DRUGGED ESQUIMO.
THE visitors left in the morning. We were now all well except
Stephenson. Though we had just eaten and were refreshed, in a few days
we might be starving, so we renewed our planning. To open a
communication with the "Advance" seemed a necessity. Petersen
volunteered to make another effort if he could have one companion.
Bonsall promptly answered, "I will be that companion," at which we all
rejoiced, as he was the fittest man for the journey next to the Dane.
A dog-team and a sledge were an acquisition now most needed for the
proposed enterprise. In a few days an old man came in whom we had never
seen, belonging far up Whale Sound; then came a hunter from Akbat with
his family. Of these men after much bartering we purchased four dogs.
Petersen commenced at once the manufacture of a sledge out of the wood
left of the "Hope." All of his excellent skill was needed to make a
serviceable article with his poor tools and materials.
On the twentieth of November the sledge was nearly finished, and a
breakfast on our last piece of meat assured us that what was done for
our rescue must be done soon. But God's hand was, as usual, opened to
supply us; in the evening a fox was found in our trap. Stephenson, who
had been cheered by our tea, received the last cup.
We were reduced to stone-moss, boiled in blubber, and coffee, and a
short allowance of these, when two hunters left us three birds, on which
we supped.
We were now out of food. The Esquimo had, most of them, gone north,
owing to the failure of game at the south; soon all would be gone.
Further discussion led us to the conclusion that we must all return to
the "Advance," and start soon unless we chose to die where we were. So
we commenced preparations for the desperate enterprise.
To carry out this plan it was absolutely necessary to have two more
dogs, for which we must trust to our Esquimo visitors. A sledge drawn by
six dogs could convey our small outfit and poor invalid Stephenson. We
purposed to direct our course straight for Northumberland Island, which
we hoped to reach by lodging one night in a snow-hut. For each person
there must be a pair of blankets. Our clothing was wholly insufficient
for such a journey, so we set at work to improve it the best we could.
Our buffalo robes had been spread upon the stone breck for beds. They
were of course frozen down; in some places solid ice of several inches'
thickness had accumulated, into which they were imbedded. When
disengaged, as they had to be with much care and great labor, the under
side was covered with closely adhering pebble-stones. The robes were
hung up to dry before we could work upon them. We now slept on a double
blanket spread on the stones and pebbles--a sleeping which refreshed us
as little as our moss food.
We now, under the instructions of Petersen, cut up the buffalo robes and
sewed them into garments to wear on our journey. We refreshed ourselves
with frequent sips of coffee, of which, fortunately, we had a plenty,
and made out one meal at night on walrus hide boiled or fried in oil, as
we fancied. It was very tough eating.
At the close of the second day's tailoring four hunters came in from
Akbat, with five women and seven children. We stowed them all away for
the night, and gladly did so for the opportunity of purchasing
forty-eight small birds, a small quantity of dried seal meat, and some
dried seal intestines imperfectly cleansed; but better, if possible, was
the purchase of two dogs. Our team of six was complete. The hand of the
great Provider was plainly manifested.
The visitors were soon gone, but the four hunters came back the next
day. They were bent on mischief. They stole, or tried to steal, whatever
they saw, and seemed glad to annoy us. Unfortunately for us, close upon
their heels came another party, from the south also, and equally bent on
mischief. Among them was an old evil-eyed woman. Whatever she saw she
coveted, and all that she could she stole. Going to her sledge as the
party was about to start, we found a mixed collection of our articles,
some of which could have been of no use to her. But we had missed two
drinking cups which we could not find. We charged her with the theft,
but she protested innocence. We threatened to search her sledge, and she
straightway produced them, and, to conciliate us, threw down three
sea-fowl. We were gladly thus conciliated.
The whole party became so troublesome that we were compelled to drive
them away. The hunters lingered about, intending, we feared, to steal
our dogs, two of which were purchased of them. We set a watch until they
seemed to have left the vicinity, but no sooner was the sentinel's back
turned than one of them and one of the dogs were seen scampering off
together. Bonsall seized his rifle, and a sudden turn round a rock by
the thief saved him from the salutation of an ounce of lead.
