FIRST OPEN WATER 223 



too thin to sustain the weight of the sledges, was yet 

 strong enough to bear an Eskimo, and I sent Kyutah to 

 the west to scout for the captain's trail, while the other 

 Eskimos built out of snow blocks a shelter from the 

 wind, and repaired some minor damages to our sledges. 



In half an hour or so Kyutah returned from the 

 west, signaling that he had found Bartlett's trail. Soon 

 after he reached us a movement of the shores of the lead 

 to the west crushed up the narrow ribbon of unsafe 

 young ice over which he had passed, and we were able 

 to hurry across with sledges and push west for the trail, 

 which was about a mile and a half distant. 



When we reached the trail we saw, by the tracks of 

 men and dogs pointing south, that Borup had already 

 passed that way on his return to Columbia, in accord- 

 ance with my program. He had probably crossed the 

 lead and was now scouting for our trail somewhere on 

 the southerly side. 



As soon as Marvin, who was following me, came up, 

 I had Kyutah throw off his sledge load, and sent Mar- 

 vin and the Eskimo on the back trail to "Crane City," 

 Cape Columbia. I did this partly because of the pos- 

 sibility that there might be complications there in 

 which Borup, who was new to the work, would feel the 

 need of a man of Marvin's wider experience, and partly 

 because many of our alcohol and petroleum tins had 

 sprung leaks in the rough going of the last few days, and 

 an additional supply was needed to make up for present 

 and possible future loss. The change of the loads was 

 effected in a few minutes, without delay to the main 

 party, which kept right on, and Marvin and his dusky 

 companion were soon out of sight. 



