LIFE OR DEATH? 203 



blast, our clothing; saturated and frozen, and our bodies 



O 



faint and numb with starvation and cold. But we were 

 now within reach of the land, and all of us who were 

 able gladly scrambled out upon the ice to stretch our 

 cramped and stiffened limbs. My brother was in a per- 

 ishing condition from the exposure of the night. He 

 had been barely able to keep his canoe afloat by bailing, 

 and had sat in the icy water for seventeen hours. I 

 wrapped him up as warmly as I could and administered 

 half a bottle of Jamaica ginger, the last of our stock. 

 We then set about hauling the canoes over the ice to 

 the shore, which we soon reached, and where we were 

 so fortunate as to find drift-wood. A fire was quickly 

 made, camp pitched, and better still, a meal prepared. 

 On the previous day a seal, the only one secured on the 

 trip, had been shot, and we were now in a position 

 to appreciate it. The three western men were still 

 fairly strong, but the remaining five of us were very 

 weak and badly used up. We knew now, however, that 

 we could be no great distance from Churchill, for we 

 had again reached the wooded country, and two or three 

 miles back from the shore could be seen dark clumps of 

 spruce trees. This was a most consoling fact, for besides 

 having meat for several days, we felt that we would 

 have shelter and fire. 



As to launching our canoes again, that was entirely 

 out of the question. If we would reach Churchill at all 

 it must be by land. 



As most of us were unable to walk, the only course 

 open appeared to be to send on some of the stronger 

 men to, if possible, reach the fort and bring back a relief 

 party. This plan was proposed, and two of the western 



