Part 8 (1/2)
CHAPTER VII.
Preparations for exploring the coast of Melville Peninsula--Outfit--Leave Fort Hope--Pa.s.s over numerous lakes--Guide at fault--Dease Peninsula--Arrive at the sea--Fatigue party sent back to Fort Hope--Barrier of ice--Lefroy Bay--Large island named after the Prince of Wales--Detained by stormy weather--Short allowance--Cape Lady Simpson--Selkirk Bay--Snow knee-deep--Capes Finlayson and Sibbald--Deer shot--A cooking scene--Favourite native relish--Again stopped by stormy weather--Cape M'Loughlin--Two men left to hunt and fish--Cape Richardson--Chain of islands--Garry Bay--Prince Albert range of hills--Cape Arrowsmith--Coast much indented--Baker Bay--Provisions fail--Proceed with one man--Cape Crozier--Parry Bay--Cape Ellice, the farthest point seen--Take possession--Commence our return--No provisions procured by the men left behind--Short commons--Flock of cranes--Snow-blindness--Arrive at Repulse Bay.
On the 12th of May preparations were commenced for a journey along the west side of Melville Peninsula. In expectation of falling in with much rough ice, I determined on taking dogs only for the first three days of the journey. The party was to consist of Corrigal (our snow-house builder), Folster, Matheson, and Mineau, with Ouligbuck as deer-hunter and interpreter. A fatigue party of two men, and an Esquimaux with a sledge and good team of dogs, were to accompany us for three days, which I supposed would be the time required to reach the coast.
Our provisions for the journey were two bags of pemmican, each 90 lbs., 70 reindeer tongues weighing nearly 30 lbs., 36 lbs. flour, and a little tea, chocolate, and sugar. We took also a gallon and a half of alcohol and a small quant.i.ty of oil.
Leaving George Flett in charge at Fort Hope, we started at 10 P.M. on the 13th of May, and directed our course towards a chain of lakes in nearly a due north direction. Although the snow was soft, and we had some rather steep rising grounds to pa.s.s over, we made good progress, and after crossing six small lakes we came to some high table-land, on which the snow was very deep, and in which the sledge sank very much. A walk of four miles brought us to another lake of considerable size. A little after 6 A.M. on the 14th, we found some snow huts that had been inhabited during part of the winter by the Esquimaux Ecouchi, and soon had one of them cleared out for the accommodation of the party.
Although we had not travelled much more than twenty miles, Ouligbuck was so fatigued that I determined to send him back with those who were to return to Repulse Bay. We saw no game and only very few tracks of deer.
The weather was so cloudy that no meridian observation of the sun could be obtained. Our lat.i.tude was 66 52' N., and longitude 86 46' W., both by account.
We resumed our march at 9 P.M. on the 14th, the night being calm, with a little snow falling. A brisk walk of two miles to the N.W. brought us to the end of the lake, when we followed the bed of a small stream to the northward for five miles. Two narrow lakes were next traversed, when our guide, who appeared to know little about the proper route, led us to the N.W.; and after crossing five lakelets, and as many short portages, at half-past 6 A.M. we came to a body of water about the size of that near which we had encamped the day before. Here we stopped for the day. The ice on this lake was six feet thick, and gave the men much trouble to cut through it. There was very little fuel to be found; we were therefore obliged to burn part of the small quant.i.ty of oil we had taken with us. By a meridian observation our lat.i.tude was 67 5' 3” N., variation of the compa.s.s 53 30' W., and longitude by account 87 8' 54”
W. The west side of the creek, and also of the lakes which we pa.s.sed over this day, was steep and rocky, although not high; the east sides were more sloping.
It was near 10 o'clock at night when we commenced our journey. After an hour's walk we came to the north end of the lake, but our young Esquimaux never having been here before (which was rather surprising, as his usual winter home was not more than ten miles distant), was quite at a loss what direction to take. It would have been quite easy for me to have made a straight course by compa.s.s, but by doing so we were very likely to get among ground so uneven, as to be impa.s.sable to the dogs and sledge. We now turned to the east of north, and after crossing a number of small lakes, arrived at the sea (which here formed a deep inlet) at a few minutes before midnight. Proceeding down the inlet, which for a couple of leagues was not more than half a mile wide, with steep rocky sh.o.r.es (in some places precipitous), we came to rough ice, and found that there were apparently two openings leading to the northward. I chose the one to the left, but we had not gone more than a mile-and-a-half, when we found that we were in an arm of the inlet, and that the land to the north of us, which I had supposed to be an island, was joined to the mainland by an isthmus not more than 50 yards wide.
