Chap. X. FRANKLIN AND RICHARDSON'S JOURNEY. 403 



to assist themselves, that eight and forty hours, nay 

 half that time, would probably have put an end to 

 their misery. The whole labour, therefore, of pro- 

 curing fire- wood, of scraping together old pieces of 

 skins, and fragments of bone, devolved on Richard- 

 son and Hepburn, whose strength had rapidly 

 been declining, and was nearly exhausted ; when, 

 providentially, on the 7th November, the long- 

 expected relief arrived by three Indians, forwarded 

 by Back. Captain Franklin, at this time, thus de- 

 scribes their condition : — 



" I may here remark that, owing to our loss of flesh, the 

 hardness of the floor, from which we were only protected by 

 a blanket, produced soreness over the body, and especially 

 those parts on which the weight rested in lying, yet to turn 

 ourselves for relief was a matter of toil and difficulty. 

 However, during this period, and indeed all along after the 

 acute pains of hunger, which lasted but three or four days, 

 had subsided, we generally enjoyed the comfort of a few 

 hours' sleep. The dreams which for the most part, but not 

 always, accompanied them, were usually (though not invari- 

 ably) of a pleasant character, being very often about the en- 

 joyments of feasting. In the daytime we fell into the practice 

 of conversing on common and light subjects, although we 

 sometimes discussed with seriousness and earnestness topics 

 connected with religion. We generally avoided speaking 

 directly of our present sufferings, or even of the prospect of 

 relief. I observed that, in proportion as our strength de- 

 cayed, our minds exhibited symptoms of weakness, evinced 

 by a kind of unreasonable pettishness with each other. Each 

 of us thought the other weaker in intellect than himself, and 

 more in need of advice and assistance. So trifling a cir- 



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