RETURN FROM "FARTHEST WEST" 229 



of this infernal weather, then one decent night, and after 

 a long forced march which killed one dog, used up 

 another and left us practically played out, we reached 

 the low point of Columbia, which forms Cape Aldrich, 

 and set up the tent on dry gravel, the first time m 

 twelve days that it had been set up in anything except 



slush and water. 



Looking out over the ice from the tent, I saw that 

 where we came in, unpleasant as was the going, was 

 the only practicable place. From where we came m, 

 clear round the point, was a wide, deep lake. 



The march of the i6th was not only uncomfortable 

 but very disappointing. Near the close of it, the fog 

 rose a little, and showed that instead of being abreast 

 of Cape Albert Edward as I had expected, we were 

 barely abreast of the west end of Ward Hunt Island. 

 Our previous march had left us two or three hours short 

 of Cape Alexandra, and this march had been short as 

 to distance. Three large streams bothered us, and m 

 crossing one of them, both my men were taken off 

 their feet, one wet all over, the other partially, and the 

 sledge nekrly swept away, all my strength just servmg 

 to hold it till they could pull themselves out by it, 

 and then help haul it out. The white dog was fed to 



the others here. 



At this camp the temperature fell well below the 

 freezing point, making us distinctly uncomfortable. 

 When we began the next march, its effect was immedi- 

 ately apparent. The snow and the smaller pools were 

 now frozen firm enough to support sledge and dogs 

 and myself, on snowshoes; the streams were less m 

 volume, and the fog, its supply of raw material cut off 



