A GALE. — BEAK SOUND. 



557 



Northumberland Inlet, and thence, sweeping round by the west, 

 away to Kesolution Island south. Seaward, as far as my eye 

 could reach from an elevation of 1200 feet, was pack-ice. Field 

 Bay, except the entrance, was also full of last winter's ice, as was 

 also as much of Frobisher Bay as I could observe. 



Our return was made, though not without danger and some dif- 

 ficulty. 



Leaving Hall's Island of Frobisher at 6 P.M., we arrived at the 

 place of our first encampment at 9 30, night, where we made our 

 second and last. Next morning, at 4 25, we started, continuing 

 our return voyage. Before we got through New York Press Chan- 

 nel the wind had freshened to a gale from the northeast, but on and 

 on our boat bounded like a thing of life. The gale continued, if 

 any thing increased, till we were athwart Bear Sound, when it 

 burst into fury, madly hurling the foaming breakers in upon us 

 and the unnumbered islands that lay in our course. To add to 

 our dangers, a thick fog was upon us ; yet our little craft, though 

 with half sail, and all the time nearly upon her beam-ends, flew 

 full 15 knots an hour. Speedily and safely, but wet as " drown- 

 ed rats," we arrived at Cape True at 8 15 A.M., though in our pas- 

 sage across Bear Sound we had but just escaped destruction. 



I may here state that the whole party at Cape True were in no 

 want of food while I was there. Walrus was abundant, and was, 

 indeed, almost exclusively our diet. We had walrus brains for 

 supper ; stewed walrus, or walrus boiled, for dinner ; but always 

 walrus, and no bread. 



