By half past one the first boat had been carried over, and,
by the unwearied exertions of the officers and men, we had the
satisfaction of launching the second before four o'clock, the
distance being a mile and a half, and chiefly over rocky and
uneven ground. As soon as we had dined, the boats were reloaded;
and at five o'clock we left the shore. A quantity of ice was still
aground upon the shoals and islets off Cape Martineau, through
which, however, we fortunately found a passage before dark, when,
having cleared every obstacle, we sailed in an open sea and with a
fresh breeze to the northward. Keeping close along the shore to
avoid missing the ships in the dark, our first musket was
immediately answered by a blue-light; and, being guided by the
lights now shown by the ships, we arrived at nine P.M., where we
found that our late detention had excited some alarm for our
safety.
On the 1st of October some small rain fell, which, immediately
freezing, made the decks and ropes as smooth and slippery as if
coated with glass; the thermometer had for several days past
permanently fallen below the freezing point, and sometimes as low
as 20 deg. at night; which change, together with the altered
appearance of the land, and the rapid formation of young ice near
the shores, gave pretty evident notice of the approach of winter.
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