We broke camp, leaving all but two days’ rations, and our tent and gear, and went in to the land about six miles distant. The march, short as it was, was as disagreeable as I had experienced for a long time, the bitter wind finding every opening in our clothing and filling it with snow, which then melted, so that when we reached the land, we were all thoroughly wet. Close to the land we got out of the drift, but did not escape the wind. I was the first to set foot on the “new land,” a level patch of fine dark earth and gravel, and was greeted by numbers of purple Arctic flowers, and a few steps showed patches of grass, and moss, and old tracks and droppings of reindeer and hare. A few minutes later a skua gull flew over, and while the tent was being set up, a brant. The tent completed, I filled Egingwah and Ooblooyah with coffee, and started them to reconnoitre the adjacent country thoroughly. They were gone about five hours, one going southeast, and the other southwest. Ooblooyah returned with two hare and reported seeing two others, also old musk-ox tracks. Egingwah saw one hare. One of the hare went into the pot immediately, then we turned in, to turn out again at midnight and finish the other. Koolootingwah and Ooblooyah were then sent with two sledges and all the dogs except three played-out ones, to reconnoitre a valley up the bay, for the musk-oxen which were our crying need now. Egingwah at the same time started out for hare again. All this time it was thick and blowing with frequent snow squalls, keeping everything wet. Egingwah returned after several hours with two hare, all that he had seen. While he was skinning these, a flock of eleven brant flew over and settled in a bit of water not far away, where he secured one of them. A little later a burgomaster gull was seen. The “O-o-o-he, O-o-o-he” of the purple sandpiper was constantly in our ears. The blue flies so abundant at Columbia seemed to be entirely absent here. At 10 P. M. my other two men returned unsuccessful. They reported the valley an attractive one, with a lake which they thought contained salmon, and showing plenty of grass, moss, and willow. They found old tracks, droppings and antlers of deer, but nothing recent, and no traces of musk-oxen. Numbers of hare and ptarmigan were seen, and six of the former and one of the latter secured. Also a number of brant. [Illustration: THE ALPINE SUMMIT OF CAPE COLGATE ] [Illustration: CAPE THOMAS HUBBARD Northern extremity of Jesup Land (Heiberger Land of Sverdrup) ] [Illustration: CAPE COLGATE Northwestern angle of Grant Land ] The wind had ceased now, and the sun was trying to shine, but it remained very thick with a constant drizzle of wet snow. I was much disappointed at the failure to secure game here, particularly when combined with the enforced delay by stormy weather.