THE BATTLE OF THE HEROES 125 



accompanied him say he went no distance north, and not out of sight of land. 

 Other members of the tribe corroborate their story. ROBERT E. PEARY." 



Later he sent the following to New York : 



"Do not trouble about Cook's story or attempt to explain any discrepancies 

 in his statements. The affair will settle itself. 



"He has not been at the pole on April 21, 1908, or at any other time. He 

 has simply handed the public a gold brick. 



"These statements are made advisedly, and I have proof of them. When 

 he makes a full statement of his journey over his signature to some geo- 

 graphical society or other reputable body, if that statement contains the claim 

 that he has reached the pole, I shall be in a position to furnish material that 

 may prove distinctly interesting reading for the public. 



"ROBERT E. PEARY." 



It was like a bombshell — this unequivocal charge that Cook had falsified. 

 But the least excited man in the world was Dr. Cook, the physician, who at 

 that moment was being cheered in Denmark as the conquerer of the Arctic. 



Dr. Cook was at a banquet in his honor in Copenhagen when Commander 

 Peary's dispatch to The Associated Press was read to him. Dr. Cook lost 

 little time in sending to New York a number of cablegrams, in all of which 

 he expressed his gratification that Peary had also reached the pole and an- 

 nounced his belief that Peary's observations would amply verify his own claim 

 that he had been to the furthermost point of the compass. Dr. Cook was 

 particularly joyous that, with Commander Peary's success, which he did not in 

 the least doubt, all the honor for the achievement was surely American. In 

 one cablegram to New York Dr. Cook declared that the science of explora- 

 tion would benefit immeasurably through the fact that Peary reached the pole 

 by a route different from his, thus covering another large unknown space and, 

 with the Cook observations, clearing a mystery which had perplexed geo- 

 graphers for many centuries. 



To a newspaper correspondent Dr. Cook said : "By going much farther 

 to the east than I did Commander Peary has cut out of the unknown an enor- 

 mous space which, of course, will be vastly useful and scientifically interesting." 



Then he added, with evident sincerity : "I am the first to shout 'Hurrah 

 for Peary!' Since he has telegraphed an announcement that he has reached 

 the pole then it is true, and I congratulate him." 



Asked whether Commander Peary was likely to have found traces of his 



