138 DAMAGE FROM ICE. Chap. VIII. 



and to-day tlie pack has pressed in against the 

 land, so that our wings are most unexpectedly 

 clipped. A walrus was shot through the head 

 by a Minie bullet ; none other will penetrate 

 such a massive skull : unfortunately for my 

 collection of specimens and for the dogs, the 

 animal sank. 



2nd July. — For five days we have been almost 

 beset amongst loose ice and grounded bergs; 

 the winds were generally from the S.E. and 

 accompanied by fog. To avoid being squeezed 

 we had constantly to shift our position ; once 

 we were caught and rather severely nipped ; 

 the ship was heeled over about ten degrees and 

 lifted a couple of feet : the ice was three feet 

 thick, but broke readily under her weight. 

 Unfortunately there was not time to unship the 

 rudder, so it suffered very severely. Upon a 

 previous occasion the screw-shaft was bent and 

 a portion of the screw broken off. 



Landed to obtain a good view of the sea in 

 the offing ; from the hills we could see nothing 

 but pack to seaward. There was no land ice ; 

 we stepped out of the boat upon a narrow ice- 

 foot which fringed the coast ; immediately above 

 it we trod over a velvet sward of soft bright- 

 green moss ; the turf beneath was of consider- 

 able depth. Here and there under this noble 



