One day towards the end of March, Captain McClure and his first lieutenant were taking their daily exercise on the floe near the ship, when they saw running towards them a person whom they supposed to be one of their own men chased by a bear. They hurried on, when, to their surprise, they discovered that he was a stranger, his face so blackened by the smoke from the oil-lamp that his features could not be recognised. "Who are you? Where are you come from?" "Lieutenant Pim--_Herald_--Captain Kellet," was the answer. Wonderful indeed it seemed; for Lieutenant Pim was the last person with whom the captain of the _Investigator_ had shaken hands in Behring's Straits. It was some time before Lieutenant Pim could find words to express himself, when he announced that he was ahead of his party, who had crossed from the winter quarters of the _Resolute_ in Bridport Inlet, Melville Island. Captain McClure then set out with a party of officers and men to visit the _Resolute_, which ship was reached on the 19th of April 1853, after traversing a distance of 170 miles. Great was the satisfaction of the two gallant captains at thus again meeting. It was finally resolved that a portion of the crews of both ships should be sent home, while the remainder should stay in the hopes of extricating them during the coming summer. As, however, many of the _Investigator's_ crew were suffering from scurvy, only a small number were able to continue the journey westward, under command of Lieutenant Cresswell and Lieutenant Wynniett. On the 2nd of June they arrived on board the _North Star_, Captain Pullen, at Beechey Island. The distance was 300 miles, and it had taken them four weeks to perform the journey. On the 8th of August the _Phoenix_ screw-steamer, Captain Inglefield, arrived. At that time Captain Pullen had been away a month up Wellington Channel, to communicate with Sir Edward Belcher. By the time he returned, the season had so much advanced, that it was decided to send back the _Phoenix_ with Lieutenant Cresswell and his party. On the 4th of October they landed at Thurso, and on the 7th of October arrived at the Admiralty, with the announcement of the safety of the _Investigator_, and the tidings that the geographical question of the existence of the long-sought-for North-West Passage had been satisfactorily solved. We must now turn briefly to narrate the fate of the numerous exploring vessels left in the Arctic regions at the setting in of the winter of 1853-54. Before we do so, we must, however, give a brief account of the progress made by the persevering and brave Captain Collinson.