THE FRIENDLY ARCTIC 531 



single track, and thirteen seals to indicate that the only animal 

 on which we were relying was also found in his district. Caribou 

 were missing from the list but of these we had killed less than ten 

 (my diary noted only six). 



We speculated much on the obscure passages in the record. 

 In saying "Finlay Land (King Christian Island)" it indicated 

 that these were indeed the same land and in that respect the 

 Admiralty chart was right. But the record said nothing about the 

 extent of the land and left unsolved the problem of whether Findlay 

 Land and our Borden Island were different parts of the same con- 

 nected whole. We were selfish enough to hope that he had not 

 gone quite far enough to find out, leaving that discovery for us, 

 but we wished we knew how far he had gone so as not to delay 

 in the needless survey of what he had already surveyed. 



Around MacMillan's monument were the tracks of the "small 

 wolf" that we had noted around our sounding place and on the 

 beach north and south of it. The explanation now seemed to be 

 that this was not a wolf at all but one of MacMillan's dogs which 

 had not died on being left behind on the trail but had revived after 

 resting, had followed the trail to the monument, and had probably 

 lived a long time on the bear carcass. Since then he had been 

 able to make his living on lemmings and birds' eggs and was doubt- 

 less somewhere inland. We kept a sharp watch, so far as the 

 weather allowed, while we were on or near Ellef Ringnes Island, 

 hoping to find him and be able to take him with us. But the only 

 souvenirs we were able to carry home were an old felt hat which 

 we picked up on the ice near the bear carcass, and the scattered 

 cartridge shells, tin cans, and box boards. 



The boxboards were a godsend. When you wade knee-deep 

 and hip-deep through ice water most of the day a dry camping- 

 place is especially desirable, but impossible to find. Some days 

 the sun shines and the ice is wet from thaw water; other days it 

 rains and then it is if possible wetter; if snow falls in summer it is 

 in the form of slush. There is no part of one's equipment more 

 important than something which will keep the bedding from con- 

 tact with the ice. We already had half enough boards for this 

 purpose and MacMillan's gave us enough more so that thereafter we 

 could keep our skins from contact with the ice. Previously we 

 had used our caribou skin bedding in three relays, sleeping on 

 one while the other two were drying. This would have worked 

 well in sunshiny weather but with the continual fogs and rains it 

 worked badly and most of our bedding skins were by now thor- 



