Last
night the wind fell and the currents drifted our little vessel
perilously near one of the great bergs, which was probably aground. It
was an anxious time for those on the watch, but the Lord preserved us.
The headland to the north of us is Cape Uivak. Uivak is simply the
Eskimo word for promontory, and the names of Cape Webuck on this coast
and Quebec in Canada, are evidently derived from it. There is a board
on that little island, and through the glass one can read the betters
S.F. What does that stand for? Well, that identifies "Friday Island,"
so-called after Sophia Freitag, the wife of a worthy missionary. Once
the captain of a steamer read it S.E., so he steered north-west, and
safely entered Hebron Bay. He afterwards congratulated our captain on
having put up so good a way-mark.
To-day the wind has veered round a little to the north, which enables
us, at last, to run straight in at the mouth of Kangertluksoak Fjord,
past three great icebergs, which stand in a row as if to defend the
entrance. The sailors call them "men-of-war." Our rapid progress soon
brings us in sight of the mission premises, whose red roofs stand out
against the bare rocky background of the steep hillside, tinted a warm
red-brown by the autumn hues of the mosses.
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