40 OLD WHALING DAYS. 



The following morning the boats were sent away on the 

 look-out for whales, as it would not do for a ship to go 

 hunting about in an unknown country. We had to be 

 patient, and trust to circumstances. The boat I was in 

 being a little further ahead, and more inshore, we espied 

 another pulling towards us, and we gave way to meet it, and 

 found in it some of the men we were in search of. All were 

 dressed as natives. It was indeed a friendly greeting. We told 

 them the news, and they hurried away to the ship. It seems 

 the Esquimaux we had on board had got the loan of the 

 boat for a week or two, so that little affair was accounted for. 

 The Americans were all quite well, and had not had a 

 day's sickness. They had lived upon Esquimaux food, 

 which is raw frozen seal or walrus flesh. They had been 

 living at Neubuyan, for the ice having broken up in that 

 direction, they deemed it prudent to go there. They had 

 filled all their casks with oil, and killed several whales for 

 whalebone, but had not got any large ones, as they run 

 small in that part of the country at the first breaking up of 

 the ice. Their bread was just done, together with other 

 little luxuries, and they had only about one week's coffee 

 and sugar, having had to feed the natives during the 

 severest part of the winter. They had got so used to the 

 native living that they almost preferred it to civilized food. 

 The company was in command of Mr. Buddington, 

 formerly chief mate of the McLellan, who afterwards served 

 under Captain Hall, in the Polaris expedition. Regarding 

 Mr. Buddington, he wintered several times afterwards in the 

 neighbourhood, and suffered many privations. I corres- 

 ponded with him for years afterwards, and was many times 

 in his company in Cumberland Gulf, and at Neugumut, a 

 large place close to Frobisher Straits, and always found him 

 to be a most enterprising gentleman. I make these few 

 comments, as there was some reflection cast upon him 

 during the Polaris expedition in after years. 



