CHAPTER XVII

RETURN OF THE EXPLORERS

End of my Weary Waiting—Mr. Peary returns “on Time”—Experiences of the Inland Ice-party—The Great Greenland Ice-cap—The “Kite” Aground—Landing through the Surf—Back at Redcliffe—The Natives regard the Commander and Astrup as Supernatural Beings.

Saturday, August 6. From a half-sleep I was roused early this morning by the plash of oars and loud talking, and before I had fully grasped the idea that the professor’s party had returned, some one jumped over the rail on the deck just over my head, and a familiar footstep made its way hurriedly toward the companionway. I knew it was Mr. Peary, but was unable to move or make a sound. He came rushing down the stairs and rattled at my door, calling to me to open it; but I seemed to be paralyzed, and he forced it open and stood before me, well and hearty, safe at last.

Monday, August 8. Back at Redcliffe again, but how different everything seems! Not only is our whole party once more reunited, but there is the little “Kite” out in the bay, ready to take us south at any time.

I have been afraid to go to sleep since Mr. Peary’s return, for fear I might wake up and find it all a dream; besides, we had so much to tell each other that there was no time or inclination for sleep. Mr. Peary recounted to me the events of his journey; how after he sent Mr. Gibson and Dr. Cook back to Redcliffe from the Humboldt Glacier, May 24th, he and Astrup marched on day after day, with their magnificent team of Eskimo dogs, which Astrup learned to handle as well as a native driver.

They encountered storms which kept them buried in the snow for days at a time, but their worst enemies were the snow-arched crevasses which they met just before reaching the latitude of Sherard Osborne Fjord. These arches were so treacherous that more than once they were on them before they were aware of it, and old Lion came very near ending his journey by breaking through one of them and being precipitated the full length of his trace into the yawning chasm. Fortunately the trace was strong enough to hold his weight, and he was pulled up none the worse for his tumble. The loss of a single animal would have been a calamity to the party.

On July 1st Mr. Peary saw the loom of land ahead, and thinking it only one of the west-coast mountains, changed his course to northeast, and then to east, hoping to be able to round it; but after a few days’ further travel he saw the land still ahead, and then found that it was the northern boundary of Greenland. He now decided to leave his sledges and supplies at the edge of a moraine, and, with a few days’ rations, start overland toward the coast. They had not gone far when they came across unmistakable signs of musk-oxen, and then upon the animals themselves, grazing in a little valley. A few shots from Mr. Peary’s rifle brought down two of them. Then a little baby musk-ox came peering around a great boulder to learn the cause of all the noise and commotion. This was captured alive, but the poor little thing did not survive its mother very long. Mr. Peary camped in this lovely valley, and there feasted his dogs on fresh meat.

These noble brutes, accustomed all their lives to raw, bloody meat, had been living on dry pemmican for the past two months, working day after day as they had never worked continuously before. No wonder they strained at their traces, plunging and tugging to get loose and help themselves. As quickly as one of the musk-oxen was skinned the body was tossed within their reach, and they pounced upon it with a greediness which plainly showed how much they longed for the juicy meat. The explorers themselves also enjoyed the fresh meat for a change, but they were glad to get back to pemmican again after a few days.

After the dogs had been fed and rested, the march across the boulder-strewn country toward the coast was resumed. It ended July 4th, when the party came out on a bluff on the east coast, some 3800 feet high, which overlooked the great unknown Arctic Ocean. Here a couple of days were spent in making observations for latitude and longitude, in taking photographs of the surrounding country, and in building a cairn in which to deposit the record of their journey, and then the return march was begun. McCormick Bay was reached on August 6th, after an absence of ninety-three days, during which time Mr. Peary says neither he nor Astrup had an ache or a pain.

Late yesterday afternoon a brisk wind blew up that made the surf fly and prevented any of us from going ashore. As Professor Heilprin was anxious to examine some of the great glaciers, it was decided that the “Kite” remain at her present anchorage until after he had made his examinations the next day. This morning, however, the wind was still blowing, and although an attempt was made to land a boat, it had to be abandoned; Captain Pike, too, was desirous to get the “Kite” down the bay before she was blown on the rocks. Indeed, this was necessary, as the vessel had already had her nose stuck in the mudbank, and it had seemed for a time that she was in a precarious position. Fortunately we escaped with the loss of only about eleven feet of the vessel’s “shoe.” The incident was by no means pleasing, and we all felt relieved when the vessel again rode a straight keel. For hours we drifted about, hoping the wind would go down, but finally we headed down the bay. It was impossible to swing the vessel inshore opposite Redcliffe, and we were obliged to pass our home and continue to Cape Cleveland. Here again we could find no sheltered nook where it would be safe to land a boat, and we sailed back and forth until late in the afternoon, when the captain thought that we might land in the lee of the great cliffs just east of Cape Cleveland. The boat was put in charge of the second mate, who, with the three strongest sailors, pulled Mr. Peary, Astrup, and myself to the shore, a distance of perhaps half a mile. We got along well in spite of the great billows until we reached the shore, where, before we could make a landing, two waves in rapid succession broke over our boat, almost filling it with water, and nearly swamping us. I was completely drenched.

Just before reaching Cripple Point we were met by Dr. Cook, Verhoeff, and Gibson, anxious to greet the inland ice-party, of whose return they had been apprised by Matt. It was very curious to watch the expressions on the faces of the natives, who stood in groups about Redcliffe House staring at Mr. Peary and Astrup as they approached. When they were spoken to they answered in low, frightened tones, and they could not be induced to come forward and shake hands, or in any way come in contact with the two, until they were convinced that they were really human beings, and not great spirits come down from the ice-cap. Then they were very anxious to know if Mr. Peary had seen the spirits of the departed Eskimos, what they lived on, how they looked, and all about them. They were very much surprised not only to see the dogs return alive, but to see them in much better condition than when they left, as they had repeatedly said the Americans did not know how to feed the Eskimo dog, and he would soon starve under their treatment. Now they have perfect confidence in Mr. Peary, and say they would go anywhere with him, even on the ice-cap, because they do not believe he would let the evil spirit harm them.

Mr. Peary has decided to start on a trip up Inglefield Gulf to-morrow. His purpose is to verify some of the observations made by us on our April sledge trip, to take photographs of the landscape in its summer dress, and to secure ethnological specimens at Karnah and Nunatochsoah that were promised us by the natives of those places. We expect to return within a week, and then everything will be put on board the good ship “Kite,” and we shall bid adieu to our Arctic home and the dear old huskies, who, even if they are not particularly clean, have been our faithful friends, and will, I am sure, never forget us.