Part 7 (2/2)
As the sun had acquired too much power for travelling comfortably during the day-time, I stopped early so as to be able to continue our journey about midnight. Our snow hut was built near a small creek, in lat.i.tude 68 58' N., longitude 89 42' W. The coast had become low and flat, with a few fragments of limestone and granite boulders showing themselves occasionally above the snow. The thermometer exposed to the sun's rays rose to +37. A little snow fell in the evening.
On the morning of the 25th there was some more snow with a temperature of -7. We did not commence our march until some hours later than I had expected. The direction of the land continued nearly north for eight miles; it then turned off to the north-east, and continued so until we stopped at noon, in lat.i.tude by observation 69 14' 37” N., longitude by account 89 18' 18” W. The tracks of a large Polar bear and of some lemmings were noticed this day.
26th.--The morning was dark and cloudy when we started at 20 minutes after one. When just about to set out, we were joined by the poor dog we had left behind. He had grown into much better condition, although he was still unable to haul. I may here add that he afterwards quite recovered, and was the only one of our stock that I took to England with me.
Our course for seven miles was east, and then turned off S.E. by S.
forming a cape, which was named Chapman, after one of the Directors of the Hudson's Bay Company.
We continued walking on, in nearly a straight line, for 11 miles, when our dogs became tired, and we encamped an hour before noon, in lat.i.tude by observation 69 5' 35” N., variation 81 50' W., longitude by account 88 43' W. At 11 P.M. we recommenced our march, the weather being beautiful, and the temperature -8.
27th.--The coast trended in exactly the same direction as that we had pa.s.sed during the latter part of the preceding day's journey; the walking was in general good, and our dogs were every day recovering their strength. A single rock grouse (_tetrao rupestris_) was seen, but so shy that we could not get a shot at it. Many traces of foxes, and the recent foot-marks of a large white bear, were also seen. We kept a sharp out-look for the latter, with the hopes of getting a few steaks out of him, but he did not show himself. There was a high wall of broken ice all along the sh.o.r.e here, which may be readily accounted for by the direction of the coast, which, by contracting the bay, is exposed to the pressure of the ice coming from the northward. Fortunate it was for us that we had got some oil and seals' blubber, for there was not a bit of anything in the shape of fuel to be seen along this barren sh.o.r.e. The weather having become too warm, about 11 A.M., we stopped in lat.i.tude, by observation, 68 51' N., longitude by account 88 6' W.
The morning of the 28th was particularly fine, with a temperature of 15 below zero. For eight miles our course was the same as that of the day before, but the land now turned gradually to the southward, and finally to about a south-by-west direction. At noon the sun had become so warm, that we were compelled to encamp for the day. At three miles from where we had stopped, we pa.s.sed a small bay, about 1 mile wide, the only indentation of the coast we had seen since leaving Pelly Bay. Our lat.i.tude by meridian observation was 68 32' 40” N., variation of the compa.s.s 70 55' W., and our longitude by account 88 2' W.
29th.--We resumed our march at a little after 11 P.M. on the 28th. The weather was calm, but cloudy, with the temperature -3. The line of coast now ran nearly south, and after a walk of five miles we came to a narrow point, extending two miles to the eastward. We then crossed a bay about 1 mile wide, and arrived at another point of nearly the same dimensions, both formed of mud and s.h.i.+ngle. These I named respectively after James and Robert Clouston, two intimate friends.
Four miles further brought us opposite to a small low island, half a mile from the sh.o.r.e, and at a short distance beyond this we came to a small bay upwards of a mile wide. A little before noon we stopped to build our snow hut. The day was now warm, the thermometer having risen as high as +55 in the sun, and +18 in the shade. One of our best dogs got lamed by putting his foot into a crack in the ice. We saw the smoke of open water at no great distance, and heard the ice making a loud noise as it was driven along with the tide. There were numerous traces of foxes, and the tracks of a band of deer, with a wolverine in pursuit, were noticed. The lat.i.tude of our position was 68 15' N., variation 75 52' W., and longitude by account 88 5' 36” W.
30th.--We started at half-past nine the previous night, with clear weather and a fresh breeze from west, which, with a temperature of -8, made our already frost-bitten faces smart severely. After a few miles'
walk, we rounded a low spit of land, which had been hid from our view by the rough ice on our outward journey, and which I now named Point Anderson. Between this point and Cape Barclay, of which we now got sight, there is a narrow bay running up to the northward two or three miles.
We had a great quant.i.ty of rough ice to scramble over, which, however fatiguing, afforded some amus.e.m.e.nt, as the ridiculous positions in which we were sometimes placed gave abundant food for mirth to those who were disposed to look at every thing in the most favourable light.
About midnight the weather became very stormy, so much so indeed that we had great difficulty in keeping the proper course, which was now to the north west, for the purpose of picking up the pemmican, &c. which we had deposited on the sh.o.r.e of Keith Bay on the 12th. On reaching the west side of the bay at 3 A.M. I found that we were not more than a hundred yards from where our ”cache” was placed, which we found quite safe.
Ivitchuk and the boy having lagged behind, we removed a quant.i.ty of snow, and took possession of our old snow hut to wait for them. After staying for an hour we resumed our journey, thinking that our companions might have taken a shorter route across the bay; and this we found to be the case. It had been cold and stormy during the greater part of the night; but at 8 h. 30 m. A.M., when we encamped opposite Cape Beaufort, the weather had become beautiful.
The whole of the coast which we had traced during the last seven days, as far as Cape Barclay, was low and flat, with neither rock nor hill to interrupt the sameness of the landscape. It was named Simpson's Peninsula after Sir George Simpson, the able and enterprising Governor of the Hudson's Bay Company's territories, who projected and planned the expedition, and to whose zeal in the cause of discovery Arctic travellers have been so often and so much indebted.
