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  42. <fo:block text-align="start" font-size="10pt"
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  44. line-height="10pt" >
  45. John Franklin - Journey to the Shores of the Polar Sea
  46. </fo:block>
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  49. <fo:block text-align="end"
  50. font-size="10pt"
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  53. p. <fo:page-number/>
  54. </fo:block>
  55. </fo:static-content>
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  58. <fo:block font-size="10pt"
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  65. Journey across the barren Grounds - Difficulty and delay in crossing Copper-Mine River -
  66. Melancholy and fatal Results thereof - Extreme Misery of the whole Party - Murder of
  67. Mr. Hood - Death of several of the Canadians - Desolate State of Fort Enterprise -
  68. Distress suffered at that Place - Dr. Richardson's Narrative - Mr. Back's Narrative -
  69. Conclusion.
  70. </fo:block>
  71. <fo:block font-size="8pt"
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  77. text-align="start">1821. August 17.
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  85. MY original intention, whenever the season should
  86. compel us to relinquish the survey, had been to return by the way
  87. of the Copper-Mine River, and in pursuance of my arrangement
  88. with the Hook to travel to Slave Lake through the line of woods
  89. extending thither by the Great Bear and Marten Lakes, but our
  90. scanty stock of provision and the length of the voyage rendered it
  91. necessary to make for a nearer place. We had already found that
  92. the country, between Cape Barrow and the Copper-Mine River,
  93. would not supply our wants, and this it seemed probable would now
  94. be still more the case ; besides, at this advanced season, we expected
  95. the frequent recurrence of gales, which would cause great detention,
  96. if not danger in proceeding along that very rocky part of the coast.
  97. I determined, therefore, to make at once for Arctic Sound, where
  98. we had found the animals more numerous than at any other place ;
  99. and entering Hood's River, to advance up that stream as far as it
  100. was navigable, and then to construct small canoes out of the
  101. materials of the larger ones, which could be carried in crossing the
  102. barren grounds to Fort Enterprise.
  103. </fo:block>
  104. <fo:block font-size="8pt"
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  110. text-align="start">August 19.
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  118. We were almost beaten out of our comfortless abodes
  119. by rain during the night, and this morning the gale continued
  120. without diminution. The thermometer fell to 33 deg. Two men were
  121. sent with Junius to search for the deer which Augustus had killed.
  122. Junius returned in the evening bringing part of the meat, but owing
  123. to the thickness of the weather, his companions parted from him
  124. and did not make their appearance. Divine service was read. On
  125. the 20th we were presented with the most chilling prospect, the
  126. small pools of water being frozen over, the ground being covered
  127. with snow, and the thermometer at the freezing point at mid-day.
  128. Flights of geese were passing to the southward. The wind however
  129. was more moderate, having changed to the eastward. Considerable
  130. anxiety prevailing respecting Belanger and Michel, the two men
  131. who strayed from Junius yesterday, the rest were sent out to look
  132. for them. The search was successful, and they all returned in the
  133. evening. The stragglers were much fatigued, and had suffered
  134. severely from the cold, one of them having his thighs frozen, and
  135. what under our present circumstances was most grievous, they had
  136. thrown away all the meat. The wind during the night returned to
  137. the north-west quarter, blew more violently than ever, and raised a
  138. very turbulent sea. The next day did not improve our condition,
  139. the snow remained on the ground, and the small pools were frozen.
  140. Our hunters were sent out, but they returned after a fatiguing
  141. day's march without having seen any animals. We made a scanty
  142. meal off a handful of pemmican, after which only half a bag
  143. remained.
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  151. The wind abated after midnight, and the surf diminished rapidly,
  152. which caused us to be on the alert at a very early hour on the 22d,
  153. but we had to wait until six A.M. for the return of Augustus who
  154. had continued out all night on an unsuccessful pursuit of deer.
  155. It appears that he had walked a few miles farther along the coast,
  156. than the party had done on the 18th, and from a sketch he drew on
  157. the sand, we were confirmed in our former opinion that the shore
  158. inclined more to the eastward beyond Point Turnagain. He also
  159. drew a river of considerable size, that discharges its waters into
  160. Walker's Bay; on the banks of which stream he saw a piece of
  161. wood, such as the Esquimaux use in producing fire, and other marks
  162. so fresh that he supposed they had recently visited the spot. We
  163. therefore left several iron materials for them. Our men, cheered by
  164. the prospect of returning, embarked with the utmost alacrity; and,
  165. paddling with unusual vigour, carried us across Riley's and Walker's
  166. Bays, a distance of twenty miles before noon, when we landed on
  167. Slate-Clay Point, as the wind had freshened too much to permit us
  168. to continue the voyage. The whole party went to hunt, but returned
  169. without success in the evening, drenched with the heavy rain which
  170. commenced soon after they had set out. Several deer were seen,
  171. but could not be approached in this naked country; and as our
  172. stock of pemmican did not admit of serving out two meals, we went
  173. dinnerless to bed.
