

136 VOYAGE TO THE POLAR SEA. Septemhku 



the fc Discovery/ but was then on board the ' Alert,' 

 and was destined with his sledge-crew to pass the 

 winter on board of that ship. 



The formidable nature of the Polar pack, so 

 different in its character to that I had been accustomed 

 to in my prior Arctic experience, naturally caused me 

 great solicitude. The following in reference to it is 

 extracted from my journal of the 5th : — 



' This morning a floe about a mile in extent, floating 

 at least four feet out of water at its lowest part, was 

 passing to the eastward. It is the first piece of Polar 

 ice fit for travelling over that we had seen. The main 

 pack that is usually passing our position, as far to sea- 

 ward as we can observe, is simply impassable for sledges. 

 What it may be in the spring when the snow banks 

 have levelled off some of the irregularities remains to 

 be ascertained. At present it is quite out of the ques- 

 tion venturing upon it. Our hope is, that the land will 

 extend towards the north, and so enable the ship or 

 sledges to get along near the shore. Whatever our 

 travellers do, the work must not be compared with our 

 former Lancaster Sound level floe travelling, the road 

 is so totally different.' 



On the 6th we commenced dragging the provisions 

 and stores to the land on sledges over the newly formed 

 ice. The casks piled one on the other formed the 

 sides of a long shed, which was covered by one of the 

 large sails ; it was named Markham Hall, and after- 

 wards formed a valuable storehouse during the winter. 



In my journal I remark : ' The temperature remains 

 at 12°, so in spite of our exposed position I have 

 decided to winter here ; indeed the ship is now so firmly 



