SPRING JOURNEY IN A SKIN BOAT 191 



from the sea bottom, or else a large land. So sure did 

 they feel about the shallowness of the ocean that, al- 

 though they intended to take soundings wherever they 

 went, they carried a line of only 2,000 feet, expecting it 

 to reach bottom whenever desired. This was so far from 

 being true that they had gone only about thirty miles 

 from land when they came to where the sea floor settled 

 rapidly down to abysmal depths. This was taken to 

 mean that the probability of land beyond was small. 

 They, nevertheless, kept on for some distance. But the 

 ice was in rapid motion and everything was more difficult 

 than they had expected, so they presently turned back 

 to survey some more of the "continental shelf," as we 

 call the beginning of the steep slope where the shoal 

 waters of the coastline meet the deeps of the ocean proper. 

 The location of this slope is considered a matter of great 

 scientific importance. 



While engaged in determining the continental shelf the 

 party were struck by an easterly gale which carried the 

 ice they were on so swiftly to the westward that they 

 were in danger of being taken into the open sea beyond 

 Point Barrow. A calm came just in time and they were 

 able to get across from the moving floes to the landfast 

 ice to the south of them, and thence ashore. 



When I got back to Flaxman Island Leffingwell and 

 Mikkelsen confirmed what Dr. Howe had conjectured — 

 that the expedition was practically over. Leffingwell 

 would spend another year in the vicinity, for he was a 

 geologist by training and wanted to study the mountains 

 to the south. Mikkelsen had first thought of making a 

 journey eastward in a small boat with only Storkerson 

 as a companion but he later gave that up. 



At Flaxman Island I now awaited eagerly the coming 



