272 Get into the East Water. 



one of the most glorious sunsets it lias ever been 

 my lot to see. For the last eight hours we have been 

 boring through closely packed ice, having been drawn 

 into this extravagant proceeding in consequence of 

 noticing a slight swell, which we, perhaps too san- 

 guine, attribute to our proximity to the east water. 

 ~No less than five bears were seen at different times 

 this afternoon. I had a long chase on the ice after 

 three of them, but could not get within eight hun- 

 dred yards, and was not sorry to get on board the 

 ship again, the ice being very thin and brashy, 

 which, however, makes it easy to steam through. 



Sunday, August 31s£. — Last night, about 11 

 o' clock, to the great delight of every one, we 

 emerged into the east water, and a course was 

 shaped to take us down to Cape Farewell. Allow- 

 ance, however, had not been made for indentations 

 in the ice, and early this morning, a thick fog 

 coming on, we found ourselves as badly off as ever, 

 surrounded by loose pack. We took advantage of 

 this delay to make fast to an iceberg, and took in 

 about eight tons of ice, which will be equivalent to 

 about six tons of water. Clearing up again at noon, 

 we once more steamed into open water, and now 

 really begin to look upon our troubles as being 

 over and ourselves as actually homeward bound. 



Monday, September 1st. — All doubts about being 

 in the east water were entirely dissipated this morn- 

 ing. No pack-ice was to be seen anywhere, and 



