54 WHALING 



The men had stood at work for hours in icy water, so their feet 

 were badly frosted, but their ship, at least, was safe, and for 

 the next three days they had some little peace of mind. Mean- 

 while those of them who could make the three-mile trip to the 

 nearest iceberg dragged ice in boats from the berg to the Dee, 

 to be melted for drinking water. On these trips several bears 

 were seen and fired at, but, alas for hopes of fresh meat, not one 

 shot took effect! It is to be hoped that the men of the Dee 

 were better whalers than marksmen. Indeed, two of them 

 narrowly escaped with their lives. 



But worse was in store. On November 2nd the dock gave 

 way and again ice threatened to crush the Dee. Captain 

 Gamblin, confident that in such a dock lay her only safety, again 

 got help from the Grenville Bay, and this time from the Norfolk 

 as well; with great difficulty they cut a new dock and there they 

 finally succeeded in mooring their ship. Three days of very 

 rugged weather followed, and as the coal was nearly exhausted, 

 one of the boats was broken up for fuel. Another followed 

 soon after. On the 6th, the ice was jamming so badly that there 

 seemed absolutely no hope for the Dee, and again her crew left 

 her. 



It has always been said that among other excellent reasons 

 for the brutality of life in a whaler, was the brutality of her 

 officers. This was often — very often — true, but not always, by 

 any means. See now Captain Gamblin and Mr. Littlejohn, 

 the ship's surgeon. The captain gave each man a yard of 

 canvas from which to make himself a pair of shoes, with wooden 

 soles. At the request of the men themselves, Mr. Littlejohn 

 read prayers frequently, on week days as well as on Sundays. 

 But neither care nor piety could check the spread of heavy 

 cough, sharp pains and stiffness and sv/elling, nor keep away 

 scurvy. By the 18th of December twenty-two of the crew were 

 affected with scurvy. Again the ice gave way and threatened 

 every one of the vessels. Scurvy increased. On January 5th, 

 the men applied to Captain Gamblin for an increase of rations. 

 Here was a real test of captain and crew. He refused them the 

 increase. "And I hope," he added, "that ye knew your duty 



