570 
LAST VOYAGE OF CAPT. ROSS. 
of the crew, and under circumstances, at which the human imagi¬ 
nation must shudder, and for which scarcely a parallel could be 
found in history, with the exception of the death of Sir Hugh 
Willoughby and his crew, on the coast of Spitzbergen. 
This melancholy prospect tended in a great measure, to give 
a wholly different direction to the pursuits, in which the officers, 
and particularly Commander Ross, had been hitherto engaged. 
With the knowledge, that in case of the abandonment of the 
ship, they should have to leave behind them, all the fruits of 
their scientific labors, it became a matter of indifference to them, 
whether, as far as regarded the specimens, it was worth the 
trouble to extend their researches; and the same arguments held 
good in a philosophical point of view, for it was not known, 
whether they would be able to take with them any of those 
documents, which contained the result of their experiments and 
observations, on the different subjects of natural history, or of 
the geographical or astronomical phenomena. 
It was reflections of this nature, which occupied the mind of 
Commander Ross on his return to the ship, and he was for a 
time so lost in thought, that he had forgotten the incident, 
which engaged their attention with the two natives, and being’ 
reminded of it by Mr. Mc'Diarmid, they directed their course 
to the spot. From the want of proper instruments, it was, 
how ever, found impracticable to penetrate to the depth, which the 
natives had done, and a tremendous snow storm coming on from 
the northward, the officers declined any further examination on 
that day, but determined to take the very first opportunity of 
returning, with proper assistance, to unravel the mystery of the 
transaction. 
The officers arrived at the ship, with eight grouse and a 
hare; at supper they related to C'apt. Ross, their adventure with 
the Esquimaux, and the latter immediately determined in his 
own mind, that the natives had stolen something from the ship, 
and, to prevent detection, had buried it under the snow. The 
suspicion was perhaps nearly as plausible and well founded, as 
if the natives had been suspected of burying a whale ; but so 
convinced was the captain, that he should find some of his own 
