1 86 OLD WHALING DAYS. 



thought we should be able to get to the fishing grounds 

 which lay between Cape Kater and Home Bay, where 

 many heavy whales have been caught at this time of the 

 year. 



We struggled slowly on, many times having all hands to 

 assist in warping, and using every effort to force a passage 

 between the floes in expectation of finding water. We came 

 to a large floe without a crack in it, and made fast. We 

 were now 90 miles from Black Hook, and no water to be 

 seen from the crow's nest. The ship was immovable, and 

 in this position we remained some time, anxiously waiting 

 for the ice slacking to retrace our way to open water. ' 



The weather continued fine and clear, yet the ice did not 

 move, and we drove to the southward at the rate of six 

 miles per day for a period of twelve days. A fresh breeze 

 came from the S.W. with dense fog, causing a commotion 

 among the ice, and with great difficulty and danger we 

 managed to reach the east water again, and made our way 

 further south until we came in the latitude of Cape Dyer, 

 where we once more took the ice, which was much broken 

 up ; but a dense fog again set in for two days, which caused us 

 much trouble in finding the leads in the ice. Sometimes we 

 could get no further, so had to warp and steam in and out, 

 which made us consume more coal than* we wished, as so 

 much steaming had made a great inroad into our stock. 



At last the weather cleared, and we found ourselves in 

 sight of the west water, a few miles to the southward of Cape 

 Searle, and soon reached it, then wentf north with a fine wind. 

 The water did not extend many miles from the land, and 

 when we came to Merchant's Bay it was full of ice not 

 broken up. We ran along it as far as Cape Broughton on 

 the north side of the bay. 



The captain saw a steamer to the north of us, which caused 

 us all to come on deck, as we had not seen any ship for 

 seven or eight weeks and were full of conjectures concerning 



