Aug. 1858. NO INTELLIGENCE OF FKANKLIN. 159 



expected. They had only two sledges; both 

 were made of 2^-inch oak-planks, devoid of 

 bolt-holes or treenails, and having but very 

 few nail-holes. These sledges had evidently 

 been constructed for several years, the parts 

 not exposed to friction were covered with green 

 fungus: one of them measured 14 feet long, 

 the other about 9 feet ; we were told the wood 

 came from a wreck to the southward of Pond's 

 Bay. Most of the sledge crossbars were ordi- 

 nary staves of casks. Amongst the poles and 

 large bones which supported the tents we 

 noticed a painted fir oar. Some pieces of iron- 

 hoop and a few preserved-meat tins — one of 

 which was stamped " Goldner," — completed their 

 stock of European articles. 



Petersen questioned all the men separately as 

 to their knowledge of ships or wrecks ; but their 

 accounts only served to confirm the old woman's 

 story. None of them had ever heard of ships 

 or wrecks anywhere to the westward. Both 

 individually and collectively we got them to 

 draw charts of the various coasts known to 

 them, and to mark upon them the positions of 

 the wrecks. The two chiefs, Noo-luk and 

 A-wah-lah, soon made themselves known to me, 

 and, when we desired to go to sleep, sent away 



