the snow, to pitch the tents for the night, some Iceland moss was found, and boiled for supper. This weed, however, not having been soaked, proved so bitter, that few of the party could eat it. On the 21st, just before noon, the sun beamed through the haze for the first time for six days, and an observation was obtained in lat. 65° 7' 6" N. By this the officers discovered that they had kept to the eastward of the proper course, which may be attributed partly to the difficulty of preserving a straight line through an unknown country, unassisted by celestial observations, and in such thick weather that their view was often limited to a few hundred yards; but chiefly, to their total ignorance of the amount of the variation of the compass. On the 23d, the canoe, which had already been much injured by repeated falls, was wilfully broken, and no arguments were sufficient to prevail on the Canadians to carry it any farther; the officers being of a less robust habit, and less accustomed to privations, their strength was inadequate to the task. They had now been a whole day upon the borders of an extensive lake, and the appearance of some dwarf pines and willows, larger than usual, induced them to suppose that the Copper-mine river was near. On the following day, they were drenched with rain, and reduced to the necessity of eating their old shoes; but the next morning they succeeded in killing five small deer, which unexpected supply reanimated the drooping spirits of the men, and filled every heart with gratitude. Never was the bounty of Providence more seasonably manifested.
“The voyagers,” says Captain Franklin, “instantly petitioned for a day’s rest, which we were most reluctant to grant, being aware of the importance of every moment at this critical period of our journey. But they so earnestly and strongly pleaded their recent sufferings, and their conviction that the quiet enjoyment of two substantial meals, after eight days’ famine, would enable them to proceed next day more vigorously, that we could not resist their entreaties. We all suffered much inconvenience from eating animal food after our long abstinence, but particularly those men who indulged themselves beyond moderation. The Canadians, with their usual thoughtlessness, had consumed above a third of their portions that evening.”
On the 26th, the expedition reached the Copper-mine
