I 
THE MIDDLE ICE. ^1 
that settlement and Pond's Bay ; but Parry was the 
first modern navigator to attempt it siiccessfully. In 
his voyage of 1819, he entered the Middle Ice on the 
21st of July, and emerged from it on the 28th. He 
tried the experiment again in the July of 1824; but, 
after many weeks' delay, was forced to turn his head 
to the northward, and did not reach the open water 
of the west till the 9th of September, 
Other instances have since occurred of like success ; 
but among the whalers, who possess an admirable 
tact in ice navigation, it is looked upon with distrust. 
Later in the season, when the disintegration of the 
middle barrier has advanced, and the predominant 
winds have opened it into transverse "leads," the pas- 
sage, though far from easy or certain, is more practica- 
ble. 
It is by the "North Water," however, that vessels 
have generally approached the highway of Arctic 
search ; and, in order to reach this, a mysterious re- 
gion of terrors must be traversed — Melville Bay — 
notorious in the annals of the whalers for its many 
disasters. 
After the voyage of Sir John Boss in 1818, the fish- 
ing fleet, which had even then nearly driven the whale 
beyond the coasts of G-reenland, began to follow him to 
the more western waters of the bay. Vessels reach- 
ing the other side were at that time almost sure of a 
cargo ; and it was not uncommon to see more than 
thirty sail, of many nations, English, French, and Bal- 
tic, awaiting at one time a favoring opportunity for this 
dreaded transit. It was called running the gauntlet, 
and the opening scene of the exploits was generally 
known as the "Devil's Nip." 
It was for this region, then, we were making when 
