the
expedition, all England became extremely anxious concerning the safety
of the explorers. The British Government then sent out two vessels to
seek Franklin, but no trace of the missing commander or his men was
found.

The government then redoubled its exertions, supplemented by private
parties, and in 1850 no less than twelve vessels were vigorously
searching the arctic lands and waters for their lost brothers. Lady
Franklin spent her fortune in endeavoring to find trace of her noble
husband.

The heart of humanity was touched with the deepest sympathy and moved by
the noblest motives. The United States Government, aided also by private
citizens, fitted out vessels to continue the search. At one time ten of
the searching vessels met in the Arctic. The results of these
expeditions were meagre in securing trace of the lost ones, but they
greatly enriched our knowledge of northern lands and seas.

Not until five years after the _Erebus_ and _Terror_ left England was
trace of the explorers found. Near the head of Franklin Strait, off the
shore of King William Land, evidence of an encampment of some of the men
was discovered, and at Beechey Island, near by, carpenters' tools, empty
meat cans, and the graves of three of the men threw more light on the
mystery of the ill-starred expedition. A few years later, at Victory
Point, Lieutenant Hobson found a record of the death of Franklin, the
date being July 11, 1847.

Charles F. Hall, a native of New Hampshire, but long a resident of Ohio,
who had been a reader of arctic literature, became deeply interested in
the search for Sir John Franklin. Obtaining financial aid from different
sources, he made four voyages to the arctic, the first being devoted to
searching for Franklin's men and in solving the mystery of their
disappearance. His third voyage was the most fruitful one in securing
results. Hall believed that the Eskimos knew more about the lost
explorers than they were willing to tell, and that if he could but gain
their confidence he could extract from them the story. In furtherance of
his plan, he resolved on his third voyage to live with them several
years. In 1864 he started on this voyage north. On his arrival in the
arctic he sought out the natives and made himself one of them, adopting
their mode of life and food.

He spent five years living and travelling with them. Having won them
over, he obtained the story of the ill-fated explorers. He learned that
one o