Late in 1892, Robert W. Peary sledged with Eivind Astrup of Norway to prove that Greenland was an island. Peary made trips to the Arctic in 1893, 1896, 1898, and 1905. In 1909, he reached the North Pole after more than 20 years of cultivating the Eskimos. With Matthew Henson, four Eskimos, five sleds, and 40 dogs, Peary reached the North Pole on April 6, 1909. Henson accompanied Peary on all but his first trip. Commander MacMillan said in his book, How Peary Reached the North Pole, Henson, the colored man, went with Peary because he was a better man than any of the white assistants." Peary said, "He is a better dog driver and can handle a sledge better than any man living except some of the best Eskimo hunters. I couldn't get along without him."