All sail was made at daylight on the 23d along the northern sh.o.r.e of the Frozen Strait, which here continues about the same height as that of Repulse Bay, and was at this time quite free from snow.
At nine A.M. the weather became squally with thick snow, which rendered great caution necessary in running. There was something in the appearance of this part of the coast which held out so favourable a prospect of a direct pa.s.sage to the northward, that I determined more closely to examine it. Having beat up to the mouth of an opening which, the nearer we approached, a.s.sumed a more and more favourable appearance, we found that a body of ice occupied the greater part of the channel, rendering it impracticable then to enter it either with the ships or the boats. The only mode left, therefore, of examining it without loss of time, was to despatch a party equipped for travelling by land, to ascertain enough of its extent and communications to enable me to decide as to our farther progress. As, however, in their present situation, I did not feel myself justified in leaving the ships, I requested Captain Lyon to undertake this service. He was accompanied by Mr.
Bushnan and two seamen from each ship, and was furnished with a tent, blankets, and four days" provisions.
Captain Lyon, on his return, at the end of two days, reported that he had landed on an island, which he called BUSHNAN"S ISLAND, had then crossed a strait, to which afterward the name of HURD"S CHANNEL was given, and landed on a steep point called by him CAPE MONTAGU. From hence his party proceeded to a high and remarkable hill called BROOKS"S BLUFF: following the strait to the northward, they pa.s.sed the remains of many Esquimaux habitations; and, though their short journey had been unsatisfactory on account of the badness of the weather, there was still sufficient to cause the most lively interest, and give strong hopes of the existence of some pa.s.sage to the northeast of the small inlet they had examined.
At eight P.M., having shoaled the water from sixty to forty, and then to thirty-two fathoms, and the weather still continuing extremely thick, I suspected that the tide was taking us too close to Pa.s.sage Island, which was the nearest land when the fog came on. A large s.p.a.ce of open water was at this time not more than a quarter of a mile distant from us in the opposite direction; but, before the ships could be moved by warps or any other means within our power, the tide was observed to be setting her directly between the island and the little yellow-looking rock I have before mentioned as lying on its eastern side. The anchors were kept ready to drop in an instant should the ship drive into shoal water; had we grounded, and the heavy ma.s.ses of ice continued to drive upon us, little less than the total destruction of the ship was to be apprehended. The natural direction of the stream, however, effected for us that which, hampered as we were, our own exertions must have failed in accomplishing; the ship drove through, at the distance of one hundred yards from the rock and about one hundred and forty from Pa.s.sage Island, having no less than twelve fathoms; and soon after deepened the water to thirty-five and forty, and then to no bottom with ninety.
After this providential escape we lay-to within the island, in order to drift to the northward and westward of it with the flood tide, which runs stronger here than in any other part of the Frozen Strait. The night was fine, but extremely dark, so that after ten o"clock we could not distinguish where the land lay, and the compa.s.ses could not be depended on. After an ineffectual attempt to push through the ice towards the middle of the Strait, in order to avoid the danger of being entangled among the numerous islands lying off this sh.o.r.e, we were literally obliged to let the ship take her chance, keeping the lead going and the anchors in readiness.
The Hecla having got clear of the ice the preceding evening, and narrowly escaped an adventure similar to that which we had experienced, rejoined us early in the morning, when Captain Lyon returned to her to prepare a boat for his intended excursion. We then stood in under all sail for the land, and at eleven A.M.
Captain Lyon left the Hecla, while the ships tacked off and on to await his return. At nine P.M. Captain Lyon returned, acquainting me that he had met with a small bay having no stream of tide, and being at present clear of ice, he thought it might answer our purpose, but he wished me to see it before the ships were taken in.
A boat from each ship being prepared, Captain Lyon and myself left the cove at three P.M. to proceed on the proposed examination. We separated at Point Cheyne, Captain Lyon having pointed out to me the broad eastern channel from which the tide appeared to come, and which if was my intention to examine, while he directed his attention to the smaller pa.s.sage he had described as leading to the northward. It was agreed that we should return to the ships with as little delay as was consistent with the object we had in view, namely, to ascertain through which of the two channels it was expedient or practicable to bring the ships.
