224 EVTLS or DETENTION. [August, 



tion as well as privation, the spirits and high courage of 

 our energetic men were easily maintained, and I feared 

 not the chances of disease. But one season had now 

 passed simply in the labour of extricating ourselves. 

 Another, sickened by failure, or even protracted delay, 

 would cast a damp which could only be comprehended 

 by those concerned. The question naturally resulting to 

 the officer in command would be one simply of judgment. 

 Is the sacrifice of life to be weighed against the loss of 

 timber, which, if returned to England, as all previous ex- 

 perience has shown, is of no further value as a sailing- 

 vessel, but simply to be sold " to break up" ? 



If the vessels had been extricated last season, the 

 'North Star' alone would have carried to England the 

 crew of the ' Investigator' and invalids of the Squadron. 

 Rumour, to suit some interested purpose, had given out 

 my intention to return to England, but nothing contained 

 in my letters or despatches to Government warranted 

 such an assertion. The measures contemplated would 

 have placed the different vessels in ports along the west- 

 ern side of Baffin's Bay, from whence it was intended to 

 make inland journeys in spring, in order to communicate 

 with the natives, and endeavour to learn from them 

 whether they had seen the vessels sail out of Lancaster 

 Sound, or whether any distressed individuals had been 

 encountered on that shore, setting at rest the rumours 

 which were obtained from the Pond's Bay tribe in 1849. 



On the full moon of the 25th of August, at six A.M., 

 the crew of the ' Assistance ' allotted to the cutters and 

 a life-boat belonging to the ' Pioneer ' were assembled in 

 travelling order on the floe. The decks had been cleanly 