On the twenty-ninth of November we were ready for a start. Our outfit
was meager enough. It consisted of eight blankets, a field lamp and
kettle, two tin drinking cups, coffee for ten days, eight pounds of
blubber, and two days' meat. This last consisted of sea-fowls boiled,
boned, and cut into small pieces. They were frozen into a solid lump. We
hoped to be at Northumberland Island in two days, and get fresh
supplies.
The sled was taken out through the roof of the hut, loaded, and the load
well secured, and poor Stephenson carried out and placed on top of it.
The dogs were then harnessed, and we moved away.
The thermometer was forty-four degrees below zero when we left the hut,
but it was calm, and the moon shone with a splendid light. We were weary
and ready to faint at the end of one hour, how then could we endure days
of travel! The sledge was a poor one, the runners, the best our material
afforded, were rough, and the dogs could not drag the sledge without two
of us pushed, which we did in turn. We had thus gone about eight miles
when Stephenson said he would walk. This we refused to let him do,
knowing his extreme weakness. But soon after he slid off the sledge. Dr.
Hayes assisted him to rise, and supported his attempt to walk. He had
thus gone about a mile when he fell and fainted.
Near us was an iceberg in whose side was a recess something like a
grotto. Into this we bore our companion, and added to the shelter by
piling up blocks of snow. The lamp was lighted to prepare him hot
coffee. For some time he remained insensible, and when he came to
himself he begged us to leave him and save ourselves. He could never, he
said, reach the "Advance," and he might as well die then as at a later
hour.
Go without Stephenson we would not. Go with him seemed impossible. In
fact we were all too weary to take another step, so we concluded to
camp. But this, after unloading our sledge and making some effort, we
could not do. We had no strength to make a hut, and we were already
bitten by the frost; so we resolved to repack the sledge and return to
the hut.
All arrived at the hut that day, but how and exactly at what time we did
not know, only that some were an hour behind others, and that several
finished the journey by creeping on their hands and knees. We had just
enough consciousness left to bring in our blankets and spread them on
those we left on the breck, and to close up the hole in the roof. We
then lay down and slept through uncounted hours.
When we awoke it was nearly noon. Though hungry, cold, and weak, we were
not badly frost-bitten. The first desirable thing was a fire. The
tinder-box with its fixings could not be found. The one having it in
charge remembered it was used at the berg, and this we all knew, and
that was all any one knew about it. Without this we could have no fire.
Never before in all our exigencies was such a feeling of despair
expressed on our countenances. In this plight one in attempting to walk
across the tent struck something with his foot. We all knew the
tinder-box by its rattle. Our lamp was soon lighted, coffee was made,
and half of our meat warmed. The other half was given to Petersen and
Bonsall, who started immediately to go, as we had once before planned,
to the brig, while the rest remained in the hut.
Dr. Hayes and Sontag accompanied them to the shore. The last words of
the noble Petersen were: "If we ever reach the ship we will come back
to you, or perish in the attempt, so sure as there is a God in heaven."
Four days passed, after our companions left us, of accumulating misery.
The hut was colder than ever, and we were in utter darkness most of the
time. Our food was now scraps of old hide, so hard that the dogs had
refused it.
In this our condition of absolute starvation, three hunters, with each a
dog-team, came to us from Netlik, one of whom was Kalutunah. They
entered our hut with only two small pieces of meat in their hands,
enough for a scanty meal for themselves. We appropriated one piece to
ourselves without ceremony. The visitors frowned and protested, but this
was not a moment with us for words. We soon satisfied, or seemed to
satisfy, them by presents, and both pieces were soon steaming.
Dr. Hayes renewed his proposal for the Netlik people to carry us to the
"Advance." Kalutunah refused curtly. Would they _let_ teams to us for
that purpose? No! The spirit of the refusal was, We won't help you. We
know you must starve, and we desire you to do so that we may possess
your goods. It was evident they understood our desperate condition
perfectly.
