Page:The frozen North; an account of Arctic exploration for use in schools (IA frozennorthaccou00hort).pdf/182

 *ing a wonderful spot, which he had searched for during many years.

Thirty hours were spent at the Pole taking observations and photographs. The maximum temperature was —12° and the minimum was —30° Fahrenheit. Peary put records of his journey and a piece of the American flag in a glass bottle, and wedged it in between blocks of ice and left it. As the ice is constantly shifting and changing its position, it is hard to tell where this bottle may drift.

The ice at the Pole was too thick for Peary to measure the depth of the ocean. But on returning he found a place, five miles from the Pole, where the ice was thinner. He succeeded in making a hole with a pickax and dropped his sounding lead. The wire ran out to a depth of fifteen hundred fathoms (nine thousand feet) without touching bottom. Then the wire broke, and it and the lead were lost. We do not know how much deeper the Polar ocean may be.

The return journey to land was made by forced marches of about twenty-nine and a half miles a day. This speed was made possible by the lighter sledge loads, and the fact that they were retracing their steps over a trail kept partially open by the other detachments. But the Eskimos said, "The devil is asleep, or we never should have come back so easily!" Peary knew that they came back easily because of favorable weather and ice conditions, and because his plans had been wise.

When the party came in sight of the Roosevelt again, the joy of the men cannot be described. Captain Bartlett saw them and went out to meet them. His face was sad, and Peary felt that he was to hear some bad news. Bartlett then told him of the death of Marvin by drowning while on his return march. Peary felt keenly the loss