“We did not dare to move about much after that, for we could not see the size of the ice we were on, on account of the storm and darkness. All the rest but myself, the men, women and children, sought what shelter they could from the storm by wrapping themselves in the musk-ox skins, and so laid down to rest. I alone walked the floe all night.”
The following morning an inventory was taken of the stores on the floe, and they were found to be: fourteen cans of pemmican, eleven and a half bags of bread, one can of dried apples, and fourteen hams. “If the ship did not come for us,” writes Tyson, “we might have to support ourselves all winter, or die of starvation. Fortunately, we had the boats.”
Captain Tyson made an effort to reach Little Island, in order to secure the assistance of the Eskimos living in the neighbourhood in procuring food and shelter for his party during the winter. This he was unable to accomplish, and soon after the Polaris was seen rounding a point. Signals were made by hoisting the colours and showing an India-rubber cloth, but neither the signals nor the men were seen by the Polaris.
Another futile attempt was made to attract the attention of those on the ship, and Captain Tyson endeavoured to launch the boats and reach her, but without success. Gales now forced the floe out of sight of the ship, and the forlorn men set to work to make the best of a desperate situation.
By late November, the effects of exposure and want of food began to show themselves; some of the men trembled when they tried to walk; the children often cried with hunger, although all was given to them that could possibly be spared. The seals brought in were received with gratitude; the invaluable success of Joe and Hans was fully appreciated; without them, the chances of life would have been very much diminished. So keen had the appetites of the party become that the seal-meat was eaten uncooked with the skin and hair on.
December 25, Captain Tyson records:—
“Our Christmas dinner was gorgeous. We had each a small piece of frozen ham, two whole biscuits of hard bread, a few mouthfuls of dried apples, and also a few swallows of seal’s blood! The last of the ham, the last of the apples, and the last of our present supply of seal’s blood! So ends our Christmas feast!”
“New Year’s dinner. I have dined to-day on about two feet of frozen entrails and a little blubber; and I only wish we had plenty even of that, but we have not.”
On January 23, 1873, Captain Tyson makes the following observation:—
“I was thinking the other evening how strange it would sound to hear a good hearty laugh; but I think there never was a party so destitute of every element of merriment as this. I cannot remember ever having seen a smile on the countenance of any one on this floe, except when Herron came out of his hut and saw the sun shining for the first time.”