this man
that, in order to obtain a fresh supply of fish, three days would be
required; this prevented my putting in execution a plan of going out to
the place where the fish were caught, which we at first understood to be
near at hand. We therefore employed all our eloquence in endeavouring to
procure a supply of this kind by means of the Esquimaux themselves, in
which we at length so far succeeded, that Toolemak promised, for certain
valuable considerations of wood and iron, to set out on this errand the
following day.

Shortly, after I returned on board Captain Lyon made the signal "to
communicate with me," for the purpose of offering his services to
accompany our fisherman on his proposed journey, attended by one of the
Hecla's men; to which, in the present unfavourable state of the ice, I
gladly consented, as the most likely means of procuring information of
interest during this our unavoidable detention. Being equipped with a
small tent, blankets, and four days' provision, Captain Lyon left us at
ten P.M., when I made sail to re-examine the margin of the ice.

It blew fresh from the eastward during the night of the 28th, with
continued rain, all which we considered favourable for dissolving and
dislodging the ice, though very comfortless for Captain Lyon on his
excursion. The weather at length clearing up in the afternoon, I
determined on beating to the eastward, to see if any more of the land in
that direction could be made out than the unfavourable position of the
ice would permit at our last visit. The Fury then made sail and stood to
the eastward, encountering the usual strength of tide off the southwest
point of Tangle Island, and soon after a great quantity of heavy
drift-ice, apparently not long detached from some land.

I determined to avoid, if possible, the entanglement of the Fury among
the ice, which now surrounded her on every side, and to stand back to
Igloolik, to hear what information Captain Lyon's journey might have
procured for us.

At the distance of one third of a mile from Tangle Island, where we
immediately gained the open sea beyond, we observed the Hecla standing
towards us, and rejoined her at a quarter before eleven, when Captain
Lyon came on board to communicate the result of his late journey, of
which he furnished me with the following account, accompanied by a
sketch of the lands he had seen, as far as the extremely unfavourable
state of the weather would permit.

"Accomp