2io DR. WALKER'S SLEDGE JOURNEY. Chap. XIII. 



CHAPTER XIII. 



Dr. Walker's sledge journey — Snow-blindness attacks Young's party 

 Departure of all sledge-parties — Equipment of sledge-parties — 

 Meet the same party of natives — Intelligence of the second ship — 

 My depot robbed — Part company from Hobson — Matty Island — 

 Deserted snow-huts — Native sledges — Land on King William's 

 Land. 



Doctor Walker's zeal for travelling was not to be re- 

 strained ; I therefore gladly availed myself of his willingness 

 to go with a party to Cape Airey and bring back the depot 

 of provisions left there in August last. These trips will 

 delay our spring journeys for a few days. 



During my absence from the ' Fox ' the weather was often 

 stormy, and temperature unusually low; the mean for the 

 month of February was — 36 , showing it to be one of the 

 coldest on record. When possible the men were allowed to 

 go out shooting, and obtained fifty or sixty ptarmigan and a 

 hare ; a few foxes were taken in traps, and two reindeer 

 were seen. 



Yesterday two bears came near the ship, but were 

 frightened away by the dogs. Hobson shot three ptarmigan. 

 To-day I rambled over the hills, the weather being fine, and 

 saw a hare. 



29///. — Continued fine weather. A couple more foxes 

 and a lemming in its brown (or summer) coat have been 

 captured, and a hare and four ptarmigan shot. This fine 

 bright weather seems to have awakened the lemmings and 

 ermines ; their tracks, which were very rarely seen during 



