I sent three men out on the twenty-eighth to see how the trail made by the mate’s and Mamen’s parties was lasting; they returned late in the day and reported an alteration and said that they had been unable to pick up the trail again beyond the break. So the next day I sent them out again, with Mr. Hadley. They succeeded in picking up the trail and went as far as Mamen’s first outward camp, about twelve miles from our main camp. I had told Mamen before he left that when it came near the time when I should be expecting him back I would build a big bonfire near Shipwreck Camp to guide him, one an hour before dark and another an hour after dark. We now carried out this programme, using altogether thirteen sacks of coal, a whaleboat and ten tins of gasoline. It gave out a big smoke. At night we opened a drum of alcohol and burned the canoe, besides three cases of gasoline.
January 30 was a beautiful day with little or no wind and a temperature not much below zero. Chafe, Williams and Maurer walked to Mamen’s second camp and an hour and a half beyond it, returning about half past four to report that there were no alterations in the trail and that the going was good. They put up a flag at the point where they turned back. When the men went out on these short journeys over the ice they carried some supplies with them to cache along the trail for future use.
The next day Malloch, who was watchman, looked at the chronometer upside down so that the cook was late; he said that Malloch was his friend! I had intended to send Mr. Hadley and a party away early to go to Mamen’s third camp but he did not get off until ten o’clock; with him were Chafe, Williams, Maurer and Breddy. The party returned about six and reported that they did not reach the third camp but found good going and believed the going good beyond; between Shipwreck Camp and Mamen’s first camp the ice was shifting a little. They said that they could see our bonfire four miles away over the ice. I was getting anxious about Mamen, for I had surely looked to see him by the twenty-seventh.
After the Hadley party had left, the doctor and Murray came to me and asked for supplies for four men for fifty days, with a sledge, to go to the land; they had been impatient to start for some time. I told them that I should advise them to wait with the rest of us and make the journey with us when the conditions, which were improving all the time as the light grew stronger, were right for the final journey of the whole party. They did not take kindly to my suggestion, however, but felt that they would rather make the journey in their own way, so I finally said that if they would sign an agreement absolving me from all responsibility if they came to grief later on, I would give them the supplies. They agreed to this. I told them, furthermore, that if at any time they wanted to come back to camp and rejoin the main party they would be perfectly welcome to do so, and that if they required assistance later on I should be glad to do all in my power for them. Their party was to consist of four—the doctor, Murray, Beuchat and Sailor Morris. Morris went of his own accord, coming to me for permission to do so; I felt that he would be of use to them because he was a young man of twenty-six and handy, so I gave him the permission he desired. I offered the doctor’s party their proportional share of the dogs, as soon as the dogs returned with Mamen, but they declined the offer, saying that they preferred to haul the sledge themselves.
The doctor’s party began at once on the work of getting ready for their departure, assisted by McKinlay, who checked over their supplies with them. At the same time Chafe and Williams were getting ready to leave with a Peary sledge and four dogs to take supplies over Mamen’s trail towards the land.
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.