stefansson-wrangel-09-32-028v

[handwritten] 6﹡See pg [8]. beginning "As published, [my] newspaper stories gave the impression" on Jan in the statement of Mr. Harold [Noice], p. 294,
post ante.

260 THE ADVENTURE OF WRANGEL ISLAND

would have to name Fred Maurer, in spite of the admiration and gratitude I felt for several of the others.”

It is easy now to see that if Fred Maurer had stayed
on the island all would have been well there, for he would
have secured not only the bears which Ada Blackjack saw
and feared to approach, but also doubtless many other ani-
mals of which she saw no sign. It is true, of course, as
Knight points out, that three men were better than two
for the journey to Nome, because they could ease the
sledge over the fractured ice, thus protecting it from
damage.

The entries from January 22nd to January 27th are
routine, the making of clothing, tending of fox traps, etc.
On the 28th Crawford wrote the following postscript to
his letter to me of January 7th:

January 28, 1923.

Knight and I returned about a week ago. Knight is troubled with
scurvy. As the five dogs are scarcely enough, he was dubious of
making the trip as his strength is undermined. My plans are un-
changed except that I am taking Maurer and Galle with me. I
am taking both Maurer and Galle, although I would like to leave
one of them with Knight. I think it is wisdom to do this, as it
would be disastrous to return a second time.
Allan R. Crawford.

The first start of Crawford and Knight (January 7th)
would evidently have been made at the same time of year
and with the same equipment if there had been unlimited
food supplies on the island.' We have noted in our edi-
torial comment and Knight has pointed out in his diary
entry for January 12th that their chief error in outfitting
was that they loaded the sled too heavily; he does not say
with what, but presumably it was food, for, besides their
diaries, there was nothing much else they were likely to
carry in addition to their bare camping equipment.