We now stood to the southward, and, after running six leagues, shoaled the water to seven fathoms; but it soon deepened to nine fathoms. At this time the weather, which had been hazy, clearing up a little, we saw land extending from south to south-east by east, about three or four miles distant. The eastern extreme forms a point, which was much encumbered with ice; for which reason it obtained the name of Icy Cape. Its latitude is 79° 29ʹ, and its longitude 198° 20ʹ. The other extreme of the land was lost in the horizon; so that there can be no doubt of its being a continuation of the American continent. The Discovery being about a mile astern, and to leeward, found less water than we did, and tacking on that account, I was obliged to tack also, to prevent separation.
Our situation was now more and more critical. We were in shoal water, upon a lee shore; and the main body of the ice to windward, driving down upon us. It was evident that if we remained much longer between it and the land, it would force us ashore, unless it should happen to take the ground before us. It seemed nearly to join the land to leeward; and the only direction that was open was to the south-west. After making a short board to the northward, I made the signal for the Discovery to tack, and tacked myself at the same time. The wind proved rather favourable, so that we lay up south-west, and south-west by west.
At eight in the morning of the 19th, the wind veering back to west, I tacked to the northward; and at noon the latitude was 70° 6ʹ, and the longitude 196° 42ʹ. In this situation we had a good deal of drift-ice about us; and the main ice was about two leagues to the north. At half past one we got in with the edge of it. It was not so compact as that which we had seen to the northward; but it was too close, and in too large pieces, to attempt forcing the ships through it. On the ice lay a prodigious number of sea-horses; and as we were in want of fresh provisions, the boats from each ship were sent to get some.
By seven o’clock in the evening, we had received on board the Resolution nine of these animals, which, till now, we had supposed to be sea-cows, so that we were not a little disappointed, especially some of the seamen, who, for the novelty of the thing, had been feasting their eyes for some days past. Nor would they have been disappointed now, nor have known the difference, if we had not happened to have one or two on board, who had been in Greenland, and declared what animals these were, and that no one ever ate of them. But notwithstanding this, we lived upon them as long as they lasted; and there were few on board who did not prefer them to our salt meat.
The fat at first is as sweet as marrow; but in a few days it grows rancid, unless it be salted, in which state it will keep much longer. The lean flesh is coarse, black, and has rather a strong taste, and the heart is nearly as well tasted as that of a bullock. The fat when melted yields a good deal of oil, which burns very well in lamps, and their hides, which are very thick, were very useful about our rigging. The teeth, or tusks, of most of them were at this time very small, even some of the largest and oldest of these animals had them not exceeding six inches in length. From this we concluded that they had lately shed their old teeth.
They lie in herds of many hundreds upon the ice, huddling one over the other like swine, and roar or bray very loud; so that in the night, or in foggy weather, they gave us notice of the vicinity of the ice, before we could see it. We never found the whole herd asleep, some being always upon the watch. These, on the approach of the boat, would wake those next to them, and the alarm being thus gradually communicated, the whole herd would be awake presently. But they were seldom in a hurry to get away, till after they had been once fired at. Then they would tumble one over the other into the sea, in the utmost confusion. And if we did not, at the first discharge, kill those we fired at, we generally lost them, though mortally wounded. They did not appear to us to be that dangerous animal some authors have described, not even when attacked. They are rather more so to appearance than in reality. Vast numbers of them would follow, and come close up to the boats; but the flash of a musket in the pan, or even the bare pointing of one at them, would send them down in an instant. The female will defend the young one to the very last, and at the expence of her own life, whether in the water or upon the ice. Nor will the young one quit the dam, though she be dead, so that, if you kill one, you are sure of the other. The dam, when in the water, holds the young one between her fore-fins.
Mr. Pennant, in his Synopsis Quadr., p. 335[[80]], has given a very good description of this animal, under the name of Arctic Walrus; but I have no where seen a good drawing of one. Why they should be called sea-horses, is hard to say, unless the word be a corruption of the Russian name, Morse; for they have not the least resemblance of a horse. This is, without doubt, the same animal that is found in the Gulph of St. Lawrence, and there called sea-cow. It is certainly more like a cow than a horse, but this likeness consists in nothing but the snout. In short, it is an animal like a seal, but incomparably larger. The dimensions and weight of one which was none of the largest, were as follow:
| Feet. | Inches. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Length from the snout to the tail | 9 | 4 | ||
| Length of the neck, from the snout to the shoulder-bone | 2 | 6 | ||
| Height of the shoulder | 5 | 0 | ||
| Length of the fins | Fore | 2 | 4 | |
| Hind | 2 | 6 | ||
| Breadth of the fins | Fore | 1 | 21⁄2 | |
| Hind | 2 | 0 | ||
| Snout | Breadth | 0 | 51⁄2 | |
| Depth | 1 | 3 | ||
| Circumference of the neck close to the ears | 2 | 7 | ||
| Circumference of the body at the shoulder | 7 | 10 | ||
| Circumference near the hind fins | 5 | 6 | ||
| From the snout to the eyes | 0 | 7 | ||
| Weight of the carcase, without the head, skin, or entrails | 854 lb. | |||
| Head | 411⁄2 | |||
| Skin | 205 | |||
I could not find out what these animals feed upon. There was nothing in the maws of those we killed.
It is worth observing, that, for some days before this date, we had frequently seen flocks of ducks flying to the southward. They were of two sorts, the one much larger than the other. The largest were of a brown colour; and, of the small sort, either the duck or drake was black and white, and the other brown. Some said they saw geese also. Does not this indicate that there must be land to the north, where these birds find shelter, in the proper season, to breed, and from whence they were now returning to a warmer climate?