248 



ARCTIC RESEARCH EXPEDITION. 



their stay. A house was built of stone, filling in the walls with 

 turf, and snow on the outside, making a total thickness of six feet. 

 The roof was made of sealskins sewed together and placed on 

 poles. For a window, which was in the roof, intestines of the 

 whale answered well. The stove served for cooking and heating, 

 and coal had been left for fuel ; but this becoming exhausted by 

 the end of December, an admirable substitute was found in some 

 skeletons of whales, which were discovered frozen in the ice some 

 thirty miles distant, and were transported to the house by means 

 of dogs and sledges. The bone burned well, being full of oil, and 

 it was easily cut up with an axe. 



An incident connected with the transport of this bone is wor- 

 thy of record. One day in February, a younger brother of Cap- 

 tain Quayle, with a companion, set out for the bone depot on a 

 dog-sledge. On their return a furious snow-storm came on, and 

 the dogs, as well as the men, lost their way. Darkness over- 

 taking them, they determined to rest till morning under the lee 

 of an island, but during the whole night it was a terrible battle 

 for life. The only salvation for them was in pounding each other, 

 wrestling, tumbling, kicking, etc. Occasionally the " death-sleep" 

 would be found creeping over them, when all their strength and 

 resolution were called into action in the manner just described. 

 The next day they arrived in safety at the house. 



The stock of provisions left with the party was exhausted be- 

 fore any ship arrived, but whale-meat, seals, venison, and ducks 

 were found in abundance. The natives also were very kind, 

 sharing with them whatever game they found. Thus they lived 

 until September, 1852, when Captain Parker, in an English whaler, 

 took them away. 



On March 27th another man came near being frozen to death. 

 Strangely enough, it was Bruce, the very companion of the unfor- 

 tunate Brown ! 



It appeared that Bruce, who was still under attacks of scurvy, 

 had again gone to the Innuit settlement at Oopungnewing, but 

 one morning suddenly determined upon returning to the ship. 

 Esquimaux "Bob," with whom he was staying, insisted upon his 

 remaining that day, as the weather was too bad. But no ; Bruce 

 would go, and at once started off alone. 



Seeing that the white man was apparently bent on his own de- 

 struction, or did not know what he was about, the dark-skinned 

 but spotless-hearted and noble-minded Esquimaux "Bob," being 



