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MURRAY SMITH, F.R.G.S. |timrtr0us €obmtii lllustratiniis, li^ajps, uuat ail^tx ^u^rafiiujgs VOLUME I. EDINBURGH THOMAS C. JACK, GRANGE PUBLISHING WORKS 1875 tc](tc«»| KDINnVROH : F'KINTED BY M'FARLANF, AND ERSKINE, ST JAMES SQIARE. 4 109054 \^ CONTENTS. INTRODUCTION, 1 ■* PART I. C H A I* T E n I. THE NORSE SEA-KINGS-EARLY NORSE NAVIOATOHH-DISCOVERV OK ..ELAXD-DISCOVERV OF GREENLAND— THE GATE TO THE TOLAK lilXUONS, CIIAl'TEK II. THE EAST-ITS WEALTH AND THE DESIRAIUUTY OF ORTAININO A SEA-ROITE TO INDIA AND «HINA-POKTL-GLESE ROUTE TO .M„A ROUND CAPE OF .H.OD HOPE-SPANISH ROUTE ROUND CAPE HORN — ENGLAND WIIHOUT A ROUTE TO THE EAST, CHAPTEIi HI. A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE TO INDIA FOR ENGLAND SUGGESTED - EXPEDITIONS IV SFU..H OK IT— SEIIASTIAN (AnOT — TIIORNE's EXPEDITION — " TRIXITIE " AND " MIXION " — SIR HUGH WILLUUGIinv AND RKHARD CHANCELLOR -- STKPHEN iURROUGH -1 M VRTIV FROR.SHERS V..VAGE8-J0HN DAVIS-HALL AND KNIGI.T-HKNRV HUDSON- W.LI lAM nAKFIN_.'NOUTr,WESTK0X"_ESTAnUSHMENTOKT„K „, DSON's BAV COMPANV^ HEARNE8 JOURNEY, ... a.^ i CHAPTER rv. SUMMER CRUISE RV SPITZRERGEN ROUTE - HORATIO NELSON ACTS A3 CAPTA,n'8 COCKSWAIN .N THE "CARCASS "-NELSON'S ADVENTURES IN THE SP.TZUERGEN ....Z.^ZTIZ IN J^HE ARCTIC REO.O.VS-CONCLUDING POLAR EXPED.T.O.VS OK THE EIGHTEENTH CEN- CIIArXER V. OUTBREAK OF AMERICAN WAR _ THE KRENCH ..EVOLUTION - PROCLAMATION OF PFACE ARCTIC EXPLORATION RESUMED -GROUP OF FAMOUS EXPLORERS - FRANKLlVs' kLt ARCTIC VCVAGE-THE '.DOROTHEA" AND " TRENT " SENT TO E-XPI^ReT Ls „, ACROSS THE POL«:-EARLV MKE AND CAREER OF FRANKLIN, . . 11 31 39 VI CONTEXTS. CHAPTEK VI. FHANKLIN's FinST AltfTIC CIUISE — OBJECTS OF THE EXPEDITION- OF THE "DOROTHEA" AND "TKEXT" — IIAHU WEATHEU WITIIIX THE ARCTIC CIKCLE — THE FIIIST ICE — THE SUN AT MIUNIOIIT— SI'ITZIlEUliEX — FlUST VIEW OF THE PACK Oil MAIN BODY OF THE ICE — THE KE-UI,IXK — AIICTIC SCENERY — FIRST ENCOINTER WITH THE WALRUS — A BAD NKillT AMoXt; THE K'E — THE FIRST BEAU — DESPERATE ADVENTURE WITH BEAK — CUN- XlXi; UF BEARS — HABITS OF THE WAI.KLS — NARROW ESCAPE FROM A WALRUS IIETU) — THE CHANGINU CONDITIONS OF THE ICE — CORAL BUOUUUT UP FROM THE SEA-UOTTOM CUAROINO THE PAC K — VESSELS KENDEKED USELESS FOB MAIN OBJECTS OF THE EX- PEDITION — CONCLUSION OF VOYAGE, ....... r.\OF 45 CHArXElJ VII. spitzbergen — discovery of the island by barextz — fate of the discoverer — the "Dorothea" and "Trent" in south gat off the west coast — description of THE island — ITS SURVEY, AND THE ADVENTURES OF THE SURVEYORS — EARLY ATTEMPTS AT COLONISATION — CONCLUSION OF THE VOYAGE OF " DOROTHEA " AND " TRENT," 63 PART II. CIIAPTEIl I. CAPTAIN J. Ross's FIRST ARCTIC VOYAGE — ROSS AND PARRY IN THE "ALEXANDER" AND "ISABELLA" — EARLY LIFE OF ROSS — EARLY LIFE OF PARKY — JOHN SACKIIEUSE, AN ESKIMO, JOINS THE EXPEDITION AS INTERPRETER — EXPEDITION STARTS — FIRST NATIVES BEEN — ESKIMO BELLES AT A BALL ON DECK — TRACKING — DISCOVERY OF MELVILLE BAY — A WHALING ADVENTURE — NIPPED IN THE ICE-FLOE — A NARROW ESCAPE, . 79 CHAP TEE II. INTERCOURSE WITH AN UNKNOWN TRIBE OF ESKIMOS — THE ARCTIC HIGHLANDS — CAPTAIN Ross's GREAT DELUSION — CONCLUSION AND RESULTS OF ROSS AND PARRY's VOYAGE, . 89 PART III. CHAPTEK I. IN SEARCH OF THE NORTH-WEST PASSAGE — PARRY's FIRST EXPEDITION, 181'J — ENTERS LAN- CASTER SOUND — DISCOVERY OF PRINCE REOENT's INLET — STEERING WESTWARD, . 102 CHAPTEPv II. COUNWALLIS AND BATUURST ISL^VNDS DISCOVERED — DISCOVERY OF MELVILLE ISLAND, . 110 CIIAPTEIJ III. LAST ATTEMPTS TO PUSH ^VESTWARD — LOST IN THE SNOW — RESOLVE TO SEEK A STATION FOR THE WINTER — ENTER WINTER HARBOUR — LIFE ON SHIPBOAUD IN WINTER — SHORT- EST DAY — CHRISTMAS, . . . . . , . . .116 I COXTEXTS. CIIAPTEll IV. THE \EW YEAR — FIRST APPEARANCE OF SCCHVY — EXTREME COLD — ESCAPE FROM WINTER HARBOCU — CONCLUSION OF VOYAGE, AND RETIHN TO ENCiLAND, VII TAGK 130 PART IV. CHAPTER I. franklin's great journey, 1819-22— ARRIVAL AT YORK F.\CTORY — SCENERY OF STEEL RIVER— SLEDGE JOURNEY TO ATHABASCA LAKE— DEPART FOR GREAT SLAVK LAKE, CHAPTER II. WINTER SETTLEMENT AT FORT ENTERPRISE — EXCURSIONS TO COPPERMINE RIVER — WANT OF AMMUNITION, ...... CHAPTER III. C H A P T ]■: U V. DB Richardson's narrative — michel, tue iroquois— murder of mr iiood— shooting THE assassin — TUE MARCH TO TUE FORT — ARRIVAL, ..... CHAPTER VI. nVO CANADIANS STARVED TO DEATH— ARRIVAL OF RELIEVING PARTY — FRANKLIN AGAIN DE- SERTED—RESCUE AT LAST— ARRIVAL AT GREAT SLAVE L.\KE— MR BACK's NARRATIVE CONCLUSION OP VOYAGE, ..... 110 If) 2 DEPARTURE FROM FORT ENTERPRISE FOR THE POLAR SKA — DOWN THE COPPERMINE RIVER — REACH THE SEA — DEPARTURE OF INDIANS— THE ARCTIC VOYAGE— POINT TURNACAIN — THE RETURN VOYAGE— THE LAND JOURNEY ON THE DARREN GROUNDS— DESTITUTION, 101 CHAPTER IV. ON THE BARREN GROUNDS — A CANOE LOST — SIX DAYS WITHOUT FOOD — GENEROUS SELF- DENIAL OF PERRAULT — THE LAST CANOE LOST — CROSSING TUE COPPERMINE — THE BE- GINNING OF TUE END, . 170 187 195 PART V. EXPEDITIONS OF PARRY AM) FRAXKLIX, 1821-27. CHAPTER I. PARRY 8 SECOND EXPEDITION, 1821-23— THE OFFICERS AND CREWS— REPULSE BAY EXPLORED, 206 CHAPTER II. WINTER QUARTERS FOUND-WINTER ARRANGEMENTS- TUE CAPTAINS* CONCERTS— TUE ESKIMO NEIOUUOUUS— CAPTAIN LYON'h NARROW ESCAPE, . . . "'ll Vlll CONTENTS. C H A V T E 11 I T I. THE SHIPS RELEASED— niStOVF.KY OF BAKKOW RIVKIl AND FALLS — AMONG THK WALRUSES, . chaptp:i: iv. PISCOVERY or " FfRY AXD nEfLA STRAIT " — WINTER AT lOLOOLIK, 1822-23— Ol'TBREAK OF SCIRVY — C0SCLV8I0X OF VOYAGE, ....... CHAPTER V. parry's third voyage, 1824-25 — winter at port dowkn — ?Ar«nT in the ice — the " FlUV " ABANDONED CO^CLISIOV OF VOYAGE — UKSILTS OF PARHY's THREE VOYAGES, C II APT Ell VI. franklin's second LAND EXPEDITIuN, 182.">-27 — TlIROl'dH THE CANADIAN LAKES — OLD FRIENDS PRELIMINARY VOYAGE DOWN .MACKENZIE RIVKIl TlIK PLANTlN(i OF THE UNION JACK ON THE POLAB SHORE — RETURN TO WINTER QUARTERS, CHAPTEK VII. BUILDING FORT FRANKLIN — CHRISTMAS AT KOUl FRANK !. IN — THK SUMMER VOYAGE COM- MENCED HOSTILE ESKIMO.S — STOPPED FOR WANT OF KLKJM.ES — CONCLUSION OF VOYAGE, ClIAPTEll VIII. DR RICHARDSON'S NARRATIVE OF EXPLORATION EASTWARD FROM MACKENZIE RIVER, CHAPTEIJ IX. SUBSIDIARY VOYAGES OF CAPTaIN LYON AND CAPTAIN BEECHEY : LYON's VOYAGE TO REPULSE BAY, ........... CHAPTER X. CAPTAIN BEECUEY's VOYAGE IS THE " BLOSSOM," 1825-28, ..... PAilK 22.) 230 241 247 259 2C4 270 .Iti PART VI. EXPEDITIOSS OF PAHUY AXD WSS, 1827-33. C H A P T E R I. parry's L.\ST ARCTIC VOY'AGE — THE HICHEST LATITUDE EVER REACHED BY ANY E.XPLORER, 270 •AllF 223 4 i *f*i-j EXPLORATION, DISCOVERY, AND ADVENTURE 230 IN THE POLAR SEAS. 241 INTRODUCTION. 24; 2')9 2G4 270 "rpiIE Sea is England's Glory!" sings a minstrel of our own day, and -^ the truth of his song comes home to the lieurt of the whok* IJritish nation. The sea and all its associations have ever been dear to Englishmen. The sight of a Jack Tar on shore — whether steering a dunkey through a country fair, walking through fashionalile streets on a summer day smoking a long pipe and protecting his complexion under an ()i)en umbrella, or otherwise jjoking harmless fun at Madau'o Decorum — is always pleasant and mirth-provoking. When we have a holiday, it is to the sea we Hy to enjoy it. The songs that arc sung in England with equal approbation in hamlet and in hall, are the songs of the ocean. No reported calamity .stirs the national sympathy more deeply than a story of gallant rescue, of self- sacrifice, or of " hair-breadth 'scape," at sea. In our schooldays, it was in making ships that we tested the metal of the first pocket knife we ever possessed ; and, down to his latest year, it is the music of the sea that is the spell and inspiration under which the " roving Englishman " passes restless from land to land — from the dark north to " far Cathay " and the broad shining waters of Indian seas. Through every valley of our isle, as through the hollows of an ocean shell, the irresistible voice of the waves passes inland, miu-murs in the ears of lads in remote parsonages and in country schoolrooms— draws them as with the song of the syren, and wooes them to the shore. And not in the ears of youth alone is the tone of the ever- sounding sea alluring. To many a noble and andiitious spirit, fretting at the .sameness and tamencss, the convontioiudities and restrictions of modern life, the sea brings welcome emancipation, and comforts with the stormy but unfiattering solace of its winds and waves. t EXl'UtHA TlOX, DISCO \ Kit >', A M) A D \ KMi'ItE " UiKv lunrt' ii|Kiii llu' wiitfi'H ! Yt't on tlirir roar! .Swift Im' tlicir j,'ui(liuicf, wlicri'.S(«>'('r it It-ail ! Though the HtniiiKtl iiiiiHt hIiiiiiIiI i|uivor iih a rrol, And till' rrnt canvax, lliitt<'ring, Htivw thu {jal«, Still iniiHt I uii !" Tlic sjiirit of (lur old Hoa-kinu fatluT.s is stronj,' in En;,'laii(l still; and tho nation <;lows and thrills to-day over stories of ocean adventure — of devotion anion<^ messmates, of discipline stronj,'er than death, of perils coura;;eously liraved, of scenes of wondei- and mystery discovered with a sympathy as full, and an admiration as hearty and as hij;h, as filled our fathers' spirits when they reati" the stories of Cook's voyajfcs in tlit; wondrous southern jseas, «»f the splendid battles of the I»altic or the Xile, or the crowning; .sea-f(j,dit that " was in Trafalgar's J Jay." The peculiar elements of uncertainty and constanc danger which sur- round the ventures of those who " go down to tho sea in ships, and do Vtusiness upon the great waters," and the close neighbourhood and familiar intercourse in which they daily and nightly dwell with tho gi'oat forces of nature — mUhing but a l)oard between them and tho merciless ocean, the winds of heaven for their comjjanions, no roof above them but that eternal ceiling " fretted with golden tiro " — impart to tho employments of the mariner a chai'acter of romance and poetry unknown in the ordinary occupations of landsmen, and to Avhich the continual succession of new scenes, strange incidents, and everchanging i)hases of danger from tempest, collision, fire, and exposure to the last extremity of lning(?r and thirst, add a i)erpetual, a fearful, and a fascinating variety. Enter a fishing village, and you may .see in the distant and wistful expres.sion of tho eyes of the fisher folk — an expression as of men accustomed to search and dwell upon the far hori/on of hnioly seas- an index of the romantic element in the calling they pursue. The Merchant Service, also, is not without its character of romance, and tho loyalty of cai)tains to their owners when a valuable ireight has been in danger, has shown itself in deeds of heroism and self-sac- rifice unsurpassed in any other department of naval life. All honour to liim who is "the la.st man to leave his ship," and who so often, rather than that his character for courage and faithfulness should in the last dreadful moment be doubted, has refused to leave his vessel, and chosen rather to go clown with her when — " liOHO from sea to sky the wild farewell ;" thus c.irrying his sailing certificate into the next world undishonoured ! Dut if there is nmch to be saitl in praise of our fishermen and merchant i I AV T/fE POL Alt Sll.iS. aero, mat soiimon, Jiiid (if tin* hardihood, heroism, and roinaiicc of tlicir lives, what shall we say of our nien-of-war of them who tread tl.e deek " where lilakt' and mij,dity Nelson fell?" It is dillicidt (o name the Koyal Navy without getting; into heroics on the sultjeit ; and this is very far from tlie purpose at present in haml. It is to the (piality of the romance and the adventurous character of naval life in its ditlerent departments, that an incpiiry is at present instituted. And though onr modern ironclad looks nu)re like a floatir.f^ f,'asonieter than a craft fitted to " walk the wateis like a tiling' of life;" thouj^h "boarding'" autl "cutting' out" are now pretty much aniou^' the lost arts of naval warfare, and thou^di victory in the sca-li^hts of the future will be due as much to science and engineering skill as to personal intrepidity and resource, yet it is certain that the romance of the navy did not pass away with the three-decker and the trim frigate. That romance 1ms not vanished it has only altered its character, and courage and naval genius have as full play in the new, as in the old condition of naval atfairs. But of all departments of naval enterj)rise, that of Arctic I)isc()very has been, and rcnuiins, the Uiost fascinating, whether regarded fnmi the \nn\\i of view of the possible results to be gained, or the exceptional, even wonderful, conditions inider which these results are t "ten sought. The ambition of the Arctic explorer is not the gain desire»l by tlie merchantnum, nor the glory of confpiest which allures the naval commander. Discovery is his aim, and the passion for adventure in the remotest, most singular, and most dangerous of all the earth's seas, warms him in the pursuit of that object. The rarest and best of tho rpialities Ijrought into play in naval life, are requiretl in the highest perfection for the successful prosecution of his enterprise. The most indomitable courage, the most watchful fori'sight, the most .skilful management of resources and of men, arc required on the commander's part; while his officers and crew arc called upon to observe the most perfect discii)line, the most complete self-denial, and to undergo i)erhaisland, Holland, Flanders, and the baidcs of the Khiue, as far as Mainz. They penetrateil into the heart of France, having long before ravaged the coasts ; they fouiul their way inland, u}) the Sonune, the Seine, the Loire, the Garonne, and the Ilhone. Within the space of thirty years, they frcc^uently pillaged and burned Paris, w 6 DISCOVKUY or ICELASD. .'I Amiens, Orleans, Poitiei's, Bdrcleanx, Tonlouse, Saintcs, Angouleme, Nantes, and Tours. In due time Hullo, a Danish chieftain, landed with a swarm of these Normans on the shores of France ; captured a maritime province of that country, called it Normandy, after the name of its new proprietors — Neustria had been its name ])revi()usly, — and commenced to consolidate his forces there, and [)repare to take advantage of any other opening that might present itself. To the brave there are always opportunities, and accordingly in lOGG, hearing there was an oi)ening in England, these terrible Normans, under Duke William, swarmed over in a thousand war-ships to the British shores, defeated the English at the battle of Hastings, and seized the country — which they have held ever since to this day. Such were the stirring people who sent forth the earliest voyagers to the Northern Seas. But as the earliest voyages were not productive in any special degi'ee of results, with which our i)iupose is concerned, we shall have only a very few words to say about these early navigators. It cannot be said that the earliest of these Norse voyagers were gentle- men of any very eminent social status. Among the first of them was Naddod the Viking, who, in sailing to the Faroe Isles, was driven away westward by an easterly gale, until he discovered (in 8G1) a great island covered with snow, and to which he therefore gave the name Suowland. Another adventurer, named Gardar, visited the island three years after, found it a tolerable, even a pleasant region, wintered upon it, gave it his own name (Gardar 's-holni), and returning to his native Sweden, spread abroad such a glowing account of its fair woods and fertile soil, that he inflamed the mind of one of his countrymen, one Floki, to set out and find the new island. Floki found it, wintered upon it, observed that its bays and fiords seemed to be always full of ice, and consequently gave it a new name — Iceland, which name it still retains. And with the discovery towards the close of the ninth century of that lonely island, " Placed far amid the inelancLoly main," we have made the first step towards the discovery of lands that lie still farther to the north — the first step towards the discovery of the North- West Passage — of the North Pole itself. About a hundred years later, another Norseman, named Thorwald, having qualified himself for adventure on sea by previously committing murder on land, set sail for Iceland. He was followed shortly afterwards by his son Eric, who it appears had also been guilty of murder and of many irregularities, and who, sailing westward, landed, in 982, on a strange shore, and wintered on an hdet on the coast, which was named after him, Eri( 's Sound. Finding the country a pleasant one, its coasts abounding in fish, its valleys rich in mcadowUuid, and its hills covered with verdure, ho If i f DISCOVERY OF GREESLAXD AM) AMERICA. iii'mcd the unknown shore Grecnhmd, and in time he induced a colony of Icelanders to settle with him there. And thus we achieve the second step in our advance towai'd the southern extremity of the African continent, rounded the Cape of Clood Hope, and — stood away east- ward for the El Dorado of the Indies. Thus one nation .:olved for itself the problem of how to reach the land of diamonds. Another nation had already solved for itself the same problem, but in a very different way. When Columbus set sail upon his marvellous voyage it was to seek that for which all the maritime powers of Europe were dreaming and languishing — a sea-route to the East. WHien he sailed, he sailed ^ov Iiidhi ; when he discovered the shore of the New World, he believed he had touched the eastern coasts of the Imlies. The error, of course, was discovered in du{> time ; but in the meanwhile the Spaniards were not slow to take full advan- tage of the glori(Uis di.scovery that placed them in the van of European nations. Soon the eastern coasts of .Vmerica, or rather of Sctuth America, were explored, until at length the Spanish captains rounding the southern extremity of the .Vmerican continent by the Straits of ^Iag(>llan, found themselves in the Pacific, and with a clear way westward to the gual of their desires. Two routes had now been found to the wished-for Indies - the Portu- guese route round Africa and eastward, and the Spanish route round Simth 1 n ^ 'I 10 A SEA ROUTE TO THE EAST FOR EXdLASlK America and westward — althouf^h this latter Mas not prosecuted to any great extent as a commercial hij,diway. It must be carefully noted that each of these nations monopolised its own route, and treated as pirates any naviga- tors not belonging to their respective nations, wlio attemj)tcd to pass by either route for the purpose of discovery or trade. Jiotit routes were t/ius- closed to Eiv/land. But the astounding discovery of Columbus had aroused, as with an elec- tric shock, the ambition and the energies of all maritime powers, and, as might be expected, England, the chosen home of the old sea-rovers of the north, was fully alive to the quick-coming changes of the time, and to the rast adraiitnf/es of a monopoly of some sea-passage to the East. But where was such a route to be found ? A XORT/f-ir/uST PASSAGl-: TO IMHA. 11 ];reat h of nga- s by dIcc- 1, as tlie tlie llPVO CHAPTER III. A NORTH-WEST PASSAGE TO INDIA i'OU ENGLAND Sl'GGESTED -^EXl'EDITIONS IN SEARCH OF IT — SEBASTIAN CAUOT — THORXE's EXl'KDI lION — '" TRINITIE" AND "minion" — SIR HUGH WILLOUGIIHY AND RICHARD CHANCELLOR — STEPHEN BURROUGH — MARTIN FROBISHER's VOYAGES — JOHN DAVIS — HALL AND KNIGHT — HENRY HIDSON — WILLIAM BAFFIN — "NORTH-WEST FOX" — ESTABLISHMENT OF THE Hudson's bay company — hearne's journey. It has been already stated that the two most casteily maritime powers of Europe, the republics of Genoa and Venice, rose to gi-eat aftiucnce and power through their trade with the East, lioth powers produced capable and ambitious navigators in numbers enough and to spare, and consequently it was not unusual for mariners of ( iiese republics to take service under foreign powers. Thus Genoa gave Christopher Co''unbus to Spain, and Venice gave to England i.^hn Cabot and his son Sebastian. It was within the closing years of the fifteenth century that the Cabots arrived in England, and settled in Jlristol, even then a flourishing seaport. The elder Cabot, being a skilful pilot and intrepid navigator, was taken under the patronage of Henry VII., and encouraged to make voyages of discovery by the grant of a patent, bearing date oth ]\Iarch HOG, in virtue of which " he had leave to go in search of unknown lands, and to conquer and settle them;" the king reserving to himself one-fifth part of the profits. Sebastian Cabot, 1496. — To the genius of Sebastian Cabot \% due the credit of originating thr idea of a new sea-passage to India, l)y a north-west route through the Polar seas ; and it was at this navigator's suggestion that England entered at once upon Arctic research, and upon the era of her naval greatness ; for from that date to the present, England has won almost all the laurels due to discovery, both in the Arctic seas and elsewhere, and has maintained without a rival her supremacy among maritime powers. An extract fi'oni a curious old document, written V)y Sebastian Cabot, and given in " Hakluyt's Voyages," will best explain his views about the invacticability of a North -West Passage: "When the new.s were brought that Don Christoval Colon (Columbus), the Genoese, had discovered the coasts of India, of which there was great talk in all the court of King ' I 12 A XORTHWEST PASSAGE TO INDIA. if 'ii' III Ilenrv VII., who thou reij^ncil ; insomuch tliat all men, with j^reat admira- tion, allirmod it to be a thing more divine than human to saile l)y the West into the East where spices grow, by a way that was never known l)efore ; by his fame and report, there increaseth in my heart a great flame of desire to attemi)t some notal)le thing ; and understanding by reason of the sphere (globe), that if I should sail by way of nortli-west I should by a shorter tract come into India, I thereupon caused the king to bo advertised of my device, who immediately commandtMl two caravels to be furnished with all things appertayning to the voyage, which was, as ftir as I remember, in the year 1400, in the beginning of summer; I began therefore to sail toward the north-west, not thinking to find any other land than that of Cathay (China), and from thence to turn toward India ; but after certaine days, I found that the land ranne toward the north, which was to me a great displeasure. Nevertheless, sailing along by the coast to see if I coidd find any gulf that turned, I found the land still continued to the 56th degi'ce under our pole. And seeing that there the coast turned to the east, desi^airing to find the ])assage, I turned 1)ack again, and sailed downc by the coast of that land toward the equinoctiall (ever with intent to find the said passage to India), and came to that part of this firm lande which is nowe called Florida, where my victuals failing, I dejiarted from thence and returned into England, where I fi)und great tunudts among the people, and preparations for warres in Scotland, by reason whereof, there was no more consideration had to this voyage." Leaving the English and the Scots to conduct their " warres " as best pleased them, Cabot accepted the invitation of the king of Spain, to repair to that country, and bect)me " one of the council for the affairs of the New Indies." In the service of the king of Spain, Cabot made several voyages, and a number of discoveries, among which was that of the Kio de la Plata or River of Silver, which falls into the South Atlantic on the east coast of South ^America. In lo48, however, he returned to England, and was introduced to the young King Edward VI., who was so much delighted with the bearing and the conversation of the veteran voyager, that he created him, by patent, pilot- major, and settled on him a pension for life of 500 marks (£160, 13s. 4d.) per annum — a gi*eat sum in those days — " in consideration of the good and acceptable services done and to be done." " Never," says Sir John Barrow, " was a reward more deservedly bestowed. Placed at the head of the ' Society of ISIerchant Adventurers,' by his knowledge and experience, his zeal and penetration, he not only was the means of extending the foreign commerce of England, but of keepi.ig alive that spirit of enterpi'ise, which even in his lifetime was crowned with success, and which ultimately led to the most happy results for the nation that had so wisely and honourably enrolled this deserving foreigner in the list of her citizens." 4 i .it EARUEST ARCTIC KXREDITIOXS. 18 Thome's Expedition, 1527.- During,' tliu ivi<,Mi of Henry VIII., the spirit of discovery and of f()rei«,Mi enterprise that had been dormant in Kn<;lani] for thirty years, was once more aronsed, and from that day to this it has never sk>pt. The first expedition n.ulertaken .soUdy Ity Enj^lishmen, was at the snjjjgestion of IMaster Kobert Tliorne, of Bristol, who is saiil to have exhorted King Ilemy VIIJ , • with very weighty and sul)stantial reasons to set forth a discovery even to the North Pole!" In tomi»liancc witli Thome's suggestion, as we learn from the " Chronicles" of Hall and Clrafton, " King Henry V ' II. .sent two fair ships well manned and victualled, having in them divers cunning men to seek strange regions, and so they set forth out of the Thames, the "iOth day of May, in the nineteenth yere of his raigne, which was the yere of our Lord 1527." Of this expedition not much is known. One of the ships having sailed very far north-westward, was cast away on entering into a dangerous gidf between the north of Newfound- land and Greenland, the other returned home in October ; " and this," .says Ilakluyt, " is all that I can hitherto learn or find out of this voyage, by reason of the great negligence of the writers of those times." i "Trinitie" and "Minion," 1536.