That was the last time the Erebus and the Terror, or any of the men aboard those vessels, were ever seen. They appeared to have dropped off the face of the earth.
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In Winter Quarters.
When the Erebus and Terror had been absent two years, and no news of them had been heard, many expeditions were sent out to hunt for them. Some traces of the ships were discovered, and it is believed that the vessels sailed northward through Lancaster sound to Beechey island, where they wintered (1845-1846). On this island were found the graves of two seamen marked with headboards showing the date of their death.
It is thought that when spring came, the ships were released from the ice and proceeded southward toward King William's Land. While near to King William's Land the vessels were probably again caught in the pack. The second winter, with its long, dark night, bitter cold, and absence of proper food, must have been a gloomy one for these poor men.
