466 SECOND VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY 



1823. fji^i ^yg notice any (luring the whole time of our stay. The Esquimaux had 

 v-*-Y-«^ informed us of a large fall, but as we neither saw nor heard any thing of it, 

 it must be a good way higher up, our point of view extending full iifteen 

 miles, when it terminated in two bluff points, between which the stream 

 seemed to wind. To these points, to all appearance, it continued about the 

 same breadth, and from the colour of the water it must be deep enough for 

 ships of large burden. The land on each side was high, and where wc stood 

 was more closely covered Avith vegetation than- any spot I had ever seen in 

 these regions. The dwarf willow grew to a height and size almost entitling 

 it to be called a shrub, and the Andromeda tetragoiin was in the greatest 

 abundance. 

 26 " On the 26th I sent one of my men to the top of a high hill behind our tent, 

 but his view from thence was not more extensive than what we had already 

 procured. After stopping to get the meridional altitude, which gave the 

 lat. 70° 06' 42" N., the longitude, by chronometer, being 0° 39' 48" W. of 

 the ships, we set out on our return. As the ice was broken \ip for two miles 

 below us, Ave endeavoured to get on the solid floe by a narroAV neck about 

 one hundred yards broad ; but having got half Avay it proved so thin and 

 rotten that I considered it better to return, than to run the risk of crossing 

 it. The dogs dragged the sledge along shore until Ave came to the firm ice, 

 performing their task much better than Ave expected. We noAV returned 

 doAvn the river, and, having picked up the things left on the island, arri\-ed 

 at the Esquimaux tents at half-past eight. They received us Acry kindly, 

 assisting to unload the sledge and carry the things to the top of the hill. 

 We purchased of them some very fine salmon, \Ahich they caught in a 

 small rivulet emptying itself into a bay about a quarter of a mile from the 

 tents. 

 27. " The 27th proving a fine day, the men all went out with their fishing- 

 spears at high-water, but returned in a short time, saying there Avere no fish, 

 from AA-hich it is probable that they only come here occasionally, resorting 

 at other times to other places of the same description, Avith which the river 

 abounds. The latitude of this station is 70° 0' 13" N. ; longitude, by chrono- 

 meter, 0° 40" W. of the ships. We left our friends about one P.M. ; they 

 continued civil to the last, although the temptation to rob us Avas too great for 

 them to resist. This, however, they did in a sly sort of Avay, removing things 

 from Avhere wc had placed them Avith the idea, perhaps, that wc should not miss 



