PEARY'S EXPEDITION (1891) 277 



From this expedition to Greenland, Peary states that 

 he returned with the northern bacilli in his system, the 

 Arctic fever in his veins, never to be eradicated. He was 

 full of enthusiastic plans for accomplishing the crossing 

 of Greenland. Duty, however, absorbed his energies 

 during the next few years, and in the meantime Nansen 

 effected the crossing of Southern Greenland over one of 

 the routes which Peary had suggested. 



Peary now fell back on his more ambitious scheme — the 

 determination of the northern limit of Greenland overland. 

 He laid his plans before the Philadelphia Academy of 

 Natural Sciences and other learned bodies, and received 

 their support. He then obtained eighteen months 1 leave, 

 and made the necessary preparations for his expedition 

 of 1891-92. He approached the Dundee whaling com- 

 panies and the Director of the Greenland trade, but they 

 refused to transport his party to Greenland on any terms. 

 He was therefore compelled to charter a vessel, but was 

 fortunately successful in raising funds to meet the greatly 

 increased cost. 



Peary and a party of six, which included his wife, left 

 Brooklyn in the Kite on 6th June 1891. His party 

 consisted of Frederick A. Cook, surgeon and ethnologist ; 

 Langdon Gibson, ornithologist and chief hunter ; Eivind 

 Astrup ; John M. Verhoeff, mineralogist and meteor- 

 ologist ; Matthew Henson, body-servant. 



The master of the Kite was Captain Richard Pike, who 

 was a famous Arctic skipper. It was he who took Greely's 

 expedition to Lady Franklin Bay, and he was in command 

 of the Proteus when Lieutenant Garlington attempted to 

 relieve Greely. 



Peary had two whale-boats built for the expedition, 

 and in these it was intended to return to the Danish 

 settlements from Whale Sound. He also carried wood 

 for a 12 by 20 feet house. 



