212 DEATH OF OUE ENGINEER. Chap. XII. 



CHAPTEE XII. 



Death of our engineer — Scarcity of game — The cold unusually 

 trying — Jolly, under adverse circumstances — Petersen's infor- 

 mation — Eeturn of the sun of 1859 — Early spring sledge 

 parties — Unusual severity of the winter — Severe hardships of 

 early sledging — The western shores of Boothia — Meet the 

 Esquimaux — Intelligence of Franklin's ships — Eeturn to the 

 ' Fox ' — Allen Young returns. 



Nov. 7th. — Sunday evening. Brief as is the in- 

 terval since my last entry, yet how awful and, 

 to one of our small company, how fatal it has 

 been ! Yesterday Mr. Brand was out shooting 

 as usual, and in robust health ; in the evening 

 Hobson sat with him for a little time. Mr. 

 Brand turned the conversation upon our posi- 

 tion and employments last year ; he called to 

 remembrance poor Robert Scott, then in sound 

 health, and the fact of his having carried our 

 " Guy Fawkes round the ship on the pre- 

 ceding day twelvemonth, and added mournfully, 

 " Poor fellow ! no one knows whose turn it may 

 be to go next." He finished his evening pipe, 

 and shut his cabin door shortly after nine 

 o'clock. This morning, at seven o'clock, his 



