On my return I discovered another
large lake between the one on which the Esquimau village was located
and the salt-water ice. This smaller lake is probably twelve miles long
and from two to four miles wide. The larger one is about forty-five
miles long and fourteen wide at the widest point. It is known among the
natives as "The Big Lake," and with the approval of Lieutenant Schwatka
I named it Brevoort Lake, after Mr. James Carson Brevoort, of Brooklyn,
N. Y., whose deep interest in Arctic research was felt by this as well
as other expeditions. The other lake I named after General Hiram
Duryea, of Glen Cove, a warm personal friend and comrade in arms, who
was also a contributor toward the expedition. On my way back to Marble
Island, instead of following the shore ice along to the narrow place
where the pack is choked between Rabbit and Marble islands, I struck
off in nearly a direct line for our destination, crossing most of the
distance over the thin new ice. The advantage in this route was that,
besides being much shorter, the ice was free from snow, and the dogs
could run at nearly full speed. To be sure it was open to the objection
of being dangerous; but moving as rapidly as we did there was scarcely
time for the sled to break through, though the water oozed up along the
track of the sled as we sped swiftly over the surface of smooth thin
ice.
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