64 OLD WHALING DAYS. 



our arrival off Disco we encountered much ice, but in the 

 course of a few days the wind came off the land and cleared 

 a passage to Goodhavn. The master went on shore to see 

 if he could get a spar for a spare topmast, as he knew that 

 the wreck of the Rose, belonging to Hull, lay on the beach 

 in the harbour. She was severely stove to the N.W. of 

 Horse Head the previous year, but they managed to get her 

 to this place. Fortunately, there was one which suited us, 

 and, having made arrangements with the Governor, we dug 

 it out of the ice and towed it to the ship. Many whales had 

 been seen before we arrived. If we had not lost our top- 

 mast, we might have been here in time to have caught some, 

 shewing what a little may change the whole aspect of affairs. 

 We cruised about for a few days, but no whales were seen ; 

 then gradually sought our way to the northward towards 

 Swarte Huk or Black Hook, which forms the north part of 

 N.E. Bay or Omenak Fiord, in the offing of which extends 

 fine whaling grounds in the month of May, and is the last 

 on the east side of Davis's Straits. We had great difficulty 

 in getting through the Malygat Straits, which separate Hare 

 Island from the Island of Disco. This detention caused us 

 to be too late for the fishery, but we could not get further 

 than Upernavik. The ice appeared not to have broken up 

 to the northward, so we made fast to an iceberg near a large 

 glacier, where we stayed some time in hopes of getting north, 

 but finding no probability of doing so, we returned south and 

 tried every bight, but could not get nearer the west land 

 within forty miles. It was a most weary and trying time, 

 nothing but a solid mass of ice to the westward was seen. 

 In one deep bight we observed from the crow's nest a spar 

 standing upright in the floe about four miles distant. A 

 party of us travelled to it, and found the ice of very great 

 thickness, and the surface had three feet of water upon it, 

 and to all appearance a vessel was underneath. The ice all 

 around was of some years' accumulation, and called by us 



