SHERIDAN TO THE BIG LEAD m 



of the Captain's, who was now one march ahead of me, 

 and given us unnecessary and disagreeable labour and 

 discomfort in building an additional igloo in the wind 

 and driving snow. When we left this camp, I found, 

 as I had expected, that the storm had caused pro- 

 nounced changes in the ice. Some two miles from 

 camp a newly formed lane of water a hundred yards 

 or more wide gave us some trouble to negotiate, and 

 at two other places enormous pressure leads had been 

 formed across the Captain's trail. The northern ice 

 in every instance had shifted to the eastward. 



Several narrow leads that the Captain's party passed, 

 and on which the intense cold had already formed 

 young ice gave us no trouble. Our camp at the end 

 of this march was located in a hollow between two 

 enormous hummocks on a large old floe. 



I quote from my Journal: 



Though I fight against it continuously, I find it 

 impossible under conditions like to-day not to in- 

 dulge in some thoughts of success as I tramp along, 

 and I get so impatient that I do not want to stop 

 at the igloos but keep right on and on. At night I 

 can hardly sleep waiting for the dogs to get rested 

 sufficiently to start again. Then I think, what will 

 be the effect if some insuperable obstacle, open 

 water, absolutely impossible ice, or an enormous fall 

 of snow knock me out now when everything looks 

 so encouraging? Will it break my heart, or will 

 it simply numb me into insensibility? and then I 

 think, what's the odds, in two months at the longest 

 the agony will be over, and I shall know one way or 



