June, 1859. AEEIVE ON BOAED THE 'FOX.' 313 



throughout the greater part of the day. After 

 travelling a few miles upon the Long Lake, 

 further progress was found to be quite impos- 

 sible, and we were obliged to haul our sledges 

 up off the flooded ice, and commence a march 

 of 16 or 17 miles overland for the ship. The 

 poor dogs were so tired and sore-footed, that 

 we could not induce them to follow us ; they 

 remained about the sledges. After a very 

 fatiguing scramble across the hills and through 

 the snow valleys we were refreshed with a 

 sight of our poor dear lonely little ' Fox,' and 

 arrived on board in time for a late breakfast on 

 19th June. 



With respect to a navigable North- West Pas- 

 sage, and to the probability of our having been 

 able last season to make any considerable ad- 

 vance to the southward, had the barrier of ice 

 across the western outlet of Bellot Strait per- 

 mitted us to reach the open water beyond, I 

 think, judging from what I have since seen of 

 the ice in the Franklin Strait, that the chances 

 were greatly in favour of our reaching Cape 

 Herschel, on the S. side of King William's 

 Land, by passing (as I intended to do) eastward 

 of that island. 



From Bellot Strait to Cape Victoria we found 

 a mixture of old and new ice, showing the exact 



