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Page 18
Wood will not decay by mere exposure to the air in Labrador, but wastes
away gradually; and after forty or more years, the wood found at the
graves is still fit for use.
CHAPTER VIII.
_Departure from Oppernavik. Pass the Ikkerasak of Killinek.
Whirlpools. The coast takes a southerly direction. Meeting with
Esquimaux from the Ungava country, who had never seen an
European. Anchor at Omanek. High tides. Drift-wood. Double Cape
Uibvaksoak. Distant view of Akpatok._
August 2d.--Having made all needful preparations for the voyage, a
gentle but favourable wind, and occasional rowing, brought us, about
nine in the morning, to the entrance of the much dreaded Ikkerasak. The
weather was pleasant and warm, not a flake of ice was to be seen, and
all our fear and anxiety had subsided. Our minds were attuned to praise
and thanksgiving for the providential preservation we had experienced
yesterday. We performed our morning devotions on deck, and all joined in
a joyful hallelujah to God our Saviour, which was sweetly repeated by
echoes among the mountains and precipices on either side. The
scripture-text appointed in the Church of the United Brethren for this
day being read, it seemed as if addressed particularly to us, separated
as we felt ourselves, in these lonely regions, from the rest of the
inhabitants of the earth: "_See now that I, even I, am He, and there is
no God with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal._" Deut.
32, 39. We rejoiced, that we were in the hands of a gracious and
merciful God and Father, who would not forsake us, but deal with us
according to his wonted mercy and favour.
The Ikkerasak, (or strait), is about ten miles in length; the land on
each side high and rocky, and in some places precipitous, but there
appeared no rocks in the strait itself. The water is deep and clear. Its
mouth is wide, and soon after entering, a bay opens to the left, which
by an inlet only just wide enough to admit a boat, communicates with a
lagoon of considerable magnitude, in which lies an island on its western
bank. Beyond this bay, the passage narrows and consequently the stream,
always setting from N. to S. grows more rapid. Here the mountains on
both sides rise to a great height. Having proceeded for two miles in a
narrow channel, the strait opens again, but afterwards contracts to
about 1000 yards across; immediately beyond which, the left coast turns
to the south. As the tide ebbs regularly with the current from N. to S.
along the whole coast of Labrador, the current through the strait is
most violent during its fall, and less, when resisted by its influx on
rising.
We were taught to expect much danger in passing certain eddies or
whirlpools in the narrow parts of the straits, and were therefore
continually upon the look-out for them. When we passed the first narrow
channel, at 12 P.M. it being low water, no whirlpool was perceptible.
Having sailed on for little more than half an hour, with wind and tide
in our favour, we reached the second. Here, indeed, we discovered a
whirlpool, but of no great magnitude at this state of the tide. Near the
north-shore the water was, indeed, whirled round in the manner of a
boiling cauldron of ten or twelve feet diameter, with considerable noise
and much foam; but we passed without the smallest inconvenience, within
thirty or forty feet of the outer circle. Our skin-boat, however, which
we had in tow, with a man in it, was seized by the vortex, and received
a rapid twist; but as the towing-rope did not break, she was immediately
rescued from danger by the swiftness of our course, and the affair
afforded us more diversion than anxiety. The motion of the water in
these eddies is so great, that they never freeze in the severest winter.
The ice being drawn towards them with great force, the largest shoals
are carried under water, and thrown up again, broken into numerous
fragments. The Ikkerasak is at that season utterly impassable for boats.
The Killinek people inhabit an island to the right, after leaving the
strait.
When we quitted the Ikkerasak, and entered the ocean on the western side
of Cape Chudleigh, it seemed as if we were transported to a new world.
Hitherto the coast to our left had always taken a northerly direction.
It now turned to the S.S.W. and is low, with gently sloping hills, the
sea being full of small islands, abounding in sea-fowl.
To the N. and N.W. we saw the open sea in Hudson's Straits, which,
compared to the turbulent Atlantic, seemed calm and peaceful. We sailed
briskly amidst the islands, and overtook the inhabitants of Saeglek,
whom we had seen at Kakkeviak, where they had got the start of us. The
wind being favourable, we did not hail them, but kept on our course. We
now saw with pleasure the Ungava country to the South before us, but had
first to pass the low point of _Uivarsuk_, the bay of _Arvavik_, in
which the people from Saeglek had their summer stations, and the
mountain _Omanek_, of moderate height, and surrounded by many small
islets, called by the Esquimaux _Erngavinget_, (bowels). We now
discovered three skin-boats full of people standing towards us from the
shore. They were inhabitants of Ungava, and welcomed our approach with
loud shouts of joy and firing their pieces, which was answered by our
party. They followed us to Omanek, a round island rising like a loaf
among the rest, where they pitched their tents on shore.
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