LAST VOYAGE OF CAPT. ROSS, 
625 
it was considered politic to send a party in advance to Fury 
Beach, for the purpose of ascertaining' the state of the pro¬ 
visions; and after having made a full examination of them, 
they were to return to the main body, who were still to keep 
on pursuing their course, with all the expedition, which the pe¬ 
culiar situation of the country would admit of. 
Commander Ross was always the foremost in an expedition 
of this kind ; and, accompanied by Abernethy and Park, he 
set off in a light trumbogan (a small kind of sledge,) with the 
hearty wishes of the whole crew for his success, who gave him 
three cheers, as he parted from them, and before night-fall he 
was out of sight. 
Heavily and slowly now moved on the main body—^the 
master spirit had left them, which animated them through their 
arduous undertaking—that cheered them in the hour of ex¬ 
haustion and fatigue—that participated in their toils, and 
stood the foremost in their dangers. The sufferings, which the 
men now endured, were excessive, and principally occasioned by 
the want of water, not a drop of which was to be obtained ; the 
only moisture, which the men had to their mouths, being ob¬ 
tained from snow or icicles, which, in the moment of their 
jokes, they called Ross’ barley sugar. At the close of their 
day’s journey, it was a disheartening thought to them, that not 
a drop of water was to be obtained to their meal, which con¬ 
sisted of hard bread and meat, some of which was salted, which 
tended to aggravate the evil, by increasing their thirst. But 
to the men it appeared an act of direct cruelty, on the part of 
Capt. Ross, that he had it in his power to put an end to the 
severe privations, under which they were suffering ; for he had 
a large quantity of cocoa-nut oil on the sledges, which was the 
best material for fuel, as their fire-places were made like 
lamps, and a very little trouble would have been required to 
convert a quantity of snow into water, sufficient for the wants 
of the whole of the crew ; but, strange to say, even this trifling 
attention to the necessities of the men, was denied them, for 
Capt. Ross preferred transporting a quantity of his cocoa-nut 
oil to England, rather than make it subservient to the health and 
27. 4 l 
