which had very nearly proved of very serious importance to the
future welfare of the expedition. Early on the morning of the 11th
I received a note from Lieutenant Liddon, acquainting me that, at
daylight on the preceding day, Mr. Fife, with a party of six men,
had been despatched from the Griper, with the hope of surprising
some reindeer and musk-oxen, whose tracks had been seen in a
ravine to the westward of the ships. As they had not yet returned,
in compliance with the instructions given to Mr. Fife, and had
only been supplied with a small quantity of provisions, it was
natural to apprehend that they had lost their way in pursuit of
game. I therefore recommended to Lieutenant Liddon to send a party
in search of his people, and Messrs. Reid, Beverly, and Wakeham,
who immediately volunteered their services on the occasion, were
accordingly despatched for this purpose. Soon after their
departure, however, it began to snow, which rendered the
atmosphere so extremely thick, especially on the hills along which
they had to travel, that this party also lost their way, in spite
of every precaution, but fortunately got sight of our rockets
after dark, by which they were directed to the ships, and returned
at ten o'clock, almost exhausted with cold and fatigue, without
any intelligence of the absentees.

At daylight on the following morning, I sent Lieutenant Hoppner,
with the Heck's fore-royal-mast rigged as a flagstaff, which he
erected on a conspicuous hill four or five miles inland, hoisting
upon it a large ensign, which might be seen at a considerable
distance in every direction. This expedient occurred to us as a
more certain mode of directing our absentees towards the ships
than that of sending out a number of parties, which I could not,
in common prudence as well as humanity, permit to go to any great