Page:Life with the Esquimaux - 1864 - Volume 2.djvu/66

Rh shore, and took sundry articles of my apparel for Tookoolito and the other women to put in order for me, as they generally did. On the way I had far more difficulty than I anticipated. Two of the sailors had brought me in a boat as far as the broken ice would permit, and then I proceeded toward the shore by moving from one piece of ice to another. But it soon became evident that there was much dangerous work ahead. The ice around the shores and about the harbour and bay was now disappearing like dew before the morning sun. I was indeed surprised to find the changes that had taken place within one day. Several wide chasms between boulders of shore-ice had to be crossed, and my leaps were often made with more or less danger of getting a downfall into the briny deep. Now and then I was obliged to throw my pack in advance, and then go back for a good run, so as to make my flying leap sure to carry me over the yawning gulf. For a full hour did I work thus to accomplish a distance of perhaps twenty rods. Now I would be upon a small piece of ice, pushing along as though it were a boat. Soon as I reached another piece I would have to run on to it; thence to another, leaping cracks and channels that would certainly have made my hair stand on end at an earlier period of my life. At length I reached the last piece between myself and the shore. It was divided from the beach by a breach of some considerable distance; but there was no alternative; leap it I must. Therefore I first threw my pack ashore, which went into a pool of water on the rocks, and then, with a good run, made a great spring, which fortunately just carried me on to terra firma. Many of these occurrences are common enough in the life of an arctic voyager; but I mention this one as a passing incident, and to show what was the state of the ice around our ship at the time we were all so desirous of moving her. In the evening I got on board again without much difficulty, as a boat came for me to firm ice, which I had gained.

The following morning, July 27th, all the ice about the vessel had nearly gone, though there was still some heavy