Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-10-09

vision. We seemed to see longer dis
tances and the ice along the horizon had
a less angular outline.
The color Of the sky and the ice also
no way Of checking these impressions by
other observations: the eagerness to find
something unusual may have fired the
| imagination, but since the earth is fat
tened at the pole perhaps widened
horizon should be detected.
Enthusiasm Reigns.
At o'clock on the morning of April 19
We camped on picturesque old field, with
convenient hummocks, TO which we could
easily rise for the frequent outlook which
we now maintained. The tent was
pitched, the dogs were silenced by blocks
Of pemmican. In us new enthusiasm was
aroused by liberal pot of pea soup and a
few chips of frozen meat. and then we
bathed in life-givfng sunbeams, screened
from the piercing air by silk strands. 1t
was a beautiful day. and had our sense
of appreciation not been blunted by &C
oumulated fatigue We would have greatly
enjoyed the play of light and color in the
ever-changing scene OF sparkle. but in our
condition it was but inducement to
keep the eye open and to prolong interest
long enough to dispel the growing COM
plant of aching muscles.
The Eskimos were soon lost in pro-
found sleep, the only comfort in their
hard lives. but I remained awake. as had
been my habit on succeeding days, to get
nautical observations. The longitude cal
culations lined US at 81 deg. min. At
on the sextant, and the latitude quickly
reduced gave 50 deg. 81 min.-twenty-
nine miles from the pole.
My. heart jumped for joy and the I'M
conscious commOtion which l was Great
| ing awakened Etukishuk. told him tina,
| in two average marches we would reach
the "tigi shu'' the big naiD.
Ahwelah was awakened with kick. anC
! together they went out to hummock
and through glasses sought for mark tC
| locate so important a place as the terres-
| trial axis. If but one sleep beyond il
must be seen.
| I tried to explain that the pole was not
visible to the eye. that it's position was
various instruments. MS entirely salts
fed their curiosity and they burst out in
hurrahs of joy. For two hours they chant.
ed and danced the passions of wild life.
Sleep Is Impossible.
1t was the first real sign of pleasure or
rational emotion which they had shown
| for several weeks. For some time I had
entertained the fear that we no longer
possessed the strength to return to land
but the unbridled flow of vigor dispelled
that idea.
More sleep was quite impossible. We
! brewed extra pot of tea, prepared a
favorite broth of pemmican, dug up a
surprise of fancy biscuits. and filled UP
| on good things to the limit of the allow
ance for our final feast days. The dogs,
| which had joined the chorus Of gladness,
were given an extra lump of pemmican
A few hours more were agreeably spent in
| the tent, and then We started with new
spirit for the uttermost north.
We were excited to a fever heat The
| feet were light on this run. Even the
| dogs caught the infectious enthusiasm
and rushed along at pace which made
it difficult for me to keep sufficient ad-
vance to set a good course. The horizon
was still searched for something to mark
the approaching boreal center but moth
ing unusual was seen. 1t was the same
eXpanse of moving seas of ice on which
We had lived for 500 miles.
But booking through gladdened eyes. the
scene assumed a new glory. There were
plains of gold, furled in purple walls,