RENEWED SEARCH. 463 



tact, when, in fact, the noise I heard was indubitably produced by the crack- 

 ing of the ice on the lake, as I afterwards became assured of . . . On 

 some occasions all the colours of the rainbow were displayed by turns, each 

 visible but for an instant, then succeeded by another hue. Vast, irregular, 

 ever-changing fringe-like lines — at one moment of an exquisite violet, the 

 next of a grass-green tint — engaged and delighted the eye. Those above 

 named were the predominating colours, but aU others, in every variety of 

 shade and brilliancy, were evolved. A scene of sublime and awful magnifi- 

 cence ! " 



It has been already stated that Lieutenant Hooper joined Lieutenant 

 Pullen at Fort Simpson on the 1st June. Here the expedition remained till 

 the 20th of the same month, on which the " Mackenzie Eiver Brigade " of 

 boats, from Fort Good Hope and the posts situated lower down the river, 

 and carrying the annual cargo of furs, left Fort Simpson to proceed up the 

 Mackenzie to Methy Portage, and thence to York Factory, for England. 

 The " Plover's " boat expedition set out to accompany this brigade in its 

 ascent of the Mackenzie, and ofl&cers and men expected to have a speedy 

 journey to England by way of Hudson's Bay. But a surprise was in store 

 for them. " On the 25th of Jime," writes Hooper, " when near Great Slave 

 Lake, we were met by two Indians in a canoe, who proved to be bearers of 

 an ' extraordinary express ' from England, which contained Mr PuUen's com- 

 mission as commander, and the sanction of the Admiralty to renewed pro- 

 secution of the search for Sir John Franklin's party, if Captain Pullen 

 should consider it practicable. Very little consideration was necessary on 

 the subject, and after consultation with Dr Eae, the decision was speedily 

 arrived at to return to the sea-coast. " We reached the fishing station called 

 Big Island, at the entrance of Great Slave Lake, where some of our party 

 had wintered, next day, and attempted to reach Fort Eesolution to obtain 

 a supply of pemmican, but the ice in the lake checked our progress, and 

 Captain Pullen decided on returning at once to Fort Simpson to prepare 

 for the second trip. On the 29th, accordingly, we bade farewell to Dr Eae 

 and his brigade, and retraced our way to Fort Simpson, which was reached 

 on the 3d of July." Of the boats of PuUen's expedition, only one, the 

 " Logan," was now available ; but a new craft, forty feet long and nine feet 

 broad;^ and which was named the " Try Again," was furnished by the Com- 

 pany. On the 11th July, the explorers set out from Fort Simpson, and 

 pushed on down the Mackenzie in the "Logan" and "Try Again." Fort 

 Good Hope was reached on the 16th, the Arctic circle was crossed on the night 

 of the 17th, and on the 18th the expedition reached Point Separation, near the 

 mouth of the river, and landed to take up a store of pemmican that had been 

 left there by Sir John Eichardson in 1848. Garry Island, in the Arctic Sea, 

 was reached at mid-day on the 20th, " and," writes Captain Pullen, " while 



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