IN DRIFT AND DARKNESS. 415 



organised another expedition with this object in view. He took with him 

 four men and a supply of pemmican, tongues, flour, tea, sugar, and chocolate, 

 with some alcohol and oil for fuel ; and on the morning of the 13th May, he 

 started to cross Eae Isthmus, and to reach the south shores of Committee 

 Bay once more. 



On the 16th the party reached the shore of Akkoolee, or Committee Bay, 

 and Eae discovered and named Dease Peninsula and Cape Simpson, in 

 honour of his imlnediate predecessors in Arctic travel. Around Cape Simp- 

 son the shores were barren — no vegetation was visible except patches of moss 

 in the crevices of the rocks. But the region was not altogether inhospitable ; 

 for Corrigal, Eae's snow-house builder, shot two hares, and a sufficient quan- 

 tity of moss or heather was gathered to boil the kettle. In this spot (lat. 

 67° 22', long. 87° 3') a quantity of pemmican, flour, etc., was buried for use 

 on the return journey. After rounding Cape Simpson, Eae found the route 

 very trying. The coast, which trended eastward, was broken up into deep 

 inlets packed full of rough ice. In crossing, the travellers would sink at one 

 moment waist-deep in snow, and at the next, knee-deep in salt water, and soon 

 after would come upon blocks of ice, on which they were continually falling. 

 " Soihetimes we had to crawl out of a hole on all fours like some strange- 

 looking quadrupeds, at other times falling backwards, we were so hampered by 

 the weight of our loads that it was impossible to rise without throwing them 

 off" or being assisted by one of our companions. We therefore found it better 

 to follow the shores of the inlets than to cross them, although by doing so 

 we had double the distance to go over." On the 17th the travellers marched 

 across Lefroy Bay, which was covered with rough ice, to Cape M'Tavish, 

 three miles beyond which, in lat. 67° 42', long. 86° 30', the snow hut for the 

 night — or, rather, for the day, for Eae and his companions were again tra- 

 velling by night to avoid snow-blindness — was built. Opposite this cape, 

 Eae discovered the large and flat island which he honoured with the name 

 of Prince of Wales Island. Setting out at 8.30 p.m. on the 19th, the travellers 

 were soon enveloped in a thick snow-drift whirled along by a gale which blew 

 with great fury from the south-south-east. The gale was on the travellers' 

 backs, which was so far fortunate ; but the snow-laden wind had so darkened 

 the air that it was impossible to see twenty paces in advance, or to deviate a 

 single step from the ever- winding track of the coast-line. But though these 

 five travellers were thus being drifted along an unknown shore they knew 

 not whither, carrying with them no more food than would suffice for a few 

 days, imable to see farther than a few yards ahead, there was no fainting or 

 failing, and each man tramped on doggedly to accomplish, at all hazards, 

 the object of the expedition. After travelling all night, during which they 

 advanced only twelve miles, they halted and built their snow hut. No fuel 

 could be procured here, and the snow-storm still continuing to rage, they 



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