160 OLD WHALING DAYS. 



after the Danes settled amongst them, they gradually became 

 civilized. 



When we came to the fishing grounds off Disco, we 

 killed a whale, which was the smallest I had seen upon the 

 east side, with the exception of those which had not left 

 their mothers. This season the ice was more tightly packed 

 upon the east coast than had been seen for several years. 

 Is was with great difficulty we reached N.E. Bay. A few 

 whales were captured amongst us, and when the fishing in 

 that place was over, we directed our course northward in 

 the usual manner, until we came to the Duck Islands, and 

 nothing but large floes presented themselves in Melville 

 Bay. 



We waited in that neighbourhood some time, moving 

 about from place to place according to the state of the ice, 

 and seeing no prospect of getting through, we went south. 

 The steamers had long since left us, and were no doubt 

 reaping their harvest in Lancaster Sound or Ponds Bay, 

 while we were retreating. I think that sailing vessels in 

 this country were getting more accustomed to retreating 

 than advancing. We had a succession of fogs and adverse 

 winds All our officers had been used to steam of late, 

 which made us sometimes forget that we were in a sailing 

 ship. 



From the time of leaving the Duck Islands, until 

 arriving on the west side, we were continually on the move, 

 regardless of the weather. The ice formed a compact body 

 off Cape Broughton. Neither whales nor anything else 

 were to be seen, in fact it appeared as though life had 

 deserted this part. There was very little water between the 

 east and west ice. The frequent fogs caused us much 

 anxiety, and kept us always on the alert. We almost gave 

 up all hope of success, yet there were the harbours to the 

 south still open, where many good whales had often been 

 caught. The ice kept driving us further and further south, 



