RETURN FROM "FARTHEST WEST" 233 



the ice-foot going out, but the ice-foot was a contin- 

 uous deep lake now, and we continued on the sea ice 

 to within about one-half mile of the Hecla camp, where 

 open water forced us on to the crest of the ice-foot 

 ridge, which was followed to the cache. The site of 

 our spring camp was submerged now under several feet 

 of water, the entire ice-foot here being a large lake. 

 Taking a few things from the cache we kept along the 

 crest until round into James Ross Bay, then camped on 

 the ice, being unable to get ashore though close by it. 



The next evening when we started, dense fog again 

 covered everything, but as we had the rafter edge to 

 follow, this did not interfere very much with our prog- 

 ress. At Crozier Island, I found some tins marking 

 the site of our igloo in April 1902. Beyond here the 

 fog lifted enough to show that the overland route 

 across Fielden Peninsula was entirely impracticable 

 owing to the absence of snow, and that we must go 

 round by Joseph Henry. I rather dreaded this, for 

 I knew what the conditions were on the east side of 

 that savage cape. 



Up to within about five miles of the point of the 

 cape, the going was much the same as across Clements 

 Markham Inlet, with two rivers that compelled de- 

 tours. Then we had three or four miles of the heaviest 

 going on raftered sea- ice, then perhaps a mile of ice- 

 foot. The apex of the cape was practically the same 

 as in 1902. It required the three of us and all the 

 dogs to each sledge to get along. As I looked back 

 toward Hecla from the narrow ice- foot shelf at this apex, 

 there came to me the time I first looked round it upon 

 Hecla in April 1902, and my feelings at that time. I 



