Three Voyages for the Discovery of a Northwest Passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and Narrative of an Attempt to Reach the North Pole, Volume 1Parry, William Edward, Sir
History
Three Voyages for the Discovery of a Northwest Passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and Narrative of an Attempt to Reach the North Pole, Volume 1
Parry, William Edward, Sir
Arctic regions; Northwest Passage; Parry, William Edward, Sir, 1790-1855
advantage, and even the necessity, of travelling entirely by night
under these circumstances, the intense glare of light from the
snow during the day inevitably producing this painful irritation
in the eyes.
At a quarter past five P.M. we resumed our journey to the
southwest, and soon after crossed a snowy plain a mile and a
quarter in breadth, extending to the sea to the north, and as far
as the eye could reach to the south. Having travelled S.W.b.W.
seven miles, we halted, at half an hour before midnight, at the
distance of three or four miles from the sea, the weather being
very clear and fine, with a moderate breeze from the S.S.W.
Having rested after our dinner till half past two A.M., we set out
again to the southwest, making, however, a very crooked course on
account of the irregularity of the ground. In the first quarter of
a mile we passed the first running stream which we had seen this
season, and this was but a small one, from six to twelve inches
deep. The ground, as well as the pools of water, was frozen hard
during the last night, but thawed during the day, which made
travelling worse and worse, as the sun acquired power. We passed a
few horns of deer, killed three ptarmigans, and saw a pair of
ducks. The plumage of the cock grouse was still quite white,
except near the tip of the tail, where the feathers were of a fine
glossy black; but in every hen which we had lately killed, a very
perceptible alteration was apparent, even from day to day, and
their plumage had now nearly assumed that speckled colour which,
from its resemblance to that of the ground, is so admirably
adapted to preserve them from being seen at the season of their
incubation. We found it difficult, in general, to get near the
hens, which were very wild; but the male birds were at all times
stupidly tame.
At half past two A.M. on the 10th we struck the tents, and
proceeded to the S.W., the wind having got round to the S.E., with
continued snow. At the distance of two miles we entered upon a
level plain three miles wide, which, with the exception of a patch
here and there, was entirely covered with snow. The uncovered
parts of this plain were so wet as to be almost impassable for the
cart; and we were now as desirous of keeping on the snow as, at
the beginning of our journey from Winter Harbour, we had been
anxious to avoid it.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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