Page:Narrative of the Discoveries on the North Coast of America.djvu/197

 allow egress to the waters of the rivers and creeks crossed on our outward journey. The tide being in, we found a sufficient passage for our small vessel between the reefs and the heavy ice. The morning was bright and lovely, and the rapid dash of our light oars proved that we felt its exhilarating influence. At 5 we aroused our still slumbering comrades at Boat Extreme, and received their warm congratulations on the early and successful termination of our discoveries. I now learned from Mr. Dease that the natives at the last tents had left him two days before; and, on departing, had helped themselves to some silver tea-spoons, and one or two other articles, out of his travelling-case, while he lay asleep in his tent. Their dread of pursuit or punishment must therefore have been the cause of their dissuading our four companions from proceeding farther, and of their united attempt upon our canoe, which so nearly led to a fatal conflict. This was the only successful theft that occurred on the whole voyage. Mr. Dease had observed a pretty regular semi-diurnal tide, which rose on an average fifteen inches, and came along the reefs from the north-west. This coincides with my own remarks at Point Barrow, except that there the tide flows from the south-west, because such is the trending of