FOOD AND FUEL. 



461 



"Feelings of disappointment — sad disappointment — steal over 

 me now and then at our not being able to proceed according to 

 our plans ; but I confidently believe it is all for the best." 



It was upon Captain B that the care and anxiety princi- 

 pally fell. He had to plan and arrange for his ship's company 

 during another nine or ten months, and there was but a scanty 

 supply of provisions and fuel to do it with. As to the latter 

 want, that could be met in various ways. The jawbones of three 

 whales recently captured would serve for a long time; one of 

 these was sawed, chopped, and split for use. The bone is very 

 porous, and filled with oil ; the heat from it is great. One cord 

 of bone must be equivalent to four cords of live oak. There was 

 also some timber of the wrecked whaler down the bay. 



As it regarded food, we had to husband our stores very care- 

 fully. On Sunday, October 27th, a new order of things com- 

 menced, and instead of three meals a day we had only two. 

 Bread or flour was the most nourishing food then on board, with 

 the exception of beans, which were to be served out twice a week. 

 There was salt junk and salt pork, but eating either was felt to 

 be almost worse than being without. Thus we soon found it 

 best to fall back upon our Innuit food, and it would have amused 

 many persons at home to have seen our messes at our daily meals. 

 Some, too, would have wondered how we could eat such stuff; 

 but certainly that surprise would cease when they were told we 

 must eat it in order to live. I do not think it can be said that 

 any of us ate " black skin" (whale skin) and other Innuit food be- 

 cause we really liked it. Some wise person has said that man 

 should not live to eat, but eat to live. We were of the latter 

 class, hence the necessity of relishing whatever came in our way. 



I may here mention an incident that occurred about this time 

 which shows the simplicity of the Innuit character in matters con- 

 nected with money. Of course money, as we have it, is to thern 



unknown. One day "John Bull" came to Captain B to buy 



a new one-dollar shirt, handing him two American cents as pay- 

 ment. Ugarng, in like manner, tried to buy a violin to which he 

 had taken a fancy. The violin belonged to Bailey, one of the 

 steerage hands, and Ugarng, calling him aside, whispered in his 

 ear, " Yiddle, viddle — wonga — piletay — money," and then slipped 

 into Bailey's hand what he supposed to be a generous sum, one 

 cent of the latest coinage. But Bailey could not trade for that, 

 and Ugarng went away without his " viddle." 



