George Brands died suddenly, presumably from apoplexy, and was buried on shore. Temperatures reached as animals became scarce and winds became fierce. No regular schooling was conducted, although several crewmembers busied themselves by studying navigation. The new year was welcomed amid improvised celebrations below deck. By February, animals began to return with the increasing sunlight. One member of the crew came down with scurvy, as he had avoided the preserved meats. Discoveries Traces of Franklin The sled dogs were separated into three teams as land parties—McClintock, Young, and Walker—departed to extend the search on 17 February, with temperatures no less severe. McClintock's dogs experienced much difficulty with the journey, and the planned trip was shortened. Nights were passed in snow huts. On 1 March, they were surprised to encounter four Inuit returning from a seal hunt. One of them wore a naval button that came, he said, from a group of Europeans who had starved near a river – Franklin's last survivors, as confirmed by John Rae in 1854. Another had met with Rae's expedition in the same area. Two days later, the entire 45 members of this group of Inuit arrived. McClintock purchased all of the Franklin relics they possessed, mostly silverware and buttons. While none of the natives had seen Franklin's crew alive, several had seen their remains. Some told of a group of survivors from a three-masted ship crushed by the ice west of King William Island, placing them in the same area as described by Rae. McClintock's party returned to the Fox with this evidence on 14 March, having travelled some and charting of new coast. Young's party had already returned to the ship without major discoveries. Walker's team, sent to retrieve cached provisions, returned without success on 25 March. On 2 April, McClintock finally set out for King William Island to followup on the Inuit reports, with a plan to divide his company into two teams to more quickly explore the island – Lieutenant Hobson would lead one party to explore the north coast of King William Island, and McClintock himself would lead one along the southern shore. On 20 April McClintock encountered another group of Inuit. In addition to providing extensive relics, they described two ships near King William's Island. One of the ships had sunk in deep water, while the other was broken upon the ice with one body aboard. They described the