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A XAiniATT\ i; OF TJU-: AAIKUrCAX KXPKDITIOX rXI)i:iJ IJIUTKNAXT SCIIWATIvA, 1S78 to 1880. With Illustratfons, FI!.)M KNOIlAVINdS DKSUfNKIi BY THK AKTIST (.K TlfE KXPEDfTIOX. 1^^ u b u : T. XKLSOX AXl) SOXS, PATERXOSTER ROW. KDINBURCH; and new V<.|!K. 1^887 GUS' S4- i STontcntjs. -♦♦- INTllOnUCTION, I. KAULY KXl'EHIENCKS OF THE KXl'LOlllNLi PAUTY, 11. THK STUIilKS OF THK NATIVKS, HI. KKTHA('lN(i TIlEilt STKI'S, ... IV. SKAL AND WAI.ia S JILXTIXG, V. SAFK IIOMi;, VI. LIKLTKXANT .^C IIWATKA's PKUSONAL NAKKATIVF, TU. TIIF VOYACK OF THK " JEANNKTTE,'' 19 40 CO 7G 04 97 113 iijst of ^llu$tvatiou6. -♦♦- LIEUTENANT HCIIWATKA SIIOWINU TliK ESKIMOS T LONDON NEWS," MAP OP SLEDOE JOURNEYS AND SEARCHES, .. DOWN HILL, .. .. .. DISCOVERY OF LIEUTENANT IRVINC»'s URAVE, VIEW IN SUMMER, KINO WILLIAM's LAND, .. ON THE SALMON CREEK, .. REINDEER-HUNTING IN KAYAKS, CROSSINO SIMPSON STRAIT IN KAYAKS, URBAKINO Ur OF THE ICE, UK ILLUSTRATED I'loiitisidece 8 27 51 03 77 91 103 107 stnece 8 27 G3 77 91 103 107 ^ MAP^ I of the Sledge Journeys and Searches otthe I'ranklin Se.ivcli I'uit^- under LIEUT, FREDK SCHWATKA, 1'J78-79-80. BloJgc Tomiii;)- 10 Klni; 'William LanJaiid rttim >•• rnjIlqiihAiy Sl«dge Juum«>i af Ll- Scliwidta _._._.-.. Cul, Gililtr — .._- . , U rnu-i M/.RB' ■^"■^ -.}^~B f THE SE Alien FOE EltANJ^LL^'. -♦♦- INTKODUCTION. -»^ ill, JOJIN FR.VNKLIN luid iilivady earned a liioli reputation as an Arctic exi)l()rer when, in tlio spring of iNl'), lie was placed Ly the British Admiralty at the head ot' an exju'dition designed to prosecutes the search after a North AV est Pas- sa£re, — that is, a channel of eonnnunication lietween Bailin Bay on the Avest coast and Behring IStrait on the east coast of North America. No better choice could liaN'e been made ; for he was a man of high scientitic ac(piirements, of large experience, of undaunted courage, and of blamek-ss character. The two ships placed under his command were th(s J'Jirbns and th(5 Terror, both of which had alicady en- countered the perils of the Arctic seas : in the former Frank- lin hoisted his own Hag, the latter was in charge; of C'aptain Crozier. Carefully equi2:>})ed, ])ro\isioned for thi-ee years, and carrying one hundred and tliirty-se\en picked men as their crews, the two shi})S sailed from the Thames towards the end of May. On th<; i^th of June tluy left the Orkney Islands, and directed their coui'se towaids the extreme point of Greenland, known as C*ape Farewell. A month later they drop[)ed anchor for a while among an archipelago of rocky 10 iMiionrcTioN. islets oil the rtist side of Ualliii liay. At'lci- a l»ri«'t' rest, I'^miiklin puslird t'oiward across the l)ay to Laiicastrr Sound, Ills coui'sc lu'inu" iiiuili iiiiiu'dcd, ImwcM-r, l»y tlic pack ice, Nvliicli liad Hot y* t Itrokcn ii|>. Ills sliips were "sjioken" altout this time l>y a Hull ulialri-, the /^riucc of \V((h's^ to Nvhos(! master Ki-ankliii and ('ro/iei* reported tliat all wcro well, and all conlideiit of successfully accomplishing their liii^h enlei-pi'ise. That same excnin^, the iMith t)f .July, iho ice jLjave way ; and the J'Jt'r/)t(s and the Tn'rtt)\ steering,' to th(f north-west, plunujed into Lancastei' Sound. And then a cloud, as it were, descended upon them ; a darkness and ii mystery : they passed into the fro/en wastes of the Arctic Worltl, and disappeared as completely as if the sea liad sud- (Icidy enifulfed them. Of lati^ years, some memorials of them, as we shall see, ha\-e heen discovei'ed ; Init even now the record is imix'i'fect, and the wliole story of the fate of Franklin's expedition will never be revealetl to tlici curious gaze of mankind. It was not expected that any news of the progress of tho voyagers would reach England until tho sunnner of 1S4G, or even the spring of 1817 ; and }io ap])r(,'hensions, therefore, arose as to their safety until tlu; latter date had passed. When the sunnner of 1818 came, witlicnit intelligence, a natural anxiety seized upon the puhlic mind; and when the winter went by, and still nothing was heai'd of Franklin and liis men, the anxiety deepened into alarm. At h'ligth tho Government resolved to send ex[)editions in search of the missing hero(;s. One was despatched under Sir .fames Ross, and another undt'r Sir John Richardson; but both failed to discover the slightest traces of their course. A third expedi- tion, under Captains IMoore and Kellet, started from Behring Strait, and work(Ml towards the east : in tludr boats they got as far as the mouth of Mackenzi(i Rixcr ; but their endeavours 4 I INTIinnrrrioX. u » f Wrl'O ffui.lcss. TIk'Ii, ill the S]»rillLf of IS II). lln' < JoSfnillirnt oMrrtMl u i<'Nvar(l nt' L"J<), 000 t<» any ]»ri\ii((' atU 'lit uifi's, of any iialinii, w ho slioiild (Ii,sf(»\ cr ;iiiy the Admiralty had directed him to pass thr(Hinli Lancaster Sound into Harrow Strait, theiiei' to ('a))e Walker, and from Cape Walker to make his way into Ilelirini;' Strait l»y any j)ossil)le channel. 'The i;('iieral opinion was that, he had sailecl to the west »»f Melville Island (or Peninsula), and then l»een caught, in iho ice among the islands which stud that porti(»n of the I'olar Sea. And it was assuinetj, hut on Ncry insullicieni/ gi'ounds, that he would he engaged in an elloi-t to cross tlw ice and reach one (»f the Hudson iiay ('ompanv's settlements or some whaling-station. I)r. Kae, therefore, started for Uanks Island, Mheiico ho jtroposed to reach ('a}»e Walker. Captains Collinson and iM*Clui"c iindertoints of JJaiiks l^and and IJoothia- these last iiu hiding an A mei'ican expe- dition, litted out 1»y Ml'. Henry (Ji'innell of New ^'ork, and consisting of the hrigs Advance and Ju'Si't'c (May iSoO). 'J'wo of these numerous searciiing-pai'ties were to a certain limited extent successful. In August 1S.")0 Captains Austin and Pennv, who had L'ainetl the (Cistern entranc(! of Welling- ton Channel, were forced, l>y the accumulated ice, to take shelter in a ureat hav in the rear of jjeechev Island. On i2 JA^TRODUCTION. m the 23rcl, a boat's crow from Captain Ommaney's ship, the Assisfnnce, landing on one of llie headlands of the bay, were surprised to mcf't with signs of a former visit of Europeans. Under tlie clills of Cape lliley they found the obvious grouiid- l)lan of a tent, scraps of rojxr and canvas, and a (piaiitity of birds' bones and feathers ; but nothing ap[)eared to identify these memorials with the missing explorei's. On hearing of their discovery, however, Ca})tain Penny resolved, in conjunc- tion with Lieutenant de Haven of the Grinnell Expedition, to undertake a careful search in the neighbourhood of Wel- lington Channel. While they were lying nnder the west point of Beechey Island, some of tli(,'ir men were allowed to go ashore. On landing, they strolled about until they reached a low projecting spur which stretches to the north. They ascended the acclivity, gained the summit, and were then seen from the ships to rush towards a dark object and gather round it in an excited assemblage. That another " find " had been made everybody at once recognized, and all hands made a simultaneous dash for Beechey Island. There, on the ])oint, rose a pyramidal cairn, the base of which was formed by a series of i:)reserved meat tins filled with gravel and sand, while another series was arranged so as to taj^er u}) wards to the summit, Avhere was fixed the broken shaft of a boarding-} )ike. But no record seemed to connect it with Sir John FrankUn. Wiiat now? What .ire those strange objects yonder, on the northern slope? They rusli eagerly towards them, to st.