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(10
1861 + [[Sunday]] Mar 17

in wh. the harbor of the vessel lay.  It is true that now & then his tracks led in a direction that indicated [[underlined]] doubt. [[/underlined]]  But mainly otherwise.  When John Brown first made "Rescue" Bay, passing from the land over wh. he had come from Frobisher Bay, it must have been IX O'Clock last night.  He could have been but a little in advance of the sledge party he had left over in Frobisher Bay.  Therefore it was not by day-light he was struggling to reach the vessel.  Not being used to travelling alone or familiar with the route, & it being by night he was travelling, no wonder his deviations as indicated to us up to the hour I have named, to wit:  XI O'Clock AM.  But at this hour I exclaimed 'See - see - he who made those tracks was lost!'  They were torturuous - zig-zag, circular - this way & that - [[underlined]] every way but the Right! [[/underlined]]

At length "John" assumed a course S.S.W. leading him obliquely to the reverse side of the Bay from the vessels'.  How our hearts ached at this!  Making finally a large circular sweep, having perhaps seen the dark, black buttress like mountains before him, wh. he must have known were not on the side of the Bay he wished to make, he then took a S.S. East course, wh. ws the proper one, had he not been making the Southing he had.  But this was not long followed - another & another bend in his steps, all leading him

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(11
1861 + [[Sunday]] Mar 17

out of the way.

I here state that in following the torturous tracks leading S. Westerly Sam Wilson & Morgan continued a direct course S.E.  Soon the alarm was raised that Sam & Morgan had sighted the object of our search.  We looked in that direction & [[strikethrough]] saw, indeed, reason to think [[/strikethrough]] concluded they had;  for they were under a full run.  A piece of dark colored ice raised up from the main, however has proved a deception to them.

On - On - We followed the steps of the lost - for miles, leading generally S.E. (true)

Some distance ahead of me & William Johnston, were Morgan Sam Wilson & "Fluker".  I felt acting the judicous part, & therefore kept up a rapid walk - a gait that I felt I could sustain for hours.  Occasionally I cast my eyes back.  Groups were still following after, some of them far behind.  At 12 O'Clock (M) I was pained to see that all in our rear had become exhausted, & were directing their steps toward the vessel.  Out of 20 men in all, who left the ship for search but five of us now continued.

I must confess that the race of the Morning had dreadfully exhausted my strength.  Nothing but the hope of seeing human life could have induced me to take another step at XII.  By occasional rests of myself & companion, we became [[underlined]] re-strengthened. [[/underlined]]  By this prudence & that of avoiding further over-exertion by running, we found that we were fast gaining upon the Three ahead of  us.

Thirst - burning thirst continually harrassed me.