BEAUTIFUL SUNRISE. 



89 



sea-currents drifted those along of which they were the images. 

 In addition to all this there was a wall of water, so it appeared, 

 far beyond the usual horizon. This wall seemed alive with mer- 

 ry dancers of the most fantastic figures that the imagination could 

 conceive, and its perpendicular columns were ever playfully 

 changing. Oh, how exquisitely beautiful was this God-made liv- 

 ing wall ! A thousand youthful forms of the fairest outline seem- 

 ed to be dancing to and fro, their white arms intertwined — bodies 

 incessantly varying, intermixing, falling, rising, jumping, skip- 

 ping, hopping, whirling, waltzing, resting, and again rushing to 

 the mazy dance — never tired — ever playful — ever light and airy, 

 graceful and soft to the eye. Who could view such wondrous 

 scenes of divine enchantment and not exclaim, 4 0 Lord, how 

 manifold are Thy works ! In wisdom hast Thou made them all ; 

 the earth is full of Thy riches !' 



" August 8th. The sunrise this morning was fine. Long before 

 the sun came to the horizon the clouds were all aglow ! They 

 were in long, narrow belts, one overtopping another, the lower 

 edges of all visible and pendent, reflecting the crimson of the 

 sun's rays. To attempt to paint the beauty, the glory of this 

 scene, either by my pen or by the pencil of any mortal artist, 

 seemed to me like a sacrilege. God often shows to the world His 

 power and goodness, but seldom does He beautify earth for man 



to completely feel it is heaven before him !" 



-x- # -x- -x * -x- -x 



Our progress toward the harbor we wished to reach was very 

 slow. At length, on July 30th, we were within three miles of 

 " Sanderson's Tower," on the west side of entrance to Northum- 

 berland Inlet ; but as it was late, and the wind unfavorable, we 

 had to go seaward for the night. The following day head winds 

 and calms still retarded us, and we were now also anxious for our 

 consort, the Rescue, she having parted from us a short time previ- 

 ously. The place we wanted to reach was called by the Esqui- 

 maux Ookoolear, now named by me Cornelius Grinnell Bay, the 

 anchorage being in about latitude 63° 20' N". For several days 

 we had been struggling against strong breezes, and on the 2d of 

 August we had only about six miles more of southing to make ; 

 but a very thick fog again came on, and once more we had to 

 stand off to sea. 



On the 4th we were not far from Ookoolear, and occasionally 

 hopes arose that we might reach an anchorage before night. But 



