arch 5, was a fine, clear day, with a light westerly
breeze, and a temperature of 20 deg. below zero. For a little while about
noon the sun lay, a great yellow ball, along the southern horizon. Our
satisfaction at seeing it again was almost compensation for our
impatience at being delayed there--beside the gradually widening lead.
Had it not been cloudy on the 4th, we should have seen the sun one day
earlier.

During the night the lead had narrowed somewhat, raftering the young
ice. Then, under the impulse of the tidal wave, it had opened wider than
ever, leaving, in spite of the constantly forming ice, a broad band of
black water before us. I sent MacMillan back with three dog teams and
three Eskimos to bring up the load which Kyutah had thrown off before he
went back to the land with Marvin, and also to bring up a portion of
Borup's cache which we had not been able to load on our sledges.
MacMillan also took a note to leave at Kyutah's cache, telling Marvin
where we were held up, and urging him to hurry forward with all possible
speed. The remainder of the party occupied themselves repairing damaged
sledges and in drying their clothing over the little oil hand lamps.

All the next day we were still there beside the lead. Another day, and
we were still there. Three, four, five days passed in intolerable
inaction, and still the broad line of black water spread before us.
Those were days of good traveling weather, with temperatures ranging
from minus 5 deg. to minus 32 deg., a period of time which might have carried
us beyond the 85th parallel but for those three days of wind at the
start which had been the cause of this obstruction in our course.

During those five days I paced back and forth, deploring the luck which,
when everything else was favorable--weather, ice, dogs, men, and
equipment--should thus impede our way with open water. Bartlett and I
did not talk much to each other during those days. It was a time when
silence seemed more expressive than any words. We looked at each other
occasionally, and I could see from the tightening of Bartlett's jaw all
that I needed to know of what was going on in his mind.

Each day the lead continued to widen before us, and each day we looked
anxiously southward along the trail for Marvin and Borup to come up. But
they did not come.

Only one who had been in a similar position could understand the gnawing
torment of those days of forced inaction, as I paced the floe in fro