Deer are numerous in its vicinity, musk-oxen also may be found
up Hood's River, and the fine sandy bottom of the bays promises
favourably for fishing with the seine. The hills on the western side are
even in their outline and slope gradually to the water's edge. The rocks
give place to an alluvial sandy soil towards the bottom of the Sound, but
on Banks' Peninsula rocky eminences again prevail which are rugged and
uneven but intersected by valleys, at this time green; along their base
is a fine sandy beach. From Point Wollaston to our encampment the coast
is skirted with trap cliffs which have often a columnar form and are very
difficult of access. These cliffs lie in ranges parallel to the shore and
the deer that we killed were feeding in small marshy grassy plats that
lie in the valleys between them.
Being detained by the continuance of the gale on the 2nd of August some
men were sent out to hunt and the officers visited the tops of the
highest hills to ascertain the best channels to be pursued. The wind
abating at ten P.M. we embarked and paddled round the southern end of the
island and continued our course to the south-east. Much doubt at this
time prevailed as to the land on the right being the main shore or merely
a chain of islands. The latter opinion was strengthened by the broken
appearance of the land and the extensive view we had up Brown's Channel
(named after my friend Mr. Robert Brown) the mouth of which we passed and
were in some apprehension of being led away from the main shore and,
perhaps after passing through a group of islands, of coming to a traverse
greater than we durst venture upon in canoes: on the other hand the
continuous appearance of the land on the north side of the channel and
its tending to the southward excited the fear that we were entering a
deep inlet.
In this state of doubt we landed often and endeavoured, from the summits
of the highest hills adjoining the shore, to ascertain the true nature of
the coast but in vain, and we continued paddling through the channel all
night against a fresh breeze, which at half-past four increased to a
violent gale and compelled us to land. The gale diminished a short time
after noon on the 3rd and permitted us to reembark and continue our
voyage until four P.M., when it returned with its former violence and
finally obliged us to encamp, having come twenty-four miles on a
south-east three-quarter south course.
From the want of driftwood to make a fire we had fasted all day and were
under the necessity in the evening of serving out pemmican, which was
done with much reluctance, especially as we had some fresh deers' meat
remaining. The inlet when viewed from a high hill adjoining to our
encampment exhibited so many arms that the course we ought to pursue was
more uncertain than ever. It was absolutely necessary however to see the
end of it before we could determine that it was not a strait. Starting at
three A.M. on the 4th we paddled the whole day through channels from two
to five or six miles wide, all tending to the southward. In the course of
the day's voyage we ascertained that the land which we had seen on our
right since yesterday morning consisted of several large islands which
have been distinguished by the names of Goulburn, Elliott, and Young, but
the land on our left preserved its unbroken appearance and when we
encamped we were still uncertain whether it was the eastern side of a
deep sound or merely a large island. It differed remarkably from the main
shore, being very rugged, rocky, and sterile, whereas the outline of the
main on the opposite side was even and its hills covered with a
comparatively good sward of grass exhibiting little naked rock. There was
no drift timber but the shores near the encampment were strewed with
small pieces of willow which indicated our vicinity to the mouth of a
river. This fuel enabled us to make a hearty supper from a small deer
killed this evening.
The shallows we passed this day were covered with shoals of capelin, the
angmaggoeuk of the Esquimaux. It was known to Augustus who informed us
that it frequents the coast of Hudson's Bay and is delicate eating. The
course and distance made was south by east-half-east, thirty-three miles.
After paddling twelve miles in the morning of the 5th we had the
mortification to find the inlet terminated by a river, the size of which
we could not ascertain as the entrance was blocked by shoals. Its mouth
lies in latitude 66 degrees 30 minutes North, longitude 107 degrees 53
minutes West. I have named this stream Back as a mark of my friendship
for my associate.* We were somewhat consoled for the loss of time in
exploring this inlet by the success of Junius in killing a musk-ox, the
first we had seen on the coast; and afterwards by the acquisition of the
flesh of a bear that was shot as we were returning up the eastern side in
the evening. The latter proved to be a female in very excellent
condition; and our Canadian voyagers whose appetite for fat meat is
insatiable were delighted.
(*Footnote. From subsequent conversation with the Copper Indians we were
inclined to suppose this may be the Thlueetessy described by Black Meat
mentioned in a former part of the narrative.)
We encamped on the shores of a sandy bay and set the nets and, finding a
quantity of dried willows on the beach, we were enabled to cook the
bear's flesh which was superior to any meat we tasted on the coast.
