which was so acrid as to excoriate the lips, we rendered the bones friable by burning, and ate them also." The strength of the whole party now began to fail, from the privation and fatigue which they endured.Franklin was in a dreadfully debilitated state. Mr. Hood was also reduced to a perfect shadow, from the severe bowel-complaints which the tripe de roche never failed to give him. Back was so feeble as to require the support of a stick in walking, and Dr. Richardson had lameness superadded to weakness.

A rude canoe was constructed of willows, covered with canvass, in which the party, one by one, managed to reach in safety the southern bank of the river on the 4th of October, and went supperless to bed. On the following morning, previous to setting out, the whole party ate the remains of their old shoes, and whatever scraps of leather they had, to strengthen their stomachs for the fatigue of the day's journey.

Mr. Hood now broke down, as did two or three more of the party, and Dr. Richardson kindly volunteered to remain with them, while the rest pushed on to Fort Enterprise for succor. Not being able to find any tripe de roche, they drank an infusion of the Labrador teaplant (Ledrum palustre, var. decumbens,) and ate a few morsels of burnt leather for supper. This continued to be a frequent occurrence.

Others of the party continued to drop down with fatigue and weakness, until they were reduced to five persons, besides Franklin. When they had no food or nourishment of any kind, they crept under their blankets, to drown, if possible, the gnawing pangs of hunger and fatigue by sleep. At length they reached Fort Enterprise, and to their disappointment and grief found it à perfectly desolate habitation. There was no dea posit of provision, no trace of the Indians, no letter from Mr. Wentzel to point out where the Indians might be found. "It would be impossible (says Franklin,) to describe our sensations after entering this miserable abode, and discovering how we had been neglected: the whole party shed tears, not so much for our own

fate as for that of our friends in the rear, whose lives depended entirely on our sending immediate relief from this place." A note, however, was found here from Mr. Back, stating that he had reached the house by another route two days before, and was going in search of the Indians. If he was unsuccessful in finding them, he proposed walking to Fort Providence, and sending succor from thence, but he doubted whether he or his party could perform the journey to that place in their present debilitated state. Franklin and his small party now looked round for some means of present subsistence, and fortunately discovered several deer skins, which had been thrown away during their former residence here. The bones were gathered from the heap of ashes; these, with the skins and the addition of tripe de roche, they considered would support life tolerably well for a short time. The bones were quite acrid, and the soup extracted from them, quite putrid, excoriated the mouth if taken alone, but it was somewhat milder when boiled with the lichen, and the mixture was even deemed palatable with a little salt, of which a cask had been left here in the spring. They procured fuel by pulling up the flooring of the rooms, and water for cooking by melting the snow.

Augustus arrived safe after them, just as they were sitting round the fire eating their supper of singed

skin.

Late on the 13th, Belanger also reached the house, with a note from Mr. Back, stating that he had yet found no trace of the Indians. The poor messenger was almost speechless, being covered with ice and nearly frozen to death, having fallen into a rapid, and for the third time since the party left the coast, narrowly escaped drowning. After being well rubbed, having had his dress changed, and some warm soup given him, he recovered sufficiently to answer the questions put to him.

Under the impression that the Indians must be on their way to Fort Providence, and that it would be possible to overtake them, as they usually traveled

slowly with their families, and there being likewise a prospect of killing deer about Reindeer Lake, where they had been usually found abundant, Franklin determined to take the route for that post, and sent word to Mr. Back by Belanger to that effect on the 18th. On the 20th of October, Franklin set out in company with Benoit and Augustus to seek relief, having patched three pairs of snow shoes, and taken some singed skin for their support. Poltier and Samandre had volunteered to remain at the house with Adam, who was too ill to proceed. They were so feeble as scarcely to be able to move. Augustus, the Esquimaux, tried for fish without success, so that their only fare was skin and tea. At night, composing themselves to rest, they lay close to each other for warmth, but found the night bitterly cold, and the wind pierced through their famished frames.

