uld soon begin to close it; we therefore began to look out for a
situation where the ships might be secured in-shore, behind some
of the heavy grounded ice which had so often before afforded us
shelter under similar circumstances. At one o'clock we perceived
that a heavy floe had already closed completely in with the land,
at a point a little to the westward of us, preventing all hope of
farther progress for the present in that direction. A boat was
therefore sent to examine the ice in-shore, and a favourable place
having been found for our purpose, the ships were hauled in and
secured there, the Griper's bow resting on the beach, in order to
allow the Hecla to lie in security without her. This place was so
completely sheltered from the access of the main body of the ice,
that I began to think seriously of taking advantage of this
situation to remove the Griper's crew on board the Hecla, in order
to prosecute the voyage in the latter vessel singly, and had
consulted the officers upon the subject. The circumstances,
however, which subsequently occurred rendering such a measure
inexpedient, because no longer necessary to the accomplishment of
the object in view, by which alone it could be justified, I was
induced to give it up, adopting the best means in our power to
remedy the evil in question.

Shortly after our anchoring the Griper's people heard the growling
of a bear among the ice near them, but the animal did not appear;
and this was the only instance of our meeting with a bear during
our stay at Melville Island, except that which followed one of our
men to the ships soon after our arrival in Winter Harbour. Both
crews were sent on shore to pick sorrel, which was here not less
abundant than at our old quarters, but it was now almost too old
to be palatable, having nearly lost its acidity and juice.

At one A.M. on the 4th, the loose ice was observed to be drifting
in upon us, the wind having veered to the eastward of north; and
soon after a floe, of not less than five miles in length and a
mile and a half across, was found to be approaching the shore at a
quick rate. The ships were immediately hauled as near the shore as
possible, and preparation made for unshipping the rudders, if
necessary. The floe was brought up, however, by the masses of ice
aground outside of us, with which it successively came in contact,
and the ships remained in perfect security; the floe, as usual
after the first violence is over, moved