Page:Life with the Esquimaux - 1864 - Volume 1.djvu/271

250 I suffered less from them. This grievous affliction arose, undoubtedly, from the over-exertion upon our setting out.

"At 1 o'clock I and William Johnston saw the three ahead of us (Morgan, Sam, and Fluker) throw themselves flat on the ice. By this we knew they had become exhausted. Fifteen minutes later found us with them, and flat beside them. Oh, how glad I was to make my bed for awhile upon this bosom of the deep! how refreshed we all were by that prostration of our weary limbs! While we were resting, Sam exclaimed, 'Well, come, let us eat dinner;' these words being accompanied by the act of drawing out of his pocket two sea-biscuits. One of the other men drew out another. These three cakes of bread made us a feast, though weighing but three quarters of a pound total. The foresight that could make this provision should have kept in reserve the strength which the exigencies of our undertaking required. "We were all invigorated by the repast, and by resting, though only for the space of fifteen minutes.

"At 1.30 we resumed our march. We were now on dangerous ice, near the mouth of Field Bay, the tracks of the lost one still leading us seaward. A heavy sea might take us beyond our power to return. Every one felt that if Brown continued the course in which we were then following him, he must have arrived at a point where he had been carried out to sea on some floe. "Most of our little company felt that they could not go farther, so exhausted were they. Sam Wilson was the first of the five to declare he would not; he said he could not go farther, although he was one of the forward ones of the morning. Yet he did continue on with us until ten minutes past two They felt they had tried to perform their duty. This was a terrible blow to me. I felt that I could not give it up so, discouraging as was my condition. I resolved, that, so long as God should spare me strength, I would follow on and on; and knowing the risk, I did not feel that I could take the responsibility of persuading any one to accompany me. Up to this time the course of the tracks was tortuous—