334 CAPTAIN BACK'S LAND EXPEDITION— 183B-35. 



strating the wisdom as -well as the humanity of the course pursued by the 

 promoters of our expedition, who had thereby rescued the British nation 

 from an imputation of indifference which it was far indeed from meriting. 

 In the fulness of our hearts, we assembled together and humbly offered up 

 our thanks to that merciful Providence which, in the beautiful language of 

 Scripture, hath said, ' Mine own will I bring again, as I did sometime from 

 the deeps of the sea.' The thought of so wonderful a preservation over- 

 powered for a time the common occurrences of life. We had but just sat 

 down to breakfast, but our appetite was gone, and the day was passed in a 

 feverish state of excitement. Seldom indeed did my friend Mr King or I 

 indulge in a libation, but on this joyful occasion economy was forgotten. 

 A treat was given to the men, and for ourselves the social sympathies were 

 quickened by a generous bowl of punch." 



The fact that Captain Eoss and the crew of the " Victory " had been 

 rescued in Barrow Strait had necessarily some effect upon Captain Back's 

 plans for the future. The principal object of the expedition under his com- 

 mand had been unexpectedly accomplished ; but the secondary objects, 

 which were of great importance from a geographical and scientific point of 

 view, were still to be achieved. Already something had been done. Back 

 had discovered and surveyed the source and head-waters of a great river 

 previously unknown to civilised men, and known to the Indians of Slave 

 Lake only by repute as an unnavigable stream, broken by impracticable 

 rapids and by fearful cascades, and the mysterious lower course of which 

 was regarded with dread, from the circumstance that it lay somewhere in 

 the lands of the hostile and treacherous Eskimos. To open up the course 

 of this river, to discover its mouth in the Polar Sea, and thence to track the 

 sea-coast westward to the Point Turnagain of Franklin, and thus materially 

 aid in completing the North-West Passage — these were the main objects 

 which Back's expedition was organised to accomplish, and for the accom- 

 plishment of which he now commenced active preparations. 



In the meantime, however, one word about the fate of Augustus. 

 Months after the poor Eskimo had set out from Fort Eesolution to join his 

 friend Mr Back, his remains were found at no great distance from the fort. 

 " It appeared," says Back, " that the gallant little fellow was retracing his 

 steps to the establishment, when, either exhausted by suffering or priva- 

 tion, or caught in the midst of an open traverse in one of those terrible 

 snowstorms which may be almost said to blow through the frame, he had 

 sunk to rise io more. Such was the miserable end of poor Augustus ! — a 

 faithful, disinterested, kind-hearted creature, who had won the regard, not of 

 myself only, ]3ut of Sir John Franklin and Dr Eichardson also, by qualities 

 which, wherejver found, in the lowest as in the highest forms of social life, 

 are the ornament and charm of humanity." 



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