CHAPTER XXIV 



THE FIRST OPEN WATER 



THE first serious obstacle of the sledge journey 

 was encountered the second day out from land. 

 The day was cloudy, the wind continuing to 

 blow from the east with unabated violence. Again I 

 intentionally brought up the rear of my division, in 

 order to see that everything was going right and that 

 every one was accounted for. The going was much the 

 same as on the previous day, rough and trying to the 

 endurance of men, dogs and sledges. 



When we had made about three-quarters of a march 

 we saw ahead of us a dark ominous cloud upon the 

 northern horizon, which always means open water. 

 There is always fog in the neighborhood of the leads. 

 The open water supplies the evaporation, the cold air 

 acts as a condenser, and when the wind is blowing just 

 right this forms a fog so dense that at times it looks as 

 black as the smoke of a prairie fire. 



Sure enough, just ahead of us were black spots 

 against the snow which I knew to be my various 

 divisions held up by a lead. When we came up with 

 them I saw a lane of open water, about a quarter of a 

 mile wide, which had formed since the captain had 

 passed the day before. The wind had been getting in 

 its work! 



I gave the word to camp (there was nothing else to 



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