— Of the disastrous cruise of the "Trinitie ' and the "jNIinion," in 1536, the sad history has been preserved. This voyage, says the old chronicler already named, was set on foot by " Master Hore of London, a man of goodly stature and of great courage, and given to the studie of cosmographic." The inidertaking being ftivourcd by the king, a number of gentlemen were encouraged to accompany Hore in his voyage of discovery to the north-west parts of America, many of whom were of the Inns of Court and of Chancery. " The whole number that went in the two tall ships, were about six score persons, whereof thirty were gentlemen, which were all mustered in warlike manner at Gravesend, and after the receiving of the sacrament, they embarked themselves in the end of April 153(5." A record of this voyage, of which we give only the briefest outline, was com- municated to Ilakluyt by Mr Oliver Dawbeney, merchant of London. The vessels had been several days at anchor on the coast of Newfoundland, before any of " the natural people of the country " had been seen ; but at length Dawbeney " spied a boat with savages of those parts, rowing down the bay tow^ards them." He called upon his companions below to come up and behold the strange sight, and they, obeying perhaps a natural instinct, under the circumstances, manned a boat to meet and to take the savages. No more impolitic step could have been taken. The natives returned, landed, and fled, and the pursuers found in their camp " a fire and the side of a beare, on a wooden spit." Soon after this the voyagers "grew into great want of ■vactual.s." Had they conciliated the savages, they need have suttbred no inconvenience from this cause. As it was, "such was the famine that 14 EAULY ARCTIC KXrHniTlONS. increased amongst thoni from day to thiy, tliat tlu'V were forced to seek to relieve themselves of raw herbes and rootes, that they s(- on the maine (land). But the famine increasing;, and the relief of heinif to little pnrpose, the (one) fellow killed his mate while he stoopc . to take up a roote for his reliefe, and cntting ont j)ieces of his body whom he had mnrthered, broyleti the same on the coles, and greedily devoured them." This practice of secret murder and cannibalism, carried on by a number of the men, "in the fieldes and deserts here and there," at length bcame known to the olficers, who had believed that the missing men had either been killed by savages or devoured by wild beasts, liut still the famine increased, until the men " agreed amongst themselves, rather than all should perish, to cast lots who should be killed." The same night, however, there arrived a French ship in that port " well furnished with vittaile, and such was the policy of the English, that they became masters of the same, and changing ships and vittail- ing them they set sayle to come to England." 80 ended in complete disaster and almost unparalleled crime, an expedition which, had it been led by an experienced navigator, and conducted with ordinary policy — especially with regard to the natives, — might have achieved notable and valuable results. Sir Hugh Willoughby and Richard Chancellor, 1553.— The return of Sebastian Cabot, after his successes in the service of Spain, infuse the valleys and the waters gave an echo, and the mariners they shouted in .such sort that the skie rang again with the noise thereof" The voyage tlms bravely begun ended in dire calamity, for Sir H. Wilhmghby, and the majority of his companion.s, who with the whole of the merchants, oflicers, and .ship's company, together with those of the " Bona Confidentia," to the number of seventy persons, all miserably perished from the effects of cold and hunger, on a barren and uninhabited part of the eastern coast of l.apland. It fared better witli Master Kichard Chancellor in the " Edward Buonaventure." This stout mariner succeeded in reach- ing Wardhuys in Norway, where he met wi' : " certainc Scottisiimen," who earnestly attem})ted to dissuade him froi.i prosecuting liis voyage. Jiut he minded not the speeches of the Scots, and determined to pu.sh on, and either " to bring that to pass which was intended, or els to die the death." In this resolute spirit, Chancel ior continued to forge toward the north, till he came " to the place where he found no night at all, but a continual light and brightness of the sunne shining clearly upon the huge antl mighty sea." At length, we are told, he entered into a very gi'eat bay, and seeing a fishing-boat, inquired of the people " what country it is, and what people, and of what manner of living they wer'> ; " but these men seeing the large ship, were greatly alarmed and Hed. At last, however, they were overtaken, and immediately fell on their knees, offering to kiss Chancellor's feet. The Englishman treated them wntli politic kindness, and the report being spread abroad of the arrival of a strange people, " of singular gentle- ness and courtcsie," the inhabitants brought them presents of provisions, and entered readily and fearlessly into trade with them. The voj^ngers soon learned that the coast they had reached was that of Russia, the reigning monarch of which was named Ivan Vasilovich. With the view of furthering the interests of the London merchants. Master C'hancellor there and then undertook a journey of fifteen hundred miles from the coast to Moscow the capital, to see the king. Here he was well received, and it is to his discreet and able representations, that England is indebted for the firm foundation of that commerci:; with Russia, which is still maintained between the countries. 16 EARLY AIWTIC EXI'KDJTIO.S'S. t'hamcllor ri'tunied to Eii},'ljin(l with a It'tter from the Czar aihh'e.s.sed to the En;,'Usli kin},', and tho prospects of vast profit which a traile with liussia Iichl out, were re<,'ar(U'(l as some compensation for tho melancholy fate of Willou;,'hl»y and his comjjanions. The captain of the "Edward iJtionavcn- ture" and two connades were a])pointed conunissioners from Philip and Mary, who were then on the English throne, to open up commercial relatitms with the Czar and his ]»eoj)le ; and, settinj,' out on a new expedition, they arrived at Archangel, from which they travelled again to Moscow, to be agsiin well received and to make a i)rotital»le voyage. On his disastrous voyage homewards, however, Chancellor weathered the storms of the passage only to \h'. wrecked and drowni'd (lOth Xovemher 15.")»)) in Pitsligo Uay, on the vaaX. coast of Scotland ; but the Ivussian andjassador Avhom he brought with him from the Czar, arrived safely in London, and entered into commercial treaties with the "merchant adventurers" of England, which have been of the in-eatest benefit to both countries. w j? 1 Stephen Burrough, 1556. — INIeantime the " Companie of Merchants -Vdventurers," of which Cabot was governor, were so anxious to follow uj) the attemjjt to find out a North-East nmte to India, that without waiting tlie result of Chancellor's second voyage, they fitted out a small vessel next year (in 1550) to make discoveri..s by sea to the eastward. The vessel, the " Searchthrift," connnanded by Stephen Burrough, being ready for sea, set sail on the liOth April, passed the North Cajie on the 'I'^A May, and reached the mouth of the IVtchora on the l.lth Julv. In latitude 70 15' thev encountered much ice ; but on the 'Iii\.\\ they fell in with a strange and monstrous object, which seems to have inspired greater terror even than the ice. It was the first whale that our navigators had seen. The incident is thus recorded in Hakluyt : " On St James his day, bolting to the windwards, we had the latitude at noon in seventy degrees twenty minutes. The same day at a south-west sunne, there was a monstrous whale aboord of us, so nere to our .side, that we might have thrust a sworde or any other weapon in him, which we durst not do, for fear he shoidd have overtln owen our shippe ; and then I called my com]Kxny together, and all of us shouted, and with the crie that we made he departed from us. There was as much above water of his back as the breadth of our pinnace, and at his falling down, he made .such a terrible noise in the water, that a man would greatly have marvelled, except he luul known the cause of it ; but, God be thanked ! we were quickly delivered of him.' Continuing his coiu'se to the north-east, Burrough passed Xova Zendjla and Waigatz, but was at length stoi)ped by fog and ice. lie returned to England in 1557, and was appointed Comptroller of the Koyal Navy in rewartl for his discoveries. riionrsiiKirs tiihek v(tYA(ii:s. w icy and the is ■(Is, aiiie so in of ade od, kly jla to in ^ 'J Martin Frobisher, 1576. — Jiut thou<,'h considerable proj^ess was tlins bein^f made; in the direction of a North-Kast passap* tt) India, the idea of a North- Wext passa^'e had not been lost sight of, and now the time had come when the famous .search for this sea-way, which has only been found out within our own day, was practically to commence. The first great navigator who made himself illustrious in this famous (piest was I\r.M{TiN FuoinsnEK. It was his oi)inion that the discovery of a North-West passage " was tlie only thing of the world that was left yet undone, whereby a notable mind might be nuule famous and fortunate ;" aner of natives waving a flag on ]Mount Warwick, and ai)parently anxious for a conference. Two men from each side were appointed to confer together, and one native having received goods from the Englishmen, for which some return was expected, he " for lacke of better merchandise, cut otf the tayle of his coat, and gave it unto the general for a present." On this, which was not a civil return, the general and the master seized the savages ; but the ground being slippery, they missed their grasp, and the natives running away, " lightly recovered their bow and arrows," and attacked the unarmed general and the master, driving them to their boats, and wounding the former. The sailors iu the boats now began to iire, on which the savages ran away, and the English after them. " One Nicholas Gonger, a good footman, and unen- cumbered with any furniture, having only a dagger at his backe, overtooke one of them, and being a Cornish man, and a good wrestler, shewed his companion such a Cornish trick, that he nuide his sides ake against the gi'ound for a monetli after ; and so being stayed he was taken away, but the other escaped." Thus they had obtained no food from the natives hitherto, for the natives were " more ready to eat them than to give them wherewithal to eat." They took in a quantity of glittering ore on the southern side of Frobisher's Strait, " but upon tryall made it proved no better than blacklead, and verifieil the proverb — all is not gold that giistereth." They took a full cargo of the ore, however, amounting to two hundred tons, and their com- mission being now accomi)lished, set sail homewards and arrived in safety. A third voyage was undertaken in 1578, for the two-fold puri)ose of collect- ing ores and founding a colony. This exjjedition was barren of results, and we hear no more of INIartin Frobislier as an explorer in northern seas. John Davis, 1585. — In continuing our chronological account of Arctic Exploration, we now come to record the discoveries of John Davis, one of the most remarkable of the "ancient mariner.s," a man shrewd, brave, in- domitable, yet kindly Avithal, ever seeking and ever giving sympathy ~ a man impressionable to all the ever-varying appearances of nature, as ev<;ry true I I DAVIS' VOYAGES AM) DISCOVER IKS. 19 :tic of iii- laii rue 4 sailor is, a man with a soul far reachiug and widely receptive, with a heart true and an honour unstained. His name is immortalised in Daviy' Strait, of which he was the discoverer, but he has won even a higher if more modest immortality, in having been the discoverer of those great whaling a)\d sealing statiojis, which have been the source of so much jjroht to his country. And those Arctic fisheries v.diich he had the good fortune to open up, ai'o valuable to England in a for higher sense than as producing enormous wealth in oil, skin.s, and furs every year ; for it is amid these dangerous seas, with winds, cm-rents, floating icebergs, nipping floes, and ever recurring shallows to guard againg., that Englnnd's most skilful pilots and navigators are reared. Davis belonged to Sandridge, in Devonshire, the most renowned of the maritime counties of Britain, the most prolific in high-souled gentlemen — in the great spirits that made the naval glory of England illustrious beyond compare, in "The specious times of gi-eat ElizabetL" The merchants of London and of the western counties, who were still satisfied that the discovery of the North-West passage to the ever-wished- for East was a thhig yet to be accomplished, and which already might have been achieved, had not former voyagers been diverted from the original objects of their expeditions, at length resolved to fit out a new adventure toward the north. William Sanderson, merchant of London, was entrusted to superintend the outfit, and John Davis received the appointment of captain and chief-pilot. The expedition consisted of tAvo Ijarques— the " Sunshine," 50 tons, and carrying twenty-three persons, and the " ]\Ioon- shine," So tons, and carrying nineteen persons. Four of the individuals in the " Sunshine " were nnisicians, and they had an opportunity before all was done, of tuning u}) their " flutes and soft recorders," amid the strangest of scenes, and to the oddest of audiences, as we shall .see. On the 7th June 1585, the barques dipped their flags, and bade adieu to Dartmouth, and by the 19th Jidy they were among the ice on the western side of Clreenland, and first heard '• the mighty great roaring" of the northern sea, produced by the " rowling together of great islands of ice." "The lothsonie views of the shore," says Davis, " and the irksome noise of the ice rvas siicli aii that it bred strange comripts in ns, so that Ave supposed the place to be waste and void of auy sencihld or retietahle creatures, whereupon I called the same Desolation. So coa.stiiig this shore (Greenland), towards the .south in the latitude of (50 , I found it to trend towards the west. I still followed the leading thereof, in the same height : . . . and we past all the ice, and found many green and pleasant isles, bordering upon th(> shore, but the mountains of the maine were still covered with great quantities of .snowe. I brought my ship among these isles, and tlu-re moored to refresh ourselves in our wearie travell, in the latitude of i\A or thereabout.s. The i 20 EARLY ARCTIC EXPEDITIONS. people of the country having espied our shipps, came down unto us in their canoes, hohUng up their right hand to the sun, and crying ' YHaout ! ' woukl strike their brestes. We doing the hke, tlie jjcople came aboard our shipps — men of good stature, unbearded, small eyed, and of tractable conditions, by whom as signes would furnish, we understood that towardes the North and West there was a great sea ; and using the people with kindness in giving them nayles and knives, which of all things they most desired, and finding the sea free from ice, supposing ourselves to be past all danger, we shaped our course West-Nor'-West, thinking thereby to pass for China." The air was moderate like Ai)ril weather in England, and it was cold only when the wind blew from the land or ice, but when it came over the open sea, " it was very hote." In his course north-west, Davis discovered an archipelago of islands, and to one of the inlets in which he anchored, he gave the name of Gilbert's Sound. Here, we are told, a multitude of natives approached in their canoes, on which the musicians began to play, and the sailors to dance — making tokens of friendship. The simple and harmless natives soon understood their meaning, and were so delighted with their treatment and the music, that they flocked round them in vast numbers. The sailors shook hands with them, and won so far on their goodAvill, that they obtained from the " salvages " .vhatever they wished — canoes, clothing, bows, spears, and in short whatever they asked for. Continuing to sail to the north-west, the adventurers on the 6th August discovered land in 66° 40' ; the sea being altogether free from ice. Here they anchored under a hill, to which they gave the name of Mount Ralsujh — " the cliffs whereof were orient as gold." The foreland to the nortli of their anchorage was called Cape Dyer, that to the south, Cape Walsu/(///ai)i, while to the sound itself they gave the name of Ereter Sound. ^Vll these names are retained in use to the present day. They mark the prominent features of the east coast of the land known as Cumberland Island, in the miildle of Davis' Strait, and on its west coast. Other results of this first voyage, were the discovery of the wealth of those northern seas, in whales, seals, deer- skins, and other articles of peltry ; and the discovery of a wide open passage to the westward, which Davis dared not explore as the time for the open navigation was drawing to a close, and he was not provisioned for a vinter aminig the ice — such a thing, indeed, being at this early stage of exploration uuiniown. On the retiu-n of Davis, in September, to Dartmouth, these results were esteemed highly promising, and the Exeter and Eondon mer- chants fitted out a second expedition, adding to the little squadron a vessel of 120 tons, named the " Mermaid." Davis left Dartmouth on his second voyage on May 7, ir)80, and ari'iving again on the west coast of (Jreenlaiid, renewed his intercourse with tlio m •mmm DA VIS' OP EX XORTH SEA. 21 rm natives, who came off to the ships in as many as a hundred canoes at a time, bringing with them seal and stag skins, white hares, seal fish, " samon pcale and cod, dry caplin, with other fish and birds such as the country did yield." " In latitude about 00 , the ' Mennaitl,' the chief ship of the squadron," says Davis, " found many occasions of discontentment, and being unwilling to pro- ceed, she there forsook me. Then," continues the fine old skipper, "considering how I had given my faith and most constant promise to my worshipful good friend. Master William Sanderson, . . . and also knowing that I should lose the favour of Master Secretary, if I should shrinke from his direction, in one small bark of tlm-ty tons, ahjne without further covifort or company, I proceeded on my voyage." To find a North-West Passage being his gi-eat aim, Davis coasted along the west shores of the strait that bears his name, until the season for navigation was closing, when he returned south, and was fortunate enough to catch a number of " great cod," which supplemented his slender supplies, and so sailed for England. Part of the fish that had been caught, Davis showed to " Master Secretarv," and the result was that next year 1587, a third expedition consisting of two ships to try their fortune on the newly discovered fishing-ground, and a pinnace for discovery, were fitted out for the intrepid voyager. Sailing from Dartmouth for the thu-d time (May 19), for the strait he Iir.d discovered, Davis reached latitude 67' 40', on the 24th June. Pie had left the two ships to prosecute the fishing, and sailed north for discoveries. He continued beating north '' to the latitude of 75^ in a great sea, free from ice, coasting the western shore of Desolation. The people came continually rowing out unto me in their canoes, twenty, forty, and one hundred, at a time, and would give me fish dried, Samon, Samon peale, cod, Caplin, Lumpe, stone base, and such like, besides divers kinds of birds as Partrig, Pesant, (juUs, sea-birdes, and other kinds of fleshe. I still laboured by signs to know of them what they knew of any sea towards the north, tlu\y still made signs of a gi'cat sea as we understood them. Then I departed from that coast, thinking to discover the north parts of America. And after I had sailed toward the west near forty leagues, I fell upon a great l)ank of ice. The wind being north, anil blew much, I was constrained to coast towards the south, not seeing any shore west from me. Neither was there any ice towards the north, but a great sea, free, hirge, very salt and blue, and of tin unsearchable depth. So coasting towards the south, I came to the })laco where I left the ships to fishe, but found them not. Thus being forsaken, and left in this distress, referring myself to the merciful providence of (tod, I shaped my course for England, and unhoped for of any, God alone relieving me, 1 arrived at Dartmouth, liy tliis last di.scovery, it seemed most niani- f(>Ht that the passage was free and without impe(liment toward the north ; but by reason of the Spanish Heet, and unfortiuiate time of Master Secretary's 22 KARL Y ARCTIC EXPEDITIONS. c 11)! ! 1- death, the voyage was omitted, and never since attempted." And so ends the Arctic adventures of " J. Davis of Sandrudg, by Dartmouth, Gentleman." Sir John Boss, Avriting of the three A^oyages of the stout-liearted Dartmouth captain, says : " The discoveries wliich he made in the course of his three voyages, proved of great commercial importance ; since to him, more than to any preceding or subsequent navigator, has the whale fibhery b^en indebted. Let not his name be slightly passed over ! In talent he has not had many rivals ; and it is ignoranco probably rather than ingratitude, which fails to thank him for the debts owed him by British Commerce ! " Weymouth, Hall and Knight, 1602-1607.— The successive voyages to the north of Weymouth (1602), and of James Hall and John Knight (1605- 1607), contain but little to interest the non-professional reader. They reached no high latitudes — they made no important discovery, and it was not till the advent of Henry Hudson, that English discovery in the frozen seas was again resumed Avith that ability and perseverance, which deserve and command success. I Henry Hudson, 1607. — It is to be remembered that during the whole of the fifteenth century, the Spaniards and Portuguese — kings, nobles, and merchant and other adventurers — ^had been reaping golden harvests from their monopoly of trade with the Orient. But the English could not see with indifference the whole of the lucrative commerce carried on with the eastern world by these two nations. The successful expeditions of Sir Francis Drake in 1578, and of Candish in 1586, had only too clearly proved to England, the immense value of the trade with the East. The Spanish galleons from the Indies, which the English navigators captured during the Avar Avith S'pain, Avere so richly laden, that the captain Avho could succeed in taking one of them was made AA'ealthy for the remainder of his days. It Avas not, there- fore, to be expected that England should cease to cherish the hope that a .shorter roiite than those of Cape Horn or the Cape of Good Hope, Ava? to be found to the land of spices and t>f gold, by going "north-about." Alroady, Iioav- ever, several attempts had been made to force a route, both by a north-east and a north-Avest passage. The former Avas found to be closed effectually by fields of ice — the latter Avas still undiscovered. In this position of aFairs it was resolved to try a ncAv route, and see Avhat could be done by steering direct for the North Polo itself With this vicAV the merchants of London organised a ncAV expedition in the beginning of the seventeenth century, selecting as their commander, Henry Hudson, an experienced and intrepid seaman, avcII skilled in the theory as Avell as the practice of navigation, and in the use of nautical instruments. It Avas the 1st May 1607 Avhen Hudson, Avith ten men and a boy, .n a yP HUDSON'S VOYAGES AND ADVENTURES. 23 the ds vas •ect sed as of m i small barque, neither the name nor the tonnage of which is on record, set sail from Gravesend. The little barque and its slender crew did a wonderful deal of work. By the 13th June he was running along the east coast of Greenland — a course that had never previously been selected by any British explorer. On the 22d he had reached the very high latitude of 72° 38', and pursuing his way, he gi-atified his desire to see that part of Greenland, which was " to any Christian unknowne, and we thought it might as well have been open sea as land, and by that means our passage should have been the larger to the pole." This land is now known as Hudson's Land, and the cape which here projects (latitude 73"), and which he named Cape Hold-with- Hope, still retains the same name. This cape had little or no snow on it, the air was temperate on their approach to it, and great rain-drops fell. From this land he steered his small craft away north-eastward toward Newland (Spitzbergen) which the Dutch had discovered eleven years before. This land was reached in latitude about 78°, and in running along its shore, they felt no gi-eat degree of cold, " yet there was great store of ice to the west- ward, which obliged them to stand to the northward between the land and the ice." On the 11th July, they found themselves by observation in latitude 79° 17'. At this point they found much driftwood among the ice ; and they saw plenty of seals, and some bears, one of which was killed, and many of the people (the ten men and a boy) made themselves sick with eating bear's flesh unsalted. In 80° 23' they entered a deep bay of Spitzbergen, and going on shore found morses' teeth, whale bones, deer's horns, etc. It was hot on shore, and they drank water to slake their thirst. On the 31st July, tinding his stores exhausted, he bore up for England, arriving in the Thames 15th September. Hudson's attempt to find a north-east passage by Nova Zembla, in his second voyage, was vain and fruitless, though his observation as to the gi'owth of the ice in these regions shows the sagacity of this navigator. " It is no marvell," he says, " that there is so much ice in the sea toward the pole, so many sounds and rivers being in the lands of Novaya Zemblya and Spitz- bergen to engender it ; besides the coasts of Pechora, Itussia, and Greenland, Avith Lappia, as by proofes, I find by my travell in these parts ; by means of which ice I suppose there will be no navigable passage this way." His third voyage was vagi-ant and aimless, and its only result Avas the discoA'ery of the Hudson River. The fourth voyage Avhich terminated so tragically Avas undertaken in 1610. Sir John Wolstenholm and Sir Dudley Digges, and some others, being convinced of the existence of the North- West Pa'^>sage, fitted out an expedition at their oavii expense, and gave the command to Hudson. The vessel Avas the " DiscoA'cry," 55 tons. She Avas intended only to make a single summer voyage, and therefore was provisioned only for six months. She left 17th April 1610, and Avas off the mouth of Frobisher's Strait by 9th June ; but on 3t 24 EARLY ARCTIC EXPEDITIONS. i i account of the ice and contrary winds was compelled to ply to the westwai'd for nearlya month. This passage leadingwestward was Hudson's Strait, which, however, had partly been discovered by Davis. Continuing to ply west they arrived at the western extremity of the strait, which is formed by the north- west point of Labrador— named by Hudson Cajie 'Wolsteuholni. The islands in the neighbourhood were named Dhjffes' Mauds. From this point a large sea opened out to the south — Hudson's Bay — but at this stage of the voyage, Hudson's own narrative ends, and the remainder of the fortunes of the " Discovery " are chronicled by one Abacuk Pricket. Tliis worthy begins by stating that Hudson being beset with ice, and almost despairing whether he should ever get clear of it, called the ship's company together, and taking out his chart showed them that he had entered the strait (Hudson's Strait) over