62 MY ARCTIC JOURNAL 



for fear I should begin sliding again; but as I grew more 

 courageous I looked about me, and finally on hands and 

 knees I succeeded in getting on firm ground. I did not 

 continue my climb, but returned to the house in a round- 

 about way. 



Mr. Peary had the fire started in the big stove, and finds 

 that it works admirably. The trouble will be to keep the fire 

 low enough. Ikwa indulged in a regular war-dance at the 

 sight of the blaze, never before having seen so much fire, and 

 for the first few moments kept putting his fingers on the stove 

 to see how warm it was. He soon found it too hot. He has 

 been getting his sledge, dog-harness, spears, etc., in readiness 

 for the winter's hunt after seal. 



Wednesday, September 30. Toward noon Matt came run- 

 ning in shouting, "Here are the boys, sir!" and sure enough 

 Astrup and Gibson were here, bringing nothing but their snow- 

 shoes with them. They were on the ice just a week, and 

 estimate the distance traveled inland at thirty miles, and the 

 greatest elevation reached at 4600 feet. They returned be- 

 cause it was too cold and the snow too deep for traveling. 

 At the same time, they admit that they were not cold while 

 on the march, and they do not think the temperature was more 

 than 10° below zero; but as Gibson stepped on and broke the 

 thermometer on the third day, up to which time the lowest 

 had been -2°, they had no way of telling for certain. Gibson's 

 feet were blistered, he having forgotten to put excelsior or 

 grass in his kamiks. He believes that with the moral support 



