548 



ARCTIC RESEARCH EXPEDITION. 



ruins of an old Innuit village, which showed a custom of the peo- 

 ple in former times of building their winter houses or huts under 

 ground. Circles of earth and stones, and skeleton bones of huge 

 whales were to be seen, as also subterranean passages. There 

 were, moreover, bones of seals and other animals beneath sods 

 and moss, indicative of their great age. I discovered with my 

 spy-glass two monuments at the distance of about a mile inland, 

 and thither I directed my steps. They were seven or eight feet 

 high, four feet square at the base, and about three fathoms distant 

 from each other. The top of one had been torn or blown down. 

 The stones of which they were composed were covered with black 

 moss. They were erected by the Innuits evidently ages ago. 



My record of the succeeding day commences thus : 



"Thursday, June 26th, 1862. I much desired to continue my trip 

 up to the extreme of this bay, but, on consulting freely with my 

 Innuit companion, I found that my better policy was to give up 

 the idea of doing so. It would take some three or four days to 

 go up and return, allowing the loss of one or two days bad weath- 

 er, as Ebierbing said, and in that time the probability of losing 

 our chance to return on the ice with our sledge and instruments ; 

 besides, Ebierbing said that Ugarng had told him that there 

 would be great risks to run in going up the channel on either 

 side of Allen's Island on account of thin ice and tide-holes." 



On the morning of the above day we commenced our return 

 to the vessel. I omitted nothing on my way back that I could do 

 in the way of making observations for completing my chart. Our 

 fourth encampment was near the north end of Williams's Peninsula. 



On Friday, the 27th of June, 11 A.M., we were back again at 

 Cape Haven, the place of our first encampment. As I was desir- 

 ous of spending a day at this place in making numerous observa- 

 tions, it being a favorable look-out point, I therefore chose it for 

 my fifth encampment. 



One could scarcely have more joyous feelings than I had at the 

 prospect that was before me of doing some excellent work, and 

 of doing a large amount of it. The day was fine — that is, I had a 

 bright clear sun, while there was a light breeze from the north- 

 west which was just warm enough, or, rather, just cold enough for 

 my comfort. 



While I was engaged at my work on the heights of this cape, 

 Ebierbing proceeded far out on the ice of Davis's Straits and em- 

 ployed himself in sealing. Many, very many places that had now 



