212 THE SEA. 



ready, in case of the vessel being crushed. On September 27th a change of wind set 

 the ice in motion, and drove the vessel towards some abrupt and dangerous cliffs, 400 

 feet high, where there was no beach, and not a ledge where a goat could get a 

 foothold. Should the vessel strike their only hope was in the boats. Happily the ice 

 current changed, and swept them past the rocks. At this period the crashing of the 

 ice and creaking and straining of the vessel's timbers were deafening, and the officer 

 of the watch when speaking had to put his mouth close to his commander's ear, and 

 shout out. The neighbouring land was searched for game, the unpleasant discovery having 

 been made that nearly 500 pounds of their preserved meat had become putrid. 



The 26th of October, 1850, was an important day in the history of Arctic adven- 

 ture. Five days before, M'Clure, with six men and a sledge, had left the ship, and had 

 since travelled through Barrow's Straits. On the clear and cloudless morning of the 26th 

 they ascended a hill before dawn. " As the sun rose the panorama slowly unveiled itself. 

 First, the land called after H.R.H. Prince Albert showed out on an easterly bearing, 

 and from a point, since called after the late Sir Robert Peel, it evidently turned away 

 to the east, and formed the northern entrance to the channel upon that side. The 

 coast of Bank's Land, on which the party stood, terminated at a low point about twelve 



miles further on Away to the north, and across the entrance of Prince of 



Wales Straits, lay the frozen waters of Barrow, or, as it is now called, Melville Straits, 

 and raised as our explorers were, at an altitude of 600 feet above its level, the eye- 

 sight embraced a distance which precluded the possibility of any land lying in that 

 direction between them and Melville Island. A north-west passage was discovered. All 

 doubt as to the existence of a water communication between the two great oceans was 

 removed." On the return journey M'Clure, hastening forward to order a warm meal fcr 

 his men at the ship, lost his way in a snow-storm and had to wander about all night. 

 In the morning he found that he had passed the Investigator by four miles. 



The winter passed away, and, as the spring advanced, preparations were made for 

 continuing the voyage. On May 21st a curious event occurred. " About 10.30 a 

 large bear was passing the ship, when Captain M'Clure killed it with a rifle shot. On 

 examining the stomach, great was the astonishment of all present at the medley it con- 

 tained. There were raisins that had not been long swallowed, a few small pieces of 

 tobacco leaf, bits of pork fat cut into cubes, which the ship's cook declared must have 

 been used for making mock turtle soup, an article often found on board a ship in a 

 preserved form ; and, lastly, fragments of sticking-plaster, which, from the forms into 

 which they had been cut, must evidently have passed through the hands of a surgeon." 

 Better evidences of the proximity of some other vessel or exploring party could not be 

 afforded. But from which of them had this miscellaneous collection been derived? 



On July 17th the vessel got out of the ice, and soon passed round the south end of 

 Bank's Land; but, after many perils, did not succeed in making a further eastward 

 progress, and had again to go into winter quarters towards the end of September. 

 This was a severe winter for them. The scurvy made its appearance, and the pro- 

 visions were running short. M'Clure had now decided to keep only thirty men in the 

 vessel, and send the remainder in two divisions, one up Mackenzie River, the other 