^p — hushed, breathless, silent- -before three graves, on the rude wooden tablets of which are roughly carved the significant words ^^ Erehiis and Terror^ During the winter several vessels lay at Beechey Island, and sent ou+ sledge-parties in all directions. These added much to our knowledge of the configuration of the Arctic basin, but made no further discovery of Franklin relics ; and it came to be accepted as a fact that, after leaving Wellington TNTRODUCTION. 13 Clianncl, Franklin must have takc^n a souili-wostorly coiirso. Dr. Kane, tlio surc^con accompanying Lieutenant de Haven'.s expedition, came, however, to a dilTerent conclusion. Falling in with what he sup])Osed to be traces of heavily laden skdges, lie formf^d the opinion that, after the ice had broken up in 18 IG, Franklin had pushed to the north from Cape Kiley, and from Wellington Channel steered into the Polar Sea. Accordingly, the Advance made her way as far as jjossible in this direction, conquering a thousand obstacles ; but no more r.'lics were then discovered. Afterwards, howe^■er, a record foiMid at Point Victory vindicated the accuracy of Kane's conjecture, and showed that Franklin had attem})ted that (Turse, but had })een driven back by dangers and dithculties of an insuperal)lo character. So earnest was Dr. Kane's belief in his theoiy that he lost no opportunity of urging upon his countrymen the propriety of despatching aiiother expedition. His exertions, in 1853, were crowned with success ; and on the 30th of jMay he left New York, in Mr. Grinnell's brig the Advance, with a com. pany of eighteen men and ofllicers. His idea was that the Greenland peninsula extended far to the northward, and in all j)robability approached the Pole much nearer than any other land ; that, therefore, it afforded an easier access either to the east or the west than Wellington Channel ; and hence he resolved on an overland route in as direct a line north as the nature of the country permitted. Dr. Kane reached Melville Bay on the 27th of July. On the nth of Aaigust he passed the so-called Crimson Clifls of Sir John Ross ; and next day came in sight of the two great snow-capped headlands, Cajoe Alexander and Cape Isabella, ^\'hich command the entrance to Smith Sound. On Littleton Island he established a depot of stores for use on his return voynge. TIkmicc he pushed forward beyond C*ape Lifeboat Cove to a beautiful sheltered bay, which he a])])ropriately m li-t 14 r XT no Df ACTION'. in ! |< if iiaiiuMl T{('fn|[,^o ITai'l)Oiir. A(lo])tinccupied l)y one deep unbroken sea or ice, twelve hundred miles in knigtli, that receives a perpetual increase fi'om the water-shed of vast snow-mantled mountains. A. frozen sea, yet a sea in constant motion, roll- ing onward slowly, laboriously, but surely, to find an outlet at each fiord or valley, and to load tlu^ waters of Greenland and the Atlantic with mighty icel)ergs, until, having attained 'n^j I «'»,• TXTnofivcrrox. 15 the nortlioni limit of tlio land it Dvci'whclins, it pours out a iiiicrlity congealed toiTfut into the unknown Arctic sj \co." Dr. Kane, with a poi-tion of liis crew, remained a second winter in tlui iee, sullering ten-iMy tVom scurvy and insulH- eiency (^f provisions ; hut manifesting tlu'ough every trial a noble patience and indomitahle energy. With the return of ►spring iM^turned his desire to discover some traces of the Franklin expedition or of its survi\'ors : hut nearly all his dogs liad perisli<'(] ; sledge-journeys were imjiossiole ; and there was nothing to lu^ done hut to attenn)t the honiewai'd journey. Abandoning their bi-ig, which was inextricably ice- bound, they set forth on their perilous way — thirteen hundred miles of ice and water lying between them and North Green- land. We wish avo had room to trace tlu^ record of this remarkable enterprise ; but it must suthce to say that it was successfully accomplished, and that on the 4tli of August they arrived, half-starved, weary, waii, and enfeebled, at the settlement of L^pernavik. They had failed to discover Sir John Franklin, but they liad considerably enlarged our knowltnlge of the Polar Woi id. In 1^57, another expedition* was titted f)ut by Lady Franklin, and placed under the command of Captain M'Clin- tock, who in a small screw-schoonei', the Fox, wintered in Melville Bav, and in the following summer resuming his voyage, slowly felt his way into Beechey Island, in the spot discovered by Captains Penny and Austin; but tliey had jireviously explored Wellington Channel as far as 73' N., and sailed down again into Barrow Strait, between Cornwallis and Bathurst Lands. In 184G they appear to have steered through Peel Channel, until beset by the ice off King William Land, on the 12 th of September. In May 1847 Lieutenant Graham Gore and Mr. des \"oeux landed, (685) INTRODUCTION. 17 Land ; nd, and re th(y 3ck and explore Hobson 1 Land, estuary Barrow 1 skele- numbor lote tlio tli-west, ade for erschel. d skele- of the ig com- 0. id )i' King those of FeHx, 112^8 and unction rvey of Its : — V^cchey Austin; 1 as far )et\veen pear to ice off "n May landed, and crcc'tt'd a caii'ii a few miles south of Point V^ictory, depositing in it a document whicli stated that on that day all "were well, with Sir John Franklin in command. Within a month, however, — that is, on the 1 1th of June, — that great navigator died ; happily for him, as he thus escaped the terril)le trials whicli overtook his followers. The ice did not break up, and they were doomed to a third winter in ihe Polar wilderness. It proved fatal to nine officers and fifteen men. On April 22, L^48, tlie survivors, one liundred and five in nundjcr, under the command of Captains Crozier and Fitzjames, abandoned their ice-bound ships, and started foi" the Great Fish Ptiver. At the cairn, Jind all around it, Ilobson discovered a quantity of clothing and oth(>r articles, which, after a brief experience of only three days, the sufferers had evidently found a l)urden too great for their enfeebled energies. From this point to a spot about midway between Point Victory and Point irerschol, Hobson found little of import- ance ; and skeletons and relics all lay deeply embedded in the snow. At this midway station, howev(M', the top of a piece of wood projecting from the snow was seen by Lieutenant Hobson ; it proved to be a portion of one of the boats. This stood upon a heavy sledge, and contained a couple of skele- tons. The one in the ])ottom of the stern-sheets was covered with a quantity of cawt-ofF clothing ; the other, in the bows, seemed to jiavo hr^ow that of some unfortunate who had crept tliei-e to look out, and in that j)Osition had fallen into his last sleep. Close at hand stood a coui)le of guns, loaded and ready cocked, |)robal.