BACK’S TWO JOURNEYS
The prolonged absence of Ross and his party naturally gave their
friends at home cause for the keenest anxiety. Many, believing it to
be impossible for any Englishman to survive four consecutive winters
in the inhospitable Arctic regions, gave them up for dead. There were
others, however, who, knowing of the abundance of supplies on Fury
Beach, entertained a hope that they might still be alive, and among
these was Mr George Ross, a near relative of the commander of the
_Victory_.
Mr Ross felt that, if it were possible to find a man who would be
prepared to lead an expedition through Northern America, and thence
to Fury Beach, the crew of the _Victory_ might be rescued, or, at
any rate, some definite information might be obtained concerning
their fate. Such a man was forthcoming in Captain George Back, the
companion of Franklin, both on the _Trent_ and on his two land
expeditions. It was in June 1832 that Back first heard of the
projected expedition, and he promptly offered his services, which
were as promptly accepted. So much interest did the Government take
in the enterprise that they contributed largely towards its expenses,
the rest of the necessary funds being easily obtained by public and
private subscription.
In the meanwhile, the Hudson’s Bay Company was not slow to display
its sympathy. Its agents were informed that an expedition was likely
to set out in the following spring, and were ordered to make the way
easy for it, while two boats, two canoes and 120 bags of pemmican
were placed at the disposal of Back, who was also empowered to levy
contributions of provisions and stores at any of the Company’s
stations.
The plan of campaign was to be as follows. After spending the winter
of 1833-34 at the Great Bear Lake, the expedition was to attempt the
navigation of the great and hitherto unexplored river which had its
source slightly to the east. This river was known to the Indians
by the tongue-twisting name of Thlew-ee-chon-desseth, which, being
translated, merely means the Great Fish River. Nothing definite was
known concerning it, but it was believed to flow either into the
eastern extremity of the Polar Sea or into Prince Regent’s Inlet
itself. Thence it would only be a matter of 300 miles to Fury Beach,
where, it was well known, Ross intended to call for supplies. It will
be seen that this expedition was to open up entirely new ground, and
it was hoped that Back, who was to be accompanied by Mr Richard King,
a naturalist of repute, and eighteen men, would make some valuable
scientific discoveries.
The Great Slave Lake was reached without misadventure, and as the
season was still early, Back determined to set out on a preliminary
expedition in search of the source of the Great Fish River, which
had never yet been properly located. He found that his task was
by no means light, for his way lay through a chain of rivers and
lakes, involving countless portages, while, to add to his troubles,
his interpreter fell ill and two of his Indian companions deserted.
However, on August 31 he succeeded in reaching the river for which
he was searching, and, though the season was now too late to admit
of extended exploration, he was able to find out what build of boat
would be necessary for the descent in the following year. This done,
he made his way back to the spot on the Great Slave Lake which had
been selected for the party’s winter quarters.
Here he found that the construction of their quarters was proceeding
apace. The framework of the house was already up, a fishery had been
established which was yielding a plentiful supply of food, while
Indians were already beginning to flock to Fort Reliance, as Back had
named his winter quarters. The Indians of that country, it should be
said, had an innate objection to being burdened with the sick and
aged members of their tribe, and were in the habit of entrusting them
to the care of the nearest white man, a species of dumping against
which it was impossible to take any protective measures. Consequently
Back soon found himself with a number of helpless dependants upon his
hands, who were all the less welcome because the fishery, as time
went on, did not prove an unalloyed success and the supply of food
ran rather low.
The latter misfortune was attributed by the natives simply and solely
to the evil machinations of a stone observatory which the explorers
erected at the Fort. The use of the astronomical instruments which it
contained was totally beyond their comprehension, and in consequence
they adopted what seemed to their untutored minds to be the only
rational explanation, namely that they were in some way connected
with witchcraft. This opinion was strengthened by the evidence of two
Canadian voyagers, who, having chanced to peep into the observatory
at the moment when Back and King were taking the dip of the magnetic
needle, instantly told their companions that they had caught the
white chief in the very act of raising the devil.
