Each officer and man was also furnished with a blanket made into a
bag, with a drawing-string at each end, a pair of spare shoes, and
stockings, a flannel shirt, and a cap to sleep in. The clothing
and blankets were carried on our backs in knapsacks, those of the
officers weighing from seventeen to twenty-four pounds each, and
one between every two men weighing twenty-four pounds, to be
carried for half a day alternately.
At five P.M. we left the ships, accompanied by a large party of
officers and men from each, who were desirous of relieving us from
the weight of our knapsacks for an hour or two; and, having been
cheered by the ships on our departure, we went round the head of
the harbour, and ascended the northeast hill, our companions left
us at eight P.M., and we proceeded across a level plain almost
entirely covered with snow, which, however, was so hard as to make
the travelling very good; and the cart was dragged along without
difficulty. At eleven P.M. we came to three remarkable round
hills; composed entirely of sand and masses of sandstone, and
halted to dine close to the northward of them. Those parts of the
land which were clear of snow appeared to be more productive than
those in the immediate neighbourhood of Winter Harbour, the
dwarf-willow, sorrel, and poppy being more abundant, and the moss
more luxuriant; we, could not, however, collect a sufficient
quantity of the slender wood of the willow, in a dry state, for
the purpose of dissolving snow for water, and were therefore
obliged to use a part of the fuel which we had provided for that
purpose.
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