Commander Peary's travelings, a good
big, heavy, storm of blinding snow has been his stirrup-cup and here he
had his last. Systematically we had completed our preparations on the
two days previous, so that, by six A. M. of the 1st of March, we were
ready and standing at the upstanders of our sledges, awaiting the
command "Forward! March!"

Already, difficulties had commenced. Ooblooyah and Slocum (Esquimo name,
Inighito, but, on account of his dilatory habits, known as Slocum) were
incapacitated; Ooblooyah with a swelled knee, and Slocum with a frozen
heel. The cold gets you in most any place, up there.

I and my three boys were ordered to take the lead. We did so, at about
half past six o'clock in the morning. Forward! March! and we were off.

CHAPTER XI

FIGHTING UP THE POLAR SEA--HELD UP BY THE "BIG LEAD"

Following the trail made by Captain Bartlett, we pushed off, every man
at the upstander of his sledge to urge his team by whip and voice. It
was only when we had perfect going over sheets of young ice that we were
able to steal a ride on the sledges.

The trail led us over the glacial fringe for a quarter of a mile, and
the going was fairly easy, but, after leaving the land ice-foot, the
trail plunged into ice so rough that we had to use pickaxes to make a
pathway. It took only about one mile of such going, and my sledge split.

"Number one," said I to myself, and I came to a halt. The gale was still
blowing, but I started to work on the necessary repairs. I have
practically built one sledge out of two broken ones, while out on the
ice and in weather almost as bad as this; and I have almost daily
during the journey had to repair broken sledges, sometimes under fiercer
conditions; and so I will describe this one job and hereafter, when
writing about repairing a sledge, let it go at that.

Cold and windy. Undo the lashings, unload the load, get out the brace
and bit and bore new holes, taking plenty of time, for, in such cold,
there is danger of the steel bit breaking. Then, with ungloved hands,
thread the sealskin thongs through the hole. The fingers freeze. Stop
work, pull the hand through the sleeve, and take your icy fingers to
your heart; that is, put your hand under your armpit, and when you feel
it burning you know it has thawed out. Then start to work again. By this
time the party has advanced beyond you and, as orders are orders, and
you have been ordered to take the lead, you have to start,