THE FRIENDLY ARCTIC 219 



it fortunately proved that, although our landing beyond the lead 

 had been made on what had been a small floe, this was now 

 connected by some passable young ice to the next ice island beyond, 

 and we were able to proceed by treacherous bridges of young ice 

 from floe to floe eastward for ten miles. 



Undoubtedly the ice under us was still moving west, but as we 

 had been carried west only ninety miles during eleven days of en- 

 campment, we were encouraged in feeling that now we were traveling 

 east at least as fast as we were drifting west, and that should there 

 be a change of wind the drift would probably set in the other direc- 

 tion, carrying us towards Banks Island at a speed to add substan- 

 tially to our own traveling. 



