VIEW FROM THE TOP OF SYLVIA ISLAND. — JONES'S TOWER. gQj_ 



Here before me, looking southerly, was the open water of Lup- 

 ton Channel, which, as my native attendants informed me, never 

 freezes over, in consequence of the swiftly -running tides. Yonder, 

 leading southeasterly around the bold front of Lok's Land, is Bear 

 Sound ; there, farther south, the low islands ; and, showing dark- 

 ly over these, the open water of Frobisher Bay, and away in the 

 blue distance the huge mountains of Kingaite (Meta Incognita) ; 

 while there, on the right, and on the left, and behind me, all was 

 solid ice. 



On Friday, June 7th, having slept soundly on the rock, we 

 breakfasted on raw seal, and, with the aid of more fuel (another 

 cross-bar) from our sledge, made some hot coffee, which indeed is 

 a great luxury at any time to an arctic traveler. Not ]ong after, 

 Ebierbing started on ahead, while Koodloo struck tupic, harness- 

 ed the dogs, and packed the kummitie, and I triangulated and 

 made observations for time, latitude, etc. With beautiful weather 

 and a cloudless sky, Koodloo and myself left Sylvia Island, though 

 not before half past 1 P.M., and traveled on the ice along the coast 

 toward a noble-looking mountain not far off. The dogs flew, for 

 they scented and sighted seals in the bay. At 3 o'clock P.M. 

 we arrived at the base of Jones's Tower,* the mountain just al- 

 luded to. 



A short time after this I began to ascend Jones's Tower, the 

 mountain which I especially observed for the first time some 

 months before, when entering Field Bay. When near the sum- 

 mit I made the following entry in my note-book : 



" 4 47 P.M. With my glass I see that Ebierbing has just killed 

 a seal. Thank God for our daily bread (seal), while we study 

 His glorious works. Thirty seals around the little bay on the 

 ice by their holes, sunning." 



At the top of the tower I took several observations, and then 

 attempted to descend on the opposite side to that by which I had 

 climbed up. But I found here, as I had before, that going down 

 a precipitous mountain is much worse than going up it. I could 

 not manage it by the new route, and therefore had to reascend in 

 order to take the other. 



From the summit of this mountain the view was extensive, 

 yet I could not thence discern Frobisher Bay, although, as I then 



* A mountain I have named after George T. Jones, superintendent of the Cincin- 

 nati branch of the American Bank Note Company. Jones's Tower is in lat. 62° 33' 

 N., long. 64° 34' W. (See Chart.) 



