184 
VOYAGE FOR THE DISCOVERY 
entirely, land. Beyond this plain, however, there was a piece of bold land 
in the distance, having every appearance of an island, lying between the Blue 
Hills on the north, and some high land to the south. There was a bright and 
dazzling ice-blink over the plain of snow, and exactly corresponding with it, 
as to extent and position. 
Having halted three hours to dine and rest, we again set forward at 
two A.M., on the 3d, crossing one or two ravines, running E.N.E. and 
W.S.W., in which there was a large collection of snow, but as yet no 
appearance of water in the bottom of them. Captain Sabine and myself being 
considerably a-head of the rest of the party, had sat down to wait for 
them, when a fine rein-deer came trotting up, and played round us for 
a quarter of an hour, within thirty yards. We had no gun, nor do I 
know that, we should have killed it, if we had, there being already as much 
weight upon the cart as the men could well drag ; and having no fuel to 
spare for cooking ; besides, we felt it would have been but an ill return for 
the confidence which he seemed willing to place in us. On hearing our people 
talking on the opposite side of the ravine, the deer immediately crossed 
over, and went directly up to them, with very little caution ; and, they 
being less scrupulous than we were, one or two shots were immediately 
fired at him, but without effect ; on which he again crossed over to where 
we were sitting, approaching us nearer than before. As soon as we rose up 
and walked on, he accompanied us like a dog, sometimes trotting a-head 
of us, and then returning within forty or fifty yards. When we halted, at six 
A.M., to make the usual observations, he remained by us trll the rest of the 
party came up, and then trotted off. The rein-deer is by no means a 
graceful animal ; its high shoulders and an awkward stoop in its head, giving 
it rather a deformed appearance. Our new acquaintance had no horns, 
he was of a brownish colour, with a black saddle, a broad black rim 
round the eyes, and very white about the tail. We observed that whenever 
he was about to set off he made a sort of playful gambol, by rearing on his 
hind legs. 
The latitude observed here was 75° 06' 58', the longitude 110° 30' 32", and 
the variation of the magnetic needle 128° 30' 14" easterly. We had passed, 
during our last march, a good deal of rich soil, consisting principally of 
decayed moss and other vegetable substance mixed with sand ; and the sorrel 
and saxifrage ( Saxifraga oppositifolia ) were more abundant than before. 
A fog, which had prevailed during the early part of the day, having cleared 