three hundred miles farther than any Englishman had been before. He now left it to their own choice, whether to proceed or return. Some were of one mind, some of another ; but adds the chronicle, " there Avere some who then sjiake words which were remembered a gi'eat while after ! " The mate and boatswain, Avho had used improper language on the occasion referred to, were afterwards removed from office, and others appointed in their places. Another source of dis.ufection was, that having entered a bay on Michaelmas day, and to which the name Michaelmas Bay was given, the master gave orders to weigh anchor and set sail, while some wanted to remain for a time and rest. On the 10th November they were frozen in, and by this time their six months' provisions were finished — the Arctic winter was before them, and they had no prospects of food to enable them to bear up against it. The dreadful result was mutiny, and this is how, according to the story of the not too credible Abacuk, the tragic climax was brought about. Hudson had taken into his house in London a young man named Greene, Avho, though an abandoned profligate himseif, was of respectable parentage. Greene accompanied Hudson to sea, but quarrelled with the surgeon, and others of the crew. Meantime the provisions of the vessel being nearly exhausted, Hudson preparing to leave the bay in which they had wintered, called the men together, and divided what was left among them. There was no more than about a poiuid of bread per day for each man for a fort- night, " and he wept when he gave it unto them." They had five cheeses which were also divided among them, and which afforded them three pounds and a half for seven days. Then they stood to the north-west, and on the 18th June fell in with ice, and on the 21st, they being still in the ice, Wilson the boatswain, and Greene, Avhom Hudson had taken into his house with the view of saving him from ruin, came to Pricket, Avho Avas lying lame in his cabin, and told him that they and the rest of their associates, meant to turn the captain and all the sick into the boat, and set them adrift to shift m THE FA TE OF HUDSON. for themselves. They also said there were not fourteen days' victuals left for the whole crew ; that they had not eaten anything the last three days, and were therefore resolved " either to mend or end ; and what they had liegun they would go through with or die." Immediately {. *"terwards, five or six more of the mutineers entered Pricket's room, and the whole of them having sworn an oath " to do nothing but to the glory of God and the good of the action in hand, and harm to no man," they went on deck to put their oath into practice by practically murdering the captain and their sick ship- mates. As soon as Hudson came out of his cabin, he was seizefl and bound, and he and the sick and lame hurried into the boat and cut adrift among the ice. Of Hudson and the castaAvays with him, no more has ever been heard. They were, in all likelihood, soon swamped among the ice, and thus spared the torture and slow death of starvation. Pricket thereafter took charge of the master's cabin and chest. Greene, with some other mutineers, was killed in a fight with the natives ; and the survivors, after many perils, reached Ireland. No official inquiry was ever made into the truth or falsehood of Pricket's story. ?es ds th in to ift *n William Baffin, 1615. — In 1615 an expedition was undertaken, which is of special interests, not so much from its actual results as from the circum- stance that he whom Admiral Sherard Osborne estimates as " the ablest, the prince, of Arctic navigators — William Baffin " — took part in it. Sir Thomas Button had previoiisly (in 1612) commanded an expedition for the discovery of the Xorth-West Passage ; but he met Avith no noteAvorthy success, and the record of his voyage was not published, probably for the best of all reasons, that there was nothing of interest to record. In the same year (1612), James Hall undertook a Amage to Greenland, on the coast of which, howcA-er, he Avas mortally Avoundod by an Esquimaux, " Avho, Avith his dart, strook him a deadly Avound upon the right side, AAdiich our surgeon did think did pierce his liver." This assault seems to have been an act of vengeance for an in.sult received in a former A^oyage. After the death of the captain, the expedition returned. In 1614, a A'cssel Avas fitted out for Captain Gibbons, Avho Avas de- scribed by Sir Thomas Button, Avith Avhom he had sailed, as being " not short of any man that ever yet he carried to sea." His only discoA-ery was that of the bay in lat. 57°, on the coast of Labrador, in Avhich he Avas imprisoned by the ice for fiA-e months, and to Avhich his OAvn ship's company are said to haA-e giA-en in derision the name of "Gibbons his hole." But the complete failure of Gibbons did not discourage the " merchant adventurers " from prosecuting discoA'ery in the north-Avest, and Robert Bylot, Avho had been employed on the three former A'oyages under Hudson, Button, and Gibbons, Avas appointed master of the "Discovery," Avith William Baffin as mate and associate. Beaching Resolution Island at the mouth of Hudson's Strait, they foUoAved up the passage to Salisbury Island, discovered Mill Islands, to Avhich they 1 D i 26 EARLY ARCTIC EXPEDTTIONS. lit %l gave tliis name from the grinding of the masses of ice in the neighbourhood against one another. They pursued their course to lat. 65° 20', long. 86° 10' W., and tlien, concluding that they were in a great bay, and that therefore tliere was no passage in tliis direction westward, they tacked and returned homeward without further search. Again, in 1616, the "Discovery" — this being her fifth voyage in search of a North-West Passage — was fitted out under the command of Kobert Bylot, and Avith Baffin as pilot. The vessel set sail 20th March, was in Davis' Strait, in lat. 05' 20' ; on the coast of Greenland by the 19th April, whence they ran north to 70' 20'. Continuing to push northward, it froze so hard, says Baffin, " that on jNIidsummer Day our shrouds, roapes, and sailes were so frozen that we could scarce handle them." On the 2d July they reached a "fair cape" in lat. 70 '6b', which they named Sir Dudley Digge's Cape ; and on the 4th they found themselves in a large sound, in which they saw so many whales that they named it Whale Sound. It lies in lat. 77° 30', a point fiir beyond Davis' farthest, which was Hope Sander- son, or Sanderson his Hope (of a north-west passage), in lat. between 72° and 73°. But the intrepid BalHn was not to be stopped by Whale Sound at the then extraordinary high latitude of 77° 30'. He still pushed north, and discovered a great sound running to the north of 78°, and to which he gave the name Sir Thomas Smith's Sound, so naming it after the Right Worshipful Sir Thomas Smith, Knight, the chief of the " merchant adventiu'ers " who had fitted out the " Discovery " for this, the fifth time. And here it may be as well to state that in discovering Smith's Sound, Baffin opened up a field which, from his own time to the present, has been regarded by explorers as leading to whac is supposed to be the key of the position in the Polar seas. This sound led Parry to his highest latitude. Dr Kane, the great American explorer, reached its southern enti mce ; his successors, Hayes and Hall, passed through it northward into Kennedy Channel, and to what is still believed by many to be the southern shore of the open Polar Sea; and through this very gate to the North Pole, opened up by Baffin two hundred and fifty years ago, the great English Expedition, now (1875) in the Polar seas, will fight its way in its two steamers to a decisive conflict with the circumpolar ice — a conflict, the victory in which means the discovery of the North Pole itself But the splendid achievement of Baffin and Bylot in this voyage was not to end with the discovery of the gate of the North Pole. Standing away south- westward, on the 12th July they opened out another great sound in 74° 20', which they named Sir James Lanmster Sound, another discovery which, like 'Smith's Sound, was destined to become illustrious, and to gather round it all the fascination of romance in the future adventures of Arctic explorers. " Here," says Baffin, " our hope of passage began to be less every day than HUDSON'S BAY COMPANY FORMED. 27 ':^- other, for from this sound to the southward we luid a ledge of ice between the shore and us (thus prechiding any search for a wed passage), but clear to the seaward. We kei)t close by this ledge of ice till the 14th day, in the afternoone, by which time we were in hit. of 71^ IG', and plainly perceived the land to tlie southward of 70° 30'. Then we, having so much ice round about us, were forced to stand more eastward." In this way they sailed and drifted down to G5° 40', when, says Baffin, "we left off seeking to the west shore, because we were in the indraft of Cumherland Is/es," where lie knew no hope of a west passage was to be looked for. It is interesting to read the quaint remarks iv^ith which the simple but great navigator closes his record of this most famous voyage. " Now," he says, " seeing that we had made an end of our discovery, and the year being too ftxrre spent to goe for the bottorae of the bay to serch for dressed finnes (whalebone), therefore wee determined to go for the coast of Greenlande, to see if we could get some refreshing for our men." Like every great navigator, his first care was for the health of his crew. And by this time scur^y had set in among the sailors. One man had died, and three were sick in their hammocks. They therefore stood for the shore, and, anchoring in Cockin Sound (lat. 65° 45'), found abundance of scurvy gi-ass, which they boiled in beer, and, mixing it with sorrel and orpen, both very plentiful, made good salads. The sick men perfectly recovered in the space of eight or nine days. They then put up for England, and arrived in Dover Roads on the 30th August. hund, been if the Dr his linedy 1 shore [Pole, iglish imers ly in lotto )uth- 20', like lit all Irers. Ithan " North-West Fox," 1631.— The voyage of Captain Luke Fox, who styled himself, somewhat affectedly, " North-West Fox," was undertaken in 1631 ; but though the navigator's record of it is interesting from the oddness and occasionally the witty and unexpected remarks with which it is enlivened — for Fox was a man of talent as well as eccentricity — the voyage itself was wholly without result in the way of advancing geogi'aphical knowledge, and therefore deserves no more than a passing notice here. In the same year Captain James set out from Bristol for Hudson's Strait ; but his descrip- tion of his misfortunes and sore trials, besides being of questionable relia- bility, includes nothing important in the way of discovery. " Captain James's history of his voyage," says BarroAV, " may be called a book of ' Lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning ; ' it is one continued strain of difficulties, and dangers, and complainings from the first making of the ice off Cape Farewell till his return to the same point." With th s dismal tale it is fortunate we are not called upon to deal. In the course of our History of Arctic Discovery, it will be necessary to make mention frequently of the Hudson's Bay Company, and as the forma- tion of this Company took place at about the point of time we have now 28 EARLY AliCTIC EXPEniTTOyS. 53 i reached in our chronological survey, it may be of advantage to state the cir- cumstance which led to it. After the discovery of Hudson's Bay the value of the fisheries of that immense inland sea soon became famous. To tho value of these fishing-groumls the French, after having possessed themselves of Canada, showed themselves to be by no means indifferent. One of the ftrst Frenchmen to pass over from Canada to the shores of this inland sea was one M. Grosseliez, a l)old and enterprising man who, seeing the advan- tage that might be derived to tlie French settlements in North America, by possessing themselves of the ports and harbours of Hudson's J>ay, prevailed on some of his countrymen at Quebec, about the middle of the seventeenth century, to fit out a ship for the purpose of exploring the coasts of that bay, and proceeded on the expedition himself. Having explored the bay in the neighbourhood of Nelson lliver, he depu ed his brother-in-law to repair to France and lay before the Government a representation of the advantages which might be derived from an estabHshment on its coasts. The proposal of M. Grosseliez was treated as visionary ; but so strongly convinced was he of its advantages that he set out for France himself, where, however, he met with 1.0 better success than his brother-in-law. The English minister at Paris — Mr Montague — hearing of the proposal of Grosseliez and of its rejection, sent for the Frenchman to explain his views, and derived so much satisfaction from them that he gave Grosseliez a letter to Prince Kupert in England. Here the French-Canadian met with a most flattering reception. He was immedi- ately engaged to ^o )ut in one of his Majesty's ships, not merely to form a settlenent in Hudson's Bay, but also to prosecute the oft-attempted pas- sage to China by the north-west. To the command of this vessel Captain Gillam was appointed. He set sail in 1068 with Grosseliez, and is said to have proceeded as far up Davis' Strait as 75°. On his return into Hudson's Bay he entered Rupert's Kiver, 29th September, and prepared to pass the winter there. The river was not frozen over before the 9th December, and the cold is said to have ceased as early as the month of April. Here Cap- tain Gillam laid the foundation of the first English settlement, by building a small stone fort, to which he gave the name of Fort Charles. But Prince liupert's action in the direction of forming a settlement and trading-station on the great bay did not end here. He obtained from King Charles a charter dated 1609, and granted to himself and several other adventurers therein named, for having, at their own cost and charges, under- taken an expedition to Hudson's Bay, " for the discovery of a new jmssage into the South Sea, and for the finding of some trade for furs, minerals, and other considerable commodities." The charter stated that they had already made such discoveries as encouraged them to proceed further in jiursuance of their said design; and that by means theieof great advantage might pro- bably ai'ise to the king and his dominions ; and therefore his Majesty, for ni:AiiXF:s oviJu.AMi exi' edit ion. 29 the better proinotiiii-; of tlieir endeavours for the good of his people, Avas pleased to confer on them, exehisivcly, all the land and territories in Hud- son's Bay, tojj;ether with all the trade thereof, anvl all others which they should require, etc. The body of gentlenuMi and merchants thus incorporated turned their cliief, if not their whole, attention to the establishment of forts and fiictories, and to extend their trade with the Indians, from whom they obtained the most valuable furs for articles of very triHing cost, to the entire neglect of discovery or any scientitic pursuit. The Company thus rapidly acquired wealth, and in this prosperous state of attairs the North-West I'assage seems to have been entirely forgotten, not only by the adventurers who had ob- tained their exclusive charter under this pretext, but also by the nation at large ; for, with the exception of the resultless voyages of Wood and Flawes (1670), of Knight and Scroggs (171 9-17-22), Middleton (1741), and Moor and Smith (1740), we hear little more of Arctic Exploration for about a century. Hearne, 1769. — But as the chief condition upon which the Hudson's Bay Company obtained their charter was " for the discovery of a new passage into the South Sea," it was necessary that they should either make some little exertion in aid of geographical discovery, or allow their legal right to the privileges conferred upon them to lapse. Accordingly, they undertook to make discoveries to the north-west of their inland sea by land, partly . to explore a large river reported to run from that direction, on which a certain copper mine which figures largely in several of the explorations of America during the close of the last and the beginning of the present century was reported to exist, and partly for the sake of geographical science. For this service Samuel Hearne, a servant of the Company, was considered well qualified, and accordingly he set out on his journey from Fort Prince of Wales on 6th November 1769, crossed the Seal River, and travelled over the Barren Grounds. The weather, however, began to be exceedingly cold, soon all his provisions were expended and no supplies were to be obtained ; the chief of the Indians who accompanied him wished to return, and ultimately leaving, Hearne was obliged to retrace his steps after reaching no farther than about the 64th degi'ee of latitude. He arrived at the factory on the 11th December, having thus been absent only thirty-five days. Another abortive attempt was made in tlie spring of the following year, 1770 ; this second failure being due to a want of fore- thought and to imperfect preparations for a journey so in. .ortant. Indeed, these ventures were undertaken in a careless, half-hearted way, which prac- tically insured their failure — and they would have been altogether unworthy a place in our history were it not that they prepare the reader for one of the most daring and most fascinating expeditions ever undertaken by man, 30 EAULY AUCTIC IIXPKDITIOXS. 11 > 1 11 I' i I inii namely, that of Fruiiklin from the Hudson's liay forts to the shores of the Polar Sea at the mouth of the (.'oi)[)ormine Kiver (1819-18:^2) ; an expe- dition the vuiparalk'led trials and .sull'eriny:s of which mi^dit have been obviated had lleanie accomplislu'd his preliminary journey successfully, and taken proper notes of his routes, observations of latitude, etc., as aids to those who were to follow him. Setting out again in December 1770, to discover the situation of the copper mine, llearne reached the ('op})eri>une Itiver on the 13th July ; but gives neither the route to the stream nor the latitude of the spot at which he struck it. Xo sooner had ho reached the river than a tragedy occun'ed which, though it wrought no harm to Hearne, was the cause of the acutest sutfering, and might have proved the total destruction of Franklin and his gallant companions. The Inilians that accompanied llearne as his guides and hunters lived in constant hostility to the Esquimaux, and they now pre- pared to attack the latter in their tents. They approached their sleeping victims on the 17tli July, about one o'clock in the morning. When the Indians found that all was quiet in the Esquinuiux encampment, " they rushed forth from their ambuscade and fell on the jjoor unsuspecting crea- tures, unperceived till close at the very eaves of their tents, when they soon began the bloody massacre, Avhile I," says Hearne, " stood neuter in the rear." The Esquimaux camp included about twenty persons, men, women, and children, who were all put to death m the most I ^ai'ous and inhuman manner — the Hudson's Bay Company's agent standing by and not even volunteering a remonstrance with the Indiauo in his employment, and with whom, from his connection with the Company, upon whom the Indians were dependent for supplies, it is natural to suppose he would have had consider- able influence. The memory of this massacre was fresh in i . minds of the Esquimaux, when Franklin came with his Indian guides to explore their country and to purchase their hospitality and good ofiices. Having reached and, in a slight, imperfect, and uncertain Avay, surveyed what he believed to be the sea at the mouth of the Coppermine Kiver — altliough it is doubtful whether he did actually reach the sea — Hearne commenced his return journey. ■I 1 I PIIIPPS' SLMMEH CRLISK TO SPlTZliEUGEN. 31 i CHAPTER IV. SUMMER CRUISE BY SPITZBERCEN ROUTE— HORATIO NELSON ACTS AS CAPTAIN's COCKSWAIN IN THE " CARCASS " NELSON's ADVENTURES IN THE Sf'ITZ- BERCEN SEAS — CAPTAIN COOK IN THE ARCTIC RECilONS — CONCLUDING POLAR EXPEDITIONS OF THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY. Captain C. J. Phipps, 1773. — We liave now arrived at the period when Arctic exploration, with the view to discover a route to the East Indies by the North Pole, first attracted royal attention. The route by the North Pole, first suggested, as we have seen, by Robert Thorne, merchant, Bristol, was suffered to remain without investigation from the days of Baffin to the year 1773, when the Earl of Sandwich, then First Lord of the Admiralty, in conserpience of an application which had been made to him by the Koyal Society, laid before George III. a proposal for an expedition to try how far navigation was practicable in a due direction, and the King was pleased to direct that it should be immediately undertaken, "with every encouragement that could countenance such an undeitaking, and every assistance that could contribute to its success." Two of the strongest shijis that could be ob- tained — the " Racehorse " and the " Carcass " — were selected as being best fitted for the purpose, and the command was given to Captain Constantine John Phipps, son of the first Lord Mulgrave, and who afterwards acceded to that title. Captain Skiffington Lutwidge was second in command ; and the comparative completeness of this first royal expedition to the Polar seas may be estimated from the circumstances that two masters of Greenland ships were employed as pilots, and that an astronomer, recommended by the Board of Longitude, was employed and supplied with instruments of various kinds, and of the best description ';hen in use. The " Racehorse " and " Carcr.ss " sailed from the Nore on the 10th June 1773. On the 27th they had ar. obsen-ation of the sun at midnight, which gave the lat. 74° 26' ; and they soon afterwards reached the latitude of the south part of Spitzbergen, with a fair wind, without an increase of cold, and without any appearance of ice, or sight of land. Stamling in toward the land on the 29th, they found the coast formed of " high barren black rocks, without the least marks of vegetation ; in many placer, bare and pointed, in other parts covered with snow, appearing even above the clouds ; the valleys 32 EARLY ARCTIC KXPEDITIOXS. between the high cliffs were filled with snow or ice. This prospect would have suggested the idea of perpetual winter, had not the mildness of the weather, the smooth water, bright sunshine, and constant daylight, given a cheerfulness and novelty to the whole of this striking and romantic scene." On tne r)th July, the latitude of ]\[agdak>na lloek, on the west coast of Spitz- bergen, was ascertained to be 79^ 34'; and on the following day the expedition fell in with the main body of the ice, along which they stood, to ascertain whether it joined the land of Spitzbergen, or was so detached as to afford an opportunity of passing eastward. But the pilots and oflicers thought it im- practicable to proceed in that direction, and predicted that they would soon be beset where they were, as this was about the spot where the most of the old discoverers had been stopped. On the 9th, having reached lat. 8l)° 36', and having run along the edge of the ice from east to west above ten de- grees. Captain Phipps " began to conceive that the ice Avas one compact impenetrable body." Stopped by ice towards the west, he now made several attempts to push his way eastward, but was arrested by finding the ice " locked in with the land, without any passage either to the northward or the eastward. Making a fourth, and a determined, effort, however, Captain Phipps passed ]\Ioffen Island, and, working in among the loose ice, reached as far north as 80' 48', when he was stopped by the main body of the ice, which extended in a line nearly east and west. At this stage of the ex})edition, a singular adverturo took place, which brings the name of England's greatest naval hero into prominence, and is perhaps the first instance in which the bearer of it is known to have dis- tinguished himself in his profession. A number of the officers from the " Eacehorse " landed on a low, flat island in the mouth of Waygat Strait, near the S*'ren hljudico rooted, and what pains were taken to instil this principle in a young mind I However, as my ambition was to be a seaman, it was always held out as a reward, that if I attended well to my navigatiou, 34 EARLY ARCTIC EXPEDITIONS. ■m I I should go in the cutter and decked longboats, which were attached to the commanding officer's ship at Chatham. Thus by degrees I became a good pilot for vessels of that description from Chatham to the Tower of London, down to the Swin and the North Foreland, and confident of myself amongst rocks and sands, which has been many times since of gi'cat comfort to me. In this way I was trained until the expedition towards the North Pole was fitted out, Avhen, although no boys were allowed to go in the ships (as of no use), yet nothing could prevent my using my interest to go with Captain Lutwidge in the 'Carcass ;' and, as I fancied I was to fill a man's place, I begged I might be his cockswain, which, finding my ardent desire for going with him. Captain Lutwidge complied with, and has continued the strictest friendship to this moment. Lord Mulgrave (Captain Phipps), whom I then first knew, maintained his kindest friendship and regard to the last moment of his life. When the boats were fitting out to quit the two ships, I exerted myself to have the command of a four-oared cutter raised ujion, which was given me, with twelve men ; and I prided myself that I could navigate her better than any other boat in the ship." Young Nelson, the captain's cockswain, only fifteen years of age, but already a good seaman and skilful pilot, performed his work well in com- mand of his cutter and twelve men. But the contempt for danger, the un- consciousness of which distinguished him throughout his life, led him into at least one scrape, which went very near cutting short the hero of the Nile and the Baltic. "One night," says Southey, "during the mid- watch, he stole from the ship Avith one of his comrades, taking advantage of a rising fog, and set out over the ice in pursuit of a bear. It was not long before they were missed. The fog thickened, and Captain Lutwidge and his officers became exceedingly alarmed for his safety. Between three and four in the morning the weather cleared, and the two adventurers were seen, at a considerable distance from the ship, attacking a huge bear. The signal for them to return was immediately made ; Nelson's comrade called upon him to obey