This peninsula I named after P. W. Dease, Esq., the able leader, in conjunction with T. Simpson, of the expeditions which explored so large a portion of the Arctic sh.o.r.es in 1837, 1838, and 1839.
Retracing our steps, we now followed the opening to the right, in which there were great quant.i.ties of rough ice, over which we advanced but slowly. The inlet (to which I had given the name of Cameron, after a friend), soon became broader and the ice less rough. At 7 A.M. on the 16th we arrived at the Cape, which last autumn had been named after the late Thomas Simpson, whose agreeable duty it would have been, had he survived, to accomplish the survey which I was now endeavouring to bring to a successful termination. The sh.o.r.es here were very barren, there being little or no vegetation to be seen, except small patches in the crevices of the rocks. In a small lake near our encampment, from which we obtained water, the ice was found to be five feet thick. A sufficient quant.i.ty of fuel was gathered to boil our kettle, and two hares were shot by Corrigal. We here made a ”cache” of some pemmican, flour, &c.
for our return journey. Our snow hut was built on the south side of the cape, under shelter of rocks, near which there were two small islands.
The sledge was to be sent back to Repulse Bay from this place, and with it Ouligbuck, who from his inability to walk would have been an inc.u.mbrance to us. The weather was so cloudy that no observation could be obtained. Our lat.i.tude by account was 67 22' (which I afterwards found by observation to be nearly three miles too far north), longitude 87 3' W. The whole of these three days' journeys had been measured with a well stretched line, but this we could not expect to carry on further, as each person would have enough to do with his load.
Bidding adieu to our companions who were to return to Fort Hope, we commenced our journey at half-past 8 P.M., each of my men being laden with about 70 lbs., whilst I carried my instruments, books, and some other articles, weighing altogether 40 lbs. This was but a light burden for me, but as I had to examine different objects on the route, and also to lead the way, I found it quite enough.
As soon as we had fairly rounded Cape T. Simpson, the coast turned to the eastward, and became indented with narrow but deep inlets, all of which were packed full of rough ice. Walking became most difficult. At one moment we sank nearly waist-deep in snow, at another we were up to our knees in salt water, and then again on a piece of ice so slippery that, with our wet and frozen shoes, it was impossible to keep from falling. Sometimes we had to crawl out of a hole on all fours like some strange-looking quadrupeds; at other times falling backwards we were so hampered by the weight of our loads, that it was impossible to rise without throwing them off, or being a.s.sisted by one of our companions.
We therefore found it better to follow the sh.o.r.es of the inlets than to cross them, although by doing so we had double the distance to go over.
Numerous traces of hares were seen, but we could not afford to lose time in following them.
After pa.s.sing four inlets having some small islands lying outside of them, we came to a rocky point rather higher than any we had yet met with on this side of the bay. The coast to the eastward of Point Cowie (so named after an old friend) became more level, and instead of granite, was covered with mud, s.h.i.+ngle, and fragments of limestone. At half-past 3 A.M., all of us being sufficiently tired with our night's work, we built our snow hut and a small kitchen for cooking. This was our usual practice when we had found, or were likely to find, fuel. In the present instance, we had the good fortune to collect enough to boil a kettle of chocolate, and we consequently enjoyed an excellent supper, if I may so term a meal taken about six in the morning.
The weather had been fine until midnight, when it began to snow and drift, with a strong breeze from the north. Thermometer +13. At noon the sky was too much overcast to obtain an observation. Our lat.i.tude was 67 24' 20” N., longitude 86 37' W. both by account.
