Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-10-09
CHAPTER XII.

CHAPTER XII
During the first hour OF April % backs
were turned to the pole and to the sun.
Our exploring ambition had been thor
oughly satisfied. There were few glances
backward.
The eagerness to solve the mystery had
served it's purpose and the memory of the
adventure for time remained as re-
minder OF reckless daring. AS we now
moved along'the feeling of elaton slowly
subsidized with the realization. of the pro-
spective difficulties of the return Though
the mercury was still frozen and The
suns perpetual flush was lost in frigid
blue, the time was at hand in lower lati-
tudes for the ice to break and drift south
ward
With correct reasoning all former expe
ditions had planned to return to land
and secure line OF retreat by May /.
We could not hope to do so until early in
June. 1t seemed. therefore, probab BILE that
the Ice along the outskirts OF tie polar
sea would be much disrupted. and that
open water, small ice and rapid drifts
would seriously interfere with our re-
turn to sure footing on the shores of
Nansen sound. All of this and many
other possibilities were carefully consid-
cred before, but the tongues: o. the pole
was not possible without risks.
We had started earlier than all ether
polar aSp1rants and no time had been lost
EN- route. If misfortune came to US it
could not be because OF wasted energies
or unnecessary delay. In the last days Of
the onward rush to success there was
neither time nor opportunity to ponder
over the bitters of subsequent remorse
But now, facing southern skies under
which was home and all for which We
lived. the back trail seemed indescribabl
long. In cold, sober thought, freed OF the
amortization OF polar enthusiasm, the
difficulties darkened in color We now
saw that the crucial stage Of the cam
paisn was not the taking Of the pole. The
test of our fitness as boreal conquerors
was to be measured by the outcome Of a
final battle for life against famine and
frost.
The first days. however passed rapidly
With fair weather and favorable ice long
marches were made.
Outline Of Plans for Return.
We aimed to return along the Tooth
| meridian. There were three important
objects to be gained by route some
| what west of the northward march. Tbs.
increasing easterly drift would thus be
counterbalanced. We hoped to get near
enough to the new lands to explore a part
| of the coast, and a wider belt would be
| swept out Of the unknown area
The pack drift proved quite active and
we were quickly carried eastward be-
yond daily drift allowances. On April 70
| the pedometer registered 121 miles. and by
our system OF dead reckoning, which was
usually correct, We should have been at
Latitude e7.09. longitude 100. The nautical
Ia L.
91.42 We were. therefore drifting east
ward with increasing speed. and to coun-
| terbalance this a still more westerly
course was set.
AZ TINS time the never-changing same
ness OF the daily routine was again felt.
me novelty of success and the passion
OF the home run were no longer opera
tive. The scenes of shiverine blue wea-
ried the eye. and there was no inspiration
in the moving sea Of ice to gladden. the
heart. The thermometer rose and fell he
tween 30 and 40 below zero Fahrenheit,
with ceaseless wind 1t was still very
cold The first of May was at hand.
bringing to mind the blossoms and smiles
| was narrowed to lines Of Ice The sun
circled the skies in lines Of g!arinR. but
| Its heat was a sham and it's light a tor
ment.
With weary nerves and compass in
| hand, my lonely march ahead of fhe sleds
was continued. Progress was satisfac-
| tory. We had passed the eighty-ninth
and eighty-eighth parallels The eighty
seventh and eighty-sixth would soon be
under foot and the sight of the new lands
times We're days long to be remembered,
but only the marks Of the pencil now re-
main to tell the story Of suppressed
existence.
Fel1ow-Feeling for Dogs.
The long strain of the march had given
a brotherly sympathy to the trio of hui
| man strugglers. Under the same strain
| was made the descent to canine levels
The dogs. though still possessing the saw
age ferocity of the wolf. had taken us
into their community. We now moved
| among them without hearing grunt OF
discord, and their sympathetic eyes fol-
| lowed until we were made comfortable
| on the cherries SHOWS. Ii our dogs hap
pened to be placed near enough they
edged up and encircled us, giving the
benefit of their animal fires. TO remind
| us of their presence frost-covered noses
were frequently pushed under the bag.
and occasionally cold snout touched our
warm skin with a rude awakening. We
| loved the creatures. however. and ad-
mired their superb brute strength. Their
adapta bility was a frequent topic of con-
versation. With a pelt that was a guar
| antee against weather conditions. they
winds-in open defiance of death-dealing
| storms. They willingly did a prodigIous
| amount of work each day, and then as
bedfellows they offered their fur as shell
ter and bones as head rests to their two
footed companions. We had learned to
appreciate the advantage of their beating
breasts. The bond of animal fellowship
had drawn tighter and tighter in long
there was a stronger reason than ever
to appreciate power, for together we were
seeking an escape from a world which
was never intended for creatures with
humping hearts.
Much very heavy ice was crossed near
the eighty-eighth parallel. but the end
less unbroken fields of the northward
trails were not seen again. The weather
changed considerably. The light cutting
winds from the west increased in force
and the spasmodic squalls came at shorter
intervals. The clear purple and blues of
the seas were gradually changed to light
gray, and a rush of frosty needles came
over the pack for several hours each day.
Could Brook No Delay.
The inducement to seek shelter in ce-
mented walls of snow and wait for better
weather was very great But such delay
forestalled certain starvation. Under fair
conditions there was barely food enough
to reach land. while even short delays
might easily jeopardize our return. We
could not, therefore, do otherwise than to
force ourselves against the wind and
J,-lf -