SHERARD OSBORNE FJORD 



for there was a possibility that a relief party might have been 

 sent out and would be waiting there. And there fortune met 

 them, and saved those who eould still be saved, as they fell in 

 with Lieutenant Rawson, Dr. Coppinger, and Hans Hendrik 

 with his dog sledge. 



After a long rest near Hall's Grave, Beaumont continued his 

 journey across Hall Basin to Lady Franklin Bay, where the 

 Discovcri) was lying. On the 14th of August, after a most 

 adventurous journey on drifting ice-floes, they at length reached 

 the ship. 



TO WORK AT LAST 



We now started in earnest. Our expedition had covered 

 the first thousand kilometres of the journey, and we were already 

 in tracts where we might hope for a good hunting. We had 

 left home with provisions for two months, but half of them we 

 used up on our journey, the other half being deposited a short 

 distance below Beaumont's beacon. This latter half consisted 

 of pemmican, biscuits, coffee, oats, tea, sugar, tobacco, and a 

 quantity of ammunition, the last so far superfluous. We hoped 

 that, before our departure, we should be able to supplement this 

 with some fresh meat for ourselves and the dogs. We did not 

 yet know from which point we should ascend on to the inland-ice 

 on our return journey, but as the probability was that it would 

 take place here, we relieved the sledges as soon as possible of 

 superfluous things, so that we should not drag on unnecessary 

 baggage. We also left two sledges, and the teams of these were 

 distributed among the other sledges. Above everything, it was 

 of importance that we should make good speed, and so we burnt 

 our boats behind us by providing ourselves with food for men 

 lor three days only, and for the dogs only one meal, which would 

 be given to them the first time we made camp. 



A Ve had now six dog teams o f altogether seventy dogs, and 

 if these could only have a few days' rest and strong food, they 

 would soon regain their full strength. At the moment the posi- 

 tion, so far as the dogs were concerned, was somewhat critical ; 

 G 97 



