INTRODUCTION 17 



wished to do some surveying, to study the geology of the 

 country, and to make some sledge trips to Banks Land, and if 

 possible to Prince Patrick's Land. The next summer we 

 intended to sail to the north-west corner of Banks Land, and the 

 following spring to start from there and go out on the ice in 

 a W.N.W. direction, until we either found land or reached 

 76 N. lat. and 145 W. long., when we would change our course 

 for Point Barrow, or until we found a depth of water of 400 

 metres or more. In case we found this deep water, we would 

 follow it south and westward, and return to the nearest coast 

 when our supplies had become exhausted. The ship would 

 return independently of the sledge party, which would, we 

 hoped, be picked up by a passing whaler. 



Such were our plans when we started, but the condition of 

 the ice was so bad that we could not pass Point Barrow before 

 the 5th of September, so late, that we ought to have gone into 

 winter quarters before that date. 



During the winter our ship was wrecked, and on a sledge 

 trip in the spring of 1907 we found the deep water close to the 

 Alaskan coast, thereby partly attaining the object of our expedi- 

 tion, or in other words proving that no land was to be found 

 north of Alaska, at least not within such a distance of the 

 coast as could be reached with dogs and sledges' over the 

 pack ice. 



All the people with whom we came into contact during the 

 rebuilding of the ship and its fitting out treated us very well, 

 and everything which was sold to us was of the best quality. 

 Our ship provisions were purchased from Messrs. Simon Leiser 

 & Co., Victoria, B.C., and we had no reason to be otherwise 

 than satisfied with the packing as well as the quality of 

 the food. 



I may perhaps here be allowed to say a word of thanks to all 

 the tradesmen, merchants, and other people in Victoria who 

 were directly interested in the rebuilding and outfitting of our 

 ship, and I can safely say that it would be hard to find people 

 more interested and courteous than those we dealt with in 

 Victoria, B.C. 



And now before I begin my narrative, I must beg the reader 

 to be patient. I am a sailor, and descriptive writing is some- 

 what out of my line ; but I shall attempt to bring before the 



A.I. c 



