aving completed his preparations on
Monday, he tried once more to go to the north through the ice, but,
after dangerous efforts, he was obliged to descend again Regent's
Channel; he was utterly averse to remaining at Leopold's Harbor, which
is open one day and closed the next by the unheralded motion of the
ice,--a frequent phenomenon in these seas, and one against which
navigators have to be ever on their guard.

If Hatteras kept his anxiety from the others, he was at heart very
anxious; he wanted to go northward, and he was obliged to retreat to
the south! Where would that bring him? Was he going as far back as
Victoria Harbor in the Gulf of Boothia, where Sir John Ross wintered
in 1833? Should he find Bellot Sound free at this time, and, by going
around North Somerset, could he ascend through Peel Sound? Or should
he, like his predecessors, be caught for many winters, and be obliged
to consume all his supplies and provisions?

These fears tormented him; but he had to decide; he put about and
started for the south.

Prince Regent's Channel is of nearly uniform width from Leopold's
Harbor to Adelaide Bay. The _Forward_ went rapidly through the ice,
with better fortune than many other ships, most of which required a
month to descend the channel, even in a better season; it is true that
none of these ships, except the _Fox_, had steam at their command, and
were obliged to do their best against frequent unfavorable winds.

The crew seemed overjoyed at leaving the northern regions; they had
but a slight desire to reach the Pole; they were alarmed at Hatteras's
plans, for his reputation as a fearless man inspired them with but
little confidence. Hatteras tried to make use of every opportunity to
go forward, whatever the consequences might be. And yet in these
parts, to advance is all very well, but one must also maintain his
position and not run the risk of losing it.

The _Forward_ went on under full steam; the black smoke whirled in
spirals about the sparkling summits of the icebergs; the weather was
changeable, turning from a dry cold to a snowstorm with inconceivable
rapidity. Since the brig drew but little water, Hatteras hugged the
west shore; he did not want to miss the entrance of Bellot Sound, for
the Gulf of Boothia has no other entrance towards the south than the
slightly known sound of the _Fury_ and the _Hecla_; hence the gulf
would be impassable, if Bellot Sound were missed or found
impracticable.

By