138 THE NORTH POLE 



The gradual breaking in of the new men is one of 

 the purposes of the short trips of the fall. They have 

 to become inured to such minor discomforts as frosted 

 toes and ears and noses, as well as the loss of their dogs. 

 They have to learn to keep the heavy sledges right 

 side up when the going is rough and sometimes, before 

 a man gets hardened, this seems almost to rip the 

 muscles from the shoulder blades. Moreover, they 

 have to learn how to wear their fur clothing. 



On the 16th of September the first train of supplies 

 was sent to Cape Belknap: Marvin, Dr. Goodsell, 

 and Borup, with thirteen Eskimos, sixteen sledges, 

 and about two hundred dogs. They were an imposing 

 procession as they started northwest along the ice- 

 foot, the sledges going one behind the other. It was a 

 beautiful day — clear, calm, and sunny, — and we could 

 hear, when they were a long distance away, the shouts 

 of the Eskimo drivers, "Huh, huh, huk" " Ash-oo" 

 "Ilow-eli" the cracking of the whips, and the crisp 

 rustle and creaking of the sledges over the snow. 



It is often asked how we keep warm when riding 

 on the sledges. We do not ride, save in rare instances. 

 We walk, and when the going is hard we have to help 

 the dogs by lifting the sledges over rough places. 



The first party returned the same day with the 

 empty sledges, and the next day two Eskimo hunting 

 parties came in with three deer, six hares, and two eider 

 ducks. Neither party had seen any tracks of musk- 

 oxen. On the 18th, the second sledge party was sent 

 out to carry fifty-six cases of crew pemmican to Cape 

 Richardson, where they were to camp, bring up the 

 biscuit from Cape Belknap to Cape Richardson the 



