452 Thirty Years 
The outer parts of the island appeared closely beset 
with ice. At the end of. five miles we discerned 
another large party of Esquimaux, encamped on a 
reef; they waved their. jackets as signals for us to 
land, which we declined doing, as we perceived the 
water to be shallow between us and them. They ran 
along the beech as far as the end of the reef, tempting 
us by holding up meat, Only two of the party were 
provided with canoes, and they followed us to a bluff 
point of the main shore, on which we landed. These 
proved to be persons whom we had seen at Herschel 
Island, and who had visited the Esquimaux in this 
quarter on purpose to make them acquainted with our 
arrival, We were happy to learn from them that we 
should not seé any more of their countrymen for some 
time, because, while surrounded by them, the necessity 
of closely watching their motions, prevented us from 
paying due attention to other objects. Resuming our 
voyage, we pulled along the outer border of a gravel 
reef, about two hundred yards broad, that runs paral- 
lel to, and about half a mile from, the coast, having a 
line of drift ice on the outsideof us. The wind being. 
contrary, and the evening cold, temperature 40°, we 
encamped on the reef at eight P.m., where we found 
plenty of drift timber ; the water was brackish. The 
distance traveled this day was eight miles and a half. 
The main shore opposite the encampment was low to 
