The natives living
near North Bluff and Hudson's Strait had seen plenty of whales passing
eastward early in the season, when the ice was still thick, or, as one
of them told me, "when the young seal are born," which is in the latter
part of March and early in April. They had killed three large whales
and struck two others that escaped. We went into North Bay and found
these Inuits encamped on the main-land, about fifteen miles from the
mouth of the bay, and Captain Baker bought from them a head of
whalebone, which they said was at Akkolear, which was still further up
the bay, or strait, as it proved to be.
Mr. Williams, first officer of the 'George and Mary', went with
two boats and some Inuit guides, sailing directly up the bay toward
the north-west until it debouched again upon Hudson's Strait, about
fifty miles above where we were anchored, or about sixty-five miles
north-west of North Bluff. Here he found the whalebone as described by
the natives, and brought it on board after an absence of four days.
The large island, or, in fact, two islands that are thus formed, as
there is another passage into the sea about twenty-five miles north of
North Bluff, are called by the natives "Kigyuektukjuar," in view of
their insular character. Kigyuektuk means island, and especially a
large island, King William Land being thus distinguished by them as the
island.
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