274 Arctic and Antarctic Exploration [part i 
ice fragments dashed against each other and against the 
ship. Sail was made and the Fox slowly bored her way 
through. Next day the swell had become a heavy sea, the 
waves thirteen feet high, dashing huge fragments of ice 
against the ship. Pieces of iceberg 60 or 70 feet high 
were dispersed through the pack, and one blow from any 
of them would have been instant destruction. At length, 
towards night, the brave little vessel ran through straggling 
pieces into an open sea. 
After eight months of perilous drifting, finished off by 
two such days and nights, most people would have sought 
rest in a port. No one who knew M'Clintock would 
doubt what he would do. Without a moment's hesitation 
he turned the ship's head northward again. The year 
1858 was much more favourable, and by August nth the 
Fox was off Cape Riley. M'Clintock ran down Peel Sound 
for 25 miles, when he was stopped by unbroken ice 
extending from shore to shore. He therefore took the 
alternative route by Prince Regent's Inlet, and by the 21st 
the Fox was half-way through Bellot Strait. A few miles 
of pack ice barred the way, but early in September she 
passed right through the strait, but again there was a 
barrier, and finally she was obliged to be placed in winter 
quarters in a bay at the eastern entrance of the strait, 
which was named Port Kennedy. However, she was well 
within reach of the deeply interesting region to be 
examined. 
It was arranged that in the spring there were to be 
three expeditions, each with a four-man sledge with 
weights reduced to 200 lb. at starting, and one dog 
sledge with driver and a team of seven, dragging 100 lb. 
per dog at starting. The small number of men made the 
dogs necessary. Hobson was to examine the north coast 
of King William Island, cross to Gateshead Island, and 
connect Collinson's with Wynniatt's furthest, thus com- 
pleting the outline of Victoria Island. Allen Young was 
to discover the southern side of Prince of Wales Island. 
M'Clintock himself with Petersen was to search the estuary 
of Back's Fish River and the whole coast of King William 
Island. 
Depots were laid out during the autumn, and by Allen 
Young in the depth of winter. M'Clintock undertook a 
