NOTE-BOOK LOST AND FOUND. — THE GALE. 313 



received in a conflict with a polar bear. It had had a struggle 

 with its mighty foe, and had escaped. 



We did not get ready to proceed on our journey until 12 M. 

 We then crossed the floe at the south side of Hudson's Island, 

 taking the same route we had traveled three times before. When 

 we were nearly through Kane's Channel, and while I was exam- 

 ining its shores, having occasion to make some record, I opened 

 the covers of my note-book, and found, to my consternation, that 

 its contents were gone ! I knew not what to do. I felt that, if 

 they should not be recovered, most of what were to me the im- 

 portant notes that I had taken on this trip would be useless, ow- 

 ing to the break in my narrative which the loss of these would 

 occasion. My hope of recovering them was indeed slight, for my 

 record had been kept on a few small oblong leaves of paper, 

 slightly stitched together, which the wind might speedily scatter 

 away. Still, I determined to go back and search for them, Ebier- 

 bing agreeing to accompany me. 



We made our way back over rugged ice and snow by follow- 

 ing our own tracks ; but the wind, then from the southeast, blew 

 at right angles, and made it less likely that we should succeed. 

 Ebierbing went ahead, a little on one side, and I kept straight on 

 the course by which we had come. Thus we retraced our steps 

 for some three miles, when, to my great joy, I heard Ebierbing 

 shout, " Ni-ne-va-ha! Ni-ne-va-haf" — I have found it! I have 

 found it ! And, sure enough, there, in his hands, I saw my little 

 note-book, which he had just picked up. 



The distance we had traversed was three and a half miles, so 

 that, in returning to the spot from which we had set out, we had 

 walked full seven miles. This, however, was not of much account 

 to me in comparison with the value of my note-book. 



I had directed Koodloo to proceed with the sledge ; but before 

 we had reached him a furious gale from the northeast broke upon 

 us, accompanied with much snow. This threatened an end to 

 our day's travel, and I therefore determined to encamp as soon 

 as possible. 



We traced Koodloo by the sledge tracks down Allen Young's 

 Bay,* near some sheltering land, and there found him, on the 

 lee side of the sledge, flat on the snow, asleep ! yes, sound asleep, 



* Named in honor of Captain Allen W. Young, second in command under M'Clin- 

 tock, in search of Sir John Franklin in 1857-9. Allen Young's Bay is in lat. 62° 

 33' N., long. 64° 14/ W., its east side bounded by Dillon Mountain. 



