Included in these marches had been four short ones resulting from causes the recurrence of which I believed I could prevent in future.

I was confident that if we were not interrupted by open water, against which no calculations and no power of man can prevail, we could steadily increase this average from this time on.
The next march was made in a temperature of minus thirty and a misty atmosphere which was evidently caused by open water in the neighborhood.
About five miles from camp we just succeeded by the liveliest work in getting four of our five sledges across an opening lead.

Getting the last sledge over caused a delay of a few hours, as we had to cut an ice raft with pickaxes to ferry the sledge, dogs, and Eskimo driver across.
This impromptu ferry-boat was cut on our side and was moved across the lead by means of two coils of rope fastened together and stretching from side to side.

When the cake was ready, two of my Eskimos got on it, we threw the line across to the Eskimo on the other side, the Eskimos on the ice raft took hold of the rope, the Eskimos on either shore held the ends, and the raft was pulled over.

Then the dogs and sledge and the three Eskimos took their place on the ice cake, and we hauled them over to our side.