stefansson-wrangel-09-25-007-010

10.

The entries daring the latter half of November and early
December are generally repetitions of three items. Trapping was
going on energetically and a fox was caught every now and then;
bear tracks were occasionally seen but no bears were secured; the
seamstress was "busy making skin clothing for Crawford and me" for
the proposed trip to Nome.

To those familiar with the "inside stories" of many
polar expeditions, a remarkable and creditable thing is that in
a diary obviously frank, even to a fault, there are no disagree-
ments or recriminations unless those words be applied to three or
four entries during the first few weeks of the expedition. In
the account of the voyage from Nome to Wrangell Knight mentions
that Galle was not doing his full share of the work, but later
he explains that this was because of seasickness. A few days
after landing (September 25, 1921) we are told, "there seems to
be some friction between Maurer and Galle but I will do my best
to ease matters between them, for a small party like this should
run smoothly". From that date to the end of the diary there is
not a word of trouble between any of the four men or any suggestion
that they disagreed on policy. Neither is there a hint that Knight
thought any of the others were doing less than their share of the
work or striving less faithfully for the success of the party.
There are some entires the first year to the effect that the
Eskimo woman was gloomy and not doing her sewing as rapidly as
other Eskimo women with whom Knight was familiar. But the tenor