BACK TO LAND AGAIN We had now reached the neighborhood of the "Big Lead" which had held us in check so many days on the upward journey and which had nearly cost the lives of my entire party in 1906.

I anticipated trouble, therefore, in the march of April 20-21, and I was not disappointed.

Although the "Big Lead" was frozen over we found that Bartlett on his return had lost the main trail here and did not find it again.

For the rest of the ice journey, therefore, we were compelled to follow the single trail made by Bartlett instead of our well beaten outward trail.

I could not complain.
We had kept the beaten road back to within some fifty miles of the land.
For me this was the most uncomfortable march of the entire trip.