FINDS UNDENIABLE TRACES. 249 



ice, and that they were going (3) to where they expected 

 to find deer to shoot. 



" Prom the appearance of the men, all of whom, ex- 

 cept one officer, looked thin (4), they were supposed to 

 be getting short of provisions, and they purchased a 

 small seal from the natives. 



" At a later date the same season, but previous to the 

 breaking up of the ice, the bodies of some thirty persons 

 were discovered on the continent, and five on an island 

 near it, about a long day's journey to the north-west of 

 a large stream, which Dr. Rae considers to be no other 

 than Back's Great Fish River. Some of the bodies had 

 been buried, some were in a tent or tents, others under 

 the boat, which had been turned over to form a shelter, 

 and several lay about in different directions (5). Of 

 those found on the island, one was supposed to have 

 been an officer, as he had a telescope strapped over his 

 shoulders, and his double-barrelled gun lay underneath 

 him. 



" From the mutilated state of many of the corpses 

 and the contents of the kettles (6), it is evident that our 

 wretched countrymen had been driven to the last re- 

 source cannibalism as a means of prolonging existence. 



" The ammunition had not failed, as it was turned out 

 by the natives, and a quantity of ball and shot was found 

 below high-water mark (7), having probably been left on 

 the ice close to the beach. 



" There must have been a number of watches, com- 

 J 



passes, telescopes, guns (several double-barrelled), etc. (8), 

 all of which appear to have been broken up, as he saw 

 pieces of these different articles with the Esquimaux, 



