HAYES' EXPEDITION (1861) 69 



" The ice was everywhere in the same condition as in 

 the mouth of the bay, across which I had endeavoured 

 to pass. A broad crack, starting from the middle of 

 the bay, stretched over the sea, and uniting with other 

 cracks as it meandered to the eastward, it expanded as 

 the delta of some mighty river discharging into the 

 ocean, and under a water-sky, which hung upon the 

 northern and eastern horizon, it was lost in the open sea. 



" Standing against the dark sky at the north, there 

 was seen in dim outline the white sloping summit of a 

 noble headland — the most northern known land upon 

 the globe. I judged it to be in latitude 82° 30', or 

 450 miles from the North Pole. Nearer, another bold 

 cape stood forth ; and nearer still the headland, for 

 which I had been steering my course the day before, 

 rose majestically from the sea, as if pushing up into the 

 very skies a lofty mountain peak, upon which the 

 winter had dropped its diadem of snows. There was no 

 land visible except the coast upon which I stood." 



The large bay which Hayes here refers to was named 

 Lady Franklin Bay. The place from which his observa- 

 tions were made, Hayes gives as in latitude 81° 35', 

 longitude TO" 30' W. Finding his way to the north 

 impassable, he decided to return. Hayes at this point 

 came to the conclusion that he was near the shores of the 

 Polar Basin, and that Kennedy Channel expanded into it. 

 After building a cairn and leaving a record in a small 

 glass vial, he started on his return journey. 



A storm came on soon after Hayes and his companion 

 set out. They at first tried to shelter in the lee of a 

 huge ice-cliff, but as they had now given the dogs the last 

 of their food, they decided to face the snowstorm and 

 make for the camp where Jensen had been left. This 

 was reached in twenty-two hours under great difficulties. 

 Hayes and Knorr had fasted thirty-four hours, and were 