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  181. Soon after our departure to-day, a sealed tin-case, sufficiently
  182. buoyant to float, was thrown overboard, containing a short account of
  183. our proceedings, and the position of the most conspicuous points.
  184. The wind blew off the land, the water was smooth, and as the sea
  185. is in this part more free from islands than in any other, there was
  186. every probability of its being driven off the shore into the current ;
  187. which, as I have before mentioned, we suppose, from the circumstance
  188. of Mackenzie's River being the only known stream that
  189. brings down the wood we have found along the shores, to set to the
  190. eastward.
  191. </fo:block>
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  198. text-align="start">August 23.
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  206. A severe frost caused us to pass a comfortless night.
  207. At two P.M. we set sail, and the men voluntarily launched out to
  208. make a traverse of fifteen miles across Melville Sound, before a
  209. strong wind and heavy sea. The privation of food, under which
  210. our voyagers were then labouring, absorbed every other terror;
  211. otherwise the most powerful persuasion could not have induced
  212. them to attempt such a traverse. It was with the utmost difficulty
  213. that the canoes were kept from turning their broadsides to the
  214. waves, though we sometimes steered with all the paddles. One of
  215. them narrowly escaped being overset by this accident, happening
  216. in mid-channel, where the waves were so high that the mast-head
  217. of our canoe was often hid from the other, though it was sailing
  218. within hail. The annexed plate, from Mr. Back's sketch, will convey
  219. to the reader an accurate idea of the peril of our situation.
  220. </fo:block>
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  227. The traverse, however, was made;we were then near a high
  228. rocky lee shore, on which a heavy surf was beating. The wind
  229. being on the beam, the canoes drifted fast to leeward; and, on
  230. rounding a point, the recoil of the sea from the rocks was so great
  231. that they were with difficulty kept from foundering. We looked in
  232. vain for a sheltered bay to land in ; but, at length, being unable to
  233. weather another point, we were obliged to put ashore on the open
  234. beach, which, fortunately, was sandy at this spot. The debarkation
  235. was effected in the manner represented in the plate; and, fortunately,
  236. without further injury than the splitting of the head of
  237. the second canoe, which was easily repaired.
  238. </fo:block>
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  245. Our encampment being near to the place where we killed the deer
  246. on the 11th, almost the whole party went out to hunt, but they
  247. returned in the evening without having seen any game. The
  248. berries, however, were ripe and plentiful, and, with the addition
  249. of some country tea, furnished a supper. There were some showers
  250. in the afternoon,and the weather was cold, the thermometer
  251. being 42 deg, but the evening and night were calm and fine. It may be
  252. remarked that the mosquitoes disappeared when the late gales
  253. commenced.
  254. </fo:block>
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  261. text-align="start">August 25.
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  269. Embarking at three A. M., we stretched across
  270. the eastern entrance of Bathurst's Inlet, and arrived at an island,
  271. which I have named after Colonel Barry, of Newton Barry. Some
  272. deer being seen on the beach, the hunters went in pursuit of
  273. them, and succeeded in killing three females, which enabled us to
  274. save our last remaining meal of pemmican. They saw also some
  275. fresh tracks of musk oxen on the banks of a small stream, which
  276. flowed into a lake in the centre of the island. These animals must
  277. have crossed a channel, at least, three miles wide, to reach the nearest
  278. of these islands. Some specimens of variegated pebbles and jasper
  279. were found here imbedded in the amygdaloidal rock.
  280. </fo:block>
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  287. Re-embarking at two P.M., and continuing through what was
  288. supposed to be a channel between two islands, we found our passage
  289. barred by a gravelly isthmus of only ten yards in width ; the canoes
  290. and cargoes were carried across it, and we passed into Bathurst's Inlet
  291. through another similar channel, bounded on both sides by steep
  292. rocky hills. The wind then changing from S.E. to N.W. brought
  293. heavy rain, and we encamped at seven P.M., having advanced
  294. eighteen miles.
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  302. Starting this morning with a fresh breeze in our favour,
  303. we soon reached that part of Barry's Island where the canoes were
  304. detained on the 2d and 3rd of this month, and contrary to what we
  305. then experienced, the deer were now plentiful. The hunters killed
  306. two, and we were relieved from all apprehension of an immediate
  307. want of food. One would suppose the deer were about to retire to
  308. the main shore from their assembling at this time in such numbers
  309. on the islands nearest to the coast. Those we saw were generally
  310. females with their young, and all of them very lean.
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  318. The wind continued in the same direction until we had rounded
  319. Point Wollaston, and then changed to a quarter, which enabled us
  320. to steer for Hood's River, which we ascended as high as the first
  321. rapid and encamped. Here terminated our voyage on the Arctic
  322. sea, during which we had gone over six hundred and fifty geographical
  323. miles. Our Canadian voyagers could not restrain their expressions
  324. of joy at having turned their backs on the sea, and
  325. they passed the evening talking over their past adventures with
  326. much humour and no little exaggeration. The consideration that
  327. the most painful, and certainly the most hazardous, part of the
  328. journey was yet to come, did not depress their spirits at all. It is
  329. due to their character to mention that they displayed much courage
  330. in encountering the dangers of the sea, magnified to them by their
  331. novelty.
