328 THE CONQUEST OF THE NORTH POLE 



too thin to be crossed with safety. A partially bridged 

 place was, however, discovered about a mile from camp, 

 and the low temperature during the night had strengthened 

 the ice sufficiently for an attempt to be made to cross it. 

 On snow-shoes, Dr. Cook led the way with spread legs. 

 In two crossings all the supplies were landed on the 

 other side. 



This was probably an extension westwards of the same 

 lead encountered by Peary, and may indicate the dividing 

 line between the central polar pack and the land-ice. 



A course was now set to reach the 85th parallel 

 on the 97th meridian. At noon on the 24th March 

 a satisfactory observation gave the position as latitude 

 83° 31'; longitude, 96° 27'. From here a glimpse was 

 obtained of what was believed to be Crocker Land away 

 to the west. 



The bright light of the sun now began to trouble the 

 eyes, but amber-coloured goggles were found to be a very 

 satisfactory protection. 



On the 25th March a hurricane was experienced, and 

 during the storm the temperature rose to minus 26° F. The 

 ice cracked with thundering noise, and Dr. Cook sank into 

 a crevasse which formed under the floor of the snow-house 

 where he was lying in his sleeping-bag. He was, however, 

 quickly pulled out by the Eskimo. 



During; the next three marches it was estimated that 

 53 geographical miles were travelled. A cold wind was 

 blowing from the west, and added much to the misery of 

 the party by forming icicles on every hair about the face. 



On the night of 28th March a violent storm swept 

 away the dome of their snow-house and buried them 

 under a considerable quantity of snow, from which they 

 extricated themselves with difficulty. 



Next day the weather improved, and on the 30th March 

 the clear atmosphere enabled them to discover land some 



