CAPES JACKSON AND MORRIS. 
289 
seemed to be the broken land-ice around the cape, and 
the loose edge of the south ice. The thermometer in 
the water gave 4-36°, seven degrees above the freezing- 
point of sea-water at Rensselaer Harbor. 
They now yoked in the dogs, and set forward over 
the worst sort of mashed ice for three-quarters of a 
mile. After passing the cape, they looked ahead, and 
saw nothing but open water. The land to the west¬ 
ward seemed to overlap the land on which they stood, 
a long distance ahead: all the space between was open 
water. After turning the cape,—that which is marked 
on the chart as Cape Andrew Jackson,—they found a 
good smooth ice-foot in the entering curve of a bay, 
since named after the great financier of the Amei’ican 
Revolution, Robert Morris. It was glassy ice, and the 
dogs ran on it full speed. Here the sledge made at 
least six miles an hour. It was the best day’s travel 
they made on the journey. 
After passing four bluffs at the bottom and sides of 
the bay, the land grew lower; and presently a long low 
country opened on the land-ice, a wide plain between 
large headlands, with rolling hills through it. A flock 
of Brent geese were coming down the valley of this low 
land, and ducks were seen in crowds upon the open 
water. When they saw the geese first, they -were ap¬ 
parently coming from the eastward; they made a curve 
out to seaward, and then, turning, flew far ahead over 
the plain, until they were lost to view, showing that 
their destination was inland. The general line of flight 
of the flock was to the northeast. Eiders and dove- 
Vol. I.—19 
