Identifier: voyageofdiscover00beec (find matches)
Title: A voyage of discovery towards the North Pole : performed in His Majesty's ships Dorothea and Trent, under the command of Captain David Buchan, R.N.; 1818 : to which is added, a summary of all the early attempts to reach the Pacific by way of the Pole
Year: 1843 (1840s)
Authors: Beechey, Frederick William, 1796-1856
Subjects: Buchan, David, b. 1780 Dorothea (Ship) Trent (Ship) Arctic regions
Publisher: London : R. Bentley
Contributing Library: MBLWHOI Library
Digitizing Sponsor: MBLWHOI Library

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ersalrepose. This period of the day had no sooner arrivedin Magdalena Bay than there was a stillnesswhich bordered on the sublime — a stillnesswhich was interrupted only by the bursting ofan iceberg, or the report of some fragment ofrock loosened from its hold. These sounds, in-deed, which came booming over the placidsurface of the bay, could hardly be consideredinterruptions to the general silence, for, speedilydying away in the distance, they left behind astillness even more profound than before. In the day-time the presence of our expedi-tion was not disregarded. The birds shunnedus in their flight, and every noise which was oc-casionally made, sounding strange to the place,sent to a greater distance the sea-gulls thatwere fishing among the rocks, and kept onthe alert whole herds of animals, many of whichwould otherwise have been lost in sleep ; caus-ing them to raise their heads when anythingfell upon our deck, and to cast a searchinglook over the bay, as if to inquire whence so
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CO HCO < WALRUSES. 55 unusual a disturbance proceeded. These littlealarms, which would have passed unheeded insituations frequented by man, proved, morethan any other incident, how great a strangerhe was in these regions; a feeling which, Imust confess, carried with it an agreeable sen-sation, arising, no doubt, from the convictionthat we were treading a ground which hadbeen but rarely visited before. When we first rowed into this bay it wasin quiet possession of herds of walruses, whowere so unaccustomed to the sight of a boatthat they assembled about her apparently highlyincensed at the intrusion, and swam towardsher as though they would have torn the planksasunder with their tusks. The wounds that wereinflicted only served to increase their rage, and, Ifrankly admit, that, when I considered how manymiles we were from our vessel, and what mightbe the result of this onset, I wished we hadthe support of a second boat; we continued,however, to keep them off with our fire-arms,and fo

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