CAPTAIN YOUNG'S JOURNEY.
Captain Allen Young and his party had returned on board on the 3rd of March, having placed their depôt upon the shore of Prince of Wales' Land, about 70 miles S.W. of the ship. Young found the ice in Bellot Strait so rough as to be impassable, and was obliged to adopt the lake route. Prince of Wales' Land was found to be composed of limestone; the shore was low, and fringed for a distance of ten miles to seaward with an ancient land-floe. The remaining width of the strait between this land (North Somerset) and Prince of Wales' Land was about 15 miles, and this space was composed of ice formed since September last; this was the water we looked at so anxiously last autumn from Cape Bird and Pemmican Rock. His party lived in their tent, protected from the wind by snow walls, and, like ourselves, escaped with a few trivial frost-bites. So far all was very satisfactory, the general health good, and the eagerness of my crew to commence travelling quite charming.
SUGAR MISSING.
Young proposed carrying out another depôt to the north-west, in order to explore well up Peel Strait, and would have started on the 17th, but the weather was too severe. The day was spent in a fruitless search for three casks of sugar—a serious and unaccountable deficiency—but, as it was important to replace them with as little delay as possible, Young set off on the 18th, although it blew a N.W. gale at the time, with two men and eighteen dogs, for Fury Beach; failing to find the requisite quantity there, he will go on to Port Leopold.
FOOTNOTES:
[19] Petersen conversed with two men who had themselves been up to Umingmak Island.
CHAPTER XIII.
Dr. Walker's sledge journey—Snow-blindness attacks Young's party—Departure of all sledge-parties—Equipment of sledge-parties—Meet the same party of natives—Intelligence of the second ship—My depôt robbed—Part company from Hobson—Matty Island—Deserted snow-huts—Native sledges—Land on King William Land.