More than once during the winter the food supply was in danger
of failing. The party, however, was preserved from starvation by
Akaitcho, the old Coppermine chief, who put in a timely appearance
with a supply of fresh meat. Still the distress at the Fort was often
very serious, for not only was food scarce, but the winter was one
of the coldest on record. The thermometer often stood at 70° below
zero, while some idea of the difficulties attending ablution may be
gathered from the fact that, on one occasion, when Back was obliged
to wash his face at a distance of three feet from the fire, his hair
was clothed with ice before he had time to dry it.
Towards the end of April a messenger arrived at the Fort with news
that materially altered Back’s plans, for he brought with him
extracts from the _Times_ which told of the safe return of Ross
and his party. However, there was still his work of exploration to
be carried out, so at the end of June he started off for the Great
Fish River, whither carpenters had already been sent to build boats
suitable for the voyage to the sea.
The descent of the river actually began on June 27, and was one
of the most exciting trips on record. The stream was constantly
interrupted by rapids, falls, and rocks, and had not Back been
provided with a bowman and a steersman of exceptional nerve and
dexterity in Sinclair, a half-breed, and M’Kay, a Highlander,
calamity would have overtaken his party before it was very far on its
way.
A characteristic story is told of M’Kay which well deserves
quotation. At a peculiarly crucial moment, when the boat was being
swirled down one of the most dangerous rapids that the expedition had
had to negotiate, an oar broke, and the boat and its occupants were
within an ace of being hurled incontinently down an appalling fall.
The situation proved altogether too much for one member of the crew,
who began to cry aloud for Divine assistance. He was interrupted,
however, by M’Kay, who yelled at him in a voice which carried even
above the roar of the water, “Is this a time for praying? Pull your
starboard oar!”
After a most perilous voyage, during which they covered 530 miles and
negotiated no fewer than eighty-three falls, rapids, and cascades,
Back and his party reached the mouth of the Great Fish River at the
end of July. His hopes of being able to penetrate westward as far as
Cape Turnagain were, however, doomed to disappointment, for the shore
was so encumbered with ice that navigation was out of the question.
After waiting for a few days in the hope that the sea would clear
he determined to return home, so, after giving the name of King
William Land to the big island which lay opposite the mouth of the
river, he started on the homeward journey on August 21, reaching his
destination on September 17, and in the following year he returned to
England. It should be added that, in honour of this voyage, the name
of the river was changed to that of Back River.
Back was not destined to remain idle for long, for in 1836 he was
despatched by the Government to find a passage from Prince Regent’s
Inlet into the Polar Sea, if such a passage existed. According to
his instructions he was to make for Wager Inlet or Repulse Bay in
the _Terror_, which had been specially fitted out for the voyage,
and was manned by a splendid company, including Robert M’Clure, the
future discoverer of the North-West Passage, and Graham Gore, one of
Franklin’s companions on his last and fatal expedition. There he was
to spend the winter, and in the following year he was to cross the
isthmus joining Melville Peninsula to the mainland and pursue his way
towards Cape Turnagain.
Unfortunately he was not destined even to reach the scene of
operations. Before she had made Southampton Island the _Terror_
was caught in the pack, and all her captain’s efforts to set her
free again were unavailing. From this time onwards the situation
of the crew was one of perpetual peril. Northerly winds swept the
ice down upon her with terrific force, and, had she not been of an
exceptionally strong build, she must have been crushed to pieces. As
it was, her bolts started and her timbers cracked, till it was found
necessary to hold her together with chains passed under her keel.
[Illustration: THE DISRUPTION OF THE ICE ROUND THE “TERROR”
FROM A DRAWING BY CAPT. SMYTH]
As the winter wore on matters became worse, for not only did the
danger from the ice show no signs of diminishing, but scurvy broke
out, and several men died of that terrible disease. For long and
weary months the crew lived under the very shadow of death, and it
was not until the beginning of May, by which time the _Terror_ had
drifted to the mouth of Hudson’s Strait, that they dared to entertain
any hopes of ultimate deliverance. At last, however, the ice broke
away from the ship’s sides, and she was afloat once more, but in so
terribly crazy a condition that she was by no means fit for a voyage
across the Atlantic. However chain cables were passed under her and
made fast to ringbolts on the quarter deck, and, thus patched up,
she accomplished the journey in safety, reaching British waters on
September 3.