“Seventy-four-fifteen,” answered Bennett without looking up.

“Seventy-four-fifteen,” repeated Ferriss, nodding his head; “we didn’t make much distance yesterday.”

“I hope we can make as much to-day,” returned Bennett grimly as he put away his observation-journal and note-books.

“How’s the ice to the south’ard?”

“Bad; wake the men.”

After breakfast and while the McClintocks were being loaded Bennett sent Ferriss on ahead to choose a road through and over the ridges.  It was dreadful work.  For two hours Ferriss wandered about amid the broken ice all but hopelessly bewildered.  But at length, to his great satisfaction, he beheld a fairly open stretch about a quarter of a mile in length lying out to the southwest and not too far out of the expedition’s line of march.  Some dozen ridges would have to be crossed before this level was reached; but there was no help for it, so Ferriss planted his flags where the heaps of ice-blocks seemed least impracticable and returned toward the camp.  It had already been broken, and on his way he met the entire expedition involved in the intricacies of the first rough ice.

All of the eighteen dogs had been harnessed to the number two sledge, that carried the whaleboat and the major part of the provisions, and every man of the party, Bennett included, was straining at the haul-ropes with the dogs.  Foot by foot the sledge came over the ridge, grinding and lurching among the ice-blocks; then, partly by guiding, partly by lifting, it was piloted down the slope, only in the end to escape from all control and come crashing downward among the dogs, jolting one of the medicine chests from its lashings and butting its nose heavily against the foot of the next hummock immediately beyond.  But the men scrambled to their places again, the medicine chest was replaced, and Muck Tu, the Esquimau dog-master, whipped forward his dogs.  Ferriss, too, laid hold.  The next hummock was surmounted, the dogs panting, and the men, even in that icy air, reeking with perspiration.  Then suddenly and without the least warning Bennett and McPherson, who were in the lead, broke through some young ice into water up to their breasts, Muck Tu and one of the dogs breaking through immediately afterward.  The men were pulled out, or, of their own efforts, climbed upon the ice again.  But in an instant their clothes were frozen to rattling armor.

“Bear off to the east’ard, here!” commanded Bennett, shaking the icy, stinging water from his sleeves.  “Everybody on the ropes now!”

Another pressure-ridge was surmounted, then a third, and by an hour after the start they had arrived at the first one of Ferriss’s flags.  Here the number two sledge was left, and the entire expedition, dogs and men, returned to camp to bring up the number one McClintock loaded with the Freja’s cutter and with the sleeping-bags, instruments, and tent.  This sledge was successfully dragged over the first two hummocks, but as it was being hauled up the third its left-hand runner suddenly buckled and turned under it with a loud snap.  There was nothing for it now but to remove the entire load and to set Hawes, the carpenter, to work upon its repair.