Following the kayaks, at the same time steaming 

 very slowly and sounding carefully, I suddenly felt the 

 ship strike the ground ; hailing the ' Discovery,' her 

 officer of the watch, by smart attention to the helm, 

 avoided running into us. Before I could take steps to 

 lighten the ship, the quickly falling tide had fixed her 

 hard and fast on shore. As it was nearly low- water and 

 the fog still thick outside, I allowed the ship to 

 remain quiet where she was, the ' Discovery ' still 

 hanging to us by the towing hawser. Advantage was 

 taken of the enforced delay to land the ship's com- 

 panies. The officers spread themselves over the island, 

 some taking magnetic observations, others with their 



