Captain Collinson, in the _Enterprise_, had concluded to winter at Hongkong, and not until May, 1851, did he return to Behring Strait, which he succeeded in entering. In the meantime, the _Herald_ had returned to England, while the _Plover_ remained some time at Port Clarence as a reserve for the vessels to fall back upon. On parting company with the _Herald_ in Behring Strait in July, 1850, Captain M’Clure stood north-northwest with a fresh breeze. For several days the _Investigator_ struggled with the ice pack, now boring through the masses, or winding among the lanes of open water. By the 7th of August they had rounded Point Barrow, at which point clear water was seen from the “crow’s nest.” “The wind,” writes M’Clure, “almost immediately failing, the boats were all manned, and towing commenced amid songs and cheers, which continued with unabated good humour for six hours, when this laborious work was brought to a successful termination. Being in perfectly clear water in Smith’s Bay, a light air springing up, we worked to the eastward. At two A.M. of the 8th, being off Point Drew, sent Mr. Court (second mate) on shore to erect a cairn, and bury a notice of our having passed. Upon landing, we were met by three natives, who at first were very timid; but upon exchanging signs of friendship, which consisted of raising the arms three times over the head, they approached the boat, and after the pleasant salutation of rubbing noses, became very communicative, when, by the assistance of our valuable interpreter, Mr. Miertsching, we found the tribe consisted of ten tents (this being the only approach to their numbers he could obtain), that they had arrived only three days previously, and that they hold communication with a party inland, who trade with the Russian Fur Company. The evening before, they had observed us, but could not imagine what large trees were moving about (our masts) and all the tribe had assembled on the beach to look at them, when they agreed that it was something very extraordinary, and left the three men who met the boat, to watch! They also gave the pleasing intelligence that we should find open water along the coast from about three to five miles distant during the summer, that the heavy ice very seldom came in, or never left the land farther than at present, that they did not know if there were any islands as they found it impossible to go in their kayaks, when in pursuit of seals, farther than one day’s journey to the main ice, and then the lanes of water allowed of their proceeding three quarters of a day farther, which brought them to very large and high ice, with not space enough in any part of it to allow their kayaks to enter. The probable distance, Mr. Miertsching therefore estimates, from his knowledge of the Eskimo habits, to be about forty miles off shore, and, from what I have seen of the pack, I am inclined to think this is perfectly correct, for a more unbroken mass I never witnessed.”