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  339. The shores between Cape Barrow and Cape Flinders, including
  340. the extensive branches of Arctic and Melville Sounds, and Bathurst's
  341. Inlet, may be comprehended in one great gulf, which I have distinguished
  342. by the appellation of George IV.'s Coronation Gulf, in
  343. honour of His Most Gracious Majesty, the latter name being added
  344. to mark the time of its discovery. The Archipelago of islands which
  345. fringe the coast from Copper-Mine River to Point Turnagain, I have
  346. named in honour of His Royal Highness the Duke of York.
  347. </fo:block>
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  354. It may be deserving of notice that the extremes in temperature
  355. of the sea water during our voyage were 53 deg and 35 deg, but its general
  356. temperature was between 43 deg and 48 deg. Throughout our return from
  357. Point Turnagain we observed that the sea had risen several feet
  358. above marks left at our former encampments. This may, perhaps,
  359. be attributed to the north-west gales.
  360. </fo:block>
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  367. text-align="start">August 26.
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  375. Previous to our departure this morning, an assortment
  376. of iron materials, beads, looking-glasses, and other articles
  377. were put up in a conspicuous situation for the Esquimaux, and the
  378. English Union was planted on the loftiest sand-hill, where it might
  379. be seen by any ships passing in the offing. Here also, was deposited
  380. in a tin bow a letter containing an outline of our proceedings, the
  381. latitude and longitude of the principal places, and the course we
  382. intended to pursue towards Slave Lake.
  383. </fo:block>
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  390. Embarking at eight A.M. we proceeded up the river, which is full
  391. of sandy shoals, but sufficiently deep for canoes in the channels. It is
  392. from one hundred to two hundred yards wide, and is bounded by high
  393. and steep banks of clay. We encamped at a cascade of eighteen or
  394. twenty feet high, which is produced by a ridge of rock crossing the
  395. river, and the nets were set. A mile below this cascade Hood's
  396. River is joined by a stream half its own size, which I have called
  397. James' Branch. Bear and deer tracks had been numerous on the
  398. banks of the river when we were here before, but not a single recent
  399. one was to be seen at this time. Credit, however, killed a small
  400. deer at some distance inland, which, with the addition of berries,
  401. furnished a delightful repast this evening. The weather was remarkably
  402. fine, and the temperature so mild, that the mosquitoes again
  403. made their appearance, but not in any great numbers. Our distance
  404. made to-day was not more than six miles.
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  412. The next morning the net furnished us with ten white fish
  413. and trout. Having made a further deposit of iron work for the
  414. Esquimaux we pursued our voyage up the river, but the shoals and
  415. rapids in this part were so frequent, that we walked along the banks
  416. the whole day, and the crews laboured hard in carrying the canoes
  417. thus lightened over the shoals or dragging them up the rapids, yet
  418. our journey in a direct line was only about seven miles. In the
  419. evening we encamped at the lower end of a narrow chasm through
  420. which the river flows for upwards of a mile. The walls of this
  421. chasm are upwards of two hundred feet high, quite perpendicular,
  422. and in some places only a few yards apart. The river precipitates
  423. itself into it over a rock, forming two magnificent and picturesque
  424. falls close to each other. The upper fall is about sixty feet high, and
  425. the lower one at least one hundred, but perhaps considerably more,
  426. for the narrowness of the chasm into which it fell prevented us from
  427. seeing its bottom, and we could merely discern the top of the spray
  428. far beneath our feet. The lower fall is divided into two, by an
  429. insulated column of rock which rises about forty feet above it. The
  430. whole descent of the river at this place probably exceeds two
  431. hundred and fifty feet. The rock is very fine felspathose sandstone.
  432. It has a smooth surface and a light red colour. I have named these
  433. magnificent cascades Wilberforce Falls, as a tribute of my respect
  434. for that distinguished philanthropist and Christian. Messrs. Back and
  435. Hood took beautiful sketches of this majestic scene, which are
  436. combined in the annexed plate.
  437. </fo:block>
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  444. The river being surveyed from the summit of a hill, above these
  445. falls, appeared so rapid and shallow, that it seemed useless to
  446. attempt proceeding any farther in the large canoes. I therefore
  447. determined on constructing out of their materials two smaller ones
  448. of sufficient size to contain three persons, for the purpose of crossing
  449. any river that might obstruct our progress. This operation was
  450. accordingly commenced, and by the 31st both the canoes being
  451. finished, we prepared for our departure on the following day.
