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1862
Apr
12
Sat.
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every few fathoms, so that their bellies only saved them from going ^[[still]] deeper. By getting off sledge & truddging along beside of it the dogs were relieved of so much of the load as my weight wh. by this by is not of the noticeable character as when I left the States to wit 218 or 219 lbs. Now perhaps but little exceeding 150!
It was XII by Chro. (say XII PM Mean T. of place where I am) when I arrived at the foot of a precipitous mountain where I determined to make my turn point after ascending the mountain's side of a height that would give me a view of the trend & extent of the Bay. While Henry remained with the dogs I took my spy & compass made my way down the rough ice along shore ^[[ice]] (bet. coast & main land). I had hard & dangerous work climbing up that mountain to the height I did - but up there, I felt rewarded - I could see what did appear beyond any doubt the head that I had sought so perserveringly. The distance to it was only about 3 miles. I regretted being obliged to turn back without making to this very Head. After taking a few bearings while upon that Mountain & adding more on reaching the middle of the Bay on my descent at my order to the dogs now turned homeward the time spent here being just 40 minutes. A hard nights travel seemed to await us I saw evidently that it would take till some time into the morning of 13th before I should be able to get back - As the wind commenced breezing up, blowing ^[[strong]] from the S.E. & bringing [[strikethrough]] snow [[/strikethrough]] along with it thick snow I proposed stopping & making a snow hut & getting into it without ^[[least]] delay as darkness was ^[[fast]] closing upon us. What to use
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1862
Apr
12
Sat
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for cutting out snow blocks was a question not easily determined. Had not taken my usual precautions in making a sledge journey never to venture out without a snow knife - in fact had nothing save ^[[one of]] the broken cross [[strikethrough]] bar of [[/strikethrough]] bars of the sledge wh [[strikethrough]] cost [[/strikethrough]] consists of pieces of pine boards 4 & 5 inches wide, 1 in thick & 2 1/2 feet long. The bar broken was the only thing that could be used & to use it effectively could only puncture soft snow - that ^[[is]] such as us best answer[[guess]] for Igloo building. The place where I made this halt proved to be just [[strikethrough]] such [[/strikethrough]] ^[[the]] [[?]] where the snow ^[[could]] [[strikethrough]] [[?]]st [[/strikethrough]] be punched out with cross-bars. It was neither too hard or soft for the snow out of wh. I & Henry punched the snow blocks for the snow covering to the house that covers us. It is not an [[underlined]] Innuit [[/underlined]] Igloo that we cut no, with its dome of eternally running - up courses of snow blocks. I [[?]] decided the operation of making our night house. I marked out a space - 6 feet square just about the dimensions that would give area enough for ^[[ [[?me]] ]] & Henry - & the dogs. I say for the dogs not [[strikethrough]] be[[?]] [[/strikethrough]] because they require housing in this Cold Count^[[r]]y but because [[strikethrough]] [[?]] [[/strikethrough]] I wished to be sure they did not play another dog trick, by running away as my Greenlanders did from 2d Enc. out of the space indicated we punched snow blocks. Having [[strikethrough]] except [[/strikethrough]] executed[[guess]] [[strikethrough]] of space [[/strikethrough]] the place 2 feet deep the sledge was placed over it, the runners spanning this [[?]] snow trench. The runners rest [[strikethrough]] ed [[/strikethrough]] on snow blocks that [[strikethrough]] were [[/strikethrough]] placed at each end to [[?raise]] it a foot higher giving 3 feet height from floor to roof. The sledge is the skelleton roof - the ridge pole & rafters combined. [[strikethrough]] [[?Around]] the [[/strikethrough]] At each side we have placed long snow blocks reaching the outer wall (on an angle of 45 degrees) to sledge runners. On the wind side where I anticipated[[guess]] [[image - rectangle with pointed end crossed through with a large 'X'.]] [[image - drawing depicting construction of house]] that the strength would be required I placed in spread out form of compass trip - [[?]]d to assist in giving strength to the snow blocks. After placing snowblocks