Back again under our last night's shelter. The hummocks were much the same to-day as yesterday, and we made about the same progress—with, however, only half our stores. The load was left buried in the snow, and we returned for the balance; but, upon arriving here, the dogs were not able for the second trip. So here we are under our buffaloes once more in the ice-cave, seeking sleep. It is the best hut that I have ever had. The temperature of the air came up at noon to 4° above zero, and in the sun it was 38°. The thermometer hanging above my head in the cave now shows 31°.
April 30th.
CANINE FEROCITY.
It was all we could do to bring up the balance of our cargo to where we cached our load yesterday. I must not overtax the dogs; for, if they give out, I am done for. They are much fatigued to-night and must be nursed; so I directed Jensen to make them a warm supper of meat and potatoes and lard, and plenty of it. Nothing could exceed their ravenous hunger. The ferocity with which they tear into their food exceeds any thing that I have ever seen, and nothing escapes their sharp fangs. They eat up their harness if not closely watched, and we are obliged to bring every thing made of skin inside the hut. Several of the traces have disappeared down their rapacious throats; and, with these swallowings and the breakings, we are now so badly off that we must fall back upon rope to replace the skin lines. To add to our embarrassments, Jensen forgot last night to cover over his sledge, (Knorr's makes the roof of our hut,) and when we went out in the morning, the sledge was torn to pieces, the lashings were all eaten, and the pieces of the sledge were scattered over the snow all around the camp.
I have nearly eight hundred pounds of dog food, but the daily drain is very great; and this, taken in connection with the slowness of our progress, looks unpromising.
May 1st.
THE COAST IN VIEW.
We found it impossible to get on to-day with even one half the cargo, and were therefore forced to make three parcels of it,—one of which I estimate that we have brought nine miles, as traveled, though probably not one third that distance in a straight line. It is impossible to describe the nature of the ice over which we have struggled. It is even worse than any thing we have encountered before. The run of to-day has brought the coast quite conspicuously in view. I am coming upon my old survey of 1854, and am not far from my return track at that time; but how different the condition of the ice! Then my principal difficulty was in the outward journey, due north from Van Rensselaer Harbor. Returning further down the Sound, near where we now are, the ice was found to be but little broken, and I crossed from shore to shore in two days.
I have now a much finer opportunity for observation than I had then, for there was on the former occasion much fog, and I was constantly snow-blind. The coast of Grinnell Land is clearly somewhat further north than I then placed it; for we are by my observation and reckoning, within ten miles of the shore, if the map is correct. The two bold capes to which Dr. Kane applied the names Bache and Henry (the Victoria Head and Cape Albert, of Captain Inglefield) appear to be large islands, in the mouth of a sound from thirty to forty miles wide. I reserve further judgment for further observation.
Two very conspicuous headlands appear upon the coast: one, lying almost due north, stands out with a dark front, presenting a mural face at least 1500 feet high. On my former journey I gave to it the name of Louis Napoleon, in honor of the remarkable man who, as Emperor of France, was then first beginning to exhibit to the world the greatness of his powers. It stands on the north side of a very conspicuous bay. More directly in our course and nearer to us is the other bold cape, to which Dr. Kane, on my return from the survey of this coast, appended my own name; but, since there was some confusion in the maps afterward between the names Hawks and Hayes, I have discarded the latter; and this immense rock, to which Gibraltar is a pigmy, will hereafter bear the name of Cape Hawks. The whole coast before us is very bold, and the mountain-peaks loom up loftily.