276 A rctic and A at arctic Exploration [part i 
along which the retreating crews must have marched. 
On the 25th a human skeleton, with some fragments of 
clothing which were those of an officer's steward, was found 
on a gravel ridge. The pockets had contained a brush, 
a comb, and a pocket-book. The shroud of snow no 
doubt concealed many other skeletons. On reaching Cape 
Herschel M'Clintock was full of hope that Simpson's 
cairn might contain a record, but there was nothing. 
On Mav 29th he reached the extreme western point of 
King William Island (69 0 8' N. and ioo° 8' W.) which 
he named Cape Crozier. 
M'Clintock had now arrived on Hobson's tracks. The 
coast was a series of limestone ridges, and to seaward 
there was a rugged surface of crushed-up pack. On the 
30th May the camp was formed alongside the boat found 
by Hobson about 50 miles from Point Victory. M'Clintock 
has given a most interesting account of it and its contents. 
It contained two skeletons and was full of relics of all 
kinds 1 . On June 2nd M'Clintock reached the cairn at 
Point Victory, and realised the whole sad story. "All 
the coast-line," he wrote, u along which the retreating 
crews performed their fearful march must be sacred to 
their names alone." 
M'Clintock had completed his immortal work. For 
ten years he had devoted all his energies and all the 
powers of his mind, first to the rescue of the lost 
explorers, then to ascertain their fate. Success had 
now crowned his efforts and the mystery of the sad fate 
of Franklin's expedition was at last made clear to the 
world. M'Clintock and his party had marched round 
King William Island. They returned to the ship on 
June 19th after an absence of 76 days, having travelled 
over 920 miles and discovered 800 miles of new coast 
line, and the only navigable North West Passage. 
Allen Young commenced his journey on April 7th, 
with old Harvey as captain of his sledge, Hobday and 
Haselton seamen, and Florance, a stoker, as crew. He 
also took a dog-sledge. Crossing the Franklin Channel, 
1 Among these was a devotional book which Sir George Back had 
given to his old shipmate Gore. It was restored to Sir George, who to the 
day of his death always kept it on his drawing-room table under a glass 
case. 
