464 



SECOND VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY 



July ourselves neal *ly abreast of the former island, we went on shore to wait for 

 v—'v^ better weather. 



22 - " Thick foggy weather continued until four P.M., on the 22d, when, it 



becoming clearer, we recommenced our journey, passing between Neerlo- 

 naktoo and three small whitish islands off its south-west end, which at a 

 distance are easily mistaken for hummocks of ' dirty' ice. The ice after- 

 wards began to improve ; but we were obliged by several wide cracks extend- 

 ing from Neerlo-naktoo to the west land and the islands in Richards's Bay, 

 to go some distance round to find parts sufficiently narrow to cross. At 

 eleven P.M. we pitched our tent on the north-east island in Richards's 

 Bay ; the ice was so much broken up all round it that it was with difficulty 

 we landed. 



23. V It rained hard all night, with thick hazy weather which did not clear away 

 until noon the following day. We immediately prepared to move ; but it was 

 twenty-five minutes past one P.M. before we got away, owing to the time taken 

 up in shoeing the dogs, which for two people was a tedious operation. We 

 stood directly over towards the north land, rinding the ice so bad for the first 

 six or seven miles as to make it reasonable to expect that a very few days 

 would render it impassable. Towards the centre of the strait it became very 

 good, and continued so until we got near the north shore, where we found 

 it in much the same state as on the opposite side. Several of the cracks ex- 

 tended from land to land, and were so wide as to cause us much perplexity in 

 crossing them. At a quarter past nine we landed on a low sandy beach 

 which forms the south-east point of the opening we saw to the north-west, 

 when on our former journey with the Esquimaux. 



24. " The weather during the early part of the day was tolerably fine, but in the 

 afternoon became foggy, with heavy showers of rain. The dogs being a good 

 deal fagged, I determined to give them a day's rest, expecting we should be 

 able to ascertain the extent of the inlet on foot. Having waited without success 

 to get the meridian altitude, I walked up the inlet and, crossing the two first 

 points of land, picked up a piece of fresh skin, which convinced me that 

 our friends the Esquimaux had not much the start of us. A high mount on 

 the south side, about twelve or fourteen miles distant, becoming a very pro- 

 minent object, I made towards it, hoping from thence to see the termination of 

 the inlet, which here varied from one to three miles in breadth. At five P.M., 

 finding the hill above-mentioned still too distant for me to reach on foot, I 

 landed on the right-hand shore, from whence the opening appeared to extend at 