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  459. The leather which had been preserved for making shoes was
  460. equally divided among the men, two pairs of flannel socks were given
  461. to each person, and such articles of warm clothing as remained, were
  462. issued to those who most required them. They were also furnished
  463. with one of the officers' tents. This being done, I communicated to
  464. the men my intention of proceeding in as direct a course as possible
  465. to the part of Point Lake, opposite to our spring encampment
  466. which was only distant one hundred and forty-nine miles in a
  467. straight line. They received the communication cheerfully, considered
  468. the journey to be short, and left me, in high spirits, to
  469. arrange their own packages. The stores, books, &amp;c., which were not
  470. absolutely necessary to be carried, were then put up in boxes to be
  471. left en cache here, in order that the men's burdens might be as light
  472. as possible.
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  480. The next morning was warm, and very fine. Every one was on
  481. the alert at an early hour, being anxious to commence the journey.
  482. Our luggage consisted of ammunition, nets, hatchets, ice chisels,
  483. astronomical instruments, clothing, blankets, three kettles, and
  484. the two canoes, which were each carried by one man. The
  485. officers carried such a portion of their own things as their strength
  486. would permit;the weight carried by each man was about ninety
  487. pounds, and with this we advanced at the rate of about a mile an
  488. hour, including rests. In the evening the hunters killed a lean cow,
  489. out of a large drove of musk-oxen; but the men were too much
  490. laden to carry more than a small portion of its flesh. The alluvial
  491. soil, which towards the mouth of the river spreads into plains,
  492. covered with grass and willows, was now giving place to a more
  493. barren and hilly country; so that we could but just collect sufficient
  494. brush wood to cook our suppers. The part of the river we skirted
  495. to-day was shallow, and flowed over a bed of sand ; its width about
  496. one hundred and twenty yards. About midnight our tent was blown
  497. down by a squall, and we were completely drenched with rain before
  498. it could be re-pitched.
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  506. In the morning of the 1st of September a fall of snow took
  507. place; the canoes became a cause of delay, by the difficulty of
  508. carrying them in a high wind, and they sustained much damage
  509. from the falls of those who had charge of them. The face of the
  510. country was broken by hills of moderate elevation, but the ground
  511. was plentifully strewed with small stones, which, to men bearing
  512. heavy burthens, and whose feet were protected only by soft moose
  513. skin shoes, occasioned great pain. At the end of eleven miles we
  514. encamped, and sent for a musk-ox and a deer, which St. Germain
  515. and Augustus had killed. The day was extremely cold, the ther-mometer
  516. varying between 34 deg and 36 deg. In the afternoon a heavy
  517. fall of snow took place, on the wind changing from north-west to
  518. south-west. We found no wood at the encampment, but made a
  519. fire of moss to cook the supper, and crept under our blankets for
  520. warmth. At sun-rise the thermometer was at 31 deg, and the wind
  521. fresh from north-west; but the weather became mild in the course
  522. of the forenoon, and the snow disappeared from the gravel. The
  523. afternoon was remarkably fine, and the thermometer rose to 50 deg.
  524. One of the hunters killed a musk-ox. The hills in this part are
  525. lower and more round-backed than those we passed yesterday, and
  526. exhibited but little naked rock; they were covered with lichens.
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  534. Having ascertained from the summit of the highest hill near the
  535. tents, that the river continued to preserve a west course; and fear-ing
  536. that by pursuing it further we might lose much time, and un-necessarily
  537. walk over a great deal of ground, I determined on
  538. quitting its banks the next day, and making as directly as we could for
  539. Point Lake. We accordingly followed the river on the 3d, only to
  540. the place where the musk-ox had been killed last evening, and after
  541. the meat was procured, crossed the river in our two canoes lashed
  542. together. We now emerged from the valley of the river, and entered
  543. a level, but very barren, country, varied only by small lakes and
  544. marshes, the ground being covered with small stones. Many old tracks
  545. of rein-deer were seen in the clayey soil, and some more recent
  546. ones of the musk-ox. We encamped on the borders of Wright's
  547. River, which flows to the eastward; the direct distance walked to-day
  548. being ten miles and three-quarters. The next morning was
  549. very fine, and,as the day advanced, the weather became quite
  550. warm. We set out at six A. M., and, having forded the river,
  551. walked over a perfectly level country, interspersed with small lakes,
  552. which communicated with each other, by streams running in various
  553. directions. No berry-bearing plants were found in this part, the
  554. surface of the earth being thinly covered in the moister places with
  555. a few grasses, and on the drier spots with lichens.
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  563. Having walked twelve miles and a half, we encamped at seven P.M.,
  564. and distributed our last piece of pemmican, and a little arrow-root
  565. for supper, which afforded but a scanty meal. This evening was
  566. warm, but dark clouds overspread the sky. Our men now began to
  567. find their burdens very oppressive, and were much fatigued by this
  568. day's march, but did not complain. One of them was lame from an
  569. inflammation in the knee. Heavy rain commenced at midnight, and
  570. continued without intermission until five in the morning, when it
  571. was succeeded by snow on the wind changing to north-west, which
  572. soon increased to a violent gale. As we had nothing to eat, and
  573. were destitute of the means of making a fire, we remained in our
  574. beds all the day ; but the covering of our blankets was insufficient to
  575. prevent us from feeling the severity of the frost, and suffering in-convenience
  576. from the drifting of the snow into our tents. There
  577. was no abatement of the storm next day ; our tents were completely
  578. frozen, and the snow had drifted around them to a depth of three
  579. feet, and even in the inside there was a covering of several inches on
  580. our blankets. Our suffering from cold, in a comfortless canvass tent
  581. in such weather, with the temperature at 20 deg, and without fire,
  582. will easily be imagined;it was, however, less than that which we
  583. felt from hunger.
