J30 CONQUERING THE ARCTIC ICE 



bringing up children does not seem very wrong ; they certainly 

 get good results. 



Flaxman Island seems to be eternally plagued by storms. 

 Day after day the wind blew hard and made outdoor work 

 impossible. The snow was drifting by at times so thickly that 

 we could not see the shore, which was only two hundred yards 



distant. It made its way 

 through every little hole in 

 the awnings over the ship and 

 filled up the deck with large 

 drifts ; it came down into the 

 cabin, as soon as we opened 

 the door, and the galley 

 especially was very much 

 exposed. The wind roared 

 through the part of the rigging 

 which had been left after dis- 

 TJIMIGOK AND KRAjooxAK. mantling the ship ; it played 



in the taut stays, while a 



tackle or rope beat time against the mast. It was very pleasant 

 to sit down in the cabin in such weather, to coil up on the sofa, 

 to smoke and think while listening to the noise on deck. On 

 November 23 we had an uncommonly strong wind, and I felt 

 sorry for Mr. Leffingwell. He ought to be somewhere in the 

 neighbourhood, and would, I felt sure, be confined to his tent, 

 wishing to be back in the ship. 



Dr. Howe started on November 25? with Thuesen as his 

 companion. They had food for one month, and had promised 

 not to take any chances which might prolong their absence 

 beyond December 20. 



Ned abandoned his idea of a journey to Point Barrow after 

 he had got some provisions, which he had asked me to lend 

 him and which he said he would return in the course of the 

 summer. I did not like to make the arrangement without 

 Mr. LeffingwelPs consent, but the decision could not wait till 

 his return, so I asked Dr. Howe what he thought about it. 

 Dr. Howe advised me to let him have what food he needed to 

 get through the winter, as he would give us a good deal of deer 

 meat, and we knew that he had large supplies coming next 

 summer. So he got what he asked for, and his boys began to 



