CHAPTER V 



SHERIDAN TO THE BIG LEAD 



ON FEBRUARY 19th, Captain Bartlett left finally 

 for Cape Hecla. Marvin and party followed 

 the next day, Dr. Wolf and his party the next, and I 

 two days later. 



When I left the Roosevelt there was a lead of open 

 water extending from Cape Joseph Henry past Capes 

 Sheridan and Rawson, The northern part of Robeson 

 Channel was open. There was open water along the 

 Greenland coast as far as the Black Horn Cliffs and 

 apparently to Cape Bryant, with numerous pools and 

 leads in the sweep from Cape Henry to Cape Bryant. 



Three marches brought me to Cape Hecla, where 

 the entire outfit was assembled. Our encampment 

 comprised Captain Bartlett, Dr. Wolf, Marvin, Henson, 

 Clark and Ryan, myself and twenty-one Eskimos, 

 with 120 dogs^the personnel for one main and five 

 or six division parties, which according to my pro- 

 gramme I hoped would be able to advance supplies 

 and maintain communication to a base as high 

 as Abruzzi's "Farthest" for my final point of 

 departure. 



Point Moss, some twenty miles west of Cape Hecla, 

 was determined upon as our point of departure from 

 the land. Two days were spent at Cape Hecla resting 

 the dogs, repairing sledges, harnesses and equipment, 



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