When we resumed our journey, at 7 o'clock in the evening of the 17th, there was still a strong breeze from N.N.W. with snow drift, the temperature being +18. Our snow hut of the previous day we now found to be on the sh.o.r.e of a large bay, the most distant point of which bore nearly due north. To follow the coast would have cost us a great deal of additional walking; I therefore determined to attempt the traverse of the bay towards the point above referred to. All along the coast there was a belt of rough ice about two miles broad, over which we were forced to pa.s.s before reaching some that appeared smoother outside. To cross this barrier occupied us more than two hours, and gave us more violent exercise than all the remainder of the day's journey. It was half-past 3 A.M. when we arrived at the north point of the bay, which was low and level, with some hills a few hundred feet high, three or four miles inland. We had pa.s.sed two small rocky islands to seaward in the first part of the night, and there was another close to a bluff point on the south side of the bay. To this cape I gave the name of Watt. The bay was called after Lieut. (now Captain) Lefroy of the Royal Artillery, whose name is well known to the scientific world, and of whose kindness in aiding me in my astronomical studies I retain a most grateful remembrance.
We crossed over to Cape W. Mactavish (so named after William Mactavish, Esquire, chief trader, an intimate friend, to whom I am much indebted for a.s.sisting me in fitting out the expedition,) and stopped about three miles beyond it. Here we built our snow hut, which was found by meridian observation to be in lat.i.tude 67 42' 22” N.; the variation of the compa.s.s 80 35' W., and the longitude by account 86 30' W. Directly opposite our encampment, and extending for about seventeen miles to the northward of it, there was a large island of table land, with not a single rock _in situ_ to be seen on it. Its southern extremity bore nearly west (true) from us, and the strait which separated it from the mainland was not more than a mile and a half wide. This island was honoured with the name of His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, and a smaller one to the south of it was named after Colonel Sabine.
Not a single living animal had been seen all day, but some traces of deer proceeding northward were noticed. We were again fortunate enough to find a little fuel.
Our route on the following night was nearly straight in a N.N.E.
direction. The snow was very soft and deep in many places. A few hundred yards from the beach there were steep banks covered with s.h.i.+ngle and small boulders of granite, where we usually found the snow less deep, and walking consequently better. After travelling nine miles we came to a considerable creek, about twenty yards wide, in which a deep channel had been worn among the mud and s.h.i.+ngle. Near it there were numerous Esquimaux marks set up, and circular tent sites, but all of old date. We continued our march twelve miles further, and at 8 A.M. arrived at another creek somewhat larger than the last, and with higher banks. Here there were also many Esquimaux marks, and I afterwards learned that some parties had resorted hither from Repulse Bay, for the purpose of catching salmon, trout, &c. About an hour before reaching this place we crossed a long and curiously shaped point, which I named Point Hamilton after a near relative. The bay formed by it was called Erlandson.
One of the men, although an able active fellow, not being used to this sort of exercise, was much fatigued; and as the weather looked threatening, I ordered our snow-house to be built--the more readily as there was fuel to be found. In little more than a hour and a half we were comfortably housed, and not long afterwards we had taken our usual morning meal of pemmican seasoned with a handful of flour, those forming, when boiled together, a very nouris.h.i.+ng and not unpalatable dish. The temperature all night had been 22 above zero, being too warm for walking pleasantly; and the men, having had to exert themselves much, were glad to get to rest as soon as possible, whilst I remained up to obtain a meridian observation of the sun. This gave lat.i.tude 67 58'
49” N. Our longitude by account was 85 59' 36” W. The sun was too much obscured by clouds to obtain the variation. We here deposited some pemmican and a little flour for our return journey.
When we started at 8 h. 30 m. P.M. on the 19th it blew a gale of wind from S.S.E. with much drift and snow, the temperature being only 4 below the freezing point. Fortunately the wind was on our backs; but the drift was so thick that we were obliged to follow every turn of the coast, and we could not see more than twenty yards before us. When we had travelled six miles we came to a bay a mile and a half wide, on the north sh.o.r.e of which there were two strangely shaped rocks of granite, having the appearance of an old ruin or portion of a fortress. They were of a square form, each about twenty-five feet high and nearly as much in extent.
Our course now lay due north; but we had not gone more than twelve miles altogether, when the weather became so unpleasant that we were glad to get under shelter, and before we did so, every part of our clothes was penetrated with snow drift. We could obtain no fuel here.