498 THE FRIENDLY ARCTIC 



whenever I wished, and I was the only member of the party exempt 

 from snowblindness. Occasionally we had to stop two or three 

 days at a time when more than one member of the party was 

 severely affected. 



The sprained ankle had been troubling for more than three 

 weeks and was still unfit for walking. I had expected to be in- 

 capacitated a month but had looked forward to greater signs of 

 improvement than this. I began to feel more and more that I was 

 a pretty serious handicap to the party and finally decided to go no 

 farther than Cape Isachsen on the northwest corner of Ellef Ringnes 

 Island where we would get observations for time, and then turn 

 back leaving the advance work to a party of two, Castel and 

 Noice. 



Natkusiak had been killing occasional seals and it was about 

 this time that Emiu killed his first seal by the auktok method. 

 He was very proud of himself and his success made me feel easier, 

 too, for hunting is a matter of combining skill with patience and 

 long hours of work. Patience and willingness to work indefinitely 

 Emiu had, and as soon as he became skilful he would be an ideal 

 hunter. 



We now had provisions enough to outfit two men and nine dogs 

 for about thirty days if the remaining three men and two dog 

 teams depended entirely on game, and this accordingly was the 

 arrangement. 



I gave Castel and Noice practically all the provisions. They 

 were to follow the coast of our new land northeast and east, but 

 whenever it began to run south of east they were to leave it and 

 strike directly for Cape Isachsen. Here they were to take astro- 

 nomical observations and leave a record for us, giving a synopsis of 

 their proceedings and a copy of their observations. They were then 

 to strike north, should they find landfast ice in that direction, until 

 they discovered new land. But should they find no landfast ice 

 but instead a floe edge running in the direction of Axel Heiberg 

 Island, they were to follow it as far as appeared safe, having in 

 mind that they were to be back at the northeast corner of Melville 

 Island by the first of July. Their provisions would take them that 

 far, and although both were inexperienced in hunting I had no doubt 

 that when they once got back to Melville Island they would secure 

 ovibos, for no one can be so unskilled or badly armed as to be 

 unable to do that. 



Nine dogs were in excellent condition and these we gave to 

 Castel's party. They left us the afternoon of the 21st, following 



