with Sunri

wilight at midday. The moon offered light enough to travel. Now we were finally ready to fire the first guns of the Polar battle. Scouts were outside, waiting for the signal

cked ship had been found. The pack was, therefore, loaded with expedition su

sistance. This was handed to Koo-loo-ting-wah, standing before his restless dogs, whip in hand, as were his three companions

without shadows, rested on the snow. It changed in quality and color with the changing mystery of the aurora. On

light was sent, for the brightness of the heavens was out of proportion to its illuminating effect upon the surface snows. In the nort

perfectly calm-all that could be expected fo

piled up in tremendous drifts, making it difficult to leave the house without climbing new hills. The dogs tied about were buried in snow. Only the l

ers a fair chance. Insufficient light, impossible winds or ice make the crossing hazardous at best. The Eskimos cross every ye

on of the pack might greatly delay our start with heavy sledges. Furthermore, there was real danger at hand for the advance. If the party had been composed of white men there surel

e storm had forced them into snow embankments, and before it was quite spent a bear began to nose about their shelter places. The dogs were

es, for snow and ice cemented the creatures. Oo-tah ran out in the excitement to head off the bear-not to make an attack, but simply to stop his progress. The bear dropped the meat and gra

ounded scout the party returned as quickly as possible. In t

of the ice, which was a great hindrance to our advance, offered open water for walrus and bear hunting. At this time we went to Serwahdingwah for the last chase

excursionists required some attention, for they had done noble work for the expedition.

hores of Cape Alexander. In a storm this would probably be swept from the land and carried seaward. There was nothing that could be done except wait for news. Me

the snowhouses were swept into the sea. Men and women, without clothing, barely escaped with their lives. Two of our new sledges, some dogs, and three suits of winter f

Annoatok, with returning excursionists, and in the course of a week the damage was replaced. But the loss was all on the expedition, and deprived many of th

Sound. Francke asked to join the party, and prepared for his first camp outing. Four sledges were loaded with two hund

could be used for only about four hours of each twenty-four. If, however, the sky remained clear, the moon and stars would furnish enough illumination for a full

uspiciously as the first, and new

e detour to the north. The ice offered good traveling, but the cold was bitter,

, with two companions, pushed on for another day along the shore to Cape Veile. Beyond, the snow was too deep to proceed. The supplies were cached in a snowhouse, while t

he object was to carry advance supplies to the head of Flagler Bay, and hunt musk ox to feed the

expensive loss, for if fed upon the carefully guarded food of the advance stores, a rapid reduction in supplies would follow

t now insistently and definitely confronted us after the months of planning and preparation: Seven hundred miles of advance, almost a thousand miles as our route was planned; one thousand miles of return; two thou

y 19, 1908, I started on

on the Polar sea, and two thousands pounds of walrus skin and fat for use before securing the fresh game we anticipated. The eleven sledges were to be driven by Francke, nine Eskimos, and myself. They w

ves were naturally excited. The dogs caught the contagious enthusiasm, and barked joyously. At eigh

quest h

mething that I had carefully looked out for during the winter months. I regard this as having been highly advantageous to me, that I have always been able to win the friendship and confidence of the Eskimos; for thus I f

of orange in the south heralded the rising sun. The snow still retained the purple of twilight. The ice was covered with about three inches of soft snow over a hard crust, which made speed

. The tracks were making a good course for us, so the dogs were encouraged. By four o'clock the feeble light made it dangerous to p

o our snow-mounds, tired, hungry and sleepy. The night was e

been forced so far north that we still had thirty miles before us to the Cape. The dogs, however, were in better trim, and we had no doubt about reaching the off-shores for the next camp. We followed the edge of ice whic

box. A can had been placed in a box, and so protected by reindeer skins that the hea

as little else to mark the glory of sunrise. The light was no brighter than it had been for two hours. The sky remained a purple blue, with a slight grayness in the south, darkening toward the horizon. The snows were pur

oon after four the light failed, the land colored to purple and gold toward the rim of the horizon, and we were left to guess the direction of our course. But Eskimos are somewhat better than Yankees at guessing, for we got i

d camp of famine and death, in earlier days, should have marked the very outset of our modern effort to reach the Pole. But later we

surface was good, but a light wind, with a temperature of -52° F., came with great bitterness. The dogs refused to face the wi

he right, caught the tip of the nose, burning with a bleaching effect, which, in camp la

which colored the snows in warm tones. At noon the sun showed half of its face over the cliffs as we crossed the bay and sought better ice along Bache Peninsula. That night we camped near the Weyprecht Islands. The day, although bright, proved severe, for most of t

troleum and alcohol were used liberally, and during the night the skin was sufficiently softened by the heat to be cut with the hatchets. This skin seems to be good food for the dogs. It is about

st satisfying sleep of the journey for me. The economy of the blue fire stoves is beyond conception. Burning

uel. The natives, in their three igloos, used the copper la

was interpreted as that of the dogs of the advance party. They were camped a few miles beyond, and came to our igloos at br

his route would be impossible. To push overland rapidly to the west coast was our only chance, but the report of insufficient snow seemed to forbid this. Something, however, must be tried. We could not give up without a stronger fight. The strong probability of our failing to find musk

d eight hundred pounds. Beyond, in Flagler Bay, the ice luckily became smooth and almost free of snow. An increased nu

ost paralyzed the dogs, and the men were kept alive only by running with the dogs. Comfortable houses were built and preparations made for a day of re

ers of the return party gave us extra rations to use in times of need, and the land did not seem as hopeless as pictured by the returni

NEW PASS O

RS AT BAY FIORD-THE MECCA OF THE MUSK OX-BATTLES WITH THE B