THE POLE! 
gone before, and I was standing and push- 
ing at the upstanders of my sledge, when the 
block of ice I was using as a support slipped 
from underneath my feet, and before I knew 
it the sledge was out of my grasp, and I was 
floundering in the water of the lead. I did 
the best I could. I tore my hood from oif 
my head and struggled frantically. My 
hands were gloved and I could not take hold 
of the ice, but before I could give the "Grand 
Hailing Sigh of Distress," faithful old Ootah 
had grabbed me by the nape of the neck, the 
same as he would have grabbed a dog, and 
with one hand he pulled me out of the water, 
and with the other hurried the team across. 
He had saved my life, but I did not tell 
him so, for such occurrences are taken as part 
of the day's work, and the sledge he safe- 
guarded was of much more importance, for it 
held, as part of its load, the Commander's sex- 
tant, the mercury, and the coils of piano-wire 
that were the essential portion of the scientific 
part of the expedition. My kamiks (boots of 
sealskin) were stripped oif, and the congealed 
water was beaten out of my bearskin trousers, 
and with a dry pair of kamiks, we hurried on 
131 