>ly for use against wild animals. Around this boat lay another heap of cast off articles ; and it is assuuKjd that the party in chai'ge of her w(^re I'eturning to the shi2)s, having found their strength unequal to the terril)le journey before them. The stronger members of the crews, meanwhile, w<,'nt on their dreary way. ((585) 2 [ f 18 JNTIloDUiTION. i "Tho point," says Sliorard Osltorii, "at whicli tli(' fatal im})risoninf'iit oi the J'Jrchifs and tho. IWror lii 1840 t(wk placo was only ninety miles from tlio spot roaolicd l)y Doaso and Simpson in tlicir l)oats in IS.'U'^-rJO, coming- from tlio east. Ninety mil(\s more of open watei", and Franklin and liis g-allant crew would liavo not only won the prize they sought, -»ut reached their homes to wear th(Mr well-eariUHl honours. It Av^as not to he so. lict us hcAv in liumility and awe to the inscrutahh^ deci'e(\s of that Pro\idence who ruled it otherwise. They wei'(^ to discover tlie great highway between the Pacific and tlu^ Atlantic. It was given them to win for tlieir country a discovery for which she had risked lier sons and lavishly spent her wealth thi'ough many cen- turies : but they were to die in accomplishing their last great cartlily task ; and, still more strange, ])ut for th(^ energy and devotion of the wife of their chief and leader, it would in all probability never have been known that they were indeed the first discoverers of the Noi-th-West Passage." The expedition under M'Clintock which had obtained this information was the last sent out from England in search of Franklin and his followers. , • CHAPTER T. L EARLY EXPERIENCES OP LIEUTENANT SCIIWATKA's EXPLORIN(J PARTY. OME regret Wcas expressed by enthusiasts in the matter of Arctic exploration that, on the return of the Fox, no steps were taken hy the British Goyernment to obtain fuller par- ticulars of the fate of Sir John Franklin and his com- panions, and to pay the last nirrks of respect to the remains of so many gallant Englishmen. But at that time the Government seems to have grown weary of Polar adventure, and it discountenanced every fresh effort or proposal in that direction. In America, how- ever, the subject was not allowed to be forgotten. The late Captain Hall, a veteran explorer, pursued a series of laborious investigations among the Eskimos, or Innuits, as they prefer to call themselves, and event- ually ascertained, from the evidence they furnished, that one of Franklin's ships, with five of her crew 20 VAGUE BE PORTS. still on l)(>ar(l, Lad actually aecoiuplislR'd tlie North- West Passanv, and tliat, ai'tcr liavini-- been altandonccl by her crew, slic Avas found by tlu^ Iniuiits (in tlio spring of 1S40) near O'Reilly Island, lat. G8" 30' N., and long. 99^ 8' W., imprisoned in the ice. Durino* his lono' residence aniong the Innnits, Hall collected some hun4. For several years reports were received through American whalers Avintering at, or visiting, the north- ern part of Hudson Bay, that books and other me- morials of Franklin were known to exist in certain districts, to which the Eskimos would be willinnf to conduct the white man ; and in one instance, about three years ago, it was affirmed that some of Frank- lin's men had crossed the Boothia Isthmus, and reached a point on Melville Peninsula in the neighbourhood of Fury and Hecla Strait. Relics of the expedition, it is said, were there deposited in a cairn. These reports found little credence in England, but in the United States many persons were less incredu- lous, and among others a gallant officer, Lieutenant \ i ■f '? 4 I •1 i A JIOLD ENTKItritfHE. 2i Schwatka, was so infliicnced by them tliat lu3 resolved on the (lifiiciilt and even danj^erous enterprise of test- ing, and, it' possible, contirniing their accuracy. With three companions, ho was landed by a whaler, hi August 1878, near Chesterfield Inlet, wdiich, as a glance at the map will show, lies at the northern end of Hudson Bay. The stores, provisions, and ecjuip- ments which he Imd brouo-ht with him from the United States he diseml)arked at a point named Camp Daly (in lat. GS"" 40' N.), resolving to winter there among the natives, to adopt, as far as possible, their habits and mode of living, and to persuade them in the spring to accompany his party in whatever direc- tion he should decide to travel. Lieutenant Schwatka soon ascertained that there was no foundation for the story of Franklin records existing eastv/ard of Boothia, and that in fact it un- questionably referred to King William Land. Thither, accordingly, he resolved to penetrate as soon as the winter had passed away — that is, he made up his mind to traverse a tract of wholly unknown country for a distance of about three hundred and fifty miles as the crow flies ; and then, on reaching King William Land, to undertake an elaborate search of its coasts, which could not involve less than six hundred miles 22 KiLOO hlFK, of travel ; to romaiii until the winter set in, so that lie miirht recross the frozen strait between the island and the mainland (as he was not provided with a ])oat) ; and finally, to retrace his steps to Hudson Bay duriui^^ the depth of an Arctic winter. It is needless to dilate on the arduous and adventurous character of such an expedition. To conceive it was a bold thing, to execute it a bolder ; for Schwatka and his com- panions had little to depend upon except the natural resources of a country of which they knew nothing, and were fully conscious that the realization of their scheme would occupy a twelvemonth. However, to use their own words, their "igloo life"* during the winter inured them to the climate, so that, though they often found the cold intensely disagreeable, they avoided the evil consequences which have assailed many expeditions and made Arctic travel so danger- ous. Numerous sledge journeys taught them how" to clothe and otherwise defend themselves acrainst the extreme cold ; and they also became acquainted with Innuit or Eskimo fare, so that when compelled to subsist entirely upon it they did not experience the distaste of those to whom it comes as a repul- sive novelty. In other words, during their winter * An "igloo," or Eskimu hut, is built of frozen snow. I :| # I Tin: inirA irruiiK. •2n residence at Camp Daly they became thuroiiglily aeeli- mati/ed. Tlie Eskimos ui' tliis locality emii^rated some eiglifc years aL;o from tlie sliorcs of Kepulse Bay. Tliey aro a simple-minded people, and easily aimiscd. On one occasion their wonder was excited hy some conjurini»' tricks wliich Mr. (Ulder performed, Init Jiey slunved still greater astonishment when for the lirst time shown an illustrated newspaper, and the pictures fairly riveted tlieir li-aze. At eleven o'clock on the morning of the 1st of April 1870, the adventurers began their journey, ac- companied by thirteen Eskimos, including women and children, with several kayaks, or canoes, and