144 VOYAGE TO THE POLAR SEA. Septembb* 



command of Lieutenant Parr, returned, having passed 

 anything but a pleasant time in their tents during the 

 gale. On ascending our look-out hill, I observed that 

 the ice to the westward between the land and the 

 channel in the pack had drifted to seaward, leaving a 

 clear road by which we could advance to a place of 

 shelter. Making a signal to the ship, steam was im- 

 mediately got ready and the rudder shipped, but on 

 lowering the screw we found it impossible to enter the 

 shaft. While raising it again to clear away the ice a 

 thick snowstorm came on with a blinding mist which, 

 hiding everything from view, prevented our moving. 

 Before midnight the gale was blowing as furiously as 

 ever. 



During the night the sea breaking against the shore 

 became so discoloured by the stirred up mud that the 

 snow-covered beach over which it broke was darkened 

 to such an extent that from a distance we mistook it 

 for the gravel coast-line. On visiting the shore we 

 picked up a few pieces of seaweed (Laminaria) that 

 had been cast up, and found that the salt water at. a 

 temperature of 29° washing over the snow-bank had 

 solidified it into hard ice. 



The barometer rising on the 16 th, I tried to con- 

 nect the screw ready for a run along the land im- 

 mediately the gale lulled ; but when the screw-shaft 

 only wanted an inch of being fixed, the rachet lever 

 became damaged and the shaft could not then be 

 moved either in or out. So strong was my desire to 

 reach what I hoped would prove a more protected 

 place for wintering, that for a moment I thought of 

 proceeding under sail,; but we were so hemmed in by 



