Narrative of an Expedition to the Shores of the Arctic Sea in 1846 and 1847

under the snow-Ouligbuck caught in the storm-Dog attacked by a wolf-Party of natives take up their residence near Fort Hope-Esquimaux mentioned by Sir John Ross known to them-Boat dug out of the snow

journey northward-Tempe

There were four houses, viz.: one for provisions, another for fuel, a third for oil, dog's meat, &c., and a fourth for the men's spare lugg

nticipated, after a few trials one or two of the men became very good masons. We had now no encouragement to move much about, as there was no game to be seen, and the weather was very unsettled, and consequently no more exe

n the 23rd and 24th, whilst looking out some good venison for our Christmas dinner, we examined our stock of such provisions, and fou

it was, however, it was sufficiently amusing, for our faces were every moment getting frost-bitten either in one place or another, so as to require

d a plum-pudding, with a moderate allowance of

ediately. This is mentioned by Sir George Back as having occurred once to him at Fort Reliance, in 1833. On the 28th, North Pole Riv

aried from -23° to -26°. After a most excellent breakfast of fat venison steaks, all the party were occupied for some hours with a spirited game a

on the whole I do not believe that a more happy company could have been found in America, large as it is. 'Tis true that an agreeable companion to join me in a glass of punch, to drink a health to absent friends, to speak of by-g

ew miles of the house; and on the following day the thermometer showe

rtunately we had some days before made a house for our dogs, else they must have inevitably been frozen to death. Such was the force of the gale for two days that both observatories were c

unpleasant where there was a fire to warm the hands and feet, or even room to move about; but whe

each day. My waistcoat after a week's wearing became so stiff from the condensati

ow had lodged upon our boat, we were afraid she might be injured by the pressure, and some of the men were employed to search for her, but ther

he boat that there might be no dif

e exception of myself, were most inveterate smokers; indeed it was impossible to be awake for ten minutes during the night without hearing the sound of the flint and steel striking a light. Of course I might to a g

t return till the 25th, after I had given up all hopes of ever seeing him again in life. It appeared that he had visited the Esquimaux at Christie Lake for the purpose of speaking to them about not having kept their promise regarding some oil that they said they would bring to us, and which they had omitted to do. He had been caught by the stor

row escape from a wolf. Having broken loose she set out on her return home, when she was attack

d caught her

r Surie scar

and provisions, and built their snow house near the south side of Beacon Hill. This would have been the best situation for

stcoat, which had been frozen quite stiff for some time past, actually thawed. It was not easy to learn any of the peculiarities of these people, as Ouli

e, and snow soaked in water, lumps of which are firmly pressed on the sledge with the bare hand, and smoothed over so as to have an even surface. The process occupied the ma

in a small snow house, in such a manner that there was nothing visible but the bait, which was not more than a foot from the muzzle, so that the shot could scarcely miss the head of the animal. When Ouligbuck went to his gun next morning, he saw the track of the wolf, and followed it to the dog-kennel, in which he had comfortably taken up his quarters; he immediately took the

or fuel and light. To save the former, we had during part of last month taken only one meal a-day, and discontinued the comfort of a cup of tea with our evening repast. Of oil, our stock was so small, that we had been forced to keep early and late hours, namely, lying occasionally fourteen hours in bed, as we found that to sit up in a house in which the temperature was some degrees below zero, without either light o

nches in diameter fastened on her dress as an ornament. It was evidently part of some instrument, probably of s

s he was in disgrace for having disappointed me about the oil. About 1 P.M. on the same day a number of the natives paid us a visit, among whom were Ec-vu-chi, I-vit-chuk, and Ou-too-ouniak, three of the most decent and best beh

mentioned by Sir John Ross, and I also further learnt that the man with the

loose snow, as it was removed with spades and axes. After excavating a space the full length of the boat, and clearing the snow out of it, the bow and stern were alternately raised, and the blocks of snow which were chopped from the top pushed underneath to prevent its sinking down again. In this way the men could work without exposure, and when the weather was stormy the hole was

squint) took this opportunity of leaving her husband and putting herself under the care of her father Outoo-ouniak, the alleged cause of her dissatisfaction bein

ch in a day as would cook one meal, but as the spring advanced, and the snow began to disappear, two men could procure as much a

ad for this purpose was the battens with which the inside of our boats was lined, it being necessary to nail three of them together to form runners of the required he

y eaten. Another wolf was shot on the 25th at a set gun, but there was nothing of him to be found in the morning except a little hair and blood, all the rest having been eaten or ca

ormer were in the middle of a large plain, and took good care to keep out of gun-shot, much

w, a sure sign that he was getting fagged. When I came up with him, so tired was he that I was obliged to drive him on with the butt of my gun in order to get him nearer home before knocking him on the head. At last we were unable to make him move on by any means we could employ. Ferocity and cowardice, often if not always, go together

dges that had been finished was

shot by Nibitabo; it proved to be a doe with young, the f?tus being about the size of a rabbit. The sun had so much power that my

his better half, returned with his lost treasure, one of the most lazy and dirty of the whole party, and a most arrant thief to boo

made so much noise under foot that in calm weather it was almost impossible to get within shot. The deer were besides continually moving about in

s, and depth where the person sits 9? inches. The timbers are one-half or five-eighths of an inch square, and placed three inches apart near the centre of the canoe, but gradually increased to five inches at each end. The cross-bars are three-quarters of an inch thick and a foot from each other; these were morticed into gunwales 2? inc

e wound he had received on the arm by falling on a large dagger which he usually carried. On cutting off his clo

in putting some questions (the purport of which I could not learn) to the patient in a very loud voice, then muttering something in a very low tone, and stopping occasionally to give two

her very weak in the legs, and on asking him the cause, he

w, to the northward, it having been my intention to set out on the 1st April; but the accident to Ouligbuck prevented this, as I did not wi

r rose above zero, for the firs

to the southward in the form of a faint yellow or straw-coloured arch, which gradually rose up towards the zenith. During our stay at Fort Hope I never witnessed a finer dis

ame opinion, although for my own part I cannot say that I ever heard any sound from it. A fine display, particularly if the movements are rapid, is very o