three heavily-laden sledges drawn by forty-two native dogs. These sledges carried al)out a month's provisions for the whole party, consisting principally of bread and meat landed from the whaler, and their store of fire- arms. To these, which appear to have been of the best description, they probably owed their great success in procuring game, as well as their personal security from the native tribes with whom they came in contact. At Winchester Inlet they struck to the north-west, and took up their line of march upon the frozen k I! 1 -1 - P U* 24 MKMIU:iiS OF THE I'MITY, waters of Concry Ki\or. The sun was sotting when they lialtcd alxmt ten inilrs iVom ( 'amp Daly any tlu^ family of an Kskinio naiiUMl Toolooah, and the four wliito men ; the other, ]>y the remainder of the party. After the iii'st ni,L;ht, liowever, threo igloos were always erected, Joe and Ishnark, his father-in-law, building a se[)arate one for themselves and their families. IFere we may particularize tho members of the expedition. White man: — Lieutenant Frederick Schwatka, Unit(^d States army, connnander ; W. H. Gilder, second in command; Henry W. rintschak; and Frank Melms. Eskivios: — "Eskimo Joe," interpreter; Nnpshark, his Avife ; Toolooah, dog-driver and hunter ; Toolooah- elek, his wife, and one child ; Equeesik, dog-driver and hunter ; Kutchunuark, his wife, and one child ; Ishnark, Karleko, his wife, and Koomana, their son ; Mit-cotelee and Owaw^ork, Equeesik's brothers, aged respecti\'ely about twenty and thirteen. The loads carried in the three sledo^es weiofhed about five thousand pounds on the day of starting ; but as a large portion consisted of walrus meat both for dogs and for people, they were materially lightened from day to day. In addition to the walrus meat, I. I i' I A NATritAL CUninsilTY 26 • U tlio provisions iiirlud.Ml :- Fljird Id'cad, five ImiwlnMl poinids ; pork, two liUM(li'(<| pounds; c*()iiij)i'( sscd curiK-d lirrf, two hnndr('(l ])()unds ; corn starcli, cii^lily pounds; olconwir^jirinc, forty pounds; clircsc, f(ji'ty pounds; t«'a, (he pounds ; rofKcc, forty ponnont thvoc liundivfl yards of the native camp, Schwatka's party lialtponin«]j coiiinmnieatioii was similar to tliat, with the Ooquusik-Silliks a t"(nv days l»et'oro ; witli tlie exception tliat iiist(»a-]it " anvhow," It seems that it was their custom to kill the hrst stran^-er Avho came amono- them after a death in the tribe, an•> >><) :o 11 ed Seciitutiiar that he liad seen a number of skeletons near the water-line in an inlet ahout three or four miles to the west of their then camp; also hoc^ks and papers scattered among the rocks, with knives and forks, spoons, dishes, and cans. There was no sledge, but a boat, which was afterwards l)roken up and taken away by the natives to be wrought up into wooden implements. On being shown a watch, he said he saw several things like it lying about the shore, which w^ere also collected and broken by the children. Some were silver, and some gold. The bones, he added, w^ould still be there, unless carried off by w^olves and foxes. Further information about the boat place having been received, our explorers equipped one of the sledges and set out to find it. It proved to be about three miles from camp. Though the ground was white w^ith snow, and nothing distinguished it from the coast on either side, they could not but feel the pathetic interest with which the sad fate of Franklin's valiant followers had investe A VALVABIF nETJr. 38 cvi(l(*noo,s of tlicir luiviiiL,^ been coiupcllod to rosort to caunibulisiM, until at last tlu'y alisolutoly starved to death at this point. At least all but one, whose remains wore found, during- the summer after our visit here, ahout live miles further inland." Our explorers secured a valuable relic here hi tho sledge seen hy Sir Leopold M'Clintock in Erebus Bay, which at that time carried a boat with several skele- tons inside it. After passing into the hands of tho [nnuits, it was fre(iuently cut down. It was origin- ally seven feet longer, while the runners were about two inches higher and twice as far apart. CHAPTER 11. THE STORIES OF THE NATIVES. ; N tlie evening' of the 4th of June our explorers met a young man named Adlekok, who, dur- f^A^~ ing the previous sunuuer, had found a new Y cairn erected hy white men near Pfeffer River, which liad never been seen hj any other Lniuits. Near it were three graves, and a tent place in which he found a pair of wire gauze " snow- coii-u'les : " these our travellers purchased of him. Act- ing on this information, Lieutenant Schwatka and Mr. Gilder took a lii-'lit sledii'e, and with Toolooah as (driver and Adhdvok as i^aiide, hastened to the spot. TJK^y carried one day's rations witli them, in case they should he detained overnight ; and started with a head wind in their teeth, and a storm lowerincf around that obstructed the view except in the imme- diate vicinity of the sledge. Their guide, liowev^er, drove them throuiih a trackless waste of smooth ice o ) 1 CAPTAIN HALL'S CAIRN. 41 for a distance of over twenty-five miles without de- viation from the direct line, though he had neither sun nor landmarks to steer by. Forward, forward, with the unerring- instinct of the sleuth-hound, until they struck the land on the western bank of Pfefier River. On arriving at the cairn they at once per- cei^'cd that it was undoubtedly what Adlekok had called it, " a white man's cairn." Before proceeding to pull it to pieces, they examined it carefully, and foimd scratched on a clay-stone, with the point of a sharp instrument, the following inscription : — H MAY XII 1869. And on the opposite side ETERNAL HONOUR TO THE DISCOVERERS OF THE NORTH WE... Then they knew it to be the cairn which their coun- tryman Captain Hall had raised over the bones of two of Franklin's men, Avliose remains he speaks of having found there. From a native named Ogzenekjenwoek, an aruketko, or " medicine-man," who was a lad of about twelve ; II I; 's: 42 ANOTHER NATIVE STORY. \ 1 i years old wlien he first visited " tlie boat place," and from his mother, some interesting, if painful, par- ticulars were obtained. It appears that they never met with any of Frank- lin's men alive, but saw four skeletons on the main- land, and two on an adjacent island — an island on the southern coast in long. 05^ W. At neither place were any graves. They found at the boat place a tin box, the contents of which were printed books, each about two feet long and a foot wide, and among them what was probably the needle of a compass or other magnetic instrument, for tliey said that when it touched iron it stuck fast. Outside the boat were skulls ; the exact number they could not remember, but more than four. They also found a quantity of bones from legs and arms which appeared to have been sawed off. Inside the boat was a 1)0X filled with bones, the box being about the same size as the one with books in it ; and from their appearance the Innuita concluded " that the white men had been eating each other." What little flesh still adhered to the bones was very fresh ; one body was fully covered. The hair was light, and the l)ody looked like that of a tall man. Ogzenekjenwoek saw a number of wire " snow-goggles," and alongside the body with flesh on 1 I RELICS. 