436 THE FRANKLIN SEARCH— 18^8-51. 



the boat, two of whom were women — ^tlie youngest of whom might be pro- 

 nounced well looking, and, if freed from the dirt and grease on her face, of 

 rather good complexion. They were all clothed alike, in dresses of deer- 

 skin, consisting of frock, trousers, and moccasins; the only distinction 

 between the sexes was, that the frock of the women was rather longer, and 

 was rounded both before and behind, and the men wore those hideous lip- 

 pieces. They were very glad to see us ; advanced towards us laughing and 

 talking at a great rate ; and thinking, I suppose, we were in want of some- 

 thing to eat, they gave us several of the sea-fowl they had in their boat. 

 We gave them in return beads and a few pieces of tobacco, with which 

 gifts they were dehghted. Our second boat now having joined us, we pulled 

 on, the natives following in gradually increasing numbers. We were now 

 passing along a long gravelly beach, on which I landed. The men tracked 

 the boats, in which they were readily assisted by some of the Eskimos^ 

 while others walked along with us arm-in-arm as if we were the greatest 

 friends in the world. At last the kindness of the natives became more 

 a hindrance than help ; so, to get rid of these demonstrations of affection, 

 we shoved off again, keeping a sufficient distance from the shore to prevent 

 their following us, and at midnight landed on a low shingly beach, close to 

 a native camp, eight or nine miles from Cape Lisburne. At the back of 

 this beach was a very large sheet of water, a mile at least in breadth, and 

 backed up by a range of barren hills, from eight hundred to a thousand feet 

 in height. This was a part of the coast to which I was to direct my atten- 

 tion, but as yet I could see no entrance into this lake from the sea, nor did 

 I thiuk the water of sufficient depth for a vessel of the ' Plover's ' draught. 

 The Eskimos at the camp were apparently all asleep when we passed, but 

 directly after we landed they woke up, and darted out among us after they 

 had got rid of their timidity, and had become assured that we were friends. 

 I gave them a little tobacco and a few beads ; but they were most desirous 

 of getting the uniform buttons of my coat, and were delighted with the few 

 loose ones I gave them. We again shoved off, and followed the coast along 

 to the eastward, but it was more for the purpose of getting rid of the natives 

 than for any other reason ; and at two o'clock on the morning of the 21st we 

 landed again, about two miles to the eastward of our last position, and 

 hauled the boats up to give the men a few hours' rest. The large sheet of 

 water at this spot was only separated from the sea by a narrow gravelly 

 beach, not exceeding two himdred feet in breadth, and we now found the 

 water, on tasting it, to be perfectly fresh, and the surface about four feet in per- 

 pendicular height above the level of the sea. We remained until six o'clock, 

 and then laimched our boats again, assisted by the Eskimos, who had 

 joined us from the camp shortly before our starting. Keeping the shore 

 close aboard, on getting eastward we observed a strong body of water rush- 



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