tired of our late encampment, we endeavoured to find another,
but the shoals prevented our reaching any landing-place. We, therefore,
retraced our course, though with much reluctance, to Foggy Island, which
the men declared to be an enchanted island. Though our wanderings this
day did not exceed seven miles, the crews were employed upwards of two
hours in dragging the boats through the mud, when the temperature of the
water was at 40 degrees, and that of the air 41 degrees. They endured
this fatigue with the greatest cheerfulness, though it was evident they
suffered very much from the cold; and in the evening we witnessed the
ill effects of this kind of labour by finding their legs much swelled
and inflamed. The fear of their becoming ill from a frequent repetition
of such operations made me resolve not to attempt the passage of these
flats again till the weather should be so clear that we might ascertain
their extent, and see in what way they might be passed with less risk.
Fog is, of all others, the most hazardous state of the atmosphere for
navigation in an icy sea, especially when it is accompanied by strong
breezes, but particularly so for boats where the shore is
unapproachable. If caught by a gale, a heavy swell, or drifting ice, the
result must be their wreck, or the throwing the provisions overboard to
lighten them, so as to proceed into shoal water. Many large pieces of
ice were seen on the borders of the shallow water; and from the lowness
of the temperature, we concluded that the main body was at no great
distance. We had also passed through a stream of perfectly fresh water,
which we supposed was poured out from a large river in the intermediate
vicinity, but the fog prevented our seeing its outlet. [Sidenote:
Saturday, 12th.] The atmosphere was equally foggy throughout the night,
and all the 12th, although the wind had changed to the east, and blew a
strong breeze. Winds from this quarter had been extremely prevalent
since the preceding April: but on our former visit to the Polar Sea,
they had been of rare occurrence, and confined to the spring months,
which we passed at Fort Enterprize. The obstinate continuance of fog
forms another material difference between this season and the same
period of 1821. We were only detained three times in navigating along
the coast that year to the east of the Coppermine River; but on this
voyage hardly a day passed after our departure from the Mackenzie that
the atmosphere w