338 NEAREST THE POLE 



Two more marches carried us to the first coast valley 

 north of Cape Defosse. I had now gained two days on 

 the advance party. The character of the channel ice 

 being such that we were able to avoid the terrible 

 ice -foot, which extends from here to Cape Lieber, and 

 my dogs being still in good condition, I made a spurt 

 from here and covered the distance to Conger in one 

 march, arriving about an hour and a half after Henson 

 and his party. 



I had covered the distance from Payer Harbour to 

 Conger, some 300 miles, in twelve marches. 



Four days were spent at Conger overhauling sledges 

 and harness, drying and repairing clothing, and scouting 

 the country, as far as The Bellows, in search of musk- 

 oxen. None were seen, but about 100 hare were 

 secured in the four days. Temperature during this 

 time from -40° to -57° F. Seven Eskimos returned 

 from here, taking with them the instruments of the 

 Lady Franklin Bay Expedition, and other items of 

 Government property abandoned here in 1883. 



On the morning of the 24th I started north with nine 

 sledges. We camped the first night at "Depot B." 

 The next march I had counted on making Lincoln 

 Bay, but just before reaching Wrangel Bay a sudden 

 furious gale with blinding drift drove us into camp at 

 the south point of the bay. Here we were storm- 

 bound during the 26th, but got away on the morning 

 of the 27th and pushed on to Cape Union, encountering 

 along this portion of the coast the steep side slopes of 

 hard snow, which are so trying to men and sledges 

 and dogs. 



Open water, the clouds over which we saw from 