43 it was a pair of gold spectacles. He discovered more than one or two pairs of such spectacles, but had forgotten how many. When asked how long the bodies appeared to have been dead, he replied that they had probably died during the previous winter. In the boat he saw canvas and four sticks (that is, either a tent or a sail), and several open-faced watches, some of which were gold, but most silver. These were given to the children to play with, but had been broken up and lost. One body, that with flesh on, wore a gold chain fastened to gold ear-rings, and a gold hunting-case watch attached to the chain, and hano'infif down about the waist. The Eskimo added that when he pulled the chain, it pulled the head up by tne ears. This body had also a gold ring on the rino'-flno^er of the ri^^ht hand. In reference to this statement, the American chronicler of Schwatka's ex- pedition remarks that the chain may in some way have become attached to the ears, or, ridiculous as the story sounds, there may have been some ec- centric person in the party who wore his watch in that way ; and if such should prove to be the case, this would certainly identify him beyond doubt. But we believe no such identification has taken place. ! ! : ,1 i •14 ;S' UFFO,^ElJ CA NNIBA LISM. i, T]ie Eskimo's reason for thinking that the sur- vivors of Franklin's expedition had resorted to canni- balism was, because tlie 1)ones had been cut with a knife or a saw. A bic: «aw and a small saw were found in the l)oat ; also a lar;'e red tin can of smokino- tobacco and some pipes. There was no cairn at the place. The bones, he said, were now covered up with sand and sea-weed, as they were lying just at high- water mark.* It seems not improbable that the skeletons found at this place were the remains of some of the party who were seen by Ahlangyah and her friends in Washington Bay. The gold watches are a testimony that there were officers in the party. The live men * Admiral Richards, in a letter to the Times (October 20, 1880), speaks of tlie assertion that Franklin's men in their last extremity resorted to cannibalism as without "one tittle of foundation ;" and it will be seen that the American writers give absolutely no valid reasons in support of it. The Eskimo based his conviction on the fact that some of the limbs liad been removed as if by a saw. Supposing this to be the case, the natives were probably the operators. " Tlie intercourse between the natives and such of Franklin's men as they met with is surrounded with circumstances of grave svispicion as gathered from themselves, and this suspicion derives strength from various circumstances related on Schwatka's journey. Certainly he and his party appear to have had little confidence in the tribes they met with in the neighbo\u-liood of the Great Fish liiver ; and if there was any foul play towards the retreating parties of Fi-anklin's ships, it would manifestly be to the interest of the natives to divert suspicion from themselves by any means in their power." Admiral Richards goes on to ])oint out that the crews of the Erebus and the Terror, when they abandoned their ships, were doubtless for th 3 most part suffering from exliaustion and scurvy ; death had been FACTS AND INFERENCES. 45 who had a tent on shore were perhaps officers. Wo may surmise that the books found in the tin box were the more important records of the expedition, and in char<^e of the chief surviving: officers. It is unlikely that men reduced to dire extremity, and compelled to drag everything l)y land, would burden themselv^es with n, :scellaneous readino- matter. Jud^'- ing from the relics obtained, the boat must have been a heavy one and copper-bottomed ; for most of the kettles found in use amono- the Netchelliks were made of sheet copper, which came, they said, from this and the other boats in Erebus Bay. But as it Avas an absolute necessity, the unfortunate castaways could not abandon it. Durino- the vear and a half r^tarin^f them in the face for lunnths. They started to undertake a ynw- ney which men in strong health and nnder the most " fa^ oural)le cir- cumstances might well have shrunk from as hoi)eless. It was, in fact, a forlorn hope. The greater part of them probably died from exhaustion and disease long before they had got one hundred miles from their ships, and found their graves beneath the ice when it melted in summer, or on the beach of King William Land. It may be assumed that no more than half -a dozen out of the whole crews ever reached the entrance of the filreat Fish River. We need not call in starvation to our aid. I fully believe that by far the greater portion perished long before their provisions were consumed. The only thing that would have restored men to con- valescence in their condition would have been nursing and the comforts of hospital treatment, not a resort to human flesh. The thing ai)pears so monstrous to me that I am at a loss to conceive how it can have been suggested. Death w NotliiiK^ l)iifc star\'ation or sciciitiHo rosearoh could justify tlic slauij;litci' of (juc of tlu'si; innocents. I believe I shut my eyes when I pulled the trio' < m % i i I o o < < o ■n m c m z > z H 73 < Z o w o > < -vilfiViiiHit:''^jlfc n:Mmi I- > I i UEUTENA NT Hi VUWH, r>:j encased for l)iiri}il at sea. Several l 54 HONOUR TO THE BRAVE. state of preservation, was placed under tlie head. Only the skull and a few other hones were found in or near the i»ra\'e. Lieutenant Irvine's remains were carefully trans- ported to New York, and thence sent hack to Edin- burgh, his native city. There they wen^ honoured ^\\\^\ a public funeral on the occasion of their interment in Dean Cemetery, Friday, the 7th of January 1881. Each of the reoiments in the Ediidjuroh oarrison was represented by a party of twenty-eiglit men (the 21st Hussars, the Royal Artillery, and the 7 1st High- landers), and H.M.S. ^Vlirden furnished a contingent of one hundred and tifty marines and sailors. The procession was also accompanied hy the l)and and pipers of the 7 1st Regiment ; and a great concourse of si(dit-seers thronu'ed the entire route from the start- ing-point in Great King Street to tlie cemetery. The coffin ^^'as of solid oak, and on the lid was a In-ass plate, simply inscribed, " John Irving, Lieutenant R.N. Born 181;-); died 1848-9." The chief naval and military authorities were present, and many of the leadino' citizens of Edinburo-h ; and nothinu" was left undone that could add to the dignity and impressive- ness of the scene. Lieutenant Irving, we may add, ,) m SEARCHING FOR RELICS. Di) was the fourth son of the late Mr. John Irving, W.S., of Edinbnro-h, a schoolfellow and friend of Sir Walter Scott. Born in 1815, he entered the navy in 1828; afterwards spent a few years as a sheep-farmer in Australia ; obtained his lieutenant's commission in 1843 ; and was appointed to the Terror in 1845. Tlie day