stefansson-wrangel-09-25-006-010

- 10 -

the event. I might have done better with my ten years of experience, so might
you with no experience at all; but the emphasis is on the might and we can
quite see that neither laziness nor incompetence but only a superabundance
of faith were involved in these omissions which turned out later to have such
serious consequences.

(Insert somewhere section about skin boat)

September 23rd Knight records that they preserved as a
scientific specimen the skin of an owl but ate the meat and that it was
"similar to chicken and very good." That is the verdict, I think, of a sub-
stantial majority of themembers of my various expeditions who have eaten
snowy owl. We have in the North a half dozen of the varieties of geese that
are considered such good eating in southern countries, and many other fashion-
able game birds, such as ducks, plovers and the ptarmigan. But so fas as I
remember all our men have agreed that the snowy owl is better eating than any
of these. That same day Knight records the "our seamstress is busy making
clothing ..... Am feeding the dogs heavily, trying to get them in working
shape. Have already got the harness and sled in good order. Hope the ice
comes soon."

The next day he mentions that they are still waiting for
snow to haul home the meat of animals killed and to haul logs they wanted to
split and use as rafters for the house. On September 25 they "erected a
forty-foot (permanent) flag pole and hoisted the Union Jack. Have always
understood that this island was hard to reach by ship, but by all indications
it is no harder to reach than any southern port. For nice, clear sailing in northern waters this cannot be excelled.

"September 26: All hands were busy cutting and splitting
logs for the sides and roof of the house. It is surely a great sight to see all the fine, dry wood after being on the islands of north Canada where
driftwood is scarce. Our seamstress is busy making clothing and we have a