THE CONTROVERSY BETWEEN COOK AND PEARY 199 



distance north and not out of sight of land, and that other mem- 

 bers of their tribe had corroborated their story. 



What Dr. Cook said when he read it was in effect what the 

 general public thought and said: 



"It is the same old story," was his comment. "I have replied 

 to the points raised a dozen times. The map published by Com- 

 mander Peary in itself indicates that the Eskimos have respected 

 their promise made to me that they would not give any information 

 to Peary or his men. 



"The Eskimos were instructed not to tell Mr. Peary or any of 

 his party of our trip over the polar sea. They were told to say we 

 had been far North." 



Thus smilingly the claimant of these great honors put off his 

 day of reckoning, while all the time he was delivering lectures to 

 crowded houses and writing articles upon his trip. His costly head- 

 quarters at one of the largest hotels in New York were crowded 

 with hero-worshippers and he was reaping a golden revenue. 



But the demands for his proofs were still insistent. Nothing 

 had been shown to the public except an enlargement of his first 

 statement to the New York Herald. Even his lecture, when heard 

 attentively, seemed to be a repetition of what had already appeared 

 in the public prints. The suspicion grew upon men's minds that 

 Cook's own story was his only story, that he had nothing further to 

 add to it. So it turned out. But to all questioners he promised that 

 his records, when submitted to the University of Copenhagen, 

 would completely substantiate his claims. Nevertheless, the lec- 

 ture tour continued, with unbounded success, and no time appeared 

 to be devoted to preparing his proofs for Copenhagen, until at 

 Hamilton, Montana, a sudden check was given to his money-making 

 campaign. There Edward Barrille, his former guide on the Mt. 

 McKinley expedition, faced Dr. Cook and denounced him as having 

 deceived the public. 



At once Dr. Cook abandoned his tour; announced that tto 



