Three Voyages for the Discovery of a Northwest Passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and Narrative of an Attempt to Reach the North Pole, Volume 1

by Sir William Edward Parry

To this discouragement on the part of his friends, was added, on that of Ayoket, the same wavering and inconstant disposition which most other savages possess, rendering it impossible to place any dependance on his promises and intentions for two hours together. Indeed, the more our scheme was pressed upon his attention, and the more he saw of the actual preparations for the journey, the less doubtful his intentions became; and arrangements were therefore made for completing the party without him. For the reasons now given, it was equally impossible even to direct the attention of the Esquimaux, with any hope of success, to our scheme of their conveying letters to the Hudson's Bay settlements.

Notwithstanding the inclemency of the weather, some of the Esquimaux had, by the foot and sledge marks, found their way to the ships on the morning of the 16th, assuring us, as we found to be too true, that, in consequence of the gale, which prevented their going out for seals, they had not any food, nor a single lamp alight in the village. In the course of the following day, we had farther proofs of the wretchedness which these poor people were enduring at the huts; for, though the weather was little better than before, above forty men and women, besides some children, came down to the ships, and begged with more than their usual earnestness for something to eat. It now once more became an act of humanity, and consequently of duty, to supply them as well as we were able; and all were admitted to partake of as much bread-dust as they could eat, besides a quantity which they took away with them. It had been long since Okotook and Iligliuk cared to accept this kind of food from us, partly because our respect for the latter generally ensured them something better, and partly because, of late, they had procured plenty of seals; to-day, however, they devoured it eagerly, and seemed very well satisfied to take their share with the others. When the usual time of departure came, they all discovered a wish to remain on board; but, as we could not find lodgings for the whole tribe, they were obliged very reluctantly to return. Nannow, a fine, quiet young, man, whose native country is near Chesterfield Inlet, and who, having only a sister here, used to live with Okotook, begged very hard to remain on board; but, as I did not like to give the preference to one in particular, he also took his leave.

On the 18th, almost every man from the huts was out seal-hunting, and three or four, as the women informed us, had gone to a considerable distance "for walruses" and with the intention of remaining out for the night in a snow hut. While the men were thus employed, their wives did not fail to use their endeavours also to procure food; and I believe that every female belonging to the village, without a single exception, made her appearance at the ships to-day, and was supplied with a proportion of bread-dust for her family. It was pleasing to observe that they were always punctual in returning the buckets and bags which we lent them for carrying out their provisions.

The endeavours we had lately been making to gain from the Esquimaux some knowledge of the geographical features of the land to the northward, had at length been crowned with greater success than we had anticipated, and some information of a very gratifying and interesting nature thus obtained. I shall here, therefore, give some account of that information, and of the progressive steps by which it was communicated, which may, at the same time, serve to show the kind and degree of dependence that is to be placed on geographical notices thus obtained.

The first attempt made in this way was by placing several sheets of paper before Iligliuk, and roughly drawing on a large scale an outline of the land about Repulse Bay and Lyon Inlet, and, terminating at our present winter-quarters. Iligliuk was not long in comprehending what we desired, and with the pencil continued the outline, making the land trend, as we supposed, to the northeastward, and giving the names of the principal places as we proceeded. The scale being large, it was necessary, when she came to the end of one piece of paper to tack on another, till at length she had filled ten or twelve sheets, and had completely lost the sight of Winter Island (called Ne-y=uning-E=it-d~u~a) at the other end of the table. The idea entertained from this first attempt was, that we should find the coast indented by several inlets, and in some parts much loaded with ice, especially at one strait to the northward of her native island Amitioke, which seemed to lead in a direction very much to the westward.

Within a week after this, several other charts were drawn by the natives in a similar way, principally by the desire of Captain Lyon and Mr. Griffiths, who took great pains to acquire information of this nature, and sent me copies of these productions. The coast was here delineated as before, on a very large scale, but much more in, detail, many more islands, bays, and names being, inserted. It was observable, however, that no two charts much resembled each other, and that the greater number of them still less resembled the truth in those parts of the coast with which we were well acquainted.

