There, sure enough, was the sail I had
seen; and without waiting to secure any provisions, we hurried down
towards the boat, but Andrew called us back.

"We should not go empty-handed, mates, among our new friends, nor quit
those who have treated us so hospitably without a word of farewell," he
exclaimed. "There is yet time enough to do what we should do, and to
pull out into the offing before the ship is off here."

Ashamed by his mild reproof, we went to the tents of our Esquimaux
friends, who still remained near us; and explaining that a ship, by
which we hoped to return to our country, was in sight, we bade them
understand that if we did not return, all the property we left behind
was to be theirs. We saw tears falling from their eyes as they wrung
our hands when we stepped into the boat, which they assisted us to
launch over the ice.

We had loaded her with as large a supply of provisions as she could
carry, and with our guns and the little ammunition which remained. Once
in the boat, we gave way with a will, and pulled boldly out to sea, with
our jack at the end of a spar of three times the usual length.

On came the stranger. O how our hearts beat as we saw her hull rising
out of the water!

On we pulled, so as to place ourselves directly in her course, that
there might not be a possibility of her missing us. Various were the
conjectures as to what nation she belonged; for it was soon seen she was
not English by the cut of her sails, and as she drew nearer, by her
build. Some said Danish, others Dutch, and others French.

The last proved right; for, as we got within hailing distance, once more
the voices of civilised men struck our ears. We could not understand
the question put to us; but when we sung out that we were Englishmen,
who had lost our ship, a voice in our own tongue told us to come on
board. With joyful hearts we pulled alongside, and found ourselves on
board the _Saint Jean_, whaler, belonging to the port of Bordeaux.

The cargo of our boat, as Andrew had supposed, was not unwelcome, and
secured us a warmer reception than we perhaps might otherwise have
experienced. The _Saint Jean_ was nearly full, and was one of the few
ships which had that year succeeded in reaching Pond's Bay; so the
second mate, who spoke English, informed us. Most of them, afraid of
the early setting in of the winter, had already gone to the south, and
must have passed out of sight of land. Thus, had we not se