STARVED AND FAINTING. 191 



Two small canoes having been constructed from the remains of the older and now 

 almost useless ones, they, on the 1st of September, left the river, the commander having 

 determined to make a direct line for Point Lake, 149 miles distant. Having proceeded 

 a dozen or so miles, they encountered a severe snow-storm, which obliged them to encamp, 

 and it raged so violently that they were obliged to stop there, muffled up in their blankets- 

 and skins, for nearly a week. On the 3rd of September the last piece of pemmican and 

 a small quantity of arrowroot were served out, and with no fire, a temperature below 

 freezing, and wet garments, they were in a miserable plight. The storm abated on the- 

 7th, but when they attempted to proceed Franklin was seized with a fainting fit, ia 

 consequence of sudden exposure and exhaustion. Several of the men, with much kindness,, 

 urged him to eat a morsel of portable soup, the small and only remaining meal, which,, 

 after much hesitation, he did, and was much revived. The canoe-carriers were so weak 

 that they were constantly blown down, and one of their little boats was crushed to pieces 

 by a fall. They utilised it by making a fire to cook the remnant of portable soup and 

 arrowroot their last meal. For the next two days they had to live on the lichen 

 named by the Canadians tripe de rocfie, but on the 10th they killed a large musk ox 

 which, by-the-bye, was a cow and they enjoyed a good meal. Soon again all supplies 

 failed them, and a fatal despondency settled upon many of the men, who, giving up all 

 hope, left behind articles of incalculable value to the expedition, including the second canoe 

 and their fishing-nets. It must be remembered that they were passing over a most rugged 

 country, where they had constantly to cross streams and rivers, and were living mainly on 

 a scanty supply of tripe rle rocJie. At this depressing moment a fine trait of disin- 

 terestedness occurred. As the officers stood together round a small fire, enduring the very 

 intensity of hunger, Perrault, one of the Canadians, presented each of them with a piece of 

 meat out of a little store which he had saved from his allowance. " It was received/' says. 

 Franklin, "with great thankfulness, and such an instance of self-denial and kindness filled 

 our eyes with tears." Back, the most active and vigorous of the party, was sent forward 

 with some of the hunters to apprise the people at Fort Enterprise of the approach of 

 the rest. Credit and Junius followed them, also to hunt. Credit returned, but Junius 

 was missing and was never after heard of. They had now reached a branch of the Copper- 

 mine River, and it became necessary to make a raft of willows, which occupied them to- 

 the 29th. Then all attempts to cross the river in it failed. 



"In this hopeless condition," says Franklin, "with certain starvation staring them 

 in the face, Dr. Richardson, actuated by the noble desire of making a last effort for the 

 safety of the party, and of relieving his suffering companions from a state of misery 

 which could only terminate, and that speedily, in 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 



