226 



ARCTIC RESEARCH EXPEDITION. 



meat. It was expected that they would return by the evening 

 of the same day, but the inclement weather that succeeded their 

 starting out, the gale of the night and next day, prevented their 

 return till twelve meridian of Saturday, at which hour they 

 started. 



"John Brown and James Bruce, feeling so much relieved of their 

 complaint, they prepared themselves to return with Koojesse and 

 Charley. While the load of walrus skins, walrus meat, etc., was 

 being lashed to the sledge by the two Innuits, Brown and Bruce 

 started on together. They had not proceeded more than half a 

 mile when Bruce proposed that they should return, delaying their 

 journey to another day, as the wind was blowing strong and cold; 

 the indications of the weather being otherwise unpropitious. To 

 this proposal Brown objected. Bruce declared they would be 

 frozen before they could reach the vessel, and this being his hon- 

 est conviction, he not only decided to go back to the igloo they 

 had just left, but strenuously exerted himself to induce Brown to 

 do likewise. The last words of this unfortunate young man to 

 his companion (Bruce) were, ' I'm going on ; for, by Gr — , I'm de- 

 termined to have my duff and apple-sauce* at to-morrow's dinner.' 



"Bruce returned to Bob's igloo, taking from the sledge his sleep- 

 ing blankets. Brown finally retraced his steps until he met the 

 sledge party, which he joined, continuing his journey homeward 

 to the vessel. The sledge was heavily loaded, so that their prog- 

 ress was very slow. Having proceeded some seven miles, hum- 

 mocky ice obliged Charley and Koojesse to leave the greater part 

 of the load. To unload and make a deposit under piles of ice 

 was a work of time. Brown was anxious to proceed without the 

 delay requisite to make the cache. He made known his determin- 

 ation to proceed alone. The two Innuits, who foresaw the dan- 

 gers to which Brown was about to expose himself, advised that he 

 should wait for them. All that these experienced, storm-and-cold- 

 proof men of the North could say in warning him did not suffice 

 to cool the ardent desire of Brown to join as early as possible his 

 cheer companions at the George Henry. 



"Seeing that Brown was about to take his departure, Koojesse 

 and Charley persuaded him to take along one of the dogs, that it 



* Sunday is duff-day with the forward hands. "Duff" is a favorite dish with them, 

 and also, I may say, with the officers and all in the steerage. The "apple-sauce" re- 

 ferred to in Brown's remark is explained by the fact that dried apples are incorpo- 

 rated in the "duff." 



