68 
GREENLAND VOYAGE. 
the evening, when a more compact, though still 
pervious, “pack” presented itself. The recesses 
of this I determined upon exploring. A fleet of 
nine or ten ships were assembled about its bor¬ 
ders ; but though a whale had been captured by 
one of them, and the colour of the sea, being of a 
turbid olive-green, gave every encouragement to 
expect more of the species to be near, none of 
them followed us, excepting a foreigner, when we 
entered this ice. The wind had freshened to a 
smart gale, and the ice proved heavy and “ cross.” 
We proceeded three or four hours towards the 
NW. and N., and then finding it more and more 
crowded, we drifted into a small opening, less en¬ 
cumbered with pieces than the rest, and hove to. 
During the night we saw two whales ; and the 
next day (May 24th), haviug made every effort 
to get to the westward, by towing the ship in light 
winds or calms, and sailing when we had a com¬ 
manding breeze, wc passed two very close and for¬ 
midable barriers of ice, and entered a spacious 
opening of a very encouraging appearance. Here 
we saw two or three more whales ; but they all 
escaped our pursuit. 
May 25. — The wind was almost all round the 
compass, with some showers, and occasionally thick 
flag ; but at length settling in the southern quar¬ 
ter, it blew tremendously hard, and the ice imme¬ 
diately began to close about us. The jib-boom 
