ep and
all afloat and moving, he will perhaps form an idea of the uncertain
surface over which we crossed this lead. Such a passage is distinctly
trying, as any moment may lose a sledge and its team, or plunge a member
of the party into the icy water. On the other side there was no sign of
Bartlett's trail. This meant that the lateral movement (that is east and
west) of the ice shores of the lead had carried the trail along with it.

After an hour or two of marching, we found ourselves in the fork of two
other leads, and unable to move in any direction. The young ice (that
is, the recently frozen ice) on the more westerly of these leads,
though too thin to sustain the weight of the sledges, was yet strong
enough to bear an Eskimo, and I sent Kyutah to the west to scout for the
captain's trail, while the other Eskimos built out of snow blocks a
shelter from the wind, and repaired some minor damages to our sledges.

In half an hour or so Kyutah returned from the west, signaling that he
had found Bartlett's trail. Soon after he reached us a movement of the
shores of the lead to the west crushed up the narrow ribbon of unsafe
young ice over which he had passed, and we were able to hurry across
with sledges and push west for the trail, which was about a mile and a
half distant.

When we reached the trail we saw, by the tracks of men and dogs pointing
south, that Borup had already passed that way on his return to Columbia,
in accordance with my program. He had probably crossed the lead and was
now scouting for our trail somewhere on the southerly side.

As soon as Marvin, who was following me, came up, I had Kyutah throw off
his sledge load, and sent Marvin and the Eskimo on the back trail to
"Crane City," Cape Columbia. I did this partly because of the
possibility that there might be complications there in which Borup, who
was new to the work, would feel the need of a man of Marvin's wider
experience, and partly because many of our alcohol and petroleum tins
had sprung leaks in the rough going of the last few days, and an
additional supply was needed to make up for present and possible future
loss. The change of the loads was effected in a few minutes, without
delay to the main party, which kept right on, and Marvin and his dusky
companion were soon out of sight.

The captain's third camp was reached before dark that night. All day
long the wind kept us company, and we could see by the water clouds all
about us that the