An Exciting Polar Bear Hunt. 171 



which narrow curving rivulets found their circuitous routes to the 

 sea, often falling down steep cliffs or over precipices from the higher 

 summits. Here and there patches of snow were met with, and, 

 scattered in every direction, the water was decorated with small ice- 

 pans floating to and fro with the wind and tide. 



We had met with no ice whatever, while in Hudson's Bay, but a 

 day's northerly wind brought us to Digges's vast stretches, which, from 

 the hills, we could see lying to the north and east of our anchorage. 



The work of erecting the station buildings and landing the 

 necessary stores at Laperriere Harbour was pushed forward as 

 rapidly as possible, and on the 20th of September the task was com- 

 pleted, and we were ready to continue our homeward voyage. About 

 eleven o'clock in the forenoon we took leave of Mr. Laperriere and 

 his two men, Messrs. Quigley and Maher, and pushed on toward 

 Nottingham Island. Having favourable weather, and the ice being 

 so thin or scattering as not to impede the progress of the ship, we 

 reached Port De Boucherville a little before six o'clock in the even- 

 ing, having been absent from the place just three weeks. We came 

 in contact with some scattering pans of ice while entering the har- 

 bour, in the same place where the Neptune's propeller was broken 

 three weeks before ; but, beyond having to smash three or four of 

 them, no obstruction was met with. We did meet, however, with 

 some forty or fifty walrus. They were sleeping in twos or threes 

 on small sheets of ice, or swimming round in the water. We shot 

 two, but they sank before they could be reached. 



We found Mr. De Boucherville and his men, Messrs. Inglis and 

 Easdaile, both well and happy. They had not been visited by natives, 

 nor even had a polar bear exhibited himself. They had secured 

 plenty of game, one or two foxes, some seals, and were getting their 

 house in order for a walrus hunt ; but, up to the date of our arrival, 

 they had been so much engaged in banking their house and prepar- 

 ing for the winter, that they had not made many excursions of any ' 

 kind. The report they had to give us of their experience was there- 

 fore somewhat uninteresting. Their stove had not worked well, 

 especially in baking. However, they gave us some splendid bread, 

 which was an improvement over that served on the Neptune. 



