156 THE LAST VOYAGE OF THE KARLUK 
as that astounding picture of Chaos before the 
Creation that used to ornament the first volume of 
Ridpath’s “History of the World. 5 ’ 
At daylight on March 5 I sent Munro and a 
party back across the three miles of raftered ice 
to meet the McKinlay party who were about due 
back from Shipwreck Camp. Munro and the 
others could guide and help them across the diffi¬ 
cult road we had made. While they were gone I 
took Kataktovick and laid out a trail towards the 
land for the next day’s march. Now for the first 
time since we left Shipwreck Camp, we got a view 
of Wrangell Island; it was high and we seemed 
almost under it. The air was exceptionally clear 
and the land looked close to us. 
Munro and his party did not get back until long 
after dark. They had reached our last camp 
across the raftered ice and not finding McKinlay 
and the others there had continued on the back 
trail, hoping to meet them. They went on as far 
as they could go without being compelled to stay out 
all night, and then came back, because they had no 
sleeping-robes and would have had a poor night of it, 
besides being obliged to build an igloo. They were 
wise in knowing when they had gone far enough; 
Munro showed his usual good judgment. 
Our progress in to the island was retarded by the 
necessity of keeping along with us as large a 