after this discovery, Lieutenant Schwatka moved his camp to the vicinity of the dead officer's last resting-place, and spent two days in searching round about, but ineffectually at that tiuu. as the snow still covered the ground. But when they re- turned there from Cape Felix, on the 11th of July, they found the snow nearly gone and the ponds near the shore almost all dried up. Accordingly they re- newed their search, and with more success. Among the various articles that rewarded their labour was a brush with the name " H. Wilks" cut in the side, a two-gallon stone jug stamped " E. Wheatly, wine and spirit merchant, Grec^nhithe, Kent," several thi cans, a pickle bottle, ami a canvas pulling strap, a sledge harness marked with a stencil place " T 11," showing it to have belonged to the Terror. On their second visit, Toolooah's wife discovered in a pile of stones a piece of paper which, mirahile 50 THE CROZIER RECORD. I ! I- didii, had weathered the Arctic storms of thirty years. It proved to be a copy of the Crozier record found by Lieutenant Hobson of the M'Ciintock expedition, and was in the handwriting of Sir Leopold M'CKntock. The document was ^\ ritten with a lead pencil on note- paper, and was partially illegible from exposure. It was literally as follows : — ''Mai/ 7, I'^^^D. " Lat. 09' 38' N., long. 98' 41' W. " This cairn was found yesterday by a party from Lady Franklin's discovery yacht F(ki\ now wintering in Bellot Strait a notice of which the following is removed : — "'SSthMai/ 1847. " ' H.M. ships Ercbiis and Terror wintered in the ice in lat. 70' 05' N., long. 08' 23' W., having win- tered at Beechy Island in lat. 7*i' 43' 28" N., long. 91° 39' IT)" W., after having ascended Wellington Channel to lat. 77', and returned by the west side of Cornwallis Island. '' ' Sir John Franklin commanding the expedition. All well. A party of two officers and six men left the ships on Monday, the 24th May. " ' GKAHAisr Gore. "'Charles F. Des V ' '' into a printed form, which was a ro- THE CROZIER RECORD. bl quest in six languages that if picked up it might be forwarded to the British Admiralty." Round the margin of this paper was — ''' The 35th April 1S48. " * H.M. ships Terror and Erebus were deserted on the 22nd April opens to the N.N.Wd. of this, having been beset since 12th Sept. 184G. The officers and crews, consisting of 105 souls, under the command of Captain F. M. Crozier, landed here in lat. 60° 37' 42" N., long. 98° 41' W. " ' This paper was found by Lieutenant Irving under the cairn supposed to have been built by Sir James Ross in 1831, four miles to the northward, where it had been deposited by the late Connnander Gore in June 1847. Sir James Ross's pillar, how- ever, has not been found the paper has been transferred this position, which was erected. " ' Sir John Franklin died on the 7th of June 1847, and the total loss by deaths in the expedition has been. ,... .officers and fifteen men. " ' F. M. CllOZIER, Captain and Senior Officer. " ' James Fitzjames, Captain lUf.S. Erebus. " ' And start to-morrow for Back's Fish River.' y 58 THE CnoZIKJt II ECU HI). "At tliis caini, '.vhicli wc reached noon yes- terday; i\m last caini appears to have made a sidec- tion ot* your (0 for travel liii<^^ h'a\'iiii>' all tliat was superfhious strewn a1»ont its vicinity. I remained at this spot until nearly noon of to-day, searching for relics, etc. No other papers been found. "It is iny intention to follow the land to tlu^ S.W., i]i ([uest of tlie wreck of a ship said ])y tlu; Es(j[ui- maux to be on the beach. Three other cairns have been fonnd Ix^tween this and (-ape Felix They contain no infor about it. " William R. Ho]3Sox, " Lieatenant in cliatye of iMvtyr " This paper is a copy of a record left here by Captain Crozier ^^'hen retreating with the crews of tluv/wr^^f.s' and Tcj^ror to the (Jreat Fish lliver : tho inf(n'niation of its discover^' b\' Lieut. W. K. Hobson is intended for m(\ As the nati\es appear to have pulled down a cairn erected here in ISol, 1 purpose biuying a record at ten feet due north from the centre of this cairn, and at one foot below the surface. "F. L. M'C^LiXTocK, ('nj>l. U.Xr Lieutenant Schwatka at once employed his men to I I' rl A HISTORIC SPOT. OU dig up the r ^ord supposed to have been buried by Captain M'Clintock ; but though they dug a deep trench four feet wide from the centre of tlie cairn, (hie north, for a distance of twenty feet, nothing was found ; and hence it was inferred either that Captain M'Clintock had forgotten to deposit the record, or that changes in the surface of the ground had revealed it — in which case it may have been stolen by the Innuits, who cannot be expected to possess any very elevated ideas of the sanctity of property, or washed into the sea. The conclusion at which our adventurers arrived was, that on abandoning their vessels the crews landed at this historic spot, having carried with them nothing more than was necessary for their sledge journey. When, after a wearisome and exhausting effort, they reached the southern coast of King William Land, their condition was so pitifid that a small party was hastily sent back for provisions. The Ookjoolik, who saw the ship that sank off Grant Point, has proved that even then there Avas a small quantity of stores on board. In charge of this return party was prol)ably Lieutenant Irving, and it seems that he died after reaching the camp. We may assume that the Avhite men who, according to the Ookjooliks, r > z o ^3 I , Ir :M FA ITHl'UL TooKhl 1 y/. 05 ill iidditioii to a load of iiicat. lie was as " untiriivv" to aid tliem in their search as in securin.i>- food sup- plies, and invariably displayed in all his actions a degree of intellicrence "wholly foreign to Innuit char- acter." fcsr.^ CHAPTEU 111. I ; UKTKACING THEIR STKPH. ' J •*s- *^/ j'g^*W AVIN(t accoinplislu'd tlie task they luul uiidfr- taken ; liavin*^ searclit'd Kino* William Laud X^'^l^ thoroughly, aud cai'ot'ully i-churied the re- ^ luaius of Fraukliu's ill -fated followers, they reuiaiued ou the islaud uutil the ice — wliieh had broken uj) on the 24th of July, with its usual picturesque elKects — was again sufHciently strong to carry them l)ack to the maiidand ; and then, on the 8th of November, they recrossed Simpson Strait, coasted Adelaide Peninsula on the west, and selected a track for their homeward journey altout sixty miles westward of their outward route. On the 12th they reached a native camp near the mouth of Sherman Inlet, having been delayed by fogs and snow-showers and the heavily-loaded sledges. The Eskimos, among whom were some they had met during the spring, received them with a Q-reat shout of " Manv-tu-me!" IHlMK \VA ItJJ JilJ UMj. u: to l'» , tlicir usual cry of wtilcuuio. An ii^'loo was spcodily raised ; and durint^ tlii^ tuuo tin,' adventurers rcniaincMl with tlieni tlieir solicitude for their comfort was in- cessant. " It schemed as if some one were on the roof of our if^doo all the time patchinn;' up holes ; and they changeht (hu'ing tlie day-time. As a matter of course, for several days Ijefore