such letters and telegrams as I might desire to send and personally
attend to their transmission. I gladly availed myself of this offer,
as it gave us an opportunity to relieve the anxiety of our friends at
home as to our safety. Captain Blanford had been with the auxiliary
supply ship of the Peary Arctic expedition during the summer and told
us of having left Commander Peary at eighty degrees north latitude in
August. The expedition, he told us, would probably winter as high as
eighty-three degrees north, and he was highly enthusiastic over the
good prospects of Peary's success in at least reaching "Farthest
North."

The Eskimo pilots of the _Pelican_ were more venturesome than their
friends at George River. They had a small boat belonging to the
Hudson's Bay Company, and in it were going to attempt to reach Fort
Chimo. Against his advice I had Ford arrange with them to permit
Easton and me to accompany them. It was a most fortunate
circumstance, I thought, that this opportunity was opened to us.

Accordingly the letters for Captain Blanford were written, sufficient
provisions, consisting of corn meal, flour, hard-tack, pork, and tea
to last Easton and me ten days, were packed, and our luggage was taken
on board the _Pelican_ on Saturday afternoon, where we were to spend
the night as Mr. McKenzie's and Captain Lovegrow's guests.

Mr. McKenzie, before going to Montreal, had lived nearly a quarter of
a century as Factor at Fort Chimo, and, thoroughly familiar with the
conditions of the country and the season, joined Ford in advising us
strongly against our undertaking, owing to the unusual hazard attached
to it, and the probability of getting caught in the ice and wrecked.
But we were used to hardship, and believed that if the Eskimos were