1908-9.] A SToRY OF A FRANKLIN SEARCH EXPEDITION. 401 
and pointed to the place where the ship was all “ broken.” _Paulet and 
Mustagan then proceeded to see if they could find anything, one going 
one way and one another, and it was Paulet only who from the summit 
of a rocky island saw quite distinctly what he still believes to be 
two masts of a ship. He says had there been more sticks standing 
around it would have been easy to have made a mistake, but there was 
nothing but rocks and ice as far as he could see. And in default of 
any kind of wood they were obliged to use the moss on the rocks to 
boil their kettle. Upon my enquiring why he did not tell the chief 
of the expedition what he had seen, he replied in the most simple 
manner possible, “ Well, I was tired of the whole thing, and was think- 
ing long to be home, and was afraid if I said anything about it, we 
should have to go back and see what it was, so I thought I would keep 
it to myself yet awhile anyhow.” And it was some time after that he 
related to some of his comrades what he had seen. __ Pieces of iron and 
wood, portions of a boat, were found in the vicinity of where they were 
then camped. 
This was told to me in a quiet deliberate manner, leaving no room 
whatever to doubt his veracity, or the sincerity of his belief. He is by 
no means an enthusiast. He views the whole thing as one of his many 
experiences. He is the remains of a strong man, of unimpaired 
faculties, and still after so many years wedded to the belief that he is 
not mistaken in what he saw. I must confess to being very much 
impressed by the man’s statement, knowing as I do that where 
eyesight is concerned how very keen an Indian is, and how they will 
detect objects at a distance which you or I would overlook twenty times. 
The statements of these men are given here for what they are 
worth. They were made in 1893, thirty-eight years after the events to 
which they refer. In the main points they agree with each other fairly 
well. That Paulet Papanakies believed that he saw a ship there can be 
* little doubt, so that the tale cannot be set aside as simply unworthy of 
credence. Furthermore, it is difficult for a white man, unless he has 
lived a long time among natives, to appreciate the keenness of sight, 
and accuracy in observation common to Indians in the wilderness, and 
especially to such Indians as the Ojibways, who rank among the best 
hunters and woodsmen on this continent. Many travellers and others 
who know them best will bear me out in saying that inaccurate observa- 
tions are almost unknown among them. 
That these men were sent across to Maconochie Island is evident 
