24th. Brother Kmoch rose at two, and went on shore to examine the island
more minutely. The morning was beautiful, and the sun rose with great
splendour. _Amitok_ lies N.W. from Kummaktorvik, is of an oblong shape,
and stretches out pretty far towards the sea. The hills are of moderate
height, the land is in many places flat, but in general destitute of
grass. On the other side are some ruins of Greenland houses.

The Esquimaux have a tradition, that the Greenlanders came originally
from Canada, and settled on the outermost islands of this coast, but
never penetrated into the country, before they were driven eastward to
Greenland. This report gains some credit, from the state in which the
abovementioned ruins are found. They consist in remains of walls and
graves, with a low stone enclosure round the tomb, covered with a slab
of the same material. They have been discovered on islands near Nain,
and though sparingly, all along the whole eastern coast, but we saw none
in Ungava bay. The rocks on Amitok contain large masses of a crumbly,
semi-transparent garnet, of a reddish hue. (From some specimens sent
out, it rather appears to be a rose red quartz, or beryllite).

As it appeared as if we should be detained here, Brother Kmoch had made
a fire, and was leisurely cooking a savoury mess of birds for breakfast,
when Jonathan returned from the hills, with intelligence that the wind
was abating in violence, and he therefore would proceed. The tent was
struck, and all hurried on board: yet we had long to combat both an
unfavourable wind and a strong current, which compelled us to double the
East point of the island, and seek shelter among some small islands,
steering for _Niakungu_ point. From hence we got the first sight of
_Tikkerarsuk_, (the Esquimaux name for a low point stretching from the
continent into the sea), of the island _Aulatzevik_, and the high
promontory of _Kakkeviak_. The whole country to the west of _Niakungu_