Ilatsiak - 34
David stopped and reminded himself again, they had begun calling him “erniq” - son - ever since he walked into Agayuq’s camp. It was his return from the hike northwards with Fairholme and the others that changed everything. They thought he had gone for good, so his appearance was treated with surprise and great joy. He had arrived just in time. The family - his family - would join in the annual fishing camp on Kikitarjjuq, as King William Land was called. This was an annual event when people from all around would meet at the big lake in the center of the island and celebrate the late summer season. There was always lots to eat: fish and caribou and sometimes people from the mainland to the south, would bring dried muskox, a real treat.
David jumped to his feet and once again walked along the shoreline. In his head he could hear the words and phrases of his newly acquired language, Inuktitut. He realised how quickly he was catching on. In a way it was more like Gaelic than English and that made it easy to learn. He was now able to understand much of what was being said and only speaking came slowly, but he knew it too would come, just like when he learned English, French and Dutch with old Captain Fergus - oh how long had it been since he remembered that kindly old man!
The more days passed, the less he thought of returning to the Erebus. Something seemed to block his mind whenever the idea of of the ships and their crews occurred to him. For some reason, David could never solidly grasp, he seem to be blocking the ships from his mind. They disappeared little by little each day and now when someone mentioned them he would think of they in the third person as though they were foreign to him in some inexplicable way.
Still, every now and then, David would wake up from a dream in which the information he knew had to be relayed immediately to those still aboard the ships. Sir John would be there waiting for him to arrive with vital news about the ice. From what the Inuit - to use their own name for themselves - had told him the ice in which the ships were beset could remain frozen where it was for several years at a time without melting or moving. This knowledge was crucial information which would affect the outcome of the voyage immensely. He had to get it to Sir John... Waking up, he would find himself in a cold sweat, but be unable to remember what it had been that caused him to awaken. He would search for a clue in his mind, but the more he probed, the more whatever it was remained hidden from him. Was it something about Sir John? No, he had died last Spring. It must have been something else, guilt over not returning to his ship? That must be it, but how could he return, especially now it was mid-summer and he was miles away?
In the meantime, David knew he was enjoying the experience of living with his newly adopting family - the first time he could really say he had a family with two parents and siblings! It was a very addictive feeling, this family thing and certainly was an easier life than putting up with the short tempers and grumblings most of the ship’s company displayed with him and each other during the last few months he had been on the Erebus. People would sometimes ask David how the ships would escape from the icy trap from which there seemed to be no escape? He would shrug the questions away. Surely the officers had already come to some conclusion and were probably making plans to do something. He had heard that the food would run out in three years, so that would be next summer. Perhaps they were already planning something, but he doubted it. Francis or one of the men would have said something about it. There were always rumous going around, but he’d heard nothing.
He found it hard to relate to his former life on the Erebus. It seemed so distant and unreal. Still, now and then he would over-hear a bit of Inuit gossip about the ships or the movements of the crew. None of the stories seem to amount to much and he found them easy to ignore. Surely, he thought, if over a hundred men began sailing away or marching en masse to safety the Inuit would be alerted and he would hear the stories and think once again about whether or not to join them. Until that time came, David made up his mind to stay with these easy-going happy people who got to eat fresh food a lot more often than he had since the ships entered the ice two years past. Until that time came, he would think about the ships as little as possible. David stopped and reminded himself again, they had begun calling him “erniq” - son - ever since he walked into Agayuq’s camp. It was his return from the hike northwards with Fairholme and the others that changed everything. They thought he had gone for good, so his appearance was treated with surprise and laughter. He had arrived just in time. The family - his family - would join in the annual fishing camp on Kikitarjjuq, as King William Land was called. This was an annual event when people from all around would meet at the big lake in the center of the island and celebrate the late summer season. There was always lots to eat: fish and caribou and sometimes people from the mainland to the south, would bring dried muskox, a real treat.
David jumped to his feet and once again walked along the shoreline. In his head he could hear the words and phrases of his newly acquired language, Inuktitut. He realised how quickly he was catching on. In a way it was more like Gaelic than English and that made it easy to learn. He was now able to understand much of what was being said and only speaking came slowly, but he knew it too would come, just like when he learned English, French and Dutch with old Captain Fergus - oh how long had it been since he remembered that kindly old man!
