The weather might even be called pleasant, and we had a steady but very gentle breeze always from some northern point of the compass.

The sky was usually clear, with now and then a slight appearance of thin vapour in the southern horizon--this, however, was invariably of brief duration.

Two difficulties alone presented themselves to our view; we were getting short of fuel, and symptoms of scurvy had occurred among several of the crew.

These considerations began to impress upon Captain Guy the necessity of returning, and he spoke of it frequently.

For my own part, confident as I was of soon arriving at land of some description upon the course we were pursuing, and having every reason to believe, from present appearances, that we should not find it the sterile soil met with in the higher Arctic latitudes, I warmly pressed upon him the expediency of persevering, at least for a few days longer, in the direction we were now holding.