The Arctic Highlanders, whose sledges and dogs and skill as drivers enabled Peary to make his journeys, deserve the greatest credit. All explorers speak warmly of their generosity, their hospitality and trustworthiness, as well as of their prowess in hunting. Such praise is well deserved[163]. Kane, who has given the best account of the Arctic Highlanders, was indebted to them for much kind assistance, and Allen Young bore similar testimony.
Peary, who was a man of exceptional perseverance and indomitable energy, was well backed financially, and was able to proceed to his third attempt on the Pole in a well-found steamer. The most northern accessible coast—the north coast of Ellesmere Island—is of course the best point of departure. Great ranges of pressed-up hummocks and open lanes of water were to be expected, with the danger of being drifted with the pack. Both Nansen and Cagni provided themselves with kayaks, and M’Clintock was always prepared for the necessity of having to cross water. Peary, however, appears to have made no such provision. He reported having reached 87° N. in 1906, but he was in great danger from inability to cross the open lanes of water, and from miscalculations. He returned with the intention of making another attempt.
He was preceded by a similar attempt, made with much smaller means, by his former colleague Dr Cook. In July 1907 a schooner yacht belonging to a Mr Bradley arrived at Etah, near the entrance to Smith Sound. Stores were landed at Anoatok, 25 miles from Etah, and Mr Bradley departed, leaving Dr Cook and Mr Rudolf Francke at Anoatok, where they built a house of packing-cases with a roof of shingles. Dr Cook had been ethnologist in Peary’s first expedition and had acquired the Eskimo language as spoken by the Arctic Highlanders. He had also served in the Belgian Antarctic expedition.
Anoatok, which lies in lat. 78° 20′ N., is the most northern settlement of the Arctic Highlanders, and here 250 Eskimos were established with their dogs. During the winter Cook was busy making sledges. These were of hickory, 12 ft. in length and only 2½ ft. wide, the width of runner 1⅛ in. The dress adopted was much the same as that of the Eskimos. The principal food was to be pemmican made by Armour of Chicago. A 10 ft. collapsible canvas boat with wooden frame was considered essential. The party which started from Anoatok on February 19th, 1908, consisted of Cook, Francke, nine Arctic Highlanders, and 103 dogs in prime condition, with 11 sledges carrying 4000 lbs. of supplies.
The party crossed Smith Sound to Cape Sabine, and then took the route discovered by Sverdrup across Ellesmere Island and proceeded up the west coast of that island. Abundance of game was met with, and Svartevæg, the most northern point of Axel Heiberg Island, was reached. This was to be Cook’s point of departure for the Pole. He took leave of his Arctic Highlanders, only retaining two lads of about 20, named Etukishuk and Ahwilak, as his companions, and proceeded with two sledges, 26 dogs, and the collapsible boat. Francke had already returned. The provisions were almost untouched, as the party had been able to live on the game its members had shot during the journey of 400 miles from Anoatok. An important depôt was left at Svartevæg.
The final start was made on March 18th, 1908, the travelling being difficult owing to the lines of hummocks caused by ice pressure and the lanes of water. On March 30th Cook sighted land to the westward in 84° 50′ N. which he named Bradley Land, but he did not alter his course to examine it. On April 21st he reports having taken a sun’s meridian altitude which gave a latitude of 89° 57′, but he must have been mistaken, both overrating his distances and failing to make sure of his direction by observations. He doubtless did make a long journey over the ice, in a more or less northerly direction; but without observations to obtain true bearings, no reliance can be placed upon his positions.
Cook’s instruments were a sextant and a glass artificial horizon adjusted by screws and spirit levels. He also relied on shadow observations, and on an odometer fitted to his sledge. But there is no mention of any observations for true bearing of the sun and that he made none is conclusively proved by the fact that in returning he was unable to follow his outward tracks and his route was consequently far to the west of Svartevæg, until at length he found himself in Hassel Strait between the two Ringnes Islands, unable to reach his depôt.
Cook was in great difficulties, but eventually he found his way to Jones Sound, thanks to the collapsible boat and to the efficiency and resourcefulness of the two Eskimo lads. The party wintered at Cape Sparbo in Jones Sound on the north-west coast of North Devon. Cartridges had run out and they had no native weapons. It was due to the wonderful skill and energy of the two young Arctic Highlanders that weapons were contrived out of unpromising materials, and sufficient game obtained to enable them to live through the winter. In the spring they had to make the long journey from Jones Sound to Anoatok, a great part of the route being over new ground. Eventually Cook returned by a Danish ship, having gone from Smith Sound across Melville Bay to Upernivik. He left his instruments and some notes behind to be taken back in the next ship, considering that there was danger of losing them if he had taken them with him on his long journey.
Peary, with strong financial support, fitted out a well-found steamer, the Roosevelt, in the following year, with Captain Bartlett, a native of Newfoundland, as Master. With him went his secretary, Ross Marvin, Dr Goodsell as surgeon, two volunteers named Macmillan and Borup, and his negro servant Henson. There were 22 men all told when the steamer started in July 1908, and at Etah 22 Eskimo men, 17 women, and 246 dogs were taken on board. On August 18th the voyage was resumed, and on September 4th the neighbourhood of the Alert’s winter quarters was reached, and autumn parties were sent forward to Cape Colombia to form a depôt, this being Peary’s starting-point for the Pole.
In order that the expedition might be of some use, the American Coast and Geodetic Survey officials arranged that there should be tidal observations, and that soundings to fix the position of the continental shelf should be taken. Tidal observations had already been taken and discussed by the Alert and the Discovery. The Roosevelt observations also included 29 days at Cape Aldrich. The continental shelf with a depth of 100 fathoms extends for about 46 miles from the land. In latitude 85° 23′ N. the sounding was only 310 fathoms.