SHORES OF THE POLAR SEA. 211 



and. the following anecdote is worthy of re- 

 cord, as displaying the excellent feeling of 

 a British seaman, and as speaking the senti- 

 ments of the whole party. Talking with 

 Robert Spinks as to the difference of his 

 present food from that to which he had 

 ^been accustomed on board ship, I said I 

 was glad the necessity was over of keeping 

 them on short allowance. * Why, Sir,' 

 said he, 6 we never minded about the short 

 allowance, but were fearful of having to use 

 the pemmican intended for next summer; 

 we only care about the next voyage, and 

 shall all be glad when the spring comes, that 

 we may set off; besides, at the worst time, 

 we could always spare a fish for each of our 

 dogs/ " 



In the winter season of this severe cli- 

 mate, the poor Indians suffer greatly, and 

 numbers of them perish for want of food ; 

 and this difficulty of procuring sustenance 

 frequently induces them to destroy their 

 female children at their birth. Captain 

 Franklin mentions two women who, just 

 after leaving the fort, were delivered, one 

 p 2 



