186 THE PARRY ISLANDS 



-to the west and north-west of these, being so called 

 after his other munificent patron. 



His farthest south was Beechey Island, his farthest 

 west Cape Isachsen in Ellef Ringnes Land, his farthest 

 north Lands Lokk in Grant Land, in latitude 81 40' 

 and longitude about 92, within sixty miles of Aldrich's 

 farthest along the north-eastern coast, the gap after- 

 wards traversed by Peary. Within these limits the 

 amount of coast detail filled in was remarkable. 

 Owing to the favourable condition of the ice and the 

 excellent management in all ways, the sledges fre- 

 quently did their fifteen miles and more a day. Though 

 the expedition lost its doctor during the first winter, 

 there was little trouble as regards health ; and game 

 was in plenty right up to the far north where Hare 

 Fiord tells of hares in hundreds. 



With hunting episodes the story is pleasantly varied, 

 one in particular being so graphically described by 

 Sverdrup that as a sample we may be forgiven a rather 

 long quotation. " The bear," says Sverdrup, " was 

 determined to go up a difficult stony valley a little 

 north of our tent, and, try as the dogs would to 

 prevent it, up the valley it went. Schei and I ran full 

 speed northward along the ice-foot, and soon heard 

 that the dogs had brought it to bay. We made a short 

 cut across some hills of grit, and, when we reached 

 the top of one of them, saw the bear on the other side 

 of the valley, sitting on a hill-top, which fell almost 

 sheer away. But on the north side it was accessible, 

 and here it was probably that the bear had climbed it. 

 There sat the king of the icefields enthroned on a kind 

 of pedestal, and the whole staff of yelping dogs stand- 



