398 



SECOND VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY. 



January. war< ^ s fr° m tne N.W., the mercury falling from 30.51 inches at eight P.M. 

 ***** on the 26th, to 30.25 about five A.M. on the 27th, or about 0.26 of an inch 

 in nine hours, before the breeze came on. At midnight on the 27th it had 

 reached 29.30, and on the following night 29.05, which was its minimum 

 indication during the gale. These high winds were accompanied by a rise 

 in the thermometer very unusual at this season of the year, the temperature 

 continuing above zero for several hours, and very near this point of the scale 

 for the whole two days. 



The mean temperature of January proved indeed as remarkable for being 

 a high one, as that of the preceding month had been in a contrary way, 

 being only — 17°.07, or more than ten degrees warmer than December. The 

 first fortnight in February bid fair to present a similar anomaly ; the mild 

 weather we now experienced giving us hopes of a winter rather favourable 

 than otherwise, notwithstanding the severity with which it had set in. 



We were about this time much shocked to hear, by an arrival from the 

 distant huts, of the death of Noogloo, the young man whom I before men- 

 tioned as the flower of the whole tribe. His complaint, as far we could 

 learn, had been of an inflammatory nature, and was also of some con- 

 tinuance ; as Toolemak, who considered him as his adopted son, had been 

 out to visit him two or three times, and was much afflicted by his loss. 

 There was something peculiarly shocking in the havoc which death appeared 

 now to be making among the younger and more vigorous individuals of 

 this tribe ; and never does he seem to inflict a more severe blow than when 

 he selects such as Noogloo for his victim. 



February Having heard also that Innooksioo was ill at the distant huts, I requested 



Sun. 2. jv£ r . Crozier to call at the village, to endeavour to hire a sledge and a 

 conductor to go out to that station to see him, and, if he wished it, to bring 

 him on board. In this however he did not succeed, the sledges being prin- 

 cipally engaged in the fishing, and their owners absent from the huts. 

 Mr. Crozier reporting however that there were still some sick at Igloolik, 



Mon. 3. I went there on the following day. and arrived at the huts in time to 

 prevent a fine little boy, named Attangut, who was apparently in a dying 

 state, from being packed up with the rest of his father's goods and chattels, 

 previous to his departure for the next station. Having suggested to his 

 parents that it would be better to place the boy on my sledge, and to send 

 him to the ship, than to take him in his present debilitated state still farther 

 from our assistance, they joyfully accepted the proposal ; and I accompanied 