Early in the morning the Esquimaux had been observed in motion at the huts; and several sledges, drawn by dogs and heavily laden, went off to the westward. On going out to the village, we found one half of the people had quitted their late habitations, taking with them every article of their property, and had gone over the ice, we knew not where, in quest of more abundant food. The wretched appearance which the interior of the huts now presented baffles all description. In each of the larger ones some of the apartments were either wholly or in part deserted, the very snow which composed the beds and fireplaces having been turned up, that no article might be left behind. Even the bare walls, whose original colour was scarcely perceptible for lampblack, blood, and other filth, were not left perfect, large holes having been made in the sides and roofs for the convenience of handing out the goods and chattels. The sight of a deserted habitation is at all times calculated to excite in the mind a sensation of dreariness and desolation, especially when we have lately seen it filled with cheerful inhabitants; but the feeling is heightened rather than diminished when a small portion of these inhabitants remain behind to endure the wretchedness which such a scene exhibits. This was now the case at the village, where, though the remaining tenants of each hut had combined to occupy one of the apartments, a great part of the bed-places were still bare, and the wind and drift blowing in through the holes which they had not yet taken the trouble to stop up. The old man Hikkeiera and his wife occupied a hut by themselves, without any lamp, or a single ounce of meat belonging to them; while three small skins, on which the former was lying, were all that they possessed in the way of blankets. Upon the whole, I never beheld a more miserable spectacle, and it seemed a charity to hope that a violent and constant cough, with which the old man was afflicted, would speedily combine with his age and infirmities to release him from his present sufferings. Yet, in the midst of all this, he was cheerful, nor was there a gloomy countenance to be seen at the village. Almost all the men were out; and some of them had been led so far to sea upon the floating and detached masses of ice in pursuit of walruses, that Captain Lyon, who observed their situation from the ships, had it in contemplation, in the course of the evening, to launch one of the small boats to go to their assistance. They seemed, however, to entertain no apprehensions themselves, from a confidence, perhaps, that the southeast wind might be depended upon for keeping the ice close home upon the shore. It is certain, notwithstanding, that no degree of precaution, nor any knowledge of the winds and tides, can render this otherwise than a most perilous mode of obtaining subsistence; and it was impossible, therefore, not to admire the fearlessness as well as dexterity with which the Esquimaux invariably pursued it.

Having distributed some bread-dust among the women, we told old Illumea and her daughter Togolat that we proposed taking up our lodging in their hut for the night. It is a remarkable trait in the character of these people, that they always thank you heartily for this, as well as for eating any of their meat; but board and lodging may be given to them without receiving the slightest acknowledgment either in word or deed. As it was late before the men returned, I asked Togolat to get the rest of the women to perform some of their games, with the hope of seeing something that was new. I had scarcely time to make the proposal when she darted out of the hut, and quickly brought every female that was left at the village, not excepting even the oldest of them, who joined in the performance with the same alacrity as the rest. I could, however, only persuade them to go through a tedious song we often before heard, which was now, indeed, somewhat modified by their insisting on our taking our turns in the performance, all which did not fail to create among them never-ceasing merriment and laughter. Neither their want of food and fuel, nor the uncertain prospect of obtaining any that night, was sufficient to deprive these poor creatures of that cheerfulness and good-humour which it seems at all times their peculiar happiness to enjoy.

The night proved very thick, with small snow, and as disagreeable and dangerous for people adrift upon floating ice as can well be imagined. If the women, however, gave their husbands a thought, or spoke of them to us, it was only to express a very sincere hope that some good news might shortly arrive of their success. Our singing party had not long been broken up, when it was suddenly announced by one of the children, the usual heralds on such occasions, that the men had killed something on the ice. The only two men who were at home instantly scrambled on their outer jackets, harnessed their dogs, and set off to assist their companions in bringing home the game, while the women remained for an hour in anxious suspense as to the extent of their husbands' success. At length one of the men arrived with the positive intelligence of two walruses having been taken, and brought with him a portion of these animals as large as he could drag over the snow. If the women were only cheerful before, they were now absolutely frantic. A general shout of joy instantly re-echoed through the village; they ran into each other's huts to communicate the welcome intelligence, and actually hugged one another in an ecstasy of delight by way of congratulation. One of them, Arnal=o=o~a, a pretty young woman of nineteen or twenty, knowing that a dog belonging to her husband was still at the huts, and that there was no man to take him down on the ice, ran out instantly to perform that office; and, with a hardihood not to be surpassed by any of the men, returned, after two hours' absence, with her load of walrus flesh, and without even the hood thrown over her head to shelter her from the inclemency of the weather.

When the first burst of joy had at length subsided, the women crept, one by one, into the apartment where the first portion of the seahorses had been conveyed, which is always that of one of the men immediately concerned in the killing of them. Here they obtained blubber enough to set all their lamps alight, besides a few scraps of meat for their children and themselves. From this time, which was nine o'clock, till past midnight, fresh cargoes were continually arriving; the principal part being brought in by the dogs, and the rest by the men, who, tying the thong which held it round their waist, dragged in each his separate portion. Before the whole was brought in, however, some of them went out three times to the scene of action, though the distance was a mile and a half.