286 Thirty Years 



opposite shore. All the men suffered extremely from 

 the coldness of the water, in which they were neces- 

 sarily immersed up to the waists, in their endeavors to 

 aid Belanger and Benoit ; and having witnessed re- 

 peated failures, they began to consider the scheme as 

 hopeless. At this time Dr. Richardson, prompted by 

 a desire of relieving his suffering companions, proposed 

 to swim across the stream with a line, and to haul the 

 raft over. He launched into the stream with the line 

 round his middle, but when he had got a short dis- 

 tance from the 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 bank, when his legs also became power- 

 less, 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 

 almost lifeless state. Being rolled up in blankets, he 

 was placed before a good fire of willows, and fortu- 

 nately was just able to speak sufficiently to give some 

 slight directions respecting the manner of treating 



liim. lb- recovered strength gradually, and by the 



blessing of G-od was enabled *in the course of a few 

 hours to converse, mid by the evening was sufficiently 

 recovered to remove into the tent, We then regretted 

 I.. Learn, thai the Bkin of liis whole left side was 

 deprived of feeling in consequence of exposure to too 



