Dr. John Rae, the
veteran of Franklin search parties, writes to the author in the
following words: "As my name is mentioned in connection with the
subject of cannibalism, I must state that when I came home in 1854 I
felt bound to report in as condensed a form as possible all the
information given us by the Esquimaux, including the most painful part.
I would have felt it my duty to do this even had my dearest friends
been among the lost ones, for had I withheld any part of the sad story,
it would have come to light through my men, and I should have been
accused, with some show of justice, of garbling my report. I consider
it no reproach, when suffering the agony to which extreme hunger
subjects some men, for them to do what the Esquimaux tell us was done.
Men so placed are no more responsible for their actions than a madman
who commits a great crime. Thank God, when starving for days, and
compelled to eat bits of skin, the bones of ptarmigan up to the beak
and down to the toe-nails, I felt no painful craving; but I have seen
men who suffered so much that I believe they would have eaten any kind
of food, however repulsive."
On the other hand, Sir George Richards shows strong reasons why the
Esquimaux should not be believed. "They are said to give as their
reasons," he writes, "that some of the limbs were removed as if by a
saw.
Pages:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25