Page:Life with the Esquimaux - 1864 - Volume 2.djvu/174

Rh several dangerous places where heavy gusts came rushing down the ravines or over the abrupt mountains. Our boat shipped much water, the mad waves frequently flying over us. Once a sharp gust caught us while under sail, and instantly sent the boat onward toward a dangerous reef of rocks on our lee. In a moment sail was down, oars out, and all hands pulling strong and rapidly to clear the danger. Fortunately, a few moments of hard work carried us free, and we soon after reached Cape Ood-loo-ong and landed. Here I took a few compass bearings, and walked about to examine the spot. Many relics of Innuits were seen here. After remaining there an hour we again started, and proceeded up Victoria Bay, keeping well inshore for smoother water. The scenery was magnificent. Stupendous cliffs rose up almost perpendicular from the water's edge, and mountains towered high above me, the sides of some crumbling as if from age and the work of winter's freezing power. One precipitous mountain, about half way up the bay, had the whole side of it torn from summit to base, and cast down. As we approached this mountain my eye caught sight of a cave. I landed to examine it, and the moment I set foot on shore I was struck with amazement at the huge rocks, high up and overhanging my head, seemingly ready to totter and fall. The cave was one of those made by the action of ice in winter and the sea and sun in summer. The ice had rent the rocks and fastened upon them; the sun, with its heat, and the wind, with its power, then went to work, tearing up the frozen masses of ice, and forcing out the rocks, thus leaving the mountain partly disembowelled, as I found it. By measurement, the cave was fifty feet long, by a width of ten feet, and a height of fifteen to twenty feet at the entrance. The strata of rocks were perpendicular. The sides, however, were not as rough and jagged as were the roof and base. Icicles, long, numerous, and large, hung from the top, giving an air of enchantment to the scene.

Returning to the boat, we resumed our hard labour at the oars, the wind being right ahead. We had not proceeded far