ACROSS ELLESMERE LAND. 



123 



Our trip was not destined to be, by any means, as easy as we 

 hoped. We did indeed find smooth ice on the river up the valley, 

 but the water had been low when the ice formed, and numbers of 



I. VIEW OF THE BIG CANON. 



stones projected from it in all directions. At every turn the 

 sledges caught in them, and the dogs could get no foothold on the 

 polished ice. In the afternoon, we came to some rapids, and were 

 thus compelled to make a halt, in order to reconnoitre for a 



