Chap. X. FRANKLIN AND RICHARDSON'S JOURNEY. 387 



death, volunteered to make the attempt to swim across the 

 stream, carrying with him a line by which the raft might be 

 hauled over. 



" He launched into the stream with the line round his 

 middle, but when he had got to a short distance from the 

 opposite bank, his arms became benumbed with cold, and 

 he lost the power of moving them ; still he persevered, and 

 turning on his back, had nearly gained the opposite shore, 

 when his legs also became powerless, and to our infinite 

 alarm, we beheld him sink. We instantly hauled upon the 

 line, and he came again on the surface, and was gradually 

 drawn ashore, in an almost lifeless state. Being rolled up 

 in blankets, he was placed before a good fire of willows, and 

 fortunately was just able to speak sufficiently to give some 

 slight directions respecting the manner of treating him. He 

 recovered strength gradually, and through the blessing of 

 God was enabled in the course of a few hours to converse, 

 and by the evening was sufficiently recovered to remove into 

 the tent. We then regretted to learn that the skin of his 

 whole left side was deprived of feeling, in consequence of 

 exposure to too great heat. He did not perfectly recover 

 the sensation of that side until the following summer. I 

 cannot describe what every one felt at beholding the skeleton 

 which the Doctor's debilitated frame exhibited. When he 

 stripped, the Canadians simultaneously exclaimed, 'Ah! 

 que nous sommes maigres /' I shall best explain his state and 

 that of the party, by the following extract from his journal : 

 ' It may be worthy of remark that I should have had little 

 hesitation in any former period of my life, at plunging into 

 water, even below 38° Fahrenheit ; but at this time I was 

 reduced almost to skin and bone, and, like the rest of the 

 party, suffered from degrees of cold that would have been 

 disregarded in health and vigour. During the whole of our 

 march we experienced that no quantity of clothing would 

 keep us warm whilst we fasted ; but on those occasions on 



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