264 TRAVELLING. 



1852-3 was one of unusual abundance. Tracing back the years on 

 the fingers, with some patience, it could be made out that in 1851-2 

 whales abounded, in 1850-1 the narwhal supplied the place of 

 whale, giving them plenty of food and skins for covering their 

 boats. 1848-9 was one of scarcity, as was also 1843-4. This, so 

 far as it may be depended on, makes three successive fifth years to 

 be seasons of unusual hardship. In 1837, Mr. T. Simpson remarked 

 the number of fresh graves on Point Barrow, but no satisfactory 

 account of the season preceding that could be obtained, and it was 

 too remote to be recalled with anything approaching certainty by 

 even those who remembered that gentleman's visit. 



Having cleared out most of the furniture from the ig'-lu, and 

 filled up the window with pieces of timber and other lumber placed 

 on their ends, so as also to obstruct the entrance-hole in the floor, 

 the um'-i-ak or large boat is put upon a sledge, u'-ni-ek, when it is 

 secured by a few cords or thongs, and in it are stowed the summer 

 tent with all its furniture, the baggage of the whole family, the 

 children and old people, together with the kayaks or canoes, and 

 all their fittings belonging to the men and bo} T s of the party, 

 making a very considerable weight to drag. On a low sledge, 

 ka-mo-tik, of a stouter structure, are generally carried their seal- 

 skins, filled with oil for barter. The party consists on the average 

 of six persons, four of whom are generally all who can drag, and 

 are distributed, three to the large sledge, and one to the ka-mo-tik. 

 If they possess dogs, these are distributed also to assist where most 

 required, and there appears to be as much care taken as possible to 

 adapt the load to the strength of each individual. The ice at this 

 season is much decayed and uneven from the formation of pools on 

 its surface, and the labour of dragging a heavy load on a sledge is 

 very great ; but, fortunately for them, it seldom lasts more than 

 four or five days, during which they appear to travel at the rate of 

 ten miles a day. Fourteen parties, with as many boats (the aggre- 

 gate number of souls being seventy-four), passed the ship in this 

 way on the 3d of July last, which is four days earlier than in the 

 preceding summer. On the fourth day they arrive at Dease Inlet, 

 which, from the rivers flowing into it, is then a sheet of water, and 

 the mode of transport is reversed, the sledge being now carried in 

 the u-mi-ak, and the small boats towed. In favourable seasons the 

 journey may be continued by paddling or tracking the boat along 

 the shore, between which and the ice there is generally a narrow 

 lane of water, until they arrive at Smith's Bay. Here the laborious 

 part of their journey is sure to end ; the sledges are left behind, 

 and to make room in the large boat for the oil-skins, the men get 



