OUR HOME AT SHIPWRECK CAMP 95 
of students of aviation, collecting valuable meteor¬ 
ological data, continuous for the period of the drift, 
for the use of weather bureaus, and perhaps mak¬ 
ing possible the finding of new lands in the vast un¬ 
explored region north of Siberia. England and 
Norway have turned their attention to the Antarc¬ 
tic and it is America's place to undertake the task 
of completing our knowledge of the Arctic, so far 
advanced through centuries of Anglo-Saxon en¬ 
deavor. As Nansen said, in stating his plans for 
his expedition in the Fram: “People, perhaps, 
still exist who believe that it is of no importance 
to explore the unknown polar regions. This, 
of course, shows ignorance. It is hardly necessary 
to mention here of what scientific importance it is 
that these regions should be thoroughly explored. 
The history of the human race is a continual 
struggle from darkness towards light. It is, there¬ 
fore, to no purpose to discuss the use of knowledge; 
man wants to know, and when he ceases to do so, 
he is no longer man," 
As soon as the Karluk sank, I turned in at the 
igloo to have a good sleep, for I had been awake 
since five o'clock on the morning of the tenth, and 
it was now late in the afternoon of the eleventh. 
It was nearly noon of the next day before I 
awoke. The sky was dear overhead but the fresh 
