Mr. Fisher's Party a short Distance from this Settlement.--Next
Day left for another Settlement.--Our Men arriving in small
Companies.--Health improving.--Cross the River.--No Signs
of Water.--Settlement.--Ham.--The Wreck of a New Bedford
Ship.--When lost, and the Circumstances.--Travel to another
Settlement.--The head Man a savage Fellow.--Traveling towards
East Cape.--Seaboard Route.--Natives kind.--Begging by the
Way.--The Whale Boat.--The Broadside of a Ship.--Ship in
the Ice.--Drift Stuff.--Sun's Reflection.--Sore Eyes.--
Snow Blindness.--The Blind led with Strings.--Partial Remedy.
--East Cape reached.--Cordially received by the Natives.
The night upon which we arrived at the settlement, we learned that Mr.
Fisher was only a short distance from us, perhaps four or six miles.
Mr. F. heard also by the natives that some of his countrymen had
arrived at the settlement below.
The next day we were exceedingly sore and tired, not only indisposed to
move, but quite unable so to do. Mr. Fisher, however, having come with
several dog teams, accompanied by the natives, in order to carry us to
his settlement, persuaded us to go with him, assuring us that he found
first rate fare. We accordingly went with him.
This place was called Calushelia, a small settlement upon the seaboard
west by north from East River. We remained about twenty days in this
settlement, in company with Mr. Fisher and his party. We were now, so
far as we could judge, about seventy miles south-east of the place
where our ship was wrecked.
Since communication was now fairly open between this settlement and the
place where we spent the first part of the winter, and since it was
known that intermediate huts were scattered along in this direction,
our men began to arrive in small companies of four or five, as they
could thus be better accommodated by the way than in larger numbers.
A few weeks only had passed away before there was a very perceptible
improvement in the general health of all of us. At this time, two
thirds of our entire company had arrived. We thought it advisable, as
soon as expedient, to form another party, and proceed still farther
towards the south in the direction of East Cape.
Accordingly, the captain, with Fisher, Osborn, Blackadore, Norton, and
three others, crossed the river on the ice; the river was just south of
us. On both sides of the mouth of this river there were native huts.
Where the river discharges its waters into the sea or ocean, it is
quite wide, having the appearance of a capacious bay. The river flows
towards the north.
At this time, which was in March, we could discover no signs of water
either in the river or in the ocean. Both were strongly bound in chains
of almost perennial ice.
Having passed over this river, we found a temporary shelter and cordial
reception in another settlement. Here we remained a number of days, in
consequence of a heavy fall of snow and a severe gale of wind.
It being now towards the middle of March, we could plainly perceive a
change in the atmosphere. It is true, we were farther south, which made
some difference in the temperature; but the air had lost much of that
sharp and piercing sensation which we felt in the winter, and which is
experienced, we believe, only in this part of the earth's surface.
Much to our surprise and pleasure, during our abode in this settlement,
we were served with ham--a new article of food indeed to us, though
we had not a great deal of it, still a most agreeable exchange, if only
for one meal, in the place of whale and walrus blubber.
We ascertained that these hams were taken from the wreck of the ship
Bramin, of New Bedford, by the natives. This ship, as we afterwards
learned, came into collision with another ship off the mouth of East
River, during the same gale in which the Citizen was lost. It appeared
she was abandoned by her officers and crew, who effected their escape
on board of the accompanying ship.
In the concussion which took place her foremast was carried away and
otherwise seriously damaged; besides, being near to land, and on a lee
shore, it was impossible to save her.
From the position in which we found a portion of her remains, it seemed
that, after she was abandoned, she must have beat over a ledge of rocks
that stretches across the mouth of the river, and by the force of the
gale driven up the river to the distance of nearly ten miles.
We visited the wreck with the natives, who directed us to the spot. We
saw a part of her quarter deck, with the ice piled up around it. We
saw, also, upon the shore, close by, some of her timbers and broken
casks partly covered up with huge masses and blocks of ice.
It was doubtless the report of this wreck which reached us in our
winter quarters. But how far it was east of us, or the circumstances
attending the wreck, how many were saved or lost, or whether all
were lost, we obtained no satisfactory information from the natives
at that time. Nor did those natives who went with us to the wreck
know any thing about the fate of the crew. As they had never seen
any of them, nor heard of their being in any of the settlements near
by, we naturally inferred that all on board were lost, or that they
were immediately taken off of the wreck or from the shore by some
accompanying ship.
The night before we left this settlement, and where we were well used,
another party of our men arrived. We passed on to another collection of
huts, about fifteen in number.
The head man of this settlement, and in whose hut we happened to stop,
was one of the most crabbed, savage-like fellows with whom we had met
in all our past acquaintance with native life. He appeared to take real
delight and satisfaction in degrading and mortifying us all he could.
He would cut the meat or blubber, whatever it might be, into small
pieces, and reach them to us on the end of a stick, for us to take
them, or bite them off as a dog. Indeed, we were treated by him in the
same line of courtesy as he treated his dogs.
