1875 RAWSON'S SECOND START. ] 53 



CHAPTER VIII. 



RAWSON'S SECOND START— ALDRICH'S RETURN — HIS JOURNEY TO CAPE 



JOSEPH HENRY — HEAVY SNOW-FALL — CONDITION OF THE ICE 



RAWSON RETURNS — FAILURE TO COMMUNICATE WITH ' DISCOVERY ' 



MARKHAM'S RETURN — FROST-BITES — RESULTS OF AUTUMN 



SLEDGING. 



Being anxious to communicate with Captain Ste- 

 phenson, if possible before the winter set in, I des- 

 patched Lieutenant Rawson on the 2nd of October 

 with his seven men to inspect the ice in Robeson 

 Channel and, to ascertain if travelling along the coast- 

 line was yet practicable. Mr. Egerton, who had ac- 

 companied Rawson for two miles, reported on his 

 return that the new ice was still so thin that the sledge 

 was obliged to take to the land. I therefore could 

 scarcely expect that Rawson would make a successful 

 journey. In addition to the thinness of the young 

 ice, the soft snow which had fallen during the five 

 previous days formed so great a protection to the 

 water on the ice which had oozed through from the sea 

 below, that although the temperature had fallen to 8° 

 it remained unfrozen. The floe was consequently very 

 wet and afforded an extremely bad road. 



During the 4th, the temperature remaining at 12°, 

 I was surprised to find that the falling snow crystals, 

 which are usually very minute at so low a temperature, 



