/ 



;o SIDE-LIGHTS ON THE PEARY EXPEDITION 



the mental strain. We knew how vital it was to get out to Peary 

 with our loads and with a lot of alcohol. The tins of fuel he had 

 with him went to the bad, or threatened to, the second day out, and 

 without hot tea twice a day, with these temperatures, I doubt if man 

 could live. I know I couldn't. Besides, the Eskimos were losing 

 their 'sand/ wanted to put for the boat, said we'd all die out at sea, 

 etc., and we were afraid of a wholesale desertion. 



"On the morning of the sixth day the lead closed, and two 

 Eskimos, both afflicted with cold feet, came to land and said Peary 

 had been held up four days by open water four marches out. We 

 trail made by the captain and me eleven days before, over which the 

 Commander had gone. A storm and the darkness forced us to halt 

 got under way at once, and following their trail, found the original 

 at the first encampment. Here one of my Eskimos went temporarily 

 'bughouse/ and, stripped to the waist, began running around out- 

 side, looking for trouble. We managed to get his clothes on after a 

 while, and prevented him from getting frost-bitten. That day we 

 made a forced march of twelve hours or more, and got to the third 

 encampment. 



"The next day we marched about eighteen hours and slept at 

 the fifth encampment. It was very cold, minus 53 degrees, and I 

 froze my left heel, where I had done it last fall. The husky who was 

 bughouse the night before thawed it out on his stomach. At the 

 fourth encampment we got a note from the Commander saying he 

 had left that camp the previous morning, March nth, after waiting 

 six days. It said : 'It is vital that you overtake and give us fuel/ 



"We were now only one march behind him. Marvin called for 

 a volunteer to go ahead and tell the Commander we were behind. 

 The best man, named Sigloo, who afterward went to the Pole with 

 Peary, responded, and after four hours' sleep went on. That was 

 going some. After forty miles or so he went with only five gallons 

 of alcohol, dumping off his loads. The rest of us were dead tired 

 after the march the day before, and so were the dogs. The result 



