On the 16th of September I succeeded in reaching Payer Harbour, crossing Ross Bay, partly by sledge and partly by boat, and going overland across Bedford Pim Island.
Soon after this my Eskimos began to sicken, and by November 19th six of them were dead. During this time I personally sledged much of the material from Erik Harbour to headquarters, and Henson went to the head of Buchanan Bay with some of the Eskimos, and secured ten musk-oxen.
The winter passed quietly and comfortably. Two more musk-oxen were secured in Buchanan Bay, and six deer at Etah.
January 2d, work was begun in earnest on preparations for the spring campaign, which opened on the 11th of February. On this day I sent off six sledges, with light loads, to select a road across the mouth of Buchanan Bay, and build an igloo abreast of Cape Albert. On the 12th I sent two of my best hunters on a flying reconnoissance and bear hunt, in the direction of Cape Louis Napoleon.
On the 13th eight sledges went out, taking dog-food nearly to Cape D’Urville. On the 16th my two scouts returned with a favourable report, and on the 18th ten sledges went out loaded with dog-food to be taken to Cape Louis Napoleon. This party returned on the 22d. On the evening of the 28th, everything was in readiness for Henson to start the next day, it being my intention to send him on ahead with three picked men and light loads to pioneer the way to Conger; I to follow a few days later with the main party. A northerly gale delayed his departure until the morning of March 3d, when he got away with six sledges and some fifty dogs. Two of these sledges were to act as a supporting party as far as Cape Lawrence. At 9 A. M. of March 6th fourteen sledges trailed out of Payer Harbour and rounded Cape Sabine for the northern journey, and at noon I followed them, with my big sledge, the “Long Serpent,” drawn by ten fine grays. Two more sledges accompanied me. The temperature at the time was –20° F. The minimum of the previous night had been –38° F. We joined the others at the igloos abreast of Cape Albert and camped there for the night. Temperature –43° F. The next day we made Cape D’Urville in temperature from –45° to –49°F.
Here I stopped a day to dry our foot-gear thoroughly, and left on the morning of the 9th with some supplies from the box house. Two sledges returned from here. Camped about five miles from Cape Louis Napoleon. The next march carried me to Cape Fraser, and the next to Cape Collinson. During this march, for the first time in the four seasons that I have been over this route, I was able to take a nearly direct course across the mouth of Scoresby Bay, instead of making a long detour into it.
One march from Cape Collinson carried me to Cape Lawrence, on the north side of Rawlings Bay. The crossing of this bay, though more direct than usual, was over extremely rough ice. Learning from Henson’s letter at Cape Lawrence, that I had gained a day on him, and not wanting to overtake him before reaching Conger, I remained here a day, repairing several sledges which had been damaged in the last march. Five men with the worst sledges and poorest dogs returned from here. Three more marches took us to Cape L. von Buch on the north side of Carl Ritter Bay, temperature ranging from –35° to –45° F. Heavy going in many places.
Two more marches carried us to the first coast valley north of Cape Defosse. I had now gained two days on the advance party. The character of the channel ice being such that we were able to avoid the terrible ice-foot, which extends from here to Cape Lieber, and my dogs being still in good condition, I made a spurt from here and covered the distance to Conger in one march, arriving about an hour and a half after Henson and his party.
I had covered the distance from Payer Harbour to Conger, some 300 miles, in twelve marches.
Four days were spent at Conger overhauling sledges and harness, drying and repairing clothing, and scouting the country, as far as The Bellows, in search of musk-oxen. None were seen, but about 100 hare were secured in the four days. Temperature during this time from –40° to –57° F. Seven Eskimos returned from here, taking with them the instruments of the Lady Franklin Bay Expedition, and other items of Government property abandoned here in 1883.