The breeze moderated soon after our landing, and a fine clear night succeeded. At four in the morning Mr. Ross and myself ascended the nearest hill, in the hope of being able to satisfy ourselves respecting the existence of a pa.s.sage for the ships in at least one direction. I therefore directed the tents to be struck, and everything to be in readiness for moving on our return. On reaching the summit of the first hill, however, we found, as is not unfrequently the case, that our view was but little improved, and that no prospect could be obtained to the northward without ascending the higher hill seen the preceding evening, which we now found still several miles beyond us. While preparing for this, I felt so much indisposed, that, being apprehensive of laying myself up at a time when I could least afford to do so, I determined to intrust the proposed service to Mr. Ross, in whose zeal and ability to accomplish it I felt the utmost confidence. Mr. Ross and his party accordingly set out for the hill at six A.M. On his return in the evening Mr. Ross reported that, having reached a commanding hill, he found himself overlooking a sea of considerable extent to the eastward, and washing the foot of the hill on which he stood. This sea appeared to have some islands scattered about it, and was much enc.u.mbered with ice. To the southeastward there seemed to be several openings between islands, of which the land we stood then upon appeared to form one, the sea sweeping round to the northward and westward, as if to join the strait discovered by Captain Lyon. Mr. Ross described the country over which he pa.s.sed as much intersected by lakes, some of them not less than two or three miles in length, and having in their neighbourhood abundance of gra.s.s, moss, and other fine feeding for the deer. The report of Mr. Ross, accompanied by an eye-sketch made upon the spot, left no doubt of the existence of an outlet to the eastward, and enabled me to decide without hesitation upon attempting the pa.s.sage of the narrows with the ships, leaving our subsequent route to be determined on according to the report of Captain Lyon.
Piles of stones and the remains of Esquimaux habitations were everywhere to be seen, and Mr. Ross met with their marks even on the highest hills; but none appeared of recent date. The reindeer were here very numerous. Mr. Ross saw above fifty of them in the course of his walk, and several others were met with near the tents. A large one was shot by one of the men, who struck the animal; as he lay on the ground, a blow on the head with the b.u.t.t end of his piece, and, leaving him for dead, ran towards the tents for a knife to bleed and skin him; when the deer very composedly got on his legs, swam across a lake, and finally escaped. A small fawn was the only one killed. Three black whales and a few seals were playing about near the beach.
Our people being somewhat fatigued with walking, were allowed to rest till half past one in the morning of the 29th, when, it being high water, the tents were struck and the boat loaded. I found that Captain Lyon had returned on board the preceding evening, having accomplished his object in a shorter time than was expected.
That no time might be lost in running the ships through the narrows, I directed three boats from each to be prepared, for the purpose of sounding every part of this intricate, and, as yet, unknown pa.s.sage, which I named after Captain THOMAS HURD, of the royal navy, hydrographer to the admiralty. Giving to the officer commanding each boat a certain portion to accomplish, I reserved for my own examination the narrowest part of the channel; and at thirty minutes past one P.M., as soon as the flood tide began to slacken, we left the ships and continued our work till late at night, when, having received the reports of the officers, and made out a plan of the channel for each ship, I directed everything to be in readiness for weighing at the last quarter of the ebb on the following morning. Much as I lamented this delay, at a period of the season when every moment was precious, it will not appear to have been unnecessary, when it is considered that the channel through which the ships were to be carried did not in some places exceed a mile in breadth, with half of that s.p.a.ce enc.u.mbered with heavy ma.s.ses of ice, and with an _ebb_ tide of six knots running through it.
