22 THE LAST VOYAGE OF THE KARLUK 
packed outside of us but near shore there was open 
water and we had little difficulty in making our 
way along. Navigation was precarious on account 
of shallow water, but we used the hand lead-line 
constantly. On the tenth while rounding a point 
of ice we got aground for two hours, but the use 
of the anchors and engines enabled us to back 
off into deep water again. The bottom was soft 
with the silt carried down the rivers in the spring 
freshets and the ship sustained no damage. We 
now made pretty steady progress to the eastward, 
though the ice constantly threatened our path, and 
by the eleventh had reached Cross Island, about 
half way from Point Barrow to Herschel Island. 
