CHAPTER XIII 



SHALL WE DARE TO MARCH NORTH? 



HE threatened mutiny had blown over and nothing was wholly 

 lost save a month of priceless time. For, although autumn 

 and mid-winter may well enough be passed in mere prepara- 

 tions, the precious months following January are the time for real 

 work, and one of them was gone. There had also arisen, besides 

 these differences between some of the men and me, bickerings among 

 themselves that died down slowly. Old friendships were broken and 

 wounds made that to this day remain unhealed. 



The causes of the difficulty were partly genuine differences of 

 opinion and partly personal jealousies. The variance in opinion we 

 have explained, the jealousies are gradually being forgotten and have 

 no place in this book. 



When it had been decided that no active opposition would be 



made to my trip north over the ice, there came the question of 



whom I could get to go with me on the advance section of the trip. 



Of those who had volunteered the previous evening to follow orders 



(which really included all the men who could reasonably have been 



■onsidered as material for the work) , the majority were either physi- 



ally ill-adapted for so protracted and serious an adventure, or else 



-o badly needed ashore in connection with the operation of one of the 



Iships or with helping in scientific work that they were not eligible. 



For an undertaking so serious as most people considered ours 



to be, no man is suitable unless he volunteers freely and has a 



legree of faith in the practicability of what is being attempted. 



A.ccordingly, as a preliminary to asking for volunteers, I went over 



lie whole situation discussing every argument for and against. 



This was in conversations with individuals, now trying to get them 



change their minds, now to stick to previous decisions. But 



or simplicity's sake I shall present the case here as I had presented 



t earlier in the year when first I attempted to get the men of the 



ilaska and Sachs interested in our geographic program. 



It was our greatest loss when the Karluk drifted off, that we 

 ost with her several ambitious men whose romantic dispositions 



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