680 THE FRIENDLY ARCTIC 



allow to find that my most conclusive arguments were considered 

 only as examples of the cunning of delirium. It seemed to me clear 

 that if this went on I should die of starvation. To a man who 

 thinks himself as much of an expert on scurvy as I do, it seemed 

 equally clear that my diet would bring on scurvy. This I did 

 perhaps not need to mind, for I knew how to cure scurvy if only 

 my directions for doing so were not considered also the cunning 

 of delirium. 



In February when I was down with the pneumonia I realized 

 that I was in for an illness of weeks and perhaps months, even 

 should it have a fortunate issue. Then I sent a message to Stor- 

 kerson directing him to take command of the spring exploratory 

 operations and to make an ice drift such as I had planned, or else 

 the best exploratory journey he could with a destination either in 

 Wrangel Island or Borden Island. 



Storkerson and most of our able men with all our dogs were off 

 on the ice when I began to feel that my one hope of living through 

 was to get away from Herschel Island to the hospital at Fort Yukon. 

 This is the most northerly hospital in America, about four hundred 

 miles south from Herschel Island as one has to travel, seeking the 

 mountain passes and following the river channels. I thought that 

 riding in a sled in the open air might not hurt me of itself and that 

 there was at least a chance of getting there. The desire and prob- 

 ability of more substantial food was my chief motive in planning 

 this journey. 



It happened that three Indians from the vicinity of Rampart 

 House came to Herschel Island for trading purposes and I asked 

 for an interview with them. They were reluctant although not 

 entirely unwilling to take me south to Fort Yukon, and I proposed 

 to the white men that they should allow me to try to reach the 

 hospital. But they decided on consultation that such a journey 

 would be fatal and could not be allowed. 



During the first stages of my illness the commanding oSicer 

 of the Police had been absent. Inspector Tupper had left for Fort 

 Yukon and the new officer, my old friend Phillips, had not arrived 

 from Macpherson, although he came home shortly after I was 

 moved out of the barracks into the separate house. While the 

 Indians were still with us I talked with him and convinced him 

 that it would be best to try to take me to Fort Yukon, but later 

 he allowed his opinion to be outweighed by that of the others. 

 The best thing that could be agreed on was an urgent letter to be 

 sent by one of the Indians to Dr. Grafton Burke of the Episcopal 



