152 MV ARCTIC JOURNAL 



mother, and the first which I spent without receiving a loving 

 greeting from some dear one. I was obHged to go through 

 the routine formahty of setting out the wine, but I felt neither 

 like eating nor drinking. Yesterday morning the first little 

 auks were seen flying over Redcliffe House, some in the 

 direction of the head of the bay, others in the opposite di- 

 rection. 



Kyo, Matt, and I indulged in a little target-shooting to-day 

 with my revolver. We put up a tin at forty feet distance 

 and fired six shots each. In the first round Matt scored 

 nothing, Kyo hit the target 3 times, while I hit it 5 times. 

 I then stepped out, and Matt and Kyo tried again, the former 

 scoring 5 and the latter 4. 



Thursday, May 26. A perfect day, clear, calm, and warm. 

 Nearly four weeks have elapsed since Mr. Peary left me, and 

 yet no news. For a full week, day by day, I have been ex- 

 pecting the supporting-party, and am now nearly desperate. 

 Being in no mood for writing, reading, or sewing, I called Jack 

 and started for Cape Cleveland, where open water had been 

 reported. For a quarter of a mile before reaching the Cape 

 I sank into water almost to my boot-tops, but I felt fully 

 repaid for my trouble by the beautiful sight which met my 

 gaze. The water, of deepest blue and clear as crystal, sparkled 

 and danced in the sunlight, as if it were overjoyed to have 

 broken loose from its long imprisonment, and once more have 

 the countless birds sporting on its bosom. The water and the 

 air above it were at times black with birds, the majority being 



