24-6 THE *EA. 



inside, hang your boots up outside, take a blade of bone and scrape off all the ke from your 

 furs. Now crawl in, the whole party of you, feet foremost, draw the top of your dormitory 

 close headlong to leeward. Fancy yourself in Sybaris, and, if you are only tired enough, 

 you may sleep like St. Lawrence on his gridiron, or even a trifle better." 



On January 17th Kane sadly admits that the "present state of things cannot last." 

 They required meat above all things, and he determined to make a sledge journey to the 

 Esquimaux huts at Etah in search of it. The preparations made, he started on the 2 2nd, 

 Hans Christian being the only available man to accompany him, the rest being nearly all 

 prostrated with scurvy, and some in a most dangerous condition. His journal gives a 

 graphic account of the attempt, which was a failure. 



"Washington's birthday, February 22nd, was, however, a day of better omen. Hans 

 had had a shot a long shot at a deer, but he had wounded him, and the injured 

 animal, they knew, would not run far. Next morning Hans was out early on the trail 

 of the wounded deer. Rhina, the least barbarous of the sledge dogs, assisted him. He 

 was back by noon with the joyful news, ' The tukkuk dead only two miles up big 

 fiord ! ' The cry found its way through the hatch, and came back in a broken huzza 

 from the sick men. 



"We are so badly off for strong arms that our reindeer threatened to be a great 

 embarrassment to us. We had hard work with our dogs carrying him to the brig, 

 and still harder, worn down as we were, in getting him over the ship's side. But we 

 succeeded, and were tumbling him down the hold, when we found ourselves in a dilemma 

 like the Vioar of Wakefield with his family picture. It was impossible to drag the 

 prize into our little moss-lined dormitory; the tossut was not half big enough to let 

 him pass; and it was equally impossible to skin him anywhere else without freezing 

 our fingers in the operation. 



It was a happy escape from the embarrassments of our hungry little council to deter- 

 mine that the animal might be carved before skinning as well as he could be afterwards; 

 and, in a very few minutes we proved our united wisdom by a feast 011 his quartered 

 remains. 



"It was a glorious meal, such as the compensations of Providence reserve for 

 starving men alone. We ate, forgetful of the past, and almost heedless of the morrow; 

 cleared away the offal wearily, and now, at 10 P.M., all hands have turned in to sleep, 

 leaving to their commanding officer the solitary honour of an eight hours' vigil. 



" The deer was among the largest of all the northern specimens I have seen. 

 He measured five feet one inch in girth, and six feet two inches in length, and stood 

 as large as a two years' heifer. We estimated his weight at three hundred pounds." 



But such a happy experience was quite exceptional at this time. Other expeditions to 

 the Esquimaux at this time demonstrated that they themselves were in a starving condition. 

 On March 20th two of the men attempted to desert, but Kane had learned of their 

 intentions, and confronted them as they were about to leave the vessel. One man, 

 Godfrey, however, did succeed, his intention being apparently to reach the settlement at 

 Etah Bay, and robbing Hans, their hunter, of sledge and dogs, proceed south to Netlik. 

 He afterwards returned to the brig with this very sledge, reporting that Hans was 



