THE RETURN TO COLD AND DARKNESS. 487 



The native instinct among Esquimaux is to let sick 

 or wounded dogs take their own chances of recovery, 

 although no lack of regard and good feeling is appar- 

 ent. If a bear tears a dog, or if in a fight a long cut 

 is inflicted, the victim licks his sore until healed. Sew- 

 ing up a wound is not adopted. Anything besides a 

 wound is diagnosed by Alexey thus, " Something wrong 

 inside ; bymby, perhaps, die." And though we have 

 physicked and operated on dogs, " bymby" they do 

 die. 



November lith, Sunday. — At 1.30 a. m. I was 

 startled by a severe shock to the ship, taking her as if 

 she were sliding down an inclined plane and suddenly 

 brought up, or as if she had been struck a severe blow 

 under her stern. I ran for the man on watch, but he 

 had noticed nothing he said, and there were no signs 

 of disturbance in the ice. I learned afterwards that 

 the shock had awakened everybody aft, but that no 

 one forward had felt or noticed anything ; it may be 

 well to add that so callous have we become to such 

 things as shocks that nobody turned out. At six p. m., 

 while the ice was grinding in an ugly way in the lead 

 one eighth mile astern, 1 was on the deck-house with 

 the zenith telescope, looking out for occultations of 

 Jupiter's satellites. Mr. Dunbar came up and quite 

 earnestly asked me if I heard the pressure going on ; 

 but as I was watching Jupiter intently I made some 

 such indifferent answer as, " Heard it some time ago," 

 etc., quite to his astonishment. No doubt he thought 

 that I was taking things easy, but the fact is I have 

 long since concluded to borrow no trouble. We cannot 

 prevent any disaster that may befall us, and we have 

 made all possible provision for its coming. Human 

 strength is of no avail and human wisdom of no value. 