it, but in vain ; his musket had flashed in the pan, their ammu- nition was expended, and a chasm in the ice, which divided him from tlie bear, probably preserved his life. ' Never mind,' he cried, ' do but let me get a blow at this devil with the butt-end of my musket, and we shall have him.' Cai)tain Lutwidge, however, seeing his danger, fired a gun, which had the desired effect of frightening the beast ; and the boy then returned, somewhat afraid of the consequences of his trespass. The captain reprimanded him sternly for conduct so luiworthy of the office which he filled, and desired to know what motive he could have for hunting a bear. ' Sir,' said he, pouting his lip, as he was wont to do when agitated, ' I wished to kill the bear, that I might carry the skin to my father.'" Meantime the progress made by Captain Phipps' expedition was not ■fi A .l/'i'^-n' NELSON IN THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 35 very enco'iraging. On the 30th July the weather was exceedingly mild, fine, and clear. " Tlie scene," A\Tite3 the captain, " was beautiful and pic- turesque ; the two ships becalmed in a large bay, with three apparent open- ings between the islands that formed it, but everywhere surroxinded with ice as far as we could see, with some streams of water ; not a breath of air ; the water perfectly smooth; the ice covered with snow, low and even, ex- cept a few broken pieces near the edges ; the pools of water in the middle of the pieces were frozen over with young ice." At the close of July the ships were beset in the ice, which on the Ibt of August began to press in fast and afforded not the smallest opening. For- merly flat and almost level ^vith the water's edge the ice was now in many places forced higher than the mainyard by the pieces squeezing together. They now tried to cut a passage out, but the ice being in some parts twelve feet thick, they met with but little success. There was but one alternative, either to wait the event of the weather upon the ships, or to betake them- selves to the boats. Tlie likelihood that it might be necessary to sacrifice the ships had been foreseen ; the boats accoi-dingly were adapted, both in size and number, to transport, in case of emergency, the whole crew ; and there were Dutch whalers upon the coast, in which they could all be con- veyed to Europe. As for wintering where they were, that dreadful experi- ment had been tried too often. The days of the inqiroved construction of winter quarters had not yet arrived. No time was to be lost ; the ships had driven into shoal water, having but fourteen tathoms. Should they, or the ice in which they were fast, take the ground, they must inevitably be lo.st. Cap- tain Phipps had sent for the oflicers of both ships, and told them his inten- tion of preparing the boats for going away. They were immediately hoisted out, and the fitting began. Canvas bread-hags were made in case it should be necessary suddenly to desert the vessels. On the 7th August they began to haul the boats over the ice — Nelson having command of his four-oared cutter. The men behaved exceedingly well. They seemed reconciled to the thought of leaving the ships, and had full confidence in their officers. About noon the ice appeared rather more open near the vessels ; and as the wind was easterly, though there was but little of it, the sails were set and they got about a mile to the westward. Whatever exertions were made, it could not be possible to get the boats to the water's edge before the 14th ; and if the situation of the shi[)s should not alter by that time, it would not be justifi- able to stay any longer by them. The commander, therefore, resolved to carry on both attempts together, moving the boats constantly, and taking every opportunity of getting the ships through. On the morning of the lOth August, "the wind," writes Captain Phipps, in his "Journal of a Voyage towards the North Pole," "springing up in th.e N.N.E. in the morning, we set all the sail we could upon the ship, and forced her through a great deal 36 EARLY ARCTIC EXPEDITIONS. \ 'ii of very heavy ice : she struck often very hard, and with one stroke broke the shank of the best bower anchor. About noon we had got her through all the ice and out to sea. I stood to the N.W. to make the ice, and found the main body just where we left it. At three in the morning, with a good breeze easterly, wo were standing to the westward between the land and the ice — both in sight; the weather hazy." Captain Phipps' summer cruise to Spitzbergen was now practically at an end. He had coasted along the edge of the ice in the latitude of about 80^, seeking east and west for a passage to the north, but finding none. The season was now far advanced, and as fogs and gales were now constantly to be expected, it was vesolved to bear up for England, at the shores of which the " Racehorse " and " Carcass " duly arrived on the 25th September. The ships ^/^ere paid oflF, and young Nelson immediately joined the " Sca-Horse," 20 guns, and sailed for the East Indies in the squadron commanded by Sir Edward Huglies. Of practical results, so far as Arctic exploration is concerned, the cruise of Captain Phipps was sufficiently barren. He states that the summer Avas uncommonly favourable for his purpose, because it "afforded him the fullest opjiortunity of ascertaining, repeatedly, the situation of that wall of ice, ex- tending for movj than twenty degrees, between the latitudes of eighty and eighty-one, without the smallest appearance of any opening." But it has since licen abundantly proved that there arc very few years in which there arc not many openings in the wall of ice, which usually stretches between the eastern coast of Greenland and the most northern parts of Spitzbergen ; and conse- quently the summer in which Captain Phipps tried here for a north passage to the Pole, instead of being favourable, was peculiarly and excei)tionably unfavoiu'able, as will be seen in the history of more recent expeditions in this direction. Captain Cook, 1776-1779.— The destruction of the Spanish Armada by the English fleet under Lord Howard of Eflingham and liy a series of terrific tempests which crushed the ribs of the Spanish galleons against the rocky coasts of the Western Isles and of Irel.and in 1588, had irretrievably ruined the maritime power of Spain, and had thus thrown all the seas open to Eugland, which from this time became unquestionably the leading naval power of the world. There was now no longer a monopoly of trade with India and China, or rather, the monopoly of the commerce of these countries which had previously been enjoyed by Spain and Portugal, now passed in effect into the hands of Erigland ; and the trade between Britain and the EfiSt was further confirmed to British morchants by the formation of the East India Company by royal patents of Elizabeth in 1000. But though wo had now been in command of the route to India by the Ca^jo of Good Hope for many years. Englishmen had never lost sight of Sebastian C-abot's idea *«4. J 4 a i M Piibh-.lfl b) Tho" ' .■'.ii'k, F:iiin>)'ir6,ti '«■ ?!,:.■ - t hrilort liiySlr.' NFISGN AND ■|HL RFAR ^ii ifi;| CAPTAIN COOK IN THE ARCTIC REGIONS. 37 of discovering a rortli passage to the East, and thns reaching India by a much shorter and less expensive route. In search of this route many en- deavours in different directions had been made. It was now resolved to try for the unknown after a new pLan. A North- West Passage from the Atlan- tic to the Pacific had been sought for by many navigators. It was now re- solved to seek for a passage from the Pacific to the Atlantic. The famou« Captain Cook, who had already twice circumnavigated the globe, and had revealed almost a new world in the discovery of the various archipelagoes of the Pacific, and who was believed by his countrj'men to be able to carry out any naval enterprise, however diflicult, to a successful issue, was accordingly selected to command the new expedition. The two vessels fitted out for this purpose were the " Eesolution," in which Captain Cook sailed, and the " Discovery." As an incentive to discovery in the Polar seas, a reward, in terms of the Act of 18 Geo. TL, of .£20,000 had been offered to ships belong- ing to any of his Majesty's subjects, which should succeed in making a North- West passage, but it excluded the king's own ships, and r. further condition ..as that the passage was to be one leading through Hudson's Bay. This Act was now so amended that the reward was offered to ships of th j royal navy as well as to merchantmen, and miglit be claimed for " any lorthern passage " between the two great oceans. Cook's expedition, , 'aerefore, started with the doiible incentive to success, of honour and rewani. The " Resolution " and " Discovery " sailed from Plymouth Scamd, 12tli July 1776 ; and, after making various discoveries in the southern hemi- .sphere, the Pacific, and the two coasts of Asia and America, they entei'ed Behring's Strait, 9th August 1779, Several attempts were made to pene- trate the ice, but fortunately without success ; for it is certain that had Cook been beset in the wide and shelterless icy gulfs of Ihe north-east coast of America, his expedition would have met the fr.te of Sir Hugh Willoughby in Lapland — would have perished to a man. His vessels were not fitted for such severe navigation, nor were his preparations at all suitable for spending a winter among the ice. After cruising about between the coasts of Asia and America and finding the ice fields advancing upon him from the north, Captain Cook stood aAvay southward and finall>- reached ti»o Sandwich Islands where, as is well known, this great navigator lost his liiu. Concluding Expeditions of the Eighteenth Century.— Exploration in the eighteenth century may be said to \v.K.\e been brought practically to a close with the expedition of Captain Phipps, as the subsequent endeavours to roach high northern latitudes are comparatively resultless, and are not considered worthy of separate notice. In order^ however, to connect our nar- rative of the history of the exploration of the lust and of the present century, a few words about the expeditions referred to will suffice. 'i u i l'»« ' Mi 1 ; If 38 EARLY ARCTIC EXPEDITIONS. Ill 1776, Lieutenant Pickcvsgill was directed to proceed to Davis' Stra't in the armed biij? "Lion," for the twofokl pui'iiose of protecting the British wlialo fishers, who, since about the j^car 1625, had resorted to the Arctic seas, an 1 to obtain such rnforiiiation as might be useful to the vessel which was to be sent out in the following year to look for Captain Cook about the time he might be expected to approach the eastern side of America, in the event of his having discovered a passage eastward from the Pacific. He penetrated no higher up Davis' Strait than 68° 10', and, after a voyage, in which ho added nothing to the geographical knowledge of his time, he returned to England in the autumn. He was superseded in the command of the " Lion " by Lieutenant Walter Young, who ran up the Strait as far as 72° 42', and who, without assigning any reason whr. tever, except the number of the ice islands among which he found himself, turned his vessels southward, and bore up for Eng- land, where he arrived before the open season of the Polar seas was over. In 1789, Alexander Mackenzie, a servant of the Hudson's Bay Company, set out, undjr the auspices of that Company, to travel to the shores of the Polar Sea. He succeeded in discovering and descending the river which bears his name ; but his journal is so unsatisfactory and equivocal that it remains an unsettled question to this day whether he actually penetrated to the mouth of the jSIackenzie Kivcr in the Arctic Sea or was arrested on the shores of some lake or enlargement of its channel. In 1790, Mr Charles Duncan was employed to conduct an expedition for the discovery of the North- West Passage up Eowe's Welcome, one of the northern inlets of Hudsor 's Bay. Duped and fnistrated by the Hudson's Bay Company, he was obliged to return, after two attempts to attain his purpose. His ex- pedition was entirely fruitless ; and thus ends the last expedition of the eighteenth century for the discovery of the North- West Passage. It has been observed as something very remarkable "that our early adventurers, at a time when the art of navigation was in its infancy, the science but little understood, the instruments few and imperfect, in barks of twenty-five or thirty tons burden, ill-constructed, ill-found, and apparently ill-suited to brave the mountains of ice between which they had to force their way, and the dark and dismal storms which beset them, that these men should have succeeded in running through the straits to high latitudes, and home again, in less time than Mr Duncan required to r ich one of the Hudson's Bay Company's establishments, the route to which was then as well known as that to the Shetland Islands." *« % OUTBREAK OF AMERICAN WAR. 39 CHAPTER Vo OUTT-.aEAK OF AMERICAN WAR — THE FRENCH PEVOLUTION — PROCLAMATION OF PEACE — ARCTIC EXPLORATION RESUMED — GROUP OF FAMOUS EXPLORERS — franklin's first ARCTIC VOYAGE — THE " DOROTHEA " AND " TRENT " SENT TO EXPLORE A PASSAGE ACROSS THE POLE — EARLY LIFE AND CAREER OF FRANKLIN. Two years after the return of Captain Phipps from his summer cruise to Spitzbergen, an incident occurred which conclusively put an end to Ai'Ctic exploration for over forty years. Toward the close of the last century, the commerce and manufactures of our American colonies had already become great; and (in 1770) the taxes on industry imposed upon vhem, and maintained with blind obstinacy by the king and his ministers, were felt to be no longer bearable. The colonists had indulged themselves in an expectation that the people of Great Britain, fro ^ a consideration of the dangers and difficulties of war, would have preferred peace and a reconciliation ; but when they were convinced of the fallacy of these hopes, they turned their attention to the means of self-defence. Prudence, policy, and reciprocal interest urged the expediency of concession on the part of England ; but pride, false honour, and misconceived dignity drew in an opposite direction. Undecided claims and doubtful rights, which, under the influence of wisdom and forbearance, might have been easily compromised, imperceptibly widened into an irrecon- cilable breach. Hatred at length took the place of affectionate kinship, and the calamities of war were soon to supersede the benefits of commerce. Careful, however, not to strike the first blow, and thus incur the obloquy of having commenced hostilities, the Americans conducted their opposition to the measures of Government with exquisite address. They avoided every kind of outrage and violence, and preserved peace and good orde.^ among themselves, but at the same time made every possible preparation for the outbreak, which they perceived was inevitable. Bands of militia were being trained in the different districts, arms and ammunition were coUec'ed and stored in safe and convenient centres. Desirous of destroying a magazine of arms and powder, which had been formed at Concord, about twenty miles from Boston, the English general sent an expedition of grenadiers and in- fantry towards Concord in the spring of 1775. A troop of militia had 40 BCrriAX AXD Flt.lXKLlS'S VOYAOR IN 181«. it: I i: assembled at Lexington to oppose them, "Disperse, rebels !" cried Major Pitcaim to the militia, as lie rode uj) in front of the royal troops, " throw down yom* arms and disperse!" The Lexington men still continning to stand fij-m, Pitcairn rode nearer, fired his pistol in their faces, and ordered his men to advance. Tliat pistol shot Avas the short and sharp inanguration of a cannonade that was to last for many years. There was now work enough for our fleet ; and active service, which had prize-money and promo- tion to Ini'stow, left no room for discovery and scientific research. But with the outbreak of the American war the waning century had not delivered itself of its last message of Avoe to mankind. In 1789 took place the ten-ific explosion of the French Revolution, in which, said Burke, " the French proved themselves the ablest architects of ruin thii had hitherto appeared in the Avorld." From the date of the fall of the Bastilc to that of AVaterloo, Europe was one wide battlefield. Our fleets were now on every sea, striking our enemies in their colonies, harassing their commerce, and blockading their ports. From the Baltic and the Mediterranean the broad pendant of the British commodore was never absent. Around our own shores, too, an ever-watchful fleet constantly cruised, for Napoleon had threatened invasion. During all this time, the navy, to which the splendid Aictories of Nelson brought so much distinction, Avas the profession held in highest favour in England ; and cadets from the noblest families were in ever}- one of the king's ships before the war Avas brought to a close. One consequence of this love for the sea Avas that, when peace Avas proclaimed after "Waterloo in 1815, the navy contained a gi'eat number of young officers of the highest ability and possessed of a boundless ambition to attain dis- tinctioiL The conclusion of the Avars Avith America and France in 1815 put an end temporarily to their hopes of earning fame in active service, and it was therefore Avith eagerness that many of these enterprising spiiits heard proposals to resume certain schemes of exploration, Avhich, laid aside on the outbreak of the Avar, began again to engage men's minds, now that Napoleon was .safely caged in St Helena, and the Avar Avas at an end. Of these schemes, that of the discoA^ery of a North- West Passage to the Pacific Avas the first and mo.st important. This gi-eat question, Avhich had engaged the attention of almost all the noi'thern poAvers of Europe, in Avliich much money had been ventured, inany lives and vessels lost, and on Avhich the public curiosity had been so deeply excited, it AA'as noAV proposed to set at rest at once and for ever. In A-iew of all that had hitherto been attempted in the direction of dis- covering a Noi'th-West Passage, it Avas sufficiently evident that the great obstacle in the way of a route to the Pacific Avas the quantity of ice Avith Aivhich the northern seas Avere encumbered. It was not land that blocked the progress of the Arctic navigator. BetAveen Nova Zembia and Spitz- 4 4 ■it ^m a hi f';n ii ii 1 :t 00 00 13 w u w a: H ;2; C/) < w H O O Q c/) i ■■;f h' 'il. ! 1 J n r I POLAR VOYAGES RESLMED IN THE PRESENT CENTURY. 41 •I bergen, and between Spitzbergen and Greenland, no land had been seen to the north ; while both Hudson's and Baffin's Bays showed numerous open ings, which, if free from ice, might lead to the west. The ice, then, was the barrier, and any great change in its position, or any considerable modificii- tion in the degree of its compactness, might be a gi'ound on which to base some hope of a passage. Again, the experience in seamanship obtained in every ocean during the forty years' war, and the great improvements that had been introduced in the construction of vessels, afforded some gi'ound to expect that the obstacles that had been found insurmountable by our early voyagers in their weak vessels, and with their untrained and altogether in- adequate ci'ews, might be overcome by powerful ships, properly manned and equipped. And as there was also an opinion that this body of ice was merely a belt, beyond which, if it could be broken through, the sea would be found clear and navigable, vessels of the last-mentioned description were more likely to reach it than any that had hitherto made the attempt, with the exception of those imder Captain Phipps, which were thought to have gone out in a peculiarly imfavourable season. " At all events," says Captain Beechey, " whatever argimicnts might have been founded upon the subject, and there were many, it was generally acknowledged that the time had arrived when the matter should be decided, or, at least, that the attempt should receive the benefit of that advancement of science and art which had been bestowed upon other experiments ; and it was evident thjit it requiied only some little impetus to set the machine in motion for this attempt to become a gi'eat national undertaking." In 1817, two years after the proclamation of the general peace, accounts of a change in the Polar ice, particularly favourable to the undertaking, were brought to England by our whalers. The Polar Sea was described as being remarkably open. This intelligence finally decided Government to send out in the following year a great expedition of four ships, two of which were to try to reach the Pacific by a northern route across the Pole, while the other two were to search for a western route through Baffin's Bay. This great twofold expedition is famous as including among its olficers the most brilliant group of discoverers ever engaged on any similar mission. Among them were the two Rosses, Franklin, Parry, Buchan, Beechey, and George Back. The four ships selected to form the expedition were the "Dorothea," "Trent," "Isabella," and "Alexander." Of these, the "Dorothea" and " Trent," commanded respectively by Captain Buchan and Lieutenant John Franklin, were directed to sail for Spitzbergen, and thence to seek for a pass- age northward to the Pole. Of Captain David Buchan of the Iloyal Navy, there is little to relate. For several years he had been serving on the coast of Newfoundland, and a short time previously to his appointment to the command of the Polar expedition— loth January 1818— he had distinguished 1 9 1 ! 42 BUCnAi\ AND FRANKLLYS VOYAGE IN 1818. i! 1 I himself in charge of an expedition into the interior of that island. Though never engaged on any subsequent Arctic voyage of discovery, he continued to take a deep interest in every venture of the kind ; and he afforded Franklin much assistance in fitting out his land expeditions. He was lost in his pass- age home in the " Upton Castle " Indiaman in 1888. John Franklin, perhaps the greatest of fA\ Arctic explorers, was born at Spilsby, in Lincolnshire, in 1786. He is described as a boy of well-knit muscular frame, with black eyes and dark hair, a frank and broad Englioli countenance, lofty forehead, and well-formed chin, indicative of no ordinary amount of resolution. He first saw the sea on the Lincolnshire coast, and the first look of the ocean Avas a revelation which disclosed to him what he resolved should be his career. He had heard of the sea in his father's home at Spilsby ; he had read of it in the old grammar-school of Louth ; he had been told how upon that ocean the son of a country parson in an adjoining couVxLy was humbling the pride of Englond's enemy ; and he now saw it and accepted it as his fate. He was a sailor from the moment he first beheld the SCO, "With the v ievv of di.-gusLing him with a sailor's life, he Avas sent on board a merchant-ship, like Cook, Dampier, and Nelson ; but the hardships of the merchant service failed to damp his enthusiasm, and the increasing change, the novelty and excitement of the profession were to him an unfailing charm. But Franklin's spirit aspired to something more adventurous than life in a merchant vessel. In his early years England was being thrilled with Nel- son's gi'eat exploits, and the Eoyal Navy exercised a fascination over the minds of all young sailors. Franklin, boy as he was, felt the influence, and in 1800 he obtained an appointment as midshipman in the "Polyphemus," of 64 guns. Within a year the Lincolnshire boy shared in the ter- rible sea-fight off" Copenhagen, in which the "Polyphemus " ^od the attack in the most gallant stylo, ooon after this first action Franklin was trans- ferred to the discovery-ship, the " Investigator," commanded by the distin- guished explorer Captain Flinders, a relative of the Franklin family. Here our hero obtained his early training in those scientific branches of his pro- fession, his accomplishment in which, in Lis later days, contributed so much to his success as an explorer. For more than two years, as Ave learn from -Admiral Sherard Osborne, the "Investigator" — an old, leaky, crazy A'cssel, such as in our days Avould not bo deemed fit for the Avoi'k of a collier — struggled along the coast of that island-continent of the Southern Ocean, Avhicli Flinders appropriately named " Australia." " It Avas a school of hard- ship and painful labour, yet not devoid of interest to the ardent young sailor, and in all probability it was in making these, the first discoveries of many a mile of coast, many t. reef, many a haven, that Franklin's mind became first imbued Avith that sincere love of geographical exi)lorntior. ii'hI maritime EARLY CAREER OF FRANK UN. 40 discovery, which subsequently formed so prominent a feature in his profes- sional career." Flinders, Admiral Osborne informs us, was exactly the man to awaken such feelings in one so intelligent as John Franklin, lie had been one of that company of navigators who won for England the honour of having really explored the gi-eat South Sea. He could tell of Otaheito. and of how our rough uncared-for seamen of that day forsook their king and their country, the pleasures and the duties of "ivilised life, for the lo,e of its warm-hearted people. He had witnessed the ferocity of the Sandwich islanders, and could thrill his listeners Avith that awful hour of nmrder and cannibalism when Cook, the greatest of England's navigators, fell. He had weathered many a danger upon the inhospitable shores of the then unknown Australia, and had often navigated in high southern latitudes. He had in a small boat circumnavigated the stormy coasts of Van Diemen's Land, and shared with Bass the honour of discovering the strait which bears the name of the latter. The clever, modest, and unassuming Flinders formed the character of, and imparted much of his knowledge and information to, the youth, whose destiny it was in after-years to fall as the discoverer of the North-AVest Passage. The old " Investigator " was at last condemned in 1803, and Franklin in company with his captain and shipmates transferred themselves to II. M.S. " Porpoise," for a passage to England. Sailing round the north coast of Australia the " Porpoise," in the darkness of the night of August 18, struck upon a reef, and in a few minutes was staved and dismasted. Franklin now foimd himself one of ninety-four souls, on a sandbank at a distance from tho Australian shore of 180 miles. Help was not to be obtained nearer than at Port Jackson, distant 750 miles. Thither Captain Flinders proceeded in an open boat, and by a miracle succeeded in obtaining the means of returning and rescuing all his officers and crew. But the adventures of the homeward voyage were not yet ovc". Having succeeded in reaching China, Franklin resolved upon returning ho'io in ono of the Honourable East India Company's ships from Canton. It iiad been arranged, for safety against French mcn-of war, that a number of vessels should make the voyage in company ; and on tho 31st January 1804 a mag- nificciit fleet of fifteen East Indiamen put to sea from Canton river, Frank- lin sailing in the " Earl Camden," Captain Dance, who acted as connnodoro of this famous argosy laden with " millions of pounds' worth " of silks and other products of China. IMost of the vessels were painted with jiort-holes to resemble line-of-battlo ships ; and though they were not armed like men- of-war, their owners had furnished them with guns and men enough to make a good show of resistance in the event of their bei:'g attacked by French cruisers. On the l-lth of February, sailing well together, they were shaping i'\f,ii 44 liUCIIAN AND FRANKLIN'S VOYAGE IN 1818. •IM; i , I I their course for Malacca Strait, when a very svirprising valentine came sail- ing' over the waters to pieet them in the shape of the " Marengo," a notori- ous French seventy-four, backed by three smart frigates, and commanded by Admiral Linois, one of the most intrepid French privateers of the day. Linois knows he lias caught the gi'cat prize of these waters — the famous China fleet, with wealth enoiigh on board to make liimself and his followers indei5erdent for life. lie bears down upon what he supposes to be the de- fenceless fleet of merchantmen, but is astounded to find, when he gets near enough, that the harmless traders are armed ships ranged in order of battle and ready from their hundred port-holes to give am\. a true British welcome. The Frenchman is considerably taken aback. He heaves to, uncertain whether this ship-shape squadron are really sheep in wolves' clothing, and half expecting that in the course of the night they will make sail, separate, and flee ; but daylight finds them all as they had passed the night — at their quarters, guns shotted, and more prepared to do battle for the red flag that streams from their mizzen-peaks than on the previous day. Linois, more puzzled than ever, still hesitates, until the English bear away under easy sail. xO then essays to cut off" the rearmost ships. But the commodore is on the alert. He promptly throws out the signal, " Tack ! bear down, and engage the enemy ! " A cheer runs round the fleet of merchant sailors who at once prepare for action. This is altogether too much for the Frenchman, who now makes all sail away. Commodore Daii'^e directs a general chase, and now is seen the singular spectacle of a French squadron of men-of-war, perfectly equipped, led by one of the most distinguished of the French ad- mirals of that day, retreating before a fleet of armed merchant-ships ! Before another year had passed Franklin was signal midshipman on board the " Bellerophon," 74, and on the ever memorable lilst October 1805 he fought under Nelson at Trafalgar. " We see the Lincolnshire boy," says Osborne, " pass through all the phases from childhood to manhood, from the skylarking middy to the steady, trustworthy lieutenant — tempered in a school of ijatient perseverance, and not spoilt b}' constant success. He saw the failure at Flushing ; he marked how the under-estimating of a foe brought down upon his profession the mischances of the American war ; and in the disastrous attempt to cajiture New Orleans he was for the first time wounded." Such was the man who at the age of thirly-one was appointed to the command of the " Trent," the attendant ship of the " Dorothea," commis- sioned to find a way across the Pole to the Pacific. How ignorant were the English Admiralty of that day of the all but impossible nature of the task ! 