OLD WHALING DAYS. 57 



the ice. The third day it became fine and clear, and they 

 went close to the pack again. The missing boats were 

 sighted, and some men were seen travelling towards the ice 

 edge. A boat was sent, but was unable to reach them on 

 account of the broken condition of the ice, and they could 

 not walk upon it, consequently they had to return to their 

 boats. 



Next morning the Heroine, of Dundee, being the first at 

 the ice edge, and a light air of wind coming off the ice and 

 blowing the light stuff away, succeeded in getting the men 

 on board in a most deplorable state. They were put to 

 bed and carefully attended to. After a few hours'^ com fort- 

 able rest they fell in with their own vessel, and were put on 

 board. A few days afterwards the Eclipse found his boats 

 drifting out of the harbour of Durban. This is the case 

 before mentioned. I think it was in this year that the 

 Eclipse, Capt. Gray, came from Greenland to Davis's Straits, 

 crossing over to Pond's Bay in clear water. He found 

 Pond's Bay clear of ice, and ran through it into a large 

 Sound, since called Eclipse Sound. He was the first who 

 had been so far that way, and that solved the question of 

 whether there was a direct passage through to Prince 

 Regent's Inlet and Lancaster Sound. It was through 

 Eclipse Sound that Captain McClintock got his passage so 

 well into Prince Regent's Inlet, in search of Sir J. Franklin, 

 in 1858. Captain Gray found plenty of whales in this 

 Sound, but the ice was so rotten and full of holes that he 

 could not get near them. Otherwise he would have done 

 well, and none of the Davis's Straits men would have known 

 he had been to the country. 



The ice began to come down rapidly, and gradually drove 

 us further south. It was thought best to make our way to 

 Cumberland Sound. We therefore anchored in Niatlick 

 harbour and got a whale, our boats going away as usual. 

 A few of our old Esquimaux friends were there, but many 



