178 
ICE-BELT EN CKO ACHING. 
and some difficulty to traverse. Our stores were in con¬ 
sequence nearly inaccessible; and, as the ice-foot still 
continued to extend itself, piling ice-table upon ice-table, 
it threatened to encroach upon our anchorage and peril 
the safety of the vessel. The ridges were already 
ICE-BELT OF EARLY WINTER. 
within twenty feet of her, and her stern was sensibly 
lifted up by their pressure. We had, indeed, been puz¬ 
zled for six weeks before, by remarking that the floe 
we were imbedded in was gradually receding from the 
shore; and had recalled the observation of the Danes 
of Upernavik, that their nets were sometimes forced 
away strangely from the land. The explanation is, 
