300 CONQUERING THE ARCTIC ICE 



as soon as that was done we placed Storkersen in the ship's 

 boat, and Dr. Howe, Thuesen, and myself got ready to start for 

 home. Sachawachick did not care to go out to Point Barrow 

 alone with the rest of the party, and there was no one else 

 whom I dared trust with the command of the umiak except 

 Mr. Stefansson, and he did not want to take the responsibility, 

 as he knew practically nothing about sailing. It was then 

 decided that they should stay at Ooliktoonik, where Mr. Stefans- 

 son had some ethnographical work to do, and then catch the 

 first steamer passing for Flaxman Island. 



At 3.20 P.M. we bent to the oars, headed east, and started 

 homewards over our recent track. It was in a sorrowful mood 

 that we four started on our return passage. None of the others 

 spoke, and I myself did not feel inclined to say much while we 

 were sending the boat across the water as fast as we could. 

 A light westerly wind during the night enabled us to keep on 

 with only one man at the steering oar and the others asleep. 

 The weather remained fine, and the next morning we met 

 Peteralegook, who with all his family had moved westward, 

 also bound for Ooliktoonik, where they were going to wait for 

 the steamers. They were rather surprised to see us return and 

 expressed their sorrow when they heard the cause. Taklooksrak 

 with his family had joined them. They gave us some deer meat 

 to take with us and cooked a large potful for us to eat while we 

 were there. But we had no time to lose, and were on our way 

 again as soon as we had got some breakfast. We worked at 

 the oars all that day, rowing up against a nasty east wind, but 

 we pulled with all our might, and in silence the boat was forced 

 against the wind. We camped at 7.15 P.M. on a small island 

 in the middle of Sakovanuktok River. Storkersen's foot caused 

 him considerable pain, and he could not sleep at all during the 

 night. We were off early, and as the wind had died down we 

 made good progress. Before long we came into home waters, 

 and at n P.M. on July 20 we pulled our boat up on the 

 beach of Flaxman Island, having covered almost one hundred 

 and ten miles with only one night's rest. 



Douglamana, who lived in our house as caretaker while we 

 were away, was greatly surprised to see us back, and at once 

 began to tell us that Carrol had given lots of food to the natives. 

 When I investigated her statement on the following day we 



