120 
WARM FOG. 
The animals showed no signs of fear ; instead of 
retreating, they bore directly down upon us. Imagine 
three huge Leasts, of the largest size seen in our men- 
ageries, in white contrast with the dark water ; their 
mouths open, as is their custom in swimming ; and so 
close, that you could see their teeth shining over their 
dew-laps. 
I do not think that we distinguished ourselves. 
The captain's gun missed fire ; and I reserved mine 
for an occasion that never came. Mr. Lovell deposit- 
ed his bullet in the base of the brain, killing his ani- 
mal at first shot ; but, while we were securing him, 
the rest turned tail, gained the floe, and escaped. 
August 9. The day, although warm and delight- 
ful, with a temperature at noon of 38°, became to- 
ward its close suddenly obscured by fog. Our sensa- 
tions of cold attendant upon this change were sin- 
gularly disproportioned to the thermometrical indica- 
tions. At 8 P.M., the temperature of the surface wa- 
ter, which had previously been 81°, suddenly rose to 
36° ; the air falling to 29°. This, while it had a direct 
connection with the fog, was interesting, as it marked 
the presence of a belt of warm water, surrounded by 
the same ice influences which depressed it before. I 
have had repeated occasion, while passing through this 
bay, to remark these sudden elevations of tempera- 
ture in the surface water: the large areas of ice in 
their immediate neighborhood make the fact worth 
noting. 
During this fog, we made fast to a permanent floe, 
awaiting our consort, the Rescue. The ice mean- 
while drifted rapidly to the northward and westward 
while the wind was from the opposite quarter. 
We sighted to-day a second spire of trap, resembling 
