446 THE FRIENDLY ARCTIC 



thaw water began to run down the southward hills before they 

 were able to leave, which was late in April. 



Wilkins' companions were Crawford, who was leaving the serv- 

 ice of the expedition, and Natkusiak, who expected to return with 

 Wilkins on the Star. In crossing the southern end of Banks Island 

 they found the season less early as they went east, and for a long 

 while had no trouble with the spring thaw. As reported to us 

 by Kullak the previous summer, Wilkins had met a party of 

 Eskimos in the straits near Minto Inlet and obtained several dogs 

 which enabled him to make better progress. But he got to Dolphin 

 and Union Straits only just in time to cross them safely, for the 

 tide currents there eat up the ice rapidly in the spring. Fur- 

 thermore, there is a sharp change in climate as one crosses from 

 Victoria Island to the mainland. When I crossed those straits the 

 spring of 1911 it appeared to me that the season was about a 

 month farther advanced on the mainland near Point Tinney than 

 on the Victoria Island coast sixty miles northeast. 



Wilkins told me that as he approached the base of the southern 

 section of our expedition the first man he encountered was Johan- 

 sen, our biologist, who remarked after several questions, "Of course 

 you saw no trace of Stefansson." This remark- was a key to 

 the attitude of the whole party towards the question of our 

 being alive. 



On arrival at the base Wilkins showed Dr. Anderson his au- 

 thorization from me to bring me the Star. Dr. Anderson replied 

 that he would not surrender the Star and advised Wilkins to pro- 

 ceed westward immediately along the coast by sled so as to get 

 out, if he could, and so report to me. Wilkins asked for a written 

 statement to this effect and Dr. Anderson said he would make it 

 out. Wilkins understood that Dr. Anderson had a consultation 

 with the members of his party and asked them for their support 

 in his attitude of refusal. But the position taken by the staff 

 was that they would not place themselves on definite record as 

 disobeying my orders, and that it was the part of the ranking 

 officer of the party to take the whole responsibility of whatever 

 decision he chose to make. Thereupon Dr. Anderson told Wil- 

 kins he would surrender the Star, but requested that before she 

 was taken away he and certain members of the scientific staff 

 should be transported by her to Bathurst Inlet. This was a most 

 reasonable request to which Wilkins agreed. 



The Star is a shallow, flat-bottomed vessel built to be hauled 

 out on the beach at the beginning of the winter freeze-up. For 



