70 



THE LAST CRUISE OF THE MIRANDA. 



We were up betimes in the morning, and immediately 

 after breakfast started for the glacier. The mainland was on 

 our right, a continuous stretch of steep declivities and tower- 

 ing mountains. As we turned a bend we could see afar off 



the white line 

 of the glacier 

 coming down 

 from on high 

 to the water's 

 edge. It was 

 hours before we 

 reached it, how- 

 ever, for it was 

 many miles 

 away. Once we 

 met an oomiak, 

 escorted by a 

 couple of kay- 

 aks. It was a 

 party of Eski- 

 mos, men and 

 women, return- 

 ing from fishing. We stopped and exchanged greetings, 

 and also exchanged a couple of plugs of tobacco and a 

 mouth-organ for some very fine salmon. The Eskimos went 

 on their way rejoicing, and with a concourse of sweet sounds 

 that were emitted vigorously from the mouth-organ. They 

 probably thought us very simple people to part with so rare 

 and wonderful an instrument for just a mess of fish. 



We reached the glacier finally at about noon, and it was 

 not long before we were scaling up the steep mountain-sides, 

 following the course of the glacier upward. It was like climb- 

 ing the Alps, where " peaks on peaks arise," and none of us 

 were able to reach the top — our time was too limited. I 



FRONT VIEW OF THE ISORTOK GLACIER. 



