32 GREELY RELIEF EXPEDITION. 



panied the ship as far as Kingitok in order to secure the services of 

 a native pilot to enable me to take the inside passage as far as Tas- 

 suisak. At 9 p. m. came to with ice anchors to the ice foot at Kingi- 

 tok Island. We were detained at this point until June 1, when a 

 violent southwest squall set in and destroyed this ice foot and obliged 

 me to run around to the north side of the island for security against 

 the running pack. 



During our detention at Kingitok we improved every moment to 

 exercise dog teams, and to send parties morning and evening to the 

 top of the island to examine the outlook north. From the anchor- 

 age on the north side we discovered a lead later in the day, after the 

 wind had subsided, and pushed into it, though it carried us a little 

 oif -shore. We succeeded nevertheless in' gaining the islands off 

 Tassuisak during the evening of June 1, and fell in with the Dun- 

 dee whalers Aurora, CormvalHs, and Narwhal, moored to the ice 

 foot. The other whalers accompanying us to this point remained 

 in the pack several miles off shore. 



Passing through some thinner ice into a lead which the watchful 

 commander of the Bear had discovered, and into which he was lead- 

 ing the Thetis, a few miles north of the Berry Island in order to 

 reach open water along the land, .the Bear ran upon one of the nu- 

 merous unknown and uncharted rocks of that vicinity. She was 

 going at half speed at the time ; her commander was in the f oretop, 

 the officer of the deck was in the "crow's nest," and a lookout on 

 the boom end. All precautions possible in this ice-covered region 

 were taken to avoid accident, but risks which could not be justified 

 under ordinary circumstances of cruising had to be assumed now as 

 incidental to the extraordinary service. 



The injury sustained by the Bear was only of slight importance 

 and did not prevent her continuing to the north with the Thetis, and 

 afterwards during the cruise, whenever it was necessary to ram the 

 thicker and more flinty ice of Melville Bay and Smith's Sound, the 

 Bear was always Tound a most faithful and efficient support to the 

 Thetis. 



Both ships were detained about Tassuisak from June 1 to June 3, 

 by solid ice-pack to northward and by strong southerly winds, with 

 occasional thick weather and snow. 



On the forenoon of the latter day a lead was discovered along the 

 land toward Titliasook, near Horse Head Islands, and was followed, 

 but proved delusive near the Wedge Islands. Both ships attempted 

 to ram their way through, but the ice was too formidable and the 

 strain to ships too severe to be continued. 



June 4 Governor Kleeman, of Tassuisak, visited the ships and en- 

 deavored to impress the danger of our exposed position if a westerly 

 gale should set in. Somewhat against my judgment, however, the 

 ships went into Tassuisak Harbor, where we remained about two 



