suspect that any violence had been offered to
the sufferers by the natives.

As the dogs in the sledge were fatigued
before they joined us, our day's journey was
a short one. Our snow-house was built in latitude
sixty-eight degrees twenty-nine seconds
north, and longitude ninety degrees forty-two
minutes forty-two seconds west, on the bed of
a river having high mud banks, and which
falls into the west side of Pelly Bay, about
latitude sixty-eight degrees forty-seven
minutes north, and longitude ninety degrees
twenty-five minutes west.

On the twenty-second, we travelled along
the north bank of the river (which I named
after Captain Beecher, of the Admiralty), in
a westerly direction, for seven or eight miles,
until abreast of the lofty and peculiarly
shaped hill already alluded to, and which I
named Ellice Mountain, when we turned
more to the northward.

We soon arrived at a long narrow lake, on
which we encamped a few miles from its east
end,—our day's march being little more than
thirteen miles. Our Esquimaux auxiliaries
were now anxious to return, being in dread,
or professing to be so, that the wolves or
wolverines would find their " cache" of meat,
and destroy it. Having paid them liberally
for their aid and information, and having
bade them a most friendly farewell, they
set out for home as we were preparing to go
to bed.

Next morning provisions for six days were
secured under a heap of ponderous stones, and
we resumed our march along the lake.

Thick weather, snow-storms, and heavy
walking, sadly retarded our advance. The
Esquimaux had recommended me, after
reaching the end of the chain of lakes (which
ran in north-westerly direction for nearly
twenty miles, and then turned sharply to the
southward) to follow the windings of a brook
that flowed from them. This I attempted to
do, until finding that we should be led thereby
far to the south, we struck across land to the
west among a series of hills and valleys.

Tracks of deer now became numerous, and
a few traces of musk cattle were observed.

At two A.M., on the twenty-sixth, we fell upon
a river with banks of mud and gravel twenty
to forty feet high, and about a quarter of a
mile in width. After a most laborious walk
of more than eighteen miles, we found an old
snow-hut, which after a few repairs was made
habitable, and we were snugly housed at
forty minutes past six A.M. Our position
was in latitude sixty-eight degrees twenty-
five minutes twenty-seven seconds north,
longitude ninety- two degrees fifty-three
minutes fourteen seconds west.

One of our men who, from carelessness
some weeks before, had severely frozen two
of his toes, was now scarcely able to walk;
and as, by Esquimaux report, we could not
be very far from the sea, I prepared to start
in the evening with two men and four days'
provisions for the Castor and Pollux River,
leaving the lame man and another to follow,
at their leisure a few miles on our track, to
some rocks that lay on our route where they
were more likely to find both fuel and game,
than on the bare flat ground where we then
were.

The morning of the twenty-sixth was very
fine as we commenced tracing the course ot
the river seaward; sometimes following its
course, at other times travelling on its left or
right bank to cut off points.

At four A.M., on the twenty-seventh, we
reached the mouth of the river, which, by
subsequent observation, I found to be situated
in latitude sixty-eight degrees thirty-two
minutes north, and longitude ninety-three
degrees twenty minutes west. It was rather
difficult to discover when we had reached the
sea, until a mass of rough ice settled the
question beyond a doubt. After leaving the
river we walked rapidly due west for six
miles, then built our usual snug habitation
on the ice, three miles from shore, and had
some partridges (Tetrao mutus) for supper, at
the unseasonable hour of eight A.M. We had
seen great numbers of these birds during the
night.

Our latitude was sixty-eight degrees thirty-
two minutes one second north, and about
forty minutes east of Simpson's position of
the mouth of the Castor and Pollux River.

The weather was overcast with snow
when we resumed our journey, at thirty
minutes past eight P.M., on the twenty-seventh;
we directed our course directly for the shore,
which we reached after a sharp walk of one
and a half hours, in doing which we crossed
a long stony island of some miles in extent.
As by this time it was snowing heavily, I
made my men travel on the ice, the walking
being better there, whilst I followed the
winding of the shore, closely examining every
object along the beach.

After passing several heaps of stones, which
had evidently formed Esquimaux caches, I
came to a collection larger than any I had
yet seen, and clearly not intended for the
protection of property of any kind. The
stones, generally speaking, were small, and
had been built in the form of a pillar, but the
top had fallen down, as the Esquimaux had
previously given me to understand was the
case.

Calling my men to land, I sent one to trace
what looked like the bed of a small river
immediately west of us, whilst I and the
other man cleared away the pile of stones in
search of a document. Although no docu-
ment was found, there could be no doubt in
my own mind, and in that of my companion,
that its construction was not that of the
natives. My belief that we had arrived at
the Castor and Pollux River was confirmed
when the person who had been sent to trace
the apparent stream-bed returned with the
information that it was a river.