Mr. Fisher said, all he had with him to eat by the way, when he left the settlement, was "some burnt coffee in his pocket." The others with him were no better off. It is wonderful that they lived amid so much destitution and exposure. What will not necessity compel men to do! Mr. Fisher, with the rest, asked the natives for something to eat; and he obtained a small piece of frozen whale's blubber. In less than two hours they were brought to the huts, and to their great joy found provisions more abundant. The whole distance they had traveled exceeded twenty miles.
A few days after the departure of Mr. Fisher's company, and the one that preceded his, word was brought to the settlement by some of the traveling natives, that the whole party were frozen to death.
This was sad intelligence indeed, and yet it was what we greatly feared. We, however, had our doubts as to the truth of the report. We had some very strong reasons for suspecting the natives of lying—a habit we perceived identified with another, viz., that of stealing. And yet the report could not fail to produce in all our minds intense solicitude respecting the fate of our companions.
They ventured forth, risking their own lives, in order to find better accommodations for the company. As soon as they should find better quarters, and the prospect of preserving us from starvation, the agreement was, to send us immediate word; and then small companies would follow them from time to time, so as not to discommode a small settlement of only a few huts with our whole number coming into it at once.
The reluctance of the natives in our settlement to assist us in finding new quarters, when they knew their provisions were getting wretchedly low, and when they knew, too, that we had not more than one third of our ordinary fare, and that we were becoming weaker and more emaciated day after day, their reluctance to assist us, or to direct us to the nearest settlement, can be accounted for only on the principle that if we died, they wanted us to die with them; or that they did not desire we should go to any other settlement. What their particular motive was in this respect, we could not satisfactorily ascertain.
During this time of uncertainty concerning the fate of Mr. Fisher and those with him, Captain Norton called the company together, and proposed that another party should go out and look for their companions, and ascertain, if possible, whether they were living or not. Eight or ten days had thus passed away, and nothing was heard from the first party, nor could we learn any thing definitely about them from the natives, though we had reason to believe they knew more about them than we did.
On the supposition, however, that Mr. Fisher and his party had perished by the way, as reported by the natives, and lest those who might follow should meet with the same calamity, and thus party after party be lost in those trackless wastes of the arctic, it was thought advisable, if possible, before any more of us followed, to send word by the traveling natives to all the settlements, both near and more remote, whether five seamen had arrived at any one of them, or whether they had been discovered frozen to death.
Word was sent to Mr. Fisher from Captain Norton by means of pieces of copper written upon with lead, and forwarded by the natives. Mr. Fisher also sent word to Captain Norton in the same manner after his arrival at the settlement; but neither heard from the other, and therefore both parties were left in painful suspense, and especially those who were left behind.
In this instance we discovered another treachery of the natives towards us, and which we found it impossible to account for, considering their kindness towards us in many other respects.
Since nothing had been heard from Mr. Fisher for many days, the captain stated to his men, that he had made up his mind to leave the settlement, and ascertain if possible the fate of Mr. Fisher, and find better quarters. One thing was certain; he assured them he could not live there; that was out of the question. He was greatly debilitated, had scarcely any thing to eat, and for three days past had not eaten a piece of blubber larger than his three fingers.