322 
A VOYAGE TO SFITZBERGEN. 
to an end, we continued to creep through narrow 
passages, and when we halted to dine at half an hour 
before midnight, had only hauled the boats up once, 
and had made, though by a winding channel, four or 
five miles of southing. This was so unusual a cir¬ 
cumstance, that we could not help entertaining some 
hope of our being at no great distance from the 
open sea, which seemed the more probable from our 
having seen seven or eight narwhals, and not less 
than two hundred rotges, a flock of these little birds 
occurring in every hole of water. The wind was from 
the southward, with a thick fog, and the clear water 
increased so much, as we proceeded, that at six a.m., 
on the 9th, instead of hauling up the boats as usual 
we served an extra supper, and then, pursued our 
way. 
Ak Ak Al* 
w w '7s* w 
“ The distance traversed during this excursion was 
five hundred and sixty-nine geographical miles; but 
allowing for the number of times we had to return 
for our baggage during the greater part of the journeys 
over the ice, we estimated our actual travelling at 
nine hundred and seventy-eight geographical, or eleven 
hundred and twenty-seven statute miles. Considering 
our constant exposure to wet, cold, and fatigue, our 
stockings having generally been drenched in snow- 
