APPENDIX NO. Y. 
347 
bility that another effort would be made by Dr. Kane to obtain a result 
so desirable, it would be useless to proceed farther at present, except 
to deposit the keg of alcohol at the first cache made by Messrs. McGary 
and Bonsall near Chimney Rock. This I determined to do the next day. 
By immersing the broken thermometer in melting snow to ascertain 
rudely its correction, I found the temperature of the air to bo—21° 5', 
the wind, which had been blowing stiffly from the eastward, having 
nearly subsided. Morton and I had our hands severely frost-bitten during 
the day,—he in melting snow, and I in carelessly exposing my hands 
in manipulating with the sextant at Tennyson Monument. Alternate 
pounding and rubbing brought us off with each a single blister. 
October 23, Sunday.—Were ready to start by 8.10 A.M. Morton 
and I occupied the place of the dogs in drawing the sledge, leaving 
John in charge of the dogs, tent, &c. We reached the cache at half¬ 
past twelve, a distance of fifteen miles. The cache remained undis¬ 
turbed; but the numerous tracks around, and the efforts made to under¬ 
mine the pile of stones, showed the necessity of great precaution in de¬ 
positing provisions. The keg of alcohol was placed at one end of the 
bag of pemmican, and the cache additionally strengthened. The debris 
was mostly of limestone, and not extending so high as is common 
in those already passed. I was very anxious to fulfil the desire of 
Dr. Kane to obtaiu a suite of specimens of the cliffs and debris; but 
the cliffs were difficult to ascend, and, by the time I had reached half¬ 
way, I found it would be impossible to gain the top without first de¬ 
scending. Specimens of the rock, as far as I ascended, were carefully 
wrapped in paper and marked in series. A stiff breeze was blowing 
around the point, and, by the time I reached the bottom, I was so 
chilled that I felt little like making another effort; besides, I had 
already gone up by a gorge to take a look, without doing any good, 
and it was growing late. Sextant-altitudes were taken of the top of 
the greenstone and the debris, with a stepped base of two hundred 
paces, which gave severally six hundred and three hundred feet. 
Started back at three o'clock, a light snow falling. Reached the tent 
about 7 p.m. 
October 24, Monday.—Commenced my journey at 10 A.M., pass¬ 
ing over nearly the same track as on the 22d. We made the land-ice, 
to avail ourselves of the leo of the cliffs against the strong wind, and 
pitched our tent at a quarter-past three. We found, on unpacking the 
sledge, that a stanchion and top-bar had been broken. One of the 
dogs having made his exit at one corner of the tent two nights pre¬ 
viously, John soon had us safely fastened in. We ate our stew, drank 
