One sledge and scant rations for themselves on the return journey were left at this camp, and everything else was taken on towards the north.
When a point about 15 miles from the edge of the ice-cap was reached, Peary found that they were approaching the land on a course about 5 miles east of the one on which he had descended to it in 1892. He was here able to look over the eastern edge of the Academy Glacier basin, and make out the summits of the east-coast land considerably farther to the south than in 1892. Away due north a magnificent mountain was seen which was not observed in 1892.
A large cone of detritus passed in 1892 was reached just in time to take shelter from a storm which held them prisoners two days.
Peary here decided to leave Lee in the tent to give a frozen toe a chance to recover, and to take Henson and all the dogs with him in an attempt to find musk-oxen.
After travelling some miles, the sledge was stopped by a shallow cañon when abreast of Musk-ox Valley. Here Peary left the sledge and dogs and examined the valley, but could find no trace of musk-oxen. After making an attempt to pass down the cañon, and failing, they climbed out of it and made across country. A few miles beyond the valley, Peary shot a hare. Previous to this they were having recourse to the dog-food, but they now cooked and ate the entire hare. It was the first full meal they had had in thirty-five days.
Next morning they started for a valley between Musk-ox Valley and Navy Cliff. At the entrance of this valley traces of musk-oxen were found, and ultimately they were tracked to near the crest of some mountains. When about 200 yards from the oxen, Peary and Henson lay down behind a large boulder to regain their breath. It was almost a matter of life or death with them, and they quivered with excitement. At last they made a rush for the oxen, and fortunately, instead of running away, the oxen formed in line with lowered heads. In a few minutes several were shot, and the remainder took to flight. So hungry were the men that as they skinned the animals they ate the meat raw and thought it delicious.
After resting, they took up the trail of the remaining oxen. Having followed them for twenty hours, Peary’s chagrin may be imagined when the oxen were ultimately found near the camp he had left. Being now thoroughly tired, they decided to take a few hours’ sleep before attacking them, but when they awoke the oxen had gone. The trail was again taken up, but after a chase of several miles a snowstorm came on, and completely obliterated all tracks.
They now returned to the sledge, and using the musk-oxen skins, they formed a kind of tent into which they crawled, and were soon asleep.
Next day, Henson was sent back with the sledge and a load of meat to the moraine where Lee was. On the way there he came across the musk-oxen, but the dogs gave chase and thoroughly frightened them.
About the fourth day, Henson and Lee joined Peary, and an attempt was now made to reach the sea. Several days were spent in incessant climbing, scrambling, and jumping over rocks, but at the end of it they found themselves still some 3000 feet above sea-level. To reach the bay ice it would be necessary to carry supplies on their backs for some distance over rocks, then down a precipitous shore, across a glacier’s lateral cañon, and then over several miles of crevasse-riven glacier.