warped out by kedges till we had cleared the shoal-point of the
cove, made sail for the channel, and, with the assistance of the
boats, got the Fury into the fair set of the tide before it made
very strong to the eastward. At a quarter before seven, when in
the narrowest part, which is abreast of a bold headland on the
south shore, where the tide was now driving the ice along at the
rate of five or six knots, the wind came in a sudden gust from the
southwest, scarcely allowing us to reduce and trim our sails in
time to keep the ship off the north shore, which is not so safe as
the other. By carrying a heavy press of canvass, however, we
succeeded in forcing through the ice, but the Fury was twice
turned completely round by eddies, and her sails brought aback
against the helm; in consequence of which she gathered such fresh
sternway against several heavy floe-pieces, that I apprehended
some serious injury to the stern-post and rudder, if not to the
whole frame of the ship. The Hecla got through the narrows soon
after us; but Captain Lyon, wishing to bring away the flags and
staves set up as marks, had sent his little boat away for that
purpose during the continuance of the calm weather. When the
breeze suddenly came on she was still absent, and, being obliged
to wait for some time to pick her up, the Hecla was about dusk
separated several miles from us.

I was sorry to perceive, on the morning of the 1st of September,
that the appearance of the ice was by no means favourable to our
object of sailing to the northward, along the Sturges Bourne
Islands; but at ten A.M., the edge being rather more slack, we
made all sail, with a very light air of southerly wind, and the
weather clear, warm, and pleasant. We were at noon in lat. 66 deg. 03'
35", and in long. 83 deg. 33' 15", in which situation a great deal of
land was in sight to the northward, though apparently much broken
in some places. From N.E. round to S.S.E. there was still nothing
to be seen but one wide sea uninterruptedly covered with ice as
far as the eye could reach.

At forty-five minutes past one P.M. we had come to the end of the
clear water, and prepared to shorten sail, to await some
alteration in our favour. At this time the weather was so warm
that we had just exposed a thermometer to the sun to ascertain the
temperature of its rays, which could not have been less than 70 deg.
or 80 deg., when a thick fog, which had for some hours been curling
over the