And when after rounding the northeastern angle of the floe and heading more to the south, it was possible to set the sails to the fresh northerly wind, she trod the ice under her fore-foot with a steady roar at a four or five knot pace. Finally after one or two temporary delays where the corners of big floes locked together, the ship, at 4 A. M. of the 16th, pushed her nose into open water somewhat north of Littleton Island and steamed into Etah, thus ending a most gallant battle with the ice which had begun on July 4th and lasted for seventy-five days. During the crossing of Kane Basin six seals, one bearded seal, two hood seals, and one polar bear were obtained. Soundings made by Marvin at various points across the basin, showed a very regular bottom, and depths much less than in Robeson and Kennedy Channels or between Sabine and Littleton Island. These soundings ranged from 101 to 139 fathoms. At Etah I found not only the Eskimo families whom I had transplanted there the summer before, but others who had come since with a view to meeting the ship on her return. They had given up hopes of our return this season until some three days previous when active old Ahmah, Merktoshah’s wife, walking overland to Anoritok had seen our smoke far out in Kane Basin. From these natives I learned that the season had been an unusual one, the ice everywhere remaining until very late. As soon as we arrived the heavy anchor and cable which we had left here the year before were taken on board, and Captain Bartlett reconnoitred several places in the vicinity looking for a suitable place to beach the _Roosevelt_ and repair her stern and propeller. Nothing satisfactory was found and we steamed up to the head of the fiord in the northeast corner of which was a place that could be made to do. Here the stern of the _Roosevelt_ was warped close inshore at high tide, and during the next few tides the stern was calked, the stern-post, which had been twisted back and forth by the ice so many times that it was now only a menace to the propeller, was cut away, and the nuts fastening the propeller-blades set up again. Some ballast was also taken on board between times. During all this time the wind was blowing strongly from the north and Smith Sound seen out through the mouth of the fiord was a cauldron of whirling clouds, fog and snow. When this work was completed we steamed back to Etah and took on board the coal. This work was greatly hampered first by the strong wind which on one trip swamped our boat raft, and afterwards by the young ice through which it was at times almost impossible to warp the raft back and forth between the ship and the shore. The lower portion of the coal also was frozen and had to be loosened with dynamite. Late in the evening of the 20th, the _Roosevelt_ steamed out of Etah leaving about half of my Eskimos there. [Illustration: VIEW OF THE STERN ] [Illustration: ESKIMO HOUSES AT KOOKAN ]