292 THE FUR COUNTRY, half-melted ice should allow of the passage of the boat, which was to bear the whole colony to the land. During the 7th May the island turned round to the extent of another quarter of its circumference. Cape Bathurst now pointed due north, and those masses of the old chain of icebergs which still remained standing were now above it, so that it occupied much the same position as that assigned to it in maps when it was united to the American continent. The island had gradually turned com- pletely round, and the sun had risen successively on every point of its shores. The observations of the 8th May showed that the island had become stationary near the middle of the passage, at least forty miles from Cape Prince of Wales, so that land was now at a com- paratively short distance from it, and the safety of all seemed to be secured. In the evening a good supper was served in the large room, and the healths of Mrs Barnett and of Lieutenant Hobson were proposed. The same night the Lieutenant determined to go and see if any changes had taken place in the ice-field on the south, hoping that a practicable passage might have been opened. Mrs Barnett was anxious to accompany him, but he persuaded her to rest a little instead, and started off, accompanied only by Sergeant Long. Mrs Barnett, Madge, and Kiilumah returned to the principal house after seeing them off, and the soldiers and women had already gone to bed in the different apartments assigned to them. It was a fine night, there was no moon, but the stars shone very brightly, and as the ice-field vividly reflected their light, it was possible to see for a considerable distance. It was nine o'clock when the^ two explorers left the fort and turned towards that part of the coast between Port Barnett and Cape Michael. They followed the beach for about two miles, and found the ice-field in a state of positive chaos. The sea was one vast aggregation of crystals of every size, it looked as if it had been petrified suddenly when tossing in a tempest, and, alas, there was even now no free passage between the ice-masses — it would be impossible for a boat to pass yet. Hobson and Long remained on the ice-field talking and looking about them until midnight, and then seeing that there was still
