GOOD BY TO THE POLE 303 



remembered that even after the "Big Lead" was safely 

 crossed and we had barely managed to stagger ashore 

 upon the inhospitable edge of northernmost Greenland 

 we escaped starvation only by the narrowest possible 

 margin. 



Memories of this narrow escape were, therefore, in 

 the minds of every member of our little party as we 

 turned our backs upon the North Pole, and I dare 

 say that every one of us wondered whether a similar 

 experience were in store for us. We had found the 

 Pole. Should we return to tell the story? Before 

 we hit the trail I had a brief talk with the men of the 

 party and made them understand that it was essential 

 that we should reach the land before the next spring 

 tides. To this end every nerve must be strained. 

 From now on it was to be a case of "big travel," little 

 sleep, and hustle every minute. My plan was to try 

 to make double marches on the entire return journey; 

 that is to say, to start out, cover one northward march, 

 make tea and eat luncheon, then cover another march, 

 then sleep a few hours, and push on again. As a 

 matter of fact, we did not fall much short of accom- 

 plishing this program. To be accurate, day in and day 

 out we covered five northward marches in three return 

 marches. Every day we gained on the return lessened 

 the chances of the trail being destroyed by high winds 

 shifting the ice. There was one region just above the 

 87th parallel, a region about fifty-seven miles wide, 

 which gave me a great deal of concern until we had 

 passed it. Twelve hours of strong wind blowing 

 from any quarter excepting the north would have 

 turned that region into an open sea. I breathed 



