At two this morning the hunters returned with two small deer and a brown
bear.
Augustus and Junius arrived at the same time, having traced the
river twelve miles farther up without discovering any vestige of
inhabitants. We had now an opportunity of gratifying our curiosity
respecting the bear so much dreaded by the Indians, and of whose strength
and ferocity we had heard such terrible accounts. It proved to be a lean
male of a yellowish brown colour and not longer than a common black bear.
It made a feeble attempt to defend itself and was easily despatched. The
flesh was brought to the tent but, our fastidious voyagers supposing,
from its leanness, that the animal had been sickly, declined eating it;
the officers however being less scrupulous boiled the paws and found them
excellent.
We embarked at ten A.M. and, proceeding down the river, took on board
another deer that had been killed by Credit that evening. We then ran
along the eastern shore of Arctic Sound, distinguished by the name of
Banks' Peninsula in honour of the late Right Honourable Sir Joseph Banks,
President of the Royal Society and, rounding Point Wollaston at its
eastern extremity, opened another extensive sheet of water, and the
remainder of the afternoon was spent in endeavouring to ascertain from
the tops of the hills whether it was another bay or merely a passage
enclosed by a chain of islands. Appearances rather favouring the latter
opinion we determined on proceeding through it to the southward. During
the delay four more deer were killed, all young and lean. It appeared
that the coast is pretty well frequented by reindeer at this season, but
it was rather singular that hitherto we had killed none (excepting the
first) but young ones of last season which were all too lean to have been
eaten by any but persons who had no choice.
We paddled along the western shore with the intention of encamping but
were prevented by the want of driftwood on the beach. This induced us to
make a traverse to an island where we put up at midnight, having found a
small bay whose shores furnished us with a little firewood. A heavy gale
came on from the westward attended with constant rain, and one of the
squalls overthrew our tents. The course and distance made this day were
north-east sixteen miles and a half. I may here mention that Arctic Sound
appeared the most convenient and perhaps the best place for ships to
anchor that we had seen along the coast, at this season especially, when
they might increase their stock of provision, if provided with good
marksmen. 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.
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