88 



CONQUERING THE ARCTIC ICE 



through the worst and can do without him, so he has signed on 

 board a whaler. 



Still blowing hard from N.E. I wonder when it will stop. 

 Wednesday, September 5. We woke at 6 A.M., roused by the 

 steam whistle of the Belvedere. Captain Cottle was ready to 

 move, and it did not take us long to get up our anchor and 



fasten a hawser on board the 

 vessel that was to tow us. 

 At 7 A.M. the rest of the 

 whaling fleet wished us a 

 happy journey and a safe 

 return, by a frantic blowing 

 of their steam-whistles. At 

 last we could say good-bye to 

 Point Barrow, more familiar 

 to us than we really cared 

 about, after our enforced stay 

 of twenty-one days. We had 

 to go through some very 

 heavy ice, but it soon lay 

 behind us, and ahead was 

 open water, or partly open, 

 and at any rate perfectly navi- 

 gable. Captain Cottle has 

 certainly done us a very good 

 turn, as we could never have 

 passed that belt of ice against 

 the wind and current. He 

 wants to go a little east, and 

 as long as he is going our 

 way we may as well hang on to him. 



During the evening we had quite a shock. The Belvedere 

 went close round a small piece of ice and towed us on 

 to it, going almost seven miles an hour. The hawser broke, 

 and I thought that the ship had suffered severely, but, in 

 spite of all nothing whatever was wrong. In excellent 

 spirits we turned in, knowing that at last we were on our 

 way again. 



Thursday, September 6. All night we have been towed 

 through fine open water and are making splendid headway. 



s.s. "BELVEDERE" TOWING THE 

 "DUCHESS OF BEDFORD." 



