And that really ended the expedition. Of course there was plenty more, and it was a month before we got home.
After getting the bear cubs we went across Baffin Bay to Holsteinsborg and picked up the [[166]]Hobbs party. Then we started home. And the first day out we dropped our tail shaft and propeller, a third of the way across Davis Strait. That meant we had to go the rest of the distance to Sydney without any engine. We made those 1400 miles with sails alone, and we had a couple of grand gales and a real hard time getting through Belle Isle Straits and the Gulf of St. Lawrence, what with fogs and head winds. It took 15 days of sailing. But it was sort of a fine way to finish up a trip [[167]]on a vessel which was really meant for sails alone before we put in the engine.
And this, now that I’m back from Greenland, I’m writing on the Morrissey as we’re in sight of Cape Breton Island. And it all will be sent down by railroad from Sydney and perhaps the little book will be about ready by the time we’re back home—which is a pretty good place to be!
[[169]]
Any boy or girl or grown-up who has enjoyed this book will want to read