90 



CHAPTER IV. 



Frozen in. Sledge Travelling. AValrus Shot. Habits of the Walrus. 

 Village Point. Esquimaux Hut. Deceived by Mirage. Tent 

 Equipage. The Sentinel. Ice Accumulations. An Intruder. 

 Exmouth Island. Rejoining of the Party. Nip and Piling Ice. 

 Quit Exmouth Island. North Cornwall. 



THE position which we had taken up will be best under- 

 stood from the small plan of Northumberland Sound, 

 of which a very rapid survey was made during the pro- 

 gress of feeling our way, preparatory to more decided 

 exploration. 



Our anchorage, although very nearly land-locked, was 

 very capacious, and afforded great scope for heavy masses 

 of ice to play their pranks. But I consider our principal 

 safeguard from any such visitation consisted in the tidal 

 stream, which set directly parallel to the chord of the 

 bay between our outer point of the peninsula and the 

 opposite southern horn of the bay ; and the motion of the 

 ice from the westward would be further impeded by a 

 long shoal islet, stretching well out to the northward of 

 the great island, and flanked by a smaller one within, on 

 which they all appeared to expend their impetus. The 

 outer point of the peninsula (called Mount Beaufort) was 



