392 CONQUERING THE ARCTIC ICE 



wonder, for the icefoot became narrower and narrower, the 

 bright disc of the sun disappeared below the horizon, and 

 still we had a couple of miles to go before we could expect a 

 better road. I went ahead and sounded a path for about 

 300 yards, then returned to the sledge, and Mr. Adams 

 went ahead pulling the dogs, which were now swimming, 

 dragging the floating sledge after them, while I walked beside it 

 to prevent it from capsizing. The water soon reached our 

 waists. On one side only, five" to ten feet distant, were three 

 to four fathoms of water and an icefoot which could only be felt 

 but not seen ; on the other side we had the bluffs, absolutely 

 inaccessible, and looking blacker aad blacker as the red glow of 

 the western horizon faded and darkness spread over the country. 

 The dogs were crazy with fear, one was almost drowned in the 

 tangle, the pain which the cold water caused us was almost 

 intolerable, and we made possibly half a mile an hour. The 

 depth of the water increased to almost three feet, was still 

 increasing, and there we were, caught like rats in a trap from 

 which escape almost seemed impossible. 



But about 7 o'clock in the evening, when our prospects 

 were blackest, we came to a narrow ledge about ten feet 

 above the water, and we succeeded in hauling the sledge on 

 to the top of it. The ledge was barely large enough for us 

 to sleep on, but we had no choice, so we took out our 

 sleeping bags, spread them on the ledge, took our spare 

 clothing, and commenced to strip off our wet things. The 

 temperature was low, 25 C., but we hurried to change, and 

 were soon forgetting the rising waters and other hardships in 

 sleep. 



Next day, after three hours' hard travelling, we reached 

 Unalaklik, hungry and cold. We stayed there that day, and on 

 Thursday, January 30, I turned my back on the coast, which I 

 was not to see again till I crossed the mountains a thousand 

 miles away and saw the open waters of the Pacific Ocean. 



We made good progress ; the trail was fine, the dogs in good 

 condition ; and after seven hours' run we had covered forty 

 miles and had reached the telegraph station at the place which 

 is called the " Old Woman." 



The weather had been perfect, cold enough to make the trail 

 hard, but not too cold to make us uncomfortable (22 C.). 



