Page:Life with the Esquimaux - 1864 - Volume 2.djvu/306

Rh several Innuits—among them my faithful attendant "Sharkey"—all well, fat, and healthy.

I remained a short time at this place, and then—June 18th—returned to the ship, whence I expected to depart in a few days for Cornelius Grinnell Bay, for the purpose of making a survey of it. I here bring forward an extract from my journal of Friday, June 20th, 1862: "To-morrow I expect Ebierbing to come after me, when I shall hope to make a successful start for Cornelius Grinnell Bay. My work by sledge will soon be over; the water-pools on the ice are growing numerous and are enlarging. "Saturday, June 21st.—A few minutes after 1 Ebierbing, with team of dogs, arrived. To-morrow morning I start on my proposed trip, weather permitting—I mean God willing." At 7.23 on the morning of the 25th, Ebierbing and myself left the ship, taking our course directly down the Bay for Farrington Cape. Thence we turned and travelled northwardly and eastwardly for Cape Haven, a mountain island at the eastern extreme of Williams's Peninsula. Cape Haven was the place of my first encampment on this trip, and distant by sledge route from George Henry Harbour fifteen miles. On ascending its heights I found the view that it commanded to be very extensive.

On the following day I held over at the place of my first encampment till 11 hoping the sun would make its appearance from behind the clouds, so that I might make observations for time, latitude, and solar bearings.

Having no prospect of sun, we started on, striking along to the north on the ice of Davis's Strait, our course leading us not far from the coast of Williams's Peninsula. Before leaving Cape Haven, however, we prospected from its summit the