a rapid survey of the coast
as they descended, and sounded the river at intervals. When he reached
its mouth he had made two important discoveries. The one was, that
there did not seem to be a spot along the whole line of coast so well
fitted in all respects for an establishment as the place whereon their
tents were already pitched. The other was, that the river, from its
mouth up to that point, was deep enough to float a vessel of at least
three or four hundred tons burden. This was very satisfactory, and he
was about to return to the camp when he came upon the deserted Esquimau
village which, a few weeks before, had been the scene of a murderous
attack and a hasty flight. On a careful examination of the place, the
marks of a hasty departure were so apparent that Stanley and his men
made a pretty near guess at the true state of affairs; and the former
rightly conjectured that, having made a precipitate flight in
consequence of some unexpected attack, there was little probability of
their returning soon to the same locality. This was unfortunate, but in
the hope that he might be mistaken in these conjectures, and that the
natives might yet return before winter, he set up a pole on a
conspicuous place, and tied to the top of it a bag containing two dozen
knives, one dozen fire-steels, some awls and needles, several pounds of
beads, and a variety of such trinkets as were most likely to prove
acceptable to a savage people.

While Bryan was engaged in piling a heap of stones at the foot of this
pole to prevent its being blown down by the wind, the rest of the party
re-embarked, and prepared to return home; for although the camp beside
the spring was scarcely one day old, the fact that it was likely to
become the future residence of the little party had already invested it
with a species of homelike attraction. Man is a strange animal, and
whatever untravelled philosophers may say to the contrary, he speedily
makes himself "at home" _anywhere_!

"Hallo, Bryan!" shouted Stanley from the canoe, "look sharp; we're
waiting for you!"

"Ay, ay, yer honour," replied the Irishman, lifting a huge mass of rock;
"jist wan more, an' it'll be stiff an' stidy as the north pole himself."
Then in an undertone he added, "`Look sharp,' is it ye say? It's blunt
ye are to spake that way to yer betters. Musha! but it's mysilf
wouldn't give a tinpinny for all that bag houlds, twinty times doubled;
an' yit thim haythens, thim pork-fac