296 EELICS ABOUT THE BOAT. Chap. XV, 



knife-sheatlis, two rolls of sheetrlead, and, in 

 sliort, a quantity of articles of one description 

 and another truly astonishing in variety, and 

 such as, for the most part, modern sledge-tra- 

 vellers in these regions would consider a mere 

 accumulation of dead weight, but slightly useful, 

 and very likely to break down the strength of 

 the sledge-crews. 



The only provisions we could find were tea 

 and chocolate ; of the former very little re- 

 mained, but there were nearly 40 pounds of 

 the latter. These articles alone could never 

 support life in such a climate, and we found 

 neither biscuit nor meat of any kind. A por- 

 tion of tobacco and an empty pemmican-tin, 

 capable of containing 22 pounds weight, were 

 discovered. The tin was marked with an E ; it 

 had probably belonged to the ' Erebus.' None 

 of the fuel originally brought from the ships 

 remained in or about the boat, but there was 

 no lack of it, for a drift-tree was lying on the 

 beach close at hand, and had the party been in 

 need of fuel they would have used the paddles 

 and bottom-boards of the boat. 



In the after-part of the boat we discovered 

 eleven large spoons, eleven forks, and four tea- 

 spoons, all of silver ; of these twenty-six pieces 

 of plate, eight bore Sir John Franklin's crest. 



