308 Arctic a?td Antarctic Exploration [part i 
Markham abandoned one of the boats. On the 24th 
the sledge crews were all day cutting a lane through 
hummocks. On the nth May Markham reached the 
limit of human endurance and their furthest north in 
83 0 20' 26" N. Soundings were taken in 73 fathoms, 
showing that they were still on the continental shelf. 
On the 13th May the return journey was begun, on the 
17th the second boat was abandoned, and on the 
5th June the land was reached. Next day Lieutenant 
Parr started alone for the ship for help, for only three 
men, including Commander Markham, could drag the 
sledge. Two men were unable to walk, and were placed 
on the sledge; one died. The heroic resolution of all 
concerned enabled them to struggle on to the last in 
spite of difficulties and hardships, and the courage dis- 
played while in the grip of this dread disease was magni- 
ficent. The party had gone over 600 miles. 
Lieutenant Pelham Aldrich's western party had mean- 
while made important discoveries along the north coast 
of Ellesmere Island during an absence of 84 days from 
the ship. He travelled over 630 miles, nearly all his 
sledge crew being more or less disabled by scurvy. His 
most northern point was 83 0 N., and was named Cape 
Columbia. 
The third principal effort was to be made along the 
north coast of Greenland. From April 10th to 18th 
Egerton and Rawson crossed the channel between 
Greenland and Ellesmere Island to pioneer a route, 
returning on the latter date. Lieutenant Beaumont of 
the Discovery was to command the party. On the 16th 
April he and Dr Coppinger arrived at the Alert with two 
8-man sledges. There Rawson joined them with another 
sledge, and on the 20th they all crossed the channel to 
Greenland, with a fourth depot sledge. On May 5th 
Coppinger parted company, and on the nth Rawson 
followed with a man on his sledge who had shown 
symptoms of scurvy. 
Beaumont proceeded along the Greenland north coast, 
a new discovery. On May 19th he reached his turning 
point, naming a distant cape to the north-east Cape 
Britannia. His furthest point was in 82 0 18' N. and 
50 0 40' W. 
