212 THE JEANNETTE ARCTIC EXPEDITION. 



of the midnight sun since the early part of May) we had 

 advanced the second cutter about three-quarters of a mile 

 from the old camp; the whale-boat was about a hundred 

 yards back of her. Several disabled sleds stood at intervals 

 along the road, while the balance of our stock still remained 

 in the spot where they had been placed before the Jeannette 

 went down. It was a cold, foggy morning, and we were 

 very much chagrined at our ineffective efforts. We had a 

 cup of tea, then brought up everything in the rear of the 

 position of the second cutter, and then camped down, leav- 

 ing the first cutter about three-quarters of a mile in advance. 

 Everybody voted this the hardest day's work he had ever 

 done in his life. 



For two days we stayed to repair damages, and we all 

 concluded that the 'now or never' policy of progress was a 

 very ineffectual one. It would have been better for us to 

 have spent a few minutes in removing the ice obstacles out 

 of our way, rather than to attempt to drag the sleds over 

 them by brute force. I did not know much about sleds and 

 just how much spread to give the runners, but fortunately Sea- 

 man Leach was from the State of Maine, and I depended on his 

 judgment ; and I may add that our boat sled never broke 

 down once after he and Bartlett an old mountaineer and 

 California!! traveler had secured it. 



After two days we again made a start for the south. We 

 made slow progress, about a mile or a mile and a half a day, 

 over the rough and moving floe. It was terrible work for 

 the men. They had to go over the road no less than thirteen 

 times seven times with loads and six times empty handed 

 thus walking twenty-six miles in making an advance of 

 only two ! The empty handed business was the worst. 



On the 19th of June the captain called me into his tent 

 and told me to go with the hospital sled because, he alleged, 

 I could not see. I remonstrated, but without avail. I went 

 back to my tent, naturally deeply mortified to know that 

 thirty-three men were working for their lives and I was not 

 allowed to help even at the cooking, although physically I 



