petrate such a gigantic falsehood upon their fellow-creatures. It is, indeed, 

 preposterous to suggest that either of these brave souls would utter the greatest 

 lie in history, — for such would this lie be. It is more in accord with the spirit 

 of fair-minded Americanism to assume that both are telling the truth; that 

 both found their way to the most lonely spot on the globe; that both are en- 

 titled to a share of the honor. 



Peary and Cook! 



Let the two names be linked together in the crowning marvel of a mar- 

 velous age. 



Let there be found room under the Stars and Stripes for both these stal- 

 warts ; these noble Americans who took the flag of their country to the pole. 



In this book will be found a complete and authentic account of the journeys 

 of Commander Robert E. Peary and Dr. Frederick A. Cook; of what they 

 discovered; of how they were received on their return to civilization; and of 

 what they had done before their careers reached the present glorious fruition. 

 For the better understanding of their achievements there will be presented also 

 an account of the work of previous Arctic explorers, — the men who blazed the 

 way, and whose bones, in many cases, lie there in the far north, swallowed up 

 by the forces against which they strove. 



The Author. 



