The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1883-10-25

the custom of seamenss .HopT
visitors were from two Aull Ss. peit
just arrived at Bell Sound ana TsSssulels
astonished they Were at the sioh I,s y ne ven
eight men in rags and blacEenaSg :. me
smoke. On the other hand 49, WITH
" well entertained with veniso ~, Eve. Wers
four months ago, and a Gun of a w.4
which ca account of the noyeltv ~s y
accepted" The Greenland ssst qley
rived two days afterward, with Car,s q.
Goodler himself, who spared notb;p sah
promote the comfort Of the easfas 2
What strikes us here is the oood ~; ~
nne these men enjoyed in losipo n ,O,.
OF their number; but it must be rsn r.ose
bered that they had roof over tlo:-
heads, and fire-wood, and ahovs, ~. =,
could provide themselves with nr,, =
ions. The general experience al l t5nss
who have been. in NE condition ~,
been very different. ea i''a
Only four years afterward the Dr.ol
Government offered inducements q an a.
party of Greenland whale-fsbersS NJ, ny
would winter on the island of ST. Men,
ice, commonly called Mayer's IsIsnd
from John Mayer its discovers, a''q +
lies between seventy-one and sevnnts
two degrees of north latitude (wharas.
that of the little English settlenens
above described was sixty-seyeDl az
grees), but is barren, mountainous an5
unacceptable enough.
Seven Dutch~sailers volunteered -,
this adventure, and were left behind h.
the fleet, accordingly, on the 26th n
August. At that time s'the heat 81 IN
sun was SO powerfalthat they pulled IN
their shirts, and sported on a hi, near
their abode. y There was an abundanes
of sea-gulls, and a few vegetables -
at least something that served for galad
grew in the vicinity. They did M
resort to fires until the 9th Of October
As winter advanced, however. their mi.
vations set in Nth unaecustomed sever.
fly. At the end of the old wear thew
went to prayers, wishing each other a
happy new year and good success n
their enterprise" This Is the last
glimpse oficheeffulness we get amopg
them. January was dark and stormy;
bears were scarce. and the poor fellows
had little skin in killing them. m
March many of them were attacked bv
that arctic scourge, scuryy, caused by
the absence of fresh provisions. Onthe
Sd of April only two were in health, and
the rest extremely i'll. On that day the
last two of the pullets that had
been left them were killed. The
clerk Il. e.. Il suppose, the
purser) died on the 10th, whereupon the
rest implored Heaven to have mercy
upon his soul and .on themselves They
were, indeed, in sad straits by that time.
On the 23d one writes in his journal.
and the journal is all the record We
have OF their doings, for they all Der
I,ished:. " We are by this time reduced 10
deplorable state, none of my comrades
being able TO help himself, much less
another; the whole burden, therefore,
| lies on my shoulders, and I shall per-
form my duty as well as / am able 10
long as it pleases God to give me
strength. | am just now about t0assist
our commander out of his cabin; he
thinks it will relieve his pain, for De i
| struggling with death The night Is
dark, and the wind blowing from tho
south. What miserable uttermeeot
human misery Is this! How difficult It
is, as one reads it, to reflect that nil this
happened two centuries and hall ago.
One seems to hear the means OF those
solitary, sick men even now. On tho
9th of April, we read, they killed then
dog. As thereais no further note d
what took place. it is supposed they
must have all died in the beginning q
May.
On the 4th of june the Dutch landed
to seek for their comrades, and ''pre-
saged i'll from their not having coma
down to the shore to welcome them.
They found them alldead men. "Neai
one of the bodies stood some bread and
cheese; a box Of ointment, with which
he was wont TO rub his teeth and joints,
beside another, Whose arm was extended
toward his mouths prayer-book wal
near third. Each of the men wa
found in his own cabin The com
mander of the feet caused the bodies e
be put in collins, sand inferred, 0nloh
Johns Day, under a general discharags
of CANTON JAMES Payne, IN Hagpef
Eeaaq People. al ia