HAYES' EXPEDITION (1861) 65 



visions at Cairn Point. He visited Rensselaer Harbour, 

 where the Advance had been left, but no vestige of the 

 ship remained, except a small bit of a deck-plank which 

 Hayes picked up near the site of the old observatory. 



The long sledge-journey began on the 3rd of April 1861. 

 A quantity of provisions had previously been taken to 

 Cairn Point, which Hayes had decided to make the 

 starting-place for crossing the Sound. On one sledge 

 was mounted a 20-foot metallic lifeboat with which 

 Hayes hoped to navigate the Polar Sea. When Cairn 

 Point was reached, Hayes decided to leave the boat there, 

 as he saw that it was impossible to take the boat and 

 cargo across the Sound in one journey. A storm delayed 

 the party several days at Cairn Point, and soon after 

 encountering the ice-hummocks, Hayes wrote : — 



" I need hardly say that I soon gave up all thought of 

 trying to get the boat across the Sound. A hundred 

 men could not have accomplished the task. My only 

 purpose now was to get to the coast of Grinnell Land 

 with as large a stock of provisions as possible, and to 

 retain the men as long as they could be of use; but it 

 soon became a question whether the men themselves 

 could carry over their own provisions independent of the 

 surplus which I should require in order that the severe 

 labour should result to advantage. In spite, however, 

 of everything, the men kept steadfastly to their duty, 

 through sunshine and through storm, through cold, and 

 danger, and fatigue." 



Hayes tried to make for Cape Sabine, but found the 

 hummocks quite impassable, and he had to bear more 

 to the northward. On the 25th of April he reported : 

 " My party are in a very sorry condition. One of the 

 men has sprained his back from lifting ; another has a 

 sprained ankle ; another has gastritis ; another a frosted 

 toe ; and all are thoroughly overwhelmed with fatigue.'" 



5 



