w, 



Chapter Twelve 



DAKOTA DASH 



E went back from the Evans's house to the ship, and I had 

 to try to calm my raging mind to coherent thought. What 

 lay ahead would require the most careful planning, every step, 

 there must be no false moves. This creature that Hunt had was in 

 unknown foreign territory so that I could only guess at what I 

 should find when I got there, and despite the promised plane, 

 the problem still was how to reach the actual spot where the 

 fish was, and quickly. I might have to make a voyage by sea from 

 the nearest landing-ground. To cover that possibility I had to 

 work out all my needs — clothing, food, money, preservatives, 

 medicines, there must be no slip-up with any item. I gave my 

 wife a tablet to make her sleep, but I had much to do and did not 

 get to bed at all. I was hard at work right through that night, and 

 when my wife turned over in the dawn to look hazily across at me, 

 I was pretty tired, but could smile, for my plans were complete. 



She was soon up, for we had much to do and discuss. Our 

 baggage and equipment consisted of more than seventy packages, 

 dispersed between the cabin, the hold, the baggage room, the 

 cold storage, on the top deck next to the funnel, and in the 

 magazine. Each bore a number and its contents were listed in a 

 book. Some of the things I needed for the journey ahead had to 

 be dug out of packages lodged in different parts of the ship, and 

 my wife had to be coached so as to be able to take charge of all 

 this diverse material; for in all our expeditions this had always 

 been my own special responsibility, and it was no light task at 

 short notice. 



At 7 a.m. I sent a message to Captain Smythe to ask the latest 

 time of departure of the ship and to say I should be leaving her. 

 In a few minutes he was at our cabin eager for news, when I 

 briefly outlined the latest developments. At once he asked if he 

 could help in any way. I asked for the telephone to be kept aboard, 