The more days passed, the less he thought of returning to the Erebus. Something seemed to block his mind whenever the idea of of the ships and their crews occurred to him. For some reason, David could never solidly grasp, he seem to be blocking the ships from his mind. They disappeared little by little each day and now when someone mentioned them he would think of they in the third person as though they were foreign to him in some inexplicable way.
Still, every now and then, David would wake up from a dream in which the information he knew had to be relayed immediately to those still aboard the ships. Sir John would be there waiting for him to arrive with vital news about the ice. From what the Inuit - to use their own name for themselves - had told him the ice in which the ships were beset could remain frozen where it was for several years at a time without melting or moving. This knowledge was crucial information which would affect the outcome of the voyage immensely. He had to get it to Sir John... Waking up, he would find himself in a cold sweat, but be unable to remember what it had been that caused him to awaken. He would search for a clue in his mind, but the more he probed, the more whatever it was remained hidden from him. Was it something about Sir John? No, he had died last Spring. It must have been something else, guilt over not returning to his ship? That must be it, but how could he return, especially now it was mid-summer and he was miles away?
In the meantime, David knew he was enjoying the experience of living with his newly adopting family - the first time he could really say he had a family with two parents and siblings! It was a very addictive feeling, this family thing and certainly was an easier life than putting up with the short tempers and grumblings most of the ship’s company displayed with him and each other during the last few months he had been on the Erebus. People would sometimes ask David how the ships would escape from the icy trap from which there seemed to be no escape? He would shrug the questions away. Surely the officers had already come to some conclusion and were probably making plans to do something. He had heard that the food would run out in three years, so that would be next summer. Perhaps they were already planning something, but he doubted it. Francis or one of the men would have said something about it. There were always rumous going around, but he’d heard nothing.
He found it hard to relate to his former life on the Erebus. It seemed so distant and unreal. Still, now and then he would over-hear a bit of Inuit gossip about the ships or the movements of the crew. None of the stories seem to amount to much and he found them easy to ignore. Surely, he thought, if over a hundred men began sailing away or marching en masse to safety the Inuit would be alerted and he would hear the stories and think once again about whether or not to join them. Until that time came, David made up his mind to stay with these easy-going happy people who got to eat fresh food a lot more often than he had since the ships entered the ice two years past. Until that time came, he would think about the ships as little as possible.
David jumped to his feet and once again walked along the shoreline. In his head he could hear the words and phrases of his newly acquired language, Inuktitut. He realised how quickly he was catching on. In a way it was more like Gaelic than English and that made it easy to learn. He was now able to understand much of what was being said and only speaking came slowly, but he knew it too would come, just like when he learned English, French and Dutch with old Captain Fergus - oh how long had it been since he remembered that kindly old man!
The more days passed, the less he thought of returning to the Erebus. Something seemed to block his mind whenever the idea of of the ships and their crews occurred to him. For some reason, David could never solidly grasp, he seem to be blocking the ships from his mind. They disappeared little by little each day and now when someone mentioned them he would think of they in the third person as though they were foreign to him in some inexplicable way.
Still, every now and then, David would wake up from a dream in which the information he knew had to be relayed immediately to those still aboard the ships. Sir John would be there waiting for him to arrive with vital news about the ice. From what the Inuit - to use their own name for themselves - had told him the ice in which the ships were beset could remain frozen where it was for several years at a time without melting or moving. This knowledge was crucial information which would affect the outcome of the voyage immensely. He had to get it to Sir John... Waking up, he would find himself in a cold sweat, but be unable to remember what it had been that caused him to awaken. He would search for a clue in his mind, but the more he probed, the more whatever it was remained hidden from him. Was it something about Sir John? No, he had died last Spring. It must have been something else, guilt over not returning to his ship? That must be it, but how could he return, especially now it was mid-summer and he was miles away?
