The Cairo bulletin., 1909-09-13

oN1tA anu Slttp tG W
hours and repeat this daily.
As a matter of fact. we nearly did
this, covering regularly on our return
journey five outward marches in three
return marches, Just as long as we
could hold the trail we could double
our speed. and We need waste no
! time In building new igloos.
Every day that we gained on the
return lessened the chances of a gale
! destroying the track Just above the
| S7th parallel was region some fifty
| miles wide which caused me consider
| able uneasiuess Twelve hours of
strong easterly, westerly or northerly
wind would make this region an open
sea-
In the afternoon of the eth we start.
ed on our return, having double fed
the dogs. repaired the sledges for the
last time and discarded all our spare
clothing to tighten the loads.
Sounding Shows No Bottom.
Five miles from the pole Il narrow
crack filed with recent ice, through
which we were able TO work a hole
with a piekax, enabled me to make
a sounding All my wire, 1900 faith,
oms. WAS sent down but there was
no bottom. In pulling up the wire
parted a few fathoms from the sur
face and lead and wire went to the
bottom Of went reel and handle.
tightening the sledges still further.
We had no more use for them now.
Three marches brought us back to
the isloos. whore the captain turned
back The last march was in the
wild sweep of northerly gale. with
drifting snow and ice rocking under
us as we dashed over it,
South of whore Marvin had turned
back we came to where his party had
built several iglous while deltsted by
open leads. Still further south we
found where the captain had been
held mp by an open lead and obliged
TO camp. Fortunately the movement,
of these leads was simply open and
shut and 1t took considerable water
motion TO fault the trails seriously.
Five Miles Bridged With Ice.
While the captain and as found
ont later Rorup had been detained
by open leads, we seemed to bear a
patent charm. and at 10 single lead
We're We delayed more than couple
of hours. Sometimes the ice was
fast and firm enough to carry us
across; sometimes short detour.
sometimes a brief halt for the lead
TO close. sometimes an improvised
ferry on an ice cake. kept the trail
without difficulty down to the tenth
outward march.
tgloos there disappeared completely,
and the entire region was unrecOgniz.
able. Where, on the outward journey
had been narrow cracks. there were
now broad leads, one of them over
five miles wide. caught over with
young ice.
Here again fortune favored us and
no pronounced movement of the ice
having taken place since the captain
passed, we had his trail 10 follow We
picked Up the old trail again north Of
the seventh igloos, followed it beyond
the fifth and at the big lead lost 1t
finally.
From here we followed the captains
trail and on April % our sledges
passed up the vertical edge of the
glacier fringe, little west of Cape
Columbia. When the last sledge came
up | thought my Eskimos had gone
crazy. They yelled and called and
danced themselves helpless. As Ootah
sat down on his sledge he remarked |
in Eskimo:
''The devil is asleep or having trou- |
Bile with his wife, or we never should |
have come back so easily"
Dogs Are Fed and Explorers Rest.
A few hours later we arrived at
Crane City under the bluffs of Cape |
Columbia and after putting four
pounds 81 pemmican into each Of the |
faithful dogs to keep them quiet, we |
had at last out chance to sleep.
Never shall forget that sleep at |
Cape Columbia. 1t was sleep, sleep,
then turn over and sleep again We |
slept gloriously, with never a thought |
Jf the morrow or having to walk, and,
too with no thought that there was
10 be never a night more of binding
headache. Cold water to a marched
throat is nothing compared with sleep
TO a numhed fatigued brain and body.
Two days we spent here IN sleeping |
md drying our clothes. Then for the
ship. Our dogs, like ourselves, had
got been hungry when we arrived.
nut simply lIfeless with fatigue They
were different animals now, and the |
better ones among them slept on with |
lightly curled tails and uplifted heads
md their hind legs treading the snow
with piston-like regularity.
Mishap to Marvin Staggers peary.
We reached lIecla In one march and
he Roosevelt in another When we
got to the Roosevelt / was staggered |
by the news Of the fatal mishap to
Marvin. He had either been less eau
fous or less fortunate than the rest
IF It's, and his death emphasized the
'isk, to which we had all been sub.
ected, for there was not one of us
1ut had been in the Sladpa M cnnro |