150 



CONQUERING THE ARCTIC ICE 



out, leaving a hole for the water to come in. However the leak 

 was caused, we had at the time only to think about getting out 

 the water and then bringing the remaining provisions ashore. 

 The provisions were piled up on the ice, and we sent word to 

 the natives of the village to come down and help us to sledge 

 the food in. They turned up to a man, and a lively scene 



ensued. Some of the 

 men were continually 

 loading sledges, while 

 the women drove the 

 dogs along a quickly- 

 formed but neverthe- 

 less well-beaten path, 

 shouting and yelling 

 at them. At the other 

 end of the trail other 

 men were piling up 

 the food, and when 

 night fell we had 

 brought all our pro- 

 visions and about 

 seven tons of coal on 

 shore. 



The following day 

 we cleaned the hole 

 and broke out the 



skin in an attempt to locate the leak. At the bottom we found 

 a layer of ice, about one foot thick, and the water which we 

 had seen had been on the top of it, but we could not find the 

 leak anywhere. If it was the caulking which had been pulled 

 out, there was no doubt that more would be pulled out later on, 

 and that we should have great trouble in repairing the ship. 

 She leaked badly for two days, and then the leaking stopped. 

 The ship had listed to starboard so much that we all felt quite 

 uncomfortable on board, and we put out some stays from the 

 masthead to straighten her, and, failing in this, to prevent her 

 from falling further. 



When we had done all we could, and the ship apparently 

 was tight again, probably through water freezing in the leak, 

 Mr. Leffingwell and Dr. Howe went back to Ned's cabin with 



FEEDING DOGS ALONGSIDE THE "DUCHESS 

 OF BEDFORD." 



