The Portland daily press., 1895-09-23

violent wind storm, rushing down from
the interior to Petermann Ford. This
delayed us two days, demoralizing our
dogs, working havoc with the harness
and traces, and leaving the sledges buried
in overwhelming drifts. The close of the
week found us only 200 miles from the
Moraine. We were 1000 feet above the
sea.
The following week was more salts
factory, placing something like hundred
miles to our credit. All this time the
temperature ranged from-10 degrees to
-25 degrees at noon and-25 degrees to
-43 degrees at midnight. We had met
the midnight sun near the end of the
second week, and now had continuous
sunlight.
At the beginning Of the fourth week it
was evident that some change must be
made. The dogs had become so fatigued
1 could no longer drive my team into the
white, trackless, objectless desert ahead,
and Mr. Lees toe was giving him such
trouble as to make it we'll nigh impossible
/ for him to handle team.
EFFECTS OF MARCHING AT HIGH
ATTITUDES.
BY this time a number of the dogs had
given out and made it practicable to con-
centrate every thing in two teams and
! send Lee ahead to set the course. This
arrangement, with the daily icing OF the
sledges, enabled us to cover 122 miles in
the week. 1t was hard one. Some OF
the time we were almost 5000 feet above
the sea, and the average ele walton for the
week was 2, 700 feet. The elevation had a
marked effect on ourselves and the dogs,
through we were able to walk at the
moderate pace of two to two and One-half
miles per hour without discomfort and
keep this up ten or twelve hours. A few
sharp pulls ON d sledge when the dogs
baked or few yards run would take
exertion would be followed by bleeding
at the nose. The strength of men and
dogs was reduced fully one-half, the raw,
frozen meat ill-supplying the place OF
pemmican, even had we eaten full
ration Of it, which we rarely did.
A SERIES OF MISHAPS.
With our entrance upon the fifth hun
bred miles series of mishaps occurred.
Up to this time not sledge had broken,
! but almost sim ultaneously with passing
the four hundredth mile a runner of the
largest sled went to pieces completely. A
day was lost repairing the damage, and
at the end of twelve miles the new runner
broke beyond repair. Having no more
material for repairing the second mishap,
the sledge was converted into a three
runner and we proceeded. At the end OF
the next march we fed the last of the
walrus meat to the dogs. Only seventeen
dogs now remained to us. After this the
dogs went to pieces with startling rapid
uy, eleven being left at the end of the
week, and these in such condition that
we were obliged to man the drag ropes
ourselves. We cached nearly everything
and pushed on for the land. At the end
of the next march the dogs were scarcely
able to walk. We left them sixteen miles
from the land and 5, 600 feet above the sea
in charge of Lee, with Instructions to
feed the weakest ones to the others until
our return, and with Henson two rifles,
and four days ratiOns on small sledge
started down to the land in search OF
musk oxen.
THE NORTHERN LAND REACHED.
After some trouble with crevasses we
reached the land, but before we had
finished our first rest the sky became
overcast, and it commenced showing.
This weather continued while we re-
manned on land, two days and nights,
and we had to find our way back to the
tent through snow and fog. During this
trip we travelled until we were SO
fatigued, and our feet SO sore, lame. and
bruised by sharp rocks, that we could
scarcely walk. We slept On the rocks
without shelter, and returned to our tent
exhausted with our efforts, and disap-
pointed at finding no fresh trace of musk
oxen.
The time of our absence had been
scarcely less wearing to Lee than to our
selves He was alone with a few starving
dogs in that fierce, frozen desert, uncer-
tain of our return, helpless and doomed
if aught happened to US
Two alternatives now lay before us.
We could start back at once, and the 200
pounds of walrus meat reserved for dog
food for the return would probably keep
the dogs alive two-thirds of the distance
home. Then we could drag the loads the
remaining distance ourselves With fresh,
well-fed dogs the waqrus meat would
have sufficed for the entire distance.
The other alternative was to give some
of this meat to the dogs now. then go on
long as it lasted If we found musk oxen
as long, we'll and good; if not. then we
must rstrace those weary 500 miles
dragging our own supplies, with the GER
tainty that one and the probability that
all of lis would never complete the
Journey But there was a chance. We
were Americans. One of us carried about
A~@~~S' OOs&AN
not turn back.
i The decision was quickly made Next
day, dragging the sledge ourselves, we re-
turned to the cache through the dense
fog, gave the dogs an ample feed of
walrns meat, and loaded everything upon
the sleuge except rations for the return
trip, which were cached under a con-
spicuous tripod formed of a sledge and
two ski.
BACK ON THE LAND AGAIN.
The following day, with a little assist
ance from the dogs. we returned to the
last camp. Next day we descended to
the land, reaching 1t just in time to be
storm bound on the moraine for two
days; then, with Henson and all the
dogs, we went on across the land, leaving
Mr.. Lee again to lonely vigil. The
arduous land travel increased our appe-
titles to painful degree, and, having
had no meat for the past three days, we
were glad to make a lunch from new
frozen walrus meat intended for the dogs.
Even of this we were obliged to eat
sparingly, as the dogs needed it more
| than we.
Twelve hours of marching showed no