THE FRIENDLY ARCTIC 547 



Isachsen. The coast trends north of west from there and the west tip of 

 the island is probably not over fifteen miles more westerly. Were pre- 

 vented from landing or going farther west by open leads and water on 

 ice. Proceeded southerly and landed on Findlay Island August 4th. The 

 next day moved to the new island between Findlay and Paterson to get 

 some deer meat, and August 8th proceeded to this place where we decided 

 to await the freeze-up. Findlay and Paterson Islands first sighted 

 August 3rd, and this island August 5th. Findlay Island is also sepa- 

 rated from this by a tiny island. Have explored this island about 

 twenty miles NNW and find its main axis runs about NW x N. The 

 west end of Bathurst Island bears from here about twelve magnetic. 

 Are leaving here by sled to-day overland by first adequate snow. Shall 

 leave this island so soon as ice conditions allow and proceed according 

 to circumstances to Cape Murray on the west side of the land discovered 

 last year or to Melville Island, Liddon Gulf, to look for Storkerson's 

 party or messages from him. Have instructed Polar Bear to try to 

 reach Winter Harbor to spend there winter 1916-17, or at Dealy Island. 

 Men, equipment and dogs (7) aU well. 



"Have taken formal possession of this land for the Empire on behalf 

 of Canada in the name of His Majesty King George V, according to 

 authority especially vested in me for that purpose. 

 WITNESSES: "Vilhjalmur Stefansson, 



Harold Noice, September 3, 1916." 



Karsten Andersen. 



Since my first year in the Arctic I have known that thaw water 

 on top of sea ice (as mentioned ante) is always either nearly or 

 quite fresh so far as can be determined by the sense of taste. I 

 had found also when traveling along leads that enough thaw water 

 rims into them so that you can drink directly out of the sea. 

 The lead which we followed southward between King Christian 

 Island and Findlay Island seemed to have about twelve or fifteen 

 feet of fresh water on top of the salt. This estimate I make from 

 having on one occasion killed a seal which sank but remained 

 suspended in plain sight below. We had a bamboo pole nine feet 

 four inches in length and by lying on the edge of the ice and stick- 

 ing the whole pole into the water and my arm up above the elbow, 

 I was able to touch the seal where he remained suspended, pre- 

 sumably at the meeting of the fresh and salt water strata. 



But it was a surprise to me as we traveled up the southwest 

 coast of Lougheed Island to find the water fresh in the shore lead, 

 now of an average width of a hundred yards and more. Yet it is 

 certainly no more surprising that this lead should be fresh than 

 that leads far at sea should be fresh at the surface. Here we had 



