1875 THE SHIPS PART COMPANY. 110 



steam could be got up it had closed again. In the 

 evening during flood-tide, a small pool again formed 

 south of Cape Murchison, but there was no possibility 

 of our forcing a way through the intermediate ice. 



The 28th brought in a beautiful morning with a light 

 air from the south-east, At 8 a.m. the wind died 

 away, and the ice seemed decidedly inclined to open. 

 At 11 p.m.., the commencement of the north-running 

 tide, we were just about to move when a thick fog 

 enveloped us ; hiding everything at more than twenty 

 yards distance, this effectually prevented our starting. 

 Later in the afternoon it cleared off, but it was then 

 low- water, and on trying to move the ship I found 

 that, though afloat, she had settled down with the 

 falling tide into a basin surrounded on all sides by a 

 bank of mud. The ship was immediately lightened 

 by lowering the boats and placing in them such articles 

 as could be readily hoisted on board again. With 

 the tantalizing prospect of an open channel before us, 

 we were forced to wait for three hours, until the rising 

 water enabled the ship to pass over the obstruction. 

 Hoisting up the boats and signalling a final ' good-bye ' 

 to the ' Discovery,' we then reached under steam to 

 within a mile of Cape Beechey ; where in an en- 

 counter with a heavy Hoe, the rudder-head, which had 

 been badly sprung some days before, became so injured 

 that the rudder itself was nearly useless. Observing 

 that the pack was pressing tight against the cape to 

 the northward of us, I secured the ship inside what 

 at the time we supposed to be grounded icebergs, but 

 which in reality were pieces of Polar floes. 



While shifting the rudder the sportsmen, after a 