At fifteen minutes past three P.M. on the 30th, a light air of wind springing up from the eastward, we weighed, and, having warped out by kedges till we had cleared the shoal-point of the cove, made sail for the channel, and, with the a.s.sistance of the boats, got the Fury into the fair set of the tide before it made very strong to the eastward. At a quarter before seven, when in the narrowest part, which is abreast of a bold headland on the south sh.o.r.e, where the tide was now driving the ice along at the rate of five or six knots, the wind came in a sudden gust from the southwest, scarcely allowing us to reduce and trim our sails in time to keep the ship off the north sh.o.r.e, which is not so safe as the other. By carrying a heavy press of canva.s.s, however, we succeeded in forcing through the ice, but the Fury was twice turned completely round by eddies, and her sails brought aback against the helm; in consequence of which she gathered such fresh sternway against several heavy floe-pieces, that I apprehended some serious injury to the stern-post and rudder, if not to the whole frame of the ship. The Hecla got through the narrows soon after us; but Captain Lyon, wishing to bring away the flags and staves set up as marks, had sent his little boat away for that purpose during the continuance of the calm weather. When the breeze suddenly came on she was still absent, and, being obliged to wait for some time to pick her up, the Hecla was about dusk separated several miles from us.
I was sorry to perceive, on the morning of the 1st of September, that the appearance of the ice was by no means favourable to our object of sailing to the northward, along the Sturges Bourne Islands; but at ten A.M., the edge being rather more slack, we made all sail, with a very light air of southerly wind, and the weather clear, warm, and pleasant. We were at noon in lat. 66 03"
35", and in long. 83 33" 15", in which situation a great deal of land was in sight to the northward, though apparently much broken in some places. From N.E. round to S.S.E. there was still nothing to be seen but one wide sea uninterruptedly covered with ice as far as the eye could reach.
At forty-five minutes past one P.M. we had come to the end of the clear water, and prepared to shorten sail, to await some alteration in our favour. At this time the weather was so warm that we had just exposed a thermometer to the sun to ascertain the temperature of its rays, which could not have been less than 70 or 80, when a thick fog, which had for some hours been curling over the hills of Vansittart Island, suddenly came on, creating so immediate and extreme a change, that I do not remember to have ever experienced a more chilling sensation. As we could no longer see a hundred yards around us in any direction, nothing was to be done but to make the ships fast to the largest piece of ice we could find, which we accordingly did at two P.M., in one hundred and fifty-eight fathoms. Just before dark the fog cleared away for a few minutes, when, perceiving that the wind, which was now increasing, was likely to drift us too near the islands, we took advantage of the clear interval to run a mile farther from the land for the night, where we again made fast to a large floe-piece in two hundred fathoms.
The wind, drawing round to the northward and westward, on the morning of the 2d, increased to a fresh gale, which continued to blow during the night, notwithstanding which, I was in hopes that the immense size of the floe to which the ships were attached would enable us to retain our station tolerably. It was mortifying, therefore, to find, on the morning of the 2d, that we had drifted more than I remember ever to have done before in the same time under any circ.u.mstances. It was remarkable, also, that we had not been set exactly to leeward, but past Baffin Island towards two remarkable hills on Southampton Island, from which we were at noon not more than seven or eight leagues distant. Thus, after a laborious investigation which occupied one month, we had, by a concurrence of unavoidable circ.u.mstances, returned to nearly the same spot on which we had been on the 6th of August. To consider what might have been effected in this interval, which included the very best part of the navigable season, had we been previously aware of the position and extent of the American Continent about this meridian, is in itself certainly unavailing; but it may serve to show the value of even the smallest geographical information in seas where not an hour must be thrown away or unprofitably employed.
In the afternoon an attempt was made to move, for the mere sake, it must be confessed, of moving and keeping the people on the alert, rather than with the slightest prospect of gaining any ground; but, by the time that we had laid out the hawsers, the small hole of water that had appeared again closed, and we were obliged to remain as before.
At four A.M. on the 5th, we cast off and made sail for the land, with a fresh breeze from the southeast. The ice was closely packed, against the land near the pa.s.sage I had intended to try, and as it appeared slack to the eastward, I determined to run between the southeast point of Baffin Island and the smaller islands lying off it. The wind drawing more to the eastward as we approached the channel, we had several tacks to make in getting through, but carried a good depth of water on each side, though its breadth does not exceed three quarters of a mile. As we now advanced to the northward, we found less and less obstruction, the main body of the ice having been carried to the southward and eastward by the late gale, which had in so extraordinary a manner drifted us in the same direction. This was one of the opportunities I have before described as the most favourable that ever occur for making progress in these seas. We had, therefore, a fine run during the day along the east side of Sturges Bourne Islands; for, having found the pa.s.sages between them still choked with ice, we were obliged to run to the northward with the hope of attaining our present object, till it was time to look out for an anchorage.
