Life and Death in a Harsh Land.

Pepper and cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves; it was the exotic spices of tropical Asia that led to the European exploration of the Arctic

Spices from the Orient had been at the core of world trade since long before Christianity. By the 13th century, merchants from Venice controlled the overland trade in spices. The Venetians were the princes of price gouging; their spices were so expensive that the Spanish, Portuguese and others set out to find other ways of getting the highly prized commodities. Perhaps, there was a short sea route to the Orient.

Vasco da Gama went east and reached India; but, of course, he had to sail all around Africa to get there. Christopher Columbus went west and, after only five weeks sailing, thought he d found Asia. Later, he learned there were two huge continents blocking the route to Asia.

More explorers started looking for a shortcut around the Americas. The Dutch navigator Willem Schouten found a southern route in 1616, but it was no shortcut. It meant sailing around Cape Horn in the world's stormiest and most treacherous water.

As far back as 1490, John Cabot had looked for a Northwest Passage to the Orient. Many others followed, with Sir John Franklin among the best known.

Sir John was no newcomer to the Arctic. He was already a veteran of two Arctic expeditions when he sailed from England in 1845 to search out a Northwest Passage. Britain's Royal Navy equipped Franklin with two ships, the Erebus and the Terror, and a crew of 134. They had the latest inventions of the age to help conquer the ice - steam heat and canned food. They also had a few things they didn't need, such as fine crystal goblets, bone china, and a grand piano.

In late July 1845, the crew of a whaling ship spotted the Erebus and the Terror in Davis Strait; they were never seen again. By the summer of 1847, it was clear something had gone wrong. The Royal Navy launched several rescue missions but found nothing. Then, they had to send out rescue missions to rescue the rescuers. Lady Franklin mounted five rescue attempts. Eventually, the Royal Navy gave up, but, in the process of looking for Sir John Franklin, its navigators mapped huge areas of the Arctic. They also found a Northwest Passage; but, as it was frozen for most of the year, it was no use as a shortcut to the Orient.

Dr. John Rue finally learned the details of the fate of Franklin and his men. Rue was a remarkable explorer who learned how to survive in the Arctic from the people who lived there - the Inuit. In 1854, an Inuit hunter told him of a large group of kabloonas, white men, struggling across the ice. Eventually, the Franklin mystery was pieced together. Their first winter was spent on Beechy Island where several of the crew died, probably from lead poisoning from improperly canned food. The next winter they were locked in ice west of King William Island when their food ran out. The 105 survivors tried to reach the mainland on foot, with the hope of shooting caribou for food

None of them made it.

The men of the Franklin expedition tried to conquer the Arctic; but, the Arctic conquered them.

If they had left the grand piano behind and carried more food, they might have survived.

If they had worn furs and skins instead of cotton and wool, they might have survived.

If, like John Rue, they had sought the advice of the Inuit, they might have survived.

Because the Native people knew then, as they know now, that you can't conquer the Arctic. You can live there, but only on [NO CONTINUATION IN ORIGINAL TEXT]