. Arctic researches, and life among the Esquimaux;. ghthope to escape the rocks, and it was truly awful as I caught sightof what was beneath us. The tide was rushing as if in the mad-dest fury. We could not clear ourselves. Our strength was fastfailing, and if the boat were allowed for a moment to sweep withthe tide, we should be lost. No chance seemed possible unless wecould make the island itself. But how to reach it was the ques-tion. The tide rushed along its side as fiercely as where we thenwere, with a noise which could be heard in all directions. Still,we had no alternative. Placing the
. Arctic researches, and life among the Esquimaux;. ghthope to escape the rocks, and it was truly awful as I caught sightof what was beneath us. The tide was rushing as if in the mad-dest fury. We could not clear ourselves. Our strength was fastfailing, and if the boat were allowed for a moment to sweep withthe tide, we should be lost. No chance seemed possible unless wecould make the island itself. But how to reach it was the ques-tion. The tide rushed along its side as fiercely as where we thenwere, with a noise which could be heard in all directions. Still,we had no alternative. Placing the boats head in such an oblique direction as to makeallowance for the current, we pulled toward a bight of the island,where there seemed to be smoother water. The next , the boat was whirled round, stem for stern, in such amanner as to take all power out of our hands. Then again wethought ourselves lost; but the very movement which thus terri-fied us really threw us into such a position that a few strong 4U ARCTIC RESEARCH v i>: r. ,.ati [l pulls sent the boat within that island cove, where all was still asa summer lake. Heaven be praised! said I; and there was oc-casion for gratitude, for not ten minutes after nearly all the rocksin the course we had made were above water. Soon after gettingon shore, the boat was left high and dry by the receding tide, andin another hour we could see the bottom of the bay for miles, onemass of boulder and shingle. The different islands could now bevisited by walking to them dry-shod. No ship, and hardly aboat, except with much care, could venture up this side of thebay. It was only by watching, and taking advantage of the tide,that even our small boat could be navigated to the head of Fro-bisher Ba}r. I may here mention the singular action of the tides. While onour way hither I had heard the roar of waters, as if a heavy surfwere beating on the shore, and I several times asked Suzbi whatit meant. Her reply was
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1860, booksubjecteskimos, bookyear1865
