102 
RETURN TO THE BRIG. 
their recesses the ice was so crushed as to be impas¬ 
sable by the sledge. 
Nevertheless, beyond these again, the ice seemed 
less obstructed. Distance is very deceptive upon the 
ice, subduing its salient features, and reducing even 
lofty bergs to the appearance of a smooth and attractive 
plain. But, aided by my Fraunhofer telescope, I could 
see that traversable areas were still attainable. Slowly, 
and almost with a sigh, I laid the glass down and 
made up my mind for a •winter search. 
I had seen no place combining so many of the requi¬ 
sites of a good winter harbor as the bay in which we 
left the Advance. Near its southwestern corner the 
wide streams and the watercourses on the slioi’e pro¬ 
mised the earliest chances of liberation in the coming 
summer. It was secure against the moving ice : lofty 
headlands walled it in beautifully to seaward, enclosing 
an anchorage with a moderate depth of water; yet it 
was open to the meridian sunlight, and guarded from 
winds, eddies, and drift. The space enclosed was only 
occupied by a few rocky islets and our brig. We soon 
came in sight of her on our return march, as she lay 
at anchor in its southern sweep, with her masts cut¬ 
ting sharply against the white glacier; and, hurry¬ 
ing on through a gale, were taken on board without 
accident. 
My comrades gathered anxiously around me, wait¬ 
ing for the news. I told them in few words of the re¬ 
sults of our journey, and why I had determined upon 
remaining, and gave at once the order to warp in be- 
