OP THE POLAR SEA. 2S9 



he persevered, and, turning on his back, had 

 nearly gained the opposite bank, 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 ahnost 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 by the bless- 

 ing of God was enabled in the course of a few 

 hours to converse, and by the evening was suf- 

 ficiently 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 per- 

 fectly 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 exclaim- 

 ed, " 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 would have had little 

 hesitation in any former period of my life, of 

 plunging into v/ater even below 38° Fahrenheit ; 



