We again find in Peary's first voyage -- page 67,-- the
following: "It had been observed that from the moment they had
entered Lancaster Sound, the motion of the compass needle was
very sluggish, and both this and its deviation increased as
they progressed to the westward, and continued to do so in
descending this inlet. Having reached latitude 73
degrees, they witnessed for the first time the curious
phenomenon of the directive power of the needle becoming so weak
as to be completely overcome by the attraction of the ship, so
that the needle might now be said to point to the north pole of
the ship."]

The sea was serenely smooth, with hardly a choppy wave, and the
wind brisk and exhilarating. The sun's rays, while striking us
aslant, furnished tranquil warmth. And thus time wore on day
after day, and we found from the record in our logbook, we had
been sailing eleven days since the storm in the open sea.

By strictest economy, our food was holding out fairly well, but
beginning to run low. In the meantime, one of our casks of water
had been exhausted, and my father said: "We will fill it again."
But, to our dismay, we found the water was now as salt as in the
region of the Lofoden Islands off the coast of Norway. This
necessitated our being extremely careful of the remaining cask.

I found myself wanting to sleep much of the time; whether it was
the effect of the exciting experience of sailing in unknown
waters, or the relaxation from the awful excitement incident to
our adventure in a storm at sea, or due to want of food, I could