LAND OF PLENTY. 



393 



prevailing, while bad weather every where else north is the rul- 

 ing characteristic ? 



"This certainly is a fact, that here, at the head of Frobisher 

 Bay, a milder climate prevails than at Field Bay and elsewhere, 

 or the luxuriant vegetation that is around here could not be. 

 The grass plain, the grass-clothed hills, are abundant proof of 

 this. I never saw in the States, unless the exception be of the 

 prairies of the West, more luxuriant grasses on uncultivated lands 

 than are here around, under me. There is no mistake in this 

 statement, that pasture-land here, for stock, can not be excelled by 

 any any where, unless it be cultivated, or found, as already ex- 

 cepted, in the great West.* 



" How is -it with the land animals here ? They are fat — c fat 

 as butter.' The paunch of the reindeer killed by Koojesse was 

 rilled to its utmost capacity with grasses, mosses, and leaves of the 

 various plants that abound here. The animal was very fat, his 

 rump lined with tood-noo (reindeer tallow), which goes much bet- 

 ter with me than butter. Superior indeed is it, as sweet, golden 

 butter is to lard. The venison is very tender, almost falling to 

 pieces as you attempt to lift a steak by its edge. So it is with all 

 the tuktoo that have as yet been killed here. Eabbits are in fine 

 condition. Not only are they so now, but they must be nearly in 

 as good order here in winter, for God hath given them the means 

 to make their way through the garb of white, with which He 

 clothes the earth here, for their subsistence. 



"Koodloo returned this morning with the skins and toodnoo 

 of three reindeer, which he has killed since his leaving the boat 

 on Friday noon. In all, our party of hunters have killed eleven 

 reindeer, but very little of the venison has been saved — simply 

 the skins and toodnoo. * * * This afternoon the wife of Jack 

 has been ankooting sick Tweroong. The sun set to-night fine. I 

 never saw more beautiful days and nights than here — the sky 

 with all the mellow tints that a poet could conceive. The moon 

 and aurora now make the nights glorious. 



"Monday, August 26th. This morning not a cloud to be seen. 

 Puto visited me, the kodluna infant at her back. I made her 



* To a person going to the arctic regions direct from the pasture-land of the Mid- 

 dle States, this passage of my diary would naturally seem too strong ; but when one 

 has been for a year continually among ice, snow, and rugged rocks, as was the case 

 with me, the sight of a grassy plain and green-clad hills could hardly fail to startle 

 him into enthusiastic expression. 



