54 THE SIEGE OF THE NORTH POLE 



of the water. It is therefore necessarily top-heavy. 

 Long practice is required to manage it, and no tight-rope 

 dancer ever needed more steady nerve and skill of balance 

 than this same savage Kayaker. Yet, in this frail craft, 

 he does not hesitate to ride seas which would swamp an 

 ordinary boat, or to break through surf which may sweep 

 completely over him. But he is used to hard battles, 

 and, in spite of every fortune, he keeps himself upright." 



Hayes expected to obtain a supply of dogs at Proven, 

 but he found that a disease which had prevailed among 

 the teams during the previous year had diminished the 

 stock to less than half of what was required bv the people 

 themselves, and he had to be satisfied with a few dogs of 

 inferior quality. The Danish officials, however, rendered 

 Hayes all the assistance in their power, and gave him 

 hope of being more successful at Upernavik, for which 

 settlement he left on 12th August. 



During the night, before reaching Upernavik, the 

 carpenter of the expedition, Gibson Caruthers, died 

 suddenly. Besides Mr. Sonntag and Dr. Hayes, he was 

 the onlv member of the party who had been in the Arctic 

 seas, having served in the First Grinnell Expedition in 

 search of Franklin. He was buried at Upernavik. 



Having obtained about two dozen dogs, and a supply 

 of reindeer, seal, and dog skins, L T pernavik was left after 

 four days 1 delay. Three Esquimaux, an interpreter, and 

 two Danish sailors were engaged at Upernavik. At 

 Tessuissak, a place about 60 miles from Upernavik, a team 

 of dogs, the property of the interpreter, was obtained. 



When Melville Bay was reached, Hayes was delighted 

 to find open water with only an iceberg here and there. 

 This was crossed in the short space of fifty-five hours. 

 Near the northern part of the bay a loose pack about 

 15 miles wide was encountered, but under a full pressure 

 of canvas, little difficulty was experienced in " boring " it. 



