566 



HISTORY OF THE SEA. 



northing. At one time the men dragged the boats only one 

 ihundred and fifty yards in, two hours. On the 17th of July 

 they reached the latitude of 82° 14' 28",— the highest yet 

 -attained. On the 18th, after eleven hours' exhausting labor, 

 they advanced but two miles ; and on the 20th, having appa- 

 rently accomplished twelve miles in three days, an observation 

 revealed the alarming fact that they had really advanced but 

 five. The terrible truth burst upon Parry and his officers : the 

 ice over which they were with such effort forcing their weary 

 way was actually drifting to the south ! This intelligence was 

 ■concealed from the men, who had no suspicion of it, though 

 they often laughingly remarked that they were a long time 

 getting to this eighty-third degree. They were at this time in 

 82° 43' 5". The next observation extinguished the last ray 

 of hope : after two days' labor, they found themselves in 82° 

 40'. The drift was carrying them to the south faster than 

 their own exertions took them to the north ! In fact, the drift 

 ran four miles a day. It was evidently hopeless to pursue the 

 journey any farther. The floe upon which they slept at night 

 rolled them back to the point they had quitted in the morning. 

 Parry acquainted the men with the disheartening news, and 

 granted them one day's rest. 



The ensigns and pennants were now displayed, the party 

 feeling a legitimate pride in having advanced to a point never 

 before reached by human beings, though they had failed in an 

 enterprise now proved beyond the pale of possibility. They 

 returned without incident of moment to England. Parry did 

 not totally abandon the idea of eventually reaching the Pole 

 over the ice, and as late as 1847 was of the opinion that at 

 n different season of the year, before drifting comes on, the 

 project may yet be realized. Still, no mortal man has ever 

 yet set foot upon the pivot of the axis of the globe ; and it is 

 not venturing too much to predict that no man ever will. 



