486 THE WELLMAN POLAR EXPEDITION 



in the way of a northerly advance next spring. He has 120 dogs, 

 procured for him by Trontheim, and every device that ingenuity 

 could suggest or money buy. The real test for him will come, as 

 it comes to all who attempt the arduous road to the Pole, when 

 he leaves his comfortable winter quarters or his ship and takes 

 to the open field in a sledging trip during the extreme cold. Up 

 to this time it is all comparatively easy, but sledging in Feb- 

 ruary, March, and April tries men's endurance and courage to 

 the utmost. 



It is not too much to sa} r that of all the men now in the Arctic 

 regions the young Italian prince has the best chance to reach 

 the Pole or to eclipse Dr Nansen's record. In my opinion, 

 neither Peary nor Sverdrup, both of whom are wintering on the 

 west coast of Greenland, about latitude 79°, has much chance. 

 Their base is too far south. True, Lieutenant Peary has supplies 

 at General Greely's house at Fort Conger upon which he may 

 draw during his sledge journey next spring, but he must travel 

 150 miles to reach that outpost, and then will be but a little 

 nearer his goal than the Italian is at his base. Besides, Mr Peary 

 was unfortunate enough last winter to suffer the loss of seven 

 toes, and though he is known to be a resolute man, it is ques- 

 tioned by all men of Arctic experience if it be possible for him, 

 thus handicapped, to endure the tortures of a severe sledging 

 campaign. As for Captain Sverdrup, who has so far failed in his 

 scheme to circumnavigate Greenland in the Fram, it is not known 

 precisely what he is to attempt to do. 



With Peary, Sverdrup, and Abruzzi the conditions are the same 

 in one important respect as they were with us. The effort to 

 make the North Pole must be by a dash, and nothing but a dash. 

 The writer admits that he was the author of the phrase, " a dash 

 for the Pole,' 1 but he cannot claim credit as the originator of the 

 idea. As far back as 1827, Parry, the Englishman, attempted a 

 dash for the Pole from the shores of northern Spitzbergen, and 

 established one of the northerly records in that constant advance 

 toward the Pole which restless man has persisted in making. 

 Many other dashes have been made since that time. 



Why must it be a dash ? Why cannot one take his time to 

 the task, making a gradual approach, year after year ? These 

 are questions often asked. The answer is very simple. If we had 

 land extending to or near the Pole the old theory of a gradual 

 advance from depot to depot would hold good. Reaching the 

 Pole would in that case be simply a question of persistent effort, 



