CHAPTER XXII.

Chewing old Boots.—Formation of Icebergs.—Innuits good Anatomists.—Proceed on the Voyage.—Koojesse draughting the Coast.—Sarah G.'s Cape.—Iron Island.—Arrive at Jones's Cape.—A Settlement of Innuits.—Native Monuments.— Dental Mill for trying out Oil.—Blowing a Gale.—Danger to the Boat.—Arrive at Ming-u-toon.—Next Day's Trip.—Great Rise and Fall of Tides.—Boat nearly aground.—Encamp on an Island.—Bones of the Whale and other Animals.—A Grave.—Renew the Voyage.—A Mill-race of Waters.—An exciting Time.—Laborious and difficult Work.—Beautiful Weather.—Arrive at Waddell Bay and make seventh Encampment.—Depart again.—Meeting with old Artarkparu.—A persevering and industrious Cripple.—Proceed toward his Village.—Annawa and other Natives there.—Women busily engaged sewing Skins.—Nursing a big Boy. —A good Feast.—More information about Frobisher's Expedition.—Continue the Voyage.—Numerous Islands.—Eighth Encampment.—Ascend a Mountain.—Remarkable Features about it.—Large Caverns.—Huge Rocks ready to Fall.—The Aurora.—Curious Phenomena.

The following day, Monday, August 12th, 1861, Suzhi and myself remaining at Oopungnewing, the rest of my company set out in the boat for the main land on a tuktoo hunt. My time was occupied in taking observations, writing, and examining the island, while Suzhi was busily engaged in dressing sealskins for jackets, and "milling" old native boots—that is, making the soles soft and pliant by chewing them.

During the day I heard some extraordinary noises, like the rumblings of an earthquake. I had noticed the same on our way from Cape Cracroft, but now the sound was so loud that I could not help asking Suzhi if she knew what it was. She replied that it came from the Kingaite side of the waters; and, from what I afterward learned, it must have been caused by large masses of ice—icebergs—from Grinnell Glacier falling into the sea. The distance traversed by the thundering sound thus occasioned was about forty miles. At other times, while in this bay, I have felt the earth tremble from the same cause.

In the evening Suzhi and I took a walk round to the north side of the island. We had not gone far when she asked me, in her native tongue, "Do you see walrus?" pointing to a long white line running up the mountain's side. I looked, and at first sup

posed it to be a vein of quartz running up among the dark mosscovered rocks; but, on closer inspection, I found it to consist of over a hundred walrus jawbones, placed in line about two feet apart. Some parts of each were white as the snows of Kingaite, but a considerable portion was covered with thick black moss. What this singular arrangement meant I had yet to learn.

We next came to a spot situated by the margin of a grass-plot, completely covered with bleached bones of seals, walrus, whales, and tuktoo. Ask an Innuit to what animal this and that bone belonged, as you pick them up, and he or she will tell you at once, the people being in reality good natural anatomists.

We passed on half a mile, and reached a point of high land, which looked out toward Niountelik, but could see none of our party returning. It was then ten o'clock; the night was fine, and a few stars were visible, but it was not yet late enough in the season to bring out the host there is above. Koojesse and his party returned about midnight, but wholly unsuccessful, though

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they had seen eight tuktoo. This, however, was not of serious importance, as we then had an abundance of provision.

We resumed our voyage on the morning of the 13th. Twice before leaving the island I again heard the loud thunderings already alluded to, and felt the vibrations of the very earth itself. What could this be? Was there a volcano on the Kingaite side? or were its mountains of ice falling from their precipitous heights? It took a long time to strike tupics, and get every thing into the boat and in order. Last of all, Suzhi brought aboard the Ninoo's bladder and the charms, and placed them at the bow of the boat, mounted on a stick. Without them I strongly doubt whether the Innuits would have considered it safe to go on. Our course at first led toward Sarah G.'s Cape* (Twer-puk-ju-a), the way by which I went when making a hurried visit four months previous. Strangely enough, as it now seems to me, and no doubt to my readers also, I felt as safe and contented as though I were with civilized men instead of being alone among the wild, independent natives of that frozen land. I even did not hesitate to depend upon them occasionally for some of the work I wanted done in the way of delineating the coasts as we passed along. Koojesse —the really gifted Esquimaux—now and then acted as my assistant draughtsman, his sketches, however, being afterward carefully examined by me. While I sat in the boat's stern steering —a position which allowed me to have good views of the land— he sat before me actually laying down most correctly upon paper the coast-line along which we sailed, and with which he, as well as Suzhi and Tunukderlien, was perfectly familiar. There was not a channel, cape, island, or bay which he did not know perfectly, having visited them again and again.

