1853.] RETURN OF MR. LONEY. 245 



a space of ten miles, that it is quite impossible to calcu- 

 late on the weather they may experience. They are all 

 sound men, and well attended, and will, I am satisfied, 

 do then- duty, especially my own crew. 



djjrilld. I cannot sufficiently express my satisfaction 

 when one of my own followers exhibits a pattern of smart 

 work. Under all the difficulties I anticipated, I find Mr. 

 Loney returned, and his work satisfactorily executed, two 

 days within the time. lie had deposited the cache eight 

 miles to the north-east of our furthest station of last 

 year, and had from thence a good view of an island seen 

 by me (as in nubibus) from Exmouth Island. I then (on 

 the 28th of August) directed Commander Richards to 

 look for it from his more advanced stations, but he was 

 prevented seeing it, owing to thick weather. 



The party experienced very severe cold, travelling 

 head to wind directly against heavy snow-drift, but with- 

 out a single casualty (my own well-tried sledge crew) ; 

 snow-blindness and trivial frost-bites (alias cold fingers) 

 being the only difficulties. 



The day after they quitted us, Mr. Loney, accompanied 

 by Mr. Allard, being somewhat ahead of the sledges 

 picking the way for the men, encountered a bear steer- 

 ing direct for them. At first they mistook him for a 

 dog, and, being unarmed, they reversed their engines, and 

 dropped upon the sledges, Mr. Bruin trotting up most 

 fearlessly to attack the party. However, his assurance 

 cost him his life, but not before he had struck his awful 

 fore-paw into the fore-shoulder of the leader of our 

 Cape York dogs, and literally torn it out, rendering it 

 necessary to put an end to his misery : he was the 



