Page:A Wild-Goose Chase - Balmer - 1915.djvu/44

30 or for exploring some unknown place to find whether people are there and what sort they may be. Then, perhaps, I'm sent for and I'm given the money or the credit which has to cover everything—ship passage, film and photographic supplies, and things of that sort and also expenses of publication of what you bring back with you. So it's pretty much put up to the man in the field to figure how long he can stay at work, if he can't make money for one year keep him for two and let him cover twice the area he hoped to looked at."

"And that is the way you are planning to go into the Arctic?"

"Yes. If I can get myself north, as now it appears I can," Eric smiled to his host, "I'm promised enough to buy dogs and gear and supplies to let me look for the people I want to find and stay with them and study them."

"You mean, Mr. Hedon, you are going to give the next two years, while the Aurora will be in the Arctic, just for the cost of Eskimo dogs and supplies there?"

"Mr. Thomas has been given only his ship and expenses and pay for the crew, hasn't he?"