A BOAT INCIDENT. 



133 



CHAPTER VII. 



Boat Incident. — Life hanging on a Shoe-string. — Courage of Esquimaux Boys. — 

 Author's Escape. — Decomposed Rocks. — Tes-su-win. — Arrival of the Georgiana. — 

 Author's Sickness and Recovery. — Attention of the Natives. — Independent Char- 

 acter of the Esquimaux. — Deserving the attention of Philanthropists. — A fearful 

 Gale. — The Rescue and the Expedition Boat wrecked.— The Georgiana on Shore. 

 — The George Henry in great Danger. — Gale abates. — The Georgiana got off the 

 Rocks undamaged. — She departs for Northumberland Inlet. 



The incidents connected with my every-day life for some time 

 at this period, though never without novelty to myself, would, I 

 fear, seem to present a sameness of character if too often brought 

 forward in the disjointed form in which they occurred. I will, 

 therefore, occasionally throw together several matters that refer 

 to the same subject, though scattered over the next two or three 

 weeks. 



Of these not the least interesting to me was the native habits 

 and customs as displayed in their beautiful villages. I was never 

 tired viewing them, and at every opportunity was on shore among 

 their tupics — summer tents. 



At other times I would make an excursion to some of the 

 many islands around the ship, for the purpose of exercise and col- 

 lecting specimens. I took one or more of the natives with me 

 generally, and, on a certain occasion, the following incident oc- 

 curred : 



In the morning of September 8th, I went over in a boat to an 

 island. I had with me a little " one-eyed" Esquimaux compan- 

 ion, and, after about three hours' ramble, we returned to the land- 

 ing only to find the boat entirely out of our reach. The tide had 

 risen so much that approach to it was quite out of the question. 

 The fastening of the boat was to a rock now far out, and beneath 

 the waters ! Here was a dilemma. What was I to do ? The 

 dashing waves threatened every moment to surge away the boat ; 

 and if that went, and we were left upon that solitary, barren isl- 

 and for a night, the probability was we should both suffer great- 

 ly. There was no other way of getting off but by the boat, and 

 the tide was still fast rising. For a time I was puzzled what to 



