16 Journal of a Voyage through the 



Saturday 27. At three this morning we were in the 

 canoe, after having passed a very restless night from the 

 persecution of the musquitoes. The weather was fine and 

 calm, and our course West-South-West nine miles, when 

 we came to the foot of a traverse, the opposite point in 

 sight bearing South- West, distance twelve miles. The 

 bay is at least eight miles deep, and this course two miles 

 more, in all ten miles, it now became very foggy, and 

 as the bays were so numerous, we landed for two hours, 

 when the weather cleared up ; and we took the advantage 

 of steering South thirteen miles, and passed several small 

 bays, when we came to the point of a very deep one, 

 whose extremity was not discernible ; the land bearing 

 South from us, at the distance of about ten miles. Our 

 guide notiiaving been here for eight winters, was at a loss 

 what course to take, though as well as he could recollect, 

 this bay appeared to be the entrance of the river. Accord- 

 ingly, we steered down it, about West-South- West, till 

 we were involved in a field of broken ice. We still could 

 not discover the bottom of the bay, and a fog coming on f 

 made it very difficult for us to get to an island to the South- 

 West, and it was nearly dark when we effected a landing. 



Sunday 28. At a quarter past three we were again on 

 the water, and as we could perceive no current setting into 

 this bay, we made the best of our way to the point that 

 bore South from us yesterday afternoon. We continued 

 our course South three miles more, South by West seven 

 miles, West fifteen miles, when, by observation, we were 

 in 61 degrees North latitude ; we then proceeded West- 

 North-West two miles. Here we came to the foot of a 

 traverse, the opposite land bearing South-West, distance 

 fourteen miles, when we steered into a deep bay, about a 

 Westerly course ; and though we had no land a-head in 

 sight, we indulged the hope of finding a passage, which, 

 according to the Indian, would conduct us to the entrance 

 of the river. 



Having a strong wind aft, we lost sight of the Indians, 

 nor could we put on shore to wait for them, without risking 

 material damage to the canoe, till we ran to the bottom of 

 the bay, and were forced among the rushes ; when we dis- 

 covered that there was no passage there. In about two or 

 three hours they joined us, but would not approach our 

 fire, as there was no good ground for an encampment : 

 they emptied their canoe of the water which it had taken 



