Chapter VIII. 



THE NORTH WATER. 



ONDAY, June 9th. — A rattling southerly 

 wind, before which the " Arctic " is 

 going nine knots, snowing at intervals 

 during the day, and the temperature as 

 low as 23°. We have made a wonderfully quick 

 and almost unprecedented passage across Melville 

 Bay. All last night and early this morning we 

 kept along the outside edge of the land ice ; and at 

 about 3 a.m. we picked up the eastern edge of the 

 middle pack-ice, with a fine clear open water be- 

 tween, though occasionally meeting, and having to 

 force our way through, broad streams of straggling- 

 ice. At 5 a.m. Cape York was in sight, and by ten 

 o'clock passing Conical Island, we were off Cape 

 Dudley Digges, with Cape Athole and Wolsten- 

 holme Islands on our starboard bow. We are now 

 fairly in the North Water; but though we have 

 been wonderfully successful in passing through 



