426 



ARCTIC RESEARCH EXPEDITION. 



apparently as indifferent as though nothing was occurring ; but I 

 must confess that I myself did not feel quite easy in my mind as 

 to the possible consequences. 



On the 20th we had a few minutes of excitement, which occur- 

 red thus : Miner's party had made a landing before my boat could 

 get up, and I shortly after saw Tweroong sitting upon the tide- 

 washed rocks in such a position that I thought she must be search- 

 ing for some lost article. By the time we effected our landing, 

 every Innuit of the other party was gathered round her in great 

 commotion, some of them trying to break off pieces of the rocks 

 about. I asked Koojesse what all that hubbub meant. He said 

 Tweroong had found gold! This word started me at once. I 

 threw my cloak from my shoulders and leaped over the bow, 

 landing on a sand-beach knee-deep in sea- water. I was followed 

 by my whole crew, for I had communicated the yellow fever to 

 them, and, bounding from rock to rock, we arrived at the desired 

 spot. A huge, heavy " yellow boy" was soon in my hand. Gold, 

 gold, indeed, was now in the list of my discoveries ! Ought I not 

 to be satisfied, after all my trials and perplexities ? But, on the 

 first touch of my knife, I found that I had only fooVs gold, and I 

 brought away but small specimens of this precious metal. 



A short distance from Gold Cove we made our twenty-third en- 

 campment, on the south side of Jones's Cape, not far from the 

 fourth encampment. At this place old Toolookaah and his wife 

 left our party. He intended to remain at that spot until his son, 

 who was with Sampson up an inlet near by, should return. I 

 made him a present of matches and tobacco, and gave his wife two 

 papers of needles. In parting with him I said, " Toolookaah, I 

 may not see you again. Soon I shall go to my own country — 

 America ; but I hope by-and-by to meet you in Kood-le-par-me- 

 ung (heaven)." A tear started in his eye and trickled down his 

 iron face as we pressed hands and said the final word, " Ter-bou- 

 e-tie /" (farewell.) 



Our twenty-fourth encampment was made on an island called 

 Oo-mer-nung, at the entrance of Wiswell's Inlet, and on the fol- 

 lowing day, at 10 A.M., we were again under way for Mountelik, 

 then only a few miles off. 



After landing upon JSTiountelik, and taking an observation of 

 the sun at the spot where I had first discovered the coal, we pro- 

 ceeded toward an island, on which, according to Innuit tradition, 

 the hodlunas built a small ship amasuadlo (a great many) years ago. 



