148 CONQUERING THE ARCTIC ICE 



good to the dog and not to kill it, except in case of absolute 

 necessity, and especially after we had shown them what we 

 were willing to give them in exchange for it, they were not 

 able to resist the temptation. 



Old Sachawachick on this occasion, as in many former 

 instances, proved himself a gentleman. Although he knew the 

 price we paid for the other dogs, he offered us his best dog 

 without payment. It is needless to say that we accepted with 

 thanks and made him some large presents. He certainly 

 deserved it; his kindness and faithfulness to us had been 

 remarkable. 



But of greater importance than anything else was perhaps the 

 question as to when we were to start on the sledge trip. 



Ned Erie and the Eskimos had told us that the weather in 

 February was very unsettled and boisterous, and we thought it 

 best to fix the day of departure for March i. With the eighty 

 days' provisions we were taking we could stay out for two and a 

 half months, in other words till the middle of May, and this 

 would be early enough for marching without undue exertion. 



We asked Dr. Howe whether he cared to go out with us, and 

 as he was only too glad to come, another important question 

 could be looked upon as settled. 



On January 27 we had a very great fright, which caused a 

 considerable alteration in the future plans of the expedition. 

 At 1.30 A.M. I was called by Thuesen, who told me that the 

 floor of the forecastle was under water. The men were turned 

 out at once and started pumping, but it was two hours before 

 the water began to decrease ; when it did begin to sink the 

 vessel was pumped dry very easily. 



About ten hours later the leaking commenced afresh and 

 again lasted for two hours. The leak thus must be rather high 

 above the level of the water, as the ship only leaked for an hour 

 before and after the flood tide, which meant that we should 

 probably be able to find it. We were wintering rather too close 

 to the beach, and the ice between the ship and the shore did not 

 rise with the tide, and we had some large cracks in the ice 

 alongside the vessel. The leak was probably caused by some 

 of the oakum in the seams freezing to the ice, and when, later 

 on, with a change in the temperature, the ice was cracked open 

 and broke away from the side of the ship, the oakum was pulled 



