dispelled. It was almost cruel, if I may venture to use such a term, to awake me from my late dream of expected joy to the reality of so great a disappointment. However, so it was; and if any thing would have relieved my own vexation, it was the blank look of astonishment depicted on the features of my two companions on ascertaining the truth. Strange to say, by the time we had arrived at the spot where the best view of it could be obtained, it looked no more like a vessel than a cow! One glance, and we turned away—I in disgust.

Our journey back was any thing but agreeable; but we took it leisurely, and at half past 1 A.M. of the 11th arrived at our encampment.

In speaking to Ebierbing about the reasons for the Innuits deserting a place which we now had evidence to show was abounding with animal life, he told me that the dread of it could not be removed. It had left upon the minds of all Innuits an impression of horror which descended from parent to child, and was likely to last for a long time. Even he himself would not have come now but for much persuasion and, the influence of the civilized. white man over the dark races, besides his strong personal attachment to me. As for Koodloo, he had been induced by the example and persuasions of Ebierbing more than by any favorable feelings on his own part. After he had arrived here, it was plain to me he regretted it; and possibly, in his inner soul, "the mysterious ship" may have added to his superstitious feelings concerning the place.

While returning from this trip across Hall's Island, Ebierbing related to me the following anecdote, prefacing it by the simple remark that the breaking away of sea-ice and carrying off one or more Innuits is not a rare occurrence. Once two of his people were driven out of Cornelius Grinnell Bay while on the ice sealing. The ice finally brought up against Lady Franklin's Island,* twenty-five miles from the main land, upon which island the forlorn Innuits landed. Here they lived for several months on ducks, walrus, bears, and seals, which they found there in abundance. They did not make their appearance for months, and were given up as lost. But, to the surprise of every one, they ultimately returned, having effected their escape by means of "floats" made of the skins of seals which they had killed. I

* Named by me in honor of Lady Franklin. Lady Franklin Island is in lat. 62° 55' 30" N., long. 63° 30′ W.

ASCEND MOUNT WARWICK.-RESOLUTION ISLAND.

309

may here mention that also, in returning on the before-described vexatious walk, we noticed a wall of stone—moss-covered stone— at the outlet of the lakelet, which was made, as Ebierbing said, by his people that had lived a great many years before, for a hidingplace, to enable them to kill tuktoo as they followed along their path, which was close by. Numerous old bones of this animal we saw by this wall.

On the 11th of June, at noon, I put on a rock a delicately-balanced compass needle, the north pole of which stood on zero. At 12 midnight it was one degree west of zero. At 3 30 A.M. of the 12th it was one degree east of zero point; but more about this inits proper place.

On the same day, the 11th, half a mile northwest, on the top of the mountain in the rear of our camp, I took bearings of various prominent places; and while taking the angle of an island five miles distant to the south, Ebierbing and Koodloo with me, the former, looking around with the glass, suddenly exclaimed, "Ninoo! Ninoo!" pointing, at the same time, in the direction of the very island I was sighting. In an instant Koodloo rushed off to harness up the dogs, and I after him, Ebierbing remaining behind for a moment to watch the bear's movements. Presently I decided upon returning to continue my work and let both the Innuits go in chase. Reascending to the spot I had left, I continued on to the northward and westward till I had ascended a still higher mountain, the table-topped "Mount Warwick" of Frobisher.

There I remained for hours, with changes in the atmosphere so tantalizing that it vexed me greatly. One moment there was a beautiful sky, the next every thing was enveloped in thick fog. So it continued, calm as a summer's day at home, not a cloud in the sky as the fog lifted, the sun shining brightly for a moment, and anon darkened by impenetrable vapor. I was greatly disappointed. I had fixed a capital point by sun to take my angles of various mountains, bays, headlands, etc., but, in consequence of the state of the weather, was obliged to leave my work incomplete.

In descending to a lower point, I distinctly saw Meta Incognita, the fog having dispersed in that direction. Also I saw Resolution Island, which bore S. 12° W. (true).

I returned to the camp shortly after, but Ebierbing and Koodloo had not yet arrived.

While waiting for the two Innuits, I gathered some fuel, kin

dled a fire, and filled the tea-kettle to make coffee. Presently I heard the crack of my rifle, and concluded that another seal was killed, little imagining what had actually occurred. But near midnight, when' Ebierbing and Koodloo arrived, they told me that not only one of the largest-sized seals (ookgook) was killed, but also the bear. I could hardly believe them. A bear? It was too much to believe. I could readily conceive that they had succeeded with seals, but that they had captured the bear, and without the smallest signs of any struggle, was almost incredible. I could not, therefore, help laughing at Ebierbing as he persisted in the statement; and I said to him, "You're making game of me." On the instant he replied, "Come to the sledge (which was only a short distance off) and see." There, true enough, was Ninoo's skin, with portions of the meat; and now we had beef in abundance. The ookgook had been left on the ice, at the edge of the floe by the open water.