they left Back River, the sun showe r S O z o 33 m m V I II r' il- t ■ Hi ; 1 ,t • I I HKALHUNrrNH, Tl) separately from the skin. Tlie rear portion ot* the tent i.s made of the skins with the hairy side exposed, while the front is made of the transparent integument, or " mumme," which admits the light almost as freely as if made of ground glass. llie skin portion is imper- vious to water, but the munuiio admits the rain almost as readily as it does the light. Seal-hunting is pursued after diMerent methods, ac- cordin^' to the time of the year and the nature of the ice, for upon or through the ice seals are nearly always killed. In the calm, genial days of spring they come up through their blow-holes, and enjoy a roll in the snow or a quiet naj:) in the sun. Their capture is then readily effected. The hunter steals as close as possible, say wdthin four to one hundred yards, and cautiously lies down on a small bear-skin mat, which, as he moves, is dragged along, and kept under him as a protection against the cold and wet. He rests his weight chiefly upon his left hip, the knee bent, and the leg drawn up beneath him on the bear-skin mat. As long as the seal looks in his direction the hunter remains motionless, or raises his head and soon drops it upon his shoulder, uttering a noise like that of a seal blowino'. When, after a careful inspecti(jn, the seal is satis- I r m SEAL-IH'NTlMi. n ^ i M fled tliut IK) (lander tlircatms, it ilrops its head iij)()ii the. ioc, ami indiil^'i's in a \'v\\ \\ iidlowing. or Hopping around, like a seal enioyin^' a snn-hath, as he may consider adxisahle. (Jenerally lie coiitri\-es in this way to i^et near enoiiLih to hring down his \ictim with a rifle, or strike it with a seal-spear or " oo-nar." But sometimes, just as he is on the point of shooting or of speai-ing the seal, his hopes are frustrated, and the seal slips suiMeidy into the sea through its hole, on the yery yerge of which it rests, seldom straying beyond a foot or two from its secure asylum. ]\Ir. Odder says that it is anuising to watch a seal's countenance, through a spy-glass, Avhen a liunter is on the track. So intelligent and so liuman is the look that you can almost imagine the creature to be think- ino\ It will start up suddeidy and gaze at the luuiter, Avho, ]M^rhaps, is lying motionless, with an intense scrutiny that seems to say, " I am almost sure I saw if move that time, l)ut T suppose I was mistaken 1" Then, with a sleepy look, almost with a yawn, it lowers MISSING A SL'AL. 81 'ul's •e I t" its head, and tlio luintor bcfdns to hitch himself aloiij; again with slow and wary niovcnicnt. Suddenly up goes the seal's head, and so. ([uiekly that the hunter lias no time to subside as ')et'ore, hut is forced to roll about, l)lo\ving oti' steam, and lifting his feet around just like a seal flapping its tail, so that at a little distance it is by no means easy to distinguish which is th'' seal and which the man. A HUiile then seems to overspread the creature's face, and you can fancy it saying to itself, '" i caught him that time. What a fool I was to be frightened though ! I thought it was a man, and it's only an ook- jook." At last the hunter gains the point whence he con- siders it safe to deliver his attack : you hear the report of his gun, and see him immediately spring to his feet and rush for his prey. The animal rarely escapes if the bullet strike its head or neck, though even then it sometimes slips out of reach, so close does it keep to its hole. But if hit anywhere else it generally eludes the hunter, though it may eventually perish of its wound. Often the hunter gains the hole in time to seize his prey by the hind flipper just as it is glid- ing down into the water. " I remember," says Gilder, " standing and gazing mournfully down into a hole ((385) 6 k 82 KoTHIXd LIKE J'ATIEyCE. 'i- f if k ii i ! I \ ■ i I ii one (lay, thvoiiL;'!! wliicli a seal that I had shut had just escaped, thoiiy'h his l)lood tiiii;'ed the water and the edges of the ice, and Avhile I was lamenting my ill-luck, I heard a splash behind nie, and turned in time to the seal th di )tlier hole. come up tnrougn anoi He looked awfully sick, and didn't see me until I had him hy the flipper, sprawling on his Lack, at a safe distance from the hole. This was (piite good luck for me, for such an opportunity rarely occurs. When .s' iuck with a spear," adds Gilder, " they seldom escap<', for the li]ie is fastened to the side of the spear-head, which detaches itself from the staff, and holds on to the flesh like a harpoon. Sometimt.'s, however, the seal will slip away after the spear is thi-own, and instead of stickinii" in him, it strik(\s the ice v here he has been lying. This is very aggravating after the cold and tedions labour of working up to it has been accomplished; but the Eskimo l)ears Ins misfortune with equanimity. It is seldom that he says more than ' ]\ra-muk '-poo-no w ' (No good), or ' Mar-me- an '-nu ' (which nieans ' angry,' or is an expression used when one is angry). He gathers np Ins weapons, sits down and lights his pipe, and, after a /ecuperative smoke, moves on in search of anofher opportunity to go through the same iirocess." o o J. ABOUT THE WALRUS. 83 ^ The walrus, in the estiinp,tion of the Eskimo, ranks second only to the seal. Of the Innnits of North Hudson Bay and Melville Peninsula it is the staple food. It is in season nearly all the year — that is, all the time the natives are out hunting reindeer inland, in order to secure sufficient skins to make their winter clothing and sleeping blankets. The Kinne- patoos, who dwell in the neighhourhood of Chester- field Inlet and its trihutavies, appear to be the only, or almost the only tribe who live almost exclusively upon the reindeer ; and these kill no move walrus and seal than are required to provide them with their sum- mer attire of gloves and shoes. The Netchellik and Ookjoolik tribes live chiefly upon seals ; and, as they are without firearms, they have scarcely any chance of killing reindeer when the thick frozen snow in- crusts the ground. The Ooquusik-Sillik people, who dwell upon Back's Great Fish River and its tributary Hayes River, live almost wholly upon fish. The Iwil- liks, who inliabit the coast of Hudson Bay from a point near the mouth of Chesterfield Inlet to Repulse Bay, the Igloolik, Amitigoke, Sekoselar, Akkolear, and, indeed, all the various tribes along the northern shore of Hudson Strait, Fox Channel, and Southamp- ton Island, depend chiefly upon the walrus. It is one 84 Flow IT IS HUNTED. H .1 * i of the largest animals inhabiting the Arctic waters, and contains a large quantity of feeding material. A walrus of ordinary size weighs al)out ten or twelve hundred pounds ; and as every particle of it is eatoii, except the bones, it is necessarily regarded as a pre- cious booty. The blood, blubber, intestines, even the hide, the undigested contents of the stomach, ay, and me softer bones, as well as the windpipe and a?sc- phagus, are all eaten, either raw or cooked. The walrus is usually met with near the edge of the ice-floe or shore-piece, unless in the vicinity there is a good deal of loose ice, and in that case it will generally be found on the larger cakes of loose ice. It is hunted in boats; or if the wind blows against the pack and keeps them on the floe, they can be success- fully hunted afoot. The metliod pursued is exactly the same as in the case of the seal, except that the spear is preferred for the walrus and the rifle for the seal. Usually two hunters proceed to the attack to- gether, one hiding behind the other, so as to appear but one. When the spear is thrown, both hold on to the line, which is coiled round their arms to cause the greatest possible amount of friction and exhaust the animal speedily. The head of the spear is made of walrus-tusk, and measures about three inclies long WALRUS AND HUNTER. 