THE FRIENDLY ARCTIC 103 



on one side. He would then steam full speed against this floe. The 

 bow of the North Star was so shaped that instead of hitting the ice 

 a hard blow, she would slide up on it, standing level because she 

 had a flat bottom. Thus by her own power she was able to put 

 herself half-way on top of the ice. The crew were prepared to jump 

 out, fasten an ice anchor, and with blocks and tackle to haul the 

 ship entirely up on the floe, so that when the ice cakes closed in 

 and began to crowd each other their pressure did not come upon the 

 ship but merely upon the ice on which she was standing. If this 

 was a solid piece it was likely not to break, and as a matter of fact, 

 on the one or two occasions when Captain Andreasen had been 

 compelled to use this method the ice selected had stood the test. 

 Later when it slackened out and there was a chance to continue 

 navigation, a small charge of powder placed in an augur hole in the 

 ice would shatter the cake and let the ship down into the water again. 



I have always been temperamentally inclined to deal with nat- 

 ural difficulties by adaptation and avoidance rather than by trying 

 to overcome them by force. The Andreasen idea of ice navigation 

 was congenial and its application convincing. Since I had first 

 seen the North Star in 1912 I had admired her and intended to buy 

 her some time if I could; for with my theory that a white man can 

 live in the Arctic anywhere, supporting himself and his men and 

 his dogs by hunting, a little ship like the Star, though she is capable 

 only of carrying about twenty tons of freight, is as good as a much 

 larger ship would be to those who work on the carry-all system. 

 Accordingly, I now arranged to buy her from Captain Andreasen, 

 along with his entire trading outfit, and at a price under the circum- 

 stances equally reasonable with O'Connor's. 



Through buying the O'Connor and Andreasen supplies and 

 through purchase and exchange of goods made with Captain Cottle 

 and Mr. Mott, I now had supplies enough so that the entire program 

 reported to the Government from Point Barrow could be carried out, 

 with a remainder for Dr. Anderson to take east with him into 

 Coronation Gulf that was larger than his total supplies for that 

 purpose would have been had the plans not been altered when I 

 came to Collinson Point. 



Our arrival at Herschel Island at the Royal Northwest Mounted 

 Police barracks was just before the New Year. The post was under 

 the command of Inspector J. W. Phillips, and he and the men under 

 his command did everything to make our party welcome. This 

 was their natural disposition as well as a part of the hospitality com- 

 mon in the North, although they had also received instructions 



