, 1909-10-02

the skins Of bears, seal and foxes, and We
were 50 Ii well equipped for tho Arctic win
tea.
,rDr. Cook is ON very friendly terms with
the natives, and an all times he has had
their assistance. He had q surplus of sup
plies at AnoatOk, including many things
that the Eekimo especially liked. We were
in the habit of having tea at four or five
o'clock in the afternoon. The Eskimo soon
noticed this, and at precisely that hour they
presented themselves for o cheering cup.
There were nine families there and about
sixty persons, and at times it seemed as if
most of this population were at afternoon tea
They were also wonderfully fond of rice
which rather to my mind indicates a Mongo-
liam origin. The presents to the Eskimo
were rather a drain on the supplies at the
headquarters, but DR.. Cook understood what
he was about, for he has been able to maintain
the friendship of the natives everywhere, and
in time of need he could always depend Old
them.
'The start was made at An8otok With
eleven aledges well laden and eight Eskimo
There were 900 pounds of pemmlcf n for the
party and geo pounds OF walrus meat for
the dogs. The Eskimo, in order to save
their strength, rode on the sledges except
when it was necessary for them to walk or
run a little to keep warm.
"The dogs were able to keep up thirty of
forty miles under ordinary conditions, and
DR.. Cook, on an excursion before the start,
had driven the dogs at the rate of sixty miles
over land ice in a single day. DR.. Cook
thought it best that l should return. He
was the commander of the expedition and /
obeyed without hesitation.
"'Fraucke,' he said to me as we parted on
the morning Of March 3, 81 am going to take
a desperate chance and | have decided that
it would be asking too much to expect you
to 20 with me. You are Young and have
lite before you. / am willing to risk my life
for this idea and | hope to win. l have rea-
son to believe that l shall succeed, but if I
go down l shall go down alone.
From that day l have never doubted that
he would succeed, and / wished more than
ever that l could have gone, as l told him
that l considered my life Of no account.
1T is ridiculous to say that DR.. Cook
would not have known whether he was of
the Pole or not. Any layman would be able
to recognize where he was by the position of
the sun and moon, or at least nearly so. DR..
Cook had all the training of a navigator. He
had q very fine s~extant, which cost him 900f.;
several compasses, an artificial horizon, q
barometer, a thermometer, and all the neces-
sary tables, which he had torn from a book
which I brought back with me.
Il have seen him take observations many
times. l have seen bis observations verified.
He also was kind enough to teach me some
thing of the use of instruments, and l am
able to take latitude end longitude myself.
Why there should be any doubt Of the OBJ
servations of a trained explorer and naviga-
tor, as DR.. Cook is, I am sure | cannot see.
l know the man and I know how persevering
and honest and sincere he is, and 1 was
never more certain of anything in my life
than that he has performed this feat and
that he verified every step of his calculations.
CAS- he approached Cape Thomas Hub
bard he sent me a letter by an Eskimo, for
several Of the party turned back. / received
his letter of instructions on March II. Il
seems to me that there is nothing extraordi-
nary in the speed which be made in the next
thirty-four days, knowing as l do how well
equipped he was for the passage over the ice"