THE NARRATIVE OF CHARLES WILKES. 387 
easterly. The compasses were found to be very sluggish, having but 
little horizontal directive force. 
About half an hour after we cast off from the iceberg, a thick snow- 
storm came up with the wind from the south-east. Although there were 
very many ice-islands around us on our way out, I felt that I understood 
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the ground well, having passed over it twice, and, knowing I had a space 
of a few miles only thinly sprinkled with icebergs, I hove-to with 
shortened sail. This was the first south-east wind we had had since 
being on this coast; I had been disappointed in not finding it from that 
quarter before ; for I had been informed by those who had navigated in 
high southern latitudes that south-east would be the prevailing wind, 
and would be attended with fine weather. Now, however, with a fair 
wind, I was unable to run, for the weather was unfavourable. 
At 6 am. on the 26th we again made sail, and at 8 a.m. we dis- 
covered the Porpoise, to whom we made signals to come within hail. We 
found them all well, and compared chronometers. 
As it still blew fresh from the south-east, and the weather became a 
little more clear, we both bore away, running through much drift-ice, at 
the rate of nine knots an hour. We had the barrier in sight; it was, 
however, too thick to see much beyond it. Sailing in this way I felt to 
be extremely hazardous, but our time was so short for the examination 
of this icy coast, that while the barrier was to be seen I deemed it my 
duty to proceed. We, fortunately, by good look-outs, and carefully 
conning the ship, were enabled to avoid any heavy thumps. 
On the 27th we again had the wind from south-south-west. The 
floe-ice had become so thick that we found it impossible to get through 
it in the direction I wished to go, and we were compelled to pass round it. 
‘The Porpoise was in sight until noon. The weather proved beautifully 
clear. A long range of tabular icebergs was in sight to the southward, 
indicating, as I have before observed, that the coast was near. I passed 
through these, losing sight of the Porpoise to the north-west, about noon, 
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