KATAKTOVICK AND I START 
177 
again but Kataktovick soon had it repaired. 
While he was working on it, I went ahead with the 
pickaxe. We got under way again and worked 
through the raftered ice all day long, making the 
road much of the way. Ahead of us, beyond the 
edge of the raftered ice, we could see that the air 
was filled with condensation, indicating the presence 
of open water and showing that the ice outside the 
raftered ice must be moving under the impetus of 
the high, westerly wind. Just before dark we al¬ 
most reached the edge of the still ice, about five 
miles from land. Here we found a very high 
rafter which, though not very wide, would never¬ 
theless retard us for two hours while we completed 
the road. Once we were out on the running ice, 
as we should be by the next day, we should have 
much easier going, though we should undoubtedly 
have a great deal of open water to contend with. 
We made our igloo on the raftered ice, I was 
wearing snow-goggles and though I slept in them, 
so that I could get my eyes well accustomed to 
them, my left eye was now paining me a good deal. 
From the time we left Blossom Point I never again 
in our journey got a sight of Wrangell Island, on 
account of the overcast sky and the drifting snow. 
On March 24 we started at dawn as usual and 
were not long in working our way through the 
rough going in the rafter out upon the running ice. 
