222 THEY SURVIVE SIX YEARS. 



but kept off the assaults of the Polar bears. 

 It is almost incredible ; but these men not only 

 survived, but preserved good health for six long 

 years. It seems extraordinary that such ener- 

 getic fellows as they clearly were should not, 

 in all that time, have contrived to travel across 

 the country, or round the shore, to the west 

 coast, where they would have been certain of 

 relief every summer, especially as they were 

 on the most desolate part of the island, and one 

 often inaccessible, and always little frequented 

 by the whalers. In the sixth year of their 

 captivity one of the four died, and the siuwivors 

 began to lose all hope of deliverance, and to 

 fall into a state of despondence, which would 

 certainly have soon proved fatal to them all, had 

 not a vessel at this time fortunately approached 

 the coast and rescued them. During their long 

 banishment these poor Robinson Crusoes had 

 killed such quantities of bears, deer, seals, and 

 foxes, that the proceeds of the skins and blubber 

 made a small fortune for them. 



Other parties of winterers were left on 

 these desolate shores, both accidentally and 

 intentionally, and although in some cases 

 they all miserably perished, still the possibility 

 of maintaining life throughout the horrors of 