Having first sent the boats to sound, we hauled into a small bay, where we anch.o.r.ed at dusk in seventeen fathoms, good holding-ground, though the bottom was so irregular that we had from five to thirteen close upon our quarter.
We had now once more approached a part of the coast, of which the thorough and satisfactory examination could not possibly be carried on in the ships, without incurring constant and, perhaps, useless risk, and a certain and serious loss of time. I determined, therefore, to proceed at once upon this service in two boats, one from each ship. Having communicated my intentions to Captain Lyon, and requested him to move the ships, when practicable, into some more secure situation, I left the Fury, accompanied by Mr. Ross and Mr. Sherer, taking with us our tents, blankets, and stove, together with four days" provisions and fuel.
CHAPTER IV.
Hoppner"s Inlet entered and surveyed by the Boats.--Continuity of Land there determined.--Proceed to examine another Opening leading to the Westward.--Favourable Appearance of a continued Pa.s.sage in that direction.--Meet with some Esquimaux.--Arrival in Ross Bay, being the Termination of Lyon Inlet.--Discovery and Examination of various Creeks.--Return to the Ships, after finding the Land entirely continuous.--Some Account of the Natural History of this Part of the Coast.
A thick fog unfortunately coming on just before we left the ships, prevented us from making choice of any part of the land which might be the most likely to afford a pa.s.sage to the northward and westward. We could only, therefore, direct our course northerly, with tolerable certainty, by a compa.s.s bearing previously taken on board, and by occasionally obtaining an indistinct glimpse of the land through the fog. Having rowed four miles, we came to a high point, round which we turned rather to the westward, and then landed a little beyond it.
The tents were struck at thirty minutes past three A.M. on the 7th and our course directed, up the inlet, the weather being calm and tolerably clear. At three miles and a quarter we pa.s.sed on our starboard hand a point of land, which, from the bright colour of the rocks, composed chiefly of feldspar, obtained the name of _Red Point_.
Opposite to Red Point was a small opening, which we next proposed to examine. We had not, however, advanced a mile within the entrance when the boats grounded, the water becoming more and more shoal within. As it was plain that no pa.s.sage could here be found for the ships, which alone it was my present object to discover, I did not choose to wait for the flowing of the tide to enable us farther to explore this place, but determined to prosecute our examination of the other parts of the coast without delay. There were here a great number of stones placed in an upright position in every conspicuous spot, many of them looking like men at a distance. These marks are generally placed without regard to regularity, but there were here several lines of them about fifty yards in length, the stones being four or five yards apart, and each having a smaller one placed on its top. Having rowed out of the inlet, we landed at six P.M. in a little bay just outside of the last night"s sleeping-place, pitching the tents on a fine shingly beach, which was the kind of ground we usually looked out for towards the conclusion of the day, as affording the softest bed, consistently with dryness, that nature supplies in this country. Of such a convenience the men were not sorry to avail themselves, having rowed above thirty miles since the morning.
The boats were launched at daylight on the 8th, and we soon came to a much more promising opening on the same sh.o.r.e, about a mile wide at the entrance, and leading directly to the westward. After rowing four miles in that direction, we arrived at the mouth of a bay from three to five miles wide, out of which there did not appear the least chance of discovering an outlet. As nothing, however, but rowing round the bay would satisfactorily determine this, we were proceeding to do so, when we observed in the northern corner something like a low point overlapping the high land at the back. Towards this spot we steered, as the readiest way of completing the circuit of the bay, and half a mile short of it landed to breakfast.
In the mean time I sent Mr. Ross to one hill, and ascended another myself, expecting to save the time and trouble of rowing into the nook. I was not a little astonished to find, from my own and Mr.
Ross"s observations, that there was on the other side of the point a broad and apparently navigable channel, through which the tide was setting to the northward, at the rate of three or four miles an hour. I am thus minute in the discovery of this channel, which afterward promised to be of no small importance, to show how nearly such a place may be approached without the slightest suspicion being entertained of its existence, and the consequent necessity of _close_ examination wherever a pa.s.sage is to be sought for.
