e course
of the party intelligently the reader needs to keep a reliable map of
the Arctic regions before him.

Fort Conger stood close to the intersection of sixty-fifth meridian and
the eighty-second parallel, being a little south of the latter and east
of the former. From this starting-point, the route of Lockwood was
slightly south of northeast to its termination. Almost from the
beginning, the traveling was so difficult that the bravest explorers
could not have been blamed for turning back.

The ice was tumbled together in irregular masses many feet in thickness,
through which they often had to cut the way with axes for their sledges.
The wind rose to a hurricane, and was of piercing coldness, and so
filled with fine particles that they cut the face like bird-shot. Most
of the time they could not see one another when separated by a few feet.
Muffled to their eyes, the brave explorers fought their-way onward,
often compelled to stop and turn their backs to the gale, which almost
swept them off their feet. Frequently they crouched behind the piles of
ice to regain their breath while the furious wind roared above their
heads.

Toughened, as were all the men, some of them succumbed under the fearful
work. These returned to camp, and the party was reduced to nine. This
occurred on the 10th of April, very near where the 82d parallel crosses
the 60th meridian. There Lieutenant Lockwood came to a halt, and turned
back with the dogs to Fort Conger. The round journey was a hundred
miles, but it was necessary to get supplies that could be obtained in no
other way, and to secure new runners for their sledges, which were
battered by their rough usage.

Accompanied by the two Eskemos, Lockwood made a new start on the 14th of
April, and averaged two miles an hour until he reached his new camp.
From that point the nine men had three sledges, which they dragged, and
a fourth that was drawn by the dogs. With indomitable pluck they
struggled onward, and all were thrilled on the 25th of the month by the
knowledge that they had reached a point further north than had ever been
attained by an American, and they hoped to surpass all others.

The heroic explorers had by no means finished their task. At regular
points they cached their provisions against the return. If the reader
will locate on his map the intersection of the 55th meridian with the
parallel of 82 deg. 20', he will have a point close to Cape Bryant, where
the supports o