Page:The frozen North; an account of Arctic exploration for use in schools (IA frozennorthaccou00hort).pdf/49

 Kane's plan was to pass up Baffin bay as far north as it was possible to drive the ship. From that point he intended to proceed by boats or sledges toward the pole, examining the coast lines along the way for traces of the lost party.

The strongly built bark Advance was selected for this journey, and Kane set sail from New York with seventeen companions, in May, 1853. After a month the Advance reached Fiskernaes, a town on the Greenland coast, inhabited chiefly by Eskimos. To these people a ship was a very unusual sight, and they swarmed upon the rocks to gaze at the strange newcomers. The Danish official who had charge of the colony welcomed Kane and his companions hospitably.

Kane had brought all the dried and salted provisions he could carry, but he knew that his men would need fresh meat in order to keep well in this climate. Besides, they had with them about fifty dogs for the sledge journeys which Kane expected to make when the vessel could no