PACIFIC AND BEERING’S STRAIT. 
265 
covered low land jetting out from the coast to the W. N. W. as far as CHAP, 
the eye could reach. As this point had never been placed in our charts, 
I named it Point Hope, in compliment to Sir William J ohnstone Hope. August, 
Having buried a bottle for Captain F ranklin upon the eminence, ’’ 
we took leave of our friends, and made sail towards the ship, which, in 
consequence of a current, w^as far to leeward, although she had been 
beating the whole day w ith every sail set. We continued to press the 
ship during the night, in order to maintain our position, that the barge 
might join ; but the current ran so strong, that the next morning, find- 
ing that ground w^as lost rather than gained, I bore aw'ay to trace the 
extent of the low point we discovered from Cape Thomson. As w’e neared 
it, we perceived a forest of stakes driven into the ground for the pur- 
pose of drying skins, and placing sledges and other articles upon ; and 
beneath them several round hillocks, which we afterwards found to be 
the Esquimaux yourts, or underground wunter habitations. The wind fell 
very light off the point, and I went in the gig to pay a visit to the vil- 
lage, leaving directions to anchor the ship in case the wind continued 
light. After rowing a considerable time, we found a current running 
so strong that we did not make any progress, and it was as much as we 
could do to get back to the ship, which had in the mean time been 
anchored with the bower, having previously parted from the kedge. 
The current was now running W. by N. at the rate of three miles an 
hour. About five o’clock the next morning, however, it slackened to a 
mile and a half, and the boats were sent to creep for the kedge anchor, 
but it could not be found. A thick fog afterwards came on, which kept 
us at anchor until the next day. During this time signal guns were fired 
every two hours, as well on account of Captain Franklin as of our own 
boat. 
On the 5th we weighed, and set the studding-sails, but the ship 
would not steer, and came broadside to the tide, in spite of the helm and 
three boats ahead ; and continued in this position until a fresh breeze 
sprang up from the northward. 
It is necessary here to give some further particulars of this current, 
in order that it may not be supposed that the whole body of water 
between the two great continents was setting into the Polar Sea at 
M M 