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  591. The morning of the 7th cleared up a little, but the wind was still
  592. strong, and the weather extremely cold. From the unusual con-tinuance
  593. of the storm, we feared the winter had set in with all its
  594. rigour, and that by longer delay we should only be exposed to an
  595. accumulation of difficulties; we therefore prepared for our journey,
  596. although we were in a very unfit condition for starting, being weak
  597. from fasting, and our garments stiffened by the frost. We had no
  598. means of making a fire to thaw them, the moss, at all times difficult
  599. to kindle, being now covered with ice and snow. A considerable
  600. time was consumed in packing up the frozen tents and bed clothes,
  601. the wind blowing so strong that no one could keep his hands long
  602. out of his mittens.
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  610. Just as we were about to commence our march, I was seized with
  611. a fainting fit, in consequence of exhaustion and sudden exposure to
  612. the wind; but after eating a morsel of portable soup, I recovered, so
  613. far as to be able to move on. I was unwilling at first to take this
  614. morsel of soup, which was diminishing the small and only remaining
  615. meal for the party; but several of the men urged me to it, with
  616. much kindness. The ground was covered a foot deep with snow,
  617. the margin of the lakes was incrusted with ice, and the swamps over
  618. which we had to pass were entirely frozen; but the ice not being
  619. sufficiently strong to bear us, we frequently plunged knee-deep in
  620. water. Those who carried the canoes were repeatedly blown down
  621. by the violence of the wind, and they often fell, from making an
  622. insecure step on a slippery stone; on one of these occasions, the
  623. largest canoe was so much broken as to be rendered utterly unser-viceable.
  624. This was felt as a serious disaster, as the remaining canoe
  625. having through mistake been made too small, it was doubtful
  626. whether it would be sufficient to carry us across a river. Indeed
  627. we had found it necessary in crossing Hood's River, to lash the two
  628. canoes together. As there was some suspicion that Benoit, who
  629. carried the canoe, had broken it intentionally, he having on a former
  630. occasion been overheard by some of the men to say, that he would
  631. do so when he got it in charge, we closely examined him on the
  632. point; he roundly denied having used the expressions attributed to
  633. him, and insisted that it was broken by his falling accidentally; and
  634. as he brought men to attest the latter fact, who saw him tumble, we
  635. did not press the matter further. I may here remark that our
  636. people had murmured a good deal at having to carry two canoes,
  637. though they were informed of the necessity of taking both, in case
  638. it should be deemed advisable to divide the party; which it had
  639. been thought probable we should be obliged to do, if animals proved
  640. scarce, in order to give the whole the better chance of procuring
  641. subsistence, and also for the purpose of sending forward some of the
  642. best walkers to search for Indians, and to get them to meet us with
  643. supplies of provision. The power of doing this was now at an end.
  644. As the accident could not be remedied we turned it to the best
  645. account by making a fire of the bark and timbers of the broken
  646. vessel, and cooked the remainder of our portable soup and arrow-root.
  647. This was a scanty meal after three days' fasting, but it served
  648. to allay the pangs of hunger, and enabled us to proceed at a quicker
  649. pace than before. The depth of the snow caused us to march in
  650. Indian file, that is in each other's steps; the voyagers taking it in
  651. turn to lead the party. A distant object was pointed out to this
  652. man in the direction we wished to take, and Mr. Hood followed
  653. immediately behind him, to renew the bearings, and keep him from
  654. deviating more than could be helped from the mark. It may be
  655. here observed, that we proceeded in this manner throughout our
  656. route across the barren grounds.
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  664. In the afternoon we got into a more hilly country, where the
  665. ground was strewed with large stones. The surface of these was
  666. covered with lichens of the genus gyrophora, which the Canadians
  667. term tripe de roche. A considerable quantity was gathered, and
  668. with half a partridge each, (which were shot in the course of the
  669. day,) furnished us with a slender supper, which we cooked with a
  670. few willows, dug up from beneath the snow. We passed a comfortless
  671. night in our damp clothes, but took the precaution of sleeping upon
  672. our socks and shoes to prevent them from freezing. This plan was
  673. afterwards adopted throughout the journey.
