S98 



THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



59 Eskimos, 140 dogs, and 23 sledges. 

 By February 27 such of the Cape Colan 

 ■depot as was needed had been brought 

 up to Cape Columbia, the dogs were 

 rested and double-rationed and har- 

 nessed, and the sledges and other gear 

 overhauled. 



Four months of northerly winds dur- 

 ing the fall and winter, instead of south- 

 erly ones, as during the previous season, 

 led me to think that I would meet less 

 water than before, but a great deal of 

 rough ice, and I was prepared to hew a 

 road through the jagged ice the first 

 nundred miles or so, and then cross the 

 Dig lead. 



On the last day of February Bartlett, 

 -with his pioneer division, got away due 

 north over the ice. On March 1 the re- 

 mainder of the party got away on Bart- 

 lett's trail, and I followed an hour later. 



The party now comprised 7 members 

 •of the expedition, 17 Eskimos, 133 dogs, 

 and 19 sledges. One Eskimo and seven 

 <3ogs had gone to pieces. A strong east- 

 -erly wind, drifting snow, and tempera- 

 ture in the minus marked our departure 

 from the camp at Cape Columbia, which 

 I had christened Crane City. 



Rough ice in the first march damaged 

 several sledges and smashed two beyond 

 repairs, the teams going to Columbia for 

 •other sledges in reserve there. 



We camped ten miles from Crane City. 

 The easterly wind and low temperature 

 continued. On the 2d of March we 

 passed the British record made by Mark- 

 ham, in May, 187(3 — 82.20 — and were 

 stopped by open water, which had been 

 formed by the wind after Bartlett passed. 

 In this march we negotiated the lead, 

 and reached Bartlett's third camp. Borup 

 had gone back from here, but missed his 

 way, owing to the faulting of the trail 

 "by the movement of the ice. 



Marvin came back also for more fuel 

 and alcohol. The wind continued, form- 

 ing open water all about us. At the end 

 of the fourth march we came upon Bart- 

 lett, who had been stopped by a wide 

 lake of open water. We remained here 

 from March 4 to March 11. 



At noon of March 5, the sun, red and 



shaped like a football by excessed reflec- 

 tion, just raised itself above the horizon 

 for a few minutes, and then disappeared 

 again. It was the first time I had seen 

 it since October 1. 



I now began to feel a good deal of 

 anxiety because there were no signs of 

 Marvin and Borup, who should have 

 been there for two days. Besides, they 

 had the alcohol and oil which were indis- 

 pensable for us. We concluded that 

 they had either lost the trail or were im- I 

 prisoned on an island by open water, 

 probably the latter. 



Fortunately, on March 1 1 the lead was 

 practicable, and leaving a note for Mar- 

 vin and Borup to push on after us by ; 

 forced marches, we proceeded north- 

 ward. The sounding of the lead gave 

 no fathoms. During this march we 

 crossed the 84th parallel, and traversed 

 a succession of just frozen leads from a 

 few hundred yards to a mile in width. 

 This march was really simple. 



On the 14th we got free of the leads 

 and came on decent going. While we 

 were making camp a courier from Mar- 

 vin came, and informed me he was on 

 the march in the rear. The temperature 

 was 59 below zero. 



The following morning, March 14, I 

 sent Hensen with his division north to 

 pioneer a trail for five marches, and Doc- 

 tor Goodsell, according to the pro- 

 gramme, started back to Cape Columbia. 

 At night Marvin and Borup came spin- 

 ning in with their men and dogs steam- 

 ing in the bitter air like a squadron of 

 battleships. Their arrival relieved me of 

 all anxiety as to our oil supply. 



In the morning I discovered that Mc- 

 Millan's foot was badly frost-bitten. The 

 mishap had occurred two or three days 

 before that, and McMillan had said 

 nothing about it in the hope that it would 

 come out all right. A glance at the in- 

 jury showed me that the only thing was 

 to send him back to Cape Columbia at 

 once. The arrival of Marvin and Borup 

 enabled me to spare sufficient men and 

 dogs to go back with him. 



This early loss of McMillan was se- 

 riously disappointing to me. He had a 



