It consisted of the more enduring ice in the bays and the sea-ice along the coast, which only stayed fast for the season.

Thus it was of the utmost importance to get safely over the precarious part of the 'road' before the seasonal going-out of the sea-ice.

The party had to retrace their steps half-a-mile in consequence of this unfortunate interruption, and return to the level track of the ice-belt, which they had left for a time and taken to the sea-ice, in order to avoid the sinuosities of the land.

The tide rose so high that it raised the sea-ice to a level with the ice-belt, and, welling up between the two, completely overflowed the latter.