42 FOUR YEARS IN THE WHITE NORTH [Jan. 



away people were stacked upon the table. Never be- 

 fore had they had such a night. It will be a long-re- 

 membered Christmas for them all. 



The new year of 1914 was ushered into Borup Lodge 

 with a snap and a bang and a yell from our excited 

 visitors. Three bunches of firecrackers were placed be- 

 neath a large inverted pan upon our center-table. The 

 match was applied and the fun began, to be continued 

 a few minutes later in front of the house, when all were 

 supplied with firecrackers and slow matches! What a 

 time they had! And what startling tricks they tried 

 to play upon one another! Reluctantly and drowsily 

 we went to our bunks at three in the morning, asking 

 ourselves the question, "What has the new year in 

 store for us?" 



On the 3d, Ekblaw, our geologist, departed for the 

 south to examine, at the request of Rasmussen, the 

 meteorite Kood-look-to had found below Cape York. 

 This is undoubtedly one of the great shower of stones 

 which fell in that vicinity centuries ago. Peary secured 

 three of these meteorites in 1896-97 and they are now 

 on exhibition at the American Museum of Natural 

 History in New York City. 



On the 4th I left for a little run with my dogs to the 

 village of Nerky, forty-five miles away. But my return 

 on the 8th was not without an exciting incident. Cape 

 Alexander is held in the icy embrace of the Crystal 

 Palace Glacier, one arm of which dips into the sea to 

 the north of the cape, and the other to the south. 

 Sledges proceeding south from Etah never go around 

 the cape, but cut off at least six miles by crossing this 

 glacier, where the evil spirits certainly dwell if they 

 dwell anywhere. The thrills experienced there during 



