Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1909-09-22
Ready for Final Effort.

Ready for Final Effort.
With the disappearance of Bartlett l
turned to the problem before me- This
was that for which l had worked for 80
years, for which I had lived the simple
life; for WHICH I had conserved all my
energy on the upward trip. for which
l had trained myself as for race, crush
ing down every worry about success.
In spite of my years, 1 felt in trim
fit for the demands of the coming DAYS
and eager to be on the trail
AS for my party, my equipment and
my supplies, l was in shape beyond my
most sanguine dreams of earliest years.
My party might be regarded as an
ideal, which had now come to realization
AS loyal and responsive to my will as
the fingers of my right hand.
Men All Tried and True.
Four of them possess the technique of
dogs. sledges, ice, and cold as their heri-
tage. Two of them, Hansen and Ootam,
were my companions to the farthest point
three years before. Two others, Eginwuk
and Sigloo, were in Clark's division,
which had such a narrow escape at that
time. and now were willing to go any
where with my immediate party, and
willing to risk themselves again in any
supporting party.
The fifth was a young man who had
never served before in any expedition.
but who was. If possible, even more
willing and eager than the others for
the princely gifts-a boat, a rifle, a shot
gun. ammunition, knives, ETC., which I
had promised to each of them who
reached the pole with me; for he knew
that these riches would enable him to
wrest from stubborn father the girl
whose image filled his hot young heart.
All Followed Him BlindIy.
All had blind confidence so long as
l was with them. and gave no thought
for the morrow. sure that whatever hap
pened ! should somehow get them back
to land. But / dealt with the party
equally. 1 recognized that all it's i'm
petus conferred in me. and that whatever
pace / set it would make good If any,
one played out, would stop for a short
time.
had no fault to find with the condi-
tons. My dogs We're the best. the nick
of 122 with which we left Columbia. AL
most all were powerful males, hard as
nails, In good flesh, but without a SUPER
huous ounce, and. what was better yet
they were all in good spirits.
My sledges. now that the repairs were
completed, were in good condition. NY
supplies were ample for 40 days, and,
with the reserve represented by the dogs
themselves, could be made to last So
AT little after midnight of April l,
after a few hours of sound sleep, I hat
the trail, leaving the others to break
up camp and follow.
AS I climbed the pressure ridge back
OF our igloos 1 set another hole in nv
belt, the third since I started Every
man and dog of US was lean and fat
bellied as board and as hard.
Fine Morning for Start.
1t was fine morning. The wind of
the last two days had subsidized, and the
going was the best and most euuable
of any I had had yet. The foes were
large and old. and clear. and were sur
rounded by pressure ridges, some Of
which were almost stupendous.
The biggest of them however, were
easily negotiated. either through some
crevice or up some huge brink. 1 set
good pace for about ten hours.
twenty-five miles took me well be-
yond the eighty eighth parallel
While I was building my igloos a
long lead forward by the east and
southwest of us at distance of a few