1' It AX K UN'S FinS'i ARCTIC CRUISE. 45 CHAPTER VI. franklin's first arctic cruise — OBJECTS OF THE EXPEDITION OF THE " DORO- THEA " AND " TRENT " — HARD WEATHER WITHIN THE ARCTIC CIRCLE THE FIRST ICE — THE SUN AT MIDNIGHT ^ — SPITZBERGEN — FIRST VIEW OF THE PACK OR MAIN BODY OF THE ICE— THE ICE-BLINK — ARCTIC SCENERY FIRST ENCOUNTER WITH THE WALRUS — A BAD NIGHT AMONG THE ICE — THE FIRST BEAR — DESPERATE ADVENTURE WITH BEAR — CUNNING OF BEARS — HABITS OF THE WALRUS — NARROW ESCAPE FROM A WALRUS HERD THE CHANGING CONDITIONS OF THE ICE CORAL BROUGHT UP FROM THE SEA-BOTTOM — CHARGING THE PACK — VESSELS RENDERED USE- LESS FOR MAIN OBJECTS OF THE EXPEDITION — CONCLUSION OF VOYAGE, The " Dorothea " (870 tons) and tlio " Trent " (a brig of 250 tons) were tvro stout but ugly whaling vessels, and to fit them in some dcgi'ce for the hard knocks Avhich were to be expected in the Polar Sea, as much wood and iron as could well be added to their original hulls was bolted on to and into tliem at Shadwell Dock. The expedition, says Captain Beechey — who sailed as lieutenant under Franklin and writes the account of the voyage — be ades having for its object the determination of a geogi'aphical question of importance, was also of a scientific nature ; and, being the only one of that description that had been fitted out by England since navigation had become, in the modern sense, scientific, a variety of suggestions and inventions, likely to prove useful on a service of such novelty, were submitted to the Admiralty and other departments of the Government. The peculiarity of the proposed route afforded opportunities of making some useful experiments upon the elliptical figure of the earth ; jn magnetic phenomena ; on the refraction of the atmosphere in high latitudes under ordinary circumstances, and over extensive masses of ice ; on the temperature and specific gravity of the sea at the surface and at various depths ; and on meteorological and other interesting phenomena ; to all of which Captain Buchan was to pay parti- cular attention. Two years' provisions and numerous stores, in addition to those usually supplied to men-of-war, wore embarked in each ship, and tiie expedition being complete in its equipment, and having dropped down the Thames, Captain Buchan received his instructions and set sail on the 25th April. i iiii i U' i: >:^ III ». ■ J 46 BUCIIAS AM) FRAXKLLVS VOYAGK IX 1818. Tlie port of Lerwick was reached on the 1st and left on the 10th of May; oiv the 14th tlio Arctic circle was ci'osscd, and on the IHth the expedition had reached the parallel of 72^ So' N. \J]} to this period the Aveather had been so moderate that the ships had not so mnch as reefed a topsail ; but the aspect of the sky now became changed, sail after sail was gradually reduced, as the breeze freshened, until storm staysails only were presented to the increasing gale and the ships were burying their gunwales deep in the wave. A cold Avind now swept down from the north coating the sails and cordage with ice and covering the decks with snow. The curiously formed snow- flakes that fell were examined with much curiosity. They were crystallised nearly as hard as hailstones, and were formed into figures of from four to twelve rays and into other regular figures, some of which were of the most delicate and beautiful appearance. Oherie Island, a small uninhabited isle in lat. 74° 33' N., and long. 17° 44' E., nearly midway between Spitzbergcn and Norway, was seen on the 24th, deeply buried in snow, and shortly afterwards was observed an exten- sive field of ice sweeping from the northern extremity of the island — round the horizon in the direction of Spitzbergcn in a compact body. From the neighbourhood of Cherie or Bear Island the expedition stood away northAvard tOAvard the South Cape of Spitzbergcn. In shaping this course it Avas neces- sary to pass through a Avide belt of loose ice that had been disengaged from the main body. To such of the crcAV as had not before visited the Arctic regions the scene that noAv presented itself Avas novel and interesting ; and the huge masses of ice, as they floated in succession past the A^essels, Avere re- garded Avith peculiar attention, partly on account of their grotesque shapes, but chiefly because they enabled the voyagers to form some judgment of tho nature of the barrier Avhich might ultimately present itself to their i^rogress. The streams through Avhich the course of the A'essels lay consisted of small floes and pieces of ice, sufficiently detached in general to admit of a ship sailing betAveen them, but occasionally interposing material obstructions to their passage. The progress of a vessel through such a maze of frozen masses is one of the most interesting experiences of the young Arctic explorer, and many of the officers and men of the " Dorothea " and " Trent " remained out of then* beds at a late hour to enjoy the novel scene. There was also, at this time, an additional motive for remaining up. Very fcAV in the expedi- tion had ever seen the sun at midniijht, and this night happening to be parti- cularly clear, his broad, red disc, curiously distorted by refraction, and SAveep- in^ along Jie northern horizon, was an object of imposing gi-andcur, which detained upon tho deck numbers of the crcAVS Avho Avould have beheld Avith indifference the less imposing effect of an iceberg. The novelty of the ap- pearance of the floating masses Avas Avonderfully heightened by the singular and beautiful effect produced by the very Ioav altitude at Avhich the sun cast NEARIXa THE PACK. 47 his nickly beams over the icy surface of the sea. The rays were too oblique to illuminate more than the inequalitcs of the floes, and falling thus imrtially on the grotesque shapes, cither really assumed by the ice, or distorted by the unequal refraction of the atmosphere, so betrayed the imagination that it required no gi'eat exertion of fancy to trace in various directions, architec- tural edifices, gi'ottoes, and caves glittering here and there as if Avith coloured gems and gold. The streams of ice between which the vessels at first pursued their wind- ing course became gradually narrower until it became necessary to charge the ice that hampered the way ; but some of the masses were immovable, and the vessels glanced off and ran into the opposite bank of the channel. The ice-stream was crossed, however, during the night of the 25th, and on the following day the southern promontory of Spitzbergen was in sight ; its dark, pointed mountain -summits rising majestically above beds of snow and giving a blank and dreary aspect to the coast. A hea^vy gale from the south-west struck the ships on the 28th, and parted them. The " Trent " ran before the gale, but towards the evening of that day the sight of many heavy pieces of ice led Franklin to conjecture that the ^>f/cA was not far dis- tant, and that consequently there was danger ahead. He therefore gave orders to round-to until the wind should moderate. Rigorous Arctic weather now came on. The snow fell in heavy showers and several tons weight of ice accumulated on the sides of the " Trent," and received an additional layer every time the brig made a plunge. Everything w^as covered with a ragged, icy fringe ; and " so great was the accumulation about the bows," says Beechy, " that we were obliged to cut it away re- peatedly with axes to relieve the bowsprit from the enormous weight that was attached to it : and the ropes were so thickly covered Avith ice, that it was necessary to beat them with large sticks to keep them in a state of readiness for any evolution that might be rendered necessary either by the appearance of ice to lee-ward, or by a change of wind." When the fog cleared off in the morning it was perceived that the ice in which the brig had been beset, was really, as had been feared, part of the main body or 2^<^<'k, and that they had all reason to be devoutly thankful for Franklin's precaution in rounding to the previous evening before the vessel had actually driven on to the pack ; for had they encountered this main body of ice in thick weather and whilst running before a gale of wir.d, there would have been very little chance of saving either the vessel or her crew. Having again fallen in with the " Dorothea " at jNEagdalena Bay, the appointed place of rendezvous on the west coast of Spitzbergen, the expedi- tion, according to Government instructions, now stood away to the north- ward and again saw the main body of ice, quite compact as before, and extending round the northern horizon " in one vast unbroken plain, con- ■^ 4 I 1 48 nUC/IAX AM) FIIANKLLVS VOYAGE IN 1818. \- ! t I iiccted so closely with the shore as to leave no passage whatever for a vessel." This immense barrier of ice which had hitherto closed the door to all northern discovery, and into which Phipps had vainly endeavoured to find an inlet in 1773, was examined by Franklin and his officers with intense curiosity. It was found to bo composed of masses too heavy to be turned aside by the bows of the vessels, and too thick and broad lo be operated upon by the ice- 5aws, with which the expedition was provided, with any chance of success. But, nevertheless, it was not the solid continent of ice described by Phipps, and hopes were still entertained that some opening into it would present itself before long, and enable the ships to advance. Meanwhile it was resolved to occupy the present time by taking a survey of Magdalena Bay, which was accordingly done. The head of the bay is marked by a lofty pyramidal mountain of granite, called Kotge Hill, from the myriads of the small birds called rotges which frequent its base. These birds were so numerous that an uninterrupted line of them was seen extending half-way across the bay to a distance of three miles, and so close together that a smgle shot brought down thirty of them. This living cloud was estimated tc be six yards jroad and as many deep, so that, allowing sixteen birds to the cubic yard, there must have been nearly four millions of birds on the wing at one time. This number seems large, but when we add that the little rotges rise in such numbers as completely to darken the air, and that their chorus is distinctly audible at the distance of four miles, the estimate will not be thought overstated. The principal features of Magdalena Boy are its four immense glaciers, formed upon the land bj accumulations of frozen snow, and gradually creep- ing down upon the shore and easting off immense masses of ice (icebergs) from time to time. The lar/jest of the glaciers, " Waggon Way," presented a perpendicular surface of three hundred feet, and was a thousand feet in length. Nevertheless, upon so gigantic a scale is all nature around, that this glacier does not create much astonishment in the mind of the beholder until he approaches within the influence of the ice-blink, or luminous haze which is invariably radiated by large frozen masses. Within this influence the wall oi' ice has an awfully grand appearance, heightened by a sense of the personal danger to which so near an approach exposes the spectator ; for large pieces occasionally break away from this body and do much mischief. The soft blue tint of the surface of the ice is here also clearly discerned, whilst the long sparkling icicles pendant from the roofs of the caverns into which it is hollowed, add greatly to the interest of its appearance. On a perfectly calm day, when the blink of the ice is strong, a curious illusion is produced by the combined effect of the appearance of the ice below the water with the reflection of the ice -walls that tower above it. The sea presents a white creamy appearance. The seals sporting on its surface seem A SUNNY DA Y IN SPrTZIiKRGEN. 49 to be swimming in a thick milky substance ; and the ripple, as it sweeps along, rises in long white lines, so that it is only in looking pernentlicnlarly upon the water that the transparency is perceived, and the illusion detected. But it is in the region within the Arctic circle that nature seems especi- ally to delight in illusions, and rapid, and marvellous changes. In cloudy or misty weather, when the hills are clothed with newly fallen snow, nothing can be more dreary than the appearance of the shores of Spitzbergen. But on the other hand, it is impossible to conceive a more brilliant and lively effect than that which is produced on a fine day, when the sun shines forth and blends its rays with that peculiarly soft, bright atmosphere which over- hangs a country deeply bedded in snow, and with a sky more intensely, purely blue than is seen in any other region. On such a day the winds are light, and the shores teem with living objects. All nature acknowledges the glorious sunshine. Such a day rose over the " Dorothea " and " Trent," in Magdalena Bay, on the 4th June 1818. The various amphibious animals and the myriads of birds which had resorted to the place, seemed to enjoy in the highest degree the change to sunny weather. From an early hour in the morning until the period of rest returned, the shores around rever- berated with the cheerful cries of auks, willocks, divers, cormorants, gulls, and other aquatic birds, the huge-bearded walruses basked in the sim and mingled the roar, by which they express gratification and contentment, with the husky bark of the seal. When the hour of sunset arrived, all sounds of bird and beast at once ceased, and perfect silence prevailed, interrupted only by the revei'berated boom of a burst iceberg, or the crash of some falling fragment of rock split off" from the main mass by the action of the frost. " In the day time," says Beechey, " the presence of our expedition was not disregarded. The birds shunned us in their flight, and every noise which was occasionally made, sounding strange to the place, sent to a greater distance the sea-gulls that were fishing among the rocks, and kept on the alert whole herds of animals, many of which would otherwise have been lost in sleep ; causing them to raise their heads when anything fell upon our deck, and to cast a searching look over the bay, as if to inquire whence so unusual a disturbance proceeded. When we first rowed into this bay, it was in quiet possession of herds of walruses, who were so unaccus- tomed to the sight of a boat that they assembled about her apparently highly incensed at the intrusion, and swam towards her as though they would have torn the planks assunder with their tusks. The wounds that were inflicted only served to increase their rage, and, I frankly admit, that when I con- sidered how many miles we were from our vessel, and what might be the result of this onset, I wished we had the support of a second boat ; we con- tinued, however, to keep them oft Avith our firearms, and fortunately came off' without any accident. When we afterwards came to anchor, we went 1 G I A li < Hi . M In 50 JiUCHAN AM) FRANKLLVS VOYAGE IN 1818. W I better pronded, and succeeded in killing several of these animals upon the ice at the head of the bay." Some of the walruses captured were found to be fourteen feet in length, and nine feet in girth. In the inside of several, round granite pebbles, larger than walnuts, and occasionally over twenty in number, were found. The hide was so tough that a bayonet was the only weapon that could pierce it. Leaving Magdalcna Bay on the 7th, the expedition revisited the main body of the ice, but found it as firm and compact as it hail been when before examined. Coasting along the margin of the ice, the breeze suddenly deserted the vessels, and, as there Avas a heavy swell rolling up from the south-west, they were driven into the pack. A light breeze springing up from over the ice, they were released from their most perilous situation, and regained the open sea. In an hour's time, however, they were again becalmed, and again were they driven among the ice. The swell had now materially increased, and rolled in upon the pack most furiously. The great masses along the margin of the ice were at one moment wholly immersed in the sea, and the next soared uji on the crest of a roller, Avhile the broken fields beyond the margin rose and fell in the most threatening manner as the advancing wave forced its way along. This see-saw motion was alarm- ing not only in appearance, but in fact ; and must have proved fatal to any vessel that encountered it, as floes of ice, several yards in thickness, were continually crashing and breaking in pieces, and the sea for miles was covered with fragments gi'ound so small that they actually formed a thick pasty substance — in nautical language, called brash ice — which extended to the depth of five feet. In this dangerous situation Franklin endeavoured to get the bow, the strongest part, of the " Trent," placed in the direction of the most formidable pieces of ice — a manoeuvre which, though likely to be attended with the loss of the bowsprit, was preferable to encountering the still gi'eater risk of having the broadside of the vessel in contact with it. For this would have subjected her to the chance of dipping her gunwale under the floes as she rolled ; an accident which, had it occurred, would either have laid open her side or have overset the vessel at once. In either case, the event would probably have proved fatal to all on board, as it would have been next to impossible to have rescued any person from the confused moving mass of brash ice which covered the sea in every direction. As the " Trent " ad- vanced, the brash ice thickened until it became impenetrable. In this most perilous position on the edge of the pack, the vessel passed the night. To add to the danger and discomfort, she was found to leak, and the well was discovered nearly full of water. Fortunately a north breeze took the brig into the open sea next morning, and, meeting the " Dorothea," the two A BEAR ADVESTURE. 51 made sail westward to reconnoitre the state of the ice in that direction. Nothing was to be done on this tack, for, meeting with a number of whalers, the expedition learned that the ice was quite compact to the west, and that fifteen vessels were beset in it. Captain Buchan and Lieutenant Franklin now shaped tlieir course to the east, and kept near the land of Spitzbergen. On the 10th June they made Prince Charles' Island, and on the follow- ing evening they were close to the ice off Cloven Cliff. The pack was still impenetrable, but it was some satisfaction to observe that the margin was removed several miles to the northwr.rd of its former position, and that there was a channel of water between it and the land. As the season was advanc- ing, it was necessary at once to take advantage of this channel to get to the northward, and so carry out, in part at least, the instructions of the Ad- miralty. The ships accordingly passed Cloven Cliff, a remarkable isolated rock which marks the north-western angle of Spitzbergen. For some time the expedition steered along an intricate -.tiann "^1 between the land and the ice, but scarcely had they passed Red Bay, so named from the colour of its cliffs, when, at two in the morning of the 12th June, the further advance of the vessels was stopped, and the channel by which they had entered became so completely closed up as to preclude the possibility of retreating. There Avas now danger and threatened destruction on every side. The ice pressed in heavily upon the brigs ; a '' nip " was imminent, which might either cut the vessels through or close above or below them ; the water was .shallow, with a rocky bottom, and a drift with tho ice would have torn away the hulls of both. It was on this part of the coast of Spitzbergen that Hudson, Baffin, Poole, and almost all the early voyagers, had been stopped. Both vessels were now hauled into small bays in the floe formed by the change of tide, and secured there by ice anchors, and thus they remained for thirteen days. While thus moored to the ice the leak of the " Trent," formed by a bolt-hole having been left open, was found, and the opening effectually closed. A travelling party set out from the " Dorothea " to reach the shore at a dis- tance of three or four miles ; but they had not traversed half the distance when they were enveloped in a fog, lost their way, and after vain efforts to find their way back to the ship, had sat down on the ice to die — which they must have done within a few hours from the effects of fatigue and exposure — when a rescuing party found them and conducted them back. Time now hanging heavy on the hands of the expedition, they resolved to have some sport. They burnt a quantity of walrus fat to attract any stray bears that might be ranging the ice in the neighbourhood. About midnight one of these ferocious animals was seen to draw his huge carcase out of the water and slowly approach the ships. The sight of the tall masts seemed to alarm him a little, for he occasionally hesitated, threw up his head, and seemed half inclined to turn round and be off. But the smell of the burnt (• I I ■ is! ■•■ .1 P; 1 I't; 52 BUCHAX AND FRANKLIN'S VOYAGE IN 1818. fat was too enticing, and he came on within range of the muskets. " On receiving the first shot," says Beechey, " he sprang round, uttered a terrific growl, and half raised himself upon his hind legs, as if in expectation of seiz- ing the object that had caused him such excruciating pain ; and woe to any human being who had at that moment been within reach of his merciless paws ! The second and third balls laid him writhing upon the ice, and the n...te of the " Dorothea " jumped down out of the vessel and endeavoured to despatch him with the butt-end of his musket. His gun, however, broke short off" and for a moment left him at the mercy of his formidable antagonist, who showed, by tuniing sharply upon his assailant and seizing him by the thigh, that he was not yet mastered ; and ho would most certainly have inflicted a most serious wound, had it not been for the prompt attack of two or three of the sailors, Avho had followed the mate. The animal was by no means one of the largest of his species, being only six feet in length, and three feet four inches in height. His stomach was quite empty, with the ex- ception of a garter, such as is used bij Greenlaiid sailors to tie up their boat stockings ! " Alas ! poor Greenlander ! dventure which took place in Nova Zembla ardntz, is related in " Purchas his Pilgrimes," An extraordinary be^ Ad during the second voyage ofT^i and may be inserted here. " The 0th of September some of our men went on shore, upon the firme land to seek for stones, which are a kind of diamond, whereof there are many also in the States' Island, and while they were seeking the stones, two of our men lying together in one place, a gi'cat leane white beare came suddenly stealing out, and caught one of them fast by the neck ; who not knowing what it was that tooke him by the uecke, cryed out and sayed ' Who is it that pulls r\e so by the necke ? ' Wherewith the other that lay not farre from him, lifted up his head to see who it was ; and, perceiving it to be a monstrous beare, cryed out and sayed, ' Oh mate ! it is a lieare ; ' and therewith presently rose up and ran away " The beare at the first falling upon the man bit his head in sunder, and suckt out liis blood ; wherewith the rest of the men that were on the land, being about twenty in number, ranne presently thither, either to save the man, or else to drive the beare from the body ; and having charged their pieces, and bent their pikes, set upon hei', that still was devouring the man, but percei\ing them to come towards her, fiercely and cruelly ranne at th?m and got another of them out from the company, which she tore in pieces, wherewith all the rest ran away. We perceiving out of our ship and jiin- nasse that our men ranne to the sea-side to save themselves, with all speed entered into their lioats and rowed as fast as we could to relieve our men. Where, being on land, we beheld the cruell spectacle of our two dead ^n that had been so cruelly killed and torne in pieces by the beare. We, seeing 'I- I i- ii I' : \ \ Q 'X i ii ' li' ! il ii ■i r: i J 7/V BEAR A rACTICIAN. 