620 
LAST VOYAGE OF CAPT. ROSS. 
that the Victory was abandoned: and down the cheeks of some 
of the hardy weather beaten mariners, a tear was seen to fall, 
as they stood upon the beach, and waving their hats, gave three 
cheers, exclaiming “ Good bye, Victory.” A glass of Booth’s 
cordial had been given to each man, a few minutes before he 
left the vessel ; and the cheering thought that they were 
homeward bound, gave a temporary animation to their spirits, 
and reconciled them to many a loss, with which the abandon¬ 
ment of the vessel was accompanied. On leaving the ship, every 
man was allowed a blanket, sewed up in the shape of a hop- 
sack, the weight of which did not exceed 7 lbs.; two shirts, both 
in wear at the same time; three pair of hose; two pair of 
drawers, and two pair of trowsers, with the jacket and waistcoat 
in wear: so that the whole weight, which a man had on the 
sledge, could not exceed 10 lbs. On the other hand, the weight, 
that Capt. Ross had on the sledge, was supposed to exceed 3 cwt. 
His bedding weighed nearly 50 lbs. for it was made of the 
skin of the musk ox ; his coverlid was a large wolf’s skin ; his 
cloak a seal skin; his jacket was lined with deer skin; his 
sleeping boots were made of bear skin, the hairy part inside; 
and two large down pillows, for his head to rest upon. He had 
also three cases and four large bags, the contents of which were 
never discovered by the crew ; but frequently they have seen 
him, when they have turned in, and he thought they were 
asleep, repair slyly to one of those bags, and take from it some 
kind of eatable, with which he was wont to regale himself in 
private, and which some of the crew, who watched his motions, 
were disposed to include amongst the privations , which he told 
the good credulous people of England on his return, that had he 
endured in common with his men. 
At the time of leaving the ship, Capt. Ross said to his men, 
“You must take no more than your ordinary wearing apparel, for 
at this time it is life or death with usbut at the same time, he 
himself put a mass of lumber on the sledge, which was not of 
the slightest use to any one, nor perhaps to himself, considering 
the nature of the journey, which he had before him. Now the 
men argued amongst themselves, that if instead of putting this 
