336 NEAREST THE POLE 



Soon after this my Eskimos began to sicken, and by 

 November 19th six of them were dead. During this 

 time I personally sledged much of the material from 

 Erik Harbour to headquarters, and Henson went to the 

 head of Buchanan Bay with some of the Eskimos, and 

 secured ten musk-oxen. 



The winter passed quietly and comfortably. Two 

 more musk-oxen were secured in Buchanan Bay, and 

 six deer at Etah. 



January 2d, work was begun in earnest on prepara- 

 tions for the spring campaign, which opened on the 

 nth of February. On this day I sent off six sledges, 

 with light loads, to select a road across the mouth of 

 Buchanan Bay, and build an igloo abreast of Cape 

 Albert. On the 12 th I sent two of my best hunters 

 on a flying reconnoissance and bear hunt, in the direc- 

 tion of Cape Louis Napoleon. 



On the 13th eight sledges went out, taking dog food 

 nearly to Cape D'Urville. On the i6th my two scouts 

 returned with a favourable report, and on the i8th 

 ten sledges went out loaded with dog-food to be taken 

 to Cape Louis Napoleon. This party returned on the 

 2 2d. On the evening of the 28th, everything was in 

 readiness for Henson to start the next day, it being 

 my intention to send him on ahead with three picked 

 men and light loads to pioneer the way to Conger; I 

 to follow a few days later with the main party. A 

 northerly gale delayed his departure until the morning 

 of March 3d, when he got away with six sledges and 

 some fifty dogs. Two of these sledges were to act as a 

 supporting party as far as Cape Lawrence. At 9 

 A. M. of March 6th fourteen sledges trailed out of 



