Part 24 (1/2)

This was the first Peary expedition, and a compet.i.tion was opened for the position of surgeon with the party. Dr. Cook won in the contest, and thus took his first trip to the far north, in the s.h.i.+p, _Kite_, in 1891.

The north-western coast of Greenland was explored, the party reaching a north lat.i.tude of 82, and Dr. Cook received a splendid training for future work in that territory.

Returning home, he married again, and for a short time settled down to the practice of a physician. But the wish for hunting and for exploration was in his heart, and in 1893 he went north again, and took a third trip the year following. Then came a voyage on an ill-fated s.h.i.+p, the _Miranda_, and the explorer came close to going to the bottom of the ocean. The s.h.i.+p collided with an iceberg off the coast of Labrador, and also hit some reefs off the coast of south Greenland. A transfer was made to another vessel, and the _Miranda_ was left at sea, a hopeless derelict.

In 1897 Dr. Cook joined the _Belgica_ Arctic Expedition, as surgeon and anthropologist, and spent nearly two years in that service. Then he went north in another s.h.i.+p, the _Erie_, carrying supplies for the Peary party, then again in the polar regions.

After that a trip was made to Alaska, and the intrepid explorer tried the ascent of Mount McKinley, said to be 20,300 feet high--the tallest mountain in America. At first he failed, but another year he came back and made the grand ascent, a truly great achievement. He wrote a book on the subject, and also another volume relating his experiences while a surgeon and explorer in the frozen north.

Dr. Cook had a great friend in Mr. John R. Bradley, a man of means, who was a well-known traveler and hunter. The two talked the matter over, and decided to fit out a vessel and make a trip as far north as possible. In the main, the project was kept secret, and neither boasted of what they were about to attempt to do. At Gloucester, Ma.s.s., they found a s.h.i.+p that suited their purpose, and she was thoroughly overhauled and renamed the _John R. Bradley_. Suitable provisions for a long trip were taken on board, and the vessel left Gloucester harbor July 3, 1907. It did not look at all like a ”North Pole” expedition, and its departure excited very little comment. It was thought that Mr.

Bradley and Dr. Cook had merely gone off on a hunting trip after bears and walrus.

It took until the end of August for the _Bradley_ to reach the upper end of Smith Sound, in Baffin Bay. Here was located the port of Etah, and not many miles away another port called Annootok. All of the provisions and other supplies were landed at the latter port, and then the vessel sailed back to the United States, leaving Dr. Cook and his party to hunt and explore to their hearts' content. The vessel's return created some surprise, and then the word gradually spread that it was possible Dr.

Cook would try to reach the North Pole. Mr. Bradley was at once besieged with questions, but gave no definite information.

At Annootok Dr. Cook found many Esquimaux a.s.sembled, all ready for a great bear hunt. As he could speak their language, he talked to them, and engaged a number of them, with their dogs and sledges, to serve him.

Work was at once begun to make Annootok a regular base of supplies. A small house was erected, and also a storehouse and a workshop. All the provisions brought along were packed away, and the explorer obtained from the native hunters large quant.i.ties of polar bear meat and other game.

And so he set off on his memorable trip northward, and what this brought forth we shall learn later.

CHAPTER XVI

A TRICK, AND WHAT FOLLOWED

”Day after tomorrow we shall set off on our trip to the frozen north.”

It was Barwell Dawson who made the announcement to the boys and Professor Jeffer, after a long consultation with Captain Williamson.

”Good!” shouted Andy, swinging his cap in the air.

”Suits me,” added Chet. ”I've been on pins and needles to go for a month and more.”

”You mustn't be impatient,” replied Mr. Dawson, with a smile. ”Even as it is, we'll be getting away nearly a month before I originally planned to go. But I am ready, and so is Captain Williamson, so there is no use in delaying.”

”What about Mr. Wilson?” asked Andy, referring to a man who had signed for the trip.

”He is sick, and cannot go. But Dr. Slade will be on hand, and likewise Mr. Camdal. They sent me a telegram last night.”

”I suppose all the crew are here?” questioned Professor Jeffer.

”To a man--and all as anxious as we are to start.”

”Do they know we are going to try for the Pole?”

”Not exactly, but I've told them--and so has the captain--that we intended to stay in the polar regions for at least two years.”

Winter had pa.s.sed, and now it was the middle of Spring. The weather was warm and pleasant, just the sort for a cruise, as Andy declared.