Page:Voyage of Discovery to the North Pacific Ocean, and Round the World in the Years 1791–95, volume 1.djvu/431

358 1792. July.

dezvous for the launch and cutter, which were to continue the examination of the continental boundary, whilil we returned to condutl; the vcffels to the appointed ilation.

From Deep Sea bluff, the (bore of the main, acrofs this fmnll opening, took a direflion N.50 w., for about four miles; then extended n.n.e,, about a league to a point, where the arm took a more eaRerly courfe, palfing an ifland, and fcveral rocky iflets, forming j)a{fages for boats only ; whim, to the weftward of the ifland, the main channel was a mile in width, and no doubt was entertained of our there finding a greater depth of water than we required for the veffels. We were however obliged to quit the direftion of that which appeared, and afterwards proved to be the main channel, to purfue the continental line along this, which ap- parently led to the n.e. and eaftward. In this route, a poor unfortu- nate deer, that feemed to have eluded the purfuers, had found an afylum in a fniall recefs on the rocky precipice forming the fliore, about twenty yards in a direftion almofl perpendicular to the water, from whence he could only efcape by the way he had come. In this very expofed fitu- ation, the two headmofl boats paffed him unnoticed ; but, on the third making the difcovery, a platoon of mufkets was difcharged at the de- fencelefs animal by the whole party without effeft. On this a feaman landed, and, with a boat-hook, dragged him from the rocks by the neck, and fecured to us this valuable acquifition. Upwards of twenty muflcets on this occafion were fired, feven of which hit him, but no one mortally ; or wounded him in fuch a manner as to have prevented his efcaping, had not the ov?r-hanging precipices of the rocks rendered it impolfible. Venifon had long with us been a fcarce commodity ; our buck proved excellent, and afforded us all one or tu'o excellent frefli meals.

We purfued the examination of this arm to its head in latitude 51°, longitude 233° 46' ; where it terminated in a fnnilar way to the many before defcribed. Its fhores, about a mile apart, were compofed of high fteep craggy mount?iii.i, whofe fummits were capped with fnow; the lower cliffs though apparently deflitute of foil, produced many pine trees, that feemed to draw all their nourifhment out of the folid rock. The water, near 4 leagues from its upper end, was of a very light chalky