hall's last report. 



617 



for pushing further north by means of sledges. All being pre- 

 pared, he set out on the 10th of October, taking with him two 

 sleds drawn by fourteen dogs, and carrying with him the mate, 

 Chester, and the two Esquimaux, Ebierbing and Hans. His 

 intention was to spend two weeks in this expedition, the first to 

 be used in pushing forward, and the second in returning. The 

 following dispatch was found in his writing-desk, and was first 



SCALING AN ICEBERG. 



read in Washington, in June, 1873. It is probably the last 

 report he ever wrote : 



"Sixth Snow-House, Encampment, latitude 82° 3', longitude 

 61° 20', October 20th, 1871. 



" Myself and party left the ship in winter quarters, Thank 

 God Harbor, to discover, if possible, a feasible route inland for 

 my sledge journey, next spring, to reach the North Pole, pur- 

 posing to adopt such a route, if found better than a route over 

 the old floes and hummocks of the strait. We arrived here on 

 the afternoon of October 17th, having discovered a lake and 

 river on our way. Along the latter our route, a most serpen- 



