THE GRAVE AND MONUMENT OF JOHN BROWN. 



239 



bleness — almpst a blindness. Two rods before reaching the final 

 spot of his death, we found where he had fallen down as he walk- 

 ed along, the disturbed snow showing that great effort had been 

 made to regain his walking posture. The place where we found 

 him also exhibited unmistakable signs of a terrible struggle to 

 raise himself up again ; but alas ! a foe as irresistible as iron had 

 been fastening his fingers upon him all the night long. John had 

 fought like a true soldier — like a hero ; but he had to yield at last. 

 He died facing the heavens, the left hand by his side, the right 

 extended, and his eyes directed upward, as if the last objects mir- 

 rored by them were the stars looking down upon him in his 

 death-struggles. His face bore evidence that his death was like 

 sweet sleep. 



" Every article of John's clothing was in its place — his hands 

 mittened — his head, ears, and nose protected as well as they could 

 be by a Eussian cap — his feet shielded by native boots and stock- 

 ings, and his body well clothed in woolen garments, over which 

 was his sealskin jacket. 



" Well, we found' the lost, determined his terrible fate, and now 

 what remained to be done ? 



" We considered it imprudent for us to attempt to convey the 

 remains back to the vessel ; we thought it our duty to show all 

 becoming respect for the dead, and equally our duty to guard 

 well the living against the exposures that threatened us on our 

 return, for it was now 5 o'clock P.M., and we were full ten miles 

 by direct route from the ship. 



"Captain B and myself concluded to make his grave 



ashore, at the base of a noble mountain bluff or headland, that 

 would stand forever as the monument of the deceased. But it 

 was soon found that not a stone could be moved. We then de- 

 cided to make his grave upon the ice, on the very spot where he 

 died, covering his form with the unspotted ice and snow that lay 

 in profusion around. This sad duty was performed with weeping 

 hearts. When all was completed, with reverential awe of the 

 Grod of the heavens and the earth, we bent over the grave of our 

 friend, and shed the tears of mourning, tempered with the hope 

 that ' now it is better with thy spirit !' 



"With slow steps we moved from this toward the dogs and 

 sledge, by which we were to travel for hours to our quarters. It 

 was half past five when we left the grave of John Brown. Our 

 team of twelve dogs made rapid progress some of the way, while 



