CHAPTER VI. 



THE LAST VOYAGE CHANGE OF MASTER CAPTURING 



POLAR BEARS. 



NOW comes the sixth and last voyage of my apprentice- 

 ship, and with it a change of captain. My old master 

 left the ship, and was succeeded by Captain W. Wells, late of 

 the Anne. We sailed as usual with great expectations, and 

 were favoured with a very fair passage to Lerwick, where, as 

 formerly, we shipped our complement of men, and proceeded 

 to Davis's Straits. We had a fair passage out, and made the 

 first ice off Goodhaal, on the east side, in Lat. 64 N. By 

 the first ice, I mean that which consists of streams of ice or 

 pack ice. Icebergs are so frequently fallen in with that 

 they are not mentioned. We were about twenty miles from 

 the land, and threaded our way to northward, among loose 

 and streams of ice, until we reached Whale Fish Island, in 

 S.E. Bay. It is one of a small group of low islands, 

 and has a settlement, the governor being a Dane. The 

 natives came off, and said that many whales had been seen 

 the week before. We cruised about, sometimes inshore and 

 at others in the offing. At last we struck a whale and soon 

 got her killed. We plied about for some time without 

 success, but had our boats away frequently, not seeing any- 

 thing for several days. We proceeded further north, and 

 with great difficulty reached N.E. Bay, having had to go 

 inside Hare Island. The quantity of ice in the offing 

 leaving very little of what is called the Black Hook water, 

 we were compelled to go up the Bay, and there we got 

 another whale. This Bay had not been explored, and the 



