A SKATING JOURNEY. 357 



Some nautical miles to tlie east a bright smooth surface 

 glittered, to all appearance an inviting road; which, 

 however, we could only hope to reach by carrying our 

 baggage piecemeal over the chaotic masses ; besides this, 

 we were not at all sure of being able to reach our goal 

 this new way. AVe were already preparing to undertake 

 this troublesome work, when we suddenly heard the 

 grunting and puffing of walruses, and saw their sphynx- 

 like bodies emerge from the supposed icy surface — 

 in reality a watery mirror. There remained, therefore, 

 nothing for us but to retrace our steps for two hours, and 

 seek an outlet along the coast. In this we succeeded : 

 the coast offered much that was geologically interesting ; 

 a scanty intermediate stratum of coal, probably of lias 

 formation, and some petrified wood in dolerite may be 

 mentioned. 



We proceeded along the shore over slippery ice thrown 

 up by the tide. Arrived at the promontory of Borlase 

 Warren, which is a sharp advancing group of rocks, we 

 came upon a number of stranded icebergs, amongst which, 

 we had much trouble in finding a road. We followed 

 the coast, which curved sharply to the west and was 

 covered with the remains of Esquimaux dwellings, until 

 it became more open, though more and more covered 

 with snow ; and after a march of twenty nautical miles, 

 we encamped for the night at the foot of a mountain 

 north of Cape Mary. 



On the 29th of October, at half-past seven a.m., we 

 continued our journey westward ; the weather was lovely 

 (14° Fahr.). Nothing interrupted our march, but an 

 occasional topographical survey. The easterly mountain- 

 range of Clavering Island, with precipitous masses covered 



