Stepping down the ladders, the three men made their way over the snow toward the spot pointed out, and found a pile of rocks about thirty feet high standing on the shore of the icy sea. As Lester and Hugh examined the monument, Cobb, saying nothing, commenced to pull aside the stones. A moment later and he had unearthed an old rusty meat-can, and was excitedly tearing it open. Its contents was a letter. Without waiting to hear the questions which he knew the two men were about to ask, he said: “This is the cairn left by Brainard and Lockwood in 1882. This is the spot, 83 degrees 24 minutes north latitude, and 40 degrees 46 minutes west longitude, which they reached on that day, memorable in history, when the highest latitude on the globe was reached by a human being.”
“And you knew that a letter would be found in that cairn?” inquired Lester, with intense surprise.
“I was told so by Brainard,” Cobb answered, with quiet unconcern.
“And you personally knew the man who left that letter here in this desolate waste?” incredulously broke in Hugh.
Transcription of handwritten note
lat. 83° 24' north long 40° 46' west
Copy of record left in Cairn at Farthest.