The twenty-fourth and twenty-fifth proved fine, clear weather, though excessively cold; and in the afternoon of the latter, we arrived at Prince of Wales's Fort, after having been absent eight months and twenty-two days, on a fruitless, or at least an unsuccessful journey.[44]
FOOTNOTES:
[X] This only consisted of three walking-sticks stuck into the ground, and a blanket thrown over them.
[Y] Skipertogan is a small bag that contains a flint and steel, also a pipe and tobacco, as well as touchwood, &c. for making a fire. Some of these bags may be called truly elegant; being richly ornamented with beads, porcupine-quills, moose-hair, &c. a work always performed by the women; and they are, with much propriety, greatly esteemed by most Europeans for the neatness of their workmanship.
[44] The text gives very little information from which to follow Hearne's course from the point where he broke his quadrant on August 12th, till he arrived at Churchill on November 25th, so that we must follow him as well as possible from the route laid down on his map.
His route is marked crossing the Dubawnt River in latitude 63° north, near where it flows into an arm or bay of Dubawnt Lake. The river actually flows into the lake from the south-west in latitude 62° 55', and it is probable that he crossed it three miles above this in latitude 62° 53' 30", where, in 1893, we found the most northerly grove of stunted spruce growing on the bank of the river, and where very old remains of Indian camps were plainly to be seen.
From here he turned south-eastward, and travelling around the south end of Dubawnt Lake reached Kazan River just above Angikuni Lake (called on Alexander Mackenzie's map Titmeg Lake), probably just at its western end, where the caribou cross the river in large numbers in their migration southward. This point is in latitude 62° 20' north, while Hearne places his crossing-place in latitude 62° 12'. Thence, keeping south of Angikuni Lake, he turned more to the east, and passing several lakes which cannot be definitely identified, but two of which are probably Magnus and Thaolintoa Lakes, he reached Thlewiaza River east of Island Lake, where he was joined by Matonabbee and a band of Indians, who had left their wives at Island Lake, and were on their way to Fort Prince of Wales to trade.
At the Thlewiaza River he turned eastward down the stream to a grove of timber to obtain wood for snow-shoes. After making snow-shoes he turned southward and rejoined Matonabbee and his band of Indians for a short time, and then pushed on across Egg and Seal Rivers and around the south end of Button's Bay to Fort Prince of Wales.