Polar Explorations. 141 



near the " hummocks," and it was difficult to get a footing 

 sufficient, to enable one leg to extricate the other ; but the 

 average depth of snow was five inches over four or five of 

 water, besides many pools too deep to wade through. In 

 one instance, they were two hours in proceeding one hundred 

 yards, and to accomplish two miles north, they were under 

 the necessity of walking three or four. " If any thing could 

 compensate for this delay" says Capt. Parry, " it would have 

 been the beautiful blue color of these superglacial lakes, 

 which is one of the most pleasing tints in nature." 



In defiance of every difficulty, they continued to push for- 

 ward towards the north, but the quantity of rain which fell, 

 became more and more excessive, and finally, to their utter 

 confusion, they discovered the set of the arctic waters south, 

 drifting them faster from, than their exertions brought them 

 nearer to the pole. On the 15th July, " the rain fell in tor- 

 rents," and the temperature was warmer than had been 

 known in the arctic regions. The 26th of July, made thirty- 

 five days since they began the journey ; a north wind accel- 

 erated the drift to the south, and Capt. Parry determined to 

 abandon the undertaking. They had reached the 82° 45' 

 N. latitude, and found they had made only one hundred and 

 seventy-two miles, distant from the Hecla, in a north, 8° east 

 direction. To accomplish this distance, they had travelled 

 six hundred sixty-eight statute miles — nearly sufficient in a 

 direct line to have reached the pole. 



The party had enjoyed good health up to this period, but 

 it was visible to the officers that the strength of the men had 

 begun to decline, their allowance of food being insufficient 

 to support men, living constantly in the open air, exposed to 

 wet and cold, and " seldom enjoying the luxury of a warm 

 meal." 



Their return to the ship was more arduous than their out- 

 ward journey, but on the 1 Ith of August, they began to bear 

 "the swell of the sea under the hollow margin of the ice," 

 and soon launched their boats in the open ocean, having 

 been upon the ice forty-eight days. They first landed upon 

 a rocky islet the most northern land known upon the globe, 

 where they left some provisions on their outward journey. 

 Leaving this, they were defeated by a storm in an attempt 

 to land on Walden island,* where they also left provisions, 



* Discovered by Com. Phipps, August 5th, 1773, N. lat. 80° 37'. 



