Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-09-20

not build an igloo. and for twenty-four
hours we were hung up there [ didn't
dare do as they did, lie down and let
the snow cover me up and go to sleep,
ant time until the wind died down enough
for us to find our way back to our lgloo,
not half mile away, which we did some
twenty-four hours afterward The way
we then proceeded to pile in the grub
would have made you sit up and take
notice. We each ate ten-pound hare,
tea, pemmican and biscuit. Luckily we
came through uninjured. though 1 froze
the ends of four or more fingers We
killed eighty-three hares this trip, aver
February moon two Eskimos and I went
hunting to Clement Markham Inlet for
an eight-day trip. but saw nothing.
II left the boat for the northern trip
February 10. There was enough twilight
to see to travel eight hours a day by.
though the sun did not come back till
March t. the last time / saw it in the
fall being October 8. / left Cape Co
lumbia in command of the advanced sup
porting party February %. with the
thermometer at minus fifty degrees. At
that temperature whisky is frozen stiff,
alcohol so cold you can drop a match
in it and 1t will not light, your nose
freezes every ten minutes unless you
warm 1t up. and the ends of your fingers
by this time are all excoriated from be-
ing repeatedly frostbitten, etc.
Forced March Over Ice.
II went with the captain, who, with
three men. was the trail picker. Three
marches out 1 dumped off the load of all
my party, and we headed for the land
according to orders, some twenty-five
miles distant in an air line. The COM
mander was to leave March 1, and was
to give me instructions on meeting the
returning party what to bring back. Mar
win also was to come back with me. A
heavy wind from the east had gotten in
the game the second day out, and faulted
the trail, blowing the outside ice way to
the west of the inside ice. The result was
l missed Peary on my way to the land.
After a good deal of lost time the origi-
nal trail was finally found, and after
doubling back some four miles in an I'M
successful attempt to overhaul him l lit
out for Columbia because if | went any
further after him I'd be unable to make
land the same day and so lose valuable
time. The march was a heller about
eighteen hours long. with no time to eat:
the sea ice had drifted from ten to fifteen
miles west of where / had left the land
ice. and the total distance we covered
was not far from forty miles, fully one
half of which l ran.
THE next day heavy wind prevented
our starting, as we couldn't see the trail.
This wind was only in evidence about
five miles out to sea, SO Marvin, who had
been sent back as soon as the commander
had found I'd gone by. managed to reach
Columbia late that day. The next day,
March ), after being held up by wind
for five hours. we got under way, but
where the sea ice and the land ice meet
there was a stretch Of open water about
100 yards wide, extending in either direc-
ton as far as the eye could reach. Be-
ing shy of airships, boats and sub
marines. and as it was bit too cool for
swimming, there was nothing to do bu.
wait for it to freeze over or be damned
together. This took place six days later
These six days were the longest and most
hellish l ever want to see. 1t isn't the
physical side of the game which is bad
it's the mental strain. We knew how
vital it was to get out to Peary with our
loads and with lot of alcohol. The tins
of fuel he had with him went to the
bad, or threatened to. the second day
out, and without hot tea twice a day,
with these temperatures. l doubt IL man
could live. l know / couldn't. Besides.
the Eskimos were losing their sand
wanted to put for the boat, and said we'd
all die out at sea. etc. and we were
afraid of wholesale desertion.
Eskimo Became Insane.
ION the morning of the sixth day the
lead closed, and two Eskimos. both at
flicted with cold feet, came to land and
said Peary had been held up four days
by open water four marches out. We got
under way at once, and. following their
trail. found the original trail made by the
captain and me eleven days before. over
which the commander had gone. storm
and darkness forced us to halt at the
first encampment Here one Of my Es-
kimos went temporarily 'bughouse.' and,
stripped to the waist. began running
around outside looking for trouble. We
managed to get his clothes on after a
while and prevented him from getting
frost-bitten. That day we made forced