Ebierbing told me that they went over to the mountain island where he had first espied the bear, and saw the brute lying down. On their approach he sprung up and darted away. Three of the dogs were immediately let loose by cutting the traces with which they were harnessed to the sledge. After these three had started, the remaining dogs were cast adrift, which soon overtook the other dogs, and assisted in bringing the bear to bay. They barked, bit, struggled, and fought bravely, the bear doing his best to defend himself. Now and then Ninoo would start to run, but the dogs were quickly fast to his stern, turning him round more rapidly than the rudder does a ship under a nine-knot breeze.

The dog and bear fight continued for half an hour, when Ebierbing, getting as favorable an opportunity as he desired, sent the messenger of death to Ninoo's heart.

The bear was very fat, as all polar bears in the neighborhood of the "deserted land" must be, in consequence of the immense number of seals there. His stomach was filled to its utmost capacity, and, Innuit-like, the two men took care of every portion that was serviceable.

The bear was immediately skinned, and the best portions of the carcass brought away. The rest was left to feast other animals than man. On returning from this bear-hunt, Ebierbing shot the

ookgook which he referred to.

Our feast that night was uncommonly good. Some of the fat, with portions of the lean, was well cooked; and when we lay

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down to rest, I would not wager that our stomachs were not as widely distended as had been that of the defunct Ninoo.

I may here mention that the bear's bladder was inflated and hung up to the pole of our tupic, and, according to Innuit customs, should remain there three days.

Early in the morning of Wednesday, the 12th of June, I was up, and ready for a proposed trip. It had been decided to set out this day on our return to the ship, but I could not think of leav ing this interesting region without visiting the utmost extreme of land—the "North Foreland" of Frobisher. Leaving my two companions asleep, I walked off alone. The snow was deep and soft, making my traveling laborious. When about half way, I ascended a hill that overlooks the channel between "Hall's Island" and "Hall's smaller island." The channel was free from ice save near its west end, close by the little bay of our encampment, and

NORTH FORELAND OF FROBISHER

presented an animated picture of life, for seals and aquatic birds in great variety were sporting there. But as only a very brief time remained for this journey, I was obliged to hasten on. At length, after a laborious walk, I reached "North Foreland," the goal of my ambition in this present trip.

Here the view was as enchanting as it was extensive. The sea around, as far as the eye could reach, was open; yet much ice, in the various forms of "sconce" pieces, floes, and bergs, was drifting about.

"North Foreland" presented a bold front. As I

looked down from its heights (an elevation of several hundred feet), the sea was "playing fantastic tricks," its mighty waves dashing in quick succession against the rocky rampart by which I was shielded, leaping upward as if to meet and greet me, say

ing, "White man, we saw your namesake here nearly three hundred years ago; where is he now?"

Nearly south of North Foreland are three islets, the nearest one fourth of a mile off shore. The largest is a quarter of a mile long, and is distinguished by a prominent rock that looks like a huge bee-hive, with smaller ones on each side of it. The others are quite small, being respectively about seventy and a hundred and forty fathoms in length. In every direction about here I saw recent traces of reindeer and rabbits, also circles of stones, and other signs of Innuits having lived here long ago.

The following are some of the measurements which I made while on this morning walk: The width of North Foreland (which is the eastern extremity of Hall's Island), measuring it a short distance back from the cliff, is about a quarter of a mile. Hall's Island extends a mile farther eastward than "Hall's smaller island." The latter is eight tenths of a mile in length.

After spending an hour at this interesting spot, taking bearings of distant objects, and observing the general appearance of the locality, I reluctantly retraced my steps to our encampment, a distance of two miles, where I found on the sledge every thing in readiness for our departure.

At 9 19 A.M. we set out on our return to Rescue Harbor. When out on the sea-ice, we stopped by the edge of the floe, next the open water, at the carcass of the ookgook killed by Ebierbing the day before. In the dilemma which followed as to what we should do with it, I proposed that it should be carried to land and buried under heavy stones, supposing that Captain B—, then at Cape True with his men, might send a boat's crew round by Frobisher Bay, which was all open water, and get the blubber, and perhaps the meat, and also some of our deposited seals. But Ebierbing assured me that it mattered not what might be the size or the weight of the stones covering it, Ninoo would find out the deposit and rip it up. It was finally concluded to save only the skin. To effect this, they girdled the animal's body, cutting the skin transversely in widths of about five or six inches, and then slipped it off in cylinders, each of which was to be afterward cut spirally, making a long strip of skin, which is of great value for walrus and seal lines, and dog-traces. This ookgook was an object of more than common interest. Though so easily dispatched -the rifle ball, on penetrating his skull, causing instant death— yet, as Ebierbing pointed out, it bore numerous marks of wounds