232 NEAREST THE POLE 



extremity, and then straight out to the edge of the ice, 

 we proceeded with considerable comfort, except for 

 one large stream, draining Parr Bay and vicinity, 

 which we had to ford. 



The end of the march found us a little east of Gifford 

 Peak. Two large streams were negotiated, one by 

 fording, the other by a long detour round where it 

 poured into a crack in the ice. The streams and lakes 

 were much reduced in size to what they had been, and 

 were steadily draining off. 



The going was better than I anticipated. At this 

 camp our supper and breakfast from the musk-ox meat, 

 which had lain for some three weeks, was not over- 

 attractive. 



The next march again was in fine weather but the fog 

 once more gained the ascendancy, and at the end of 

 some five hours obliterated everything. 



Watching intently for it, I at last made out faint 

 traces of our trail of last spring from Pt. Moss north- 

 ward, and pitching the tent a little beyond it, sent the 

 two men in to the cache there with the sledge, to bring 

 off some pemmican and biscuits. They missed their 

 way in the fog, but eventually found the cache, and 

 returned with the desired articles which were very 

 acceptable. Three rivers were negotiated in this 

 march. 



The next march began in fog but ended in brilliant 

 sunshine. In crossing Clements Markham inlet there 

 were few lakes, the water taking the shape of the narrow 

 but deep and widely ramifying pools of ordinary bay 

 ice. Two considerable rivers we had to ford. We 

 made the Cape Hecla land at the place where we left 