53 that, encouraged our men to goe back again with ns, and with pieces, curtel- axes, and halfe-pikes, to set upon the beare, but they woukl not all agree, thereunto ; some of them saying, our men are already dead, and we shall get the beare well enough though we oppose ourselves into so open danger ; if we might save our fellowes' lives, then we would make haste ; but now we need not make such speed, but take her at an ad' antage, for we have to doe with a cruell, fierce, and ravenous beast. Whereupon three of our men went forward, the beare still devouring her prey, not once fearing the number of our men, and yet they were thirtie at the least ; the three that went for- ward in that sort were Cornelius Jacobson, William Geysen, and Hans Van Miflen, William Barentz, purser ; and, after that the sayd master and pylat had shot three times, and mist, the pursei*, stepping somewhat further for- ward, and seeing the beare to be within the length of a she,;, presently levelled his piece, and discharging it at the beare, shot her into the head, between the eyes, and yet she held the man still fast by the necke, and lifted up her head with the man in her mouth ; but she began somewhat to stagger, wherewith the purser and a Scottish man drew out their curtelaxes and strooke at her so hard that their curtelaxes biu'st, and yet she vould not leave the man ; at last William Geysen went to them, and with all his might strooke the beare upon the snout with his piece, at which time the beare fell to the ground, making a great noise, and William Geysen leaping upon ho cut her throat." Moored to their ice-floe, unable on the one hand to reach land, and on the other to work their way into the open sea, the oflicers and men of the " Dorothea " and " Trent " foimd their most interesting occupation in watch- ing the habits of the strange animals who sported about in the pools around the ships or basked on the ice in the sun. On one occasion a walrus rose in one of the pools close to the ship, and finding everything quiet, dived down and brought up its young, which it held to its breast by pressing it with its flipper. In this maimer it moved about the pool, keeping in an erect pos- ture, and always directing the face of its progeny toward the vessel. Oii the slightest movement on board, the mother released her flipper and pushed the young one under water ; but when everything was again quiet, brought it up as before, and for a length of time continued to play about the pool to the great amusement of the seamen, who would have it that the old walrus was instructing her infant in the mysteries of British sea-craft. The follo„'ing story told by Lieutenant Beechey of the " Trent " attests the very great cunning of the Polar bear : " Bears, when hungiy, seem always on the watch for animals sleeping upon the ice, and endeavour by stratagem, to approach them luiobserved ; for, on the smallest disturbance, the animals dart through holes in the ice, which they always take care to be near, and thus evade pursuit. One sunshiny day a walrus, of nine or ten hi 54 BUCHAN AND FRANKLLYS VOYAGE IN 1818. h.5 i feet in length, rose in a pool of water not very far from us, and after looking round, drew his greasy carcase upon the ice, where ho rolled about for a time, and at length laid himself down to sleep. A bear which had probably been observing his movements, crawled carefully upon the ice on the oppo- site side of the pool, and began to roll about also, but apparently more with design than amusement, as he progressively lessoned the distance that inter- vened between him and his prey. The walrus, suspicious of his advances, drew himself up, preparatory to a precipitate retreat into the water, in case of a neai-er acquaintance with his playful but treacherous visitor ; on which the bear Avas instantly motionless as if in the act of sleep, but after a time began to lick his pavrs and clean himself, and occasionally to encroach a little more upon his intended prey. But even this artifice did not succeed ; the wary walrus was far too cunning to allow himself to be entrapped, and suddenly plunged into the pool, Avhich the bear no sooner observed than he threw off all disguise, marched toward the spot, and followed him in an instant into the water, where 1 fear he was as much disappointed in his meal as we were of the pleasure of witnessing a very interesting encounter." Unfavourable weather continuing to j^i'cvail, the vessels remained moored to the floe and subject to occasional " nips " from the freezing water. The " Dorothea " was subjected to enormous pressure, and the field of ice to which she had been attached being rent and thrown up, one fragment was found to bear the exact impression of the planks and bolts of the vessel's bottom. In the Arctic seas the ordinary agencies of nature are limited in the most curious manner. "While it was blowing a gale of Avind at sea, the ships moored to the ice-field were so perfectly becalmed that the vane at the mast-head Avas scarcely agitated. There Avas also a most marked difference in the state of the atmosphere over the packed ice and that OA'er the open sea. Over the ice the sky Avas perfectly cloudless ; Avhile tlie sea Avas over- cast Avith stormy-looking clouds, Avhich passed heavily along Avith the gale, until they reached a line nearly perpendicular to the edge of the packed ice. But at this point or line of demarcation of the tAA'O atmospheres, it Avas curious to mark the rapid motion of the clouds to the right or left, and hoAV immediately they became condensed or Avere dispersed on arriving at it ; and although masses of clouds Avcre continually borne towards the spot by the impetuosity of the tempest, the line of termination did not encroach upon that of the serene atmosphere overhanging the pack. This contrast betAveen the tAvo atmospheres, so remarkaljle in cloutly Avcather especially, is termed the ico-blinlv, and enables the experienced mariner to judge of the nature and position of the ice even at a distance. On the north-Avest coasts of RpitzbcTgen the effect of a south-Avest gale is ADVENTURES WITH WALRUS. 55 first to pack the ice closely, and then to drive it bodily to the northward. But as soon as the gale abates, the ice shows wonderful elasticity — the floes separate, the prevailing current resumes its wonted course, and the ice, breaking up in every direction, may be seen travelling at a gi'cat rate. Accordingly, when on the 23d a north-east breeze sprang up, the leader of the expedition took immediate advantage of it to extricate the vessels that had been beset for thirteen days. In the hope, however, that this north wind Avould disclose some opening into the ice, the vessels after regaining the open sea kept close to the edge of the pack. Approaching Cloven Cliff" the ice was found drifted close down upon the land, and a calm ensuing, the vessels were again stationary and idle. Several herds of walrus being seen on the loose ice near the pack, permission was given to the boats to go in pursuit of them. At the time of the expedition under consideration, walrus were much more numerous on the western coast of Spitzbergen than in Baffin's Bay, or in any other quarter of the northern seas with which voyagers of that day Avere familiar ; and it was their habit to congregate in herds numbering over a hundred animals, on the large pieces of ice near the edge of the main body. In these situations, says Beechey, they appear gi'eatly to enjoy themselves, rolling and sporting about, making the air resound with their bellowing, which bears some resemblance to the bellowing of a bull. These diversions generally end in sleej), during which these wary animals take the precaution of appointing a sentinel to warn them of danger. So universal is the observ- ance of this precaution that Captain Beechey scarcely ever saw a he^-d, how- ever small, in which he did not notice one of the party on the watch, stretch- ing his long neck in the air every half minute, to the utmost extent of its muscles, to survey the ground about him. In the event of any alarming appearances, the sentinel immediately seeks his own safety; and as these animals always lie hxiddled upon one another, the motion of one is immediately communicated to the Avhole group, which is instantly in motion toward the water. The pell-mell, head-and-hecls rush to the water is a most ludicrous scene when the herd is a large one. From the unwieldy figure of the ani- mals the state of fear into which they are thrown, and their lying so closely packed together, they tumble over one another, get angiy, and in their endeavour to regain their feet, flounder about in each other's way, till having at last scrambled to the edge of the ice, they plunge into the water head first when they can, but in any and every position possible in which they may have been able to walk, roll, or stumble to the edge of the ice. The gallop of the sea-horse is probably the most awkward motion that is exhibited by any animal tribe, from the great difficulty of bringing the hind feet forward, arising from the immense weight of the animal and the great disproportion between the length of their bodies and their legs. In order to facilitate the ij i' '-'i I hi: k !•! Ill ,;'« 'if 56 BUCHAX AND FRANKLIN'S VOYAGE IN 1818. bringing up of the hindei parts of the bod}', the head is ailternately lowered and raised, and the pliant, bhibber-covered body heaved forward with a wavy motion, which reminds one of the hurried movement of a large caterpiUar — a hidicrous association, that tends to heighten the grotesque effect. On the evening of the 27th the walrus herds having squatted on the ice to enjoy the fine sunny evening and rest themselves after tlieir exertions during the recent gale, the boats properly manned and equijiped were sent off in pursuit of them. One herd was r '^ked jiving its mind so entirely up to the enjo}inent of " Hfe's j,lad mon '■^ . lat it could be approached without any alarm being raised. A number t :^ ; had landed on the sheet of ice on which the playful creatures were portr' but at the discharge of the first musket the entire herd commenced such a iU:'ious stampede that they nearly overturned the whole of the party from the " Trent " placed to cut off" their line of retreat. On went the walrus through the broken ranks of the seamen, until, reaching the edge, they performed their slow and un- gainly summersault into the sea. Their impetuous charge had somewhat bewildered the men, and what with the extreme toughness of their skin and the respectful c' ^stance at which the sailors were obliged to keep to avoid the lashing heads and tusks of the animals, the herd escaped to the sea almost uninjured. One, however, was desperately wounded on the head with a ball, and the mate of the brig, beuig determined if possible to secure him, reso- lutely struck his tomahawk into the beast's skull, but the enraged animal, with a toss of his head, sent the weapon whirling in the air, and then lashing his neck, as though he would destroy with his immense tusks everything that came in his way, effected his escape to the water. The seamen followed and pushed off" in their boats, but the walrus, finding themselves more at home now than on the ice, in their turn became the assailants, and the affair began to assume a serious aspect. They rose in great niuubers on all sides, snort- ing with rage and rushing at the boats, and it was with the utmost difficulty they were prevented uj^Sf^tting them or staving them in by placing their tusks upon the gunwales, or sstriking at them with their heads. "It was the opinion of our people," says Captain Beechey, " that in this assault the walruses were led on by one animal in particular, a much larger and more formidable beast than any of the others ; and they directed their efforts more particularly towards him, but he withstood all the blows of their tomahawks without flinching, and his tough hide resisted the entry of the whale lances, which were unfortunately not very sharp, and soon bent double. The herd were so numerous and their attacks so incessant, that there was not time to load a musket, Avhich indeed was the only mode of seriously injuring them. The purser fortunately had his gun loaded, and the whole crcM' being now nearly exhausted with chopping and sticking at their assailants, he snatched it up, and thrusting the muzzle down the throat of the leader, fired into liis body. ARCTIC SEA- VIEW. 57 The wound proved mortal, and the animal fell back amongst his companions, who immediately desisted from the attack, assembled round him, and in a moment quitted the boat, swimming away as hard as they could with their leader, whom they actually bore up with their tusks, and assiduously pre- served from sinking. Whether this singidar and comi)assionate conduct, which in all probability was done to pi event suffocation, arose from the sagacity of the animals, it 's ditlicult to sa^, but there is every probability of it ; and the fact must form an interesting trait in the history of the habits of the species." Walrus-hunting, stalking reindeer, and shooting wildfowl, with which the bay abounded, occupied the time till the Oth July, when, finding that the ice had been driven northward, Buchan put to i^^a, and sailo' a that direction as far as 80° 15'; the ships in their progress, however, >..in ftcn heavily struck by masses of ice. On the 7th an opening •• .s d )vered, and Captain Buchan crowding all sail on the " Dorothea," ■ as. ed boldly into it, followed by Franklin in the "Trent." The ships cor*^' lued to advance rapidly along the narrow channels between the floes, ^^rimiiiing their sails at each tux'n of the canal, and receiving occasional assi lo , from a light line cast to the men, who had gone out on the ice, and >vhose exertions were necessary to check the bow or quarter of the vessel, and otherwise assist the helm when the turnings of the channel were abrupt, or to prevent the vessels falling to leeward when their way had been deadened by the resist- ance of some heavy piece of ice against which they had struck. " A profi- cient in the art of marine drawing," says Beechey, "might here have found a beautiful subject for his pencil. The endless and ever varying forms of the ice ; the glassy smooth canals winding among the floes, and reflecting the bright blue colour of their banks ; the vessels in various positions, trimming their sails to maintain their course ; groups of figures busily occupied 'pon the ice ; and many other objects which would have pi-csented themselves to a practised eye, would have supplied materials for a picture, which I shall not spoil by attempting to describe." So rapid and unexpected are the climatic changes in these seas, how- ever, that before the evening of the same day the channels had all but closed. Determined not to be beaten when there yet remained the smallest chance of pushing north, Captain Buchan ordered out his men, and com- menced warping the vessels through the ice wherever the smallest opening presented itself This was done by fixing large ropes by iron hooks driven into the ice, and heaving upon them with the windlass ; a party of men being employed at the same time in freeing the forefoot of each vessel, by removing obstructions in the channel with saws. At last progress was finally arrested by the closing of the channels in latitude 80° 87' N., the most northerly position reached by the expedition. 1 H it i\ >i i I I 58 Bi'Cir.W AM) FliAXKLIS'S VOYAGE IN 1818. The vessels now began to drift with the ice to the sonthward, and though two most hiborious days were spent in dragging to the north, tlie hibour was thrown away, for tlie current set so fixst to the southward, that ground was gradually being lost, and the latitude by observation was found to be 80° '20'. Here the vessels were again beached. In order to understand more completely wherein the danger of the navigation of those seas consists, it will be necessary, at this stage, to describe as briefly as possible what were the principal characteristics of the ice, and the changing conditions to which they were subject. Westerly and southerly winds were prevailing, and occasionally, as at the change of the tide, the ice-fields would be subjected to such a pressure, that their edges would meet, crush together, and be crumbled to atoms ; the bay or newly formed ice would slide upon and form a layer over the field tha*.. was in contact with it ; immense hummocks would be overset and sometimes forced under water ; and in other parts, again, fragments would be piled up thirty or forty feet in height. As nothing made of wood can withstand these " nips," a vessel, if caught, must either be crushed or rise and allow the ice to advance under it, until its opposing fields meet. Unless a vessel is very heavily laden, and lies Ioav in the water — in which case it will be cut in two or buried altogether, crew and all, unless the latter are alert enough to leap upon the advancing ice — the wedge-like shape of a vessel is favourable to her rising. On the evening of the 10th, the " Trent " sustained a nip which threw her up four feet, and made her heel over four streaks ; and on the 15th and 16th, both vessels were again squeezed and suttered damage, especially the " Dorothea," which was a longer and more wall-sided vessel than the " Trent." On that occasion an ice-field fifteen feet in thickness was broken up, and the pieces piled upon each other to a great height, until they upset, rolling over with a tremendous crash. The vessels fortunately rose to the pressure, else they must have had their sides staved in. As it was, the " Trent " received gi-eat damage upon her quarters, and was so twisted, that the doors of all the cabins flew open, and the panels of some started in the frames, while her false stern-post was moved three inches, and her timbers cracked to a most serious extent. The " Dorothea " suffered still more severely. A number of her beams were sjirung, and two planks on the lower deck Avere split fore and aft, and doubled up, and she otherwise sustained serious injury in the Imll. The vessels only righted and settled in the water to their proper draft at the next change of tide. Sounding on the 19th, they found 300 fathoms, and brought up with the lead several specimens of living zoophites, a star-fish, a lobster, a piece of sponge, and a branch of dead coral attached to a stone. llow came that coral into these high latitudes was a question which much puzzled the officers of both ships. It was of a species the groAvth of CHARGIXa THE PACK. 59 which is generally liniited to mild waters, yet here it was foinul at a very great depth, and in latitude 80'' N. There was no known current in the Atlantic, by which this branch of coral could have been transported from i\w place of its growth to the shores of Spitzbergen ; and even if there was such a current, the uninjured and perfect condition in which it was found, was conclusive proof that it could not have been so transported. The inference, therefore, seems to be, that the specimen was reared near where it was found, and that either the coral insect is capable of enduring a greater degree of cold, and has a wider range of habitation than is generally supposed, or else that the temperature of the I'olar region has undergone a very consider- able modification. As we proceed in our history, we shall have to return to this most interesting subject, and shall have to state a number of siu'prising facts which seem to point to the conclusion that the climate of the lands and seas within the Arctic circle was at one time considerably more temperate than it subsequently became. The weather cleared up on the lOtli, Init the prospect of advancing to the north was as unpromising as ever. It was therefore resolved that the ships should endeavour to force their way out from the ice to the open sea, from which they were now about thirty miles distant. They therefore loosed from the ice-floe to which they had been attached, and commenced warj)ing the ships in the desired direction ; but, after five hours' hard labour, they had only advanced soutlnvard one mile. It took nine days' constant work, day and night, to extricate the ships. Hopeless of finding a northern I'oute close to the shores of Spitzbergen, Captain Buchan resolved to track the ice along westward to Greenland ; but he had not proceeded far when a south-west gale arose, and, being thus un- able to proceed on a western tack, the ships were put about. After this change of course, scarcely an hour had elapsed when the main body of the ice, which had been lost sight of for a short time, was seen close upon the lee-beam, with the sea beating furiously upon it. Everything was done to wear the ships off the pack in vain ; they settled gradually down upon the danger, and were soon in the thick of the large masses of ice which skirt the pack in windy weather, and from which the explorhig brigs received many a shock, that made all their timbers shiver. The " Dorothea," which had been more to leeward than the " Trent " when the gale sprung up, was now so close to the ice, that in order to escape innncdiate shipwreck, it became necessary for her to charge the pack (a practice which had been resorted to by whalers in extreme cases), and take refuge in it. It was a desperate necessity, and rendered all the more ominous from the circumstance, that in making direct for the ice-pack, the " Dorothea " was rapt away out of sight of her consort by an enveloping shroud of foam and s})ray dashed up to ar immense height from the edge of the ice. Franklin soon found that nothing I ■1 I!" !l ! i ■■• \: i If" I ! I : 60 nL'(7/A.y A.vn riuwKiJN's voYAai-: i\ isis. was to be (lone with the "Trent" but to follow tho example of the "Doro- thea ;" and lie therefore made every preparation in his jxnver to mitij^ate the first shock of the encounter with the ice. In order to avert the effect of the first concussion, a cable was cut up into thirty-feet lenjjfths, " and these, with plates of iron four feet Sfpiare, which had been supi)lied to us as fenders, to- j^ether with some walrus hides, were hiuig roinid the vessel, especially about the bows." The masts, at the same time, were seciu'cd with additional ropes, and the hatches were battened down. These precautions havinj,' been made, the brig was now nearing the breakers, and it was resolved to put her before the wind, and drive her fairly in amongst them. The line of furious breakers in front extended uninterruptedly as far as the eye could reach — great masses of ice heaving and falling with the waves, dashing together with the utmost violence, raising a din and clamour overriding the hoarse song of the storm, and rendering it almost impossible for the oUicers to make their orders heard by the crew. " No language, I am convinced," says IJeechey, " can convey an adequate idea of the terrific grandeur of the ett'ect now produced by the collision and the tempestuous ocean. The sea violently agitated and rolling its mountainous waves against an opposing body is at all times a sublime and awful sight ; but when, in addition, it encounters immense masses, which it has set in motion with a violence equal to its own, its effect is prodigiou.sly increased. At one moment it bursts upon these icy fragments, and buries them many feet beneath its wave, and the next, as the buoyancy of the depressed body struggles for reascendancy, the water rushes in foam- ing cataracts over its edges, whilst every individual mass, rocking and labouring in its bed, grinds against and contends with its opponent until one is either split with tho shock or upheaved upon the surface of the other. Nor is this collision confined to any particular spot ; it is going on as far as the sight can reach ; and when, from this convulsive scene below, the eye is turned to the extraordinary appearance of the blink in the sky above, where the unnatural charms of a calm and silvery atmosphere presents itself, bounded by a dark line of stormy clouds, such as at this moment lowered over our masts, as if to mark the confines within which the eftbrts of man would be of no avail, the reader may imagine the sensation of awe which must accompany that of grandeur in the mind of the beholder." Meantime, throughout the crew, the greatest calmness, resolution, and self-control prevailed, and the last orders given before the supreme moment should arrive were executed with the utmost promptitude and steadiness. The brig now wore round before the wind, hung for an instant on the rising wave, and then dashed away before the gale in amongst the churning breakers thundering on the pack. " Steady ! Hold on for your lives ! " and every man instinctively secures his own hold, and with his eyes fixed upon the trembling masts, awaits in breathless anxiety the moment of concussion. ESCAPE EliOM THE PACE. 61 The brif,' cuts her way throuj,'h the liyht iee, is lost for a moment amoiij^ the breakers, and then, with a shock that throws every man down upon the deck, that bends the masts Uke whip shafts, and is foHowed by the crackin*^ of the timbers below, the "Trent" meets the ])ack. 8he sta injuries. It was now the chief aim to extricate both vessels from the ice, and, after infinite labour, they were both taken out to the open sea. But though now imfettered by ice, the prospects of the expedition were very different from those of the previous day. Both vessels were now d' abled, one of them in a foundering condition, and, as fa; s regarded t' main object of the expedition, it was now clear that bo':, the "DorotL.. ' and the " Trent " were no longer of any use. The vessels made for Fair Haven, I Mi m i''ii' 62 Bl'CIIAX AND FRANKLINS VOYAGE IN 1818. in Spitzbergen, reaching a secure anchorage in South Gat. Here tlie vessels were inspected, and it Avas found that the " Dorothea " had the greater part of her timbers broken, and several of her beams sprung. The larboard side had been forced in so much that several spare oak planks, four and five inches thick, which were stowed in the wing, were found broken in several places. The spirit-roo)n, which Avas built in the centre of the ship, was forced in, and casks bedded in the ground tier of the hold had their staves broken. She was practically a wreck. The open season had not vet concluded, however, and it Avas resolved to make the best use of the few days still at the disposal of the expedition in surveying Fair Haven and the neighbouring coasts of Spitzbergen. The survey, which brought to light a number of interesting fticts regarding this remote land on the threshold of the unknown region, and in the course of Avhich several remarkable adventures were experienced, Avill be briefly sum- marised in the following chapter. m I V Ml III '■ h rm SriTZBERGEN. 