85 A 11 I of and tliree inches thick. It has an iron barb, that is kept very sharp. The line is attaclifMl to the middle cf the spear- head, tlie near end being slanted, so that when the line is hauled ti^'ht it lies crosswise in the wound, like a harpoon, and cannot readily be extracted when it has once passed through the animal's tough hide. AVhen the line is nearly run out, the end of the spear shaft is passed through a loop in the end cf the line, and firmly secured by digging a little hole in tlic ice for the end of the spear to rest in, the foot resting upon the line, and against the shaft, to steady it. The hunter thus gains a great advantage over his powerful game ; and when he is fortunate enough to get lirm hold, the walrus has no chance of escape, unless the line should be cut against the edge of the sharp ice, or the thin ice break off, and hunter, line, and all be pre- cipitated into the water. Sometimes, though much less frequently, the line gets entangled round the hunter's arm, so that he cannot cast it oft"; where- upon he is inevitably drawn into the sea, and, too often, drowned, — his knife beino- seldom at hand when wanted, and no amount of experience being sufficient to forewarn an Innuit against a possible dan O'er. If 86 AN KSKF.VO SAMSON. The hunter is soinetiiiies al()ne when he strikes a walrus, and in that case he need he dexterous to secure the spear-hold in the ice ; or, if he fail to secure that advantage, he may sit down and hrace his feet ao'ainst a small huninieck, and test his muscle aoainst that of the walrus. In a contest of this kind, how- ever, the walrus is generally victorious, tliough the Innuit always struggles on to the end, and is often dragged to the very brink of the ice before he can find a protuberance against which to steady his feet. Sometimes he is actually pulled down under the ice before he lets go. His tenacity is not so wonderful when we remember that if he loses the walrus he loses also his line and his harpoon. Toogoolar, one of Lieutenant Schwatka's Eskimos, is described as a mighty walrus-huntei ; ^ut his success was partly due to his exceptional physical strength. AVhen this Eskimo Samson is at one end of the line, with his feet steadied against a hunnnock, the wah'us at the othM' has bul little chance. Indeed, " the odds" are all the ot'ier way. Toogoolar appears to be p' ^ularly known as Oxeomadiddlec, just as Mr. Gladstone is popular amongst the British public as " the PiVioic's William " and Lord Beaconsh'chl was lonj*' ktiown as " J)izzv." This sinuular name is an feet inst o\v- the ften can feet, ice DAJVGKBS OF TJ/h' PACK-ICE. S7 Innuit expression of greeting, or rather an exclama- tion ns(j(l wlien one arrives at any place, like the clown's ''Here we are ai-'ain ! " How it orii-inated is thus tohl : — Several vears aii'O he was hunting- walrus on the pack-ice, when a sudden change of wind hlew it out to sea ; a contingency to which hunters are always expose .'uience. Tliey built an igloo on the largest ice-cake they could rcnch, .uid as tliey had a dead walrus with tliem, haarty of Arctic explorers, is the most clieert'iil si^ht which a traveller can LelioM ; nor is his ant the iuiiuit with the lari-'est kettle, or the higo-est heart, stands at the door of his hut as soon as the viand is ready, and cries aloud, '' 0-yook, o-yook!" or "Warm food ; " and lo 1 all the men and hoys hnrry to the spot, each armed with a knife, and fall- to eagerly, w^ithont further preface. The Innuit, however, eats most of liis food raw; and o-fjool'x are really festival occasions, tlioui>h they often occur several times in the same day, and may take place at any time of the day or the night, ^\■hen the' natiA'es are assend)led in their villages, and have in hand a good supply of food. It Is in such happy seasons of ahundance that they compensate themselves for hy-gone times of severe privati(jn. 1 an ;, is M; lat of 33 m z o m m 33 I C Z H Z o > -< ) I i': li " ' i i 1) ' I I t •I HUNTINd THE REINDEER. 93 Reindeer hunting is also much practised among the Innuits. Driving the animals into the sea, they pursue them in their light kayaks ; and when they arc exhausted \\\.\\ swinuuing, readily make booty of them. <^, inS> ^^-^ IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I iJ.25 m m 1 2.5 2.2 V] v^ '^ "^ •;v !>' (? ^;; / ^, Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. MS80 (716) 872-4503 ,:» to <'ivt' chase. The l»ears seemed at once to scent danf»-er, and took to th.' water, the old one in the deptli of her maternal af lection for her cuL carrying it on her back. When they found the hoat gaining upon them, and close at hand, they aban(h)ned the water and stood at 1)ay on a cake of ice. Lieutenant Schwatka fired ; his bullet struck tlie she-bear's back-bone, and down she dropped. Mr. Williams put an end to her misery by shooting her through the head. The cul) they were anxious to take ali^•e ; but the poor little creature clung to its mother's ])leeding body with painful fidelity. Tt was quite pathetic to see its efforts to cover her with its own little form, — to sco it lick her face and wounds, — occasionally rising on its hind legs any these people, from its description, was the dip-needle with ^^'hich the noi^th magnetic pole had been re-determined, tlieir beset condition in its vicinity giving them unusual opportr.niiies to nar- row this interesting problem within closer limits than could have been done l)y Koss, its discoverer, in his hasty sledge-journey in 1831. This instrument would be a valual)le historical relic." During the summer months, the party, as we have * See ante, p. 42. t This seems most improbable. Why shouH the bones have been pre- served in a tin box ? o 30 O CA Z o i ■0 w o -I 33 > > •< > 0) vi; l« Si j w'ojih' hom:. ni:» already seen, wen? cn^^'a^od in a tliorouL;!! scarcli of King William Land and the adjacent mainland, push- ing forward from (\'imp Daly to tlu^ shores of Simp- son Strait, —an iidct which they crossed in tlu^ Kskimo kayaks on the 17th of Septemher. Their store of " civilize(l food" was exhausted l>y June 24th, and thenceforward, until March 20, 18(S0, the white men lived in the same manner as their native allies, prin- cipally on the Hesh of the reindeer, fiv<' hun