CHAPTER XV

THE RETURN OF MAMEN AND THE DEPARTURE OF THE DOCTOR’S PARTY

February 3 dawned fine and clear. There were a few narrow leads of water near Shipwreck Camp; the ice was constantly cracking here and there around us as the wind veered and changed in velocity and as we were still drifting we heard many a crashing or grinding sound. Our own floe was intact, but wherever the ice opened beyond the edges of the floe the open water would make young ice again and this was not always heavy enough to withstand the constantly recurring pressure.

At half past eight Chafe and Williams left with a Peary sledge, four dogs and the following supplies, to leave at Mamen’s fourth camp: eight tins of Hudson’s Bay pemmican, one case of Underwood dog pemmican, two cases of biscuits, one case of coal oil, together with seventy days’ food for themselves and the dogs, a camping outfit, empty pemmican tins and flags, to place on the ice rafters.

All day long we kept a lookout for Mamen and his two Eskimo. About thirty yards away from the camp was a high rafter which we used as an observatory; every now and then while it was light, I was in the habit of going up there. Keruk, who was naturally anxious for the return of her husband, used to go up there, too, and as she had good eyesight I often asked her to go up and take a look.

Just before dark on the third—that is, about four o’clock—when we were most of us indoors, sewing or getting ready for dinner, Breddy came in and said that he believed Mamen was coming. We all rushed out. Keruk was up on the rafter but it was already too dark to see far. I could hear the dogs barking, however, and the voice of Kataktovick shouting to them. It was glorious. I ran down the trail and met the returning party coming along at a good pace. “Well done, Norway!” I shouted, shaking Mamen’s hand and patting him on the back.

They came in to the camp, greeted with cheers, and we rushed them in and filled them up with hot coffee and biscuit. It was about dinner time and we put off dinner for about half an hour. The dogs, too, were hungry but I was ready for them with some pemmican and seal meat all cut up the day before and I fed them myself.

Nothing was said of their trip until after the men had had their dinner; then Mamen related his experiences. They had made eleven marches going in, until they were stopped by open water three miles from land. He described the land which they saw and I made up my mind that it was not Wrangell Island but Herald Island, a conjecture which proved to be correct. They had had pretty good going, without the trouble with open leads and raftered ice which we had when we made our main journey later on.

They had reached the edge of the open water January 31 without untoward incident, though one of their dogs had run away and King had frozen his heel. Mamen and the Eskimo had stayed with the shore party a day and had left on February 1 for their return to Shipwreck Camp. The mate, he said, had decided to land as soon as the lead closed up; this worried me a good deal because the mate and his party were not familiar with travel over the young ice and, besides that, Herald Island is no place for a party to land upon, for it is inaccessible, owing to its precipitous sides, and, according to American government reports, has no driftwood on its shores. In fact it has practically no shore to speak of, excepting one short stretch; it is simply a rocky islet. Up to the time when Mamen left there was no chance to land on the island and Mamen hardly thought that the mate’s party would be able to land there. I hoped that they would keep on to Wrangell Island and carry out their instructions.

Mamen’s journey back to camp was much faster than the shoreward journey, because they had more light and could sleep in the igloos they had built going in. The last day back they had made a wonderful march, leaving their igloo at the earliest twilight and coming all day; they had not even stopped to eat since they had broken camp. They had relieved each other at driving the dogs.

As soon as they got their clothing well dried out, I decided to send Mamen and the Eskimo back to the island to locate the mate’s party. At the same time they could move supplies along the trail, for now that the road was made, the going would be easier.

The evening of the fourth Murray came to me and said that the doctor’s party planned to leave the next day. The fifth opened clear and calm and the doctor, Murray, Beuchat and Morris got away about nine o’clock, hauling their sledge-load of supplies along the trail.

Later on Chafe and Williams got in. They had landed their supplies safely at the fourth camp and set to work at once, drying out their clothing and, with the help of all the rest of us, preparing for the next shoreward trip. On the way back to the camp they had passed the doctor and his companions, all in good spirits and looking forward to any but the unhappy fate that was to overtake them.

