SHERIDAN TO THE BIG LEAD 105 



up the trail north of us, and followed it to the 

 second igloo. Here two Eskimos remained with me, 

 to build an igloo, Marvin and Ryan taking their 

 places with the sledges and returning with the others 

 to bring up the previous day's advance loads. When 

 they returned they reported the ice still in motion in 

 our rear, and that they had reached the cache just in 

 time to save it from being obliterated by a huge rafter. 



While at this camp, the floe on which my igloos 

 were built split in two, shattering the igloos, and the 

 ice, evidently under severe pressure, rumbled and 

 groaned continuously. The 8th was a fine day with 

 some wind from the northwest, and the land hidden 

 by water-smoke forming over the numerous cracks and 

 narrow leads resulting from the movement of the ice. 



The going was comparatively good on this march, 

 except where the movement of the ice had faulted the 

 trail. Two more sledges were broken and held to- 

 gether just long enough to reach camp. At this camp 

 again the floe on which my igloos were built cracked 

 under the terrific pressure, and the igloos shook and 

 trembled as if by an earthquake shock, so that some of 

 the Eskimos rushed out in alarm. The cracking and 

 uneasiness of the ice continued during our stay in this 

 camp. The rapid increase of daylight was marked 

 here by the insertion of an ice window in our igloo 

 which enabled us to distinguish objects inside through- 

 out the entire night. An early start was made 

 on the 9th in spite of heavy northwest wind and 

 disagreeable drift. A few hours later I met the cap- 

 tain returning with his party from the cache at the 

 en:d of the first division, fixed by me at the end of the 