63 CHAPTER VII. SPITZBERGEN — DISCOVEUY OF THE ISLAND BY BARENTZ — FATE OF THE DIS- COVERER — THE "DOROTHEA" AND " TRENT " IN SOUTH GAT OFF THE WEST COAST — DESCRIPTION OF THE ISLAND — ITS SURVEY, AND THE ADVENTURES OF THE SURVEYORS — EARLY ATTEMPTS AT COLONISATION — CONCLUSION OF THE VOYAGE OF " DOROTHEA " AND " TRENT," Before proceeding with the survey of Spitzbergen and the final adventures of Franklin and his companions of the " Dorothea " and " Trent," it will be proper in the first place to briefly sketch the discovery and the early history of the island. Before the close of the sixteenth century the Dutch, who had already become a great commercial nation, had resolved to seek a " north-about " route to the East, by which their capital might find its way into the Indies nKH'e readily and advantageously than by competing with the Spanish and Portuguese in their long and expensive voyages through the South Seas. With this view they fitted out a number of expeditions, of which, however, those of William Barentz more immediately concei'u us at the present time. With two ships mider his command, Barentz left Holland on the yth Juno 1594, and, steering north and north-east, discovered a part of Nova Zembla, in lat. 73' 25' N., on the 4th of the following month. Coasting along the west side of the island and coming to its north-west extremity, named by him Cape Nassau, he thought he perceived land toward the E.N.E. He sailed in this direction for several leagues, until he arrived at a large body of ice too close for his vessel to enter, and having no visible termination either to northward or southward. Unable to proceed farther in this direc- tion, he returned to Nova Zembla, rejoined the other exploring vessels, which the States-General had sent out during the same summer on a voyage of discovery, and which had passed the Waygat Strait and opened up the Kara Sea, between Nova Zembla and the north shores of Russia, and with them returned to Holland, arriving in the Texel, Ibth September. Next year the States-General sent forth an expedition of seven ships, to which Barentz was ajipoint^d chief i)ilot. ^Vgain reaching Waygat Island, between Nova Zembla and the mainland, th(>y were visited by a number of liussians who had come across from the continent in search of train oil, walrus tusks, I i I /■> iMt il I «' li.|:! Ill 4 64 SPITZBERGEX. and geese, and were informed by them that in a few weeks the frost wonld set in and freeze the sea so hard that they wonkl be able to travel over the strait to the llnssian shores. Barentz was also informed that if he would sail eastward for five days he would be able to round a promontory beyond whieh he would find an open sea leading to the south-east — by which open sea was doubtless meant the mouth of the great river Obi. The attempt was made, but finding the sea encumbered with ice and very close, the shii)s were obliged to return, and after numerous difiiculties .succeeded in regain- ing Holland. These two expeditions having proved unproductive of any valuable results, the States-General Avere unwilling to fit out any more vessels wholly at the Government expense ; but anxious that discovery should still be pro- secuted eastward along the shores of North Europe, they offered a reward to any person or persons who should discover the northern passage to China, provided that passage " could be sayled." Thus encouraged, a com- pany of merchants fitted out two vessels for discovery in loDG, appointing Barentz pilot of one of them, and John Cornelison liyp, master and fiictor of the other. The ships left Amsterdam on the 10th May, and on the 4th June reached the latitude of 71° N., at which point of their progress a strange sight appearing in the heavens astonished the voyagers. This was that remarkable and beautiful phenomenon of the Arctic heavens named J^xrhelia, which in the voyages of later explorers, it will be necessary to refer to at greater length. In this instance it consisted of two " mock suns," which arc thus quaintly described : "On each side of the sunne there was another sunne and two raine-bowcs, that past cleaue thorow the three sunnes, and then two raine-bowes more, the one encomi)assing round about the sunnes, and the other crosse thorow the great rundle ; the great rundle standing with the uttermost point elevated above the horizon 28°." In other words, those Avere two parhelia and four circles, two of Avhich passed through the sun and its parhelia, the third encompassed them, and the fourth passed vertically through the centre. Continuing their voyage they arrived at Cherie or Jiear Island, about a hundred geographical miles south of Spitzbergen. A party landed on the island, and having collected a quantity of the eggs of geese, Avere returning to the ships Avhen they encovuitered an immense Avhite bear, Avhich fought with them Avhilo " four glasses ranne out," and SAA^am aAvay Avith a hatchet Avhich had been struck into his back, but was afterAvards killed, and found to be thirteen feet long. Bear Island Avas found to be naich encumbered Avith ice. Progress in the desired eastAvard direction being most effectually barred, the voyager.s stood aAvay north, and on the li)th dune reached the latitude of 80" 11', Avhen they found they had much land to the eastAvard of them. On this land they killed another bc^r and collected an inmicnso DISCOVERY OF SPITZBERGEX. (ju i number of goose eggs. This land was Spitzborgcn ; and this is the first authenticated account of its discovery. Barentz entered and anchored in a bay running north and south, the latitude of the l)ay (79" 42' X.), as well as the description of it, corresponding with that of Fair Haven. .After remain- ing two days at anchor, Barentz steered to the north-west, but was stopped by that great barrier of ice which from that day to the present time has formed the chief obstacle to progi'css toward a higher latitude. lie then sailed along t]»e west coast of Spitzbergen southward, and arrived off ]jcar Island on the Ibt July. Here Barentz and Hyp, the master of the companion vessel, difl'ered in opinion as to the best course to be steered, but finally it was agreed that the ships should part company ; that Eyp should endeavour to find a passage on the eastern coast of Spitzbergen, and that Barentz should continue his route eastward to Xova Zembla. There is no account of the further i>roceedings of Byp, but he was no doubt sto])ped l)y the I'olar ice, and compelled to sail southward for Cola, on the north coast of Lapland, where we shall subsequently hear of him. Pursuing the course he had determined on, Barentz sailed eastward for Nova Zembla. The record of the subsequent proceedings of this intrepid connnander and his devoted crew, and of their terrible sufferings in the first Arctic Avinter ever fiiced by Europeans, forms one of the most exciting epi- sodes in the whole story of discovery in those seas. The brave Dutchman arrived oif the coast of Nova Zembla on the 17th July, and sailed north along its west coast until, on the 7th August, he i)abbed Capo Comfort, and found himself on a lee-shore running cast and west, fronting the I'olar pack, which, when it drifts south, is forced full upon it. He beheld all this coast nnich encumbered with heavy ice, some of which was aground in twenty fathoms water ; and he had several hairbreadth escapes from the S(pieezing together of the Hoes and the disruption of the l)ergs. Vainly endeavouring to force his way east along the north coast of the island into open water, the commander, on the 25th August, gave \ip all hopes of being able to i)roceed on his voyage, and thought now only of how he could best get back and return home. Bepulsed by the ice he drew near the land, which he had scarcely reached before the ice enclosed his vessel. His boats were crushed and the ship narrowly cscap \ a similar fate. A storm sprung up from the north, making the coast a lee- .shore for the vessel, and thus placing her in the most innninent peril. The northevn wind had set him down to the eastward of Nova Zembla, anil there was so nuich ice to the noi-tli of liiivi that it was almost hopeless to think of returning in that direction, while, judging from api)earances, he had as little to expect from attempting a sr Uiiward route. He found himself in an in'et, which he named Ice Hav'>n, but which is now known as JJurentz Bay. Here he nearly lost his vessel bv the euornioui i)ressure of the ice, which lifted 2 ' I n if II I|| ' \r I Pl!; 60 SPITZBERGEN. 'icr four f '.i on one occasion, broke the ruddor, and otherwise damaged her. The winter aJsJ begun to set in, and there seemed to be no alternative but to secure the vessel where she lay, and make the best preparation he could for passing the winter there. This determination, which the discovery of a fjuantity of driftwood on tl^e shore not far from the vessel encouraged him to form, was finally resolved upon on the 11th September, and pre})ara- tions were at once made to build a house " to keep and defend ourselves both from the cold and the wild beastes." While this tabernacle in the Avilderness was being built, the carpenter died, but the lojal Dutchmen, though somewhat discouraged by this melancholy event, continued working away cheerfully at their house, while the cold of the swift-coming winter was so intense that, to use the expression of their historian, " as we put a nailo into our mouths (as carpenters use to do), there Avould ice hang thereon when we took it out again, and make the blood follow." The bears also were a serious inconvenience to them, by obliging the foraging parties to go ai'med and in great strength. Yet amid all difficulties the house was gradu- ally reared. A chimney was fixed in the centre of the roof, a Dutch clock was set up and made to strike the hours, bed-places were placed along the walls, and as the surgeon had wisely prescribed bathing as one of the pre- servatives of health, a wine-cask with a square opening cut in the side of it, by way of entrance, was set up in a corner and used as a bath. " The jour- nal of the proceedings of these poor people during their cold, comfortless, dark, and dreadful winter," says Barrow, " is intensely painful and interest- ing. No murnuir escapes them in their most hopeless and attlicted situation, but such a spirit of true piety, and a tone of such mild and suiidued resigna- tion to divine Providence, breathe through the whole in:! a;. that it is impossible to peruse the simple tale of their sufil.ings, and con'' aplate their forlorn situation, without the deepest emotion for the unhappy fate of so many wretched beings, cut off from all human aid, and almost from all hope of their ever being able to leave their dark and dismal abode." On the 12th October the house was finished, on the 24tli the whole party had moved into it, and on the 3d Novendjer the iipper limb of the sun showed itself above the horizon at noon for the last time that season, and the house these mariners had reared for themselves in this out-of-the -world region — where the ever-threatening chill of death was a more drcadfid enemy from its silence, its abiding presence, and the treachery with which it first st.othed and tlv, a destroyed itJ victims, than the raging snow-storms, or the ferocious brutes lit; . pvowletl -round the door — was to become practically their prison foi- ten hi g months. During the long jVrctic night the bears do not give much trcublu. 'Tln^y vanish with the sun and return only with his reappearance. Jiut ; rior to the ;? \ Noveiubir they had caused much. aniu)y- ance. On one o^ca-iou throe of these aidmals surprised some of the men, ii' ■< I* ■A '.k li FIRST WIN'iER IN ARCTIC RE(J lOXS. 67 who were employed in dragging articles from the ship to the h.ouse. The arms of the party attacked consisted of only two hall'orts. These were seized hy Barentz and Gerrit de Veer (the latter is the writer of the journal of this first winter sojourn in the Arctic regions), who stood forth to defend themselves. The rest of the party fled to the ship ; in doing Avhich one of the men fell into a cleft in the ice, and the greatest apprehensions were entertained for his safety. De Veer and the master joined the man who had fallen, and succeeded in getting into the .ship with liim ; but the Ijears seeing them ruK/.*"g gave chase and followed them to tlie ship, which they 'voidd at once have entered only that " they were for a time diverted " by pieces of wood being thrown upon the ice, whicli they " ranne after as a dog iiseth to doc at a stone that is cast at him." Meanwhile the crew below endeavoured to strike a light to enable them to -i-ic their matchlocks, but failed. The enraged brutes now entered the ship and attacked the few men wh.o rema'iied upon the deck of the vessel. Most fortunately, the largest of these ferocious beasts received a wound on the snout with a halliert, Avhich occasioned him so much pain that ho Avithdrew from tlie vessel, and was immediately followed by the others. " And we thanked God that we were so Avell delivered from them." When the bears had disappeared with the sun, white foxes began to come about the ship. These were often caught in traps, and afforded many a welcome mess of fresh meat, which in taste resembled " conies' flesh and seemed as dainty as venison " to the Dutchmen. The cold increased as the winter advanced until it became all but iiisi-)- portable. Some idea of its intensity may be formed from such fticts c.-; tli t the beer and all tne spirits were frozen solid, "even our sacke, Avhich \< so hot (alcoholic ?), was frozen very hard ; " the walls and roof of the 1k)U,«c were covered two inches thick Avith ice, and the clothes on tlie backs of ihe people, even near the fire, Avere covered Avith Avhite frc . The men resorted to every expedient to moderate the effect of the i .idly cold by clothing themselves in dresses and cloaks made from the furs of the animals they had killed, and by keeping up a jrood fire of Avood. They even heated stones and billets of AVOod and laid these upon their bodies ; but this only gave a partial relief; for even Avith such application^, and Avhile sitting be^oie a large fire, the side of their bodies turned from the heat Avas coA'ered Avith lioar frost. " Yet," says Beechey, "amidst all this misery and intense suifor- ing, the spirits of the party never drooped, nay, they even derived consola- tion from the increase of the bitterly cold temperature they Averc forced to endure, dc^claring that ' the cold beginning to strengtheri Avas a sign the days Avero beginjiing to lengthen ' — a pleasing recollection Avhich ' put us in good comfort and ea.sed our paine.'" Towards the new year, the weather -if the unceasing and blood- congeal- fi i 11 ' if 0>8 SPITZBERGEN. mg i 14 > I n H cold i:i which these men lived can strictly be called weather of any kind — continned extremely severe. Much snow had fallen, and their house was at this time completely buried, so that the inmates were obliged to unhang their door and cut their way out. This was undoubtedly the best thing that could have happened to them, as it must have rendered the apartment loss penntrable to the cold than any contrivance they could them- selves have resorted to. The frost v/as, however, so intense on the outside that no one dared venture from the house for several days, although their fuel was nearly exhausted. " Yet amidst all this suffering did those hardy people retain their cheerfulness, and even Twelfth Day was not suffered to pass Avithout its usual festivities ; for on that night they prayed their master that they might be ' merrie,' and said, * we were content to spend some of the wine that niglit, which we had spared, and which was our share every second day ; and whereof for certain days we had not drunk, and so that night we made merrie, and dninke to the three k'mgs, and therewith we had two pound of meale, whereof we made pancakes with oyle, and every man a white bisket. which we sopt in wine ; and so supposing that we were in our ownc countrey, and amongst our friends, it comforted us, as well as if we had made a great banquet in our owne house.' " " A certain rednesso of tlie skie " seen on the IGth January was the wel- come harbingrr of the return of the sun to these northern laucudes. " On the 'I\\\\ January," says De Veer, " it was fairc cleare Aveather with a Avest Avind ; then I and Jacob Ilemskerk, and another Avith us, Avent to the sea- siile, on the south side of NoA'a Zembla, Avhere, conti-ary to our expectation, I first -.aAv the edge of the sunne, AvhereAvith avc went speedily home againe, to tell William Barentz and the rest of our companions that joyful nowes." On the •27th they " saAV the sunne in lis full rouudnesse above the hoinzon, Avhicli r.mde us all glad, and avc gave God hearty thankes for His gi'aco shcAved unto us that that glorious light appeared to us again." As the daylight lengthened the cold increased, the frost became more severe md the snoAV more frequc'if.. Yet Avhilc it Avas light those of the part;; A\ho were still strong cMsj'Tgh vo fiice tlie cold Avere in the habit of Avalking out "to stretch tlieiv limbs, niid to drag fuel to the house. This, however, coidd only be done it cun. udcruolc risk, for Avith. the return of the daylight the bears leneAved their A'isil- auvi appeared to haA'O become more ferocious than CA'er. They foUoAVTd the people to the door of their house and attempted to force it. One of I'liem Avas killed in the act of entering the room Avhcre the people sltjpt. On opening this animal there Avas found in the stomach " part of a buck Avith ihe hair and slcinne and all, Avhich not long before she had toin and deA'Oured.' The ice broke aAvay from the bay at the close of J" '' nu.ry only to close U[> again in March Avith such a tremendous reaction that it Avas piled up along the coast, as though there DEATH OF BARENTZ. 69 had been whole towns made of ice Avitli towers and bnlwark.s ronnd about them. The cold chill continued extreme, and tlie snow falliu.tj alnindantly, the party were shut up in their hut during the greater part of the month of April. On the 30th of this month the sun was hrst seen at midnight just above the horizon. It was the month of June before they could set about repairing their two boats, so weak had the men become from their long privations. To repair the ship Avas out of the rpiestion, as she was completely bilged and remained still fast in the ice. On the 10th of the month evcrvthiiig was in readiness for their departure ; previously to which, however, Darentz drew up in writing a statement detailing the names and the misfortunes of the party and all that had befallen them in that wretched abode. This docu- ment was left in a conspicuous place in the house to which they now bade farewell. All that remained was to got the sick down to the boats. Among these was Barentz, the able leader of this band, wlio had been ill for some time, and who, with a seaman named Adrianson, had to be drawn to the seaside on a sledgo. It wtrs the intention of the mariners to return by the way they had come, along the Avest shore of the island. They had not pro- ceeded far, however, Adien a misfortune befell them, which overwhelmed them with grief and despair. Barentz, in whom " tliov reposed themselves next under God," gi-adually sank on the 2()th June. On being told that Adrianson was so sick that he coiild not live, he .spoke and said, " I think I shall not live long after him." Then turning to Gcrrit Do Veer, his chief shipmate and old companion, he said, " ' Gerrit, give me some drinke ; ' and he had no sooner drunke but he Avas taken Avith so sodain a qtialme that he turned his eyes in his head and died." Adrianson, his companion in suffer- ing, died on the same day. Of the subsequent adA'entures of the discoA'crors of .Si)itzbcrgcn — the men Avho were the first Europeans to spend a winter in high Arctic lati- tudes — Sir John BarroAV remarks as foUoAvs : " There arc numerous instances on record of extraordinary voyages being performed in rough and tempestuous seas in open boats, Avith the most scanty supply of provisions and AA-^atcr, l)ut there is probably not one instance that can be compared to that in question, Avhere fifteen persons, in tAvo open boats, had to pass OA'^er a frozen ocean more than eleven hundred miles, ' in the ice, over the ice, and through the ice,' exposed to all the dangers of being at one; time OA^r- Avhelmed by the AvaA'es, at another of being crushed to atoms by the Avhivl- ing of large masses of ice, and to the constant attack of ferocious lioars, enduring for upAvards of forty days' severe cold, fiitignc, famine, and disease; and yet, excepting the tAVO Avho died, and Avho entered the boats in a state of sickness and debility, the rest arrived in good hi^alth and spirits at Cola, Avhere they had the satisfaction of meeting with their old friend and coni- i %\\ I !■ 70 SPITZDERGEN. panioii Jan Cornelia Eyp, wlio had deserted them to go to tlie northward tlie year before. Ihey liad learned, indeed, at Kilduyn, that three Dutch ships were at Cola ; and a Laplander, whom tliey scut overland, returned with a letter from Cornells liyp ; but they could scarcely flatter themselves that it was the same who had sidled witli tluMu from Holland. Ho now took them on board his sliip, ant; on the 'IMiXx October, they all arrived safely in the Maes, to the great joy of their friends, who had given them up for lost." Having thus traced the t-iscovery of Spitzbcrgen, and the fate of Barentz, among whose si cessors i.i exploration by the Spitzbergen route the chief were Hudson, Ballin, and Phipps, we return to the " Dorothea " and " Trent," which, iu the last chaj^ter, Ave left, after their extrication from the pack, securely moored in South Gat, south of Dane's Island, in the extreme north-west. The damage ^ rhich the vessels, especially tl-.e " Dorothea," had sustained from tempest and repeated collision with the ice, was such as to render the further prosecution of the voyage impossible. This being evi- dent, the next consideration was Avhether something more might not yet be a( ■ ( ;nplished by a boat expedition over the ice ; but upon consultation with Lieutenant Franklin, and examination into the resources of the ships for such an enterprise, these were found so inadequate to the purpose that the pro- ject Avas speedily given up. Captain Buchan Avas thus reluctantly com- pelled to abandon all further attempt at discovery, and to proceed to England as soon as the necessary repairs of the vessels should be completed. \Vhile these repairs Avrve going forAvard, the officers of the expedition Avere emphjyed in making .x hasty surA'ey of the island, or rather of that north-Avest and best known part of it, on the coast of Avhich the " Dorothea " and " Trent " Avere stationed. Mr Fisher, the astronomer of the expedition, Avos directed to fix his observatory on Dane's Island, and to connnenco his observations on the peiululum, on the dip and the variation of the needle ; and Lieutenants Tranklin and Beecht;r vere told ofi to construct a plan of the port and the adjacent islands, and to assist Mr Fisher in determining the geographical position of the observatory. Spitzbergen (Ger. Spitz, pointed ; herrien, mountains) is the name api)]i(!d to a gi-oup of islands in 70' 30'— 80' 30' N. ; 10' 40'— 21 40' E., and so called from the peaked form of the mountains, Avhich are the most striking feature of the principal islands of the group. This group consists of West Spitzbergen, forming tAVO portions connected by a narroAV isthmus, North- East Land, the name of Avhich indicates its position Avith respect to the prin- cipal island, and Barentz Land and Edge Island on the south-east. Around the coast, but especially on the Avest and north, are numerous islands and islets. From the South Gat, betAveen Dane's Island and West Spitzbergen, Franklin and Beechcy Avere led to all parts of the coast Avhich coidd be con- GEOLOGY OF SPITZDERGEN. 71 veniently reached by a boat — by -which, however, must be understood a very Uniited area in the extreme north-west. Here the exploring party fonnd the shores in general very steep ; for, with the exception of here and there a narrow Hat bordering upon the sea, they speedily rise into moun- tains of from two thousand feet and upwards in height, increasing to con- siderably over four thousand feet inland. These hills are for the most part inaccessible, either on account of the abruptness of the ascent, or from the treacherous nature of their surfaces, upon which large stones and fragments of the mountains are so poised, that the smallest additional weight precipi- tates them to the bottom of the hill. The mountains traverse the main island (West Spitzbergen) in a north and south direction, in an extensive range, and terminate in remarkably sharp peaks. Branching off from this main chain are lateral ridges with less pointed peaks ; Avhilo on the off-shore islands the elevations are rounded. " At tlie northern entrance of IMagdalena Bay," says Beechey, " the termination of one of these remarkable ridges which branch off from Lhe large chain, traversing the island throughout in a north and south direction, our specimens consisted of granite, with predominant white fekipar, mica slate, and gneiss, with black mica. Those of Dane's I.sland were mica slate and gn'.iss, passing into perfect granite, with black mica and specimens intermediate between ti.ese two, together Avith some quartz. There we.e also found hero two specimens of coal (probably allu- vial), the one glance coal, the other a slaty variety. On the eastern side of South Gat, which separates Dane's Island from the mainland, we found mica slate and gneiss, of the same varieties as at Dane's Island. Upon Amsterdam Island (immediately north of Dane's Island) Vogel Sang afforded specimens of granite Avith red felspar, gneiss with black mica, common quartz, and a large-grained white felspar, with a little admixed quartz." Owing to the action of the winter frosts upon the water received in abund- ance in summer, these rocks are constantly subject to disintegration, and at their bases a tolerably good soil is found, several varieties of Alpine plants, grasses and lichens grow and flourish, especially where the aspect is southern. All the valleys of Spitzbergen wdiir'h have not a southern aspect are occupied either with glaciers fully formeti or with immense beds of snow, whicli are practically glaciers in the process of formation. These snow-beds afford almost the only feasible mode by which the summits of the mountain ridges can be gained. Even these arc very steep, and in descending by them, extreme care is necessary to avoid being precipitated from the top to the bottom, especially where the snow has been hardened by successive thawing and freezing. This process glazes the surface so highly "that," says Beechey, " when the sun shines, they reflect u brilliant lustre, and give to the coast a curious and pleasing aspect, which, though upon an -: ? 