A Negro Explorer at the North Pole | Page 2

ROCKS--MY FRIENDS, THE ESQUIMOS 46
CHAPTER VII
SLEDGING TO CAPE COLUMBIA--HOT SOLDERING IN COLD WEATHER 52
CHAPTER VIII
IN CAMP AT COLUMBIA--LITERARY IGLOOS--THE MAGNIFICENT DESOLATION OF THE ARCTIC 62
CHAPTER IX
READY FOR THE DASH TO THE POLE--THE COMMANDER'S ARRIVAL 70
CHAPTER X
FORWARD! MARCH! 75
CHAPTER XI
FIGHTING UP THE POLAR SEA--HELD UP BY THE "BIG LEAD" 78
CHAPTER XII
PIONEERING THE WAY--BREAKING SLEDGES 93
CHAPTER XIII
THE SUPPORTING-PARTIES BEGIN TO TURN BACK 103
CHAPTER XIV
BARTLETT'S FARTHEST NORTH--HIS QUIET GOOD-BY 116
CHAPTER XV
THE POLE! 127
CHAPTER XVI
THE FAST TREK BACK TO LAND 140
CHAPTER XVII
SAFE ON THE ROOSEVELT--POOR MARVIN 145
CHAPTER XVIII
AFTER MUSK-OXEN--THE DOCTOR'S SCIENTIFIC EXPEDITION 153
CHAPTER XIX
THE ROOSEVELT STARTS FOR HOME--ESQUIMO VILLAGES--NEW DOGS AND NEW DOG FIGHTS 161
CHAPTER XX
TWO NARROW ESCAPES--ARRIVAL AT ETAH--HARRY WHITNEY--DR. COOK'S CLAIMS 170
CHAPTER XXI
ETAH TO NEW YORK--COMING OF MAIL AND REPORTERS--HOME! 180
APPENDIX I--NOTES ON THE ESQUIMOS 189
APPENDIX II--LIST OF SMITH SOUND ESQUIMOS 196

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
MATTHEW A. HENSON Frontispiece
FACING PAGE
ROBERT E. PEARY IN HIS NORTH POLE FURS 76
THE FOUR NORTH POLE ESQUIMOS 77
CAMP MORRIS K. JESUP AT THE NORTH POLE 122
MATTHEW A. HENSON IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE SLEDGE JOURNEY TO THE POLE AND BACK 123
THE "ROOSEVELT" IN WINTER QUARTERS AT CAPE SHERIDAN 138
MATTHEW A. HENSON IN HIS NORTH POLE FURS, TAKEN AFTER HIS RETURN TO CIVILIZATION 139

INTRODUCTION
One of the first questions which Commander Peary was asked when he returned home from his long, patient, and finally successful struggle to reach the Pole was how it came about that, beside the four Esquimos, Matt Henson, a Negro, was the only man to whom was accorded the honor of accompanying him on the final dash to the goal.
The question was suggested no doubt by the thought that it was but natural that the positions of greatest responsibility and honor on such an expedition would as a matter of course fall to the white men of the party rather than to a Negro. To this question, however, Commander Peary replied, in substance:
"Matthew A. Henson, my Negro assistant, has been with me in one capacity or another since my second trip to Nicaragua in 1887. I have taken him on each and all of my expeditions, except the first, and also without exception on each of my farthest sledge trips. This position I have given him primarily because of his adaptability and fitness for the work and secondly on account of his loyalty. He is a better dog driver and can handle a sledge better than any man living, except some of the best Esquimo hunters themselves."
In short, Matthew Henson, next to Commander Peary, held and still holds the place of honor in the history of the expedition that finally located the position of the Pole, because he was the best man for the place. During twenty-three years of faithful service he had made himself indispensable. From the position of a servant he rose to that of companion and assistant in one of the most dangerous and difficult tasks that was ever undertaken by men. In extremity, when both the danger and the difficulty were greatest, the Commander wanted by his side the man upon whose skill and loyalty he could put the most absolute dependence and when that man turned out to be black instead of white, the Commander was not only willing to accept the service but was at the same time generous enough to acknowledge it.
There never seems to have been any doubt in Commander Peary's mind about Henson's part and place in the expedition.
Matt Henson, who was born in Charles County, Maryland, August 8, 1866, began life as a cabin-boy on an ocean steamship, and before he met Commander Peary had already made a voyage to China. He was eighteen years old when he made the acquaintance of Commander Peary which gave him his chance. During the twenty-three years in which he was the companion of the explorer he not only had time and opportunity to perfect himself in his knowledge of the books, but he acquired a good practical knowledge of everything that was a necessary part of the daily life in the ice-bound wilderness of polar exploration. He was at times a blacksmith, a carpenter, and a cook. He was thoroughly acquainted with the life, customs, and language of the Esquimos. He himself built the sledges with which the journey to the Pole was successfully completed. He could not merely drive a dog-team or skin a musk-ox with the skill of a native, but he was something of a navigator as well. In this way Mr. Henson made himself not only the most trusted but the most useful member of the expedition.
I am reminded in this connection that Matthew Henson is not the first colored man who by his fidelity and devotion has made himself the trusty companion of the men who have explored and opened up the western continent. Even in the days when the Negro had little or no opportunity to