156 LECTURE ON ARCTIC EXPLORATIONS. 



full supply was procured before the winter set in, not only for the 

 ship's company, but for the dogs. 



With the winter, however, came serious misfortunes. A disease 

 which has been for several years prevailing throughout all Northern 

 Greenland broke out among the dogs, and by the middle of Decem- 

 ber all of them had died but eleven. It became then necessary to 

 open communication with the Esquimaux of Whale sound, with the 

 view of obtaining a new supply. It will be remembered that my 

 plans of exploration were based entirely upon the use of dogs as a 

 means of transportation across the ice; and from our unfavorable sit- 

 uation it appeared evident that with our reduced force I had not the 

 means to prosecute my purposes with the success which I had antici- 

 pated. 



Mr. Sonntag early volunteered to go to the Esquimaux for the pur- 

 pose before named. His offer was accepted, and he started oh the 

 22d of December with a sledge drawn by nine dogs, and accompanied 

 by Hans, (Dr. Kane's young native hunter,) whom, as before stated, 

 I had found at Cape York. This expedition was attended by an 

 event which cast a gloom over our whole party. Mr. Sonntag lost 

 his life in attempting to cross Whale sound. As reported to me by 

 Hans : In the act of passing a crack which had been recently frozen 

 over, he broke through the thin ice and became thoroughly wetted. 

 He was assisted out of the water by his companion, but before they 

 could reach a place of shelter, five miles distant, Mr. Sonntag was so 

 badly frozen that he was insensible, and he died soon afterwards. The 

 body was subsequently recovered and interred near the observatory 

 at Port Foulke. 



Hans continued southward and accomplished one of the purposes 

 of the journey; but, in consequence of bad management and over 

 driving, five of his team were killed, and I was left, upon his return, 

 with only six dogs. The Esquimaux having learned through Hans 

 of our being at Port Foulke, came to us in the spring, and from them 

 I was enabled to obtain a sufficient number of dogs to increase my 

 pack to about twent}^ ; but some of them died afterwards, and I was 

 left, firiall}', with two teams of seven each. With so reduced a force 

 I became seriously apprehensive for the success of the labors which 

 were to follow. 



On the 20th of March I set out on my first journey. The object 

 of this effort was to establish a provision depot for use during the 

 summer, and it Avas successful. While absent upon this occasion I 

 visited Rensselaer harbor. Dr. Kane's winter quarters. No vestige 

 of the "Advance" could be discovered. She had probably drifted 

 out to sea with the ice, and been subsequently crushed and sunk. 



The preparations for the principal journey were completed early in 

 April, and on the 4th of that month I started northward with my 

 entire available force, comprising twelve officers and men, and four- 

 teen dogs. Our equipment consisted of a metallic lifeboat mounted 

 on runners, provisions for seven persons for five months, provisions 

 for six persons and fourteen dogs for six weeks, and the necessary 

 camp fixtures. 



The open water which continued throughout the winter, within 



