158 RAMBLE INLAND. Chap. X. 



Boothian Peninsula, and consequently of the American con- 

 tinent. The south-western angle of Brentford Bay is still 

 covered with unbroken ice. 



This evening we all landed to explore our new ground. 

 Young and Petersen shot some brent geese ; Walker saw 

 two deer, but he was botanising, and had no gun ; others 

 were seen by some of the men, and followed, but without 

 success. 



I enjoyed a delightfully refreshing ramble, a mile or two 

 inland, through a gently ascending valley, then two miles 

 along the narrow margin of a pretty little lake between 

 mountains, beyond which lay a much larger one, four or 

 rive miles in diameter ; this farther lake was only partially 

 divested of its winter ice. Here there was enough of vege- 

 tation to tint the craggy hill-sides and to make the sheltered 

 hollows absolutely green, therefore the scenery was beautiful 

 as well as grand ; deer-tracks and the footprints of wild fowl 

 were everywhere numerous along the water-side. I saw two 

 decayed skulls of musk oxen, and circles of stones by the 

 little lake, doubtless at some remote period the summer 

 residence of wandering Esquimaux : hence I infer that fish 

 abound in the lake, and that this valley is a favourite deer- 

 pass. 



But the contemplation of these objects, although agree- 

 able, was not the object of my solitary ramble : I came on 

 shore to enjoy calm and earnest reflection, on the progress 

 and the prospects of our campaign. We hoped very soon 

 to enter an unknown sea : discoveries would be made, 

 various contingencies arise, and we must be prepared to 

 meet them. 



Yesterday Petersen shot an immense bearded seal ; it 

 sank, but floated up an hour afterwards. This animal 

 measured 8 feet long, and weighed about 500 lbs. We 

 prefer its flesh to that of the small seals, and its blubber 



