264 FATE OF SIR JOHN FRANKLIN EXPEDITION 



by Americans. One of these was headed by Captain C. F. Hall, 

 who reached King William's Land in 1866 and obtained from the 

 Eskimos of that region a variety of interesting relics of the Franklin 

 party. He also learned from them that their people had been, at 

 one time, alongside of "the ships/' and had seen the great Eshe- 

 mutta (Franklin). "This Eshemutta was an old man with broad 

 shoulders, gray hair, full face, and bald head. He was always 

 wearing something over his eyes," "spectacles," as they described 

 them. "He was quite lame and sick when they last saw him. He 

 was always very kind, wanted them to eat constantly, very cheerful 

 and laughing; everybody liked him, Innuits and all on the ship; they 

 on the ship would always do what he said. The ship was crushed 

 by the ice. While it was sinking, the men worked for their lives, 

 but before they could get much out from the vessel she sank. For 

 this reason Aglook (Captain Crozier) died of starvation, for he 

 could not get provisions to carry with him on his land journey." 



Hall returned to King William's Land in 1869, and on this occa- 

 sion also obtained a considerable number of relics of the Franklin 

 party from the natives, saying that such relics were "possessed by 

 natives all over the Arctic regions from Powel's Bay to Mackenzie 

 River." 



The final search expedition was made by Lieutenant Frederick 

 Schwatka, of the American Army, who obtained leave of absence in 

 1878 to command a Franklin search expedition in the Arctic Ocean. 

 King William's Land was reached and searched, the principal result 

 being the discovery and burial of the skeletons of various members 

 of the Franklin party. Many relics were found, but the papers of 

 which the Eskimos had spoken, and which were believed to contain 

 the more important records of the party, had disappeared. Eskimos 

 had taken them from the cairn in which they were deposited and. 

 being deemed of no value, had suffered them to be destroyed. 



One important find made by Schwatka was .the remains of a 

 skeleton near which was found a silver medal bearing the words, 



