CHAPTER XXIV

Summary

Monday, 26th. — In the early part of the following morning we passed the extreme points of the ice that run out from Leopold Island, and it was reported at daylight that more ice could be seen extending far out, right across Port Leopold, and also the entire inlet. When I was called on deck, however, at six a.m. to look at the land I found it too foggy and thick to see hardly a mile ahead. It was a most miserable morning, with very little wind, and occasional small rain, snow, and sleet mixed together, and so very thick and foggy that it was out of the question to determine accurately any of the points of land that we occasionally observed peeping out through the dense vapour that enshrouded them. About seven o'clock the fog lifted for a moment or two on our starboard bow, and I could see a rather remarkable cape, or hilly projection, with a conical mount above it. I at once took this to be the “peaked hill” mentioned by Parry, and accordingly when Captain Forsyth came on deck at eight, I mentioned to him what I thought was our position. As we had been steering direct for Cape York, or a little inside of it, in the early part of the night, and as, afterwards, we had unavoidably to run more on the outside of that course to avoid the ice, it was evident that if we were in the place I fancied, either a strong set had carried us into the inlet, or some error (which was extremely probable) lay with our compasses.