LAST VOYAGE OF CAPT. ROSS. 
449 
over to the cook, to dress it with the sauce a la Maitre D Hotel, 
as a seasonable repast for Capt. Ross, previously to the journey, 
which he was on the eve of commencing*. 
From the report given by these Esquimaux, the lakes in the 
vicinity abounded with salmon, but their means of catching 
them were so confined, that they were frequently in a starving 
condition, although they saw shoals of fish in the water, from 
which they could have derived their subsistence for some months 
to come. On Capt. Ross’ expressing his doubt of the truth of 
the report touching the quantity of fish in the lakes, arising from 
the total failure, which some of the crew experienced in fishing* 
in one of them, when not a single fish was caught, the Esquimaux, 
apparently hurt at the want of faith, that was reposed in him, 
offered to accompany Capt. Ross to the lakes, where his words 
could be verified, and if such were not the case, he would fore¬ 
go all claim to any reward, which might otherwise be his due. 
This offer would have instantly been accepted by Capt. Ross, but 
his party were in waiting for him at some distance, in a direction 
opposite to the lakes, and therefore he informed the Esquimaux, 
that although he could not at that time take advantage of his 
offer, yet, if he would return after ten seniks , he would give 
him a handsome reward. This, the Esquimaux promised to per¬ 
form, but he had not then asked the consent of his wife, and it 
is certainly a great act of folly in any man, to enter into a con¬ 
tract for the performance of an action, when it is actually de¬ 
pendent upon the authority of an individual, who has not been 
consulted at the time, and who, by nature, is so wavering and 
inconstant, that that which shg approves of to-day, is reprobated 
and discountenanced to-morrow. Capt. Ross had received two 
proofs of the fragility of an Esquimaux’s promises, and, there¬ 
fore, he did not place any great reliance on that, which he had 
just then received. He might indeed have received some con¬ 
firmation of it from the mouth of the wife herself; but, to the 
great surprise of Capt. Ross, she was discovered to be dumb, 
which, so far from proving a drawback to her marriage, invested 
her with the character of one of the best wives amongst the Es¬ 
quimaux people. The infirmity of the wife led Capt. Ross to 
19. 8 m 
