1875 CAPE YORK. 41 



Hans Heindrich being desirous that his brother-in- 

 law should be allowed to join the Expedition, and think- 

 ing it also important that the Eskimo who live between 

 Cape York and Port Fonlke should be aware of onr 

 presence, I directed Captain Stephenson to proceed to 

 Cape York and endeavour to communicate with the 

 natives. Our consort was speedily hidden from our 

 view behind a vast assemblage of the largest sized 

 bergs, which were thickly crowded together off the 

 cape. Many of them were table-topped and therefore 

 newly launched, most of them were aground. The 

 majority of these icebergs doubtless derived their origin 

 from the great glaciers of Melville Bay, and had been 

 drifted to their present position by the current sweep- 

 ing towards the north and westward, which continues 

 its course as far at least as Hartstene Bay at the 

 entrance to Smith Sound. 



Captain Stephenson found most of the Eskimo, 

 including Hans' brother-in-law, absent from the settle- 

 ment, which was situated on the eastern side of a bay 

 to the eastward of Cape York. While the ' Discovery ' 

 was secured to the land-ice inside the grounded ice- 

 bergs, a female narwhal (Monpdon monoceros), with a 

 well developed tusk, was killed, also a great number of 

 little auks. Seventeen natives, fifteen men and two 

 women, with three dog-sledges, visited the ship. They 

 appeared poorly clad in hooded seal-skin jumpers, and 

 bear-skin trousers cut off at the knees ; wearing nothing 

 underneath, they showed a broad margin of body be- 

 tween the two garments. On being given some of the 

 narwhal they ate it in great quantities, tearing the raw 

 flesh asunder with their teeth. Their hair was long and 



