128 THE ' FOX ' NEARLY WEECKED. Chap. YIII. 



CHAPTEE Vin. 



• Fox ' nearly wrecked — Afloat, and push ahead — Arctic hair- 

 breadth escapes — Nearly caught in the pack — Shooting little 

 auks — The Arctic Highlanders — Cape York — Crimson snow — 

 Struggling to the westward — Reach the West-land — Off the 

 entrance of Lancaster Sound. 



June Sth. — Yesterday morning we passed close 

 outside Buclian Island ; it is small but lofty, its 

 north side is almost precipitous, yet notwith- 

 standing this strong indication of deep water, a 

 reef of rocks lies about a mile off it. I hap- 

 pened to be aloft with the look-out-man at half- 

 past eight o'clock as we were steaming through 

 a narrow lead in the ice, when I saw a rock 

 close ahead ; it was capped with ice, therefore 

 was hardly distinguishable from the floating 

 masses around; the engines were stopped and 

 reversed, but there was neither time nor room 

 to avoid the reef, which now extended upon 

 each side of us, and upon which the ship's bow 

 stuck fast whilst her stern remained in 36 feet 

 water ; the tide had just commenced to fall, and 

 all our efforts to haul off from the rocks were 

 ineffectual. The floes, lay within 30 yards of us 

 upon each side. I feared their drifting down 



