RETURN OF THE "PANDORA." 99 



and enjoying 1 the good things of San Francisco. It was fated otherwise. They found 

 an unbroken ice-field before them, extending for, so far as they could judge, an indefinite 

 distance. They cruised about the island for three days, but matters only grew worse, and, 

 indeed, the ice was moving slowly towards them. Reluctantly Captain Young decided to 

 give up his attempt at a north-west passage, and return to England. On the way out of 

 Peel Strait, with squalls, snow, and darkness, they had a most difficult task in handling 

 the vessel, having to run races with the driving ice-packs so as to avoid being shut in. 

 The ice-pack at Cape Rennel prevented a passage round it. Suddenly, a snowstorm which had 

 been beating down upon them for the whole night, abated, and disclosed high precipitous cliffs 

 hanging almost over them as it seemed, and "presenting," says Captain Young in his 

 " Journal/' "a most ghostly appearance, the horizontal strata seeming like the huge bars 

 of some gigantic iron cage, and standing out from the snow face. In fact, it was the 

 skeleton of a cliff, and we appeared to be in its very grasp. For a few minutes only 

 we saw this apparition, and then all was again darkness." They barely had room to 

 pass between this cliff and the ice-pack, and then hastily ranged about, seeking some 

 escape. After three hours of intense anxiety, a slight movement in the pack was reported 

 from aloft, indicating a weak place in it, and through this gap the vessel at length forced 

 her way. On September 10th they passed through a terrible gale; the heavy seas froze 

 as they fell on the vessel's sides, and the Pandora became " one huge icicle." On reach- 

 ing the Carey Islands they found, at a different spot to that previously visited, a cairn, 

 erected by Captain Nares, from which they obtained a tin tube addressed to the Admiralty. 

 The Pandora reached Portsmouth safely on October 16th, 1865, her cruise having been, 

 all in all, one of the most successful of any made in the Arctic seas in a period of time 

 so short. 



CHAPTER XI. 



THE "ALERT" AND "DISCOVERY/' 



Nares' Expedition Wonderful Passage through Baffin's Bay Winter Quarters of the Discovery Capital Game-bag- 

 Continued Voyage of the Alert Highest Latitude ever attained by a Ship "The Sea of Ancient Ice" Winter 

 Quarters, Employments, and Amusements The Royal Arctic Theatre Guy Fawkes' Day on the Ice Christmas 

 Festivities Unparalleled Cold Spring Sledging Attempt to reach the Discovery Illness and Death of Peterson The 

 Ravages of Scurvy Tribute to Captain Hall's Memory Markham and Parr's Northern Journey Highest Latitude 

 ever reached Sufferings of the Men Brave Deeds^The Voyage Home. 



THE first official communication received from Captain Nares, and written from Disco, stated 

 that on the voyage out, owing to the heavy lading of the Arctic ships, they were extremely 

 wet ,and uneasy, and that the hatchways had to be frequently battened down during the 

 prevalence of the many heavy gales encountered. The Alert and Discovery each lost a 

 whale-boat. A quantity of loose pack-ice had been met after passing Cape Farewell. Mr. 

 Krarup Smith, the Inspector of North Greenland, and the other Danish officials, had been 

 most courteous and obliging, and had engaged to supply from different stations all the 

 Esquimaux dogs they might require. 



