at the oars we arrived at the termination of this channel, and made our first encampment on Lok's Land, opposite the east end of Harper Brothers' Island. We had boiled ducks and eggs for supper, and our sleeping accommodation for the men was made of the boat's sails, while that for Mr. Lamb and myself was merely a shawl to cover us.
At 7 a.m. next day, July 22d, we again started, and, as we passed along Lok's Land, I noticed a monument of stone standing near the edge of the shore. Sharkey told me that this was erected by himself and some Innuit companions on reaching this spot a few years ago, after having been drifted out to sea when the ice broke away, at a time they were out on a walrus hunt from Toongwine (Jones's Cape). It was in the winter, and the weather was so severe while they were thus adrift that their dogs all died. The Innuits escaped by the tide setting the ice inshore. They managed to return to their families by crossing the island, and thence reached the main land by traversing the ice-pack. Before they got back every one had considered them lost, and their return was an occasion of joy to their friends, as if the dead had come to life.
More monuments were seen, and I was informed that they indicated the land dreaded by all Innuits, and that they told of a time long ago (already mentioned), when many of the native people lived there, who ultimately were all lost; since when, no Innuit dares dwell upon the island.
In the course of the day I visited Bear Island—the place where, one year before, while on my sledge-trip, Ebierbing, with Koodloo, had killed a bear—and at 2 p.m. we reached its eastern end. Here we found the pack-ice setting in with the tide too heavily for risking the boat, and we again had to encamp. Next morning, however, we succeeded in crossing the entrance to Osbon's Bay,[1] and getting to Hall's Island of Frobisher—the Extreme Land—and, as soon as possible, I was on my way to the summit of Mount Warwick, which I
- ↑ Named by me after B. S. Osbon, of New York. Osbon's Bay is at the east end of Lok's Land. The entrance to it is on the south side of Hall's Island of Frobisher and Hudson's Island.
