FROM FLAXMAN ISLAND TO ICY CAPE 345 



howls of a poor animal who had awaked during the night, 

 and, feeling hungry, had tried to get some more food out of the 

 tin, with the result that the tongue froze to the cold iron. 

 But they soon learned the danger, and by the time they had all 



GROUNDED ICE OFF PITT POINT. 



been in trouble on that account they were clever enough to 

 leave the tin alone. 



On November i we passed Pitt Point. The surface was 

 good, but the weather was now very cold, and we had a wind 

 of fifteen to twenty miles an hour, and that blowing right into 

 our faces, which, with a temperature of 33 C. below zero, 

 was anything but pleasant. 



At Pitt Point we saw the heaviest grounded ice we had ever 

 seen, pieces of old ice being forced almost up on shore, forming 

 a dome of clear blue ice about 25 feet high and 100 feet long. 

 We did not dare to trust to luck again over the rather thin ice 

 of Smith's Bay, and so we made up our minds to follow the 

 coast instead. On November 2, just as we were about to camp, 

 we saw some umiaks cached not far away, and we at once went 

 up to look at them, hoping to find people in the immediate 

 neighbourhood. However, we were disappointed ; there was 

 no one there, but natives had been at the place the same day, 

 judging by the fresh tracks we saw round the boats. They had 

 been digging one of them out of the snow and had commenced 

 to take the skin off, but they had not been able to finish before 

 the coming night had forced them to leave the work half done. 

 It was too dark for us to follow the trail, so we curbed our 



