Narrative of an Expedition to the Shores of the Arctic Sea in 1846 and 1847 Part 4

Knocking down those birds on this day made me half fancy myself among the grouse in my own barren native hills.

On the 13th the weather was raw and cold with frequent showers, and a gale of wind from the same quarter as the day before. Four salmon were caught, and a deer was shot. The thermometer varied from 36 to 38.

Four Esquimaux men and two women visited us to-day.

The 14th was much like the 13th, but there was no rain. As the visits of the natives had now become rather frequent, and as they brought nothing with them, but appeared to expect both food and presents, I bade Ouligbuck say that we could not afford to feed them any longer, and that they had better return to their huts, where I knew they were killing deer enough to support themselves. On returning from my daily walk, I found that our friends had taken leave rather hurriedly, having been detected appropriating some salt fish, which they could not eat. For this they were sharply reprimanded by the interpreter, and one of the ladies was most ungallantly accused by her husband of being the offender. Corrigal and I hauled the seine in the evening and caught thirty-three salmon; fourteen more were got out of the nets.

15th.--This was a beautiful day throughout. In the evening, the sky being clear and cloudless, some stars were visible, and a few streaks of orange-coloured aurora showed themselves to the southward. The seine was again hauled, and thirty-two salmon (some of them very small) caught, whilst the nets produced eleven more. Just as we were landing our fish, the men who had been taking over the boat made their appearance, being a day earlier than I expected. By keeping the proper route three of the portages were avoided, and they had the advantage of a fine fair breeze all through the lakes. The large bay (Akkoolee) was reported as being more closely packed with ice than before. This was nothing but what I should have expected after the late north-westerly winds.

The two Esquimaux, Arkshuk and Ivitchuk, ("Anglice" Aurora and Walrus,) who had been engaged to aid in dragging the boat over the portages, had wrought well, and readily accommodated themselves to the habits of the men. They were well recompensed; and Ivitchuk (a merry little fellow) was engaged to accompany me on my intended spring journeys.

The boat was for the present left at North Pole Lake, as it might still be required there.

The 16th was a day of rest, and the 17th was so stormy and wet that little work could be done.

All hands were now busily employed making preparations for a long and dreary winter; for this purpose four men were set to work to collect stones for building a house, whilst the others were occupied in setting nets, hunting deer, and gathering fuel. Our work was much impeded by rainy weather, particularly the house building, as the clay or mud was washed away as soon as applied.

We found that our nets were so much cut up by a small marine insect from a half to three-quarters of an inch long, resembling a shrimp in miniature--the favourite food of the salmon--that it was quite impossible to keep them in repair. I thought to destroy their taste for hemp by steeping the nets in a strong decoction of tobacco, but it had no effect.

On the 2nd September our house was finished; its internal dimensions were 20 feet long by 14 feet broad, height in front 7 feet, sloping to 5 at the back. We formed a very good roof by using the oars and masts of our boats as rafters, and covering them with oilcloth and moose skin, the latter being fixed to the lower or inside of the rafters, whilst the former was placed on the outside to run off the rain. The door was made of parchment deer-skins stretched over a frame of wood. The walls were fully two feet thick, with three small openings, in which a like number of windows, each having two panes of gla.s.s, were placed.

Our establishment was dignified with the name of Fort Hope, and was situated in 66 32' 16" N.; longitude (by a number of sets of lunar distances with objects on both sides of the moon) 86 55' 51" W. The variation of the compa.s.s on 30th August was 62 50' 30" W.; mean dip of the needle, and the mean twice of a hundred vertical vibrations in the line of declination 226".

A sort of room was formed at one end by putting up a part.i.tion of oilcloth. In this, besides its serving as my quarters, all our pemmican and some of the other stores were stowed away.

From the 5th to the 13th I was up at North Pole and Christie Lakes in the boat with three men, our object being to look out for fis.h.i.+ng stations, and also to purchase dogs from the Esquimaux. The wind being from the north, we did not reach the Esquimaux encampment till the 10th.

They had s.h.i.+fted their tents from the narrows to a small point about eight miles up Christie Lake, where the deer were more numerous, among which they seemed to have made great havoc, to judge by the abundance of skins and venison lying in all directions. Our friends were delighted to see us, and had improved much in appearance, the only poor animals about them being their dogs, which appeared to get no more to eat than was barely sufficient to keep them in life. I looked out four of the best, being all I wanted at present, for which I promised a dagger each, intending to take them with us on our return. During our stay here a band of deer came to the edge of the lake, and after feeding a short time took the water. Three of the natives slipped noiselessly into their kayaks, and lay waiting, until the deer were far enough out in the water, to intercept them, but just as they were on the eve of starting the wind changed a little, and the deer smelling their enemy wheeled about, and were soon in safety on the beach from which they had started.

