300 THE PROSPECT. 



complished the task in less than one, and everybody 

 seemed ambitious of doing the work in the shortest 

 possible space of time. 



The traveling to-day has been very fair for the dog- 

 sledges, but very bad for the boat. It runs easily 

 enough on the smooth surface, but dragging its lono* 

 length over a snow-drift even four feet deep, or, worse 

 still, over hummocks even half as high, is a trouble- 

 some task ; and we have crossed many strips of rough 

 ice to-day which could not be passed until we had 

 broken a track. In consequence of this we were 

 obliged to leave some of the load behind, especially 

 as I wished to reach Cairn Point before camping. 

 Knorr and Jensen had already cached one of their 

 cargoes of March at Cape Hatherton, and this was 

 left with it. It will cost us a day's labor to bring 

 it up. 



The difficulties in transporting the boat among the 

 hummocks, and the very light load which either the 

 men or dogs can carry over the broken ice, as shown 

 by this day's experience, convince me that the boat 

 and cargo can hardly be transported to the west coast 

 at one journey ; and I have therefore concluded to 

 leave the boat here for the present, at least until the 

 track is further explored, and set out with the two 

 dog-sledges and a foot party dragging the other 

 sledge, laden with such stores as they can carry, for 

 a depot on Grinnell Land. I can at any time send 

 the party back for the boat ; and if it should turn out 

 that the boat cannot be got across the Sound, then I 

 shall, in any event, have a depot of supplies for my 

 explorations over the ice with the dog-sledges, before 

 the thaw of June and July shall have put an end to 

 that species of traveling. 



