FIELD WORK OF THE PEAKY ARCTIC CLUB, 1898-1902. 431 



On the 7th of October I sent two men to bring out the meat and 

 skin, while I went up Buchanan Bay again. Returning to camp, I 

 found it deserted. A little later some of my party returned, reporting 

 a herd of 15 musk oxen killed. The next two days were consumed in 

 cutting up the animals, stacking the meat, and getting the skins and 

 some of the meat out to camp. The latter had to be dragged to the 

 top of the bluffs and thrown over. 



October 10. — We started for the ship, which was reached late on the 

 12th. The ice in Buchanan Bay was very rough, and a snowstorm on 

 the 11th made going very heavy. Five days later, October IT, 1 

 went with two men to locate a direct trail for getting the meat out to 

 the north side of the peninsula, but found the country impracticable, 

 and returned to the ship on the 21st. The sun left on the 20th. 



The following week was devoted to the work of preparation for the 

 winter. A reconnoissance of Franklin Pierce Ba}^ developed nothing 

 but hare tracks, but Henson came in from Copes Bay with a big bear, 

 killed near the head of the bay. This marked the end of the fall cam- 

 paign, with our winter's fresh meat supply assured, and the Bache 

 "Island "-Buchanan "Strait"-" Hayes Sound" question settled. 



The next step was the inauguration of the teaming work, which was 

 to occupy us through the winter. I alread}^ had ni}^ pemmican and some 

 miscellaneous supplies at Cape Louis Napoleon, and two sledge loads of 

 provisions at Cape Fraser. The rapidly disappearing daylight being 

 now too limited for effective traveling, I was obliged to wait the 

 appearance of the next moon before starting for a personal reconnois- 

 sance of the coast northward. On the 29th I left the ship with Henson 

 and one Eskimo. The soft snow of the last two storms compelled me 

 to break a road for the sledges with my snowshoes across Allman Bay 

 and along many portions of the ice foot, but in spite of this delay we 

 camped at Cape Louis Napoleon after a long march. 



The next day we reached Cape Fraser, having been impeded b}' the 

 tide rising over the ice foot, and camped at Henson's farthest, at the 

 beginning of what seemed an impracticable ice foot. It was the only 

 possible way of advance, however, as the still moving pack in the 

 channel was entirel}' impassable. The following day 1 made a recon- 

 noissance on foot as far as Scoresby Bay, and though the ice foot was 

 then entirel}'^ impracticable for sledges, I was convinced that a good 

 deal of earnest work with picks and shovels, assisted b}' the leveling 

 effects of the next spring tides, would enable me to get loaded sledges 

 over it during the next moon. From Cape Norton Shaw I could see 

 that by making a detour into Scores))}' Ba}' the heavy pack could be 

 avoided in crossing. This stretch of ice foot from Cape Fraser to 

 Cape Norton Shaw is extremely Alpine in character, being an almost 

 continuous succession of huge blocks and masses of bergs and old floes, 



