BACK TO CIVILIZATION 451 



badly frozen during the winter that an Eskimo 

 woman had amputated one of them and all the toes 

 of the other foot. Grant and two of the men had 

 seen him three months before our arrival, while at 

 the head of the bay deer-hunting, and he was at that 

 time suffering intense pain and in a very serious con- 

 dition of health. It was impossible for them to move 

 him then, and none of the men had remained with 

 him or returned again to see him, though they be- 

 lieved the Eskimos were doing all that could be done 

 for him and were treating him with the greatest kind- 

 ness. 



From day to day and week to week the wrecked 

 crew had been watching and praying for a ship to 

 succor them. Early on the morning before our arrival 

 they had sighted a steamer southward bound and about 

 eight miles off shore. They endeavored to intercept 

 her in their boat, but evidently because their signals 

 were not seen, she passed on. Then they turned back, 

 and fortunately fell in with us upon their return to 

 camp. Captain Brown of the Snowdrop told us he 

 had spent a great part of his life in the Arctic. He 

 was broken-hearted and completely discouraged when 

 the steamer passed, believing it the last hope of escape 

 from another winter of torture. When the old Cap- 

 tain felt the decks of the Jeanie under his feet he 

 broke down and wept. 



We told them to get all their trappings ready to 

 bring aboard, and we would make an attempt to 

 run up Frobisher's Bay for the other unfortunate 

 man, and fetch him out if he was still alive. 



