After a pleasant voyage, the _Kite_ reached Upernavik, where she anchored. Peary hoped to secure the services of an interpreter at this place, but he was unable to do so. Soon the party set sail again, leaving behind them the northernmost town on the globe. The _Kite_ steamed along for some time without meeting much ice, but when she entered Melville bay the pack closed round her, and the 4th of July found the little vessel snugly frozen in. Here she remained for a week, during which the average temperature was about 31° F. On July 11, the ice separated and the ship began to move. The engines were started in a hurry. After forcing a passage through a mass of thick ice, the ship was freed and proceeded on her journey. While the process of ramming the ice was going on, Mr. Peary met with an accident. A large cake of ice struck the rudder, tearing the wheel from the hands of the two men on duty. Peary’s leg was caught between the iron tiller and the house, and both bones snapped above the ankle. The ship’s surgeon set the broken leg, and Peary recovered rapidly. He was, however, unable to use his leg for many weeks. Soon the _Kite_ ran into McCormick bay, where a site for a house was selected. It was now about the middle of July, and the short summer was at its height. The sun was bright and warm, and the temperature about like that of an April day in the temperate zone. The ice still filled the bay, but narrow streams of water trickled through in all directions, cutting the ice into great pieces which rose and fell with the tide. Little brooks ran down the mountains and through the valleys by the side of great glaciers, while the snowbirds chirped and twittered, enjoying the brief summer time. The country around was bright with flowers. Tracks of reindeer, foxes, and hares were repeatedly noticed, and seals and walruses abounded, so that the party had no fear of suffering for want of fresh meat. [Illustration: SETTING FOX TRAPS.] The wood for the house was taken off the ship. In order to insure warmth, the walls were made double, with an air space of ten inches between the outer and inner wall. The house was then covered with tarred paper, and the inner walls lined with thick, red, Indian blankets. In addition, a wind-break of stones, turf, empty barrels, and boxes was built around the house. The dwelling was roofed with canvas, and in the winter was to be banked with snow. When the little building was completed, they christened it Red Cliff House, because of the cliffs of sandstone which rose behind it. When the stores were safely stowed away within the outer wall, the _Kite_ steamed away home, leaving Peary, with his wife and his assistants, to spend the winter within seven hundred and forty miles of the North Pole. Peary and his party were very comfortable and contented. They enjoyed the crisp air and the bright sunshine, and they liked to watch the beautiful blue-green colors in the ice of the glaciers.