252 VOYAGE TO THE POLAR SEA. March 



CHAPTER XL 



geographical discoveries — absence of land to the north — 

 decide on three lines of exploration — boats for northern 



party adopt the plan of sir edward parry — scurvy 



dietaries of sledge crews egerton leaves for discovery 



bay — Petersen's illness — dog-sledging — spring visitants — 

 wolves and musk-oxen. 



In arranging my plans for the sledge travelling during 

 the spring, I naturally took into consideration the result 

 of our previous geographical discoveries. We had 

 ascertained that the land to the westward of Cape 

 Joseph Henry trended in a north-westerly direction for 

 a distance of not less than eighty miles from our 

 position ; there was no saying whether it might then 

 stretch towards the north, or turn off to the southward. 

 The coast of Greenland was in sight trending to the 

 north-east for about eighty miles ; beyond that distance 

 its direction was doubtful. Immediately to the north- 

 ward was a very heavy pack, decidedly impenetrable 

 for a ship, and of a description which former Arctic 

 travellers had considered impassable for sledges. 



In my orders it was impressed on me that the 

 primary object was ' to attain the highest northern 

 latitude, and, if possible, to reach the North Pole.' The 

 more I considered the character of the ice in our 

 neighbourhood, the more convinced I became that the 



