3 io THE CONQUEST OF THE NORTH POLE 



As soon as Peary saw that preparations for winter 

 would require to be made, he landed a year's supplies at 

 the cape. He then took steps to secure fresh meat, 

 and in a short time a considerable number of musk-oxen 

 were obtained. He also began to survey the region near 

 Hayes Sound. He discovered that Bache " Island " is a 

 peninsula, and that " Hayes Sound " does not exist. 



Peary now decided to utilise the winter moons in 

 pushing supplies north as far as Fort Conger, where he 

 purposed to take his party in February. From Fort 

 Conger he intended to make an attempt on the Pole in 

 the spring. 



Now commenced a series of desperate sledge-journeys. 

 Snow igloos were formed at several of the capes. At 

 the end of October, Peary advanced some supplies as far 

 as Cape Frazer. At the end of the November moon 

 about 30 cwt. of supplies had been sledged as far as 

 Cape Wilkes, on the north side of Richardson Bay. The 

 mean daily minimum temperature was more than 40° 

 below zero, and on four successive days it was 50° below 

 zero. 



In the first light of the December moon, Peary with 

 Henson and the doctor and four Eskimo left the ship 

 with the intention of reaching Fort Conger. On the 

 28th all the supplies had reached Cape Lawrence on 

 the north side of Rawlings Bay. Next day Peary started 

 from Cape Lawrence with light sledges for Fort Conger. 

 On the way the cold was so intense that it was too 

 much for one of the Eskimo, who had to be left in a 

 burrow in a snow-drift with a companion to look after 

 him. Before Fort Conger was reached the moon had 

 departed, and Peary had to grope and stumble in 

 complete darkness across Lady Franklin Bay. On the 

 6th January 1899 the party passed through the doorway 

 of Fort Conger. Biscuit from the table where it had 



