Page:Journal of a Voyage to Greenland, in the Year 1821.djvu/233

Rh country; nor did we forget our wives and friends at home.

On this, and the two following days, an inveterate fog, attended with rain and a heavy gale of wind, perplexed us, and called forth every precaution that prudence could dictate to preserve us from danger, as nothing warned us of our approach to the ice, but the hideous dashing of the waves against its rugged borders. Repeatedly did detached pieces strike the ship with a degree of violence, that made our situation fearful, and often, as far as our limited sight would allow, we beheld heavy pieces in every direction. In this state of anxiety we passed three days; our progress was almost totally impeded, and to add to our apprehensions, the nights were now become extremely dark.

At four o'clock the fog began to disperse, and we found ourselves by the side of a long and heaving stream of ice, running east and west; the pieces composing it were violently agitated by a lofty swell, that rendered it too hazardous to attempt passing through it; we therefore sailed in a westerly direction by the side of it, for upwards of fifteen miles. This long tract of connected ice, is one of those peculiarities which render the navigation of an arctic sea so very difficult, that the skilful accomplishment of it can only be attained by much experience. The ice that we this day saw much resembled what we had met with during the voyage, being branches in the form