236 EXAMINE POND'S BAY. [August, 



the ' North Star :' she had, on her former visit in 1850, 

 parted her cable, leaving an anchor behind ; during the 

 process of aiding her, on parting a second time, on this 

 visit, her warps fouled the lost anchor, which was reco- 

 vered and substituted. 



Eventually, we succeeded in extricating the vessels, 

 and steered for Pond's Bay, off which, not choosing to 

 incur further risk, I left the sailing vessels, and steamed 

 in to search for natives. After a very diligent inspection, 

 without finding natives or any traces of recent visitors, I 

 examined the watercourse and valley, where the remains 

 of an old village stood. In one of the huts, similar in 

 every respect to those examined by me at Village Point 

 (referred to in page 96, Vol. I.), and evidently constructed 

 by a tribe of similar habits, I found a skull, an English 

 knife, and an iron-tinned spoon, rolled up in a fur and 

 bird-skin dress. These were brought to England ; but 

 the skull having been declared by Professor Owen to be 

 that of a female, destroyed any possible connection with 

 our countrymen, notwithstanding appearances about the 

 teeth and gums would otherwise have indicated disease 

 to which civilized beings are more disposed. 



The watercourse was unfrozen, and at this period ran 

 in a full clear stream, very convenient for watering, and 

 had moreover at its mouth an artificial dock where a 

 boat could safely lie. One cask-stave with the broad 

 arrow, and several preserved meat tins, denoted either 

 the visit of a vessel of war or the plunder from Navy 

 Board Inlet, with which this creek doubtless communi- 

 cates by inland navigation. 



Steaming out, we rejoined our consorts, and, taking 



