In the first light of the December moon, Peary with Henson and the doctor and four Eskimo left the ship with the intention of reaching Fort Conger. On the 28th all the supplies had reached Cape Lawrence on the north side of Rawlings Bay. Next day Peary started from Cape Lawrence with light sledges for Fort Conger. On the way the cold was so intense that it was too much for one of the Eskimo, who had to be left in a burrow in a snow-drift with a companion to look after him. Before Fort Conger was reached the moon had departed, and Peary had to grope and stumble in complete darkness across Lady Franklin Bay. On the 6th January 1899 the party passed through the doorway of Fort Conger. Biscuit from the table where it had lain fifteen years formed a lunch. On reaching Fort Conger, Peary had a suspicious “wooden” feeling in his feet, and on having them examined it was found that both were frost-bitten. He ultimately lost eight of his toes. The party remained at Fort Conger until the 18th February, when a start was made for the _Windward_, which was reached in eleven days. The mean minimum daily temperature during this period was the astonishing one of −56.18°F., and on the day the _Windward_ was reached the temperature went down to −65° F. During April the supplies left at Cape Lawrence were moved to Fort Conger. On 19th April, Peary again left for Fort Conger, although he could not move without crutches, and Discovery Harbour was reached on the 28th. Early in May he attempted to make a reconnaissance of the Greenland north-west coast, but found Robeson Channel impracticable. On the 23rd May, Peary and his party started for the ship, and covered the 250 miles in six days. In July, Peary crossed Ellesmere Land to the west coast. Soon after his return from this trip, the _Windward_ was able to make its way to Etah, where Peary communicated with a relief expedition in charge of Bridgman. At the end of August both the _Windward_ and the relief ship were sent home, and Peary and his party were left at Etah, where the winter was passed. On the 19th February 1900, Peary sent off a division of seven sledges to Fort Conger; on the 26th February six other sledges left; and on the 4th March he followed with nine sledges. He reached Fort Conger on 28th March, and learned that the advance parties had killed twenty-one musk-oxen close to Conger.