292 
BIRDS AND PLANTS. 
down from the northward during all this time; and, 
what was more curious, they found, on their return 
south, that no ice had been sent down during the gale. 
On the contrary, they then found the channel perfectly 
clear from shore to shore. 
June 22, Thursday.—They camped at 8.30 A. M., on 
a ledge of low rock, having made in the day’s journey 
forty-eight miles in a straight line. Morton thought 
they were at least forty miles up the channel. The ice 
was here moving to the southward with the tide. Ihe 
channel runs northwardly, and is about thirty-five 
miles wide. The opposite coast appears straight, but 
still sloping, its head being a little to the west of north. 
This shore is high, with lofty mountains of sugar-loaf 
shape at the tops, which, set together in ranges, looked 
like piles of stacked cannon-balls. It was too cloudy 
for observations when they camped, but they obtained 
several higher up. The eider were in such numbers 
here that Hans fired into the flocks, and killed two 
birds with one shot. 
June 23, Friday.—In consequence of the gale of 
wind, they did not start till 12.30 midnight. They 
made about eight miles, and were arrested by the 
broken ice of the shore. Their utmost efforts could 
not pass the sledge over this; so they tied the dogs to 
it, and went ahead to see how things looked. They 
found the land-ice growing worse and worse, until at 
last it ceased, and the water broke directly against the 
steep cliffs. 
They continued their course overland until they 
