THE JOURNEY OVER THE PACK ICE 273 



when we were called. I got my sledge over without any 

 accident, but Storkersen's dogs shied at the breaking and 

 grinding ice and balked with the sledge in the middle of a 

 forming pressure-ridge. Mr. Leffingwell came to the rescue, 

 and as soon as I had got my sledge placed at a safe distance 

 from the edge I was back, giving a hand with Storkersen's, 

 which was in a really bad position, as it had capsized, and the 

 dogs were frantic with fright. When his sledge was safe 

 Mr. Lemngwell's turn came, and he was just in time, for he 

 had to force his dogs over the water which was now in the 

 place of the forming pressure-ridge. The floe went fast, 

 probably one mile an hour, and in stepping from the moving 

 to the solid floe we felt a distinct shock as when stepping off a 

 moving street car. We pitched our tent on the first level spot 

 we could find, but it took us almost an hour to reach it. We 

 took a sounding to see whether there was any drift, but to our 

 great joy we found that there was none whatever; at last we had 

 reached the solid, unbroken landfloe, and were out of the grip of 

 the dreaded current. Mr. Leffingwell and I shook hands solemnly 

 in acknowledgment of the successful termination of the trip 

 over the ice. Then we turned in, but the night was almost gone. 



We could not leave our camp before 9.30 A.M., as we had to 

 readjust our loads. The odds and -ends on my sledge were 

 distributed between those of Mr. Leffingwell and Storkersen, 

 and the collection of matchwood I had been pulling with me 

 for the last couple of weeks was left behind. 



The surface was very bad, rubble ice, as usual, with deep 

 snow between the pieces, but at any rate we made some pro- 

 gress, and the distance we covered was gained, as we did not 

 drift back any longer. The loss of our pickaxe has certainly 

 done us much harm ; with it we could have made a trail of 

 some sort and have gone considerably faster. Now we have 

 to lift the sledges over ice which before we could easily have 

 chopped down. But progress must soon improve now, and we 

 must take our time through this bad ice. 



Camped at 4.40 P.M., having made about four and half miles 

 on a south-east course. 



Temperature at 9 A.M. 5 C. Wind E.N.E., 'blowing 

 about fifteen miles an hour in the morning, but calming down 

 towards night ; prospects fair ahead. 



A.I. T 



