710 APPENDIX 



could have anything they wanted. When the Doctor asked for dogs, 

 the Captain said: "Not one dog; if you go off and leave us you play 

 dog yourself." 



That evening Murray sent for me, asking me what I thought of the 

 prospects of their party reaching land. I told him I did not think 

 there was anything wrong with it. The land was in plain sight and 

 I thought it could be easily made. In their case it would not be so 

 easy, however, for they had no dogs and when they stopped pulling 

 the sled would stop. In our case it would be different. When we 

 came to a smooth place we could let up and the dogs would pull the 

 load along. I thought it would be a good idea if they waited for us 

 and we all went together, for the plan was that just as soon as the 

 sleds returned from their next trip we would all go. But they said 

 they didn't want to wait. Just before I got up to leave, Murray asked 

 me to go with them. I told him I was sorry but I would wait for the 

 rest and would go when the Captain was ready to start us off. I thought 

 they were very foolish if they did not do the same, for we could help 

 one another if we got into difficulties. He objected that our plan was 

 different from theirs. We were going to spend the rest of the winter 

 and spring on Wrangel Island but they wanted to continue to the 

 mainland, and were going to try to go straight through to St. Peters- 

 burg. So I wished him luck. Next morning at break of day they 

 started. 



I think it was the third morning after this that the Captain sent 

 two or three sleds with loads of provisions to Herald Island with the 

 intention to join the Mate's party. What the orders were I don't know 

 except that they were to go to the Mate's party and return as soon 

 as possible. The party was in charge of Mamen, with a support party 

 to help them off a few miles. Before dark they returned with the news 

 that Chafe, the cabin boy, had taken Mamen's place and Mamen was 

 returning, for he had sprained his knee. Shortly after this Mamen 

 hobbled up to camp with two men assisting him. He was laid up for 

 several days. 



It was about the 10th of February the sleds returned with the news 

 that when they arrived at Herald Island they found the ice had done 

 considerable crushing. They could discover no sign of the Mate's 

 party. They seemed to have disappeared off the face of the earth. The 

 search party camped about three miles from Herald Island, for they 

 could not get ashore because of water and slush ice. Next day they 

 hunted for signs of the Mate's party but found none. During the next 

 night the ice commenced working. The piece they were camped on was 

 a small, solid cake, but the next morning at daylight they found they 

 were adrift with water all around them, going to the west at a mile 

 or two an hour. [Some similar thing had probably happened to the 

 Mate's party.] After drifting a few hours, their cake touched the pack 

 and they were able to get off. One of their sleds collapsed, so they 



