188 VOYAGE AND DEATH OF FRANKLIN 



by which he had come was the best for us ; and, having hghtened the men's 

 sledges, we travelled with more facility. We were now joined by another of 

 the natives, who had been absent seal-hunting yesterday, but, being anxious 

 to see us, had visited our snow-house early this morning, and then followed, up 

 our track. This man was very communicative, and, on putting to him the 

 usual questions as to his having seen 'white man' before, or any ships or boats, 

 he replied in the negative ; but said that a party of 'Kabloomans' had died of 

 starvation a long distance to the west of where we then were, and beyond a 

 large river. He stated that he did not know the exact place, that he never had 

 been there, and that he could not accompany us so far. The substance of the 

 information then and subsequently obtained from various sources was to the 

 following effect : 



"In the spring, four winters past (1850), while some Esquimo families 

 were killing seals near the north shore of a large island, named in Arrow- 

 smith's charts King William's Land, about forty white men were seen trav- 

 elling in company southward over the ice, and dragging a boat and sledges with 

 them. They were passing along the west shore of the above-named island. 

 None of the party could speak the Esquimo language so well as to be under- 

 stood, but by signs the natives were led to believe that the ship or ships had 

 been crushed by ice, and that they were now going to where they expected to 

 find deer to shoot. From the appearance of the men — all of whom, with the 

 exception of an officer, were hauling on the drag-ropes of the sledge, and 

 looked thin — they were then supposed to be getting short of provisions; and 

 ^hey purchased a small seal, or piece of seal, from the natives. The officer was 

 described as being a tall, stout, middle-aged man. When their day's journey 

 terminated, they pitched tents to rest in. 



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

 the corpses of some thirty persons and some graves were discovered on the 

 continent. 



The following is a list of the articles obtained from the Esquimos by Dr. 

 Rae: 



One silver table- fork — crest, an animal's head with wings extended above ; 

 three silver table- forks — crest, a bird with wings extended; one silver table- 

 spoon — crest, with initials "F. R. M. C." (Captain Crozier, Terror) ; one silver 

 table-spoon and one fork — crest, bird with laurel-branch in mouth, motto, 

 "Spero meliora;" one silver table-spoon, one tea-spoon, and one dessert- fork — 

 crest, a fish's head looking upwards, with laurel-branches on each side; one 