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  681. At half past five in the morning we proceeded; and after walking
  682. about two miles, came to Cracroft's River, flowing to the westward,
  683. with a very rapid current over a rocky channel. We had much diffi-culty
  684. in crossing this, the canoe being useless, not only from the bot-tom
  685. of the channel being obstructed by large stones, but also from its
  686. requiring gumming, an operation which, owing to the want of wood
  687. and the frost, we were unable to perform. However, after following
  688. the course of the river some way, we effected a passage by means of a
  689. range of large rocks that crossed a rapid. As the current was strong,
  690. and many of the rocks were covered with water to the depth of two
  691. or three feet, the men were exposed to much danger in carrying their
  692. heavy burthens across, and several of them actually slipped into the
  693. stream, but were immediately rescued by the others. Junius went
  694. farther up the river in search of a better crossing place, and did not
  695. rejoin us to-day. As several of the party were drenched from head to
  696. foot, and we were all wet to the middle, our clothes became stiff with
  697. the frost, and we walked with much pain for the remainder of the day.
  698. The march was continued to a late hour, being anxious to rejoin the
  699. hunters who had gone before, but we were obliged to encamp at the
  700. end of ten miles and a quarter, without seeing them. Our only
  701. meal to-day consisted of a partridge each, (which the hunters shot,)
  702. mixed with tripe de roche. This repast although scanty for men,
  703. with appetites such as our daily fatigue created, proved a cheerful
  704. one, and was received with thankfulness. Most of the men had to
  705. sleep in the open air, in consequence of the absence of Credit, who
  706. carried their tent; but we fortunately found an unusual quantity of
  707. roots to make a fire, which prevented their suffering much from the
  708. cold, though the thermometer was at 17 deg.
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  716. We started at six on the 9th, and at the end of two miles re-gained
  717. our hunters, who were halting on the borders of a lake amidst
  718. a clump of stunted willows. This lake stretched to the westward as
  719. far as we could see, and its waters were discharged by a rapid stream
  720. one hundred and fifty yards wide. Being entirely ignorant where
  721. we might be led by pursuing the course of the lake, and dreading
  722. the idea of going a mile unnecessarily out of the way, we deter-mined
  723. on crossing the river if possible; and the canoe was gummed
  724. for the purpose, the willows furnishing us with fire. But we had to
  725. await the return of Junius before we could make the traverse. In
  726. the mean time we gathered a little tripe de roche, and breakfasted
  727. upon it and a few partridges that were killed in the morning.
  728. St. Germain and Adam were sent upon some recent tracks of deer.
  729. Junius arrived in the afternoon, and informed us that he had seen
  730. a large herd of musk-oxen on the banks of Cracroft's River, and had
  731. wounded one of them, but it had escaped. He brought about four
  732. pounds of meat, the remains of a deer that had been devoured by
  733. the wolves. The poor fellow was much fatigued, having walked
  734. throughout the night, but as the weather was particularly favourable
  735. for our crossing the river, we could not allow him to rest. After he
  736. had taken some refreshment we proceeded to the river. The canoe
  737. being put into the water was found extremely ticklish, but it was
  738. managed with much dexterity by St. Germain, Adam, and Peltier,
  739. who ferried over one passenger at a time, causing him to lie flat in its
  740. bottom, by no means a pleasant position, owing to its leakiness, but
  741. there was no alternative. The transport of the whole party was
  742. effected by five o'clock, and we walked about two miles further, and
  743. encamped, having come five miles and three quarters on a south-west
  744. course. Two young alpine hares were shot by St. Germain, which,
  745. with the small piece of meat brought in by Junius, furnished the
  746. supper of the whole party. There was no tripe de roche here. The
  747. country had now become decidedly hilly, and was covered with snow.
  748. The lake preserved its western direction, as far as I could see from
  749. the summit of the highest mountain near the encampment. We
  750. subsequently learned from the Copper Indians, that the part at
  751. which we had crossed the river was the Congecatha-wha-chaga of
  752. Hearne, of which I had little idea at the time, not only from the
  753. difference of latitude, but also from its being so much farther east of
  754. the mouth of the Copper-Mine River, than his track is laid down.
  755. He only making one degree and three quarters difference of lon-gitude,
  756. and we, upwards of four. Had I been aware of the fact,
  757. several days harassing march, and a disastrous accident would have
  758. been prevented by keeping on the western side of the lake, instead
  759. of crossing the river. We were informed also, that this river is
  760. the Anatessy or River of Strangers, and is supposed to fall into
  761. Bathurst's Inlet; but although the Indians have visited its mouth,
  762. their description was not sufficient to identify it with any of the
  763. rivers whose mouths we had seen. It probably falls in that part of
  764. the coast which was hid from our view by Goulburn's or Elliot's
  765. Islands.
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  773. text-align="start">September 10.
