1 64 NEAREST THE POLE 



The two hunters joined us at the place designated 

 for camp, and reported seeing no recent traces of musk- 

 oxen. They had seen two hare but these were too 

 wild for them to obtain a shot. So sure did I feel 

 that there must be musk-oxen somewhere in the region 

 Bbout Hand and Frankford Bays that after we had 

 had our tea I started two other men off with rifles, 

 cartridges, matches, and a little oil, and an empty oil- 

 tin for melting water, to work round the heads of 

 these bays and join us at a place just east of the Black 

 Horn cliffs some time during our stay there at the end 

 of the next march. This gave them about twenty- 

 four hours. Our stay at this camp and our march from 

 here to the eastern end of the Black Horn cliffs was 

 rendered disagreeable by a bitter and penetrating 

 gale from the west accompanied by snow. The men 

 rejoined us at this camp having been entirely un- 

 successful, and feeling much disheartened that they 

 had not even seen traces of musk-oxen, so we all went 

 back to our diet of dog. I could not understand the 

 present absence of musk-oxen in this region as it is a 

 very considerable area connecting with the rolling 

 country in the neighbourhood of St. George's and 

 Sherard Osborn fiords, and the seven musk-oxen 

 which we killed here in 1900 certainly could not have 

 been the only animals in the locality. The only pos- 

 sible explanation seemed to be that the animals might 

 just at this time be way in at the heads of the fiords. 



From a point of vantage well up the bluffs there was 

 no indication of open water in front of the Black Horn 

 cliffs as there had been both going and coming in 1900, 

 and on leaving this camp we negotiated this difficult 



