stefansson-wrangel-09-30-007-004

4

much scientific information as possible and not to compete with other
explorers but to work in conjunction with them, the Commander now told
me he had decided that the best thing for us to do would be to go north
from the before-mentioned starting point to latitude 77° or 78°, thence
in a great circle course east toward Prince Patrick Island, thence south
across that island, crossing McClure Strait to the Bay of Mercy, thence
overland to Cape Kellett, where we would arrive early in the summer and
in time to meet the whaling ships with which we could return to civiliz-
ation.

As an alternative to the first plan he had another which he pre-
ferred and would follow if men could be had that were willing to go with
him. Starting from Cross Island he planned to go north two hundred or
three hundred miles offshore to north latitude 74° or 75° and from there
send all unnecessary men and dogs to shore, the advance party camping
on the ice and drifting with it for one or two years in order to take
observations and soundings, determining the currents in that part of the
ocean besides securing data on meteorology, zoology, oceanography, etc.
The discovery of new land was also possible. The only drawback was
that he thought we possibly might not get men willing to go on a trip of
that kind. It was unique, The like had never been undertaken by previ-
ous explorers, and so the trip might be considered dangerous.

So The thing to do first was to get the Commander in shape to travel
as soon as possible, with which in mind I set about nursing him as well
as I could, being assisted and advised by all the ten white persons
there who all thought they knew something about doctoring. And It
spoke well for the Commander’s constitution that on the morning of Febru-
ary 5th he had so improved that he thought it time to send me west to
headquarters to attend to the final preparations and have everything
ready against his arrival there, which would be in the near future, as he