Ii6 BRADLEY'S ACCOUNT OF THE COOK EXPEDITION 



"I'm going to stay." 



"All right; you're past twenty-one. Think it over before you 

 finally decide." 



Cook needed no further thought; his mind was made up. 



There could not have been a combination of circumstances 

 better adapted to his purposes. He saw the chance and he took it, 

 and he had the nerve and the will to avail himself of his opportuni- 

 ties. Let us take up again Mr. Bradley's narrative : 



"On our way up we had encroached a good deal on the stock 

 of five thousand gallons of gasoline with which we had started, and 

 we were taking on ballast. As we were running a little light, I came 

 on deck and said to Bartlett: 'Captain, get all the men ready and 

 send all the natives aboard ashore. Prepare to unload as soon as 

 possible, for we are to put Dr. Cook and his supplies ashore for the 

 winter.' 



" 'Is this a polar expedition ?' he asked. 



' 'It is/ I answered. 



" 'I knew it ! I knew it !' he exclaimed. 'Never was there a ship 

 fitted out as this one is which was not intended for the Pole. Expect 

 me to stay all winter ?' 



" 'Not if we can help it,' said I. 'I wouldn't stay here myself. 

 It is not necessary to stay here on account of Dr. Cook. We have a 

 house on board for him.' 



" 'Glad to hear you say that,' was the captain's answer. 'I 

 wouldn't stay here for anybody on earth.' 



"We lost no time. The supplies were loaded into dories, which 

 were towed ashore by my motor boat, which was in reality a strong 

 whale-boat twenty-seven feet long, with powerful engines. Dr. 

 Cook managed the motor boat, for he is fond of running engines.* 

 We landed supplies at a rapid rate for a while, and then the ice began 

 to drift in, and the captain said that he did not care much about 

 staying about that neighborhood, as we stood a chance of losing the 

 vessel or staying that way all winter. He asked if it made any 



