CHAPTER VI.
Set out for the north—Equipment of the party—Snow-blindness—Musk-ox—Mode of killing it—Reach the coast near Point Hargrave—Ice rough along shore—Pass Cape Lady Pelly—Unfavourable weather—Slow progress—Put on short allowance—River Ki-ting-nu-yak—Pemmican placed en cache—Cape Weynton—Colvile Bay—High hill—Dogs giving way—Work increased—Snow-house-building—Point Beaufort—Point Siveright—Keith Bay—Cape Barclay—Another cache—Leave the coast and proceed across the land—River A-ma-took—Dogs knocked up—Lake Ballenden—Harrison islands—Party left to procure provisions—Proceed with two of the men—Cape Berens—Relative effects of an eastern and western aspect—Halkett Inlet—Reach Lord Mayor's Bay—Take formal possession of the country—Commence our return to winter quarters—Friendly interview with the natives—Obtain supplies of provisions from them—View of Pelly Bay—Trace the shore to the eastward—Travel by night—Explore the coast of Simpson's Peninsula—Arrive at Fort Hope—Occurrences during the absence of the exploring party—Character of the Esquimaux Ivitchuk.
Everything having been for some days in readiness for our contemplated journey, I only awaited the arrival of our Esquimaux ally Ivitchuk. He made his appearance on the 4th April in company with his wife, his father and brother, and their wives. I could have well dispensed with the presence of the party, excepting the man who was to go with us, as there were many things to be attended to. It is strange that throughout the winter, with one or two exceptions, the visits of these people have happened on Sundays. Our intended travelling companion having received a coat from one, inexpressibles from another, leggings from a third, &c., was soon completely dressed "à la voyageur," not certainly to the improvement of the outer man, but much to his own satisfaction. Ouligbuck's arm being now in a fair way of recovery, there was no cause of detention.
The party, consisting, besides myself, of George Flett, John Corrigal, William Adamson, Ouligbuck's son, and Ivitchuk, started early on the morning of the 5th. We were accompanied by two sledges, each drawn by four dogs, on which our luggage and provisions were stowed. Our stores consisted of three bags of pemmican, seventy reindeer tongues, one half-hundred weight of flour, some tea, chocolate, and sugar, and a little alcohol and oil for fuel. At first the weather was far from favourable for travelling, as there was a gale of wind with snow, but about 8 A.M. the sky cleared up, and the day became as fine as could have been wished. The sun shone forth with great brightness, surrounded by a halo of the most brilliant colours, with four parhelia that rivalled the sun himself. Our route was the same as that followed in the boat last autumn; but although the snow was hard-packed and not rough, our sledges were too heavy to allow us to travel quickly. Numerous bands of deer crossed our path, and enlivened the scene at the same time that they kept up the spirit of our dogs. Our latitude at noon, by an observation of the sun, was 66° 42' N., variation of the compass 64° W. Between 7 and 8 P.M., both dogs and men being somewhat fatigued with their day's work, we stopped on the east side of Christie Lake to build our snow hut, which our Esquimaux friend was so long in completing on account of the bad state of the snow for building, that it was 11 o'clock before we got into our blankets. The situation of our encampment was in latitude 66° 49' 30" N., longitude 87° 20' W.
6th.—We passed a comfortable night, and it was 6 o'clock in the morning before we were again on the march; three hours more brought us to the northern extremity of the lake, where we had left a bag of flour "en cache" the previous autumn. Two men who had accompanied us, for the purpose of taking the flour back to our winter quarters, returned from this place.
A little before noon we arrived at the snow hut of the two Esquimaux, Shimakuk and Kei-ik-too-oo, who, with their families, had been staying some time here angling trout. I had agreed with those people that they should build a large snow house for our accommodation, having expected to reach them at the end of our first day's journey. In this we were disappointed; but, as the contracting party had prepared a fine roomy dwelling for us, they received the stipulated price—a clasp knife. At noon, when still on the lake, the latitude 66° 58' 16" N. was observed.
Kei-ik-too-oo having come with us for a short distance, I proposed that he should get his sledge and dogs and accompany us for two days; this, for a dagger as a consideration, he gladly agreed to do, and immediately went off at a great rate to bring up his team. Being quite light he soon overtook us, and was not long in getting a heavy load on. I soon saw the advantage of his iced runners over the iron ones, and determined to have ours done in the same way on the first opportunity; on this account we stopped sooner than we would otherwise have done, having travelled sixteen geographical miles. We found a number of old Esquimaux houses, one of which we prepared for our use by clearing out the snow that had drifted into it. Whilst the two Esquimaux were icing the sledges, the remainder of the men were cooking and preparing our bed; the latter being a very simple process, merely requiring the snow to be well smoothed, and one or two hairy deer-skins laid over it to prevent the heat of the body from thawing the snow. The weather was fair all day, and except in the morning when the thermometer was -16°, it was rather warm for walking. After we got into our lodgings a strong breeze sprung up with thick drift. Some of the party were slightly affected with snow-blindness.
7th.—The weather was gloomy and dark this morning, with the thermometer at +5° when we started at half-past 3. Our sledges ran much easier since they had received a coating of ice on their runners, although they were not yet equal to Kei-ik-too-oo's. We followed the same route as that taken by the boat last autumn until 9 o'clock, when being two miles from the sea we struck across land towards Point Hargrave; at noon we were in latitude 67° 16' 51" N., variation of the compass 74° 30' W. We found the snow much softer than it was on the lakes and river, and our progress was consequently much slower than in the first part of the day.
At 2 P.M. we arrived at a small lake, about four miles from Point Hargrave. As this was the only fresh-water lake we were likely to meet with for some time, I determined to stop for the purpose of renewing the icing on the sledges, which had been a good deal broken by the irregularities of the road. Notwithstanding that we had gone only eighteen miles our dogs were very tired, and I began to fear that they would not hold out so well as was expected. Our Esquimaux friend was to leave us the next day, and as his sledge was light he expected to reach his house the same day. This is a favourite resort of the musk-ox as soon as the snow disappears. The mode of killing these animals is the same as that described by Sir J. C. Ross as practised in Boothia Felix by the Esquimaux: being brought to bay with dogs, they are either shot with arrows or speared.
When we resumed our journey at 5 o'clock next morning, there was a strong breeze right ahead with thick drift, the temperature being +6°. A walk of three miles brought us to the coast about a mile from Point Hargrave. There was a great deal of rough ice along the shore, which gave both men and dogs much hard work to drag the sledges over. It had now begun to snow, and the drift was so thick that we could not follow the smoothest route; we consequently advanced but slowly, taking four hours to gain five and a half miles, which brought us to Cape Lady Pelly.