Many large flocks of Hutchins and snow geese had been seen for the last few days pa.s.sing to the southward. The blue-winged goose of Edwards is by some ornithologists considered as the young of the last named bird in one of its stages towards maturity, but this opinion I believe to be erroneous, for the following reasons.

During a ten years' residence at Moose Factory, on the sh.o.r.es of Hudson's Bay, I had many opportunities, every spring and autumn, of observing both the snow and the blue-winged goose in their pa.s.sage to and from their breeding places, the marshes near Moose being favourite feeding ground.

In spring both species are very nearly alike in size, the blue-winged goose, although shorter, being rather the heavier bird. In the autumn there are four distinct varieties, two of which exactly resemble in size and plumage those seen in the spring, whilst the others are much smaller, and differ much from these and from each other in their markings; the young of the snow goose being of a light grey colour, darkest on the head and upper part of the neck; whilst the young of the blue-winged goose is of a dark slate colour, approaching to black on the head and neck. Neither do the young separate from the old, as has been a.s.serted; for families may be seen feeding by themselves all over the marshes, the old bird keeping a sharp look-out, and giving timely warning to her brood of any approaching danger. In fact the Indian, who has thoroughly studied the habits of the bird, takes advantage of her affection for her young, and of their attachment to their parent, to make both his prey. Well knowing that the young are easily decoyed by imitating their call and by mock geese set up in the marsh, and that the old bird, although more shy, will follow them, he waits patiently until she comes within range; if he shoots her he is pretty sure to kill the greater part of the others, as they continue to fly over and around the place for some time after.

During the night of the 10th, when near the north end of the lake, we experienced one of the severest snow storms I ever witnessed. As we were sleeping on sh.o.r.e we never thought of putting up any sort of shelter; the consequence was that in the morning we were covered with snow to the depth of a foot. Our boat, which had been hauled up on the beach, was blown away from her fastenings, and carried several hundred yards into the lake among some stones. Being the only one of the party provided on the spot with Macintosh boots, it fell to my lot to wade out to the boat, throw overboard the ballast, lift her bows over the stones, and take a line to the sh.o.r.e; which, from having miscalculated the depth of the water, I found a more disagreeable task than I had expected.

Fortunately the boat sustained no injury. It was now about 6 o'clock in the morning of the 11th, and as the storm continued unabated we made a sort of tent of our sails. In doing this the men got so wet and cold, from the snow thawing on them, that they could not even light their pipes.

In the afternoon the weather improved, and we were able to sc.r.a.pe a little fuel together, with which we cooked some salmon and boiled a kettle of tea, which made us feel quite comfortable again. We thus combined breakfast, dinner, and supper in one meal.

The hares had already acquired their winter coat, and the golden plovers and sandpipers had all disappeared, but some Lapland and snow-buntings and the sh.o.r.e-lark were still to be seen.

A little after noon on the 13th the wind s.h.i.+fted to the S.W., and we got under weigh to return home. A couple of hours brought us to the Esquimaux, where we stopped to take on board our dogs. A young lad also came with us to carry some medicine for the patriarch of the tribe, who was labouring under various complaints peculiar to old age. We arrived at North Pole River at 6 P.M., having had a beautiful run all the way.

As we were not likely to require the boat on the lakes again this season, she was hauled up and placed in security for the winter. While at the lake we had not been able to procure much more food than was necessary for our own use, but this may in part have been attributable to the bad weather.

The storm of the 10th had been much felt at our house, and so great was its force that the boat left there was lifted a few yards by it, but received no injury. Much heavy ice was driven into the bay and lay heaped up all along the sh.o.r.e.

Our house was still far from comfortable, the clay being quite wet and producing a most unpleasant feeling of dampness,--far more disagreeable than a much lower temperature with dry weather.

Our time was now continually occupied in collecting fuel, (portions of which, as soon as it became dry, were built up into small heaps on the rocks near the house,) in fis.h.i.+ng, and in shooting deer and partridges.

