LAST VOYAGE OF CAPT. ROSS. 
469 
winter in the same harbour, which might ultimately oblige 
them to bear away for England, on the breaking up of the ice, 
in the following summer, from a total inability to prosecute the 
voyage from a scarcity of provisions. 
During the whole of the llth, all hands were employed with 
the ice saws, and to all appearance a passage was open for the 
ship; an attempt was now made to get a haul of the capstern, 
but the ice prevented it, for so closely was the ship bound in 
with heavy ice, that the ice saws could scarcely penetrate to 
the depth; even the force of the capstern, with three hawsers, 
was not sufficient to move her an inch from her position. 
On the evening of the llth, the Aurora borealis shone with 
uncommon splendour, it being the first time that it had been seen 
since the preceding winter. Bright and beautiful as was the 
phenomenon, it was still to them the harbinger of approaching 
winter, and that the time was near at hand, when it would be 
the only light, which would beam upon them from heaven, or 
which would illumine the desolate region around them. 
On the 12th, nine Esquimaux came to the ship, the majority 
of whom were entire strangers; they had left at a distance four¬ 
teen women and children, for the purpose of rigging out their 
tents, but not having any article of traffic with them, they excited 
very little attention, and were allowed to depart, without any 
presents being made them. 
The crew were still employed on the 12th, in cutting the bergs, 
and, on the following day, the ship floated, with a head wind 
from the south, and, to the great satisfaction of the crew, the ice 
running to the north. 
On the 13th, the vessel was visited by a whole tribe of Esqui¬ 
maux, who, in the present situation of the ship, with every hand 
engaged either on deck, or on the ice, were by no means very 
welcome visitors. They appeared, however, to be of a very dif¬ 
ferent opinion, for they did not testify the slightest disposition 
to leave the ship ; on the contrary, they gave Capt Ross toun. 
derstand, that it was their intention to take their senile on 
board, and to proceed on their journey, on the following day. 
Capt. Ross was not without some experience in the character ol 
