stefansson-wrangel-09-32-013v

CHAPTER XIII

The Second Winter and the Tragic End

When the ship had been given up for the year, the
party discussed not only the mere plans for wintering,
but also other plans which concerned the general purpose
of their work.the expedition. We had agreed, while planning the
expedition, that during the second winter they were to
decide, on the basis of what they had learned and how
they felt, whether they would all remain on the island
until the second season of navigation (summer of
1923). We had said assumed that a ship was certain to
get to them come the second year, both because it seemed unlikey that was—al-
most unthinkable that an island usually so acces-
sible as Wrangel should would be blocked by ice two
years in succession, and also because the gen-
eral plan which did not insist on a ship being sent the
first year made it necessary that one should go the sec-
ond, for by then the island would have been occupied
long enough to satisfy the legal or main purpose of the
expedition. By then also it might be presumed that even
such enthusiasts as Knight and Maurer (and certainly
the two younger members) would be very eager for news
and for contact with the outside world. Furthermore,
we had felt that if there were difficulty in raising funds
for a ship the first year, that same difficulty would cer-
tainly not hold the second year, for the very fact that
the party had been isolated for two years would create
public sympathy for their situation. Whether this was

232