PACIFIC AND BEERING’S STRAIT. 
279 
instead of gaining twenty miles to the eastward, we had lost four : by CHAP, 
which it was evident that a current had been running S. 58° W. a mile 
an hour ; off this place, however, it was found upon trial to run S. 60° W. August, 
only half a mile per hour. The fog afterwards came on very thick, and 
remained so during the day. 
Finding this inconvenience from the current off Icy Cape, I steered 
to the westward to ascertain how near the ice approached the coast in 
that direction, and on the 20th, I stood in for the land about midway 
between Cape Beaufort and Icy Cape, to verify some points of the 
survey. About this time immense flocks of ducks, consisting entirely 
of young ones and females, were seen migrating to the southward. 
The young birds could not fly; and not having the instinct to avoid 
the ship in time, one immense flock was run completely over by her. 
They, however, were more wary when the boats were lowered, and suc- 
cessfully avoided our aim to shoot them by diving. At the place where 
we landed, there was a long lake between us and the main land ; and 
our walk was confined to a strip of shingle and sand, about 150 yards 
wide, and about six feet above the level of the sea. In the sheltered 
parts of it there were a few flowers, but no new species. The lake was 
connected with the sea at high tide, and was consequently salt ; but 
we obtained some water sufficiently fresh to drink by digging at a 
distance of less than a yard from its margin, a resource of which the 
natives appeared to be well aware. 
An abundance of driftwood M^as heaped upon the upper part of 
the shingle. The trees were torn up by the roots, and some were 
worm-eaten ; but the greater part appeared to have been only a short 
time at sea, and all of it, that I examined, was pine. 
From the desolate appearance of the coast where we landed, I 
scarcely expected to find a human being, but we had no sooner put our 
foot ashore than a baidar full of people landed a short distance from us. 
Her crew consisted of three grown-up males and four females, besides 
two infants. They were as ready as their neighbours to part with 
what they had in exchange for trifles ; esteeming our old brass buttons 
above all other articles, excepting knives. There was a blear-eyed old 
hag of the party, who separated from her companions, and seated her- 
