stefansson-wrangel-09-26-001-044

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ice and got about ten feet from the strong ice when their sled broke
through and what they didn’t lose they got wet, with themselves in
the bargain. So they dumped their load and started back to Ship-
wreck Camp, but night overtook them before they reached it, as they
were about thirty or forty miles away when they broke through.
When they camped, they had a very pleasant night of it by their own
account. I forget whether they lost their primus stove or not, but
if they didn't it would not burn, as everything was frozen up. They
had to stand up all night and move around to keep from freezing,
waiting for daylight, which in the early part of January was quite a
long wait. The next day they got to us more dead than alive. I
forget who it was made the next trip - the last. I was busy making
sledges, so I made no trips.

I think it was February 4th or 5th that the sleds re-
turned to camp with the news that they had left the Mate's party on
the ice with about three miles of open water between them and Herald
Island. They had one sled, three sled-loads of provisions and no
dogs. The feet of one of the four were badly frozen already. I
thought this a bad position for the Mate's party to be in, for if
the ice started to crush, which in all probability it would do, it
was all off with his outfit. They might save themselves but they
wouldn't save much of their gear.

After describing how, through differences of opinion
as to methods between Captain Bartlett and the surgeon. Dr. Mackay,
it was decided that the dissenters should be allowed to separate
from the main party, Hadley goes on:

There was great excitement in camp that evening. The
Doctor's party were planning to start out on their own account. The
next day they got ready and packed their sled with fifty days'