5 o GUY FA WKES' DA Y. Chap. IV. 



crew, and also for the first time a proportion of preserved 

 plum-pudding. Lady Franklin most thoughtfully and kindly 

 sent it on board for occasional use. It is excellent. 



This evening a well-got-up procession sallied forth, marched 

 round the ship with drum, gong, and discord, and then pro- 

 ceeded to burn the effigy of Guy Fawkes. Their blackened 

 faces, extravagant costumes, flaring torches, and savage yells, 

 frightened away all the dogs ; nor was it until after the fire- 

 works were let off and the traitor consumed that they crept 

 back again. It was school-night, but the men were up for 

 fun, so gave the Doctor a holiday. 



12th.— Position 74 42' N., 68° 6' W. Yesterday I had 



the good fortune to shoot two seals ; they were very fat, and 



their stomachs were filled with shrimps. 1 To-day Young 



and Petersen shot three more, and many others have been 



seen. This is cheering, and entices people out for hours 



daily. There is just enough movement in the ice to keep 



a few narrow lanes and small pools of water open ; the floes 



or fields of ice are more inclined to spread out from each 



other than to close. We have latterly been drifting before 



northerly winds. William Jones, our dog-driver, spent some 



years on the Labrador coast, in the Hudson's Bay Company's 



service ; he there developed a taste for seal's flesh, and 



doubtless obtained some distinction for cooking it ; at all 



events he has placed on our table a novel roast joint, viz., 



a stuffed shoulder of seal — very good and tender, although 



its colour was very dark. Somebody once said that the man 



who invents a new dish is a benefactor to the whole human 



race ; such our dog-driver has been to us, his zeal and skill 



have received the commendations they deserve ; if seal and 



all else were to fail, I can hardly doubt he would exercise 



his genius upon some of his own team ! 



1 This is worthy of remark, for with our longest sounding-line, mea- 

 suring 220 fathoms, we could not reach the bottom. 



