LAST VOYAGE OF CAPT. ROSS. 
293 
which presented itself. With Commander Ross, the ground 
on which he stood in their frequent disputes was of a much firmer 
and tenable nature—he rejected probabilities alltogether, and 
relied solely upon the observations, which he had made in every 
quarter, and some of them at a great distance from the ship, not 
one of which had any tendency to give to the probability of his 
uncle the least semblance of truth. This was particularly con¬ 
firmed on the 9th March, when Commander Ross accompanied 
by one man in a sledge, drawn by six dogs, set out on an expe¬ 
dition to some high land, which appeared to the southward, and 
from which, it was expected, that a correct view could be obtained 
of the surrounding country, and the extent of the islands, amidst 
which it was now evident that they were embayed. The prospect 
which spread itself before the eyes of Commander Ross, on his 
reaching the summit of the hills, was by no means of a flattering 
nature, as far as the object of the expedition was concerned, but 
in other respects, he was well repaid for his fatigue and trouble. 
Leaving the sledge with the dogs, Commander Ross and his 
companion scrambled up the banks of a small stream, which ran 
with great impetuosity down the hill, foaming against the rocks 
which threatened to impede its course, and which in this deep 
solitude of nature, by its incessant noise, imparted an interest 
to the scene, which it would be difficult to describe. At a short 
distance the river turned almost at a right angle, where the 
channel appeared to be hollowed out through a solid rock of 
gneiss, and after falling about ten feet, at an angle of 20°, with 
a vertical line, the water rushed along with an astonishing im¬ 
petuosity into a basin nearly of a circular form, and about four 
hundred yards in diameter, but the outlet or continuance of the 
river could not be observed. It was however conjectured by 
Commander Ross, that the course of it was continued between the 
hills which bordered the horizon to the south west, but which 
from the peculiar circumstances in which he was placed, he was 
not able to explore. In this expedition, Commander Ross saw 
several rein deer, browsing on the banks of the stream, and 
although he did not succeed in killing any at that time, he deter¬ 
mined to repair to the spot on a subsequent day, when he hoped 
