52 HOW COOK STARTED 



to return to New York, leaving the determined Brooklyn man and his party 

 to seek the pole. 



Dr. Cook had an entirely different idea of how the trip to the pole ought 

 to be attempted from that followed by Peary and other explorers. He cal- 

 culated upon going through Nansen Strait and doing his traveling in the 

 winter months. H is reasons for choosing the period of extreme cold was that 

 the ice fields would be smoother and that there would be less danger of en- 

 countering the jagged passages of ice, through which travel is extremely 

 difficult. 



When Mr. Bradley returned to New York in October, 1907, he told of Dr. 

 Cook's scheme and the preparations for the trip. 



"Dr. Cook told me before he left Gloucester that it would be a great thing 

 if we tried to reach the pole before we returned," said Mr. Bradley. 



"I did not give him any encouragement then, but thinking that he might 

 insist upon making the attempt when we reached the farthest point north on 

 our trip, I ordered provisions put aboard that would furnish an arctic ex- 

 pedition for three years. 



"When the vessel sailed, therefore, we had everything necessary for a 

 polar expedition. On our trip we went as far north at Etah, Peary's former 

 winter quarters. Here we enjoyed a fine view from the high hills of Smith 

 Sound. There was no great amount of ice in the sound, so Dr. Cook, the 

 first mate and myself, took a motor boat and went through Smith Sound to 

 79 degrees north latitude. There the farthermost settlements of the Eskimos 

 are, and we spent several days among them. 



"Dr. Cook knows the Eskimo language and had no difficulty in convers- 

 ing with them. He had been up there on Peary's first expedition and some of 

 the Eskimos remembered him. 



"When we returned to Etah we brought the greater part of the Eskimo 

 settlement back with us. Once back at Etah conditions looked so favorable 

 for a dash to the pole that Dr. Cook could not resist the impulse. We found 

 we could get all the dogs we wanted and all the natives that Dr. Cook wished 

 to have with him. The natives had already cached their winter supply of 

 food. I helped them kill walrus, seals, white whales and narwhals to aug- 

 ment the supply. The Eskimo women were kept busy catching arctic hares 

 and birds to m.ake their winter clothing. 



"Dr. Cook concluded to stay and make the dash for the pole as soon as 

 feasible after the long, dark night should begin to break. Dr. Cook took 



