THE FRIENDLY ARCTIC 139 



No courage nor hard work can replace years of technical train- 

 ing, nor can delicate scientific instruments be improvised with a 

 jackknife. There was no replacing McKinlay, Malloch or Murray 

 in the northern section any more than Beuchat could be replaced 

 in the southern. But the lands were discovered, the seas were 

 sounded and the field covered though most of the detailed scientific 

 work has to remain for the future. 



The men of the expedition who were willing to go with me as 

 far as I might care to go myself were Bernard, McConnell (as I 

 knew, though he was not now at Collinson Point) and Wilkins, 



Those who were willing to go on the support party were James 

 Crawford, Frits Johansen, Otto Nahmens and Charles Thomsen. 

 There were also the four volunteers from the Polar Bear, but it 

 had always been understood that their volunteering was to take 

 effect only if I proved unable to get men otherwise. That storm 

 had now blown over. 



Of those members of the expedition who did not volunteer for 

 the advance work, many were not expected by me to do so because 

 they had too important work to do ashore either of a scientific 

 nature or in connection with managing the ships or camp. Some 

 were also physically disqualified. And I was able to get all the 

 men I thought I should want. What I needed from the others 

 was merely the cooperative spirit and the help of a few of them as 

 a relay party to go a short distance from shore to help us through 

 the worst belt of broken ice, perhaps fifty miles. 



Of the men I have mentioned as willing to go with me on the 

 ice, all were at Collinson Point or in the vicinity except McConnell. 

 He had been sent shortly after Christmas from Collinson Point 

 to Cape Halkett, a distance of about 150 miles, to fetch Jenness 

 down to Barter Island for archaeological work to be done in the 

 spring. McConnell should have returned long ago and we were 

 beginning to worry a little about him. While the journey was by 

 no means an agreeable one to make during the absence of the 

 sun, there was little chance for anything to have gone wrong. But 

 I wanted McConnell to be of the company and we needed badly 

 the good dogs he had with him and his sled, a better one for the 

 use of our support party than the one we would have to take in 

 its place. 



It was on the Belvedere I got Aarnout Castel. I had first seen 

 him as a sailor on the Bowhead under Captain John Cook in 1906 

 and had before now found reason to consider him an excellent 

 man. Partly through the good offices of Captain Cottle, but mainly 



