The Mena weekly star., 1909-09-16

encouraged agalh.
 During the next march we travelled through a thick haze drifting over the ice before a biting air from the north east. At the end of the march we came upon the captain camped beside wide open lead with dense black water sky northwest, north, and north east.
 HAS NARROW ESCAPE
 We built our igloos and turned in, but before I had fallen asleep l was reused out by a movement of the ice and found a startling condition Of af- fairs-a rapidly-widening road of black water ran only few feet from our igioos.
 One of my teams of dogs had es- caped by only a few feet from being dragged by the movement of the ice into the water.
 Another team had an equally mar row escape from being crushed by the ice blocks piled over them. The ice on the north side of the lead was nov ing around eastward. The small floor on which were the captains igloos was drifting eastward in the open water. and the side of our igloos threatened to follow suit.
 scAvED BY QUICK DASH.
 Kicking out the door of the igloos I called to the captains men to pack their sledges and be ready for quick dash when favorable chance arrived.
 We hurried our things on our sledges, hitched the dogs, and moved on to a large ice foe west of us. Then, leaving one man to look out for the dogs and sledges, we hurried over to assist the captains party to join us.
 A corner of their raft impinged on the fee on our side For the rest of the night and during the next day the ice suffered the torment of the damned. surging together. opening out. grooming and grinding. while the open water belched black smoke like prairie fire.
 FINDS CLEAR STRETCH.
 Then the motion ceased, the open water closed. the atmosphere to the north was cleared. and we rushed across before the ice should open again.
 A succession of laterally open leads were crossed. and after them some heavy old ice, and then we came to a layer of young ice, some of which oucked under our sledges. and this gave us a straight way of six miles to the north.
 Then came more heavy old fioes. covered with snow. This was a good long march.
 The next march was also a long one. It was Bartlett's last hit. He let himself out over series of large old Hoes. steadily increasing in diameter ana covered with hard snow.
 WIND HELPS OUT.
 During the last few miles l walked beside him or in advance. He was solemn and anxious to go further but the program was for him to go back rom here in command of the fourth supporting party and there were no supplies for an increase in the main party.
 Tn this march we encountered a lish wind Tor the first time since the three days after we left Cape Colum. Dia. It was dead in our faces bitter anu insistent. but I had no reason to complain, 1t was better than an east. cry or southerly wind. either of which would have set us adrift in onen water while this was closing up every lead behind.
 ms furnished another advantage of my supporting parties. True. by so uoihg IL was pressing to the south tho 'cs over which we travelled and so vantage
 EiGHTYFoUR IS PASSED.
 we concluded we were on or near the eighty eighth parallel. unless inc north wind had lost us several miles lhe wind blew all night and all navt day "'' ne@'
 At lhis camp, in the morning Rart. lett started to walk five or six miles to the north to make sure of reacbing 'he eighthy-eighth parallel While he was gone selected the 40 hest doos in ''ie outht and had them doubled.
 picked out five of the best sledoas anu assigned them expressly to inc caplaihs party. broke nm ,bo seventh for material with which to ra pair the others and set Eskimos ., this work. at
 bartlett returned in time to take sausiactory observation for latltnaa III clear weather. and obtained for o,r position S74S. and that showed ,ha, the continued north wind had rohtaa US or number of miles oF hara earned distance.
 Bartlett took the observation here as nad Marvin five camps back. nartly to save my eyes. but largely to g,va an independent record and determira tion of our advance.
 The observations completed and tuo copies made, one for him and ina other Tor me, Bartlett started on the back trail in command of my fourth supporting party, with two Eskimos. one sedge. and IS dogs
 BARTLETT DID GOOD WORK.
 When he left felt for a moment bangs of regret as he disappeared in the distance. but it was only momen- tary. My work was still ahead, not in the rear.