PARRY'S EXPEDITION (1827) 3 



were affixed two strong ropes of horse-hair, for dragging 

 the boat ; each individual being furnished with a broad 

 leathern shoulder-belt, which could readily be fastened to 

 or detached from the drag-ropes." The boats weighed 

 1539 lb. and 1542 lb. respectively. Two officers and 

 twelve men were selected for each boat's crew. The 

 provisions consisted of biscuit, sweetened cocoa-powder, 

 and pemmican. The process of making the latter con- 

 sisted in drying large thin slices of the lean of the meat 

 over the smoke of wood fires, then pounding it, and lastly 

 mixing it with about an equal weight of its own fat. In 

 this state it was quite ready for use, without further 

 cooking. 



The Hecla, which was to convey the expedition to the 

 north coast of Spitzbergen, left the Thames on the 

 25th of March 1827. They arrived at Hammerfest on 

 18th April. Here they obtained a small quantity of 

 venison and an abundance of good fish. They also 

 purchased a set of snow-shoes, together with Lapland 

 shoes (called " Kamooga""). They also took on board 

 eight reindeer and a supply of moss. " The quantity of 

 clean moss considered requisite for each deer per day 

 is 4 pounds, but they will go five or six days without 

 provender, and not suffer materially. As long as they 

 can pick up snow as they go along, which they like to eat 

 quite clean, they require no water ; and ice is to them a 

 comfortable bed. 1 ' 1 



Hammerfest was left on 29th April, and on the 5th of 

 May, in latitude 73° 30', the first straggling mass of ice 

 was met. After some delay in waiting for the ice to 

 open, Hakluyt's Headland was reached on 14th May. 

 While preparations were being made to land a quantity 

 of provisions here, a gale came on, and forced Parry to 

 take shelter among the pack-ice, where he remained beset 

 twenty-four days. Now began a search for a suitable 



