Nearest the Pole: a narrative of the polar expedition of the Peary Arctic Club in the S.S. Roosevelt, 1905-1906Peary, Robert E. (Robert Edwin)
History
Nearest the Pole: a narrative of the polar expedition of the Peary Arctic Club in the S.S. Roosevelt, 1905-1906
Peary, Robert E. (Robert Edwin)
Arctic regions
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.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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