re and there a few
splinters of native {64} copper were seen. One piece alone, weighing
some four pounds, offered a slight reward for their quest. This Hearne
carried away with him, convinced now that the mountain of copper and
the inexhaustible wealth of the district were mere fictions created by
the cupidity of the savages or by the natural mystery surrounding a
region so grim and inaccessible as the rocky gorge by which the
Coppermine rushes to the cold seas of the north.

After Hearne's visit no explorer reached the lower waters of the
Coppermine till Captain (afterwards Sir John) Franklin made his
memorable and marvellous overland journey of 1821. Since Franklin's
time the region has been crossed only two or three times by explorers.
They agree in stating that loose copper and copper ore are freely
found. But it does not seem that, since 1771, any white man has ever
looked upon the valley of the great boulders which the Indians
described to Hearne as containing a fabulous wealth of copper. The
solitary piece of metal which he brought home is still preserved by the
Hudson's Bay Company.

There is no need to follow in detail the long journey which Hearne had
to take in order to {65} return to the fort. The march lasted nearly a
year, during which he was exposed to the same hardship, famine and
danger as on his way to the sea. The route followed on the return was
different. The party ascended the valley of the Coppermine as far as
Point Lake, a considerable body of water visited later by Franklin, and
distant one hundred and sixty miles from the sea. This was reached on
September 3, 1771. Four months were spent in travelling almost
directly south. They passed over a rugged country of stone and marsh,
buried deep in snow, with here and there a clump of stunted pine or
straggling willow. Bitter weather with great gales and deep snow set
in in October. Snow-shoes and sledges were made. Many small lakes and
rivers, now fast frozen, were traversed, but the whole country is still
so little known that Hearne's path can hardly be traced with certainty.
By the middle of November the clumps of trees thickened into the
northern edge of the great forest. The way now became easier. They
had better shelter from the wind, and firewood was abundant. For food
the party carried dried meat from Point Lake, and as they passed into
the thicker woods they were fortunate enough to find a few rabbits and
wood partridges.