A Negro Explorer at the North Pole · Chapter
The Roosevelt Starts for Home explained
The Roosevelt departs from Cape Sheridan on July 17, 1909, beginning the journey home.
What happens
The Roosevelt departs from Cape Sheridan on July 17, 1909, beginning the journey home. The ship faces severe storms, ice drifts, and delays in Robeson Channel and Kennedy Channel. Along the way, the crew stops at various Eskimo settlements, takes on new families and dogs, and learns of Dr. Cook's safe return from Ellesmere Land. The chapter also describes a dramatic dog fight for pack supremacy and the beauty of places like Karnah.
Themes in this chapter
Perseverance and Endurance
The crew endures storms, ice drifts, and delays for twelve days in Robeson Channel, demonstrating resilience.
Cultural Exchange and Imperialism
The expedition interacts with Eskimo families, takes them aboard, and learns of their customs and folklore.
Humanity vs. Nature
The ship battles harsh Arctic storms, ice floes, and freezing spray, highlighting the struggle against the environment.
Characters to notice
- Commander Robert E. Peary
Orders the ship into Whale Sound for walrus hunting and directs the overall journey home.
- Ootah
Attempts to shoot a seal and harpoon a narwhal, but fails to secure either.
- Egingwah
Successfully shoots two seals and harpoons a narwhal, providing food for the Eskimos.
- Matthew Henson
Narrates the chapter, describing the journey, dog fights, and Eskimo settlements.
- Dr. Frederick A. Cook
First learned of his safe return from Ellesmere Land from Eskimos at Nerke.
- Kudlooktoo
Not directly mentioned in the excerpts, but likely part of the Eskimo families aboard.
- George Borup
Not directly mentioned in the excerpts, but part of the expedition crew.
- Captain Bob Bartlett
Not directly mentioned in the excerpts, but part of the expedition crew.
Key passages
“At Cape Sabine was located Camp Clay, the starvation camp of the Lady Franklin Bay expedition of 1881–1883, where the five survivors of the twenty-three members of the expedition were rescued.”
Cape Sabine was the site of Camp Clay, the starvation camp of the 1881–1883 Lady Franklin Bay expedition, where only five of the twenty-three members were rescued.
Historical reference to a previous Arctic expedition's tragedy.
“I feel justified in using the language of the fairy Ariel, in Shakespeare's 'Tempest': 'Now is Hell empty, and all the devils are here.'”
Henson quotes Shakespeare's 'The Tempest' to describe the chaotic dog fight, saying it was as if all the devils had been released.
Literary allusion emphasizing the ferocity of the dog fight.
“Karnah is the most delightful spot on the Greenland coast. Situated on a gently southward sloping knoll are the igloos and tupiks, where I have spent many pleasant days with my Eskimo friends and learned much of the folklore and history.”
Karnah is described as the most pleasant place on the Greenland coast, with igloos and tents on a sunny slope where Henson enjoyed learning Eskimo folklore.
Henson's fond recollection of cultural exchange at Karnah.
