From this time forwards land was never out of sight. Panoramas of coast-line continually unrolled on one side or the other. A certain sameness of rock and snow necessarily ran through all, but there was a sort of speculative pleasure in watching the changing profile of the next headland, or the gradual opening of some unknown bay. Northwards from Cape York lay the “crimson cliffs of Beverly,” owing their colour not to the “red snow” of their glaciers, as in Sir J. Ross’s time, but to rich lichens covering their brick-red rocks. The brilliant orange lichens of Cape Dudley-Digges will not be readily forgotten. Passing between the terraced precipices of Northumberland and Hakluyt Islands, we reached the most eastern of the Carey Islands on 27th July. Here a depôt of provisions and a boat were landed, forming the first of a series of reserves to be deposited along the route northwards, so as to give some help to our retreating crews, if unhappily the fate of our predecessors should be in store for us. Going and returning from the island in our boats we miserably slaughtered ten eider ducks, swimming about with their young broods. There was no help for it; in the Arctic region “the pot” is peremptory. Even here, however, we were not alone in our cruelty. Looking over the side of the boat into the blue water, numbers of little pink-tipped “clio,” like miniature daggers, could be seen eagerly chasing and devouring fluttering black-winged sea-snails almost as large as themselves. Captivity in a tea-cup did not abate their voracity. A victim was no sooner introduced than he was pounced upon, caught by strong sucker-armed tentacles, turned round till the defenceless opening of his shell was opposite his captor’s mouth, and pulled out by two sets of sharp hooks, after the manner of a periwinkle with a pin. [Illustration: ESKIMO BOY WITH FISH.++] CHAPTER II. Classic Ground—A Ramble over the “Doige Mountains”—Foulke Fiord—The Mer de Glace—Pack Ice—The First Check—Hayes’ Sound—Twin Glacier Valley—Charged by a Berg—Varying Fortunes—Walrus.