THE POLE! 
igloo. For a few minutes it hui note«. on a 
lifeless in the dead calm of the hazOyUnd then 
a slight breezes increasing in strength, caused 
the folds to straighten out, and soon it was 
' rippling out in sparkling color. The stars 
^and stripes were ^'nailed to the Pole." 
A thrill of patriotism ran through me and 
I raised my voice to cheer the starry emblem 
of my native land. The Esquimos gathered 
around and, taking the time from Commander 
Peary, three hearty cheers rang out on the 
still, frosty air, our dumb dogs looking on in 
puzzled surprise. As prospects for getting a 
sight of the sun were not good, we turned in 
and slept, leaving the flag proudly floating 
above us. 
This was a thin silk flag that Commander 
Peary had carried on all of his Arctic 
journeys, and he had always flown it at his 
last camps. It was as glorious and as in- 
spiring a banner as any battle-scarred, 
blood-stained standard of the world — and 
this badge of honor and courage was also 
blood-stained and battle-scarred, for at sev- 
eral places there were blank squares mark- 
ing the spots where pieces had been cut 
133 
