300 POINT FRANKLIN. Chap. XV. 



spare. Whether all or any of the remainder of 

 this detached party ever reached their ships is 

 uncertain ; all we know is, that they did not re- 

 visit the boat, and which accounts for the ab- 

 sence of more skeletons in its neighbourhood ; 

 and the Esquimaux report that there was no 

 one alive in the ship when she drifted on shore, 

 and that but one hiunan body was found by 

 them on board of her. 



After leaving the boat we followed an 

 irregular coast-line to the N. and N.W., up to 

 a very prominent cape, which is probably the 

 extreme of land seen from Point Victory by 

 Sir James Ross, and named by him Point 

 Franklin, which name, as a cape, it still re- 

 tains. 



I need hardly say that throughout the whole 

 of my journey along the shores of King Wil- 

 liam's Land I caused a most vigilant look-out 

 to be kept to seaward for any appearance of the 

 stranded ship spoken of by the natives ; our 

 search was however fruitless in that respect. 



