128 CONQUERING THE ARCTIC ICE 



to some pounds of meat, he tasted it, took a large mouthful, 

 then ate it all, and, when he had finished, told me that he 

 decidedly preferred the meat of the Eskimo to that of the 

 white men. 



I used furs on the trail, and had not been out of them since 

 the first night ; for nine days they had not been off my body by 

 night or by day. They were slightly damp, but had only 

 become so during the last two days' hard running, and I made 

 up my mind to wear nothing but furs in the future. 



Arriving at the ship on November 15, 1 found that everything 

 had been going most satisfactorily and that the crew had 

 behaved nicely. 



Dr. Howe was going westward with one man to Cross Island, 

 and if possible to Thetis Islands, to take some tide observations 

 simultaneously with those on board, and as he should be off as 

 soon as the weather got better, we at once commenced to work 

 on his outfit. 



The Eskimos at last had got an inkling of what we were 

 going to do, chiefly through the agency of Ned and his boys, 

 and an old woman, Sukareinna, claimed to have seen the 

 disputed island off Harrison's Bay. It seemed incredible that 

 she could have done so, as she said that they were at that time 

 in the bottom of Harrison's Bay, and saw a high and conical 

 mountain far away to the north. The land which this woman 

 and others claim to have seen was doubtless only a heavy floe 

 of old ice which in a certain light may very well deceive a 

 casual observer. Sachawachick likewise told some tales about 

 the land ; he had never seen it himself, but he had heard much 

 about it while living at Point Barrow, and there is not the 

 slightest doubt in his mind that the land is there. The 

 Eskimos were very much interested in our quest, but they 

 thought us quite crazy to start out over the pack ice. Many 

 natives had accidentally gone out on it and had never returned. 

 How then could white men come back ? 



One day while down in the village I saw a pup which took 

 my fancy. The pup belonged to Cropcana and Kanara, whom I 

 shall have to mention later, and I went to them to see how much 

 they asked for it. To my surprise they called their little girl 

 Crapok and told me to make a bargain with her, saying that 

 they had nothing to do with the dog, which belonged to her. 



