with constant
eating and sleeping, I was quickly myself again. The pains and
swellings of my limbs did not come as they had on all of the other
returnings, and neither was Peary troubled. Captain Bartlett was the
only one of the expedition that had been out on the sea-ice who felt any
after effects. Every day, a few minutes after rising, he would notice
that his ankle-, knee- and hip-joints were swollen; and while the pain
was not excessive, he was incapacitated for more than ten days, and he
spent the most of his time in his cabin. When he came out of his cabin
and did talk to me, it was only to compare notes and agree that our
experiences proved that there was absolutely no question about our
having discovered the Pole.

* * * * *

Captain Bartlett, Dr. Goodsell, Chief Wardwell, Percy--they could talk
as they would; but the one ever-present thought in my mind was of
Marvin, and of his death. I thought of him, and of his kindness to me;
and the picture of his widowed mother, patiently waiting the return of
her son, was before me all of the time. I thought of my own mother, whom
I scarcely remembered, and I sincerely wished that it had been me who
had been taken. When MacMillan and Borup returned, I learned all about
the sad affair, from Kudlooktoo and Harrigan, and I feel that had he
been with civilized companions the sad story of Marvin's death would not
have to be told.

On breaking camp he had gone on, leaving the boys to load up and follow
him. They were going south to the land and the ship, and there was no
need for him to stay with them, and when they came up to where he had
disappeared, they saw the ice newly formed about him, his head and feet
beneath, and nothing showing but the fur clothing of his back and
shoulders. They made no effort to rescue him, and had they succeeded in
getting his body out, there is little chance that they could have kept
him alive, for the temperature was far below zero, and they knew nothing
about restoring life to the drowned. No blame can be laid to his
childish companions.

He died alone, and he passed into the great unknown alone, bravely and
honorably. He is the last of Earth's great martyrs; he is home; his work
is done; he is where he longed to be; the Sailor is Home in the Sea. It
is poor satisfaction to those that he left behind that his grave is the
northern-most grave on the earth; but they realize that the sacrifice
was not made in vai