31 1 

 1876 LADY FRANKLIN SOUND. 0± L 



Sound, and saw his men through the first difficulties 



which inexperienced travellers must always expect in 



these regions. Owing to the sheltered coast-line along 



which they journeyed, the snow was found to be very 



soft, which rendered the travelling more than usually 



laborious. The steel runners of the large eleven-man 



sledge had given way, and necessitated a change being 



made for the more serviceable eight-man sledge.' 



Captain Stephenson states in his report : — 



' On the 14th, I went on with them till luncheon 



time, when bidding them farewell, accompanied by 



Mr. Miller, I retraced my steps over their tracks to 



the ship, arriving on board at 4.30 P.M. of the 15th; 



just taking me a day and a half to walk the distance 



the heavy sledges had occupied six whole days to 



accomplish.' 



The travellers from the ' Discovery ' had improved 

 upon the plan of painting a badge on the back of 

 each man's duck-jumper, in the hope of protecting the 

 eyesight of the man pulling behind him, by each 

 sledge crew adopting a well-executed special badge, 

 which appeared more orderly than the individual taste 

 in design permitted among the sledge crews of the 

 1 Alert.' Captain Stephenson's badge was the Prince 

 of Wales' feathers. 



The details of the winter passed on board the 

 ' Discovery/ as learnt from Captain Stephenson, so 

 closely resemble those of the 'Alert' that it would 

 entail a great amount of repetition were I to record 

 them here. A full report by Captain Stephenson will 

 be found in the Pari. Papers, c. 1636, of 1876, and 

 further observations will shortly be printed. The 



