286 Thirty Years 
opposite shore, All the men suffered extremely from 
the coldness of the water, in which they were neces- 
sarily immersed up to the waists, in their endeavors to 
aid Belanger and Benoit ; and having witnessed re- 
peated failures, they began to consider the scheme as 
hopeless. At this time Dr. Richardson, prompted by 
a desire of relieving his suffering companions, proposed 
to swim across the stream witha line, and to haul the 
raft over. He launched into the stream with the line 
round his middle, but when he had got a short dis- 
tance from the bank, his arms became benumbed with 
cold, and he lost the power of moving them ; stil] he 
persevered, and turning on his back, had nearly gained 
the opposite bank, when his legs also became power- 
less, and to our infinite alarm we beheld him sink. 
We instantly hauled upon the line and he came again 
on the surface, and was gradually drawn ashore in an 
almost lifeless state. Being rolled up in blankets, he 
was placed before a good fire of willows, and fortu- 
nately was just able to speak sufficiently to give some 
slight directions respecting the manner of treating 
him. He recovered strength gradually, and by the 
blessing of God was enabled in the course of a few 
hours to converse, and by the evening was sufficiently 
recovered to remove into the tent. We then regretted 
to learn, that the skin of his whole left side was 
deprived of feeling. in consequence of exposure to too 
