56 CRUISE OF THE NEPTUNE 



The wind increased during the night, and blew a gale all 

 next day, strong and almost continuous gusts from the high hills 

 sweeping the crests from the waves and rendering a landing 

 impossible. The wind fell away towards morning. On the 17th 

 a landing was made on the point, the flag was hoisted and a 

 copy of the Proclamation and of the Customs Regulations was 

 left in the boiler. Close alongside lay the wreck of the launch, 

 destroyed by the ice, only the keel, some of the timbers and 

 lower planking remaining. Signs of the whalers and of natives 

 were plentiful on the point, where the circles of stones and fire- 

 places marked the tents of the former, and other fireplaces 

 showed where the whalers had been ' trying-out ' whale 

 blubber. A curious sled-runner of teak was picked up on the 

 beach. It was about six feet long and full of holes bored for 

 lashing on the shoeing, which was of walrus ivory, and further 

 secured to the runner by wooden pegs. The wood was either 

 from the wreck of the launch, or more likely from that of the 

 Fury, lost early in last century, some miles to the southward of 

 Port Leopold, on the western side of Prince Regent inlet. The 

 evidence of great age in the runner points to the latter origin. 



Port Leopold was left shortly before noon, and we were soon 

 tossing in the head sea caused by the past gale. The wind 

 changed to eastward, and within an hour of leaving the 

 harbour we \yere again inclosed in a thick fog, which rendered 

 a return impossible. The fog lasted until the next evening. 

 During the interval we steamed cautiously across the mouth of 

 Prince Regent, Admiralty and Navy Board inlets, and with 

 clearing weather found ourselves outside the Wollaston islands 

 that lie a few miles from the northwest corner of Bylot island. 

 A parting between the lower and upper fog gave a beautiful 

 ribbon-like picture of the rough snow-covered coast and peaks 

 of Bylot island flooded with bright sunshine, in marked contrast 

 to the gloomy, foggy weather about the ship. 



