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1862
Apr
1
Tues
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The Innuits placed straps made of whale line over the forward part of each runner of the sledge allowing [[strikethrough]] st [[?]] [[/strikethrough]] the same to sweepback under said running wh. answered to check the sliding capacity of the sledge by digging deeply down into the hard snow causing such friction or attraction that the descent was made slowly [[strikethrough]] & saftely [[/strikethrough]] & with safty. At the stern of the sledge was attached a piece of whale line 20 fathoms in length. Lamb, Morgan & myself were appointed by the Innuits to hold back on this long [[strikethrough]] sledge [[/strikethrough]] sledge tail. Young Smith who was the dog driver for the day, was ordered to take his position directly ahead of the dogs & "whip them back" that they might not assist gravitation ^[[in hastening]] down our loaded sledge. Keeney was made to take his place beside the sledge along with the Innuits to assist in guiding & holding ^[[it]] back [[strikethrough]] the sledge [[/strikethrough]] Thus prepared a start was made. The 1st descent proved that the plan of the Innuits was [[strikethrough]] eqq [[/strikethrough]] equal to the emergency - the 2d was made with like good result then an incident ^[[have]] occured worthy of record. Morgan was at the tip of the sledge tail. His heel hold in the snow proved false & up his [[strikethrough]] his [[/strikethrough]] heels flew [[strikethrough]] ^[[up]] [[/strikethrough]] where his head [[strikethrough]] out [[/strikethrough]] ought to have been. Down went Morgan tumbling & sliding with impetuosity in quite a different direction from the sledge route. Still he held on to tail almost throwing me after him, but I managed to keep the hold - back came in line with the sledge to the point where I was hold of it; from thence it was on an angle of full 90[[degree symbol]] extending [[strikethrough]] t [[/strikethrough]] down the side hill into a ravine where Morgan was a floundering ^[[still]] fast hold of it - Morgan with belly down & head ahead made just ^[[as]] good time down [[strikethrough]] fall [[/strikethrough]] hill No 2 as did 19 dogs, 4 Innuits, 4 white men, sledge & whale boat! As we brought up at the base of the incline, on
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1862
Apr
1
[[strikethrough]] Apr [[/strikethrough]]
Tues
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looking around there was Morgan, manfully gra^[[s]]ping the tail's tip. As he raised his head (his position being posterior as descended) his eyes snapping as if there was [[strikethrough]] [[?]] [[/strikethrough]] [[?]], he reminded me very much of a snapping turtle! Morgan declared that he was bound to hold on to that drag-rope to the last.
We made the ice of Frobisher Bay just in time for my taking Meridional observations for Latitude.
A few minutes before however we stopped & had a lunch on raw frozen walrus wh. Ook-sin chipped off & distributed to all of us. Lamb had a terrible piece of Salt pork wh he had [[strikethrough]] with him [[/strikethrough]] boiled just before leaving the ship The Innuits are very fond of this food having only rarely. Thus they nearly devoured as Lamb was quite willing they should. On getting through my noon observations, we started for Oo-pung-ne-wing. The contrast between the ^[[state of the]] snow covering the ice of Rescue Bay & that of Bay of Frobisher is remarkable. On this side firm - in Rescue Bay otherwise unless it be over a beaten road. The snow on ice & land not yet affected by the Sun. Land still as thickly clothed in white as in Feb. 
The dogs on this ice this side made 2 1/2 to 3 miles per hour drawing the large sledge. Boats & contents - & now & then I got 15 minutes ride. (3/4 of a mile in distance) all the rest of the way paced distance carefully as circumstances would allow. Coming down the mountain side, holding back as the line, I still kept up my count.
Where I made obs. for Lat. Kin-gaite in sight sun between the Islands Ni-om ti-lak[[guess]] & Oo-pung-ne-wing - Having made

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