Our main dependence was, therefore,
the game of the country through which we were travelling; a contingency
upon which we had calculated and were willing to rely, having full
faith in the superior quality of the arms and ammunition with which we
had been so liberally equipped by American manufacturers. It is well
for us that our faith was well founded, for there can scarcely be a
doubt that it was this that made our expedition possible. In all other
respects we were probably in a much worse condition than any previous
expedition; but the quality of our arms put us at once upon a footing
to derive all the benefit possible from the game of the country, a
benefit of which we availed ourselves, as the unparalleled score of 522
reindeer, besides musk oxen, polar bears and seals will show. This is
what was killed by our party from the time we left Camp Daly until our
return. The quality of our provisions was excellent, and it was only
deficient in quantity. The Inuit shared our food with us as long as it
lasted, and, indeed, that was one of the inducements to accompany us on
the journey. Some of the compressed corned-beef, corn starch, and
cheese was reserved for the use of detached search parties on King
William Land, as being the most condensed form of nutriment among our
stores, and even that was shared with the Inuits who accompanied us
during the search.
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