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  781. We had a cold north wind, and the atmosphere
  782. was foggy. The thermometer 18 deg at five A.M. In the course of
  783. our march this morning, we passed many small lakes; and the
  784. ground becoming higher and more hilly as we receded from the
  785. river, was covered to a much greater depth with snow. This ren-dered
  786. walking not only extremely laborious, but also hazardous in
  787. the highest degree;for the sides of the hills, as is usual throughout
  788. the barren grounds, abounding in accumulations of large angular
  789. stones, it often happened that the men fell into the interstices
  790. with their loads on their backs, being deceived by the smooth
  791. appearance of the drifted snow. If any one had broken a limb
  792. here, his fate would have been melancholy indeed; we could neither
  793. have remained with him, nor carried him on. We halted at ten to
  794. gather tripe de roche,but it was so frozen, that we were quite
  795. benumbed with cold before a sufficiency could be collected even for
  796. a scanty meal. On proceeding our men were somewhat cheered, by
  797. observing on the sandy summit of a hill, from whence the snow had
  798. been blown, the summer track of a man; and afterwards by seeing
  799. several deer tracks on the snow. About noon the weather cleared
  800. up a little, and, to our great joy, we saw a herd of musk-oxen
  801. grazing in a valley below us. The party instantly halted, and the
  802. best hunters were sent out; they approached the animals with the
  803. utmost caution, no less than two hours being consumed before they
  804. got within gun-shot. In the mean time we beheld their proceed-ings
  805. with extreme anxiety, and many secret prayers were, doubtless,
  806. offered up for their success. At length they opened their fire, and
  807. we had the satisfaction of seeing one of the largest cows fall; another
  808. was wounded, but escaped. This success infused spirit into our
  809. starving party. To skin and cut up the animal was the work of a
  810. few minutes. The contents of its stomach were devoured upon
  811. the spot, and the raw intestines, which were next attacked, were
  812. pronounced by the most delicate amongst us to be excellent. A few
  813. willows, whose tops were seen peeping through the snow in the bottom
  814. of the valley, were quickly grubbed, the tents pitched, and supper
  815. cooked, and devoured with avidity. This was the sixth day since we
  816. had had a good meal. The tripe de roche, even where we got
  817. enough, only serving to allay the pangs of hunger for a short time.
  818. After supper, two of the hunters went in pursuit of the herd, but
  819. could not get near them.
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  827. We were detained all the next day by a strong southerly wind,
  828. and were much incommoded in the tents by the drift snow. The
  829. temperature was 20 deg. The average for the last ten days about
  830. 24.5 deg. We restricted ourselves to one meal to-day as we were at
  831. rest, and there was only meat remaining sufficient for the next day.
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  839. The gale had not diminished on the 12th, and, as we were
  840. fearful of its continuance for some time, we determined on going
  841. forward; our only doubt regarded the preservation of the canoe,
  842. but the men promised to pay particular attention to it, and the
  843. most careful persons were appointed to take it in charge. The snow
  844. was two feet deep, and the ground much broken, which rendered
  845. the march extremely painful. The whole party complained more of
  846. faintness and weakness than they had ever done before; their
  847. strength seemed to have been impaired by the recent supply of
  848. animal food. In the afternoon the wind abated, and the snow ceased;
  849. cheered with the change we proceeded forward at a quicker pace,
  850. and encamped at six P. M., having come eleven miles. Our supper
  851. consumed the last of our meat.
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  859. We set out on the 13th, in thick hazy weather, and, after an hour's
  860. march, had the extreme mortification to find ourselves on the
  861. borders of a large lake, which we subsequently learned from the
  862. Indians was named Contwoy-to, or Rum Lake; neither of its extre-
  863. mities could be seen, and as the portion which lay to the east
  864. seemed the widest, we coasted along to the westward portion in
  865. search of a crossing-place. This lake being bounded by steep and
  866. lofty hills, our march was very fatiguing. Those sides which were
  867. exposed to the sun, were free from snow, and we found upon them
  868. some excellent berries. We encamped at six P. M., having come
  869. only six miles and a half. Credit was then missing, and he did not
  870. return during the night. We supped off a single partridge and
  871. some tripe de roche;this unpalatable weed was now quite nau-seous
  872. to the whole party, and in several it produced bowel com-plaints.
  873. Mr. Hood was the greatest sufferer from this cause. This
  874. evening we were extremely distressed, at discovering that our im-provident
  875. companions,since we left Hood's River, had thrown
  876. away three of the fishing-nets, and burnt the floats ; they knew we
  877. had brought them to procure subsistence for the party, when the
  878. animals should fail, and we could scarcely believe the fact of their
  879. having wilfully deprived themselves of this resource, especially
  880. when we considered that most of them had passed the greater part of
  881. their servitude in situations where the nets alone had supplied them
  882. with food. Being thus deprived of our principal resource, that of
  883. fishing, and the men evidently getting weaker every day, it became
  884. necessary to lighten their burthens of every thing except ammunition,
  885. clothing, and the instruments that were required to find our
  886. way. I, therefore, issued directions to deposit at this encampment
  887. the dipping needle, azimuth compass, magnet, a large thermometer,
  888. and a few books we had carried, having torn out of these such parts
  889. as we should require to work the observations for latitude and
  890. longitude. I also promised,as an excitement to the efforts in
  891. hunting, my gun to St. Germain, and an ample compensation to
  892. Adam, or any of the other men who should kill any animals.
  893. Mr. Hood, on this occasion, lent his gun to Michel, the Iroquois,
  894. who was very eager in the chase, and often successful.
