Montaigne says: "For I make others to relate (not after mine own fantasy, but as it best falleth out) what I cannot so well express, either through unskill of language or want of judgment. I number not my borrowings, but I weigh them. And if I would have made their number to prevail I would have had twice as many. They are all, or almost all, of so famous and ancient names that methinks they sufficiently name themselves without me." The "Tale" of Merkut, the daughter of Shung-hu, is the only entirely original sketch. The main incident therein has been drawn from an unpublished arctic journal that has been in the writer's possession for a quarter of a century. This character--a primitive woman, an unspoiled child of the stone age--is not alone of human interest but of special historic value. For her lovely heroic life indicates that the men and women of ages many thousands of years remote were very like in character and in nature to those of the present period. A. W. GREELY. WASHINGTON, D. C., _August_, 1912. CONTENTS PAGE THE LOYALTY OF PHILIP STAFFE TO HENRY HUDSON 1 FRANKLIN'S CROSSING OF THE BARREN GROUNDS 13 THE RETREAT OF ROSS FROM THE _VICTORY_ 37 THE DISCOVERY OF THE NORTHWEST PASSAGE 55 THE TIMELY SLEDGE JOURNEY OF BEDFORD PIM 71 KANE'S RESCUE OF HIS FREEZING SHIPMATES 91 HOW WOON WON PROMOTION 105 THE ANGEKOK KALUTUNAH AND THE STARVING WHITES 119 DR. RAE AND THE FRANKLIN MYSTERY 137 SONNTAG'S FATAL SLEDGE JOURNEY 155 THE HEROIC DEVOTION OF LADY JANE FRANKLIN 169 THE MARVELLOUS ICE-DRIFT OF CAPTAIN TYSON 187 THE SAVING OF PETERSEN 213 LIFE ON AN EAST GREENLAND ICE-PACK 231 PARR'S LONELY MARCH FROM THE GREAT FROZEN SEA 251 RELIEF OF AMERICAN WHALERS AT POINT BARROW 269 THE MISSIONARY'S ARCTIC TRAIL 293 SCHWATKA'S SUMMER SEARCH 311 THE INUIT SURVIVORS OF THE STONE AGE 329 THE FIDELITY OF ESKIMO BROeNLUND 347 THE WIFELY HEROISM OF MERTUK, THE DAUGHTER OF SHUNG-HU 367 ILLUSTRATIONS DR. KANE'S MEN HAULING THEIR BOAT OVER ROUGH ICE _Frontispiece_ From a sketch by Dr. Kane. FACING PAGE HENRY HUDSON'S LAST VOYAGE 4 From the painting by the Hon. John Collier. "WE WERE NEARLY CARRIED OFF, BOAT AND ALL, MANY TIMES DURING THIS DREADFUL NIGHT" 208 From Tyson's Arctic Experiences.