246 THE NORTH POLE 



Eskimo from one division to another. Sometimes, 

 as has been seen, these odd people are rather difficult 

 to manage; and if Bartlett or any other member of the 

 expedition did not like a certain Eskimo, or had trouble 

 in managing him, I would take that Eskimo into my 

 own division, giving the other party one of my Eski- 

 mos, because I could get along with any of them. In 

 other words, I gave the other men their preferences, 

 taking myself the men who were left. Of course, 

 when I came to make up my division for the final 

 dash, I took my favorites among the most efficient of 

 the Eskimos. 



At the next camp Marvin made a sounding and to 

 our surprise reached bottom at only three hundred 

 and ten fathoms, but in the process of reeling up the 

 wire it separated, and the lead and some of the wire 

 were lost. 



Soon after midnight we got under way, Marvin 

 taking a sledge, and after a short march — only some 

 ten miles — we reached Bartlett's camp. He had 

 been delayed by the breaking of one of his sledges, 

 and I found one of his men and Henson's party still 

 there repairing the sledge. Bartlett himself had 

 gone on, and Henson and the other men got away 

 soon after our arrival. 



Marvin made another sounding of seven hundred 

 fathoms and no bottom, unfortunately losing two 

 pickaxes (which had been used in place of a lead) and 

 more of the wire in hauling it up. Then we turned in. 

 It was a fine day, with clear, brilliant sunlight, a fine 

 breeze from the north, and temperature in the minus 

 forties. 



