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partly, why it was that British and American capitalists were putting money into
the building of the Canadian Pacific Railway at a time when nearly half the people
of Canada itself were firmly convinced of the folly of the enterprise and passionately
opposed to having anybody try it. It is also a partial explanation of why Canadians
of to-day will invest money in cattle ranches in the Argentine rather than rein-
deer ranches in their own country. It is not wholly because cattle are an ancient
domestic animal and reindeer new to west Europeans. It is partly rather because their
frank ignorance of South America has opened Canadians minds to any information
about the Argentine, while their bigoted pseudo limited of their own country
has prevented them from taking an interest in places not half so far away or half so
difficult to reach.

With American money at last available for carrying supplies to a
party of British pioneers, I cabled to Nome, closing the bargain with Captain
Bernard. The season was already at its most favorable stage into. Knowing this, the Captain made the
hastiest preparations and set sail on August 20, 1922.

A vote of three thousand dollars was.given me by the Canadian
Government before the Teddy Bear actually sailed but not in time to affect the
sailing date, which had. been determined by the help of my American friend.

The season of 1922 proved to be particularly icy in the region
north and northwest of Bering Straits. Contrary to popular opinion, the amount
of ice in a certain part of the polar sea any given summer has no relation to the
temperature that summer and depends only on the winds that prevail in the wide
region surrounding the area you want to navigate. Generally speaking ,there is
ice between Wrangell Island and the mainlana of Asia when the winds are from the
northeast, north or norhwest. The favorable winds are from the east, southeast,
and south.

Captan Bernard made a faithful try. He followed the edge of the
ice westward. Sometimes he ventured a little way out into it and wa. nearly caught.