OF THE SECURITY OF THE BOATS. 297 



as the same man had built my last boat on the 

 former expedition under Sir John Franklin ; and 

 certainly a more efficient one was never turned 

 out of hand, as was demonstrated by the fact of 

 her reaching England, and having, as I believe, 

 a^ain gone out with Captain Ross. It was a 

 contretemps for which I certainly was not pre- 

 pared ; and my only chance of surmounting the 

 difficulty was the possibility that the crew might 

 be able to carry her, though to effect this (never 

 previously contemplated) it was necessary to cut 

 away the wash-boards, which had been purposely 

 riveted to the gunwales, to enable them to support 

 the pressure. The moment of lifting the boat 

 up was one of intense anxiety; and it is im- 

 possible to describe the burst of my feelings, 

 when I saw the men walk away with her. The 

 task, however, though successfully accomplished, 

 was a severe one, and taxed their strength to 

 the utmost. Twice one of the best men of the 

 party declared he knew not if he should stand 

 or fall when, from the inequality of the ground, 

 the weight pressed particularly on him ; and all 

 were greatly fatigued. The reflection that the 

 same operation would be impossible when the 

 wood had become saturated and heavy with 

 water, was not calculated to excite sanguine 

 emotions : however, I trusted to circumstances, 

 my own resources, and the spirit and stamina of 



