and having witnessed repeated failures, they began to consider the
scheme as hopeless. At this time Dr. Richardson, prompted by
a desire of relieving his suffering companions, proposed to swim
across the stream with a line, and to haul the raft over. He
launched into the stream with the line round his middle, but when
he had go t a short distance from the bank, his arms became benumbed
with cold, and he lost the power of moving them; still he
persevered, and, turning on his back, had nearly gained the opposite
bank, when his legs also became powerless, and to our infinite alarm we
beheld him sink. We instantly hauled upon the line, and he came
again on the surface, and was gradually drawn ashore in an almost lifeless
state. Being rolled up in blankets, he was placed before a good
fire of willows, and fortunately was just able to speak sufficiently to give
some slight directions respecting the manner of treating him. He
recovered strength gradually, and through the blessing of God was enabled
in the course of a few hours to converse, and by the eyening was
sufficiently recovered to remove into the tent. We then regretted
to learn, that the skin of his whole left side was deprived of feeling,
in consequence of exposure to too great heat. He did not perfectly
recover the sensation of that side until the following summer. I
cannot describe what every one felt at beholding the skeleton which
the Doctor’s debilitated frame exhibited. When he stripped, the
Canadians simultaneously exclaimed, “Ah! que nous sommes maigres!”
I shall best explain his state and that of the party, by the following
extract from his journal: “ It may be worthy of remark that I should
have had little hesitation in any former period of my life, at plunging
into water even below 38° Fahrenheit; but at this time I was
reduced almost to skin and bone, i and, like the rest of the party,
suffered from degrees of cold that would have been disregarded in
health and vigour. During the whole of our march we experienced
that no quantity of clothing could keep us warm whilst we fasted,
but on those occasions on which we were enabled to go to bed with
full Stomachs, we passed the night in a warm and comfortable
mannerrf,‘!In MowiVn g■ !î t: he de't ail 'o f our friend’s narrow escape, TI ,have
omitted to mention, that when he was about to step into the water,
he put his foot on a dagger, which cut him to the bone; but this
misfortune could not stop him from attempting the execution of
his generous undertaking.
In the evening Augustus arrived. He had walked a day and a
half beyond the place from whence we turned back, but had neither
seen Junius nor Mr. Back. Of the former he had seen no traces,
but he had followed the tracks of Mr. Back’s party for a considerable
distance, until the hardness of the ground rendered them imperceptible.
Junius was well equipped with ammunition, blankets,
knives, a kettle, and other necessaries; and it was the opinion of
Augustus, that when he found he could not rejoin the party, he
would endeavour to gain the woods on the west end of Point Lake,
and follow the river until he fell in with the Esquimaux, who
frequent its mouth. The Indians, too, with whom we have since
conversed upon this subject, are confident that he would be able to
subsist himself during the winter. Crédit, on his hunting excursion
to-day, found a cap, which our people recognised to belong to one
of the hunters who had left us in the spring. This circumstance
produced the conviction of our being on the banks of the Copper-
Mine River, which all the assertions of the officers had hitherto
failed in effecting with some of the party; and it had the happy
consequence of reviving their spirits considerably. We consumed
the last of our deer’s meat this evening at supper.
Next morning the men went out in search of dry willows, and
collected eight large fagots,, with which they formed a more buoyant
raft than the former, but the wind being still adverse and strong,
they delayed attempting to cross till a more favourable opportunity.
Pleased, however, with the appearance of this raft, they collected