BACK'S LAND EXPEDITION. 223 



with less than a pound and three quarters. The cold 

 now. set in with an intensity which Back had never be- 

 fore experienced, the thermometer, on the 17th of 

 January, being 70 below zero. "Such, indeed/ 3 he 

 s&ys, " was the abstraction of heat, that, with eight 

 large logs of dry wood on the fire, I could not get the 

 thermometer higher than 12 below zero. Ink and 

 paint froze. The sextant cases and boxes of seasoned 

 wood, principally fir, all split. The skin of the hands 

 became dry, cracked, and opened into unsightly and 

 smarting gashes, which we were obliged to anoint with 

 grease. On one occasion, after washing my face within 

 three feet of the fire, my hair was actually clotted with 

 ice before I had time to dry it." 



The hunters suffered severely from the intensity of 

 the cold, and compared the sensation of handling their 

 guns to that of touching red-hot iron ; and so excessive 

 was the pain, that they were obliged to wrap thongs of 

 leather round the triggers, to keep their fingers from 

 coming into contact with the steel. 



The sufferings which the party now endured were 

 great, and, had it not been for the exemplary conduct 

 of Akaitcho in procuring them game, it is to be doubted 

 whether any would have survived to tell the misery 

 they had endured. The sentiments of this worthy sav- 

 age were nobly expressed " The great chief trusts in 

 us, and it is better that ten Indians perish than that one 

 white man should perish through our negligence and 

 breach of faith.' 3 



About the middle of April preparations were begun 

 for their intended journey to the sea-coast ; but on the 

 25th a messenger arrived bringing to Back the welcome 

 intelligence of the safety of Ross and his party. His 

 feelings at this news are thus described: "In the ful- 

 ness of our hearts, we assembled, and humbly offered 



