308 CONQUERING THE ARCTIC ICE 



written to our supporters to explain the case and ask them to 

 make arrangements for the payment of the wages of the crew, 

 so I had nothing more to do on Flaxman Island. I wanted to 

 buy some dogs at Herschel Island, and Captain Porter kindly 

 offered to take me there. He also agreed to take a boat and 

 drop it outside Barter Island, where Dr. Howe was. 



I had hoped that Mr. Lemngwell would have been back from 

 the mountains before I left for Herschel Island, but I dared not 

 risk waiting for the only whaler which was yet expected to 

 come east ; we might not see it in the fog, or it might pass us 

 in the night, as the Eskimos had now lost all interest in the 

 steamers, having traded away all the skins they had. So I 

 started, and we reached Herschel Island three days later, early 

 in the morning of August 5. 



