86 FOUR YEARS IN THE WHITE NORTH [April 



greet a glorious day for the long march from igloo No. 

 7 to No. 5. We stopped at No. 6 for hot tea, biscuit, 

 and pemmican, not forgetting the dogs, each of whom 

 received one pound of pemmican and two hours' rest. 

 On the 27th we marched from igloo No. 5 to No. 4 in 

 the same perfect weather and perfect going, all leads 

 being frozen. Throughout the day the mirage of the 

 sea ice, resembling in every particular an immense 

 land, continued to mock us. It seemed so near and so 

 easily attainable if we would only turn back. 



Our dogs received two pounds of pemmican a day 

 throughout the retreat, w^hich is ordinarily a double 

 ration. They were frightfully thin and needed every 

 ounce of it. Thus far they were doing remarkably well, 

 considering that they were all weak from dysentery, 

 some staggering in the traces and not pulling a pound. 

 Twice I slipped faithful old Sipsoo, who was slowly 

 pulling his heart out, hoping that he would lie down 

 and rest, and come on later into camp. As we started 

 along without him, he lifted his head, gave me an ap- 

 pealing look, as if to say, "Don't you want me any 

 longer.^" In a few minutes he had trotted by and was 

 at his old place in the team, pretending to pull. Now 

 staggering, now falling, on he went, struggling to keep 

 his place. He was born to pull. I harnessed him into 

 the team, and there he remained to the end of the 

 trip. 



No. 1 and No. 2 igloo were practically together. We 

 were held up by open water, therefore we decided to try 

 for the nearest point of land from No. 3, which is Cape 

 Thomas Hubbard. WTien we were within a mile of 

 land we could see a cairn on the summit of a low, pro- 

 jecting point to the southward of us. As Peary was 



