"REPORTED MISSING" 47 



credible labour, they did accomplish it and when the storm sub- 

 sided they continued their journey. 



At Bell Sound, out of such material as the whaling fleet had 

 left — boards from the sheds and bricks from the try-works — 

 they built a hut — a tent, they called it. With inner walls of 

 bricks and a mortar of lime and sea sand they reinforced the 

 two most exposed walls of the larger hut; then with deal boards 

 they built a double wall on the remaining two sides and filled 

 the space with sand, so that the wall ''became so tight and 

 warm, as not the least breath of air could possibly annoy us." 

 On these Vv^alls, and inside the larger hut, they laid a ceiling of 

 ''deal boards five or six times double, the middle of one joining 

 so close to the shut of the other, that no wind could possibly 

 get between." In the hut thus built inside a larger hut they 

 miade bunks. They dried deerskins for their beds; they 

 searched far and wide for wood and broke up for fuel the least 

 serviceable of the shallops left by the fleet. By September 12th 

 they had finished their hut, and had piled on the rafters of the 

 larger shed such fuel as they could find, which they hoped, by 

 careful thrift, to make last until spring. 



That day there was drift ice in the sound. "Early in the 

 morning, therefore," says Pelham, "we arose, and looking every- 

 where abroad, we at last espied two sea-horses [walruses] lying 

 asleep upon a piece of ice; presently thereupon taking up an old 

 harping-iron that lay there in the tent, and fastening a grapnel- 

 rope unto it, out launched we our boat to row towards them. 

 Coming something near 'em, we perceived 'em to be fast asleep; 

 which myself, then steering the boat, first perceiving, spake to 

 the rowers to hold still their oars, for fear of awaking 'em with 

 the crashing of the ice, and I skulling the boat easily along, came 

 so near at length unto 'em, that the shallops e'en touched one 

 of 'em: at which instance William Fakely being ready with his 

 harping-iron, heaved it so strongly into the old one, that he 

 quite disturbed her of her rest; after which she receiving five or six 

 thrusts with our lances, fell into a sounder sleep of death. Thus 

 having dispatch'd the old one, the younger being loth to leave 

 her dam, continued swimming so long about our boat, that 



