THE FRIENDLY ARCTIC 321 



back he visited it. At no time did he think of entering in his 

 diary the fact that he had written a record to be deposited in it. 

 Some two years later, when his memory of the less important de- 

 tails of the trip had become hazy, he was preparing his diary for 

 the press. He then recalled having left a record at the north end 

 of Prince Patrick Island, and his memory played him the trick 

 of making a thing that had happened on the advance journey seem 

 to have happened on the return. Or else he wrote the record on 

 June 15th but carried it with him to his farthest west, depositing 

 it only on the return journey. 



I have dwelt on this trivial discrepancy, apparent or real, be- 

 tween two statements exactly because their author cannot be 

 suspected of either untruthfulness or carelessness. What I intend 

 is to point out how errors will creep in. I have no doubt that a 

 keen critic can find such discrepancies and perhaps more serious 

 ones either in this book or between it and something else I have 

 written. But I hope that every such discrepancy is open to a rea- 

 sonably charitable interpretation. 



After we had reread and talked over the McClintock record we 

 composed the following document for the next explorer who comes 

 along. Surely it will remain in the cairn much less than sixty-two 

 years. I hope so, otherwise he who uncovers it will fail to find 

 anything legible. McClintock had brought with him for the pur- 

 pose the papier mache tubes which have preserved his messages so 

 admirably; we had nothing intended for a similar service and had 

 to use tin cans. I did not enter in my diary the exact way this 

 record was packed, except to say that the outer covering was a 

 two-pound tin that once contained coffee. Inside I think the slip 

 of paper was first wrapped in more paper and then put in a small 

 Burroughs-Wellcome tabloid tea-box: 



COPY OF RECORD 



"P. M. June 16, 1915. 

 "A sled party of the Canadian Arctic Expedition H.M,.C.S. Mary 

 Sachs are camped on the island which bears 192° magnetic from this 

 point, distant two miles. From that island I saw a cairn at this point 

 (Cape McClintock) and walked over, arriving at the cairn at 9:58 P. M. 

 June 15th, local apparent time. On top the sand under the stones I 

 found a record form of the Franklin Search containing printed informa- 

 tion as to ships, depots, rescue operations, etc., some illegible writing in 

 ink and the below in pencil, well preser^'ed : (Print is underscored in 

 the following.) 



