May, 1867.1 Retum to Beacoii Hill. 319 



swifter and more comfortable advance than on the outward trip. The 

 state of the weather, the condition of the ice, and the lightened sled 

 were all in favor of the return. At the igloo where, on his journey- 

 out. Hall had recovered his straying dogs and found the scattered 

 articles and the Pelly Bay men, he had again a sight of these natives, 

 and purchased from them some musk-ox meat. Game had been 

 scarce, and the dogs more than once unusually hungry. The deposit 

 made at their third igloo in going up, they now found ripped up by 

 the wolves, and the musk-ox meat was all gone. At Beacon Hill, 

 Frank, (whom Hall the least excuses as his "lieutenant and the re- 

 sponsible party"), together with Norton and Peter, left him and his 

 two Eskimos to get forward to Ships Harbor Island as best they 

 could. Captains Potter and White, with their usual courtesy, sent out 

 to Beacon Hill an invitation to breakfast with them on board ship, 

 where he found himself again comfortably at home. 



After a week's rest from this trip, he started off on a musk-ox 

 hunt. His party was made up of Captains Kilmer and Baker, with 

 seven native men and l^oo-koo-li-too. The hunting-grounds were 

 above Miles Lake ; the outward journey and return made 220 miles of 

 travel. Forty musk-cattle were seen and a large number of deer, as 

 well as of marmots. Twentj^-seven musk-oxen, seven deer, and five 

 marmots were killed, and the party drove home well satisfied with 

 their three fully-laden sledges, drawn by forty dogs. They had been 

 absent from the ships eight days, during part of which Captain Kil- 

 mer had been affected with snow-blindness, making his journey by 

 walking at times behind the sledge, and at others, riding on it, but 

 still doing good work on the hunt. 



No notes are to be found of Hall's occupations during the first 



