THE FRIENDLY ARCTIC 217 



at 736 meters. Earlier in the trip it had been our expectation that 

 if our line ever got bottom it would mean the approach to and dis- 

 covery of an unknown land. But recently we had been traveling 

 towards Banks Island, and this sounding merely confirmed the evi- 

 dence of our sextant that we were only forty or fifty miles from 

 the shore of a land that was known, although uninhabited and lit- 

 tle explored. As the wind was steady and strong from the east and 

 our ice drifting westward, it is probable that had we sounded upon 

 our arrival the day before we should have had bottom at a much 

 shallower depth. 



Daily sextant observations showed that our drift to westward 

 away from Banks Island was continuous day after day although not 

 uniform, and the same was indicated by soundings. May 27th we 

 had 962 meters and on the 28th 1,142. On the 29th we were again 

 in water too deep for reaching bottom with onr line. 



Spring was now full upon us. Thaw water was trickling down 

 the sunny side of the ice hummocks and bird life began to increase. 

 Ivory gulls appeared on the 10th of May and by the 25th had be- 

 come both numerous and friendly. They used to flutter about our 

 camps and walk around within a dozen feet of us with little con- 

 cern. I suppose the real reason for their friendliness was the meat, 

 but still they frequently visited without even taking a nibble, 

 though they were quite welcome to do so, for shortage of food was not 

 going to be one of our serious problems. Barrow-gulls arrived May 

 24th and so did the common tern. Whales kept traveling by in dozens 

 or hundreds, and the dogs had become so used to their blowing that 

 they no longer barked or gave a sign of attention. Small marine 

 life was abundant in the water. The gulls evidently lived sump- 

 tuously on it, and the seals swam about on the surface feeding 

 lazily. In their stomachs we found both shrimps and small "worms" 

 half an inch long. These shrimps and worms were so abundant in 

 the surface layers of the water that had we been in any such 

 straits as the Greely party when they attempted to live on shrimps, 

 we could have done so with little trouble. 



By June we had become almost reconciled to our encampment 

 on the ice. We had begun to think that we should have to spend 

 our entire summer there and, of course, where you spend the summer 

 it is advisable to spend the winter, for your gathered store of food 

 and fuel will take you safely through the months of darkness if 

 you camp by it. If you begin traveling in the autumn you have 

 to leave most of your supplies behind and may have difficulty in 

 securing more later for the lack of hunting light. I do not think 



