1875 EITENBENK. 21 



started for Eitenbenk, situated at the S.E. end of the 

 Waigat Strait. Mr. Krarup Smith kindly accompanied 

 us, to insure our obtaining the remainder of the dogs 

 we required, and a supply of coal for the 'Valorous,' 

 Captain Loftus Jones having decided to take some on 

 board from the coal mine on the western side of the 

 strait. 



The Arctic ships, having on board three years' 

 supplies, were necessarily very deep in the water, and 

 the upper decks were much encumbered with stores 

 of provisions for which room could not be found 

 below. As it was necessary to keep supplies ready 

 for immediate use in case of accident to the ships 

 when navigating through Melville Bay, and Smith 

 Sound, such provisions as the boats could hold were 

 stored ready to hand : in addition, a month's supply for 

 all hands was kept prepared on the deck of each ship, 

 to be landed at suitable places in the event of the 

 crews having to retreat south by boat. These were 

 named respectively the A, and B depots, and had 

 been prepared in England before the Expedition 

 started. The positions selected for their deposit were 

 one of the Cary Islands in Baffin's Bay, and Cape 

 Frazer in Smith Sound ; the mainland would have been 

 preferable to the first-named place, had it not been 

 necessary to take precautions to hide it from the 

 Eskimo, who inhabit the coast of Greenland between 

 Cape York and Hartstene Bay. 



After a calm but very foggy passage along the 

 south shore of Disco Island, threading our way amidst 

 a vast number of icebergs, we arrived at Eitenbenk 

 at 11 a.m. of the 16th, and anchored in seventeen 



