252 THE QUANTITY OF RELICS. 



hear from the present searching party, to know that by 

 this account he was not one of the victims. 



Can all this refer to one hundred miles of coast-line, 

 etc. ? No. 4 makes the island near to the mainland. 



No. 7. A careful consideration of this portion satisfies 

 me that the informants possessed a very intimate know- 

 ledge of every matter connected with this one party. 

 They are too circumstantial as to the seasons, tides, and 

 effects, to have learned their story from narration. No ! 



W V 



they were intimately conversant, and connected, with 

 the fatal termination of the career of the entire crews, 

 which were wrecked not far from the spot where he then 

 stood ; and it is reasonable to suppose that they wished 

 him to seek in a contrary direction to where the cata- 

 strophe occurred for a previously fleeced remnant which 

 could tell no tales ! 



No. 8. " There must have been a number of watches, 

 compasses, telescopes, guns, etc." Now we derive from 

 the informants that only forty, one being an officer, who 

 did not drag, were seen ; that these forty are found 

 dead in the Great Fish River (clearly they were tracked 

 thither), and that one telescope and one gun were noticed. 

 But our nerves are not a little disturbed at this one 

 party having in their possession all the valuables of the 

 two crews! 



Now taking into consideration my own experience, 

 the companion of my men for nearly forty years, and 

 coupled with the knowledge of my late Arctic service, I 

 confidently ask, Could such a number of watches, guns, 

 or telescopes remain perfect much beyond one season? 

 and would they be found amongst any forty men, one 



