us 55 deg.; and when the twilight of evening came on it was down to minus
59 deg.. With the bright sunshine at midday, and with no wind, in our fur
clothing we did not suffer from the cold. The brandy, of course, was
solid, the petroleum was white and viscid, and the dogs as they
traveled were enveloped in the white cloud of their own breath.

I traveled ahead of my division this march, and whenever I looked back
could see neither men nor dogs--only a low-lying bank of fog glistening
like silver in the horizontal rays of the sun behind it to the
south--this fog being the steam of the dog teams and the men.

[Illustration: A CHARACTERISTIC VIEW OF THE EXPEDITION ON THE MARCH IN
FINE WEATHER

(Indian File Used to Economize the Strength of Men and Dogs and to
Accentuate the Trail. The Passage of Each Sledge Makes the Trail Easier
for the Ones Behind It)]

The going during this march was fairly good, except at the beginning,
where for about five miles we zigzagged through a zone of very rough
ice. The distance covered was at least twelve miles. Our camp that night
was on a large old floe in the lee of a large hummock of ice and snow.

Just as we had finished building our igloos, one of the Eskimos who was
standing on the top of the hummock shouted excitedly:

"Kling-mik-sue!" (Dogs are coming.)

In a moment I was on the hummock beside him. Looking south I could see,
a long distance away, a little bank of silvery white mist lying on our
trail. Yes, it was surely the dogs. A little later Seegloo, of Borup's
party, dashed up on a light sledge drawn by eight dogs, with a note from
Marvin containing the welcome news that he, Borup, and their men had
slept the previous night at our second camp back; that they would sleep
the next night at our first camp back, and catch up with us on the
following day. The rear party, with its precious loads of oil and
alcohol, was over the "Big Lead!"

Henson at once received instructions to get away early the next morning
with his division of Eskimos and sledges, to pioneer the road for the
next five marches. The doctor was informed definitely that he was to
return to the land the next morning with two men. The rest of the party
would remain here repairing sledges and drying clothes until Marvin and
Borup came in, when I could reapportion my loads, and send back all
superfluous men, dogs, and sledges.

That night, my mind again at rest, I slept like a child. In the morning
Henson got a