THIRD VOYAGE 425 



numbers on the pieces of ice that surrounded us. Our 

 people were more successful than they had been before, 

 returning with three large ones and a young one, besides 

 killing and wounding several others. The gentlemen who 

 went on this party were witnesses of several remarkable 

 instances of parental affection in those animals. On the 

 approach of our boats toward the ice, they all took their 

 cubs under their fins and endeavoured to escape with them 

 into the sea. 



" At eight in the evening a breeze sprung up to the 

 eastward, with which we still continued our course to the 

 southward, and at twelve fell in with numerous large bodies 

 of ice. We endeavoured to push through them with an 

 easy sail, for fear of damaging the ship ; and having got 

 a little further to the southward, nothing was to be seen 

 but one compact field of ice, stretching to the south-west, 

 south-east, and north-east, as far as the eye could 

 reach. 



" We continued to steer northward, with a moderate 

 southerly breeze and fair weather, till the 13th, at ten in 

 the forenoon, when we again found ourselves close in with 

 a solid field of ice, to which we could see no limits from 

 the masthead. This at once dashed all our hopes of 

 penetrating farther. 



" Captain Glerke now resolved to make one more and 

 final attempt on the American coast for Baffin's or Hudson's 

 Bay, since we had been able to advance the farthest on 

 this side last year. Accordingly, we kept working the 

 remaining part of the day to the windward with a fresh 

 easterly breeze. 



" On the 16th, in the forenoon, we found ourselves em- 

 bayed, the ice having taken a sudden turn to the south-east, 

 and in one compact body surrounding us on all sides, except 

 on the south quarter. We therefore hauled our wind to the 

 southward, being at this time in twenty-six fathoms water, 

 and, as we supposed, about twenty-five leagues from the 

 coast of America. 



" On the 18th, in the morning, we passed some small logs 

 of drift-wood, and saw abundance of sea-parrots, and the 

 small ice-birds, and likewise a number of whales. About 

 nine in the evening a white bear was seen swimming close 

 by the Discovery ; it afterwards made to the ice, on which 

 were also two others. 



" On the 19th, at one in the morning, the weather clearing 

 up, we were so completely embayed, that there was no 

 opening left but to the south, to which quarter we accord- 

 ingly directed our course, returning through a remarkably 

 smooth water. We were never able to penetrate farther 



