THE RESCUE FROM WRANGELL ISLAND 817 
Nome, Mr. Swenson had already taken the King 
and Winge as near Herald Island as he could get, 
without seeing any signs of human life, and months 
before, shortly after my departure with Katakto- 
vick for Siberia, McKinlay and Munro had made 
their way across the ice in the direction of Herald 
Island and had got near enough to see that no one 
was there. Later on, as I afterwards learned, the 
Corwin, on the trip on which, as he had promised, 
Mr. Linderberg sent her, cruised all around Her¬ 
ald Island without seeing any evidences that any 
one had been there. It was as certain as anything 
could be that both parties had long since perished, 
but it was very hard for me to give them up, men 
with whom I had spent so many months, men with 
the future still before them. 
From the vicinity of Herald Island, the Bear 
headed for Cape Serdze and at six o’clock the next 
morning we anchored off Mr. Wall’s place. Mr. 
Wall was still away and we did not stop long but 
were soon steaming down the coast on the way to 
our next stop, Cape Prince of Wales. 
I did not attempt to press the men for an ac¬ 
count of what had happened on the island. They 
had been through a long period of suspense and 
were entitled to a rest, so it seemed the kindest 
thing to let the story come out spontaneously as 
time went on. McKinlay told me part of it and 
