CHAPTER XVI 
THE FAST TREK BACK TO LAND 
HTHE long trail was finished, the work was 
-*■ done, and there was only left for us to 
return and tell the tale of the doing. Reac- 
tion had set in, and it was with quavering 
voice that Commander Peary gave the order 
to break camp. Already the strain of the 
hard up ward- journey was beginning to tell, 
and after the first two marches back, he was 
practically a dead weight, but do not think 
that we could have gotten back without him, 
for it was due to the fact that he was with 
us, and that we could depend upon him to di- 
rect and order us, that we were able to keep 
up the break-neck pace that enabled us to 
cover three of our upward marches on one of 
our return marches, and we never forgot that 
he was still the heart and head of the party. 
It was broad daylight and getting brighter, 
and accordingly I knew little fear, though I 
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