322 THE FRIENDLY ARCTIC 



(Here follows copy of pencil part of McClintock's record) 



"I am taking- the original records to be stored or otherwise suitably- 

 disposed of by the Department of NaA'al Service of Canada, and am 

 leaving this copy in a cairn built of the same stones on the same spot. 



"Our party consists of these members of the Canadian Arctic Ex- 

 pedition : S. Storkerson, O. Andreasen, C. Thomsen and V. Stefansson. 

 We left the winter quarters of the Mary Sachs on Banks Island Febru- 

 ary 20, 1915, and Cape Alfred April 5th, reached farthest west at sea 

 in about W. Long. 131° and farthest north in N. Lat. 76° 40'. Were 

 driven south again by contrary currents, landed on Prince Patrick Island 

 in N. Lat. 76° 09.' approx, and have followed the coast, mapping the 

 unexplored part as well as our means and continual thick weather al- 

 lowed. Intend to proceed a few miles beyond Ireland's Eye, thence SE 

 and S across Melville Island and Banks Island to the winter quarters 

 of the expedition. We are living on seals and burning blubber. Men 

 all well and gear in good condition. 



"Expect to leave the camp on the island the forenoon of June 17th, 

 following the floe edge north beyond Ireland's Eye." 



This document was signed by all of us. 



One of McClintock's claims to preeminence among arctic travel- 

 ers is that he was among the first to realize the possibility of 

 lengthening his journeys both in time and mileage through hunting. 

 Still it may be fairly said that several of his young contemporaries 

 of the Franklin Search w^ere brought by similar facts to the same 

 conclusion equally early — for instance, Mecham,* Osborn and Bed- 

 ford Pim. 



In the summarj^ of his journey to Prince Patrick Island- Mc- 

 Clintock says, "We were most fortunate in securing game, which 

 enabled us to remain out ten days longer than I otherwise could 

 have done." ** Turning to the table he publishes, we see that he 

 secured in Prince Patrick Island during forty-six days spent there 

 three polar cattle, five caribou, one hare, two geese and nine ptar- 

 migan. These would not have enabled him to lengthen his journey 

 by ten per cent.; what enabled him was the meat of cattle and 



* Mecham appreciated game both because it enabled him to lengthen his 

 journeys and because of the excellent effect upon the health of his men. On 

 page 523 of "Further Papers Relative to the Recent Arctic Expeditions in 

 Search of Sir John Franklin," London, 1855, he says, "It is to me very 

 evident that without occasional supplies of game, a long journey would be 

 a very doubtful experiment." 



**0p. cit., p. 585. 



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