PEARY'S EXPEDITION (1893) 293 



on board eighty-seven clogs, and the pandemonium caused 

 by these howling, fighting, restless animals was indescrib- 

 able. The Duck Islands were reached about noon, and after 

 a few hours 1 stay, the passage of the dreaded Melville Bay 

 was begun. The weather was excellent, and where two years 

 before the Kite had to battle with the pack, there was 

 open water with only a few scattered icebergs. The 

 passage was made in the record time of 24 hours and 

 50 minutes. 



Peary landed and climbed Cape York. None of the 

 natives here had seen or heard anything of Verhoeff. 



Bowdoin Bay, in Inglefield Gulf, where Peary intended 

 taking up quarters, was reached on the morning of 

 3rd August. 



Peary selected the site of the house, and they soon set 

 to work to build this and unload the stores. The house 

 was named the " Lodge." 



On the 12th August the Falcon left the bay on a cruise 

 for the winter's meat-supply. Near Herbert Island they 

 were successful in obtaining twenty-four walruses. During 

 the hunt there was one exciting event. A walrus had 

 been shot, and a man was beside it on a cake of ice, when 

 the ice was struck by the Falcon and capsized. The man 

 was thrown into the water under the ship's stern, but he 

 succeeded in clinging to the rudder, from which he was 

 released in safety. 



The Falcon next steamed north as far as Littleton 

 Island, where other four walruses were shot. While here, 

 Peary and his party examined the site of Polaris House, 

 and found the place littered with miscellaneous articles of 

 no use to the natives. Peary also climbed to the top of 

 Littleton Island. He describes it as a terribly desolate, 

 barren-looking piece of rock. 



The Falcon now turned southward on the way to 

 Olriks Bay, on the south coast of Inglefield Gulf, for deer. 



