CH. XXVI I] 
The Search for Franklin. L 
253 
floe in Melville Bay and run no risks. Forty days of 
hard work, towing, tracking, blasting, and cutting docks 
amidst the fairy scenery of refracted icebergs saw our 
squadron through the ice and off Cape York, in company 
with Penny's brigs, the Felix and the Prince Albert. 
We gazed on "the crimson cliffs of Beverley," which 
were a very pale, scarcely perceptible pink, but dear 
old Sir John Ross, who was visiting us, staunchly de- 
fended the brilliant crimson as correctly depicting, in 
his book, the colour the snow had in 1818. Here too 
we were visited by a party of Sir John's "Arctic High- 
landers/' and one of them, a lad of about eighteen named 
Kalahierua, who also received the names of Erasmus 
after Captain Ommanney and York after the cape, 
accepted an invitation to cast in his lot with us, and 
came on board. Like the Eskimo of Igioolik who drew 
the Melville Peninsula with such accuracy for Parry, our 
friend Kalahierua had a wonderful eye for topography. 
When asked to draw a map of his country he took the 
pencil and delineated the coast-line with marvellous 
accuracy, making marks to indicate islands and bird- 
frequented cliffs, leaving a space where glaciers reach the 
sea, and marking the places where his people had winter 
stations, mentioning the names. The northern part of 
the map was then unknown, but it was afterwards proved 
to be quite correct. 
The Resolute and Pioneer went to Pond's Bay for 
news, while the Assistance and Intrepid proceeded direct 
to Lancaster Sound, discovering a fine harbour near Cape 
Warrender, with some interesting Eskimo remains. 
On the 19th of August, before sunset, it was blowing 
a stiff gale with thick weather. The Assistance , under 
close-reefed topsails, drifted rapidly to leeward, rolling 
her lee boats into the water. The chief anxiety was 
whether there was ice to leeward, and whether the gale 
would last long enough to drive the ship down upon it, 
in which case the heavy sea which was running would 
effect her destruction in a very few minutes. Next day 
the wind moderated, and we passed between Leopold 
Island and the mainland of North Somerset. Crossing 
Lancaster Sound on the 20th, Captain Ommanney pro- 
ceeded on board the Intrepid to land at Cape Riley, 
