124 THE FRIENDLY ARCTIC 



had made it their dream to undertake some forlorn hope — if it were 

 anything unusually dangerous and difficult (so long as there was 

 a fighting chance) then so much the better. 



The first thing that had to be stated was the scope of the ex- 

 ploratory journey for which I wanted the men to volunteer. 



Briefly, the plan was to start north from Martin Point the first 

 week in March (later experience showed that the first week in 

 February would have been better) . We would travel north roughly 

 along the 143rd meridian to 76° N. Latitude, if we could. If during 

 this journey the ice over which we traveled was drifting west or 

 northwest rapidly (4 miles per day or over), we would return from 

 our "farthest north" to Alaska by a route which (partly because 

 of the assumed drift and partly to cover new ground) would be 

 west of our outbound course. We would land presumably some- 

 where between Cape Halkett and Point Barrow. Then, perhaps 

 in May or June, we would follow the coast east and join our ships. 



But it was always possible we might find land on this journey. 

 If it were small, we would map the coastline roughly and return 

 to Alaska to join our ships in the late spring; if it were large, we 

 would spend a year upon it. If such large land were fertile and 

 had driftwood, we would live on the caribou or musk oxen found 

 there and burn wood for fuel during the winter; but if it lacked 

 driftwood and was for any reason devoid of land game, we would 

 live on seals on the coast, eating them for food and burning their 

 blubber for fuel. The following spring we would travel, according 

 to convenience, back to Alaska or east over the sea ice to Banks 

 or Prince Patrick Island, where the North Star was to be either 

 near Cape Alfred or Land's End, and the Sachs between Cape 

 Alfred and Cape Kellett. 



But if no current carried us west and if no land were found, 

 we would, after getting as far north as possible, turn east when the 

 approach of summer made sledge travel difficult, and land on Prince 

 Patrick Island or near Cape Alfred (near Norway Island) on Banks 

 Island. 



On the whole trip, whatever its duration or destination, we 

 would live exclusively by hunting after the first five or six weeks 

 which would use up any supplies we might bring from home. The 

 trip would last twelve weeks at the shortest and a year or two years 

 at the longest. 



This journey, all but the first fifty miles of a total distance of 

 five to seven hundred miles, would be over an ocean area hitherto 

 unexplored because the massing in it of ice even in summer had 



