Page:Life with the Esquimaux - 1864 - Volume 1.djvu/107

86 a wall of water, so it appeared, far beyond the usual horizon. This wall seemed alive with merry dancers of the most fantastic figures that the imagination could conceive, and its perpendicular columns were ever playfully changing. Oh, how exquisitely beautiful was this God-made living wall! A thousand youthful forms of the fairest outline seemed to be dancing to and fro, their white arms intertwined—bodies incessantly varying, intermixing, falling, rising, jumping, skipping, hopping, whirling, waltzing, resting, and again rushing to the mazy dance—never tired—ever playful—ever light and airy, graceful and soft to the eye. Who could view such wondrous scenes of divine enchantment and not exclaim, 'O Lord, how manifold are Thy works! In wisdom hast Thou made them all; the earth is full of Thy riches!' "August 8th.—The sunrise this morning was fine. Long before the sun came to the horizon the clouds were all a-glow! They were in long, narrow belts, one overtopping another, the lower edges of all visible and pendent, reflecting the crimson of the sun's rays. To attempt to paint the beauty, the glory of this scene, either by my pen or by the pencil of any mortal artist, seemed to me like a sacrilege. God often shows to the world His power and goodness, but seldom does He beautify earth for man to completely feel it is heaven before him!"

Our progress towards the harbour we wished to reach was very slow. At length, on July 30th, we were within three miles of "Sanderson's Tower," on the west side of entrance to Northumberland Inlet; but as it was late, and the wind unfavourable, we had to go seaward for the night. The following day head winds and calms still retarded us, and we were now also anxious for our consort, the Rescue, she having parted from us a short time previously. The place we wanted to reach was called by the Esquimaux Ookoolear, now named by me Cornelius Grinnell Bay, the anchorage being in about latitude 63° 20′ N. For several days we had been struggling against strong breezes, and on the 2d of August we had only