1853.] DEPARTURE OF MR. ALLARD. 267 



bus no doubt did to his friends, " Master ! (Mr. Loney,) 

 I have it." " What, Sir ?" " The key of Jones's Sound." 

 Such it proved. A snore, and ah 1 again was silence. I 

 continued measuring base, taking angles, etc., to deter- 

 mine the importance of Cape Disraeli as to height, etc., 

 which resulted in eight hundred and forty feet ; but sleep 

 I found impracticable. 



About six P.M. the sledges were packed ; Mr. Allard 

 received his instructions to a particular day, then very 

 doubtful (and not intended), when we were to meet 

 again at Princess Royal Island : under the customary 

 cheers, with banners displayed, we parted on opposite 

 courses. 



Our journey, through a dense and almost impracti- 

 cable pack, became very difficult, rendering it necessary 

 to double-man our sledges by spells, and eventually we 

 emerged on the comparative smooth floe, having accom- 

 plished about half a mile in four hours. At midnight 

 the temperature fell to 5. Our wolf deserted us, re- 

 turning, I believe, with Mr. Allard, who took away three 

 dogs : a she-bear and cub, worried by a wolf, were no- 

 ticed at a great distance, and avoided us. 



The morning of the 15th was brilliant ; we encamped 

 at seven A.M., after a laborious day. All the distant 

 land was enveloped in haze, and previous excitement, 

 added to some degree of fatigue, had induced me to 

 sleep, so that I got up too late to catch the sun at noon : 

 I was however very content to enjoy alone and undis- 

 turbed the scenery which about that moment became 

 unveiled, and, aided by sun and several of my well-fixed 

 landmarks, I was enabled to prune the coast-line of any 