Before the doctor’s party left they handed me the following letter:

Canadian Arctic Expedition,
Sunday, Feb. 1st, 1914.
Captain Robert Bartlett,

Sir: We, the undersigned, in consideration of the present critical situation, desire to make an attempt to reach the land. We ask you to assist us by issuing to us from the general stores all necessary sledging and camping provisions and equipment for the proposed journey as per separate requisition already handed to you. On the understanding that you do so and continue as heretofore to supply us with our proportional share of provisions while we remain in camp, and in the event of our finding it necessary to return to the camp, we declare that we undertake the journey on our own initiative and absolve you from any responsibility whatever in the matter.

LETTER FROM THE DOCTOR’S PARTY TO CAPTAIN BARTLETT

Their supplies consisted of the following: one Nome sledge, one Burberry tent, 96 pounds of Underwood pemmican, 112 pounds of Hudson’s Bay pemmican, 138 pounds of biscuit, four tins of Horlick’s malted milk, 30 pounds of sugar, four boxes of tabloid tea, 16 tins of cocoa, 52 cakes of chocolate, six gallons of coal oil, one quart of alcohol, one Primus stove and outfit, four mugs, four spoons, one spade, one ice axe, one hatchet, one Mannlicher rifle and 100 rounds of ammunition, 20 yards of rope, one dozen candles, one package of matches, five pounds of butter, one tent floor and a tracing of Wrangell Island from the chart. These supplies were sufficient for fifty days.

The cook was up at four on the morning of the seventh and we breakfasted at half past five. At 6:15 Chafe and Williams left for the fifth camp with a sledge-load of supplies, consisting of 96 pounds of Underwood pemmican, 80 pounds of Hudson’s Bay pemmican, one case of oil, seven days’ food for themselves and their dogs and a camping outfit. At seven Mamen and the two Eskimo got away, with three sledges and seventeen dogs. Their sledges were loaded with four cases of Underwood man pemmican, three cases of dog pemmican, each case containing forty-eight pounds, three cases of oil, ten cases of biscuit and 256 pounds of Hudson’s Bay pemmican; they were to pick up supplies enough at the fourth camp to give them 1800 pounds’ weight for their three sledges. They were then to go on and look for the mate’s party and leave one sledge and the supplies as far in as they could along the trail, bringing back the other two sledges light.

Mamen could report on the condition of the trail and keep it open and at the same time carry out the essential part of my plan of getting the supplies well along towards the land in advance of the main party. If he should fail to find the mate’s party, the assumption was that they had gone on to Wrangell Island.

At 2 P.M. Mamen came back to the camp; with him was Williams. When some distance along the way Mamen had dislocated his knee-cap, which had already been dislocated when he was ski-jumping in Norway. He had been going on, however, in spite of his accident, when he met Chafe and Williams returning. Williams had fallen through the young ice about four miles out and they had decided to return so that he could get his clothing dried out, when they met Mamen. The latter had told Chafe of his accident and it was decided that he and Williams should come back to camp while Chafe took over the command of Mamen’s party and went on towards the island.

I was busy about the camp when I heard them coming. I knew that something must be wrong and went out to meet them. Mamen was riding on the sledge and Williams was running to keep warm, for the temperature was about thirty-five degrees below zero and he had got pretty wet in getting out of the water. I rushed them into the box-house where Williams had some hot tea and changed his clothes. Then I sent him, with the chief engineer, to overtake Chafe and continue on the shoreward journey.

Williamson, the second engineer, worked over Mamen’s knee, massaged it and finally got the knee-cap back into place. It was hard work because it kept slipping out of the socket and had to be bandaged with surgeon’s plaster to keep it in place. In fact it was not until the tenth that Mamen got so that he could hobble around and the dislocation was very painful.

Sunday, the eighth, I took stock of our pemmican and found that we had 4,932 pounds left in camp; we had used up and sledged along the trail some 5,000 pounds. We ate no pemmican in camp, and fed the dogs mostly on seal meat excepting when on the march. Most of the dogs were now out and we had in camp only those which were crippled or otherwise incapacitated.

Shortly after noon on the ninth Mr. Munro and Williams came in. They had been held up by open water between the second and third camps and had been unable to overtake Chafe and the Eskimo. The next day they had started on the march again, only to be held up again by open water; late in the afternoon, however, the ice had closed up so that they could go on to the fifth camp. Here they could not find a heavy enough floe to build a cache on so they had returned and put off the load at the fourth camp, which was on a large heavy floe, an ideal place for a cache.