These convictions of their purposes and feelings were confirmed when one
of our number found buried in the snow, near their sledges, several
large pieces of bear and walrus meat. This they were evidently
determined we should not taste.
Kalutunah did not pretend that destitution or short supplies at Netlik
made a journey to the brig inconvenient, but, as if to taunt us, said
that a bear, a walrus, and three seals had been taken the day before.
The case then, as we saw it, stood thus: Six civilized men must die
because three savages, who had plenty, choose to let them, that they
might be benefited by their death. We at once and unanimously decided
that it should not be so, and that the Esquimo should not thus leave us.
Not willing to do them unnecessary harm, Dr. Hayes proposed to give them
a dose of opium; then to take the dogs and sledge and push forward to
Northumberland Island, leaving them to come along at their leisure when
they awoke. We could, we thought, push forward fast enough to be out of
the reach of any alarm that might reach Netlik.
To this proposal all agreed. To carry it into execution we became
specially sociable, and free with our presents. To crown the freeness of
our hospitality we set before them the stew just prepared, into which
Dr. Hayes had turned slyly when it was over the fire a small vial of
laudanum. To prevent any one getting an over dose it had been turned out
into three vessels, an equal portion for each. It was, of course, very
bitter.
They at first swallowed it very greedily, but tasting the bitter
ingredient only ate half of it.
The next few moments were those of intense anxiety. Would it stupefy
them? Soon, however, their eyes looked heavy, and their heads drooped.
They begged to lie down, and we tucked them up this time in our
blankets.
We were in our traveling suits ready for a start, dog-whips at hand. As
a last act Godfrey reached up to a shelf for a cup, and down came its
entire contents with a startling noise. Dr. Hayes put out the light with
his mitten, and cuddled down instantly by the side of Kalutunah. The
chief awoke, as was feared, grunted, and asked what was the matter. The
"doctee" patted him and whispered, "Singikok," (sleep.) He laughed,
muttered something, and was soon snoring.
Fearing from this incident that we could not trust the soundness nor
length of time of their sleep, we carried off their boots, coats, and
mittens, that they might be detained in the tent until relief came.
Stephenson was, most fortunately, better than he had been for some time,
being able to carry a gun and walk. All the firearms being secured, Dr.
Hayes stood at one side of the door outside with a double-barrelled
shot-gun, and Stephenson on the other with a rifle. The purpose was if
they awoke to compel them, at the mouth of the guns, to drive us north.
Sontag and the others brought up the most of the meat which was buried
in the snow, and put it in the passage way. This would last five or six
days, and keep the prisoners from starving until help came. The dogs
being harnessed, we mounted the sledges and once more turned our backs
on Fort Desolation.
The dogs objected decidedly to this whole proceeding; they especially
disliked their new masters, and were determined on mischief. John and
Godfrey were given by their team a ride a mile straight off the coast
instead of alongside of it, as they desired to go. Dr. Hayes was worse
used by his. They drew in different directions, went pell-mell, first
this way, then that, at one time carrying him back nearly to the hut.
Finally they became subdued apparently, and sped swiftly in the way they
were guided. The other sledges had in the mean time dropped into the
desired course. All seemed to be going well, when, just as the doctor's
dogs had shot by the other teams, they suddenly turned round, some to
the right and others to the left, turning the sledge over backward, and
rolling the men into a snow-drift. The doctor grasped firmly the
"up-stander" of the sledge, and was dragged several yards before he
recovered his feet. As the dogs at this moment were plunging through a
ridge of hummocks, the point of the runner caught a block of ice. The
traces of all the dogs excepting two snapped, and away went the freed
dogs to their imprisoned masters. They yelped a taunting defiance as
they disappeared in the distance.
The doctor and Mr. Stephenson, taking each a dog, went to the other
teams, and we were again on the fly, leaving the third sledge jammed in
the hummock. We reached in safety the southern point of Cape Parry,
found a sheltering cave, and camped.