OLD WHALING DAYS. 33 



on the land. The north part of Disco is a low sloping 

 point, and here his grave was made. The funeral 

 service was gone through, and the coffin well covered with 

 large stones. The sad ceremony over, we returned on board, 

 leaving him far from his native shore on a lonely bleak spot. 

 After setting the watch, some of us were about to turn in, 

 when all hands were called to tow. This time we succeeded 

 in getting to Four Island Point, on the south side of N.E. 

 Bay. The governor and natives came off with barter. This 

 is a very small settlement, and was at this period under the 

 care of a Danish governor, married to an Esquimaux. The 

 law was strict upon these marriages. If a Dane wished to 

 return to his native country, he must take his wife with him, 

 and be worth a certain sum of money. Under such con- 

 ditions, not one in twenty could or did return, but had to 

 remain in the country. 



We stayed here two or three days until we got liberated, then 

 we stood off to the ice edge, to the westward, and saw several 

 whales. We got fast to one and had her killed in five hours. 

 She got amongst a lot of loose ice ; it was difficult to get our 

 boats near her, but when she came to the outside we finished 

 her. After cruising about several days, and not seeing any- 

 thing, we began to use our usual means to get round the 

 north end of the ice, through Melville Bay. With much 

 trouble we reached the Duck Islands, at the entrance of the 

 bay, and there waited a favourable opportunity for the ice 

 floes opening. Calm weather is the best time for it 

 slacking, but breezes set it in commotion, except a light 

 N.E. wind, which sends the loose floes rapidly from the 

 fast or land ice. It is very astonishing what effect a light 

 air of wind has upon such fields of ice. Our fleet consisted 

 of about twelve sail. One evening the ice began to open. 

 Everybody was up and on to the ice with their tracking 

 belts, cheerily pulling their respective ships along. We 

 had to follow in a line whilst tracking along the floe edge, 



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