AnguHt, I86U.] Serious Obstacles in Surveyinfj. 281 



changing temperatures of tlie past seasons lind ciackcd ilic silvering- 

 in many places on the mirrors of his sextant, and rapid and unaccount- 

 able changes appeared in the index corrections. His compass often 

 changed so rapidly that no dependence was placed on its readings ; 

 and excessive refraction shut out some points of land and brought new 

 ones prominently in view. "At times an island seemed to rise and 

 fall as if an earthquake were at work." 



In the day-time, radiation often forced his work into the night; 

 but the Innuits made much use of the night for their work and their 

 boisterous festivities; and by staying up all night and sleeping all day, 

 created for him such an uncertainty of time that he sometimes forgot 

 to wind his chronometers, and was perplexed when writing up his 

 notes. Overcoming his difficulties and annoyances so far as he could, 

 he began the sketch of the bay, of which the accompanying map 

 represents the line as found completed during the later years of his stay. 



The journeys were not without some incidents of interest. At 

 Pi-tik-tou-yer, he found a well-built circular stone wall 30 feet in 

 diameter. It was an old camj)ing-ground, showing many Eskimo 

 remains, and offering inducements to any one whose mind was not, 

 like his, absorbed in other purposes, to remain for its full exploration. 



Incidents of a different character, however, now filled up all the 

 hours of thought not given by Hall to his main work. This seems })lain 

 from the extreme fullness of his notes when setting down the con- 

 tinued annoyances to which he was still subjected. The iron rule of 

 Innuit customs, already often referred to as hindering his plans, seems 

 to have stretched itself out before him as though it must touch some- 

 where every purpose which he might form. It were useless to specify 

 such cases, a number of which will be found in future chapters ; a 



