The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1857-02-04
An Adventure IL the Arctic Region.

| An Adventure IL the Arctic Region.
The readers Of Kane's narrative of his
recent Arctic expedition could hardly
have failed to read the following passage
with almost breathless interest SO COM
pletely were the lives of Kane and his
men dependent upon the sequel. We
copy it for the benefit of those of our
readers who have fsot read the work, with
| the remark that it describes scene which
transpired after the explorers had aban-
Goned their vessel, and were making a
desperate, and as it must have appeared
to them at the time, almost hopeless at
tempt to reach a civilized spot, where
they could obtain that aid, in the shape
Of food, rest and sleep, which was so
necessary to their existence They were
upon a short allowance cf food, and were
almost furnishing, with still long journey
before them:
"Things grew worse and worse with US;
the old difficulty of breathing came back
again. and our feet swelled to such an ex-
tent that we were obliged to cut open
our canvas boots. But the symtom which
gave me most uneasness was our inability
to sleep. A form of low fever which
hung by us when at work, had been kept
down by the thoroughness of our daily
rest; all my hopes of escape were in the
refreshing influence ola halt.
at must be remembered that we were
now in the open bay, in the full line of the
great ieedrift of the A lluntic, and in boats
so frail and unseaworthy as to require
constant bailing to keep them sfoat.
at was at this crisis Of our fortunes
that We saw q large seal Aoatmg-as is
the custom of those animals-on small
patch of ice, aud seeming asleep. 1t was
an dssak, (seal, and SO large that at
first mistook it fer agulfus Signal was
made for the Hope to follow astern, and,
trembling with anxiety, we prepared to
crawl down upon him.
peterson, with q large English rife,
was stationed in the bow, anu stockings
were drawn over the oars as mufers.-
AS we neared the animal, our excitement
became so intense that our men could
hardly keep stroke. l had set of sig
mails for such occasion, which spared us
the noise OF a voice, and, when about three
| hundred yards off, the oars were taken in,
and we moved on in deep silence with a
single scuil astern. .syss-
"He was not asleep, for lie reared his
head when we were almost in rifle shot;
and to this / can remember the hard
care worn. almost despiring expression of
the mems thin faces as they saw him move;
their lives depended on his capture.
Il depressed my hand nervously, as a
signal for Peterson to fire. McGary
hung upon his oar, and the boat slowly
but noiseiessly sagging ahead, seemed to
me within certain, range. Looking at
/ Peterson / saw that the poor fellow was
paralyzed by his anxiety trying vainly
to obtain rest for his gun against the
cutwater of the boat The seal rose on
his fore aippers, gazed at us for a moment,
with frightened curiosity, and coiled him
self for "a plunge. At that instant, sim
uitaneously with the crack Of our rifle, he
relaxed his long length upon the lee, and,
at the very brink of the water, his head
fell helpless on. one side.
/ would have ordered another shot. but
no discipline could have controlled the
men. With Wild YELL each socferating
according to his own impulse, they urged
the boats upon the foes. A crowd of
hands seized the seal and bore him up to
safer ice. The men seemed half crazy;
| had not realized how much we were re-
duced by absolute famine They ran over
the foe, crying ami laughing and brand
iShing their knives. / was not five min
utes before every man was sucking his
bloody fingers, or mouthing long stripes
Of raw biubbef
"Not an ounce Of seal was lost. The
intestines found their way into the soap
kettles without any observance of the pre-
liminary home processes. The cariilagi-
nous parts of the fore flippers were cut
off imthe mvlee, and passed around to be
chewed upon, and even the liver, warm
and raw as it was, bade fair to be eaten
before it had seen the pot That night,
on the large halting foe, to which, in con-
tempt of the danger Of drift, we happy
men hauled our boats, two entire pianks
of tho Red Erie was devoted TO a grand
cooking. fire, and we enjoyed raw and
savage feast"