Aug. 1858. AGAIN IN DANGER. 137 



During my absence more ice had broken away, involving 

 the ship and almost forcing her on shore. It required every 

 exertion to save her. For two hours she continued in 

 imminent danger, and was only saved by the warping and 

 ice-blasting, by which at last she got clear of the drifting 

 masses, four minutes only before they were crushed up 

 against the rocks ! 



Four Esquimaux came off to the ship in their kayaks, 

 bringing whalebone, narwhals' horns, &c. to barter. Next 

 to handsaws and files, they attached the greatest value to 

 knives and large needles. These men remained on board 

 for nearly two days, and drew several charts for us. Noo-luk 

 explained that seven or eight days' journey to the south- 

 ward there are two wrecks a short day's journey apart. The 

 southern is in an inlet or strait which contains several 

 islands, but there his knowledge of the coast terminates. 

 The man A-ra-neet said he visited these wrecks five winters 

 ago. All of them agreed that it is a very long time since 

 the wrecks arrived upon the coast ; and Noo-luk, who 

 appears to be about forty-five years of age, showed us how 

 tall he was at the time. 



In the 'Narrative of Parry's Second Voyage,' at p. 437, 

 mention is made of the arrival at Igloolik of a sledge con- 

 structed of ship timber and staves of casks ; also of two ships 

 that had been driven on shore, and the crews of which went 

 away in boats. In August, 182 1, nearly two years previous 

 to the arrival of this report through the Esquimaux to Igloolik, 

 the whalers ' Dexterity ' and 'Aurora' were wrecked upon the 

 west coast of Davis' Strait, in lat. 72 , 70 or 80 miles south- 

 ward of Pond's Bay. The old man, Ow-wang-noot, drew 

 the coast-line northwards from Cape Graham Moore to Navy 

 Board Inlet, and pointed out the position of the northern 

 wreck a few miles east of Cape Hay. Had it been con- 



