290 THE NORTH POLE 



please consider the uncommon circumstance that, in 

 order to return to our camp, it now became necessary 

 to turn and go north again for a few miles and then 

 to go directly south, all the time traveling in the same 

 direction. 



As we passed back along that trail which none had 

 ever seen before or would ever see again, certain reflec- 

 tions intruded themselves which, I think, may fairly 

 be called unique. East, west, and north had disappeared 

 for us. Only one direction remained and that was 

 south. Every breeze which could possibly blow upon 

 us, no matter from what point of the horizon, must 

 be a south wind. Where we were, one day and one 

 night constituted a year, a hundred such days and 

 nights constituted a century. Had we stood in that 

 spot during the six months of the arctic winter night, 

 we should have seen every star of the northern 

 hemisphere circling the sky at the same distance from 

 the horizon, with Polaris (the North Star) practically 

 in the zenith. 



All during our march back to camp the sun was 

 swinging around in its ever-moving circle. At six 

 o'clock on the morning of April 7, having again arrived 

 at Camp Jesup, I took another series of observations. 

 These indicated our position as being four or five miles 

 from the Pole, towards Bering Strait. Therefore, with 

 a double team of dogs and a light sledge, I traveled 

 directly towards the sun an estimated distance of 

 eight miles. Again I returned to the camp in time 

 for a final and completely satisfactory series of obser- 

 vations on April 7 at noon, Columbia meridian time. 

 These observations gave results essentially the same 



