THE FRIENDLY ARCTIC 319 



There was a thrill about unrolling that damp and fragile sheet 

 and reading the message from our great predecessor which had been 

 lying there awaiting us more than half a century. We felt it as 

 marvelous that his steady hand was so legible after so long a time. 

 It brought the past down to us, quite as wonderfully as it did for 

 me five years, later to talk in London with McClintock's wife, 

 still hale and charming, and with his sons, and to be shown the 

 manuscript diary of the day he wrote this message. 



The record was on the ordinary printing paper of that time, 

 and the message had in part been printed at the Dealy Island 

 winter base before the party started on their western journey, in 

 part written in red ink at the base, and in part entered by Mc- 

 Clintock in pencil just before the record was deposited. The print 

 was legible and so was the pencil writing, but the red ink had faded 

 badly. I noted in my journal that while I "should continue keeping 

 my diary with a fountain pen for the sake of clearness, I should 

 write in pencil any records I wanted to deposit. 



The record follows, the print denoted by ordinary type and the 

 writing in italics. 



"Cylinder buried 10 feet true north from this cairn : None.* 

 Traces : None found.** 



Party. All well. Have examined this shore to the southeastward for 

 about 150 miles. The sledge is now returning to the 8E preparatory 

 to crossing to Melville Island. I am ahout to proceed to the westward 

 with a light sledge and two men for three marches, and will then return 

 after the main party and make the best of my ivay to Ft. Nias and 

 Dealy Island.*** 



F. L. McCLINTOCK, 



15th June, F. M. 



"I have searched the islands arid reefs lying offshore to the northward." 



* It was a rule in the expeditions of the Franklin Search that any 

 party finding a monument were to dig in the ground ten feet true north to 

 look for a message unobtrusively buried. This was for fear of Eskimos in 

 inhabited lands who might remove any message frankly left in the cairn. 



** Traces of Sir John Franklin's Party. 



*** McClintock made this exploration from his and Kellett's base at 

 Dealy Island. The journey lasted 105 days (April 5 to July 18), and was 

 estimated by McClintock at 1,030 geographical miles. Except the similar 

 journey of Mecham from the same base to Prince Patrick Island simul- 

 taneously with McClintock's, it was far the best arctic journey with sledges 

 up to that time. It has frequently been called "the greatest of all arctic 

 journeys." Cf. Sir Clements Markham, "Life of Admiral McClintock," p. 166. 



