66 TRANSACjiONS iSgg-'oo 



after hour the decks were flooded, drenching the poor fellows to 

 the skin. The weather clearing a little, a low sandy beach was 

 seen just astern on which the seas were breaking fearfully. Had 

 the anchors parted no human power could have saved them. 



Although few of the men had any idea they could ever sur- 

 vive the gale, lyyon ordered that every man should put on his 

 warmest clothing and secure some useful instrument about his 

 person. 



" Each, therefore, brought his bag on deck arrd dressed him- 

 self and in the fine athletic forms which stood exposed before 

 me," says the narrator, " I did not see one muscle quiver nor 

 notice the slightest sign of alarm. Prayers were read and then 

 all sat down in groups, sheltered from the wash of the sea by 

 whatever they could find and some endeavored to obtain a little 

 sleep. ' ' 



" Never," says their gallant commander, who had not been 

 in bed himself for three nights, " never, perhaps, was witnessed 

 a finer scene than on the deck of my little ship when all hope of 

 life had left us. Noble as the character of the British sailor is 

 always allowed to be in cases of danger yet I did not believe it to 

 be possible that among 41 persons not one repining word should 

 have been uttered. Each was at peace with his neighbour and all 

 the world and I am firmly persuaded that the resignation which 

 was then shown to the will of the Almighty was the means of 

 obtaining His mercy. God was merciful to us and the tide fell 

 no lower. ' ' Very appropriately was the scene of this affecting 

 narrative named the Bay of God's Mercy. 



Another eventful day in the history of the District of Frank- 

 lin was the 6th of April, 1853. Sixty-six men were on that day 

 in the "Investigator" encased in ice in another Bay of God's 

 Mercy on the north coast of Banks lyand. They had not had a 

 full meal for twenty months. They were reduced in strength 

 from the attacks of scurvy. They had just lost by death one of 

 their messmates. The ship's stores had been carefully doled out 

 to them and they were supplementing the dole with arctic mice 

 cutlets and other luxuries. In their extremity they had resolved 

 upon breaking up into parties to set out in their weak emaciated 

 condition, one over the ice to the north-east, another overland to 

 gain the north shore of the main land and thence to journey to 



