22 NEAREST THE POLE 



tents and learned that four other families were still 

 farther east in the bay. These I shall not see, as I 

 cannot take the time to go so far out of my way. At 

 Meteorite Island are three of my old men, and, in an 

 hour or two, they are all on board with their 

 belongings, and we steam away, leaving the place 

 deserted. Back to the next settlement and the opera- 

 tion is repeated. Six families move all their belongings 

 on board and desert their village in about three hours. 



Tuesday, Aug. Sth. — It was after breakfast when we 

 finished at the last settlement, and I lay down for a short 

 nap while crossing Cape York Bay, having been up 

 all night. 



Again at Cape York the tents were quickly struck 

 and, with all their belongings, the new men came on 

 board. 



At 2 p. M. we steamed around the Cape, and headed 

 north to join the Erik at North Star Bay.* While 

 passing Petowik Glacier a steamer was seen to the 

 westward steaming south. The glasses showed her 

 to be small and schooner-rigged. 



Wednesday, Aug. gth. — On arriving at North Star 

 Bay this morning at 2 A. m., learned from the Erik 

 that the steamer we saw was the Danish steamship 

 Fox, here for the purpose of selecting a site for a 

 settlement. The Erik came alongside and I trans- 

 ferred to her with Marvin and "Matt," to make a round 



♦Note. — The Erik was the auxiliary, steam whaler chartered by the 

 Peary Arctic Club to go north as a collier, replenish the Roosevelt's coal 

 supply at Etah and deposit there a depot of coal for the Roosevelt on her 

 return voyage. 



