106 Our North Land. 



of those on board, a little before nine, and ten minutes later we 

 were struggling in the heavy field-ice, making our way slowly from 

 Nottingham. 



The reader will have already observed that no Eskimos were met 

 with on Nottingham Island. We did come across indications of old 

 camping grounds, but these were such as not to show a recent 

 occupation of the island. Three or four dilapidated caches were 

 also discovered. They were made of loose boulders, and had been 

 put up, probably, by the natives, to protect walrus blubber or meat, 

 as well-bleached and partly-decayed walrus bones were scattered in 

 the vicinity. 



I should say that the neighbourhood of Nottingham Island 

 would make a profitable walrus fishery. One day off Port de Bou- 

 cherville I counted at one time between seventy and eighty walrus 

 either swimming in the water or sunning themselves on the ice-pans. 



We found the ice so much jammed that, after making a few 

 miles from the harbour in which the Neptune had been anchored, 

 she laid to, and waited for the tide to loosen it. After a stop of 

 three hours, another attempt was made with better success, and by 

 five o'clock in the evening we had penetrated ten or twelve miles of 

 it, mostly heavy, and found our way into partly open water. 

 While passing through this we came pretty close to the barque 

 which we had seen in the ice. She had a good breeze from the 

 eastward, and was using all her canvas in a pretty well-managed 

 endeavour to make headway. A little later we passed the schooner 

 so closely that we could plainly see, with our glasses, the stars and 

 stripes which she had hoisted to her peak in token of recognition. 

 The Neptune dipped flags with her and steamed ahead. We soon 

 left them and the two other vessels we had seen far in the rear. 



Night had scarcely settled upon us when again we were in heavy 

 ice, which became so much of an impediment in the darkness that 

 we were compelled to lay to until daylight the next morning. Oper- 

 ations were resumed at three o'clock on Saturday morning, and for 

 fully five hours the Neptune struggled with the ice, meeting with 

 considerable difficulty. Before nine o'clock, however, we had left 

 the Digges Island, off Cape Wolstenholme, far behind, and entered 



