250 



ARCTIC RESEARCH EXPEDITION. 



was upon them in all its fury, and men, as well as dogs, were be- 

 coming blinded. Presently the leading dog directed the team to- 

 ward some islands near the head of the bay ; but, on approach- 

 ing them, it was seen that Barbekark was struggling to make a 

 different route, and these islands convinced the two human minds 

 that dog sagacity, when known to be true, was best when left to 

 itself in such emergencies. Accordingly, Barbekark was allowed 

 to have his own way, and in a short time he led them direct to 

 the ship. 



I asked Mr. Eogers what they had intended to do if the vessel 

 could not be found. His reply was, that when it became dark, 

 Koojesse had once proposed to stop for the night on the ice, and, 

 to insure as much safety as possible, they were to throw them- 

 selves among the dogs, cover themselves with the two bearskins 

 they had, and thus try to preserve life until daylight would help 

 to show them where they were. 



The end of this adventure was, that Koojesse remained so far 

 blind for days that he could not see to do any thing; and Mr. 

 Eogers's face, in its uncovered portions, had actually turned to a 

 deep dark red, while the shielded parts were perfectly white, 

 thus showing what contrasts these Northern storms can paint in 

 one short day. 



A lesson to be gathered from this, as I then thought, and still 

 believe, is to allow the natives to do what they consider best in 

 such times. They thoroughly understand the way to prepare for 

 and withstand the warring elements of their own regions, and it 

 is well for white men always to heed their advice, however unrea- 

 sonable it may seem to be at the time. 



On the 8th of April the cooking apparatus and other material 

 were moved up from below, where they had been during the 

 whole winter, and thus what we might call symptoms of spring 

 (though there is no real spring in those regions) presented them- 

 selves. But here a few extracts from my diary at this time may 

 be suitable. 



"April 8th, 1861. This P.M. the party of eight which left the 

 George Henry last Sunday for Frobisher Bay, to trade for walrus 

 meat, returned. They were accompanied by the Innuit Sharkey, 

 a man as dark-colored as a negro. A large quantity of walrus 

 meat was obtained, which furnished us with abundant fresh food 

 for ourselves, and plenty for the dogs. To-day we had venison 

 for dinner. 



