Across the sub-Arctics of Canada

by J. W. Tyrrell

So smooth and bare were its glaciated shores that we had some difficulty in effecting a landing. One night was spent on this rocky bank, and the day following being fair and bright, saw us on the waters of Chesterfield Inlet. The magnetic compasses were now found to work very unsatisfactorily, but for one day the sunlight enabled me to make liberal use of my solar instrument. During the next and several succeeding days the weather was dark and gloomy, and we encountered such tide rips in the Inlet that my survey was much interfered with.

On the 10th of September, as we were pulling down the Inlet under a strong side wind, through extremely rough water, we were glad to find about noon a sheltered cove on the north side of a large island near the south shore. Here we landed to await an improvement in the weather. While the cooks were preparing our mid-day meal, my brother and I set out for the summit of the island, a mile or more to the south, for the purpose of taking observations. In due time the breezy elevation was reached. While sighting to a prominent point to the southward, there suddenly appeared from behind it what seemed a phantom ship. For a moment I gazed upon it in amazement, but then realizing that the appearance was a real, not an imaginary one, I called my brother’s attention to it.

The object, which was several miles distant, was clearly made out to be a two-masted sail-boat, and it was heading to the westward. By whom could it be manned? We could not imagine, but there it was, with two square sails set to the wind and tearing up the inlet. By the aid of our field-glasses we could make out many moving figures on the boat, but as to whether they were whalers, Hudson’s Bay Company’s traders from Churchill, or who else, we could not conceive. If, however, they were to be more to us than a vision it was necessary to bestir ourselves, for they were rapidly passing. From my pocket I drew an immense red handkerchief and waved it most energetically, while my brother discharged several shots from his revolver. We soon saw from the boat’s movements that we were observed, but instead of coming in towards us they only bore away more to the southward. Still I vigorously waved the red handkerchief, and finally, much to our delight, the sails flapped loosely in the wind, then in a moment were refilled by the strong breeze and the boat swept in toward us.

The appearance of a sail-boat in Chesterfield Inlet, and especially at this late season of the year, puzzled us much, and as it drew nearer we watched it intently. It had the appearance of being a large whale-boat, and was evidently well manned, but by whom we could not tell. Whoever they might be, perhaps they could be hired to take us down the coast of the Bay to Churchill, and if so we might be saved weeks of hard travel on a very exposed and dangerous coast. We sincerely hoped that the strange mariners, or at least their boat, might be available for the voyage. When they had approached sufficiently near we could see that there were Eskimos on board, and a moment later their anchor was cast out, and several of them, making a sort of raft out of three kyacks they had in tow, paddled in to the rocky shore where we stood. In vain did we look for the face of a white man. They were all natives, and as we gazed at each other in mutual amazement, I broke the silence with the question, “Kudloonah petehungetoo?” (Is there no white man?) “Petehungetoo” (There is none), was the reply, so the whole party, which consisted of several families, men, women and children, were Eskimos, and with them in their boat they had their dogs and other necessary hunting and camping equipments. They informed us they were moving up into the interior from the coast to spend the winter, and so it was not surprising that nothing we could offer would induce them to consider the question of taking us down to Churchill or of selling their boat to us. We offered what to them would have been fabulous wealth, but to no purpose. There they were with all their belongings on their way to the westward, and westward they were determined to go.

The Eskimos in turn expressed surprise at finding two solitary white men upon such a lonely, barren island, and not unnaturally asked, “Nowtimee ibbee kyette?” (Where do you come from?) I replied, “Uvagut kyette tellipea washigtooeloo towmonee koog-du-ak” (We come from the west very far, down a great river). We were then asked if we had seen any more of their people, and replied, “Uvagut tacko-namee hipunga Enuit coonetookeloo manee tacko Enuit amasuit washigtoo tellipea iglooanne attowsha sissell ungayo.” (We have seen no other Eskimos near here, but saw plenty far to the westward beyond the first big lake). They informed us that another large boat-load of their people had gone up from the coast on the previous day, and were surprised that we had not seen them. Though we were not able to purchase or charter the boat from the natives, we obtained much valuable information and a sketch-map of the coast of the Bay from the mouth of the Inlet down to Fort Churchill. After a brief stay they returned to their boat and we to the rocky hills, upon the other side of which our party awaited our return. The wind still continued to blow too strongly to admit of travelling by canoe, so we went back again and spent the rest of the day on the hills.

Next morning we were up early. The wind had fallen somewhat and the canoes were soon launched. We managed to travel until after eleven o’clock, when, because of the high wind and rough water, we were again obliged to make for the shore, and in order to do so had to pull through a heavy surf breaking over the low sandy beach. During the afternoon at this point observations for longitude were obtained, and close by upon a prominent hill a large cairn of rocks was erected to mark the spot for the benefit of future explorers.

The two following days were marked by rough weather and little progress, but finally we reached the mouth of the great Inlet through which for several days we had been paddling.

For having completed another stage of the journey we were exceedingly glad, but coupled with this fact there was another, viz., that before us was a five-hundred-mile voyage to be made in open canoes down an exposed sea-coast. Here we would be surrounded by entirely new conditions and confronted with new difficulties.

HALF-BREED BOY.