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[header] 115

feeling our legs wet with the percolating
water from beneath. Godsend Island
we could not see but the dark loom
of a lofty cape served as a land-
mark and the dogs freed from [waters?]
moved with more spirit.

Outside the breaking ice [area?] [unclear] and
Now came the trouble well
known to us as arctic ice = man - How
to reach the land - We knew that the
rise and fall of the tides cause the
great floe to grind against the solid
foot (Ice foot) of shore ice - and the
gale had thrown every thing into mo=
=tion. My arrangement too had to be carried out [although] in
pitchy darkness. Now I think well
matured - [Utuniak?] the oldest of
the Esquimaux had a tent pole lashed
horizontally across his shoulders - [and]
to prevent his sinking beneath the
rubbish and a line held by him
and fastened around my waist enabled
me to climb ahead and expose the
way - when a table of ice large enough
was reached the party behind would
surge forward the dogs pressing or
clinging to the sledge as the ice re=
=quired. It was exciting work and
I several times expected a catastrophe
but we all reached shore safely and
at the end of a bad piece of work
seems always to have its palliation.

We recognized Anoahtok, the
Esquimaux homestead, not 400 yards
from our landing. With a shout of
joy we hastened to the “wind loved
spot” and in less than an hour our lamps burning in cheerful flame were
discussing a famous stew of walrus
[haks?] More the less relished for an
unbroken walk of 48 miles - a twenty [hatless?]
hours.

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