THE JOURNEY OVER THE PACK ICE 271 



we got the dogs over. Then some more good ice, and things 

 went well for a little while. But the worst was to come ; a lane 

 about seventy yards wide, full of slush ice and in violent motion, 

 prevented further progress southwards. A large but somewhat 

 thin floe was whirled about with the rest, and we travelled along 

 the edge of our floe to be ready to send our sledges on to the 

 smaller one as soon as they touched. When it came close 

 enough for us to jump, I started out with my sledge and ran it 

 across to the other side. I then returned to help Storkersen, 

 and when he was safe on the ice I went for Mr. Leffingwell. 

 In a moment we were all three adrift. Our floe was caught in 

 the boiling mass of slush ice and carried into the middle of the 

 lane, twisting about and colliding with floe after floe. Pulling 

 our sledges across to the other side, where we could await 

 developments, was a matter only of seconds, and by making 

 use of three small flakes we soon succeeded in reaching the 

 solid floe on the other side of the lane. While we were cross- 

 ing from the floe in the middle of the lane to the solid ice, 

 about 75 feet, our tracks were displaced more than 100 feet, and 

 the floe we had crossed on cracked in four pieces ! 



To-day we could at last take a latitude, but the result was not 

 greeted with enthusiasm. Instead of being on about 70 55' N., 

 as we had expected, we were on 71 13' N. and were filled 

 with anxiety as to what our longitude might be. 



The water-sky was now almost all to the north of us ; only 

 one lane, judging by the iceblink, lay between us and the solid 

 shore ice, but when we reached the lane we found it altogether 

 too wide to cross, as it was in places half a mile wide. The 

 water extended as far as we could see to the east and west, and 

 large floes came sailing down it, driven by the wind. In the 

 water a very rich animal life was enlivening the scene ; seals 

 were popping up their heads and looking at us with large 

 surprised eyes ; now and again an oogerook would come up 

 outside our floe and, standing erect in the water, would look at 

 us, wondering what queer things we were, but disappeared 

 with a blow and a splash when we yelled at him, thinking, I 

 suppose, that even curiosity could be carried too far and might 

 become dangerous. In the air immense flocks of ducks and 

 geese were flying to the breeding places far to the east, and on 

 the other side of the lane a bear was prowling about, crawling 



