Sufficient power to move the raft in
opposition to a strong breeze which blew from the other side. All the men
suffered extremely from the coldness of the water in which they were
necessarily immersed up to the waists in their endeavours to aid Belanger
and Benoit and, having witnessed repeated 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 with a 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
distance from the bank his arms became benumbed with cold and he lost the
power of moving them; still he persevered and, turning on his back, had
nearly gained the opposite bank when his legs also became powerless 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 fortunately was just able to speak
sufficiently to give some slight directions respecting the manner of
treating him. He recovered strength gradually and through 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 great heat. He did not
perfectly recover the sensation of that side until the following summer.
I cannot describe what everyone felt at beholding the skeleton which the
Doctor's debilitated frame exhibited. When he stripped the Canadians
simultaneously exclaimed "Ah! que nous sommes maigres!" I shall best
explain his state and that of the party by the following extract from his
journal: "It may be worthy of remark that I should have had little
hesitation in any former period of my life at plunging into water even
below 38 degrees Fahrenheit, but at this time I was reduced almost to
skin and bone and, like the rest of the party, suffered from degrees of
cold that would have been disregarded in health and vigour. During the
whole of our march we experienced that no quantity of clothing would keep
us warm whilst we fasted, but on those occasions on which we were enabled
to go to bed with full stomachs we passed the night in a warm and
comfortable manner."
In following the detail of our friend's narrow escape I have omitted to
mention that when he was about to step into the water he put his foot on
a dagger which cut him to the bone, but this misfortune could not stop
him from attempting the execution of his generous undertaking.
In the evening Augustus came in. He had walked a day and a half beyond
the place from whence we turned back but had neither seen Junius nor Mr.
Back. Of the former he had seen no traces but he had followed the tracks
of Mr. Back's party for a considerable distance until the hardness of the
ground rendered them imperceptible. Junius was well equipped with
ammunition, blankets, knives, a kettle, and other necessaries; and it was
the opinion of Augustus that when he found he could not rejoin the party
he would endeavour to gain the woods on the west end of Point Lake and
follow the river until he fell in with the Esquimaux who frequent its
mouth. The Indians too with whom we have since conversed upon this
subject are confident that he would be able to subsist himself during the
winter. Credit on his hunting excursion today found a cap which our
people recognised to belong to one of the hunters who had left us in the
spring. This circumstance produced the conviction of our being on the
banks of the Copper-Mine River which all the assertions of the officers
had hitherto failed in effecting with some of the party, and it had the
happy consequence of reviving their spirits considerably. We consumed the
last of our deer's meat this evening at supper.
Next morning the men went out in search of dry willows and collected
eight large fagots with which they formed a more buoyant raft than the
former but, the wind being still adverse and strong, they delayed
attempting to cross until a more favourable opportunity. Pleased however
with the appearance of this raft they collected some tripe de roche and
made a cheerful supper. Dr. Richardson was gaining strength but his leg
was much swelled and very painful. An observation for latitude placed the
encampment in 65 degrees 00 minutes 00 seconds North, the longitude being
112 degrees 20 minutes 00 seconds West, deduced from the last
observation.
On the morning of the 1st of October the wind was strong and the weather
as unfavourable as before for crossing on the raft. We were rejoiced to
see Mr. Back and his party in the afternoon. They had traced the lake
about fifteen miles farther than we did and found it undoubtedly
connected, as we had supposed, with the lake we fell in with on the 22nd
of September and, dreading as we had done, the idea of coasting its
barren shores, they returned to make an attempt at crossing here. St.
Germain now proposed to make a canoe of the fragments of painted canvas
in which we wrapped our bedding. This scheme appearing practicable, a
party was sent to our encampment of the 24th and 25th last to collect
pitch amongst the small pines that grew there to pay over the seams of
the canoe.
