1913] OUR FIRST WINTER 39 



Flagler Bay was somewhat mitigated by the hope that 

 we might possibly cross over the thin ice at this unpre- 

 cedented time of year. "Rush'* was the word before 

 a southerly gale should break up the ice of Smith Sound. 

 Clothing was dried. Repairs were made to sledges and 

 harness. On the 11th they were off again, with orders 

 to cross to Cape Sabine with full loads. From there 

 they were to proceed well up Buchanan Bay and estab- 

 lish Depot B. 



On the 15th the boys were back with the shout from 

 Toi-tee-a, "We have killed five polar bears!" Fresh 

 meat for our table and warm skins for our pants! And 

 Depot B, to my joy, had been established at Cape 

 Rutherford, some fifty miles to the west. This ad- 

 vance of 1,738 pounds of biscuit and pemmican over 

 the thin ice of Smith Sound in the middle of the 

 long night was the first great step toward the success- 

 ful completion of our spring work. W^ith this accom- 

 plished, we could now concentrate for the next six 

 weeks upon the experimenting and perfecting of our 

 field equipment. 



Sledges were continually coming and going. Doctor 

 Hunt left on the 14th in response to a call from an 

 Eskimo to the south. Allen's illness on the 15th caused 

 me considerable anxiety, necessitating a message to 

 Doctor Hunt to return at once. He got back on the 

 19th, having covered the distance of 100 miles with 

 Noo-ka-ping-wa and dog-team in two marches. 



Jot Small stuck his head out of the door in October, 

 pulled it in quickly, and declared that he was not going 

 out again until spring! Threatened T\^th scurvy and 

 other dreadful Arctic diseases, he was prevailed upon to 

 accompany Tanquary on a short trip south to the near- 



