§64 
LAST VOYAGE OF CAPT. ROSS. 
ultimately be the means of carrying him through his difficulty, 
with credit and advantage. 
The natives were thoroughly convinced, that the seals were 
under the dominion of Capt. Ross ; on the other hand, Capt. 
Ross was thoroughly convinced, that the conviction of the natives 
was decidedly false; nevertheless, it was politic in him, for very 
cogent reasons, to suffer them to remain in their error, and, 
therefore, he undertook, that if they would pay a visit to the 
ship, after a senik, he would take care that a seal should be in 
readiness for them. Fortunately for Capt. Ross, two seals had 
been brought to the ship, on the preceding day, which were not 
yet skinned, and, therefore, the fulfilment of his promise did 
not depend upon the contingency of being able to kill one, 
indeed, if he had not been swayed by a particular motive, he 
could have given them the seal at that moment, but the delay 
was designedly sought for, in order to confirm the natives in 
their belief of his supernatural powers, and that the acquisition 
of a seal at any time, depended merely upon his will. 
It must not, however, be supposed, that the assumption of 
the character of the mighty Angekok, on the part of Capt. Ross, 
was intended merely to refer to the dominion over the marine 
animals; but he found it to be his interest, that the natives 
should entertain the belief of his supernatural powers, as it 
was the means of preventing many thefts, which would other¬ 
wise have been committed, on the ground that the power was 
vested in him of discovering the thief, and of forcing him to 
the restitution of the stolen property, with the immediate inflict¬ 
ion of the punishment annexed to the commission of so hienous 
an offence. 
In regard to the feelings, which appeared at this time to 
predominate in the minds of the officers and the crew, they 
could only be distinguished by a general exhibition of despon¬ 
dency, and a comparative relaxation in those measures, which 
had an immediate reference to the object of the expedition. 
Their actions chiefly related, not so much as by what means 
they were to proceed on their voyage, but in what maimer, and 
