The consequence was that for several days they were without food, and
our provisions were gone the day before, so that when the ship was seen
we were waiting patiently until the Inuits returned from the pursuit of
some walrus that were seen on the ice, in order to break our fast. It
was not only a joyful sight to see the ship at this time, but an
additional pleasure to note the cloud of thick black smote that hung
over her deck, denoting that they had killed a whale and were boiling
out the blubber. This was good luck for the officers and crew, and
fortunate for us, because the black skin of the whale is exceedingly
palatable and wholesome food, and there would in all probability be
enough of it on board to keep us and our Inuit allies from hunger for a
long time, at least until they could secure food by hunting.
We were pleased to learn that the whalers had killed the only whale
they saw, which augured a successful season for them. It eventually
proved, however, that the augury was delusive, for from that time
forward they did not see another whale, though they cruised the bay
until the 9th of August. Subsequently we learned that the whales had
all gone out of Hudson's Bay through the strait in the early spring,
owing to the entire absence of whale food, which had probably been
destroyed by the intense severity of the winter.
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