ii6 NEAREST THE POLE 



and was not encouraged. The lead was evidently 

 widening. Came down and sent a note to the Captain 

 that if he could not get across to return with every 

 one and I would send him and Clark and their men 

 back for more supplies. I could not afford to feed all 

 these teams and people here during what might be a 

 several days' wait. 



The Captain and Clark got away before noon with 

 seven sledges, and I moved up beside the lead. At 

 night the lead was still widening and the ice slowly 

 moving west. Min. during night -66° F. temperature 

 during day about -60°. 



The northern ice continued slowly in motion to the 

 west during the 28th, which was a fine day. 



I sent Henson and an Eskimo west with a light 

 sledge to trace the lead. They reported the lead 

 widening in that direction and a branch swinging 

 northwest and southwest. 



Two Eskimos sent east reported the lead imprac- 

 ticable in that direction and a branch swinging off to 

 southeast. The lead was slowly widening so that the 

 young ice had no time to get firm. 



Late in the evening, after a few preliminary cracks, 

 the ice broke about us with a furious rending sound, 

 and jarring of the igloo. 



Going out I found that a crack some twelve feet 

 wide had opened in our floe a short distance to 

 the south, cutting us from the main floe. A good 

 day though hazy. Movement of northern ice decreas- 

 ing, and the lead skimming over. Another fine day 

 followed. The movement of the ice had practically 

 ceased, and the lead was skimmed over so as to cut 



