Jan. 1858. SUFFEEINGS OF DE. KANE'S DESERTERS. 83 



they spend most of their time. It looks very- 

 formidable in the moonlight, being a good imi- 

 tation of a casemated battery. 



After our rubber of whist on New Year's 

 night Petersen related to us some of his dread- 

 ful sufferings when with the party of deserters 

 from Dr. Kane. They spent the months of 

 October and November in Booth Sound, lat. 

 77°; all that time upon the verge of starva- 

 tion, unable to advance or retreat. For these 

 two months they had no other fuel than their 

 small cedar boat, the smoke of which was not 

 endurable in their wretched hut, and without 

 light, for the sun left them in October, unless 

 we except one inch and a half of taper daily, 

 which they made out of a lump of bees' -wax 

 that accidentally found its way into their boat 

 before leaving the ship. In December they re- 

 gained their vessel. I am surprised that no 

 account of the extreme hardships of this party 

 — so far exceeding that of their shipmates on 

 board — has ever appeared ; and I regret it, as I 

 believe they owed their lives to the experience 

 and fidelity of their interpreter Petersen. At 

 first the Esquimaux assisted them ; latterly they 

 were quite unable to do so, and became anxious 

 to get rid of their visitors. Observing how 

 weakened they had become, the Esquimaux en- 



G 2 



