244 Precarious Position. 



to the boat. If our journey towards the bear was 

 bad, our return was far worse. On arriving at the 

 boat we found, to our chagrin, that she was com- 

 pletely beset, the ice having closed in all round. 

 To wait longer would only make matters worse, so 

 we had to look our difficulties resolutely in the face 

 and commence action. For upwards of an hour 

 were we breaking through thin ice, or hauling the 

 boat bodily up on a large floe, dragging her across, 

 and launching her on the other side. It had one 

 good effect, which was that of keeping us warm, so 

 as to counteract the effects of our wetting. Matters 

 were beginning to look rather serious, steady rain 

 and thick weather having set in, when, fortunately, 

 they saw from the ship the unpleasant predicament 

 in which we were placed, and the captain, ordering 

 steam to be got up, bored a passage to us through 

 the ice, and so relieved us from our troubles. It 

 was past 3 a.m. when we got on board. We were 

 in a most filthy condition, for the boat we were in 

 was the " mollie" boat, that is, the one employed 

 alongside a whale during the process of flinching, 

 and everything was covered with a thick coat of 

 dirty grease. It has been a disagreeable, thick, rainy 

 day, but I am glad to say we are again steaming to 

 the southward, and are this evening in Creswell Bay ; 

 and though there seems no chance of going north, 

 yet much may be done in Prince Regent's Inlet. 

 Tuesday, August bth. — This morning found us 



