COOK'S STORY OF HIS DISCOVERY OF NORTH POLE 43 



possible, and to satisfy the pangs of hunger we sought Jones Sound, 

 where after a long run of hard adventures by boat and sled a cruel 

 necessity forced us into winter quarters in September in Sparbo, 

 without food, fuel, ammunition or winter clothing. 



"With no dogs, no shelter and no guns our outlook was nearly 

 hopeless. But fortune came our way, bows and arrows, harpoons, 

 lances and other implements were made from the wood of our sleds. 

 The musk ox and bear were taken with lance and knife, small game 

 was secured with the bow and arrow and slingshot. Foxes were 

 trapped in stone traps. The wolves and the seal were attacked and 

 secured in our folding canvas boat, an underground den was built 

 and the winter of 1908 and 1909 was passed with a taste of savage 

 life, for we had not a morsel of civilized food, not even salt. 



"At one point in our journey, when no animal life was visible, 

 and for three days we had nothing to eat, fortune came to our aid. 

 In a crevice of the ice we caught sight of several walruses. I had 

 only a few cartridges left. I crept along the ice on my stomach, 

 approaching the animals slowly so as not to scare them. I expended 

 all my cartridges, and as a result got two of the walruses. Our lives 

 were saved. 



"During the expedition we ate all kinds of meat. I like musk 

 ox best, but would eat bear or fox if the other was not available. 

 Everything tastes good when one is starving. On one occasion 

 a dead seal was greedily eaten. We brought ten dogs back 

 with us, the others having been eaten by their companions. Those 

 saved were given the freedom of their wolfish propensities and 

 allowed to forage for themselves. 



"On February i8th we left our winter cave. As the sun rose over 

 the hills of North Devon, we started for Annootok, dragging musk- 

 ox meat as food and molded tallow for fuel. Deep snow, bad ice, 

 open water and continued storms made the return slow and arduous. 

 We reached Annootok after a run of hard luck, April 5th. Here 

 we were met by Mr. Whitney, only to find that the Peary men had 