The routine of our day's work was as follows: in the morning we were up before day-light; the men got their orders for the several duties they had to perform, which were princ.i.p.ally carried on out of doors, and at which they set to work immediately after rolling up their bedding and taking breakfast. This meal usually consisted of boiled venison, the water with which it was cooked being converted into a very excellent soup by the addition of some deer's blood, and a handful or two of flour.

Our dinner, or rather supper, consisted of the same materials as our breakfast, and was taken about 4 or 5 o'clock; after that, my time was employed in writing my journal or making calculations; whilst the men were busy improving themselves in reading, arithmetic, &c., in which I a.s.sisted them as much as my time would permit. Divine service was read every Sunday when practicable.

On the 20th the pools of water were covered with ice sufficiently strong to be walked upon, and on the 28th some hooks were set under the ice on the lakes for trout. During the latter part of the month deer were very numerous. As many as seventeen were shot on the 28th, and on the following day ten more were got, seven of which were killed by myself within a few miles of the house. On the 29th a considerable portion of the bay was frozen over, and the seals were seen popping up their heads every now and then through the ice to keep breathing places open.

The weather during this month having been very changeable and stormy, and unfavourable for observations of all kinds, the s.e.xtant had frequently been exchanged for the rifle--a not unwelcome exchange to one addicted to field-sports "from his youth upwards."

Our sporting book for the month showed that we had been doing something towards laying in a stock of provisions for winter; 63 deer, 5 hares, one seal, 172 partridges, and 116 salmon and trout, had been brought in.

October.--During the first part of this month some of the men were employed in building a store of snow for our provisions, and covering it with two of the sails. On the 12th and three following days there was one continued storm which drifted the snow all round the house as high as the roof, and on the night of the 15th would have choked all our dogs that were chained outside, had not Adamson and another got up and cut their fastenings. On the 16th, when it cleared up, the thermometer first fell to zero.

The cold had now penetrated in-doors and frozen the clay on the walls, which made us much more comfortable. On attempting to open some books that had been lying on a shelf, I was surprised to find that the leaves were all frozen together; when I mention this, and also that our powder horns and every other article that was bound with bra.s.s or silver burst their fastenings, some idea may be formed of the dampness of our house whilst the clay on the walls was wet.

On the 19th, when out shooting, having killed one deer, I went in pursuit of another (a large buck) that had been wounded, and put four b.a.l.l.s through him. Thinking that the last ball had settled the business, (for he had fallen,) I went carelessly up to him without re-loading my rifle, and when within a few yards I believe I apostrophized the animal much in the following strain--"Ah! poor fellow, you are done for at last!" when the deer, as if he had understood what I said, and thought I was adding insult to injury, sprung to his legs in a moment, and at a couple of bounds his horns were within a foot of me. Circ.u.mstanced as I was, I thought with Falstaff "that discretion was the better part of valour", and beat a hasty retreat, laughing heartily all the time at the strange figure we must have made. Taking the deer by the horns could have been of no use, and might have cost me some troublesome bruises and scratches.

Twelve Esquimaux and a boy visited us on the 23rd; among whom was the man (named s.h.i.+-ma-kuk) to whom the sledge belonged, part of which we had used for fuel when near Cape Lady Pelly with the boat. He was now rewarded, and apparently so much to his satisfaction that he would have had no objections to have another sledge burnt on the same terms. They reported that the bay, to the west of Melville Peninsula, had been packed full of ice ever since we were over there, until a few days before they came away, when there was some open water to be seen.

Besides purchasing five dozen rein-deer tongues, a seal-skin full of oil, and some other articles, we added two good dogs to our team.

Among other information they told me that there was an island in Akkoolee (the large bay west of Melville Peninsula,) named Sha-took, (which means low or flat,) on which large trees grew; but they acknowledged that none of them had ever been on the island, although they had been near enough to see the trees distinctly. In this I believe their imaginations had deceived them, aided perhaps in some degree by a peculiar state of the atmosphere, during which the appearance of the land has been so distorted that it has been mistaken for woods. Some round sticks, probably spars belonging to one of the two vessels left in Prince Regent's Inlet, having been picked up along the west sh.o.r.e of Melville Peninsula, had no doubt strengthened the opinion they had formed. Two of their party whom we had never seen, were drowned in Miles Lake by falling through the ice; the one in chasing a deer, and the other, it is supposed, in attempting to save his companion.