We continued our examination, and I despatched Mr. Sherer to the ships for a fresh supply of provisions. On his return on the 10th we proceeded to the westward. In running along the coast with a fresh and favourable breeze, we observed three persons standing on a hill, and, as we continued our course, they followed us at full speed along the rocks. Having sailed into a small sheltered bay, I went up, accompanied by Mr. Bushnan, to meet them on the hills above us. In sailing along the sh.o.r.e we had heard them call out loudly to us, and observed them frequently lift something which they held in their hands; but, on coming up to them, they remained so perfectly mute and motionless, that, accustomed as we had been to the noisy importunities of their more sophisticated brethren, we could scarcely believe them to be Esquimaux. There was, besides, a degree of lankness in the faces of the two men, the very reverse of the plump, round, oily cheeks of those we had before seen. Their countenances at the time impressed me with the idea of Indian rather than of Esquimaux features; but this variety of physiognomy we afterward found not to be uncommon among these people. The men appeared about forty and twenty-two years of age, and were accompanied by a good-looking and good-humoured boy of nine or ten. They each held in their hand a sealskin case or quiver, containing a bow and three or four arrows, with a set of which they willingly parted, on being presented with a knife in exchange. The first looks with which they received us betrayed a mixture of stupidity and apprehension, but both wore off in a few minutes on our making them understand that we wished to go to their habitations. With this request they complied without hesitation, tripping along before us for above two miles over very rough ground, and crossing one or two considerable streams running from a lake into the sea. This they performed with so much quickness that we could with difficulty keep up with them, though they good-naturedly stopped now and then till we overtook them. We were met on our way by two women, from twenty to twenty-five years of age, having each a child at her back; they too accompanied us to their tent, which was situated on a high part of the coast overlooking the sea. It consisted of a rude circular wall of loose stones, from six to eight feet in diameter and three in height, in the centre of which stood an upright pole, made of several pieces of fir-wood lashed together by thongs, and serving as a support to the deerskins that formed the top covering. Soon after our arrival we were joined by a good-looking, modest girl of about eight, and a boy five years old. Of these nine persons, which were all we now saw, only the elder man and two of the children belonged to this tent, the habitations of the others being a little more inland.
The faces of the women were round, plump, tattooed, and, in short, completely Esquimaux. The _kayak_ or canoe belonging to this establishment was carefully laid on the rocks close to the seaside, with the paddle and the man"s mittens in readiness beside it. The timbers were entirely of wood, and covered, as usual, with sealskin. Its length was nineteen feet seven inches, and its extreme breadth two feet; it was raised a little at each end, and the rim or gunwale of the circular hole in the middle was high, and made of whalebone. A handsome sealskin was smoothly laid within as a seat, and the whole was sewn and put together with great neatness. The paddle was double, made of fir, and the ends of the blades tipped with bone, to prevent splitting.
The fireplace in the tent consisted of three rough stones carelessly placed on end against one side, and they had several pots of _lapis ollaris_ for culinary purposes. These people seemed to us altogether more cleanly than any Esquimaux we had before seen, both in their persons and in the interior of their tent, in neither of which could we discover much of that rancid and pungent smell which is in general so offensive to Europeans. One instance of their cleanliness which now occurred, deserves, perhaps, to be noticed, both because this is justly considered rather a rare quality among Esquimaux, as well as to show in what way they do sometimes exercise it. When leaving the tent to return to our boats, I desired one of the seamen to tie the articles we had purchased into a single bundle, for the convenience of carrying them; but the elder of the two male Esquimaux, who watched the man thus employed, would not permit it to be done without excluding a pot, which, as he explained by wiping the lampblack off with one of his fingers, would soil a clean sealskin jacket that formed part of the bundle.
