of about eight or nine feet high.
It was quite perpendicular, in some places overhanging, so that it was
a matter of the greatest difficulty they managed to throw up the
provisions, clamber up themselves, and haul the dogs and sledge up
afterwards. This accomplished, however, they were safe, and could
advance with confidence. But this mass of land-ice became narrower as
they proceeded, till at last it dwindled to a mere narrow ledge,
clinging to the high, perpendicular cliffs, and looking as if at any
moment it might crumble off and fall with them into the open water
between it and the floating sea-ice.

The sea here was very deep and clear. They could see the bottom quite
plainly, although a stone they cast in, the size of a man's head, took
twenty-eight seconds to reach it.

Being now afraid of the ice-ledge, they attempted to find a path along
the face of the cliff; but failing in this, Morton determined to leave
part of the provisions in "_cache_," and proceed with a lighter load.
The cape round which they were travelling, and on the other side of
which lay the open water, was extremely bold, and the ice-ledge at the
end of it was barely three feet wide; so they were obliged to unloose
the dogs, and drive them forward alone, then tilted the sledge on one
runner, and thus pushed it past the worst place.

Here the ice on the sea was partly broken up, and a strong tide was
running from the southward. The night before it had been running from
the north. As they advanced, the channel became still more open, and
after passing the cape they saw nothing but open water, with innumerable
wild sea-birds of every description flying overhead, or disporting in
the pools. Let it by observed here, however, that this was the open
water of a strait or channel,--not the great Arctic Sea, about the
probable existence of which we have been writing. Upon the ice-masses
near them numerous seals were seen basking.

One thing that struck them much here was, that although strong north
winds, amounting to a gale at times, had been blowing for several days,
no ice had been brought down from the north into the channel, along the
shore of which they travelled. Thick, damp fogs prevailed, preventing
them from seeing far in advance at any time.

At last they came to a place where the broken ice of the shore rendered
passage for the sledge impossible. They therefore tied the dogs,
intending to push forward a short way alone. But they