On resuming the journey next morning, Franklin had the misfortune to break his snow-shoes, by falling between two rocks. This accident prevented him from keeping pace with the others, and in the attempt he became quite exhausted; unwilling to delay their progress, as the safety of all behind depended on their obtaining early assistance and immediate supplies, Franklin resolved to turn back, while the others pushed on to meet Mr. Back, or, missing him, they were directed to proceed to Fort Providence. Franklin found the two Canadians he had left at the house dreadfully weak and reduced, and so low spirited that he had great difficulty in rallying them to any exertion. As the insides of their mouths had become sore from eating the bone-soup, they now relinquished the use of it, and boiled the skin, which mode of dressing was found more palatable than frying it. They had pulled down nearly all their dwelling for fuel, to warm themselves and cook their scanty meals. The tripe de roche, on which they had depended, now became entirely frozen; and what was more tantalizing to their perishing frames, was the sight of food within their reach, which they could not procure. "We saw

(says Franklin) a herd of reindeer sporting on the river, about half a mile from the house; they remained there a long time, but none of the party felt themselves strong enough to go after them, nor was there one of us who could have fired a gun without resting it."

While they were seated round the fire this evening, discoursing about the anticipated relief, the sound of voices was heard, which was thought with joy to be that of the Indians, but, to their bitter disappointment, the debilitated frames and emaciated countenances of Dr. Richardson and Hepburn presented themselves at the door. They were of course gladly received, although each marked the ravages which famine, care and fatigue had made on the other. The Doctor particularly remarked the sepulchral tone of the voices of his friends, which he requested them to make more cheerful if possible, unconscious that his own partook of the same key.

Hepburn having shot a partridge, which was brought to the house, Dr. Richardson tore out the feathers, and having held it to the fire a few minutes, divided it into six portions. Franklin and his three companions ravenously devoured their shares, as it was the first morsel of flesh any of them had tasted for thirtyone days, unless, indeed, the small gristly particles which they found adhering to the pounded bones may be termed flesh. Their spirits were revived by this small supply, and the Doctor endeavored to raise them still higher by the prospect of Hepburn's being able to kill a deer next day, as they had seen, and even fired at, several near the house. He endeavored, too, to rouse them into some attention to the comfort of their apartment. Having brought his Prayer-book and Testament, some prayers, psalms, and portions of scripture, appropriate to their situation, were read out by Dr. Richardson, and they retired to their

blankets.

Early next morning, the Doctor and Hepburn went out in search of game; but though they saw several

herds of deer, and fired some shots, they were not so fortunate as to kill any, being too weak to hold their guns steadily. The cold compelled the former to return soon, but Hepburn perseveringly persisted until late in the evening.

"My occupation, (continues Franklin) was to search for skins under the snow, it being now our object immediately to get all that we could; but I had not strength to drag in more than two of those which were within twenty yards of the house, until the Doctor came and assisted me. We made up our stock to twenty-six; but several of them were putrid, and scarcely eatable, even by men suffering the extremity of famine. Peltier and Samandre continued very weak and dispirited, and they were unable to cut firewood. Hepburn had, in consequence, that laborious task to perform after he came back late from hunting. To the exertions, honesty, kindness, and consideration of this worthy man, the safety of most of the party is to be attributed. And I may here mention that Sir John Franklin, when he became governor of Van Diemen's Land, obtained for him a good civil appointment. This deserving man, I am informed by Mr. Barrow, is now in England, having lost his office, which, I believe, has been abolished. It is to be hoped something will be done for him by the govern

ment.

After their usual supper of singed skin and bone soup, Dr. Richardson acquainted Franklin with the events that had transpired since their parting, particularly with the afflicting circumstances attending the death of Mr. Hood, and Michel, the Iroquois; the particulars of which I shall now proceed to condense from his narrative.

After Captain Franklin had bidden them farewell, having no tripe de roche they drank an infusion of the country tea-plant, which was grateful from its warmth, although it afforded no sustenance. They then retired to bed, and kept to their blankets all next day, as the snow drift was so heavy as to prevent their lighting a