388 Augusta Island. lAprii, iseo. 



from the route followed by Rae in 1854 tliroagli Kellett River. On 

 the day following, however, shaping his course to the westward, he 

 gladly saw the sea-ice directly ahead. Far as the eye could reach 

 with the aid of a good glass the bay and every inlet were filled with 

 very old and rough ice. At 1 1 a. m. he found this bay-ice very hum- 

 mocky ; rounded hillocks in some places rising to the height of ten 

 feet, while in others the ice was like waves of a heavy sea suddenly 

 frozen in. At 1 p. m. he struck on Century ice The Innuits had 

 anticipated this when they had found the ice of the sea of Ak-koo-lee 

 in the same condition, and Ott-e-Ia, remembering that on his previous 

 visit here with his father the ice had been smooth and fit for sealing, 

 now expressed his belief that the Pelly Bay natives would not soon be 

 met with, for they must have gone inland and southward to obtain 

 subsistence ; the bay being probably full of old century ice, there could 

 be no sealmg. Having made some further advance across the ice, 

 Hall fixed his sixteenth encampment on the 11th in the midst of the 

 century ice near the east end of Augusta Island, Ou-e-Ia and Jeny 

 having on the way pointed out this island and the mouth of Arrow- 

 smith River. Their bearings were taken. In recording the location 

 of his encampment. Hall says : 



It is no wonder that my dead -reckoning may be faulty, with but tlic aid of 

 » small compass across a plain unknown country; snow-clad; thick weather; 

 snowing niucli ofllic time; no object whatever in siglit to aid in making straight 

 courses; large variation of the comi)ass; no sight of the sun, moon, or stars by 

 wliich to determine ]atitud<^ or the extent of variation of the compass, — I can de- 

 termine l)y astronomical ol)servations only the errors which are possible but not 

 probable. 



At 7 p. m., an hour after his encamping, the sun burst forth in all 

 its brightness, giving him the first sight of it since leaving his encamp- 

 ment below Cape We}'nton. 



