May 4th, having dried all our gear and repaired sledges, I started for a reconnoissance of the Greenland northwest coast. I should have started two days earlier but for bad weather. Following the very arduous ice-foot to St. Patrick’s Bay, I found the bay filled with broken pack ice covered with snow almost thigh deep. From the top of Cape Murchison, with a good glass, no practicable road could be seen. The following day I sent two men with empty sledges and a powerful team of dogs to Cape Beechey, to reconnoitre from its summit. Their report was discouraging. Clear across to the Greenland shore, and up and down as far as the glass could reach, the channel was filled with unheaved floe fragments, uninterrupted by young ice or large floes, and covered with deep snow.
Crippled as I was, and a mere dead weight on the sledge, I felt that the road was impracticable. Had I been fit and in my usual place, ahead of the sledges breaking the trail with my snowshoes, it would have been different. One chance remained—that of finding a passage across to the Greenland side at Cape Lieber.
Returning to Fort Conger, I sent Henson and one Eskimo off immediately on this reconnoissance, and later sent two men to Musk-ox Bay to look for musk-oxen. Two days afterward they returned reporting sixteen musk-oxen killed, and Henson came in on the same day, reporting the condition of the channel off Capes Lieber and Cracroft the same as that off Capes Beechey and Murchison, and that they had been unable to get across. I now gave up the Greenland trip, and perhaps it was well that I did so, as the unhealed place on my right foot was beginning to break down and assume an unhealthy appearance from its severe treatment. As soon as the musk-ox skins and beef were brought in, the entire party, except myself and one Eskimo, went to the Bellows and Black Rock Vale for more musk-oxen. Twelve were killed there, and the skins and meat brought to Conger.
Not believing it desirable to kill more musk-oxen, and unable to do any travelling north, I completed the work of securing the meat and skins obtained; getting the records and private papers of the United States Lady Franklin Bay Expedition together; securing as far as possible collections and property; housing material and supplies still remaining serviceable, and making the house more comfortable for the purposes of my party.
May 23d we started for the ship, carrying only the scientific records of the expedition, the private papers of its members, and necessary supplies. I was still obliged to ride continuously. Favoured with abundant light and continuously calm weather, and forcing the dogs to their best, the return to the ship was accomplished in six days, arriving there May 29th.
During my absence Capt. Bartlett had built at Cape D’Urville, from plans which I furnished him, a comfortable house of the boxes of supplies, double-roofed with canvas, and banked in with gravel.
June 1st, I sent one sledge-load of provisions to Cape Louis Napoleon, and four to Cape Norton Shaw. June 6th, I sent three loads to Carl Ritter Bay, and two to Cape Lawrence. On the 23th of June, the last of these sledges returned to the Windward, and the year’s campaign to the north was ended. The return from Carl Ritter Bay had been slow, owing to the abundance of water on the ice-foot and the sea ice of the bays, and the resulting sore feet of the dogs.
June 28th, a sufficient number of dogs had recovered from the effect of their work to enable me to make up two teams, and Henson was sent with these, four of the natives and a dory, to make his way to Etah and communicate with the summer ship immediately on her arrival, so that her time would not be wasted even should the Windward be late in getting out of the ice.
June 29th, I started with two sledges and three natives to complete my survey of Princess Marie and Buchanan bays, and make a reconnoissance to the westward from the head of the former. My feet, which I had been favouring since my return from Conger, were now in fair condition, only a very small place on the right one remaining unhealed. Travelling and working at night, and sleeping during the day, I advanced to Princess Marie Bay, crossed the narrow neck of Bache Peninsula, and camped on the morning of July 4th near the head of the northern arm of Buchanan Bay. Hardly was the tent set up when a bear was seen out in the bay, and we immediately went in pursuit, and in a short time had him killed. He proved to be a fine large specimen.
While after the bear, I noticed a herd of musk-oxen a few miles up the valley, and after the bear had been brought into camp and skinned, and we had snatched a few hours’ sleep, we went after the musk-oxen. Eight of these were secured, including two fine bulls and two live calves, the latter following us back to camp of their own accord. The next three days were occupied in getting the beef to camp. I then crossed to the southern arm of Buchanan Bay, securing another musk-ox. Returning to Princess Marie Bay, I camped on the morning of the 14th at the glacier, which fills the head of Sawyer Bay.