304 RELICS AT THE CAIRN. Chap. XVI. 



we remember that the ink had to be thawed, 

 and that writing in a tent during an April day in 

 the Arctic regions is by no means an easy task. 



Besides placing a copy of the record taken 

 away by Hobson from the cairn, we both put 

 records of our own in it ; and I also buried one 

 under a large stone ten feet true north from it, 

 stating the explorations and discoveries we had 

 made. 



A great quantity and variety of things lay 



strewed about the cairn, such as even in their 

 three days' march from the ships the retreating 

 crews found it impossible to carry further. 

 Amongst these were four heavy sets of boat's 

 cooking stoves, pickaxes, shovels, iron hoops, 

 old canvas, a large single block, about four feet 

 of a copper Hghtning conductor, long pieces of 

 hollow brass curtain rods, a small case of selected 

 mtlicines containing about twenty-four phials, 

 the contents in a wonderful state of preserva- 

 tion ; a dip circle by Eobinson, with two needles, 

 bar magnets, and light horizontal needle all 

 complete, the whole weighing only nine pounds ; 

 and even a small sextant engraved with the 

 name of " Frederic Hornby " lying beside the 

 cairn without its case. The coloured eye-shades 

 of the sextant had been taken out, otherwise it 

 was perfect ; the moveable screws and such parts 



