ch. xxii] Buchan and Ross 
199 
Andrew Reid and George Back, mates, and Alexander 
Gilfillan as surgeon. 
This expedition left the Thames in April, 1818, and 
was at Lerwick on the 1st of May. The Trent was 
leaking badly, and every effort to find the place, while 
they were at Lerwick, failed. It was a serious matter, 
as half the watches were occupied in pumping, which 
entailed a great amount of extra labour, when the 
ordinary work was almost as much as they could do. 
On entering the icy region Buchan's expedition was 
met by a furious gale, and took refuge in Magdalena Bay. 
The expedition was fortunate in its historian, for Morell, 
the first Lieutenant of the Trent, was a man of high 
literary attainments as well as an accomplished artist. 
The attack on one of the boats of the Trent by walrus is as 
admirably described by his pen as it is portrayed by his 
pencil. He also relates the ascent of " Rotche Hill," 
2000 feet high, and describes the little-auks or ' rotches * 
flying in such crowds that thirty came down in one shot. 
It was calculated that 4,000,000 were on the wing. 
When the two ships again put to sea they were driven 
into the pack-ice north of the north-east point of Spits- 
bergen. There was a heavy swell, and the huge masses 
of ice were crashing and grinding together, breaking in 
pieces, and covering the sea with brash ice for miles. 
All night they were striving to keep the ships' heads to 
the sea, while the leak in the Trent increased, and all 
hands were at the pumps. Pressing along a lead to the 
north of Cloven Cliff, they were stopped by the ice, 
and laid out ice anchors. Here they were beset for 
13 days. 
The leak on board the Trent had long been a serious 
drawback to her efficiency, indeed ever since she left 
the Thames. At last its position was discovered. Old 
Sir George Back used to tell the story. The Assistant 
Surgeon, when lying half asleep in his berth, thought he 
heard water flowing into the ship below the deck. He 
listened and feeling sure, he reported. The spirit room 
was cleared, and it was found that a bolt-hole had been 
left open. A remedy was at once applied and, to the 
great joy of all on board, the work at the pumps was 
no longer necessary. 
