Round About the North Pole

by W. J. Gordon

Richardson, with a few more or less threatening encounters with the Eskimos, ending fairly well owing to Ooligbuck, and in constant danger of wreck avoided by careful navigation, rounded Cape Bathurst in 70° 36´ and discovered Wollaston Land, the coast-line of which they left continuing to the east, when they reached Coronation Gulf and, on the 8th of August, entered the Coppermine, and thus filled in the gap of nine hundred and two statute miles from Point Separation. Leaving the Dolphin and Union at Bloody Fall on that river, it being impossible to take them further, the expedition, carrying the Walnut Shell with them, proceeded along the banks, but finding they had no use for the portable boat, owing to the shallowness of the stream, they soon abandoned it, and in 67° 13´, where the river is nearest to the north-eastern arm of Great Bear Lake, the Coppermine was left and the course laid across the Barren Grounds for Dease River. This was reached three days afterwards, Richardson being met at its mouth by Dease's people on the 24th of August.

Franklin had similar experiences with the Eskimos, and was as deeply indebted to Augustus for his tact and bravery in dealing with them. Coasting along to the westward, hindered by ice, bad weather and fog, and tormented by mosquitoes, his progress was much slower than that of Richardson. Delayed for some days on or about Foggy Island, he had to give up his intention of reaching Bering Strait, and not knowing that Elson with the barge of the Blossom had come as far east as Point Barrow, he gave the name of Cape Beechey to the westernmost headland in sight, and leaving Return Reef in 148° 52´ on the 18th of August, after covering six hundred and ten statute miles through parts not previously discovered, began his voyage back to Fort Franklin, where he arrived on the 21st of September. Meanwhile Richardson had gone off to explore the Great Slave Lake, whence Drummond had started on his journey among the Rockies; and, being unable to get away till another winter had passed, both Franklin and Richardson landed in England in September, 1827, after an important and fruitful expedition that had no death-roll.

Back was again in these regions in 1833 on his expedition in search of Sir John Ross. Reaching the Great Slave Lake, he built Fort Reliance at its north-eastern corner and began the long winter there on the 5th of November. Soon afterwards Akaitcho put in an appearance, and expressed his intention—which he did his best to fulfil—of being of as much assistance as he could; and later on Augustus made his way across country to offer his services, but, either exhausted by suffering and privation, or caught in a snowstorm, he died alone near the Rivière à Jean.

Temperatures ranging from 50 to 70 minus were of frequent occurrence, and, on one occasion Back, after washing his face within a yard of the fire, had his hair clotted with ice before he had time to dry it. Every animal was driven away from the neighbourhood by the cold, except a solitary raven which swept once round the house and then winged his flight to the westward. On the 25th of April a messenger arrived at the fort with the news of the safe return of Sir John Ross to England, but Back determined to proceed with the journey for exploring purposes, taking one boat instead of two, and, with Richard King the surgeon, and eight men, he started for the Great Fish River on the 8th of July.

BACK'S JOURNEY DOWN THE GREAT FISH RIVER

The voyage was a hazardous and adventurous one. For five hundred and thirty geographical miles the river was found to run through an iron-ribbed country without a single tree on the whole line of its banks, expanding into fine large lakes with clear horizons, most embarrassing to the navigator, and broken into falls, cascades, and rapids, to the number of no less than eighty-three, pouring its waters into the Polar Sea in latitude 67° 11´ and longitude 94° 30´; so that his explorations on the northern coast were confined to a section further east than Point Turnagain.

The expedition met with its greatest danger at Escape Rapid, between Lake Macdougall and Lake Franklin, on the 25th of July. Here the stream was broken by a mile of heavy and dangerous rapids. The boat was lightened, and every care taken to avoid accident; but so overwhelming was the rush and whirl of the water, that she, and consequently those in her, were twice in imminent peril of being plunged into one of the gulfs formed in the rocks and hollows. It was in one of these places, which are fall, rapid, and eddy within a few yards, that the boat owed its safety to an unintentional disobedience of the steersman's directions.

The power of the water so far exceeded whatever had been witnessed on any of the other rivers that the precautions used elsewhere were weak and unavailing. McKay, the steersman, was endeavouring to clear a fall and some sunken rocks on the left, but the man to whom he spoke misunderstood him, and did exactly the reverse; and then, seeing the danger, the steersman swept the stern round; instantly the boat was caught by an eddy to the right, which, snapping an oar, twirled her irresistibly broadside on; so that for a moment it seemed uncertain whether the boat was to be hurled into the hollow of the fall, or dashed stern foremost on the sunken rocks. Of how it happened no account can be given, but her head swung inshore towards the beach and thereby gave an opportunity for some of the men to spring into the water and by their united strength rescue her from her perilous position. Had the man to whom the first order was given understood and acted on it no human power could have saved the crew from being buried in the abyss. Nor yet could any blame be justly attached to the steersman, who had never been so situated before and whose coolness and self-possession never in this imminent peril forsook him. At the awful moment of suspense, when one of the crew with less nerve than his companions began to cry aloud to Heaven for aid, McKay in a still louder voice exclaimed, "Is this a time for praying? Pull your starboard oar." Never could a reminder that laborare est orare have been more opportune.