to 20 deg.
The next breeze sprung up from the westward, drawing also from the
southward, at times, out of Prince Regent's Inlet, and for three days we
were struggling with the young ice to little or no purpose, now and then
gaining half a mile of ground to windward in a little "hole" of open
water, then losing as much by the necessity of bearing up or wearing
(for the ice was too strong to allow us to tack), sallying from morning
to night with all hands, and with the watch at night, two boats
constantly under the bows; and, after all, rather losing ground than
otherwise, while the young ice was every hour increasing in thickness.
Towards sunset on the 17th we became more and more hampered, and were
eventually beset during the night. The sea was covered with ice between
us and the shore, all of this year's formation, but now of considerable
thickness and formidable appearance. The wind continuing strong, the
whole body was constantly pressed in upon the land, bearing the ships
along with it, and doubling one sheet over another, sometimes to a
hundred thicknesses. We quickly shoaled the water from seventy to forty
fathoms, the latter depth occurring about a mile from the beach; and
after this we drifted but little, the ice being blocked up between the
point and a high perpendicular berg lying aground off it.
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