1875 THE 'MIDDLE ICE. 39 



the barrier ; so I gradually altered course to the north- 

 ward, steering direct for Cape York. After midnight, 

 when we were in latitude 79° 9' N. and longitude 

 65° 30' W., 140 miles to the westward of the Devil's 

 Thumb, the ice was so open that the officer of the 

 watch could see every obstacle from the bridge, and 

 was able to direct the ship without the help of a look- 

 out man in the crow's nest. Officers soon gain ex- 

 perience in these matters ; the heavy pieces that ought 

 to be avoided float higher out of the water than the 

 light ice which may be struck with impunity, and are 

 consequently readily distinguished. If, however, a 

 mistake should be made, the shock is sufficient to 

 bring nervous people on deck, and cannot be good for 

 the chronometers. 



Throughout the night the temperature of the sea was 

 31°, and young ice formed on the surface to about the 

 thickness of half-an-inch, showing the partial freshness of 

 the water. Towards morning, before the daily thaw had 

 set in, the opening out of the pack during the calm was 

 rendered apparent by the many water-spaces from which 

 the young ice had been drifted off, like dross from 

 quicksilver, leaving a pure unblemished surface which 

 reflected the hull and rigging of the ships with such 

 distinctness that it was difficult to determine where 

 the object and the reflection met. The sharp crackling 

 sound made by the vessels as they tore their way 

 through the plates of young ice, was rather agreeable 

 than otherwise when contrasted with the dead silence 

 around unbroken even by the hundreds of little auks 

 (Mergulus alle), swimming close alongside ; these little 

 birds, scattered in large flocks over the water-spaces, 



