stefansson-wrangel-09-32-019v

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244 THE ADVENTURE OF WRANGEL ISLAND

dogs set up a howl and Crawford rushed out, but it was
impossible to see more than a foot or two. The dogs soon
quieted down and so whatever it was in camp did not
stay long. Hard luck. Snow drifting as hard as can be
imagined.” This gale continued the first three days of
1923. “Blowing a howling gale. . . . Part of the north
wall [of the outer house] blew away and some snow
drifted in [between the house wall and the outside of the
tent], but did no damage. The wind on the afternoon
of January 3rd nearly died down and it is now cloudy.”

January 4th we have the next mention of the trip.
“I have been busy packing up to-day, as we hope to get
away in a day or two.” January 7th: “Crawford and I
spent the day getting ready, loading the sled, getting
things together, etc. Maurer and Galle to their traps.
Maurer got a fox and saw several tracks.”

We had discussed before the party left Seattle the pos-
sibility that if I were able to convert the British or
Canadian government to our views I might take charge
of an expedition on their behalf attempting to penetrate
the unexplored area north of Wrangel Island. Several
of Knight’s diary entries show that he and Crawford had
these tentative plans in mind and feared that on their
way to Nome they might miss either a ship on which I
was wintering among the ice or a sledge party from such
a ship with which I might be on my way to Wrangel
Island. Accordingly, they wrote letters to leave behind
them, intended mainly to give me their point of view
about certain important questions, in case I arrived after
they left. They had in mind also, as we always do on
sledge journeys over the treacherous sea ice, the possi-

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