Cheered by the prospect of
returning, showed the utmost alacrity and, paddling with unusual vigour,
carried us across Riley's and Walker's Bays, a distance of twenty miles
before noon, when we landed on Slate-clay Point as the wind had freshened
too much to permit us to continue the voyage. The whole party went to
hunt but returned without success in the evening, drenched with the heavy
rain which commenced soon after they had set out. Several deer were seen
but could not be approached in this naked country and, as our stock of
pemmican did not admit of serving out two meals, we went dinnerless to
bed.
(*Footnote. It is a curious coincidence that our Expedition left Point
Turnagain on August 22 - on the same day that Captain Parry sailed out of
Repulse Bay. The parties were then distant from each other 539 miles.)
Soon after our departure this day a sealed tin-case, sufficiently buoyant
to float, was thrown overboard, containing a short account of our
proceedings and the position of the most conspicuous points. The wind
blew off the land, the water was smooth and, as the sea is in this part
more free from islands than in any other, there was every probability of
its being driven off the shore into the current which, as I have before
mentioned, we suppose, from the circumstance of Mackenzie's River being
the only known stream that brings down the wood we have found along the
shores, to set to the eastward.
August 23.
A severe frost caused us to pass a comfortless night. At two P.M. we set
sail and the men voluntarily launched out to make a traverse of fifteen
miles across Melville Sound before a strong wind and heavy sea. The
privation of food under which our voyagers were then labouring absorbed
every other terror; otherwise the most powerful persuasion could not have
induced them to attempt such a traverse. It was with the utmost
difficulty that the canoes were kept from turning their broadsides to the
waves, though we sometimes steered with all the paddles. One of them
narrowly escaped being overset by this accident, which occurred in a
mid-channel where the waves were so high that the masthead of our canoe
was often hid from the other, though it was sailing within hail.
The traverse however was made; we were then near a high rocky lee shore
on which a heavy surf was beating. The wind being on the beam, the canoes
drifted fast to leeward and, on rounding a point, the recoil of the sea
from the rocks was so great that they were with difficulty kept from
foundering. We looked in vain for a sheltered bay to land in but at
length, being unable to weather another point, we were obliged to put
ashore on the open beach which fortunately was sandy at this spot. The
debarkation was effected fortunately without further injury than
splitting the head of the second canoe, which was easily repaired.
Our encampment being near the spot where we killed the deer on the 11th,
almost the whole party went out to hunt, but returned in the evening
without having seen any game. The berries however were ripe and plentiful
and with the addition of some country tea furnished a supper. There were
some showers in the afternoon and the weather was cold, the thermometer
being 42 degrees, but the evening and night were calm and fine. It may be
remarked that the mosquitoes disappeared when the late gales commenced.
August 24.
Embarking at three A.M. we stretched across the eastern entrance of
Bathurst's Inlet and arrived at an island which I have named after the
Right Honourable Colonel Barry of Newton Barry. Some deer being seen on
the beach the hunters went in pursuit of them and succeeded in killing
three females which enabled us to save our last remaining meal of
pemmican. They saw also some fresh tracks of musk-oxen on the banks of a
small stream which flowed into a lake in the centre of the island. These
animals must have crossed a channel at least three miles wide to reach
the nearest of these islands. Some specimens of variegated pebbles and
jasper were found here embedded in the amygdaloidal rock.
Reembarking at two P.M. and continuing through what was supposed to be a
channel between two islands we found our passage barred by a gravelly
isthmus of only ten yards in width; the canoes and cargoes were carried
across it and we passed into Bathurst's Inlet through another similar
channel bounded on both sides by steep rocky hills. The wind then
changing from South-East to North-West brought heavy rain, and we
encamped at seven P.M. having advanced eighteen miles.
August 25.
Starting this morning with a fresh breeze in our favour we soon reached
that part of Barry's Island where the canoes were detained on the 2nd and
3rd of this month and, contrary to what we then experienced, the deer
were now plentiful. The hunters killed two and relieved us from all
apprehension of immediate want of food. From their assembling at this
time in such numbers on the islands nearest to the coast we conjectured
that they were about to retire to the main shore. Those we saw were
generally females with their young and all of them very lean.
The wind continued in the same direction until we had rounded Point
Wollaston and then changed to a quarter which enabled us to steer for
Hood's River, which we ascended as high as the first rapid and encamped.
Here terminated our voyage on the Arctic Sea during which we had gone
over six hundred and fifty geographical miles.
