402 



ARCTIC RESEARCH EXPEDITION. 



surprise from them. I need hardly say how much I longed to 

 possess the power of communicating to them the truthful beau- 

 ties of our Christian faith ; of dwelling upon its heavenly Found- 

 er, and of telling them of God. Perchance the day may yet come 

 when these people shall no longer be without some one who can 

 do so. 



On Saturday, August 31st, the weather was thick and foggy. 

 In the morning I had a good wash with snow — not snow of this 

 season, however. What its age was I know not ; perhaps it be- 

 longed to many winters ago ; but, notwithstanding, it was fresh 

 and white, and it gave me clean, cool hands and face, which is a 

 luxury in the North as well as in any other place. By the side 

 of this friendly snow-drift was abundant vegetation, green and 

 fruitful, and blueberries all around. I picked some with rather 

 cold, stiff fingers, and made a capital feast. I had not found any 

 place where there was a greater variety of vegetable growth with- 

 in the same space. In a little spot, not over four feet square, one 

 could count more than fifty different kinds of vegetation. Moss- 

 es, grasses, berry -bushes, flowers, willows, and many other plants, 

 could be enumerated as abounding in that little plot. But all 

 these were quite diminutive ; for instance, the blueberry-bushes 

 were only from an inch to two inches in height. 



On this day I made arrangements with Miner and Koojesse for 

 the whole company in the boats and kias to return by the Kin- 

 gaite side. It was agreed that we should proceed first to Aggoun 

 — the Innuit name of the west side of the head of Frobisher Bay 

 — and thence return and follow down the coast of Kingaite. The 

 chief reason for my making such an arrangement was that, by 

 having two boats, should a mishap occur to one, the other would 

 be our "Rescue" 



We started from our thirteenth encampment in the afternoon, 

 leaving behind two of the Innuit tents erect, and some sundries, 

 to be called for on our return from Aggoun. Our course was di- 

 rect for the northwest end of Bishop's Island, upon which I land- 

 ed. From its top the whole head of Frobisher Bay, from Sylvia 

 G-rinnell Kiver, northeast side, to Aggoun, west side, was in view. 

 It is fourteen nautical miles across. The termination is not by 

 deep bays or fiords, but by slight indentations, the greatest not 

 exceeding three miles. Bishop's Island was well covered with 

 vegetation, especially with reindeer moss, the ground, in many 

 parts, being quite carpeted with it. 



