LAST VOYAGE OF CAPT. ROSS. 
405 
possibility of crossing the narrow streams and inlets, which ob¬ 
structed him in his progress, and which often obliged him to 
deviate from the track, which he had pointed out for himself; 
thereby not only losing a great deal of valuable time, but 
actually defeating the object of his excursion altogether. It 
was, therefore, his principal business, on his return to the Victory, 
to set the carpenter to work to construct a travelling boat of so 
light a make, as to be fit to be carried on a sledge, and launched, 
as the occasion might require. 
Whilst the carpenter was employed in the building of the 
boat, the engineer was set to work to knock the cylinders of the 
steam engine to pieces, for the purpose of making lee boards for 
the ship, which it was supposed would be found of essential use 
in the navigation of the vessel, when close in shore, or in the 
narrow straits between the many islands, which lay directly in 
their course to the westward. 
On the 18 th, the wind came on to blow hard from the north east, 
accompanied with sleet; as a natural occurrence, however, little 
notice was paid to it, the attention of the crew being called to a 
circumstance of a more important nature, and which certainly in¬ 
terested them more at that time, than if the wind had blown from 
all the two-and-thirty points of the compass at the same moment. 
This memorable event was a sudden order issued by Capt. Ross, 
that the school from that day was to be discontinued. The mo¬ 
tive for this most unexpected order, was canvassed with much 
gravity, in the different berths of the sailors, and various were 
the conjectures and surmises, which were circulated upon the 
occasion. By some it was conjectured, that the order did not 
specifically mean a discontinuance or a breaking up of the school, 
but merely a suspension, on the principle, that every school has 
its vacation ; and as the labours of the preceptors had now been 
continued unremittingly for six months, it was time that some 
relaxation should be allowed them; and as Easter was near at 
hand, the suspension of the school was to be considered as the 
Easter holidays. When, however, it was ascertained, that the 
order extended to the actual dissolution of the school, a private 
examination took place, of the proficiency, which the scholars 
