d, and, on the 19th of July, fell to 26
degrees; it got higher the following day; but this foretaste of winter
made Hatteras afraid of waiting any longer. The wind seemed to be
going to keep in the west, and to stop the progress of the ship. However,
he was in a hurry to gain the point where Stewart had met with the
open sea. On the 19th he resolved to get into the Channel at any price;
the wind blew right on the brig, which might, with her screw, have
stood against it, had not Hatteras been obliged to economise his fuel;
on the other hand, the Channel was too wide to allow the men to haul
the brig along. Hatteras, not considering the men's fatigue, resolved
to have recourse to means often employed by whalers under similar
circumstances. The men took it in turns to row, so as to push the
brig on against the wind. The _Forward_ advanced slowly up the Channel.
The men were worn out and murmured loudly. They went on in that manner
till the 23rd of July, when they reached Baring Island in Queen's
Channel. The wind was still against them. The doctor thought the
health of the men much shaken, and perceived the first symptoms of
scurvy amongst them; he did all he could to prevent the spread of
the wretched malady, and distributed lime-juice to the men.

Hatteras saw that he could no longer count upon his crew; reasoning
and kindness were ineffectual, so he resolved to employ severity for
the future; he suspected Shandon and Wall, though they dare not speak
out openly. Hatteras had the doctor, Johnson, Bell, and Simpson for
him; they were devoted to him body and soul; amongst the undecided
were Foker, Bolton, Wolsten the gunsmith, and Brunton the first
engineer; and they might turn against the captain at any moment; as
to Pen, Gripper, Clifton, and Warren, they were in open revolt; they
wished to persuade their comrades to force the captain to return to
England. Hatteras soon saw that he could not continue to work his
ship with such a crew. He remained twenty-four hours at Baring Island
without taking a step forward. The weather grew cooler still, for
winter begins to be felt in July in these high latitudes. On the 24th
the thermometer fell to 22 degrees. Young ice formed during the night,
and if snow fell it would soon be thick enough to bear the weight
of a man. The sea began already to have that dirty colour which
precedes the formation of the first crystals. Hatteras could not
mistake these alarming symptoms; if the channel