OF A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE. 



59 



have effected it, but I was much mortified to find on its coming to the bows A 1821 * t 

 that both flukes were broken off, the iron stock being polished quite bright by v^-v^ 

 rubbing against the rocks. The Hecla succeeded in purchasing her anchor 

 without its sustaining any injury, after which we made fast to two floe- 

 pieces during the night, and the Hecla kept company by means of our light, 

 the weather being dark and cold with much sleet and rain. 



I expected to have been unavoidably driven far to the southward and east- Frid. 24. 

 ward by the fresh north-west wind which was now blowing, and was therefore 

 not a little surprised to find at daylight that we had scarcely lost any ground, 

 being still off the inlet which Captain Lyon was examining. This circum- 

 stance I particularly notice, because it was the first of several instances that 

 occurred of our observing the flood-tide to set stronger to the north-west than 

 the ebb to the south-east in the Frozen Strait, which on this occasion must 

 have been the case, to balance the effects of a fresh north-westerly wind. 

 Soon after daylight we made sail and stood in towards the inlet, but the 

 wind failing us we were before noon driven seven or eight miles to the west- 

 ward. The day proved extremely thick and wet, being as uncomfortable for 

 our shore party, as unfavourable for the prosecution of their object. At 

 thirty minutes after three P.M., we were off a small rocky islet, lying at the 

 distance of two miles and a half from the land, and near the mouth of a 

 second inlet, six or seven miles to the westward of the other, and which as 

 we afterwards found makes an island of the intervening land. We here 

 found the tide of ebb setting us between the islet and the main land, and 

 towards the inlet withal. The wind being very light we were obliged to 

 let the ships drive through within the islet, having from thirteen to twenty- 

 five fathoms, at the distance of one-third of a mile from it. By keeping 

 all the boats a-head for several hours we then towed the ships off-shore 

 before dark. 



The wind was too light to enable us to keep our station during the night, and Sat. 25. 

 at daylight on the 25th we found ourselves as usual several miles to the west- 

 ward. A breeze springing up soon afterwards from the northward enabled 

 us to stand along the land, but such was the strength of the flood-tide against 

 us, though almost at the dead of the neaps, that when sailing three knots 

 and a half through the water, we did not advance to the eastward above a mile 

 an hour and at times much less than this. In the course of the forenoon the 

 quantity of ice in sight increased so much that tlie strait was almost covered 

 with it, and the wind afterwards becoming scant we were gradually led off the 



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