212 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES 



lean to have been eaten by any but persons who 

 had no choice. 



We paddled along the western shore with the 

 intention of encamping, but were prevented by 

 the want of drift wood on the beach. This in- 

 duced us to make a traverse to an island, where 

 we put up at midnight, having found a small bay, 

 whose shores furnished us with a little fire- wood. 

 A heavy gale came on from the westward, at- 

 tended with constant rain, and one of the squalls 

 overthrew our tents. The course and distance 

 made to-day were north-east sixteen miles and a 

 half. I may here mention, that Arctic Sound 

 appears to be the most convenient, and perhaps 

 the best, place for ships to anchor that we have 

 seen along the coast ; at this season especially, 

 when they might increase their stock of provision, 

 if provided with good marksmen. Deer are nu- 

 merous in its vicinity, musk-oxen also may be 

 found up Hood's River, and the fine sandy bot- 

 tom of the bays promise favourably for fishing 

 with the seine. The hills on the western side 

 are even in their outline and slope gradually to 

 the water's edge. The rocks give place to an 

 alluvial sandy soil, towards the bottom of the 

 Sound ; but on Banks* Peninsula rocky eminences 

 again prevail, which are rugged and uneven, but 

 they are intersected by valleys, now green ; along 



