no wood, whale-bones had been here
substituted for rafters, as is usual along the whole breadth of the
American coast-line from Behring's Straits; but many of the hovels had
no rafters. On the whole the impression was, that the natives here
lived in a state of much greater barbarity and discomfort than those we
had seen about the Danish settlements on the opposite shore.

A cairn was erected by us; a record and some letters deposited for the
natives to put on board whalers at a future season; and having placed a
number of presents for the poor creatures in the different huts, and on
the _caches_, we hurried on board and made the best of our way to
Possession Bay, and rejoined the "Resolute," from whom we learnt that
the "North Star" had placed a record there, to say, that after having
failed to cross Baffin's Bay in 1849, she had done so in 1850, and had
gone up Lancaster Sound to seek the "Enterprise" and "Investigator,"
under Sir James Ross, they having, as we knew, meanwhile, gone home,
been paid off, recommissioned, and were now, please God, in the Arctic
Ocean, by way of Behring's Straits.

_August 22d, 1850._--The "Resolute" in company, and steering a course
up Lancaster Sound.

The great gateway, within whose portals we were now fast entering, has
much in it that is interesting in its associations to an English
seaman. Across its mouth, the bold navigator Baffin, 200 years before,
had steered, pronounced it a sound, and named it after the Duke of
Lancaster. About thirty-five years ago it was converted into a bay by
Sir John Ross; and within eighteen months afterwards, Parry, the prince
of Arctic navigators, sailed through this very bay, and discovered new
lands extending half of the distance towards Behring's Straits, or
about 600 miles. To complete the remaining 600 miles of unknown region,
Sir John Franklin and his 140 gallant followers had devoted
themselves,--with what resolution, with what devotion, is best told by
their long absence and our anxiety.

The high and towering ranges of the Byam Martin Mountains looked down
upon us from the southern sky, between fast-passing fog-banks and
fitful gusts of wind, which soon sobbed themselves into a calm, and
steam, as usual, became our friend: with it the "Pioneer," towing the
"Resolute" astern, steered for the north shore of Lancaster Sound; and
on August 25th we were off Croker Bay, a deep indentation between Cape
Warrender and Cape Home. The clouds hung t