174 HOBSON'S PARTY STARTS. Chap. XL 



more laborious mode, of sledging; accordingly to-day our 

 dogs carried out to it two sledge-loads of the provisions 

 intended for the use of our parties hereafter. 



22nd. — All the provisions have now been carried out to 

 the nearest island, which I shall temporarily name Separa- 

 tion? as there our spring parties will divide ; and a portion 

 intended for Hobson's party and my own has been carried 

 on to the next island 7 or 8 miles farther. Our travelling 

 boat and a small reserve depot have been placed upon 

 Pemmican Rock, so already something has been done. 

 Animal life is very scarce ; a few seals, an occasional gull, 

 and three brown falcons, are the only creatures we have 

 seen for several days past. Last evening at eight o'clock 

 a very vivid flash of lightning was observed ; its appearance 

 in these latitudes is very rare ; once only have I seen it 

 before — in September, 1850. 



25///, Saturday night. — Furious gales from N. and S.W., 

 but our barrier of coast ice remains undiminished. This 

 morning Hobson set off upon a journey of fourteen or 

 fifteen days' duration, with seven men and fourteen dogs ; 

 he is to advance the depots along shore to the south, 

 and, if successful, will reach latitude 71 . 



The temperature is mild (+17°), but it is snowy and 

 disagreeable weather ; there is already enough snow upon 

 the old ice to make walking laborious, and the land has 

 also assumed its wintry complexion. 



28///. — -The ship was kept available for prosecuting her 

 voyage up to the latest hour ; it was only yesterday that we 

 left the western ice, and in consequence of the vast accu- 

 mulation of young ice in Bellot Strait we had considerable 

 difficulty in reaching the entrance of Port Kennedy : all 

 within was so firmly frozen over that after three hours' 



1 Subsequently named after my excellent friend A. Arcedeckne, Esq., 

 commodore of the Royal London Yacht Club. 



