456 



ARCTIC RESEARCH EXPEDITION. 



Island. ISTo black water — naught but pack, pack, met my view ! 

 I was somewhat surprised at this, but thought that perhaps to 



Captain B this would be but a familiar, every-year affair. 



The sequel to this will be soon written. 



" I asked my Innuit attendant to take the glass and ' tahhoo 

 seko 1 — look at the sea-ice. When Shevikoo had viewed it care- 

 fully, I asked him, ''Seko amasuit V — Do you see much ice ? He re- 

 plied 'Noud-loo — noud-loo /' — Yes — yes. From the deep, slow tones 

 of his voice as he answered me I understood that he too was sur- 

 prised at the sight. I wondered how a vessel was to get out of 

 Field Bay ; but the next instant I thought, ' Well, now, Captain 



B will find some way, of course, which my inexperienced 



self can not discover, by which the George Henry can be put 

 through that pack.' My thoughts were also of Captain Parker 

 and his son, who had, each with a vessel, left about this time last 

 year and proceeded home. 



"I took another prolonged look, before I left, at Davis's Strait. 

 Monumental Island was white, and its sides presented no black 

 rock peering out; and the same was true of Lady Franklin Island. 

 The pack appeared very rough ; much pinnacled ice was among 

 it, and it was especially to be seen around the first island of the 

 extreme land next Davis's Strait. As far as the eye could reach 

 by the aid of the most excellent glass, up and down the strait, no 

 open water met my view. I then turned to Kingaite. Miles on 

 miles of mountain there were before me. A long line of black 

 cloud stretched from the extreme south to the extreme northwest, 

 just enveloping the tops of most of the Kingaite ridge. I was dis- 

 appointed in not getting a sight of Oopungnewing and Niounte- 

 lik ; the ridge of another mountain, distant two miles, ran in such 

 a direction as to hide them, but a small island near Oopungne- 

 wing was in sight. The termination of the grass plain, Kus-se- 

 gear-ark-ju-a, opposite and near JSTiountelik, was within view. The 

 little bay on the Frobisher Bay side, making up to within one 

 mile of Field Bay, was nearly down beneath us. 



"On climbing this mountain my clothing became saturated 

 with perspiration. On making the top the wind was blowing 

 cuttingly cold, thus serving to chill me too hastily for comfort or 

 for long endurance. Before I finished the observations I made 

 up there I came near freezing my fingers, and the time was long, 

 after leaving that exposed position, before I could bring them 

 back to their natural warmth. The stinging pains I endured in 



