LAST EXPLORING TRIP. 



555 



We left the whaling depot at 3 A.M. of the 21st of July, and 

 proceeded through Bear Sound and Lupton Channel to Sylvia 

 Island, where we arrived at five o'clock. I landed and went to 

 the summit, where I could obtain a good view, and, to my vexa- 

 tion, found that Field Bay was still heavily covered with ice. I 

 had purposed making my outward trip along the north side of 

 Lok's Land, and return coasting along its south shore, thus mak- 

 ing a complete circuit of the island ; but the presence of the ice 

 convinced me that this could not be done by boat, and consequent- 

 ly I had to try the southern, or Frobisher Bay side. After spend- 

 ing an hour there, taking a round of angles and doing other work 

 in the way of confirming my survey, we therefore returned down 

 Bear Sound, passing directly under the beetling cliffs of Matlack's 

 Island, # which is near the centre of the Sound. About meridian 

 we were among the islands at the entrance of Bear Sound, visiting 

 one after another for egg and duck hunting, which proved to be 

 quite successful. A short time after we rounded Cape Chapel, f 

 and made our course nearly due east, coasting along under oars. 

 We had not proceeded far before we were passing the mouth of 

 a beautiful bay — Bigler Bay,:): as I named it — which made up 

 some two miles into Lok's Land. Then we entered a long nar- 

 row channel — New York Press Channel§ — having low land on 

 either side, that at our right being what I called Harper Brothers' 

 Island.|| After several hours' hard pulling at the oars we arrived 

 at the termination of this channel, and made our first encamp- 

 ment on Lok's Land, opposite the east end of Harper Brothers' 

 Island. We had boiled ducks and eggs for supper, and our 

 sleeping accommodation for the men was made of the boat's sails, 

 while that for Mr. Lamb and myself was merely a shawl to cov- 

 er us. 



At 7 A.M. next day, July 22d, we again started, and, as we 

 passed along Lok's Land, I noticed a monument of stone stand- 

 ing near the edge of the shore. Sharkey told me that this was 

 erected by himself and some Innuit companions on reaching this 

 spot a few years ago, after having been drifted out to sea when 



* Named after B. Matlack, of Cincinnati, Ohio. 



f Named after Captain Edward A. Chapel, of Hudson, New York. This cape is 

 on the east side, at the entrance to Bear Sound of Frobisher. 

 X Named after James Bigler, of Newburg, New York. 

 § Named after the Associated Press of New York City. 



|| Named after " Harper Brothers" of New York. The centre of Harper Broth- 

 ers' Island is in lat. 62° 20' 30" N., long. 64° 30' W. 



