336 CONQUERING THE ARCTIC ICE 



all manner of evil things were coming. Mr. Leffingwell, who 

 had intended to start on a surveying trip to the mountains at 

 the same time that I left for the west, promised our old friend 

 not to go until his boy's sickness had changed for the better or 

 worse. We were both inclined to think that it would only 

 change for the worse, but we did not tell Sachawachick 

 this. 



Once more I bade my friends good-bye and went home to 

 our own house. Neither Mr. Leffingwell nor myself felt 

 particularly cheerful, and in spite of his assurances I could not 

 but feel that it was not quite right for me to leave him behind 

 with but one man to assist him. The Eskimo whom I had 

 engaged at Herschel Island had not arrived, and Mr. Leffingwell 

 had none but Axel Anderson and Makallektok to help him. But 

 he insisted it was all right, that he would not dream of keeping 

 me in the country for his sake, that he could not see what work 

 worth doing I could do under the circumstances, and once more 

 my doubts were dissipated. 



We spent a considerable time in looking at the map, and I 

 think that I almost enjoyed the prospects of the long march. 

 At any rate there promised to be excitement on the trip, and 

 although the road might prove long and hard, I preferred that 

 to a year of inactivity. A big dinner was prepared. Mr. 

 Leffingwell brought out some cigars which his father had 

 sent, and while smoking we listened to a concert of selections 

 from the great masters of music, performed on the gramophone, 

 the machine which had made so many long hours pass pleasantly 

 by. 



Thursday, October 17. The weather was fine, calm and clear, 

 and we turned out at 5 A.M. to prepare a fitting breakfast. At 

 8 A.M. our dogs were hitched, a last hurried search was made 

 through the house for any small article which we might have 

 forgotten, and I closed the door on the place which we called 

 "home" and in which I had spent many days, both pleasant 

 and otherwise. I took a last walk round it, feeling quite sad at 

 the thought of leaving the familiar sight of our rack with its 

 numerous articles, the dark room, and our observatory. I took 

 leave of the dogs, my faithful companions on many a trip across 

 the pack ice or along the shore, dogs whose every trait I knew, and 

 who had won my heart by their faithfulness, their cheerfulness, 



