. Narrative of the Arctic land expedition to the mouth of the Great Fish River and along the shores of the Arctic Ocean in the years 1833, 1834, and 1835 [microform]. Scientific expeditions; Expéditions scientifiques. -•jI w "^ ^, < 1 1K r^ 1 Ht •V: It )» :! t. 274 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES had subsided into a grindinj"; and hollow noise, which betok- ened the destruction of whatever it was which caused it. A phenomenon so utterly at variance with wlmt had existed an hour before made me hasten down, more, however, to look after the boat, than for the satisfaction of any curiosity,
. Narrative of the Arctic land expedition to the mouth of the Great Fish River and along the shores of the Arctic Ocean in the years 1833, 1834, and 1835 [microform]. Scientific expeditions; Expéditions scientifiques. -•jI w "^ ^, < 1 1K r^ 1 Ht •V: It )» :! t. 274 JOURNEY TO THE SHORES had subsided into a grindinj"; and hollow noise, which betok- ened the destruction of whatever it was which caused it. A phenomenon so utterly at variance with wlmt had existed an hour before made me hasten down, more, however, to look after the boat, than for the satisfaction of any curiosity, as upon consideration I could not but infer that it was the ice driven by the wind and current together from Lake Mac- dougall, that was choking up the rapid. And so it proved; it was the disruption of the main body of the ice, or, as it is called, the last break up of the season, when fine weather may be expected. With this new obstacle there was no im- mediate contending; for in such a torrent the boat would have been crushed to atoms. At length, however, the stream, w^hich rushed with amazing velocity, by 5 p. m. so far clear- ed itself as to allow of our loading the boat; not, however, without risk from the floating pieces which yet remained beating about in the eddy, and which it required the entire attention of two men to keep off. Scarcely had we pushed from the shore, when we were in the midst of rapids. Two were run; but the third was too dangerous to allow the at- tempt; consequently again we had to carryall the cargo across a portage of half a mile, while the boat so lightened was brought safely down the rapid. The opposite shore was then disco- vered to be an island, round the western extremity of which another branch of the river cut a broad channel, and joined the one we had selected by a fall of ten feet. A quarter of a mile below the junction, this extraordinary stream was checked by a shelving ledge of low rocks that turned it to the north, in the direct
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, booksubjectscientificexpeditions, bookyear1836
