484 



ARCTIC RESEARCH EXPEDITION. 



eration skillfully with instruments improvised for the emergency ; 

 some days after it became necessary to take off another portion 

 of his feet, and from that date the patient slowly recovered, being 

 able after a time to resume his duties. 



On January 21st two of the ship's company arrived at the ves- 

 sel from Cornelius Grinnell Bay, nearly dead from hunger. They 

 had been without food, except a mere morsel, for several days. 

 They had left the ship four weeks before, and they said that they 

 had not eaten on an average more than three ounces a day, so 

 little game had been secured in that locality by the natives. 

 Some days they had to eat sealskins, walrus hide, reindeer sinew, 

 blasted whale-meat, and scraps remaining after trying out the 

 oohsooh. One of them, after two days' fasting, received from the 

 hands of an Innuit a piece of reindeer sinew, weighing perhaps 

 an ounce, for his supper ; but, after chewing it a while, he gave 

 up the attempt to eat it. 



On the 20th of February Eobert Smith and five of the forward 

 hands returned to the ship from Oopungnewing, where they had 

 been living. Shevikoo, with his dogs and sledge, brought their 

 bags of bedding. They said that the provisions at Oopungne- 

 wing were all out, and that they had had nothing to eat for several 

 days. They reported also a sad occurrence. When the Innuits 

 removed from the " Plains" to Oopungnewing they abandoned 

 one of their number, the wife of "Jim Crow," leaving her, with 

 but a trifle of provisions, to die. The reasons given for this act 

 were that she was sick and unable to help herself. As soon as I 

 was informed of this, I at once proposed to raise a party and go 

 the next morning to ascertain the fate of the deserted woman, 

 and, if she were still living, to bring her on a sledge to the ship. 



In accordance with this purpose, I set out on the next day, 

 February 21st, accompanied by Mate Lamb and four of the ship's 

 crew, who volunteered for the work. We had a small sledge and 

 four dogs, and took with us a variety of articles for the comfort 

 of the suffering woman, if she should be alive when we reached 

 her. It was ten o'clock before we started, new harness having to 

 be made for the dogs, and the sledge to be dug out of a heavy 

 snow-drift. The prospect of a successful issue of the trip was 

 doubtful at starting. As I anticipated, we found the traveling 

 very laborious. We walked in Indian file ; I led the way occa- 

 sionally, as did the others in turn. The walking through the 

 snow was terrible work, and the one who led the way had to 



