LAST VOYAGE OF CAPT. ROSS. 
452 
especially that part, which was contiguous to the liver; it was, 
however, no trifling occupation for the crew of the Victory, to 
gut and clean between two and three hundred fish; and as it was 
considered an extra labor, apart from the usual routine of the 
duty of the ship, there were some amongst the crew, who, not¬ 
withstanding the hearty meal, which the fish had afforded them 
on the preceding day, heartily wished, that there was not a 
salmon to be caught in any of the lakes of the country. 
On the 7th July, Capt. Ross had the satisfaction of emanci¬ 
pating from their thraldom the major portion of the pieces of 
the steam engine, which had been imbedded in the ice, ever 
since the Victory had been in her present harbour. The acqui¬ 
sition of them was, however, scarcely worth the labor, which 
was bestowed upon it, for their value was now only merely 
relative, as to the uses, to which they might be afterwards ap¬ 
plied, for in themelsves they were nothing more than so many 
pieces of useless lumber. 
During an excursion, which two of the crew made this day, 
for the purpose of intercepting some of the deer, which were 
observed bending their course to the northward, they fell in 
with an old fox, which had seven cubs. After some manoeuvring, 
they got within shot of the mother, and soon killed her, when 
her entire progeny were caught by the sailors, and conveyed 
on board. 
On Sunday the 9th, an Esquimaux came to the ship, for the 
purpose of informing Capt. Ross, that he had a number of sal¬ 
mon in a stow-hole, which it was his desire to dispose of; and 
a party was shortly afterwards sent with the Esquimaux to con¬ 
vey the salmon to the ship ; the remuneration demanded, being 
only a file and a seal knife. The party returned in the evening, 
with 163 fish; 105 being dried, and the remainder not dried. 
In speaking of these fish, which were called salmon, they 
must not be supposed to come to any thing approaching the 
size of the fish caught in the rivers of Scotland or England ; in 
fact, they can only be considered as a species of trout, for the 
whole 163 weighed only 122tbs. 6oz., which is not a pound to 
a fish. The number, that were caught, however, appears 