Among the few domestic utensils we saw in the tent was the woman"s knife of the Greenlanders described by Crantz, and resembling, in its semicircular shape, that used by shoemakers in England. The most interesting article, however, was a kind of bowl, exactly similar to that obtained by Captain Lyon from the natives of Hudson"s Strait, being hollowed out of the root of the musk-ox"s horn. As soon as I took the cup in my hand, the boy who was our first companion, and had since been our constant attendant, p.r.o.nounced the word _oomingmuk_, thus affording an additional confirmation to that obtained on the former voyage, of the musk-ox being the animal described by the natives of the west coast of Greenland as having occasionally, though rarely, been seen in that country.
As soon as the Esquimaux became a little more familiar with us, they repeatedly asked for _sowik_ (iron), in answer to which we gave them to understand that they must accompany us to our boats if they wished to obtain any of this precious article. Accordingly, the whole group set off with us on our return, the males keeping up with us, and the women a short distance behind. The whole of the children carried bundles of the branches of ground willow, which we had just before seen them bring in for their own use, and which they seemed to consider an article of barter that might be acceptable to us. As we returned I noticed a quant.i.ty of the _ledum pal.u.s.tre_, and, having plucked some of it, gave it to the boy to carry; after which, though he very much disliked its smell, he gathered every root of it that we came to, and deposited it at our tents. This lad was uncommonly quick and clever in comprehending our meaning, and seemed to possess a degree of good-humour and docility which, on our short acquaintance, made him a great favourite among us.
We had hitherto been much pleased with our new acquaintance, who were certainly a good-humoured, decent sort of people. We therefore loaded them with presents, and endeavoured to amuse them by showing them the manner of rowing our boats, which were hauled up on the beach. While the men and children were occupied in observing this, the women were no less busily employed, near the tents, in pilfering and conveying into their boots some of our cups, spoons, and other small articles, such as they could conveniently secrete. This they accomplished with so much dexterity, that no suspicion would have been excited of their dishonesty had not Mr. Sherer fortunately missed a cup which was required for supper. A general search being inst.i.tuted in consequence, and the cargo of the women"s boots brought back to our tents, I directed all our presents to be likewise taken from the two offenders; and, dismissing the whole party with great appearance of indignation, thus put an end, for the present, to our communication with these people.
We spent the two next days in exploring a creek which we called CULGRUFF, and another on the opposite or eastern sh.o.r.e, which received the name of NORMAN"S CREEK, and returned to the Hecla on the evening of the 14th.
I learned from Captain Lyon that the Hecla had just anch.o.r.ed at her present station, the Fury still remaining at the former place, into which the ice had lately come so thick as to require the a.s.sistance of all hands from both ships to warp and tow the Hecla out. Proceeding with a fresh boat"s crew towards the Fury, which we found close beset by thick and heavy ice, we succeeded, after much difficulty, in hauling the boat through it, and arrived on board at ten P.M.
As soon as the tide would serve in the offing on the morning of the 15th, we weighed, and, by means of warping and towing, in which we were a.s.sisted by Captain Lyon"s boats, succeeded in joining the Hecla at her anchorage at three P.M.
CHAPTER V.
Farther Examination in the Boats for the Purpose of Connecting the Sh.o.r.es of Lyon Inlet with that of Gore Bay.--Continuity of the Land determined.--Fresh Detention by the Ice.--Boats carried over Land.--Return to the Ships.--Progress out of the Inlet prevented by the Ice.--The Fury grounds upon a Rock.--Anchor in Safety Cove.--Heavy Easterly Gales.--Proceed out of the Inlet.--Arrival in a Bay on the south Side of Winter Island.--Ships secured in Winter-quarters.
Again leaving the ships on the 15th, we rowed before sunset between six and seven miles along the high southwestern land, pa.s.sing what appeared a small harbour, with an island near the middle of the entrance, and landed on a shingly beach near a small bay or creek, extending three quarters of a mile to the W.N.W., and then terminating in a deep, broad valley. We left the sh.o.r.e at half past four A.M. on the 16th, and in an hour"s sailing, with a fresh northwest wind, came to some loose ice, through which we continued to make our way till eleven o"clock, when it became so close that a pa.s.sage could no longer be found in any direction.