In the meantime, David knew he was enjoying the experience of living with his newly adopting family - the first time he could really say he had a family with two parents and siblings! It was a very addictive feeling, this family thing and certainly was an easier life than putting up with the short tempers and grumblings most of the ship’s company displayed with him and each other during the last few months he had been on the Erebus. People would sometimes ask David how the ships would escape from the icy trap from which there seemed to be no escape? He would shrug the questions away. Surely the officers had already come to some conclusion and were probably making plans to do something. He had heard that the food would run out in three years, so that would be next summer. Perhaps they were already planning something, but he doubted it. Francis or one of the men would have said something about it. There were always rumous going around, but he’d heard nothing.
He found it hard to relate to his former life on the Erebus. It seemed so distant and unreal. Still, now and then he would over-hear a bit of Inuit gossip about the ships or the movements of the crew. None of the stories seem to amount to much and he found them easy to ignore. Surely, he thought, if over a hundred men began sailing away or marching en masse to safety the Inuit would be alerted and he would hear the stories and think once again about whether or not to join them. Until that time came, David made up his mind to stay with these easy-going happy people who got to eat fresh food a lot more often than he had since the ships entered the ice two years past. Until that time came, he would think about the ships as little as possible. David stopped and reminded himself again, they had begun calling him “erniq” - son - ever since he walked into Agayuq’s camp. It was his return from the hike northwards with Fairholme and the others that changed everything. They thought he had gone for good, so his appearance was treated with surprise and laughter. He had arrived just in time. The family - his family - would join in the annual fishing camp on Kikitarjjuq, as King William Land was called. This was an annual event when people from all around would meet at the big lake in the center of the island and celebrate the late summer season. There was always lots to eat: fish and caribou and sometimes people from the mainland to the south, would bring dried muskox, a real treat.
David jumped to his feet and once again walked along the shoreline. In his head he could hear the words and phrases of his newly acquired language, Inuktitut. He realised how quickly he was catching on. In a way it was more like Gaelic than English and that made it easy to learn. He was now able to understand much of what was being said and only speaking came slowly, but he knew it too would come, just like when he learned English, French and Dutch with old Captain Fergus - oh how long had it been since he remembered that kindly old man!
The more days passed, the less he thought of returning to the Erebus. Something seemed to block his mind whenever the idea of of the ships and their crews occurred to him. For some reason, David could never solidly grasp, he seem to be blocking the ships from his mind. They disappeared little by little each day and now when someone mentioned them he would think of they in the third person as though they were foreign to him in some inexplicable way.
Still, every now and then, David would wake up from a dream in which the information he knew had to be relayed immediately to those still aboard the ships. Sir John would be there waiting for him to arrive with vital news about the ice. From what the Inuit - to use their own name for themselves - had told him the ice in which the ships were beset could remain frozen where it was for several years at a time without melting or moving. This knowledge was crucial information which would affect the outcome of the voyage immensely. He had to get it to Sir John... Waking up, he would find himself in a cold sweat, but be unable to remember what it had been that caused him to awaken. He would search for a clue in his mind, but the more he probed, the more whatever it was remained hidden from him. Was it something about Sir John? No, he had died last Spring. It must have been something else, guilt over not returning to his ship? That must be it, but how could he return, especially now it was mid-summer and he was miles away?
In the meantime, David knew he was enjoying the experience of living with his newly adopting family - the first time he could really say he had a family with two parents and siblings! It was a very addictive feeling, this family thing and certainly was an easier life than putting up with the short tempers and grumblings most of the ship’s company displayed with him and each other during the last few months he had been on the Erebus. People would sometimes ask David how the ships would escape from the icy trap from which there seemed to be no escape? He would shrug the questions away. Surely the officers had already come to some conclusion and were probably making plans to do something. He had heard that the food would run out in three years, so that would be next summer. Perhaps they were already planning something, but he doubted it. Francis or one of the men would have said something about it. There were always rumous going around, but he’d heard nothing.
He found it hard to relate to his former life on the Erebus. It seemed so distant and unreal. Still, now and then he would over-hear a bit of Inuit gossip about the ships or the movements of the crew. None of the stories seem to amount to much and he found them easy to ignore. Surely, he thought, if over a hundred men began sailing away or marching en masse to safety the Inuit would be alerted and he would hear the stories and think once again about whether or not to join them. Until that time came, David made up his mind to stay with these easy-going happy people who got to eat fresh food a lot more often than he had since the ships entered the ice two years past. Until that time came, he would think about the ships as little as possible.
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