During the remainder of our journey homewards, having followed as nearly as possible our outward route, we met with little of any interest. We reached our encampment of the 9th of April on the 1st of May, and found our ”cache” of provisions quite safe. We had now an abundant stock of food, nor were we sorry to exchange the seals' flesh and blood, on which we had been subsisting for eight days past, for pemmican and flour. It is true that during that time we had supped on a few dried salmon, which were so old and mouldy that the water in which they were boiled became quite green. Such, however, is the advantage of hard work and short commons, that we enjoyed that change of food as much as if it had been one of the greatest delicacies. Both the salmon, and the water in which they were cooked, were used to the last morsel and drop, although I firmly believe that a moderately well fed dog would not have tasted either.
We now saw numerous tracks of rein-deer, all proceeding in a N.E.
direction towards Melville Peninsula. Early on the morning of the 3rd of May we arrived at the small lake near Point Hargrave, on which we had encamped on the 7th of April; much of the snow had disappeared from the ground in the neighbourhood, and the marmots had already cleared out the entrances to their burrows, and recommenced their life of activity for the summer season. Not an hour now pa.s.sed without our seeing deer; but they were extremely shy, and the only benefit we received from them was the life and spirit their presence infused into our dogs.
The night of the 4th was very unpleasant, there being much snow and drift, which prevented us from seeing the ridges of snow which occurred frequently on our path, and which being very hard and slippery, caused us many falls. At half-past 1 on the morning of the 5th we reached some old Esquimaux dwellings on the border of Christie Lake, about fifteen miles from Fort Hope, in one of which we took up our temporary abode. At 2 P.M. on the same day we were again on the march, and arrived at our home at 8 h. 30 m. P.M. all well, but so black and scarred on the face from the combined effects of oil, smoke, and frost bites, that our friends would not believe but that some serious accident from the explosion of gunpowder had happened to us. Thus successfully terminated a journey little short of 600 English miles, the longest, I believe, ever made on foot along the Arctic coast.
During our absence every thing, had gone on prosperously at winter quarters. The people had been all in good health, and the wound in Ouligbuck's arm had healed up, but the limb had not yet acquired much strength. When I set out on the 5th of April there was but a very small quant.i.ty of venison in store, so that I was afraid that Folster (the man left in charge) would be forced to use pemmican, which substantial article I wished to save as much as possible for future contingencies.
Fortunately the Esquimaux brought a little venison to barter, which, with an occasional deer killed by the hunters, kept the party in food; although the store at one time was so empty, that they were compelled to have a dinner of tongues, which (except in case of necessity) were to be kept for journeys. As the weather in the latter part of April became stormy, and the deer numerous, the hunters were more successful, and there was no further scarcity. Ouligbuck had, notwithstanding the wound in his arm, killed four deer, and sixteen more had been shot by Nibitabo and some others of the party; so that the meat store was well stocked when I arrived; and well that it was so, for we were as ravenous as wolves, and I believe ate more than would have been good for us had our food been anything but venison, which is so digestible that a person may eat almost any quant.i.ty without feeling any bad effects from it.
May commenced with a beautiful day, the thermometer being above zero, and continuing so throughout. This was the only day for many months past that the negative scale of the thermometer had not been registered. On the 3rd s...o...b..rds were seen, and marmots had some time before emerged from their winter quarters.
The Esquimaux, with the exception of one or two families, had built their snow huts within a quarter of a mile of our house, where they had been living for more than a week. They had almost all behaved well, and were commended accordingly. They had not yet commenced seal hunting, but were to do so as soon as the seals came up on the ice; in the meantime they were catching deer in snow traps made by digging holes in the snow, and covering them with thin slabs of the same material. Wolves are often taken in a similar manner; but for them the hole requires to be not less than eight or nine feet deep, and after it is covered with a thin plate of hard snow (on the centre of which a bait is laid), a wall is built round it, over which it is necessary for the wolf to leap, before he can reach the bait. He does so, and falls to the bottom of the pit, which is too narrow to give him room to make a spring to the top.
I may now say a few words about our travelling companion Ivitchuk, who had behaved well throughout the journey. We found him always willing and obedient, and generally lively and cheerful except when very tired, which was frequently the case, as he had not been accustomed to travel so many days consecutively. He accommodated himself easily to our manners and customs in every respect, living as we did, though he would swallow a piece of seal's blubber now and then as a delicacy. What surprised me most was, that he was by no means a very great eater, being often satisfied with as little as any of the party. Tea and chocolate were favorite beverages with him, and he had learned to smoke his pipe as regularly as if he had been accustomed to it all his life. He picked up a few words of English, which he made use of whenever he thought they were applicable, and was very anxious to be taught to read and write. As he, like the rest of the party, was much thinner than when he commenced the journey, he had made up his mind to do nothing during the remainder of the spring but eat, drink, and sleep, a determination to which I believe he most strictly adhered. It was with no small pride that he received a gun and some ammunition, as a reward for his services; and a few presents to his wife, one of the best looking of the fair s.e.x of Repulse Bay, made the pair quite happy, although it was said that the lady had not behaved very well to her liege lord during his absence, having taken unto herself another husband named Ou-plik; but probably the good man knew nothing, or cared little, about it.
Part of the men were now every day occupied in sc.r.a.ping among the snow for moss and heather, of which a sufficient quant.i.ty was procured to keep the kettle boiling.
On Sunday the 9th divine service was read, and thanks offered to the Almighty for having guided us in safety through the late journey. Many Esquimaux were present, who conducted themselves with propriety.
<script>