102 VOYAGE TO THE POLAR SEA. August 



five miles each tide, making ten miles a day, and thus 

 gave ns the pleasing prospect of meeting more open 

 water as we advanced north. It also rendered it 

 certain that Eobeson Channel communicated with the 

 Polar Sea. We observed that the ice had been forced 

 high up on the shore on the northern side of Cape 

 Collinson, but the southern face of the cape presented 

 no appearance of severe pressure. 



During our enforced delay a small depot of 240 

 rations was landed on Cape Collinson about one 

 hundred yards inshore and thirty feet above the water- 

 line. These provisions have not since been disturbed. 

 During winter they will be deeply buried in snow, and 

 probably the mark placed over them will have broken 

 down. The opportunity was taken of letting down 

 the dredge in seventy fathoms, and some additional 

 animal forms were added to our list of captures. 

 The tracks of a bear and the recent footprints of a 

 hare were seen, but the gloomy weather, with light 

 snow falling, rendered the land specially desolate in 

 appearance. In the event of the two ships parting 

 company Captain Stephenson was ordered to rendez- 

 vous at Carl Eitter Bay. 



At 4 a.m., of the 21st, I determined to try and 

 advance north through the pack in the offing, but, on 

 getting two miles from the land, the channels led us so 

 much towards the south that I returned to the position 

 we had lately left. We then tried to unlock the 

 land-ice from the iceberg with the hope of releasing 

 the ice to the northward, but it is probably fortunate 

 that we did not succeed, as the berg alone was too 

 small to afford protection to both ships. In the 



