o say
that it furnished the entire party with hard work and plenty of it for
fully ten days.

At the expiration of that period Bartlett reported the ship ready to
sail. Observation of conditions off shore revealed the fact that Robeson
Channel was practicable for navigation. Our work was done, success had
crowned our efforts, the ship was ready, we were all fit, and on July
18, with only the tragic memory of the lost lamented Marvin to lessen
our high spirits, the _Roosevelt_ pulled slowly out from the cape and
turned her nose again to the south.

Off Cape Union the _Roosevelt_ was intentionally forced out into the ice
to fight a way down the center of the channel in accordance with my
deliberate program.

For a ship of the _Roosevelt's_ class, this is the best and quickest
return route--far preferable to hugging the shore.

The voyage to Battle Harbor was comparatively uneventful. It involved,
of course, as does any journey in those waters, even under favorable
conditions, unceasing watchfulness and skill in ice navigation, but the
trip was without pronounced adventure. On August 8 the _Roosevelt_
emerged from the ice and passed Cape Sabine, and the value of experience
and the new departure of forcing the ship down the center of the channel
instead of along shore will be appreciated from the fact that we were
now thirty-nine days ahead of our 1906 record on the occasion of our
previous return from Cape Sheridan, although we had left Cape Sheridan
considerably later than before. The voyage from Cape Sheridan to Cape
Sabine had been made in fifty-three days, less time than in 1906.

We stopped at Cape Saumarez, the Nerke of the Eskimos, and a boat's
crew went ashore. It was there I first heard of the movements of Dr.
Frederick Cook during the previous year while absent from Anoratok. We
arrived at Etah on the 17th of August. There I learned further details
as to the movements of Dr. Cook during his sojourn in that region.

At Etah we picked up Harry Whitney, who had spent the winter in that
neighborhood in arctic hunting. Here, also, we killed some seventy-odd
walrus for the Eskimos, whom we distributed at their homes whence we had
taken them in the previous summer.

They were all as children, yet they had served us well. They had, at
times, tried our tempers and taxed our patience; but after all they had
been faithful and efficient. Moreover, it must not be forgotten that I
had known every member of the tribe fo