SUCCESSFUL DEER-HUNT. 



287 



CHAPTER XVII. 



A successful Deer-hunt. — Venison. — Another Journey. — Se-ko-se-lar Innuits. — 

 The Land Pass. — Magnificent Scenery. — Countess of Warwick Sound. — Impor- 

 tant Discovery. — Piece of Brick. — Relic of Frobisher's Expedition. — Sledge-drive 

 in a Snow-storm. — A Whirl in the Snow. — An involuntary Slide. — Value of a 

 Compass. — Safe Arrival on Board. — Anniversary of Departure from Home. — 

 State of the Ice.— "Man-traps."— The Whale Depot.— Plenty of fresh Meat.— 

 Stranger Innuits arrive. — A startling Tale. — Two Boats of White Men land on 

 the Coast. — First Idea concerning them. — After-knowledge of the Truth. — Loss 

 of the English Store-ship Kitty. — The Locality of Sekoselar. — Innuit Informa- 

 tion. — Head of Frobisher Bay. — Tradition of Parry's Voyage. — Old Innuits re- 

 member visiting him. — Extract from his Narrative. — Sekoselar Innuits dislike 

 civilization Food. — "Barbarous Stuff." — Strange Dialect. — Physical Superiority 

 of the Sekoselar Men. 



The following day, May 21st, 1861, Ebierbing and Mingumailo 

 returned from their deer-hunt. They had been successful, hav- 

 ing shot with a rifle of mine three deer, one of which was lost, and 

 the other two were secured. It appeared that Ebierbing first shot 

 one of a group of eight which they came across. It struggled 

 and fell before he could approach the spot, but rose again and ran 

 away. In a moment more, however, he managed to shoot anoth- 

 er, and Mingumailo a third. Thus was secured to us several 

 hundred pounds of fresh meat — venison. 



The deer were killed high up in the mountains, and the two 

 hunters had to carry the carcasses (portions at a time) a distance 

 of two miles down to the sea-ice, where they made a cache by 

 piling on heavy stones. What they could carry of it to the ship 

 they did, and all of us on board had an excellent feast. 



About this time we heard that some Innuits had arrived at 

 Sampson's settlement from the " Sekoselar" mentioned in a note 

 at page 178. The news made me still more anxious to proceed 

 on my exploring trip, but various causes tended to prolong my 

 delay, and, even when ready for the excursion, I was unable to 

 proceed* farther than a day's journey. 



The Esquimaux are good as guides, as companions, as hunters 

 and purveyors of food, but it is impossible to place any great de- 

 pendence upon them in keeping faith as to time, or one's wishes 



