236 THE FRIENDLY ARCTIC 



plished had we been able to start a few weeks earlier from Martin 

 Point, again the regret of our lost equipment in the separation from 

 Wilkins and Castel. I find an entry about Storkerson and An- 

 dreasen in which, as I felt at the time, I gave them less than their 

 due: "They are as well suited for this work as it is easy to im- 

 agine. Neither of them worries or whines and both are optimistic 

 about the prospects. This last is important. Traveling with an 

 empty sled and living off the country is no work for a pessimist." 

 The longer the time that intervenes the more my feeling of grati- 

 tude to these men and my appreciation of them has grown. Those 

 who have gone through a difficult experience anywhere will know 

 that nothing more could be said, after all, than this: that if I had 

 a similar trip to make over again I could not imagine any com- 

 panions I should prefer to Storkerson and Ole. 



The diary record of our dogs is that "they have done probably 

 better work than any team in Arctic exploration. Two hundred and 

 forty-four pounds to the dog is, I believe, a heavier load than dogs 

 have heretofore hauled, and ours came near making thirty miles a 

 day with that load in fair going. We have never had to do more 

 than help them over the worst places." An Arctic traveler's feel- 

 ing of gratitude to the dogs can be scarcely less keen than to men. 

 Still, there was one of them, the same "Bones," who did little hard 

 work after warm weather began. Nothing could induce Bones to 

 pull steadily when the sun was shining warm on his sleek, fat back. 

 When we landed, all our dogs were as fat as it is good for a dog to 

 be, but Bones was fatter than that. Possibly this was his trouble. 



What one thinks "at the time" has its significance, so here is a 

 diary estimate of the journey: 



"Our success, although less than half of what it would have 

 been with a start three weeks earlier (so it looks now), has been 

 greater than we had any reason to hope on March 22nd when we 

 left Martin Point. We have carried a line of soundings of over 

 4,500 feet through four degrees of latitude and nineteen degrees of 

 longitude, most of it unexplored and all of it unsounded ocean. We 

 have determined the 'continental shelf off Alaska and off Banks 

 Island, and have learned something of the currents -of the Beau- 

 fort Sea. Most of what we have learned is contrary to what men 

 'knew' before. This summer we may be able to do some further 

 useful work in geography, geology and archaeology in Banks Island. 

 Next winter (if the Star and Sachs are able to follow my instruc- 

 tions) we can with our greater experience and better base hope for 

 a more successful year. Counting on them, I now plan two trips; 



