CHAPTER XIV. 

 ADVENTURES BY LAND AND SEA. 



Staeting southward down the coast of Hudson Bay on 

 the 13th of September, with the weather beautifully calm, 

 we made a capital run past a rocky coast, skirted by a suc- 

 cession of shoals and reefs, and at night camped upon the 

 shore about twelve miles north t>f Marble Island, whose snow- 

 white hills of quartzite could be distinctly seen on the 

 horizon. 



Marble Island — so called because of the resemblance its 

 rounded, glaciated, rocky hills bear to white marble — is well 

 known as a wintering station for New England whalers. Its 

 geographical position was determined in 1885 and 1886 by 

 Commander Gordon, of the Dominion Government Hudson 

 Bay Expedition, of which the writer was a member, so we 

 were glad to avail ourselves of the opportunity of connecting 

 our survey with so well-fixed a landmark. 



We had been informed by the Eskimos that there were no 

 whalers now at the island, and we satisfied ourselves of the 

 truth of their report by the use of our long-range biuoculars. 

 Had there been we would have endeavored to arrange with 

 one of them to take us down to Churchill, but in their absence 

 we could only stick to the canoes. Near camp, on the shore, 

 we foimd part of the skeleton of an immense whale, but un- 

 fortunately not the part that is of commercial value. This 

 doubtless had been carried away by the Eskimos or by some 

 whaling crew. 



During the following day the weather continued fair, and 



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