Soon afterwards we landed on
an island where the Esquimaux had erected a stage of drift timber, and
stored up many of their fishing implements and winter sledges, together
with a great many dressed seal, musk-ox, and deer skins. Their spears,
headed with bone and many small articles of the same material, were
worked with extreme neatness, as well as their wooden dishes and cooking
utensils of stone, and several articles, very elegantly formed of bone,
were evidently intended for some game, but Augustus was unacquainted with
their use. We took from this deposit four seal-skins to repair our shoes
and left in exchange a copper-kettle, some awls and beads.
We paddled all day along the coast to the eastward on the inside of a
crowded range of islands and saw very little ice; the blink of it however
was visible to the northward, and one small iceberg was seen at a
distance. A tide was distinguishable among the islands by the foam
floating on the water but we could not ascertain its direction. In the
afternoon St. Germain killed on an island a fat deer which was a great
acquisition to us; it was the first we had seen for some months in good
condition.
Having encamped on the main shore after a run of thirty-seven miles we
set up a pole to ascertain the rise and fall of the water, which was
repeated at every halting-place, and Hepburn was ordered to attend to the
result. We found the coast well covered with vegetation of moderate
height, even in its outline, and easy of approach. The islands are rocky
and barren, presenting high cliffs of a columnar structure. I have named
the westernmost group of those we passed Berens' Isles in honour of the
Governor of the Hudson's Bay Company, and the easternmost Sir Graham
Moore's Islands. At the spot where we landed some mussel-shells and a
single piece of seaweed lay on the beach; this was the only spot on the
coast where we saw shells. We were rejoiced to find the beach strewed
with abundance of small driftwood none of it recent.
It may be remarked that the Copper-Mine River does not bring down any
driftwood, nor does any other known stream except Mackenzie's River,
hence from its appearance on this part of the coast an easterly current
may be inferred. This evening we were all in high glee at the progress we
had made; the disappearance of the ice and the continuance of the land in
an eastern direction and our future prospects formed an enlivening
subject of conversation. The thermometer varied during the day between 43
and 45 degrees. The fishing-nets were set but produced nothing.
On the 22nd we embarked at four A.M. and, having the benefit of a light
breeze, continued our voyage along the coast under sail until eleven when
we halted to breakfast and to obtain the latitude. The coast up to this
point presented the same general appearance as yesterday, namely a
gravelly or sandy beach skirted by green plains, but as we proceeded the
shore became exceedingly rocky and sterile and at last, projecting
considerably to the northward, it formed a high and steep promontory.
Some ice had drifted down upon this cape which we feared might check our
progress but, as the evening was fine, we ventured upon pushing the
canoes through the small channels formed among it. After pursuing this
kind of navigation with some danger and more anxiety we landed and
encamped on a smooth rocky point whence we perceived with much
satisfaction that the ice consisted only of detached pieces which would
be removed by the first breeze. We sounded in seventeen fathoms close to
the shore this day. The least depth ascertained by the lead since our
departure from the river was six fathoms, and any ship might pass safely
between the islands and the main. The water is of a light green colour
but not very clear and much less salt than that of the Atlantic, judging
from our recollection of its taste. In the course of the day we saw geese
and ducks with their young and two deer, and experienced very great
variations of temperature from the light breezes blowing alternately from
the ice and the land. The name of Lawford's Islands was bestowed on a
group we passed in the course of the day as a mark of my respect for
Vice-Admiral Lawford, under whose auspices I first entered the naval
service.
A fresh breeze blowing through the night had driven the ice from the land
and opened a channel of a mile in width; we therefore embarked at nine
A.M. to pursue our journey along the coast but, at the distance of nine
miles were obliged to seek shelter in Port Epworth, the wind having
become adverse and too strong to admit of our proceeding. The Tree River
of the Esquimaux which discharges its waters into this bay appears to be
narrow and much interrupted by rapids. The fishing-nets were set but
obtained only one white-fish and a few bull-heads. This part of the coast
is the most sterile and inhospitable that can be imagined. One trap-cliff
succeeds another with tiresome uniformity and their debris cover the
narrow valleys that intervene, to the exclusion of every kind of herbage.
From the summit of these cliffs the ice appeared in every direction.
We obtained the following observations during our stay: latitude 67
degrees 42 minutes 15 seconds North, longitude 112 degrees 30 minutes 00
seconds West, variation 47 degrees 37 minutes 42 seconds East.
The wind abating, at eight P.M. we reembarked and soon afterwards
discovered on an island a reindeer, which the interpreters fortunately
killed.
