500 KANSAS CITY REVIEW OF SCIENCE. 
one of the white men, ‘‘a chief,” was attempting to tell the natives that they 
were going to the great land to the south to shoot deer—thus: ‘‘ Took-took-pung 
—imitating the report of fire-arms and pointing to his gun.” This is the note I 
find in my original journal: Which is the right interpretation, ‘‘ Doctor” or 
ecMeer 2? 
The date of the white man having been seen is given by Lieut. Schwatka as 
1849; whereas, the record found by McClintock shows clearly that the date of leay- 
ing the ships was April 1848. How Schwatka or anyone else could get a date with 
any degree of accuracy from the Eskimos after a lapse of thirty years, lam ata 
loss to understand, and equally so, why these poor suffering men, if alive in 1849, 
should have remained on King Williams Island or on the main land northwest 
of Backs River, instead of embarking in their boat or boats and pushing south- 
ward on the open water that it is reasonable to suppose must have existed some 
time during the summer of 1848. 
My opinion is that the expectations of these unfortunate men, were vainly 
founded on the belief that the ice would break up and that the Back River weuld 
be navigable much earlier than was really the case; such opinion being formed 
by them on a knowledge of the breaking up of the ice and navigability of the 
Coppermine River, 20 degrees further west, which occurs a fortnight or three 
weeks earlier than at the Republic Bay, or at the Back River. A detention of three 
weeks would cause, in all likelihood, a fatal and unexpected expenditure of provis- 
ions and strength. 
Even were it true, as a writer on the Zzmes says, that six months or even a 
years’ rations might have been saved out of the three years stock on board—a 
most unlikely thing—it is very evident that however much provisions were on 
board, the quantity taken on tne sledge journey would be limited to the amount 
the poor fellows were able to haul or carry, and when that was nearly or wholly 
expended, they would not be in a very fit condition to go perhaps 140 miles back 
to the ship for more. 
When I was at Republic Bay in 1854, the Eskimos had heard nothing of the 
ship-said to have sank near Point Grant, nor did they know anything of the white 
men found in 1859, (five years afterward) on King Williams Island by Hobson 
and McClintock, because the many articles found in the boat would have been 
removed and the boat broken up, as was afterward done. 
The only white men I heard of were the ‘‘at least forty” who reached the 
low, flat shore of the main land, about a long day’s sledge journey with dogs, 
northwest of the mouth of Back River. These men hauled one or two boats 
with them, were making very short days’ marches, pitched tents to sleep in, and 
were all looking thin, and were probably the last survivors of the ill-fated expedi- 
tion. 
It was from the place where these dead were found that all the relics brought 
home by me were taken; it was here also where ten or twelve books were seen, 
) 
* The Eskimos have a frequent practice of introducing themselves by patting their breasts and telling their 
names. They may have thought that the white chief was doing the same. 
