Oct. 1858. ENTER WINTER QUARTERS. 175 



steaming and working we penetrated only 100 yards ; how- 

 ever, we are in an excellent position, although our wintering 

 place will be farther out by a quarter of a mile than I 

 intended. 



To-day we are unbending sails and laying up the engines 

 — uncertainty no longer exists — here we are compelled to 

 remain ; and if we have not been as successful in our 

 voyaging as a month ago we had good reason to expect, 

 we may still hope that Fortune will smile upon our more 

 humble, yet more arduous, pedestrian explorations — " Hope 

 on, hope ever." In the meantime the sudden transition, 

 from mental and physical wear and tear, of no ordinary 

 description, to the absolute security and quiet of winter 

 quarters, is an immense relief. 



2nd Oct. — Mr. Petersen has shot two very fine bucks; 

 one is a magnificent fellow, weighing 354 lbs. (minus the 

 paunch). Several deer have been seen; they come from 

 tire N. along the slopes of the eastern hills. An ermine 

 came on board a few nights ago and kept the dogs in a 

 violent state of excitement, being much too wary to come 

 out from under the boat to be caught by them ; at length 

 one of the men secured it. This beautiful little animal does 

 not appear to be full grown; its extreme length is 13 inches. 

 Two others came off to the ship, and to our great amuse- 

 ment eluded the men who gave chase, by darting into the 

 soft snow — which is now a foot deep— and reappearing 

 several yards off. 



It is remarkable that although the Greenlanders know 

 the musk ox and wolf by name, yet these animals do not 

 exist in Greenland ; neither do the ermine nor lemming, so 

 common here and even upon the west shore of Baffin's 

 Bay; there is also a fifth animal, the wolverine, unknown in 

 Greenland, though found in Boothia, but not, I believe, 

 further to the north. 



