Page:The open Polar Sea- a narrative of a voyage of discovery towards the North pole, in the schooner "United States" (IA openpolarseanarr1867haye).pdf/466

 water, crying piteously all the while, and, crawling around it, pushed it before her into the sea. I endeavored first to frighten her off, and then tried to arrest her, and save my specimen, with a fresh bullet; but all to no effect. Although badly wounded, she succeeded in her purpose, and, falling upon the dead calf with her breast, carried it down with her, and I saw them no more. I have never seen a stronger or more touching instance of the devotion of mother to its young, among dumb animals, and it came from a quarter wholly unexpected.

Having leisure while the snow-storm lasted, I went up to Cairn Point to see how the ice appeared from that place. After waiting there for a day, the atmosphere cleared up, and I could see with much distinctness to Cape Isabella. The line of the solid ice extended in a somewhat irregular curve up the Sound from that cape to a few miles above Cairn Point. The sea thence down into the North Water was filled with a loose pack.

The day after my return we put to sea. The pack being now much scattered, we entered it and penetrated to the margin of the fast ice without difficulty. In two days we reached the coast near Gale Point, about ten miles below Cape Isabella. Thence to the cape I went in a whale-boat; but the cape itself could not be passed; so we hauled into the first convenient bight, and climbed the hill. The view convinced me, if I was not convinced already, of the folly of attempting any thing further with the schooner. I no longer hesitated, even in thought. My opinions were thus recorded at the time:—

"I am fully persuaded, if there still remained a