402 FARTHEST NORTH 



the strata looked very much as they are represented in 

 the annexed drawing.* 



It was extraordinary too to see how this floe of over 

 three yards in thickness was bent into great waves with- 

 out breaking. This was clearly done by pressure, and 

 was specially noticeable, more particularly near the press- 

 ure-rido;es, which had forced the floe down so that its 

 upper surface lay even with the water-line, while at 

 other places it was a good half-yard above it, in these 

 last cases thrust up by ice pressed in below. It all 

 shows how extremely plastic these floes are, in spite of 

 the cold ; the temperature of the ice near the surface 

 must have been from 4° Fahr. to 22° Fahr. below zero 

 ( — 20' to —30 C.) at the time of these pressures. In 

 many places the bending had been too violent, and the 

 floe had cracked. The cracks were often covered with 

 loose ice, so that one could easily enough fall into them, 

 just as in crossing a dangerous glacier. 



" Saturday, February 24th. Observations to-day show 

 us to be in 79° 54' north latitude, 132" 57' east longitude. 

 Stranee that we should have come so far south when the 

 north or northwest wind only blew for twenty-four hours. 



"Sunday, February 25th, It looks as if the ice were 

 drifting eastward now. Oh ! I see pictures of summer 

 and green trees and rippling streams. I am reading of 

 valley and mountain life, and I grow sick at heart and 



* In spite of this bending of tlie strata, the surface of the ice and snow 

 remained even. 