Our visitors left us on the 25th, promising to return soon with some deer-skin dresses. During the whole of the month we were occupied much the same way as in the previous one. Deer were numerous during the first part of it, but scarce latterly; sixty-nine were shot, but the produce of our nets had fallen very low, eighteen salmon and four trout being all we caught. The highest temperature of the month was 38, whilst the lowest was 15. Although there was a great deal of very stormy weather, there were some clear calm nights, of which I took advantage to obtain lunar distances.

Two observatories had been built of snow, with a pillar of ice in each (at the suggestion of Captain Lefroy, R.A.), the one for the dip circle, the other for an horizontally suspended needle to try the effects of the aurora upon it.

So much snow had fallen that it lay four feet deep on the roof of our meat store, and was near breaking the masts which supported it; so that we were obliged to raise its walls about a fathom to prevent such an occurrence in future.

On the 4th November, when out looking for deer a little before day-light in the morning, I observed a band of animals coming over a rising ground at a quick pace directly towards me. I at first supposed them to be deer, but on a nearer approach they proved to be wolves, seventeen in number. They continued to advance at full speed until within forty yards, when they formed a sort of half circle to leeward. Hoping to send a ball through one of them, I knelt down and took what I thought a sure aim at a large fellow that was nearest; unfortunately it was not yet broad day-light, and the rascals all kept end on to me, so that the ball merely cut off a line of hair and a piece of skin from his side. They apparently did not expect to meet with such a reception, for after looking at me a second or two they trotted off, no doubt as much disappointed at not making a breakfast of me as I was at missing my aim.

Had they come to close quarters (which they sometimes do when pressed hard for food) I had a large and strong knife which would have proved a very efficient weapon. On my way home I shot three hares.

On the 5th two partridges were shot which very much resembled the tetrao saliceti, but which I suppose to be the T. mutus. The parasitae found on them differed from those usually found on the willow grouse.

We began during this month to find that we could not afford fuel to dry our clothes; I therefore adopted the plan that a celebrated miser took to warm his food, by taking them under the blankets with me at night, and drying them by the heat of the body. This, it may be supposed, was not very agreeable, particularly when the weather became colder, for the moisture froze during the day on the blankets, which sparkled with h.o.a.r frost when I went to bed.

In the afternoon of the 9th we had one of the most severe snow storms that had yet been experienced, and I was much alarmed at the non-arrival of four men who had gone in the morning to examine some nets and set others in North Pole Lake eight miles from the house. Guns were fired to attract the attention of the party, who made their appearance at half-past 8 P.M., when we had given up all hopes of seeing them until the following day. They had been upwards of eight hours in coming as many miles, and were like walking pillars of snow when they came in. The four dogs they had with them were still missing, having run off with the sled as soon as they smelt the house. On the following day they were found entangled with one another, and the sled stuck fast against some rocks. One or two of the dogs were completely covered up with snow, but all safe.

About 2 P.M. on the 25th, two Esquimaux men and a boy, named Arkshuk (Aurora Borealis), Took-oo-lak (the falling stick), and Che-mik-tee (snuff), came to see us with deer-skin clothes, &c. for barter.

I had a good deal of conversation through the interpreters with Arkshuk, whom I found rather intelligent and communicative. It appears that the favourite food of these Esquimaux is musk-ox flesh; venison ranks next, and bear and walrus are preferred to seal and fish. Their theory regarding the sun and moon is rather peculiar. It is said that many years ago, not long after the creation of the world, there was a mighty conjuror (Esquimaux of course), who gained so much power that at last he raised himself up into the heavens, taking with him his sister (a beautiful girl) and a fire. To the latter he added great quant.i.ties of fuel, which thus formed the sun. For some time he and his sister lived in great harmony, but at last they disagreed, and he, in addition to maltreating the lady in many ways, at last scorched one side of her face. She had suffered patiently all sorts of indignities, but the spoiling of her beauty was not to be borne; she therefore ran away from him and formed the moon, and continues so until this day. Her brother is still in chase of her, but although he sometimes gets near, he will never overtake her. When it is new moon, the burnt side of the face is towards us; when full moon, the reverse is the case.

The stars are supposed to be the spirits of the dead Esquimaux that have fixed themselves in the heavens, and falling stars, or meteors, and the aurora borealis, are those spirits moving from one place to another whilst visiting their friends.

The highest, lowest, and mean temperature of November were respectively +28, -25, and +0.68. Only twelve deer, nine hares, and a few partridges had been shot, whilst our nets produced about sixty fish, the greater part of which were small.

CHAPTER V.