As we could no longer
see a hundred yards around us in any direction, nothing was to be
done but to make the ships fast to the largest piece of ice we
could find, which we accordingly did at two P.M., in one hundred
and fifty-eight fathoms. Just before dark the fog cleared away for
a few minutes, when, perceiving that the wind, which was now
increasing, was likely to drift us too near the islands, we took
advantage of the clear interval to run a mile farther from the
land for the night, where we again made fast to a large floe-piece
in two hundred fathoms.
The wind, drawing round to the northward and westward, on the
morning of the 2d, increased to a fresh gale, which continued to
blow during the night, notwithstanding which, I was in hopes that
the immense size of the floe to which the ships were attached
would enable us to retain our station tolerably. It was
mortifying, therefore, to find, on the morning of the 2d, that we
had drifted more than I remember ever to have done before in the
same time under any circumstances. It was remarkable, also, that
we had not been set exactly to leeward, but past Baffin Island
towards two remarkable hills on Southampton Island, from which we
were at noon not more than seven or eight leagues distant.
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