stefansson-wrangel-09-31-112r

THE FIRST AUTUMN ON WRANGEL ISLAND 181

which, as he used to explain to his city friends, was the
one place of which he never tired and where he localized
all his plans and dreams of the future. To Maurer it
was even more of a homecoming, for on this very island
he had spent six strenuous months. Those had been dif-
ficult months, but he who thinks that such experiences
should have deterred Maurer from going back knows
little of human nature and nothing of the history of arctic
exploration. Apart from a few unrelieved tragedies, the
most difficult arctic experiences have seldom diminished
the enthusiasm of those who took part in them. For one
thing, the participants could always see afterwards how
easily trouble might have been avoided and were eager to
try again, feeling that their improved knowledge would
enable them to meet what had once been insoluble diffi-
culties.

Immediately on landing, the party, as previously re-
lated, erected a flagpole, hoisted the Union Jack, and
ceremonially reaffirmed possession of Wrangel Island.
This ceremony, of course, had no legal importance, the
whole force of the undertaking being in the character and
permanence of the occupation itself.

The diary shows the greatest satisfaction with Wrangel
Island. The outfit had been landed from the schooner
the evening of September 15th. On the 16th Knight for
the first time sat on the land while he wrote the day’s
entry: “After unloading we slept on the ship, but the

wind arose from the south and we were called at 3 A. M.
We had time to get our personal stuff ashore and the
Silver Wave departed with three whistles and a great
deal of flag dipping, leaving us to our own resources. We
have a good outfit and the fox tracks look promising, so
we should have a successful winter. The surprising thing