370 



ARCTIC RESEARCH EXPEDITION. 



they had seen eight tuktoo. This, however, was not of serious 

 importance, as we then had an abundance of provision. 



We resumed our voyage on the morning of the 13th. Twice 

 before leaving the island I again heard the loud thunderings al- 

 ready alluded to, and felt the vibrations of the very earth itself. 

 What could this be ? Was there a volcano on the Kingaite side ? 

 or were its mountains of ice falling from their precipitous heights ? 



It took a long time to strike tupics, and get every thing into the 

 boat and in order. Last of all, Suzhi brought aboard the Mnoo's 

 bladder and the charms, and placed them at the bow of the boat, 

 mounted on a stick. Without them I strongly doubt whether the 

 Innuits would have considered it safe to go on. Our course at 

 first led toward Sarah G.'s Cape* (Twer-puk-ju-a), the way by 

 which I went when making a hurried visit four months previous. 

 Strangely enough, as it now seems to me, and no doubt to my 

 readers also, I felt as safe and contented as though I were with 

 civilized men instead of being alone among the wild, independent 

 natives of that frozen land. I even did not hesitate to depend 

 upon them occasionally for some of the work I wanted done in 

 the way of delineating the coasts as we passed along. Koojesse 

 — the really gifted Esquimaux — now and then acted as my as- 

 sistant draughtsman, his sketches, however, being afterward care- 

 fully examined by me. While I sat in the boat's stern steering 

 — a position which allowed me to have good views of the land — 

 he sat before me actually laying down most correctly upon paper 

 the coast-line along which we sailed, and with which he, as well 

 as Suzhi and Tunukderlien, was perfectly familiar. There was 

 not a channel, cape, island, or bay which he did not know per- 

 fectly, having visited them again and again. 



One unacquainted with a new country would often make great 

 mistakes by charting nearly every thing as main land where por- 

 tions of it might be islands, failing also to give proper depths of 

 inlet coast, unless he had time to visit every locality. On my pres- 

 ent trip up the bay I had not that time, and therefore I reserved 

 — to be made, if possible, on my return — a closer examination of 

 the places now draughted down under my eyes. During all this 

 voyage, however, I kept up a constant record of distances run and 

 courses steered, and made as frequent landings for taking obser- 



* This cape, at the west entrance to the Countess of Warwick's Sound (of Fro- 

 bisher), I have named after Mrs. Henry Grinnell. Sarah G.'s Cape is two miles 

 northwest of Oopungnewing, and is in lat. 62° 47' 30" N., long. 65° 20' W. 



