122 THE FRIENDLY ARCTIC 



or more weeks earlier, as I had planned, he could have gone out 

 with us for two weeks and still have been back ashore before the 

 time he wanted to start his survey work (March 20). The same 

 considerations applied to Cox. They should have been commenc- 

 ing about now their coast survey so as to have the work done 

 between Collinson Point and the Mackenzie delta before the thaws 

 began. I had, in fact, brought with me from the Mackenzie delta 

 (I forgot to mention above) Peder Pedersen with his dog team to 

 pilot the topographers east. Pedersen had been about the Macken- 

 zie delta for about twenty years and was an excellent guide. 



At this point Dr. Anderson agreed that they would all cease 

 opposing my project if I would sign a statement, making certain 

 promises and giving certain guarantees. When I asked what they 

 would be, he said I must promise to let all the scientific men go 

 on doing scientific work, — not to hinder the various members of 

 the party in doing geological, topographical, zoological or other 

 research. In general the demands were merely that the plans 

 which I had always wanted to carry out should be carried out. 

 The evident purpose of the demands was to make it appear that I 

 had been compelled to allow them to do these things, whereas 

 it had in fact been my desire all the time that they should do them. 

 To sign the proposed document was a willing move, for, luckily, 

 I had sent out from Point Barrow in October, or announced before 

 the expedition ever started, that we intended to do all the things 

 which they now asked me to promise I would not prevent them 

 from doing. 



It was a rather tense two hours, but before eleven o'clock a 

 modus vivendi had been agreed on. By eight o'clock the next 

 morning every one was at work doing the things which he should 

 have begun doing not the morning after I came home but a month 

 earlier, on the morning after receiving my instructions from Stork- 

 erson. 



Things done in a hurry are seldom done quite as well as when 

 full time is allowed. Still, it is impossible to say too much for the 

 energy and good will with which some worked with sewing ma- 

 chines, others with needles, others with carpenter tools, and still 

 others classifying and packing up supplies, no one now sparing 

 any effort to get the preparations through as quickly as possible. 