Munro left camp again early on the morning of the eleventh, with Malloch, four dogs, seven cases of pemmican, a camping outfit and food for seven days. They were to go beyond the fifth camp and leave the pemmican at the best place they could find. The temperature was 38 degrees below zero, the weather fine and clear.

The next day, however, was dull and cloudy, with a fresh northeast wind and a falling barometer. It looked as if our fine weather would soon be over and I feared that the different parties out on the trail would be storm-bound. Towards night the wind came on strong east, and continued so through the following day; I was sorry to see this for we should be set towards the west if it continued. The next day, however, was a beautiful day; the air was clear and frosty, with little or no wind. The land was distinctly visible and I thought I could see Wrangell Island to the southwest. It was St. Valentine’s Day and Bob, the cook, sent two of the men valentines of soup advertisements.

About noon the chief engineer and Malloch came in. They were in a sorry condition. They had spent a most uncomfortable night walking about on the ice to keep warm, for late in the afternoon while trying to make quick time they got on to some thin ice and Munro broke through. The sledge began to sink but fortunately Munro got out all right and they held the sledge up long enough to cut the pemmican away. The pemmican was, of course, all lost and their clothes and camping outfit were saturated. The stove was damaged in the accident and they had nothing to warm themselves with. We got them fixed up at once and then cleaned off the sledge and loaded it again, for Breddy and Maurer were to go to the fourth camp the next day.

It was my turn to be watchman that night and I spent a good part of the time studying the chart. From our present position Herald Island seemed to be about sixty miles away.

Breddy and Maurer left on the fifteenth with seven cases of pemmican to go over the trail to the fourth camp.

The next afternoon at four o’clock Chafe and the Eskimo came in. They were heartily welcomed. Chafe reported that he got to a point within three miles of Herald Island when he was held up by open water. In fact for two days he and his party were adrift on a small sheet of ice in a three-mile lead. They were close enough to the island to see the land clearly and in detail but though he looked constantly with binoculars he could see no one on the island nor any tent or other indication that men were there, so he concluded that the mate and his party had carried out their orders and gone on to Wrangell Island. This seemed likely to me and I hoped that it was so. The Eskimo had improved the time in shooting and succeeded in getting four seal.

On the way back the trail was faulted in places and the party had difficulty in finding it. When about twenty miles from Herald Island on their return trip they had come upon the Mackay party, struggling towards the land. Mackay, Murray and Morris were drawing the sledge; Beuchat was a mile and a half behind, with hands and feet frozen and partly delirious from suffering. Morris had cut his left hand with a knife and blood-poisoning had already set in. Chafe’s opinion was that Beuchat would die that night. He said that Beuchat expressed his sorrow that he had left the main party. The Mackay party had taken their pemmican out of the tins before they left Shipwreck Camp and put it all in a bag; in going over some young ice their sledge had got into the water and the bag of pemmican had got wet. Altogether they were in bad shape. Chafe offered them assistance. They declined it and said they were bound for Wrangell Island. They did accept some seal meat which Chafe had. Munro and Malloch had spoken the Mackay party earlier on their march and so had Chafe himself, when he had first started out, but their condition had then been good, though they had been making slow progress, and each party had tried to persuade them to return to Shipwreck Camp.

Chafe reported that he had left all his supplies at the sixth camp, excepting just enough to take him back to Shipwreck Camp. He had lost one dog and had had to leave a broken sledge along the way.

Maurer and Breddy came in soon after Chafe arrived; they reported that they had left their load safely at the fourth camp. All hands, except the four men of the mate’s party and the four of the doctor’s, were now assembled once more at Shipwreck Camp.

It was a severe disappointment to me not to have word of the safety of the mate and his party. I had thought that they might possibly return with Chafe and be with us on our final march to the island which I was now planning to get under way at once.

We had a northeast gale on the seventeenth which continued for many days. On the seventeenth and eighteenth we had all hands hard at work, drying out clothing and getting sledges and equipment ready for the march. There was a pronounced drift westerly so that on the eighteenth Herald Island bore southeast by south, half south.