The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1909-11-11

lions had been possible, and our loca-
ton could only be guessed at
The maddening struggle was daily
forced, while the spirits were pressed
to the verge of extinction. Now that
the object of our trip had been accom-
| plished much of the incentive was
gone. At times it seemed as If our
life's work had been accomplished and
to have lain down for the final sleep
would have been easy. but the feeble
fires OF the homing passion kept the
eye open.
At the Eiehty-fourth Parallel.
On Maya the sky cleared long enough
to give US set of observations. We
were on the eighty-fourth parallel,
near the ninety-seventh meridian. The
new lands were hidden behind low
mist. The ice was much crevassed
and drifted eastward.
The pack was sufficiently active to
give US considerable anxiety, though
pressure lines and open water did not
then seriously impede our progress.
There remained on the sleds scarce
ly enough food to reach our caches IN
less We averaged fifteen miles daily
On the return from the pole to here
| we had only been able to make twelve
| miles daily. Now our strength, even
under fair conditions. did not seem to
| be equal to more than ten miles. The
| outlook was far from hopeful to me,
| though the sight of the cleared sky
| infused new courage into Etukishuk
| and Ahwelah.
| Trying to make the best Of our hard
| lot, a straight course was set for
| the musk OK lands of the inner cross
| ing.
At the eighty-third parallel we found
ourselves to the west of q large tract
extending southwark. The ice chang
| ed TO small fields. The temperature
rose to zero, and persistent mist OBJ
scured the heavens.
With a few lines Oh paper to regis
ter the life of suffering, the food for
man and dog was reduced to a three
quarter ration, while the difficulties Of
ice travel rose TO disheartening heights.
st the end of struggle of twenty
days through thick fog the sky cleared,
Crown Prince Gustav sea, with open
water and impossible small ice as o.
barrier between Us and Heiberg is
land
With the return to Annootok rem
tered impossible by the unfortunate
| westerly drift. our only alternative was
| to 20 south with the ice We hoped
in this course to find game for food
and fuel The Scottish whalers enter
Lancaster sound and touch at Port
!. Leopold. The distance to this point
was shorter than that to Greenland,
and by this route hoped that could
return to Europe during the same year.
1908
Passing through HasSel sound be
tween the Ringnes Lands bears and
seals We're secured, and slowly we
moved southwark over Norwegian bay
into Wellington channel The ice was
small. there was much open water, and
progress was slow. but the drift car
ried US along
At Pioneer bay we were stopped by
a jam OF small ice over which shedding
was impossible Unable to wait for
the ice to move because no large game
was here secured, we crossed in early
July to Jones sound Here, again, no
big game was found. There was much
open wafer and the folding canvas
boat was spread for use.
| Unable to feed the dogs. they were
given the freedom of their wild pro-
genitors. the wolves
One sled was left here, the other was
taken apart and placed in the boat
Then followed Il long and perilous ad-
venture by boat and sled. during which
our last ammunition was expended in
Il securing birds for focd After that.
by Iooped lines and siin-shofs. birds
| were still captured
/ | Early in September we were besei
| on the shores of Raffin bay with neither
! food, fuel nor ammunition. New i'm.
, plements were shaped. and we return.
| ed westward to Cape Sparbo to seek
, | place 10 pitch a winter camp Az