The aspect of the ice was so extremely unfavourable, northward on the Grinnell Land side, that I determined to test my belief gained in my last four years of work in this region, that the Greenland side of Kennedy and Robeson Channels offered as a rule more favourable opportunities for navigation than the Grinnell Land side. [Illustration: ENTERING THE SMITH SOUND ICE ] [Illustration: OPEN WATER OFF CAPE LUPTON ] [Illustration: THE SQUEEZE NEAR “THE GAP” ] Firm in my confidence in the capabilities of the _Roosevelt_ and against all the so-called canons of Arctic navigation in this region, she was headed eastward in the afternoon of the 21st and driven into the thick of the channel pack. The ice encountered was very large and heavy, and its southward drift inevitably swept us down; still we made fair progress eastward and after a severe and protracted struggle, during which Bartlett and the mate remained continuously in the fore rigging and I in the main rigging, we broke out into loose ice off Cape Calhoun and began boring northward towards Crozier and Franklin Islands. The channel between Franklin Island and Cape Constitution was attempted and found impracticable. The main channel pack was then negotiated close under the vertical western cliffs of Franklin Island. We then had fairly good going, interrupted by barriers of heavy but rather loose ice to Joe Island. Stopped here by an impervious jam, the _Roosevelt_ was made fast to the ice-foot which along the southern end of the island is of most stupendous character, and accompanied by Captain Bartlett I climbed to the summit of the island, from whence we saw the eastern portion of Hall Basin clear of ice to Cape Lupton and apparently to Cape Sumner. The western portion of the basin and as far as we could see north and south along the Grinnell Land coast was densely packed with heavy ice. With the turn of the tide the tension in the channel pack along the western shore of the island relaxed somewhat, and hurrying back to the _Roosevelt_, a few hours of severe work forced the barrier, and in the teeth of a strong and bitterly cold north wind which kicked up a very respectable sea and sent the spray flying over our bows, we steamed to Cape Lupton, reaching it at midnight of the 22d. While steaming through this open water we passed Thank God Harbour, the winter quarters of Hall’s _Polaris_ on our right and Discovery Harbour, the winter quarters of the _Discovery_, and site of Fort Conger, on our left.