A Diary and Journal from the Second Grinnell Expedition

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property from the Expedition. Specifying when how and what articles in detail. Finally I told him that a penitentiary hung over him and that I would give him a chance to escape it by restoring him to duty and giving him another trial.

The short handed condition of the brig made me unable to confine him. Therefore I deemed it best to put him again to work. The villany and desperate hardihood of this man may, however, be understood by the sequel of my story. He accepted my lenity with thankful hippocrisy, went to duty and in less than an hour escaped. I was hunting at the time but the watch reported his having first been discovered on the ice-foot and out of pursuing distance, his intention undoubtedly is to attempt to reach Eepah on Leiper Bay and robbing Hans of sledge and dogs proceed south to Neilbik.

Should he succeed the result will be a heavy loss to us. The dogs are absolutely necessary to us as purveyors in the hunt and aids in transporting us to Anatok. The step, however, is not likely to be successful. Bill has no enduring courage, he will have to walk seventy miles and to rest out for one halt at the hut. I doubt whether he has spunk enough to do it. My fears are that he will return to the brig utterly worthless. [It may be that he meditates lying in wait for violence to myself but this I doubt as he is terribly afraid of me. At all events he is off and I [am sorry to have to] regret that duty prevents me from rejoicing at his departure. I should like to know this mans history.

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after the death of my dogs I could hope to carry on the search. The temperatures were frightful -40° to -56° but my experience of last year on the rescue party where we travelled eighty nearly (haltless) miles without a halt in sixty odd hours without a frostbite, shows that such temperatures are no obstacle to travel. Provided you have the necessary practical knowledge of the equipment and conduct of your party, I firmly believe that no natural cold as yet known can arrest travel. The above story of this winter illustrates it. I have both sledged and walked sixty & seventy miles over the roughest ice in repeated journeys at 50 degrees below zero, and the two parties from the south reached our brrig in the dead of winter after being exposed for 300 miles to the same horrible cold.

The day has been beautifully clear & so mild that our mid day thermometers gave but -7°. This bears badly upon the desertion of Godfrey for the probabilities are that he will find at the hut Hans' buffalo robe and thus sleep and be refreshed. In [such a] that case he can easily reach Leiper Bay and may as easily seize upon the sledge dogs rifle and trading articles. The consequences of such an act would be very disastrous, nearly all my hopes of [lifting?] the sick and therefore of escaping in boats to the South rest upon these dogs. By them only can we hunt bear and early seal, or rapidly transport ourselves to the tide holes (Polynia) of the spring where we can add water

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he stated that he had been to the South of Leiper Bay, I understood him to say as far as Northumberland Id. where there was a cache of meat - That Hans was sick with the Exposure and lying knocked up at Eepah, that he Godfrey, intended to [return] go back and live with Kalutaneh. -[That there was a cache of meat on Northumberland Id. &c.]

I then ordered him to return to the ship, which he refused to do saying that no force should compel him and at the same time turning to retreat. Upon seeing this I produced a pistol from my pocket and compelled him to stop until Mr. Bonsall arrived, which was not long.

William having again with many words again refused, in the joint presence of Mr. B. and myself to return to the brig. I anounced my intention of shooting him if he did not move before the word "three". At the word "two" he started, and was escorted to the brig by Mr. Bonsall and myself. When alongside he declared his intention go back [return] and that no force should compel him to go on board. Whereupon I placed him under charge of Mr. B. with orders to shoot him if he attempted to escape, and then proceeded to the after hatch on deck and called to Mr. McGeary for foot cuffs, as well as assistance.

It is proper to remark here that both Mr. B and myself were barely able to walk and entirely incapable of contronling Godfrey by [mamal?] force, that Mr. Petersen the only remaining [well] man as well [as] in health as ourselves was absent hunting and that every other soul on board was down with scurvy.

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[*for appendix*] with the [clear definition] [defined edge] of lichen, their colour is a slightly venous blue or dull tallow white. It is clearly a concomitant of a certain condition of scurvy which now prevails, [one] accompanied by excessive acivity of kidness and diminished action of skin. The effort of the system to cast off by absorption the effused fluids which in some of our cases pervade the entire structure, seems to be accompanied by this erythema, in one sense therefore it is Examthematous, more so certainly that the critical rashes urticaria &c. which sometimes occur in gout & rheumatism, or complicate the true exanthema to [blank] Query, may not this absorbing function be the sole a nearly direct incentive to this eruption in gout rheumatism and other cases, and may not artificially induced erythema or mechanical action on skin be a valuable remedy, long before the action commences? [end appendix]

Friday Apr. 6

Our little family are growing more and more uneasy about Hans. William reported him sick at Leiper Bay but, as the man is a habitual liar we thought it merely a result of fatigue from extra exposure. Now there seems ground for serious apprehension. My own fear is that William may have conveyed to him some false message or threat or reproach using my name and was in this way [by which he had] deterred him from returning. Hans is very faithful; but he is entirely unaware of William's desertion [being a deserter. William might readily return as if sent my me and ramp up some story, either of reproof or threat [which] would deter poor Hans from coming back, as the boy is] and he is besides both credulous and sensitive.