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  902. text-align="start">September 14.
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  910. This morning the officers being assembled round
  911. a small fire, Perrault presented each of us with a small piece of meat
  912. which he had saved from his allowance. It was received with great
  913. thankfulness, and such an act of self-denial and kindness, being
  914. totally unexpected in a Canadian voyager, filled our eyes with tears.
  915. In directing our course to a river issuing from the lake, we met
  916. Credit, who communicated the joyful intelligence of his having
  917. killed two deer in the morning. We instantly halted, and having
  918. shared the deer that was nearest to us, prepared breakfast. After
  919. which, the other deer was sent for, and we went down to the river,
  920. which was about three hundred yards wide, and flowed with
  921. great velocity through a broken rocky channel. Having searched
  922. for a part where the current was most smooth, the canoe was
  923. placed in the water at the head of a rapid, and St. Germain, Solomon
  924. Belanger, and I, embarked in order to cross. We went from the
  925. shore very well, but in mid-channel the canoe became difficult to
  926. manage under our burden as the breeze was fresh. The current
  927. drove us to the edge of the rapid, when Belanger unfortunately
  928. applied his paddle to avert the apparent danger of being forced
  929. down it, and lost his balance. The canoe was overset in con-sequence
  930. in the middle of the rapid. We fortunately kept hold of
  931. it, until we touched a rock where the water did not reach higher
  932. than our waists; here we kept our footing, notwithstanding the
  933. strength of the current, until the water was emptied out of the
  934. canoe. Belanger then held the canoe steady whilst St. Germain
  935. placed me in it, and afterwards embarked himself in a very dexterous
  936. manner. It was impossible, however, to embark Belanger,
  937. as the canoe would have been hurried down the rapid, the moment
  938. he should have raised his foot from the rock on which he stood.
  939. We were, therefore, compelled to leave him in his perilous situation.
  940. We had not gone twenty yards before the canoe, striking on a
  941. sunken rock, went down. The place being shallow, we were again
  942. enabled to empty it, and the third attempt brought us to the shore.
  943. In the mean time Belanger was suffering extremely, immersed to
  944. his middle in the centre of a rapid, the temperature of which was
  945. very little above the freezing point, and the upper part of his body
  946. covered with wet clothes, exposed in a temperature not much above
  947. zero, to a strong breeze. He called piteously for relief, and
  948. St. Germain on his return endeavoured to embark him, but in vain.
  949. The canoe was hurried down the rapid, and when he landed he was
  950. rendered by the cold incapable of further exertion, and Adam at-tempted
  951. to embark Belanger, but found it impossible. An attempt
  952. was next made to carry out to him a line, made of the slings of the
  953. men's loads. This also failed, the current acting so strongly upon
  954. it, as to prevent the canoe from steering, and it was finally broken
  955. and carried down the stream. At length, when Belanger's strength
  956. seemed almost exhausted, the canoe reached him with a small cord
  957. belonging to one of the nets, and he was dragged perfectly senseless
  958. through the rapid. By the direction of Dr. Richardson, he was
  959. instantly stripped, and being rolled up in blankets, two men un-dressed
  960. themselves and went to bed with him; but it was some
  961. hours before he recovered his warmth and sensations. As soon as
  962. Belanger was placed in his bed, the officers immediately sent over
  963. my blankets, and a person to make a fire. Augustus brought the
  964. canoe over, and in returning he was obliged to descend both the
  965. rapids, before he could get across the stream; which hazardous
  966. service he performed with the greatest coolness and judgment. It
  967. is impossible to describe my sensations as I witnessed the various
  968. unsuccessful attempts to relieve Belanger. The distance prevented
  969. my seeing distinctly what was going on, and I continued pacing up
  970. and down upon the rock on which I landed, regardless of the
  971. coldness of my drenched and stiffening garments. The canoe, in
  972. every attempt to reach him, was hurried down the rapid, and was
  973. lost to the view amongst the rocky islets, with a rapidity that
  974. seemed to threaten certain destruction; once, indeed, I fancied that
  975. I saw it overwhelmed in the waves. Such an event would have
  976. been fatal to the whole party. Separated as I was from my com-panions,
  977. without gun, ammunition, hatchet, or the means of making
  978. a fire, and in wet clothes, my doom would have been speedily sealed.
  979. My companions too, driven to the necessity of coasting the lake,
  980. must have sunk under the fatigue of rounding its innumerable arms
  981. and bays, which, as we have learned from the Indians, are very
  982. extensive. By the goodness of Providence, however, we were spared
  983. at that time, and some of us have been permitted to offer up our
  984. thanksgivings, in a civilized land, for the signal deliverances we then
  985. and afterwards experienced.
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