THE FRIENDLY ARCTIC 271 



This piece of news set my mind at rest; the reported outcome 

 was exactly according to my expectations. I had said in my re- 

 ports to the Government that while the ship had no more than an 

 even chance of surviving I did not see any reason to think that any 

 of her men would be lost if she were crushed in the ice in winter and 

 especially if she were crushed after the New Year, when the daylight 

 was increasing and the conditions were ideal for getting ashore. 

 The only thing that surprised me was that the men should have 

 been left on Wrangel Island. It appeared to me that they should 

 have walked ashore at the same time that Captain Bartlett did, 

 for it is well known that that coast is thickly settled with people 

 who have an abundance of native food in addition to stores of 

 groceries brought in by traders and could care adequately for al- 

 most any number of shipwrecked men that might arrive. A hun- 

 dred miles over ordinary arctic sea ice is not far to walk. 



I have here given the news as reported to me by Captain Ber- 

 nard, and the feeling I then had about the news. It was to develop 

 later that the news itself was in part incorrect. 



I next asked why the Star had failed to come to Banks Island. 

 To this Captain Bernard replied that everyone in Alaska, Eskimos, 

 whalers and members of our expedition alike, had been sure of 

 our death. He said Dr. Anderson had not taken him into his 

 confidence, but he thought our supposed death might have been the 

 reason why he had decided not to follow my instructions about the 

 Star and had taken her himself to Coronation Gulf. I asked if 

 Dr. Anderson had sent me any message on the chance of my being 

 alive. He had not, nor any report or letter explaining why he 

 had disobeyed my orders. 



So ended our dreams of the Star, of what she was to do for us 

 and of what we might be able to do with her. With characteristic 

 fondness for speculating over what might have been, I thought a 

 good deal that day and I have thought a good deal since, of what 

 we might have accomplished with her had she not been taken else- 

 where. 



It seemed that in accordance with my instructions Wilkins had 

 at first taken command of the Star, with Aarnout Castel as sailing 

 master and himself as engineer. Wilkins had intended to bring 

 me to Norway Island my former traveling companion, Natkusiak, 

 and some other Eskimos, including at least one seamstress. The 

 spring had been a fairly early one and the Star made her way suc- 

 cessfully to Herschel Island. Here, as misfortune would have it, 

 Wilkins made a decision, wise in itself, of waiting a few days till 



