STORY OF HARRY WHITNEY 335 



After Cook departed for the south Whitney resumed his hunting. He took 

 over Cook's two Eskimos to show him the country where Cook had shot 

 musk oxen. This the two men did, and Whitney bagged all the oxen he 

 could carry out in his sledges. He said he found these two Eskimos to be sat- 

 isfactory in subordinate capacities, but he knows nothing of their value in a 

 dash across the polar sea. 



Continuing Mr. Whitney said that in August when Peary on board the 

 Roosevelt reached Etah from the north after his winter's work there, he 

 (Whitney) informed him of Dr. Cook's arrival in April adding that Cook had 

 told him (Whitney), to tell Peary that Cook had gone beyond Peary's farthest 

 north. Peary made no comment on this, and Whitney said he was not asked 

 any other questions by Peary. But the next day Cook's Eskimos came to 

 Whitney and asked him what Peary's men were trying to get them to say. 

 Peary's men had shown the Eskimos papers and maps, but the Eskimos de- 

 clared that they did not understand these papers. So far as Mr. Whitney is 

 aware. Cook's Eskimos never admitted that while with the doctor they had 

 only progressed two "sleeps" from land. 



When Commander Peary heard of Whitney's statement he said : 

 "At Etah, on August 17 or 18, after the arrival of the Roosevelt, and after 

 I invited Whitney to come on board the Roosevelt with all his belongings and 

 trophies, I having extended the invitation in view of the uncertainty of the 

 movements of his own ship, which he had expected to arrive about the first 

 of August and which had not yet appeared, Whitney told me he had some 

 foxskins — six, I think — and some narwhal horns which Cook had sent back 

 after leaving Etah for Danish Greenland, with the request that Whitney take 

 them home with him on Whitney's ship. Whitney also told me that Cook had 

 given him (Whitney) the sledge with which Cook had returned to Etah in 

 April. 



"I then told Whitney that I did not care to have anything belonging to 

 Cook on board the Roosevelt, and that all I wanted from Whitney was that 

 he would give me his word that he would not' bring on board the Roosevelt 

 anything belonging to Cook, which promise he instantly gave me. Later while 

 engaged in packing up and bringing to the ship his things Whitney came and 

 told me he also had some clothes and instruments, belonging to Cook. 



"I told Whitney that these, as well as the foxskins and narwhal horns, he 

 could put in a cache at Etah or leave in charge of Eskimos for Cook, which- 

 ever he though best. Just before the Roosevelt left Etah he told me that 



