AMONG THE ICE HUMMOCKS. 181 



rain hindered them somewhat, while the condition of much of the ice over which they 

 passed rendered their journey very fatiguing. Much of it "presented a very curious 

 appearance and structure, being composed, on its upper surface, of numberless irregular, 

 needle-like crystals, placed vertically and nearly close together, their length varying, in 

 different pieces of ice, from five to ten inches.-" A vertical section of it resembled 

 satin-spar and asbestos when falling to pieces. This kind of ice affords pretty firm 

 footing early in the season, but as the summer advances the needles become loose and 

 movable, rendering progress very difficult, besides cutting into the boots and feet. The 

 men called these ice-spikes " pen-knives/' This peculiar formation of ice Parry attributed 

 to the infiltration of rain-water from above. The water was standing in pools on the 

 ice, and they had often to wade through it. On the 28th the party arrived at a floe 

 covered with high and rugged hummocks in successive tiers, and the boats had to be 

 dragged up and down places which were almost perpendicular. "While performing this 

 laborious work, one of the men was nearly crushed by a boat falling upon him from 

 one of the hummocks. As an example of the harassing nature of this service, we 

 find them on the 29th, in making a mile of northing by a circuitous route among the 

 ice-masses and open pools, travelling and re-travelling about ten miles in order to keep 

 the party and supplies together. They tried for soundings, and found no bottom at two 

 hundred fathoms (1,200 feet) ; later, a four hundred fathom line gave no bottom. 

 On the 30th snowy and inclement weather rendered the atmosphere so thick that they 

 were obliged to halt; later in the same day they made five miles by rowing in a very 

 winding- channel. 



" As soon," says Parry, "as we landed on a floe-piece, Lieutenant Ross and myself 

 generally went on ahead, while the boats were unloading and hauling up, in order to select 

 the easiest road for them. The sledges then followed in our track, Messrs. Beverly and 

 Bird accompanying them, by which the snow was much trodden down, and the road 

 thus improved for the boats. As soon as we arrived at the other end of the floe, or came 

 to any difficult place, we mounted one of the highest hummocks of ice near at hand 

 (many of which were from fifteen to five-and-twenty feet above the sea), in order to 

 obtain a better view around us ; and nothing could well exceed the dreariness which 

 such a view presented. The eye wearied itself in vain to find an object but ice and 

 sky to rest upon ; and even the latter was often hidden from our view by the dense and 

 dismal fogs which so generally prevailed. For want of variety, the most trifling cir- 

 cumstances engaged a more than ordinary share of our attention a passing gull 

 or a mass of ice of unusual form became objects which our situation and circum- 

 stances magnified into ridiculous importance ; and we have since often smiled to 

 remember the eager interest with which we regarded many insignificant occurrences. 

 It may well be imagined, then, how cheering it was to turn from this scene of inanimate 

 desolation to our two little boats in the distance, to see the moving figures of our men 

 winding among the hummocks, and to hear once more the sound of human voices 

 breaking the stillness of this icy wilderness. In some cases Lieutenant Ross and myself 

 took separate routes to try the ground, which kept us almost continually floundering 

 among deep snow and water/' The soft snow encountered was a great hindrance ; on 