One unacquainted with a new country would often make great mistakes by charting nearly every thing as main land where portions of it might be islands, failing also to give proper depths of inlet coast, unless he had time to visit every locality. On my present trip up the bay I had not that time, and therefore I reserved —to be made, if possible, on my return—a closer examination of the places now draughted down under my eyes. During all this voyage, however, I kept up a constant record of distances run and courses steered, and made as frequent landings for taking obser

*This cape, at the west entrance to the Countess of Warwick's Sound (of Frobisher), I have named after Mrs. Henry Grinnell. Sarah G.'s Cape is two miles northwest of Oopungnewing, and is in lat. 62° 47' 30" N., long. 65° 20' W.

MEET OLD ACQUAINTANCES.

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vations for latitude, longitude, variation of the compass, etc., as the circumstances would admit.

Between Oo-mer-nung Island and Iron Island—the former in Wiswell Inlet and the latter near Peter Force Sound†—a heavy sea prevailed, rolling in from the northwest, and it was astonishing to see my heavily-laden boat ride so well over the dashing, heaving, irregular waters that came upon us.

Iron Island is an interesting place, and I gave it the name because of the resemblance of its rocks to oxydized iron. Innuit monumental marks, made of the huge bones of the whale, were upon the island. Here also, on our landing, was found an excellent piece of timber—live oak—which probably belonged to the wrecked Traveller, already alluded to. It was dry, and so large and heavy that one of the Innuits could only just carry it. We took it away in the boat to use for fuel; and, on sawing off a portion, I found it as sound as it had ever been.

The place where we determined to make our next or fourth encampment was called by the natives Toong-wine; this I named Jones's Cape, and here we expected to find a settlement of Innuits. Before we reached it a breeze sprung up and helped us on. A snug little harbor appeared ahead, and an Esquimaux was observed on an eminence near the shore eagerly watching us. As we drew near, all the inhabitants appeared to be out on the rocks to await our arrival; and when we landed, such as were able cheerfully assisted in getting up our tents and in other work. Most of those that I now saw were familiar faces. They belonged to the party which I had visited the previous April farther up the bay. But Sampson was now away on a tuktoo hunt. He had recovered from his illness already mentioned; the report of it brought us was doubtless exaggerated, being founded on an incorrect idea of the disease. The old ladies whom I then met— Shelluarping, mother of Kookin, and two of her friends—who were so pleased at my eating with them in the genuine Innuit

*This inlet I name after William Wiswell, of Cincinnati, Ohio. It is on the north side of Frobisher Bay, extending north twelve miles from Oo-mer-nung, a small high island on the east side of the entrance of the inlet, in lat. 62° 50' N., long. 65° 26' W.

† A beautiful sheet of water, mostly surrounded by named by me after Peter Force, of Washington, D. C. is in lat. 62° 55' N., long. 65° 48′ W.

rugged mountains, and thus The entrance to this sound

So named after John D. Jones, of Cincinnati, Ohio. Jones's Cape is in lat. 62° 55′ 30′′ N., long. 65° 45′ W.

style, were here, and gave me a hearty welcome. Ook gooalloo was sick, and I therefore visited him as soon as I could. guided to his tupic by his groans; but when I entered and asked the name of the sufferer before me, I was surprised to learn that it was my old friend, so sadly changed. Sickness seemed unusually prevalent; indeed, the only three men of the place were so feeble that not one of them could go out hunting or sealing.

At this spot were some remarkable monuments of stone, one being in the form of a cross, and about six feet high.

In the evening, being in want of oil for my lamp, I went to Koojesse's tupic to obtain some. There I beheld a scene for a picture:

Koodloo and Charley made search, found seal-blubber, brought it in, and passed it to Suzhi, who was in tuktoo, as I may say— that is, abed. Of course, like all Innuits when in bed, she was entirely nude; but she immediately rose on her elbows, and proceeded to bite off pieces of blubber, chewing them, sucking the oil out, then spirting it into a little cone-like dish, made by inverting the bottom of my broken tin lamp. In this way she obtained with her dental "mill," in less than two minutes, oil enough to