!272 
VOYAGE TO THE 
CHAP. 
XL 
Auffiist, 
1820 . 
streams, some of which the ship might have entered, and perhaps have 
proceeded up them two or three miles ; but as this would have served 
no useful purpose, and would have occasioned unnecessary delay, I 
again stood in for the land, which at eight o’clock at night was seen in 
a low unbroken line, extending to the westward as far as Icy Cape, and 
to the eastward as far as the state of the weather would permit. W e 
tacked at nine, in five fathoms water, within two miles of the shore ; 
and Lieutenant Eelcher was despatched in the cutter to examine some 
posts that were erected upon it, thinking they might possibly have 
been placed there by the land expedition. The boat found a heavy 
surf breaking upon a sand bank at a little distance from the beach, 
which prevented her landing, and a fog coming on, she was recalled 
before the attempt could be made in another place. There was a thick 
wetting fog during the night. The next morning a boat was again sent 
on shore, with Lieutenant Belcher, Messrs. Collie and Wolfe, to make 
observations, collect plants, and erect a mark for Captain Franklin. 
They had nearly the same difficulty in reaching the beach, on account 
of shoals, as at the former place, but there was less swell. 
Shortly after noon I landed myself, and found that at the back of 
the beach there was a lake two miles long, in the direction of the coast ; 
it had a shallow entrance at its south-west end, sufficiently deep for 
baidars only. The main land at the back of it presented a range of 
low earth cliffs, behind which there were some hills, about two hun-" 
dred feet high. Near the entrance to the lake there were two yourts, 
inhabited by some Esquimaux, who sold us two swans and four hundred 
pounds of venison, which being divided amongst the creu^, formed a 
most acceptable meal. These swans were without their feet, which had 
been converted into bags, after the practice of the eastern Esquimaux; 
and it is remarkable, that although so far from Kamtschatka and the 
usual track of vessels, these people expressed no surprise at the appear- 
ance either of the ship or of the boat, and that they were provided both 
with knives and iron kettles. 
In our way to the huts we saw several human bones scattered 
about, and a skull which had the teeth worn down nearly to the gums. 
There appeared to be no place of interment near, and the body had 
