May Elwe
DESPERATE COMBAT BETWEEN DOGS AND A POLAR BEAR. (125) Y around, as also meat canisters, were the of King William Land. Her people went traces discovered at Cape Riley. A little away to the great river, where they all distance on, a place was found where the died of starvation, and their bodies were party had encamped, and this was un- found the next year. It was impossible doubtedly the first winter quarters of to obtain any information respecting the Sir John Franklin. The objects here dis- number of white men, or the length of covered were a number of empty meat time since they left the ship. One day tins, the embankment of a house, with McClintock came upon a village of Esquiworking places for carpenters, and other maux, from whom he learned that when. articles of a large establishment, and, the white people marched toward the finally, the graves of three men belong- great river many of them "dropped by ing to the Erebus and Terror, which bore the way," and their bodies were found date of the winter of 1845 and 1846. the next winter. Further on, on the island, there were the remains of a garden and various articles of apparel lying about.
Lady Franklin's Expedition.
Finding a Skeleton.
The first trace of the long-lost crew was found near Cape Herschel. It was a A little later Lieut. De Haven visited bleached skeleton, lying at full length on this same locality, and confirmed the the beach; fragments of European clothstatements made as to finding the relics. ing, a pocket-book and a few letters were picked up about it. The next day the Lady Franklin, who was the second party came across a ship fitted to a sledge wife of Sir John, exhausted every effort and apparently prepared for navigating to obtain some intelligence of the fate of the river. In it were two skeletons, two her distinguished husband. She came to loaded guns and various other relics, America, and for some time was a con- including Sir John's silver plate, besides spicuous figure amongst our most intelli- fuel, ammunition, chocolate, tea and gent and worthy people, who sympathized tobacco. Its head was turned towards with her in her great anxiety to ascertain the abandoned ship from which it was the fate of the lost. In 1857 she resolved distant about sixty-five miles. to send out a vessel at her own expense A record was also found, which had for a fresh search, and offered the com- been left here five days before by one of mand to Capt. Francis McClintock, who McClintock's officers, who had gone had served with distinction in the Arctic ahead, showing that he had made still expedition with Sir James Ross. The more interesting discoveries. Near Cape screw steamer Fox, of only 177 tons, Felix, the north point of the Island, he formerly the pleasure yacht of Sir found a ruined cairn, three tents and Richard Sutton, was purchased, refitted other traces of Franklin's party; two and equipped with a crew of twenty-four smaller cairns were afterward examined. volunteers. The little. vessel left Aber- Lying among some stones which had deen, Scotland, on the Ist of July. fallen from the top of one of the structures, was a tin case, enclosing a record, the first authentic account ever obtained of the history of the last expedition.
Early the next spring, McClintock met a party of Esquimaux near Cape Victoria, and learned from them that several years before a ship had been crushed in the Vast quantities of clothing and other ice and sunk in deep water off the shore articles were found here. Meeting no {