24 THE HISTORY OF THE SOUTH POLE 



Again Cook came to the aid of the expedition. 



In conjunction with Racovitza he had thought out 

 a very ingenious way of sawing a channel, and thus 

 reaching the nearest lead. The proposal was submitted 

 to the leader of the expedition and accepted by him; 

 both the plan and the method of carrying it out were 

 well considered. 



After three weeks' hard work, day and night, they at 

 last reached the lead. 



Cook was incontestably the leading spirit in this 

 work, and gained such honour among the members of 

 the expedition that I think it just to mention it. Up- 

 right, honourable, capable, and conscientious in the 

 extreme such is the memory we retain of Frederick A. 

 Cook from those days. 



Little did his comrades suspect that a few years later 

 he would be regarded as one of the greatest humbugs 

 the world has ever seen. This is a psychological 

 enigma well worth studying to those who care to do so. 



But the Belgica was not yet clear of the ice. After 

 having worked her way out into the lead and a little 

 way on, she was stopped by absolutely close pack, 

 within sight of the open sea. 



For a whole month the expedition lay here, reaping 

 the same experiences as Ross on his second voyage with 

 the Erebus and Terror. The immense seas raised the 

 heavy ice high in the air, and flung it against the sides 



