﻿286 DKTFT ICE. August, 



of flood is one hundred yards wide. I have 

 mentioned, in the preceding narrative, that when 

 we visited Fort Good Hope, no rain had fallen 

 there this season, and a few short showers only 

 occurred after we came to the coast. The banks 

 of this stream gave further evidence of the dryness 

 of the summer, in the clayey soil being cracked 

 every where into round flat cakes, on which the 

 foot-prints of geese, which had walked over them 

 wdiile yet muddy from the melting snow, were 

 sharply impressed. Were such a surface to be 

 covered by drift-sand, the foot-prints might be 

 preserved as in the ancient sandstones. In the 

 present instance the winter frosts set in without 

 any heavy rains having fallen to obliterate the 

 traces, which would consequently remain hard until 

 the following spring. 



Mr. Rae brought in two fine rein-deer, and 

 several seals also were killed ; but none of the 

 men relishing the dark flesh of the seals, while 

 they had abundance of excellent venison, I gave 

 directions that no more should be shot. A meri- 

 dional altitude was obtained in lat. 69° 19^' N. 



To-day we passed through much drift-ice by very 

 devious channels, and not without risk of the boats 

 being crushed, but fortunately without damage. 

 Croker's River issues from a triangular, level valley, 

 three or four miles wide at the beach, and extending 