We quietly submitted to all manner of such ill behavior on his part,
simply for the sake of peace and safety. We were completely in his
power, and he could use us as he saw fit; and the least we said about
it the better. This head man was an exception to all whom we saw among
the natives for real ugliness. He was a regular savage. We were glad to
be off.
We shortly left this settlement, and passed on towards East Cape,
following the direction of the sea coast, which from the river is
nearly, as laid down in the chart, in the form of a half circle. We
observed that the huts and settlements increased as we came farther
south; and sometimes, in course of a day or two, we would pass through
several small settlements.
When we became wearied and exhausted by traveling, though it was
difficult to make very rapid progress in the snow, or when we were
hungry, we would stop, rest ourselves, get some blubber to eat, and
then travel on again.
Generally we found the natives ready and willing to help us with what
they had. We had nothing to give them in return. We were a company of
beggars. They saw our destitution and poverty, and therefore their
kindness to us must be attributed to the dictates of human sympathy or
pity, which in some way or other shows itself in the most barbarous and
uncivilized forms of society.
In our journey upon the coast, we discovered a new whale boat, which
the natives had probably drawn out of the reach of the water and ice.
We saw, also, the broadside of a ship in the ice near the shore,
supposed to be lost the season before. Another ship was reported to
have been seen by some of our party in the ice, some distance from
the land, with her masts still standing. There were tracks in that
direction in the snow upon the ice, which showed that the natives had
been to her with their dog teams.
As we passed along, we saw considerable drift stuff, such as wood,
broken casks, &c. We continued on in our course on the coast mostly,
finding huts from time to time, in which we obtained provisions for our
present necessities, until we came within thirty or forty miles of East
Cape, or about half the distance between the river and the cape.
As the spring advanced, the sun was constantly attaining a higher
altitude--not only imparting some additional heat, but its rays were
powerfully reflected from one dense, unbroken surface of ice and snow,
which every where met the eye of the beholder.
A new misfortune now assailed us in the form of sore eyes, or snow
blindness, which caused intense pain in them, besides being much
swollen. All light, especially bright light, became exceedingly
distressing to us. We therefore were compelled to suspend our traveling
in a great measure during the middle of the day, and took the morning
and afternoon, and even the night time, as more agreeable to our
diseased eyes. Our eyes were in such a sad condition that we could not
endure the powerful and brilliant reflection of the sunlight upon snow
of sparkling and perfect whiteness. While the eyes of all of us were
very sore and much swollen, some of our number were so blind that they
could not see any thing for several days.
We were very anxious to complete our journey to East Cape. Those,
therefore, who could see, and were more fortunate in this particular
than others, led along those who were blind with the aid of strings.
One or two would take hold of the string, and another would guide them.
Thus we worked along for miles in deep snows, through narrow paths,
up hills and down declivities, over broken ice, now and then pitching
into some cavity concealed by the snow. In this manner we who could
see, though our eyes were highly inflamed, led those who could not,
both by the hand and with the aid of strings or walrus cord. It was
slow and tedious traveling, it is true; yet every mile we gained in the
direction of East Cape we felt was bringing us nearer to deliverance.
All were animated with the desire to reach this goal of our highest
earthly hopes. And hence, notwithstanding the many obstructions which
impeded our course, still with perseverance and unyielding purpose we
pressed on our way.
When our eyes were in their worst state, we were compelled to suspend
our travels altogether; and when they were better, then we started
again, and again led each other with strings, until sight returned to
all.
The remedy resorted to in order to cure our eyes was that prescribed
by the natives, and which they invariably employ, with considerable
success, in the removal of this disease, to which they are subject.
Some of us will carry the scars to our graves. An incision was made in
the fleshy part of the nose, between the eyes, by a sharp-pointed knife
or some other instrument. The effect of this treatment was, that by
letting out a small quantity of blood, it reduced the inflammation in
our eyes.
We reached the long looked for and wished for East Cape on the 25th
day of March, just six months after we were cast away. We would,
therefore, as we review the past,--its scenes of danger, exposure, and
suffering amid the intensest cold and death-bearing winds of an arctic
winter,--gratefully acknowledge the special watchcare of a benignant
Providence, which has protected us until the present hour.
Having arrived at East Cape, we were received by the natives with the
most cordial welcome. They had heard before we came that a company
of shipwrecked mariners was on their way down the coast; and, still
further, the report of the wreck, and the uncommon circumstance of so
great a number of men having lived with the natives for so many months,
had even extended several hundred miles south of East Cape.
The natives in this settlement expressed great joy in seeing Captain
Norton, whom they had known before, and with whom they had traded.
Arrangements were made by the head man of the settlement to provide for
all the company as they should come along, in small parties, from time
to time.
Here, also, we were provided with some new native clothes, such as
coats and pants, moccasons and caps.