There was also so much young ice in every small interval between the loose ma.s.ses, that the boats were much cut about the water-line in endeavouring to force through it. In order, therefore, to avoid the risk of being altogether driven from the sh.o.r.e, I determined to attempt a pa.s.sage into the bay, which was three quarters of a mile distant; and in this, after two hours"
labour, we at length succeeded. Finding that the ice was likely to prove an obstacle of which we could not calculate the extent or continuance, we began at once to reduce our daily expenditure of provisions, in order to meet any contingency.
Ascending the hill at daylight on the 17th, we were much disappointed in finding that, though the ice continued to drive a little to the S.E., it was even more compact than before, the loose ma.s.ses through which we had sailed the preceding day being now closely set together.
As soon as it was light enough on the 18th to make out the situation of the ice, which had now drifted considerably to the southward, we left the bay with a fresh and favourable breeze, and at a quarter past eight A.M., after a quick run through "sailing ice," landed to breakfast on the southeast point of this sh.o.r.e, which afterward received the name CAPE MARTINEAU. Proceeding from hence with a strong breeze and a considerable sea ahead, but the flood tide still running slowly with us to the N.W., we rowed several miles close along the sh.o.r.e, and entered at dusk a little cove, where the tents were pitched and the boats moored for the night.
The night being cold, clear, and nearly calm, a quant.i.ty of "bay-ice," half an inch in thickness, had, on the morning of the 19th, formed in the cove, and for some distance outside of it, which again cut the boats" planks very much, besides occasioning great loss of time in getting through it. This symptom of approaching winter, which had now for the first time occurred to us, rendered it expedient in future to select the most open beaches for our resting-places at night. After tracing every bend of the sh.o.r.e which here occurred, we landed at the point called by Captain Lyon POINT FARHILL, and, ascending the hill to take angles, obtained a view of Gore Bay, easily recognising every other feature of the lands discovered by Captain Lyon. A mile or two of coast was now all that remained to be examined, in order to determine the connexion of Gore Bay with the rest of the land recently explored. Proceeding, therefore, as soon as our observations were finished, we soon after entered the bay, and in the course of an hour had satisfied ourselves on this point.
The ice remained closely packed on the 21st, as far as we could see along sh.o.r.e, so that we were still detained in the same place.
Some snow which fell in the course of the preceding night, lightly powdering the land, had entirely disappeared before evening, except in places having a northern aspect, where it now permanently remained for the winter.
On the morning of the 22d the ice was not only as close as ever, but had forced its way much higher up towards Gore Bay. A party was therefore sent out to endeavour to procure game farther inland; and another employed in gathering ground-willow, which was here abundant and in good condition for fuel. Two bears, a female and her cub, being probably attracted by the smell of our cooking, came towards the tents upon the ice, but, upon hearing our voices, set off in the opposite direction. A good deal of snow fell in partial showers in the course of the day; it was nearly of that fine kind which usually falls during the winter of these regions, but we had flake snow and even light rain some days after this.
The snow, however, now remained undissolved upon the land in all situations. Our hunting party returned late in the evening without success, having merely seen a number of reindeer, which the want of cover prevented their approaching. Seven days out of the nine for which we were victualled having now elapsed, a party was selected for walking over to the ships on the following day, should the ice still continue in its present state.
The ice continuing in the same state, we commenced our work at break of day on the 24th, and in three journeys had carried all the lighter part of our baggage over land by eleven o"clock. All hands then returned for the two boats, across the gunwales of which the masts and oars were lashed for lifting them, the ground not allowing us to drag them except for a short s.p.a.ce here and there. By half past one the first boat had been carried over, and, by the unwearied exertions of the officers and men, we had the satisfaction of launching the second before four o"clock, the distance being a mile and a half, and chiefly over rocky and uneven ground. As soon as we had dined, the boats were reloaded; and at five o"clock we left the sh.o.r.e. A quant.i.ty of ice was still aground upon the shoals and islets off Cape Martineau, through which, however, we fortunately found a pa.s.sage before dark, when, having cleared every obstacle, we sailed in an open sea and with a fresh breeze to the northward. Keeping close along the sh.o.r.e to avoid missing the ships in the dark, our first musket was immediately answered by a blue-light; and, being guided by the lights now shown by the ships, we arrived at nine P.M., where we found that our late detention had excited some alarm for our safety.