EXPEDITION OF 1898-1902 299 



days later. During this trip the first real snowstorm 

 of the season occurred, five and a half inches falling. 



September 12th, one-third of my provisions, an 

 ample year's supply for the entire party, was landed 

 at Cape D'Urville, my Eskimos sledging loads of 700 

 to 1,000 pounds over the young ice. The night of the 

 13th the temperature dropped to -10° F., and all 

 hope of further advance was at an end. September 

 15 th the boiler was blown off and preparations for 

 winter commenced. 



On the 17 th I broached my plans for the winter 

 campaign, as follows: 



The autumn work was simple enough and outlined 

 itself. It comprised two items: the securing of a 

 winter's supply of fresh meat and the survey of the 

 B uchanan- Strait-Hayes- Soimd-Princess- Marie- B ay re- 

 gion. In spite of the peculiarly desolate character 

 of that part of the Grinnell Land coast immediately 

 about the IVmdward, and the apparent utter absence 

 of animal life, I felt confident of accomplishing the 

 former. Various reconnoissances thus far, on the 

 north shore of Princess Marie Bay, had given me little 

 encouragement, but I knew that the Eskimos had 

 killed one or two musk-oxen, in years past, on Bache 

 Island, and that region looked favourable for them. 

 As regarded the sur\^ey, a presentiment that I must 

 begin it at the earliest moment had led me to make 

 attempts to reach the head of Princess Marie Bay. 



As to the spring campaign, I proposed to utilise the 

 winter moons in pushing supplies to Fort Conger, to 

 move my party to that station early in February, and 

 on the return of the sun start from there as a base and 



