190 SECOND VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY 



-^^^ '• more forcibly home to our recollections, together with the utter hclpless- 



v^-w ness, not to say hopelessness, of their situation. 



Sat. 16. The wind and drift continued incessanUy on the 16th ; and as the ther- 

 mometer rose no higher than —20° during the day, our apprehensions for 

 Captain Lyon's party were by no means diminished. To send in quest of them, 

 would have been only to incur the certainty of otlier men being equally 

 exposed. Indeed this is one of the cases in which no assistance can be 

 oifered ; for any persons sent out with that hope must inevitably become 

 helpless in a short time, while the snow-drift would render it impossible to 

 trace those whom they were intended to assist. We had however i)rcpared 

 a party under Lieutenant Reid to be despatched the instant it moderated, 

 when to our infinite surprise and joy, at one P.M. Captain Lyon arrived on 

 board, having with great difficulty succeeded in conducting his party safely 

 to the ships. 



If I have succeeded in imparting to the reader any idea of that apprehen- 

 sion for the safety of our absentees, which we ourselves experienced, he 

 will not be sorry at once to be presented with Captain Lyon's account of 

 this perilous though short excursion : 



" At seven A.M., on the 15th, we proceeded towards the hills to the north- 

 ward of our winter-quarters. A strong wind arose soon after our starting, 

 and blew direcdy in our faces, bringing thick clouds of drift snow with it. 

 On ascending the sloping ground we found the sledge too much for us, and 

 it was with great difficulty dragged through the soft snow in which we 

 waded knee deep. The wind had now increased to a heavy gale, our utmost 

 view was bounded to twenty yards, and every time of resting to take breath 

 we all received severe frost bites. The sun having risen above the thickest 

 part of the drift snow enabled us to steer a direct northerly course, for we 

 expected in that direction to arrive at a small bay, which had been observed 

 by Cai)tain Parry and myself on our first arrival. At ten we were con- 

 firmed in our conjecture by descending suddenly and arriving at a quantity 

 of grounded ice, directed by which we made our way round the head of the 

 bay, and arrived on the side of a small hill a litUe after eleven. The ex- 

 treme severity of the weather determined me on pitching our tent, and wait- 

 ing until, in better weather, we could from the rising ground command a 

 view of our future route. 



