THE FRIENDLY ARCTIC 611 



Gonzales that Thomsen had made a sledge journey towards Mel- 

 ville Island the previous winter and had got into difficulties. Castel 

 was to travel with Storkerson's party only as far as Cape Ross, 

 and was then to cut across to Mercy Bay in a search for news of 

 Thomsen. Charlie would go with him if he was well enough, — 

 otherwise Storkerson v/ould find him some other companion. Cas- 

 tel's party would visit our depot at Mercy Bay where they would 

 probably find traces of Thomsen. They would then follow the 

 coast west and south to Kellett, looking for information of all 

 sorts. Captain Bernard had my instructions not to leave the 

 Kellett base, and I expected Castel would find him there. He was 

 to place himself under the Captain's orders and cooperate in re- 

 pairing and launching the Sachs. Once launched they were to take 

 her into a good harbor which lies two or three miles east of the 

 Kellett base and wait there until late in the summer. When the 

 season had advanced to where Captain Bernard considered that 

 there was barely time left for getting her out (probably about 

 August twenty-fifth), she was to sail for Herschel Island and 

 Nome, reporting thence by cable to the Government at Ottawa, 

 for I did not want her to spend another winter in the Arctic. Fail- 

 ing news of us, they were to leave a depot of certain specified things 

 behind at Kellett. 



To relaunch the Star would probably, I thought, cost the Gov- 

 ernment more than she was worth. If I sent a party of men there 

 to stay by for launching her in case of a favorable season, the ice 

 conditions might prove wrong and they be compelled to spend an 

 additional winter. The value of the ship would not repay the 

 wages and trouble. But Natkusiak and some of the other Eskimos 

 who had been working for us were very anxious to buy her and had 

 coming from the expedition enough wages to give the Government 

 what I considered the ship to be worth in her present condition 

 and location. It was therefore arranged that Natkusiak should be- 

 come the owner of the Star. He and his party would travel with 

 Castel if they could, or follow him if he traveled too rapidly for 

 them. They would spend the summer at the Star, and if ice con- 

 ditions were favorable would launch her and come south to Kellett, 

 although it was equally likely they would spend the winter at Cape 

 Alfred, for that region has good trapping opportunities and is in 

 many ways attractive to the modern half-civilized Eskimo. 



Instructions to Gonzales and Storkerson may be summarized 

 together, for they overlapped. With the exception of Natkusiak's 

 and Castel's parties, the members of our expedition would proceed 



