CHARLES WILKES 
241 
necessary to beat back against it in order to escape from 
the great bay into which the Vincennes had entered. 
This bay abounded in finner whales of extraordinary 
size, puffing like locomotives and coming much nearer 
the ship in their total ignorance of the ways of man than 
was at all agreeable to those on board. The most brilliant 
aurora was seen at night, and the crew when not at work 
lay flat on their backs on deck gazing at the magnificent 
coruscations darting from the zenith to the horizon in 
all directions with rays of every colour. 
The northern side of the great bay in the barrier 
seemed interminable, the ship having to follow every 
bend in its sinuous shore in the hope of finding a way 
out. The sea was as calm as a river, but at length the 
fears of the crew that they might find themselves cut 
off were relieved on the 20th in ioi° E. by the lift of 
a slight swell being felt, and soon afterwards the barrier 
edge turned northward and again westward. After hav- 
ing worked his way back to the eastward against a con- 
trary wind, Wilkes had the disappointment of finding it 
change to the west as soon as he was free to resume 
his voyage in that direction. He was anxious to reach 
Cook’s farthest point in the Indian Ocean not 100 
miles distant, in order to ascertain whether there had 
been any change in the position of the ice there. 
On the 2 1 st of February, 1840, Wilkes determined 
to return to the northward. It is curious to notice that 
after having repeatedly referred to watering the ship 
from icebergs, he now reduced the issue of water to 
one-half the usual allowance because there was only a 
supply for 25 days on board and 3000 miles lay between 
him and his next port. Probably however the fuel for 
melting ice was running short. 
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