72 SPTTZBERGEN. i i( incomparably more extensive scale, brings to the recollection of those persons who have visited Quebec the singular efl'ect produced by the mass of tinned roofs and steeples which used to crown the heights of that placn." Franklin and his officers had a singular proof of the dangers attending locomotion on the glaciers in the narrow escape of one of the must active of the "Trent's" seamen in an attempt to descend one of these icy plains. The curious and alarming incident is best related in the words of Lieutenant Beechey, an eye-witness : " AVhile some observations Avere being made upon the beach, a sailor of the name of 8pinks had obtained leave to accompany a party in pursuit of a herd of deer that were browsing upon the hills. The ardour of the chase led the party beyond the limits of the prescribcil range ; and when tiie signal was made for their return to the boat, some of them were on the top of the mountain. Spinks, an active and zealous fellow, anxious to be first at his post, thought he could outstrip his conu'ades by descending the snow which was banked against the mountain at an angle of about 40° Avith the horizon, and rested against a small glacier on the left. The height was about two thousand feet, and, in the event cf his foot slipping, there was nothing to impede his progress until he reached the beach, cither by the slope or the more terrific descent of the face of the glacier. He jjegan his descent by seating himself and digging his heels into the snow, the surface of which had been glazed and rendered hard by the process before men- tioned, lie got on very Avell at first, but presently his foot slipped, or the snoAV was too hard for his heel to make any impression, and he began to descend at a rapid pace, keeping his balance, however, by means of his hands. His speed becoming accelerated, in a very short time his descent Avas fearfully quick ; the fine suoav Acav about him like dust, and there seemed to be but little chance of his reaching the bottom in safety, especially as his descent uoav appeared to take the direction of the iceberg. We ran Avith all our strength to render him the earliest assistance, and for a moment, having lost sight of him behind a crag of the mountain, Ave expected nothing- less than that his lifeless body Avould be found at the foot of this icy preci- pice ; but Spinks, Avith great presence of mind and dexterity, to use his oavu expression, ' by holding Avater first Avith one hand and then the other,' con- trived to escape the danger, and, like a skilful pilot, to steer his A'cssel into a jilace of refuge, amidst a bed of soft suoav Avbich had recently been dr-fted against the hill. As soon as he could extricate himself from the dei)th into which he had been plunged by the force he had acquired, he made his Avay tOAvards us, rubbing his chafed sides, and holding together his tattered garments, and, to our great satisfaction, laughing heartily at the figui^o he supposed ho must cut, for he had Avorn aAvay tAvo pairs of trousers and some- thing more. The danger being over, Ave cordially joined in his laugh, yet in SHOOT I XH THE GLAC1KR. our hearts congratulated ourselves upon his miraculous escape, foi- lie was a great favourite with all his officers, as well as his e(pials in the ship. "A clevei', self-possessed and courageous sailor like Spinks was incvitahly destined to earn distinction in Arctic exploration. lie afterwards volun- teered his services with Sir John Franklin, and became coxswain of Captain Jiack's boat in the dangerous navigation which was conducted along the northern coast of America. Captain Back spoke highly of Spinks' eon- duct on that occasion, and states that, in addition to zeal and perseverance, he possessed an unusual degree of good humour, and was of the utmost use in keeping up the spirits of his fellow boatmen, and in diverting their miiids from the difhculties and privations which attended that service, either by giving a cheerful and ludicrous turn to every little incident, or in recounting his own real or supposed adventures. The value of such a character under the distressing circumstances attending Captain Franklin's jiiurney to the Polar Sea can be estimated only by those who were present ; and it is a great satisfiiction to learn that, on his return to England, he was promoted to the rank of gunner, and appointed to H.M.S. 'Philomel,' whore he became no less a favourite, lie unfortunately died not long afterwards at Gibraltar ; and the respect and esteem of his shii)mates, oflicers as well as seamen, was manifested by the marked attention that was paid to his funeral. As an old shii)mato of my own, I am happy of an opportunity of paying this tribute, though indeed small, to his memory." VaU' S])inks ! In the vicinity of South Gat, the channel between Dane's Island and Spitzbergen in which the "Dorothea" and "Trent" were anchored, while the country around was being surveyed by the officers of the expedition, there are several glaciers, the largest being about ten thousand feet in length, by two or three hundred feet in perpendicular height. These, like the glaciers of Magdalena Bay ali'cady noticed, all occur between steep mountains. None of them have a southern aspect, but all occui:)y such valleys as are either very obliquely inclined to the noonday sun, or arc entirely screened from it by the surrounding hills. The heat of the sun acting upon the hills and lofty plains partially melts the snows with which these are covered, and gives rise to streams of water, which in their descent into the deeply-cut and shadowy valleys percolate the snow beneath, and enter a region of peri)etual frost, where the Avhole mass speedily becomes converted into an icy .sul)- stance more or less opaque, according to the suddenness and prevalence of the thaw of the exposed parts. The streams of water referred to are small in volume, bnt when it is considered that they are called into existence almost daily from June to October, it is evident that a large accumulation of ice must annually take place. This accumulation goes on from year to year, until, in process of time, the glacier attains such a magnitude that its further increase is only prevented by the breaking away of its own overgrown dimensions. 2 K ■R \ M !MAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-S) 1.0 1^ 1^ 1^ mil 2.2 I.I 2.0 18 1.25 U i 1.6 p> v) o /, 7 /A Hiotographic Sciences Corporation m^ s A^' cF V^" \\ ^N l^^^'^ 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. MSBO (716) 873-4503 » 74 SPTTZIiEliGEX. It has been observed that the vast mass of the glaciers creeps gradually downward into the sea, and it is at its sea-f;ico that the mass breaks up, the detached pieces floating away in the form of bergs or ice-mountains. As it is imi)ossible to tell when the glacier-faces may break up, boats run great danger in ajjproaching them. On two occasions Beechey witnessed avalanches on the most magnificent scale. The first was occasioned by the discharge of a musket at about half a mile from the glacier. Immediately after the report of the gun, a noise resembling thunder was heard in tin; direction of the iceberg, and in a few seconds more an innnense piece broke away and fell headlong into the sea. The crew of the launch, supposing themselves beyond the reach of its influence, quietly looked ui^on the scene, when, presently, a sea rose and rolled towards the shore with such rapidity that the crew had not time to take any precautions, and the boat was, in consequence, washed upon the beach and completely filled by the succeeding wave. As soon as their astonishment had subsided they examined the boat, and found her so badly stove that it became necessary to repair her in order to return to the ship. They had also the curiosity to measure the distance the boat had been carried by the wave, and found it ninety-six feet. On another occasion the surveying party from the "Trent" were viewing the same glacier, and had approached tolerably near, when a similar avalanche occurred ; but as the party were well out from shore, and as they immedi- ately attended to the direction of the boat's head, they rode over the wave without accident. "This occurred," says Beechey, "on a remarkably fine day, when the quietness of the bay was first interrupted by the noise of the falling body, l^ieutenant Franklin and myself had approached one of these stupendous walls of ice, and were endeavouring to search into the innermost recess of a deep cavern that was near the foot of the glacier, when we heard a report as if of a cannon, and, turning to the quarter whence it pro- ceeded, wo perceived an immense jMece of the front of the berg sliding down from a height of two hundred feet at least into the sea, and dispersing the water in every direction, accompanied by a loud grinding noise, and followed by a quantity of water, which, being previously lodged in the fissures, now made its escape in numberless small cataracts ever the front of the glacier. We kept the boat's head in the direction of the sea, and thus escaped the disaster Avhich had befallen the other boat ; for the disturbance occasioned by the plunge of this enormous fragment caused a succession of rollers which swept over the surface of the bay, making its shores resound as they travelled along it, and at a distance of four miles was so considerable, that it became necessary to aright the 'Dorothea,' which was then carreening, by immedi- ately releasing the tackles which confined her. The piece that had been disengaged at first disappeared under water, and nothing was seen but a violent boiling of the sea and a shooting up of clouds of spray, like that n ATTEMPTED SETTLEMENT OF SPlTZnERGES. ( i> which occurs at the foot of a ^Toat cataract. After a short time it reap- peared, raising its head full a hundred feet above the surl'ace, with water pouring down from all parts of it ; and then, labouring as if douljtful which way it should fall, it rolled over, and after recking about some minutes, at length became settled. We now approached ir, and found it nearly a (luarter of a mile in circumference, and sixty feet out of the water. Knowing its specific gravity, and making a fair allowance for its incfpuUities, w(! computed its Aveight at 421,660 tons. A stream of salt water was still pouring down its sides, and there was a continual cracking noise, .is loud as that of a cart whip, occasioned, I sui^pose, by the escape of fixed air." The gloomy and forbidding aspect of Spitzbergen, esi)ecially of its noitli- western coasts, with their cold granite peaks, their glacier-filled valleys and silent, icy bays, is rendered additionally melancholy from the remains of gi'aves with Avhich they abound. For two hundred and fifty years these shores have been frequented by whalers from Holland, Norway, Denmark', Russia, France, and Britain ; and as it was early perceived thai it would have been a gi'cat convenience to reduce the whale- bluljber to oil on the coasts on which the fishery was prosecuted, a number of attemi)ts have been made to form settlements in the regioii. Earlv in the seventeenth centurv, the Kussia Company offered large rewards to any persons who would pass one entire year on the i.sland. Being imable to find volunteers, they ol)tained from the Government the promise of a reprieve to criminals under the extreme sentence of the law who would undertake to perform this ollice ; and a number of such persons actually accepted the condition, and were accord- ingly carried to Spitzbergen. But when they arrived on the spot and were landed, they were so struck with horror at the desolate appearance of their intended abode, and with the hopeless prospect which it [iresented, that they begged to be taken back again, declaring they would rather undergo the penalty of their crimes than subject themselves to the lingering death which must in- evitably attend their wintering on so wretched a place. They were accord- ingly taken back, and their reprieves obtained. A party of nine JJritish seamen, who were shortly afterwards left behind in this niis(>rabli^ countiy by a whaler, were all found dead the following year, with their liodies cruelly disfigured and torn by bears and foxes. Again, in lOJJO, a party of eight sea- men from the same whaler were sent on shore at a place called Black Point to procure a supply of venison, the district near this point beiiig frecpientcd by herds of reindeer. Having taken fourteen deer, and being overcome with fatigue, the party resolved to pass the night on shore, and return to their vessel on the following day. lint during the night one of ti.ose sudden changes of wind, which in these regions alters the whole asjiect of affairs in an hour or two, took place. The party on shore found themselves se[)arated from their ship by an imnien.se qnantity of ice, and a thick fog .settling down t I 76 SriTZIiERGEN. I x;! on tlio slioivs, and continuing for several days, return to their vessel within tlio time at wliicli she was bound to sail was impossible. They then deter- mined to make for Green Harbour, on the west coast of the souch part of Spitzhergon, wlicre they expected to find several European vessels at anchor, and where it hatl been arranged their own ship should call before finally leaving the island. ]iut coasting along the shore in their small boat, these castaways (ndy reached Green Harbour after an interval of seventeen days, ]»y which time every vessel had left the bay. A last hoiiO remained in reach- ing lU'll Sound on the south, but before they reached this inlet the last of the whalers had departed. A full sense of the horror of their situation now arose in their minds. The dark and bitter Arctic winter of ten months' duration was before them, and only the instinct of self-preservation was strong enough to excite them to immediate action. "Arousing ourselves from this lethargy," writes one of these seamen, "and impressed with the hopelessness of (»ur situiititm if we in any way gave way to despair, we at once .set about taking the most cftcctual measures for preserving our lives during the long and severe winter which was before ns." Their first care was to i)rovide a store of provisions, and they were fortunate enough to kill nineteen deer and four l)ears towards the necessary sujiply. Their next want was a house ; and in ]jell Sound they found not oidy a supply of brick, lime, ])lank, etc., which had l)een left at the establishment, but also a spacious shed, built of stout materials, and roofed with tiles, which had been erected for tlie use of the liritish L'«nnpany's artificers. It was too large for them to live in, being fifty feet by fmly-eight, but they very wisely built their house within it, the latter structure being fornied of two sides of brick and two of stout plank, nailed a foot apart, and filled in with sand, while its ceiling con- sisted of stout layers of plank. A dim light was admitted through the chimney, to Avhicli it found access by the removal of a few tiles from the outer rcof. This inner dw.'lling was divided into four cabins, and the door Avas fortified against the cold wind by the application of a mattress which had lieen found. Had these seamen not been fortunate enough to reach Bell Sound, where during the summer months a British whaling-station was maintained, and where it was natm-al to expect, the Company would have left at least a ( plant ity of building materials, it is quite improbable that they could have survivetl the winter. As it was, the shed within which they had reared their hut afforded them protection from the onset and immediate severity of the icy storm, and formed a covered space in which they could take exercise when snowed up, or otherwise prevented from going abroad ; and, no doubt, it was owing to their good fortune in discovering the shed not only that their lives were all j^reserved, but that none of them were afflicted with scurvy. The early autunm was employed in making beds and winter clothing, RESCUE. from the skins of the boars and door thoy had takon, and \vliifli thoy sowed with bone nccdios, and tln-oad luado from tlio yarn of rojjo. On the 1:2th September all their arrani,annonts were iinishod, and on the same (hiy a qnantity of ice driving into the bay bronght in two walruses upon it. These Averc captured, and their carcasses made a wolcomc addition to the supply of provisions. On examination this supply was fomul to be too scanty to last them half through the winter, without having recourse to the refuse of Avhale-blubber — after the oil had been extracted I'rom it. It had therefore been arranged that they should subsist upon this loathsome food four days a Aveek, and feast upon bears' flesh and venison tlie remainder of the week. From the 14th October to the Ud February thoy tlid not sec the sun ; and from the 1st to the 20th December (O.S.) there did not appear to be any daylight whatever. " The New Year set in so extremely cold, that if they touched a piece of metal it would stick to their fingers like bird-lime ; if they exposed themselves to the air large blisters were raised upon their skin, and when, from necessity, thoy Avcnt to fetch snow or water, thoy returned sore as if they had been beaten with sticks." The return of the sun was witnessed on the Sd February, and on the occasion the simple historian of this trying sojoiun on Spitzborg{>n exclaims with pardonable warmth : " AiU'ora smiled once again upon us, with her golden face, for now the glorious sun, with his glittering beams, began to gild the highest tops of the lofty mountains ; the brightness of the sun, and the whiteness of the snow, both together, were such as would have revived a dying spirit." The men were soon able to go out into the ojjou air, and a'nmals began to revisit the bleak shores of IloU'.s .Sound. Two boars Avere seen upon the ice, and one of them was killed and eaten. Toward the beginning of March their })rovisions had run very low ; but aliout that time the bears came about in such numbers that they succeeded in killing a suf- ficient number of them, to relieve all anxiety on the question of scarcity of food for the rest of the season. Sea-fowl now appeared on the shores, and on their arrival the Avhite foxes began to conn; forth from their holes. The men caught many of these by means of traps and whalebone springs, and found them nutritious eating, and a pleasant change from the flesh of bear or walrus. On the 24th May the ice broke up, and the men, who had retreated to their hut to fii world in good health, and without the loss of a sin<,de individual of their numlu'r. The attempts of the Duteh to eolonise Amsterdam Island, on the coast of S|>it/l)eriien, and Jan Mayen's Land, between Greenland and Spitzbergen — both of which attempts prov(>il fatal to all the members of the resi)ectivo parties — are pathetic and most interesting episodes in the history of Arctic exploration and adventure. In all enterprises of this nature, however, there is ])ut little variety. The nature of the perils encountered and the means by which stai'vation is averted until, at last, the wretched men are struck down with scurvy, are the same in every case. There is too much to tell and too many iui^iortant modern expeditions to describe, to permit of our giving in detail the narratives of more of these early undertakings, in which there is necessarily so nuich repetition of similar incidents. The siu'vey of the north-west coasts of Spitzbergen having been com- pleted so far as it was possible to do so within the very limited time during wliich the " Dorothea" and "Trent" were being rcjiaired in Dane's Gat and ri'litted for the homeward voyage, the I^uchan and Franklin expedition to find a route to the North Pole was practically at an end. On the 30th of August the " Dorothea " and " Trent " put to sea, arrived in England on the 'I'lA October, and were soon afterwards paid off at Deptford. "Thus," says lieechey, " terminated the thiril endeavour made under the auspices of the British (iovernment to reach the Pole — an attempt in wliich was accom- plished everything that human .skill, zeal, and perseverance, under the cir- cumstances, ctmld have effected, and hi which dangers, difficulties, and hardships were endured, such as have rarely been met with in any preced- ing or sul)se(iuent voyage." In thus concluding his narrative Captain Bcechey seems to over-estimate the importance of the expedition in which he acted as .second oflicer of the "Trent." The enterpri.se was carried out with courage and skill undoubtedly; but the record of it is interesting not so imuli for its own intrinsic importance, or for the value of the discoveries in wliich it resulted, as because it was the first expedition of the present cen- tury, and tliuS forms the natural prelude to the narratives of the fiir more stirring, and, in their results, vastly more important expeditions of the later lie-oes of .Vrctic ex[)loratiou. PART II CHAPTER I. CAPTAIN J. ROSs's FIUST AIJCTIC VOYACK — KOSS AND I'AUIiV IN TIIK " ALKXANOKli" ANU "ISABELLA" — KAKLY I, UK OI' HOSS— KAIILV MIlC tH' rAl!i;\ - ,l(tll N SACKHEUSK, AN ESKIMO, .lUlNS rilK i;Xl'i;i)lT[(,N AS INTEUl'KKTEU — KXI'EUl- TION STAUTS — EIKST NAI'IVI.S SEEN -^KSKl.MU IJELEKS AT A HALE ON DECK^ TUACKINCi— DISCOVEUY OE MELVILLE HAY — A WIIALINO AUVENTlliE NIIM'EU IN THE ICE-ELOE — A NAUKOW ESCAPE. It will be remombered that in 181S wlion the "Dorothea" and "Trent," under Captain Buchan and Lieutenant Fraidclin, wi-re connuissioneil to si'areh for a north passage to the Pole by the 8pit/,l)er_gen ronte, the "Alexander" and the " Isabella " were also put in conmiission to sail as eoiupanioii ex- ploring vessels up Davis' .Strait in seareh of a north-west passage to the Indies. This expedition was coninienced by Captain John Ifoss, who .sailed in the "Isabella," and who was ably .seeonded by Lieutenant W. L. I'arry in the "Alexander." t)f the early eai'eer of these I'ainous seaini'U it will bo interesting to sui)i)ly a brief sketeh. Rear-Adniiral .Sir John Ko.ss was l»orn at IJalsaroeh, in AVigton.shire, entered the Royal Navy when he was oidy nine years of age, and served in the INlediterranean until he was twelve, and afterwards in the Channel, lie was in the expedition to Holland, and also under .Sir James .Sauniai'ez. In 1808, though having then only the rank of Lieutenant, he aeted as Captain of the Swedish fleet. He rose to be Coniinander in isli'. J)uring his war serviees he was wounded thirteen times in three aelions. 1 le was the author, among other works, of "Letters to Voung .Sea Ollicers," "Memoirs and Correspondence of Admiral Lord de .Saumarez," a " Treatise on Navigation by Steam," a " jNIemoir of Admiral dc; Ki-u.senstern," etc. He Avas promoted to the rank of Kear- Admiral in July 1S.")L and died in Novend)er ls.")(). Rear-Admiral Sir W. I'Mward J'arry, the son of 1 )r C. I'aiiy, of Dalh, was born there in 171K>. He entiMvd the Navy in 1S(»;), joining the " \'illi> de Paris." Zealous in his profession, intelligent and and)itious, he earlv It i* so r0SS\S Ff/iST ARCTIC VOYAGE. ■( i N' I M recommended liimsclf to notice, and in Jannary 1810 ho was promoted to the rank of IJeutcnant, and appointed to tlie "Alexander," enii)h)yed in protect inj^ the Spitzberj^on whaUj fishery. Here, while scarcely out of liis teens, he became familiar in the responsible rank of first officer with the navij^'ation of that frozen ocean amid whose dangers and dilficulties he was destined to earn cck'brity. Subsequently serving in the " Ilogue," ho assisted in destroying twenty-seven of the enemy's vessels, three of which were heavy privateers; but this, with a few skirmishes Avith Danish gun-boats, are the only actions with the enemy in which it was his lot to engage. " On his return to Englantl in IS 17," writes liis old friend and messmate, Kear- Admiral F. W. lieechey, " the extraordinary changes reported to have taken place in the state of the Polar Sea, determined the Government to equip an expedi- tion for Arctic discovery. Then was the turning point of Parry's Hfe. Like most men of enterprise, he seized the occasion, and determined to devote himself to Arctic adventure. There are but few who have not, at some time, the chance of distinction, and Parry took advantage of his. \Vc accordingly find him in command of the ' Alexander,' and, under the orders of Sir John Koss, leaving England in ipiest of the Xorth-West ^ ^age, by way of Davis' Strait." After a varied and most interesting ca 'he most important '•ears of which arc chronicled in his own narratives .iis voyages, which in \ due rival those of Cook, he died at Em.g, July 8th, 1853, and was buried at Greenwich. The " Isabella," 385 tons, and the " Alexander," 252 tons, were com- missioned on the 15th January 1818, and were docked at Deptford for the purpose of being prepared for the voyage. While the ships were still in dock. Captain Koss received an addition to his complement of men in the person of a very interesting character, who afterwards became well knoAvn in Eondon and in Edinburgh — John Sackhcuse, an Eskimo, of South East Bay, Greenland. He had secreted himself on board the "Thomas and Ann" of Eeith (Captain Xcwton) in May 1810, when that vessel was on the Greenland coast. On being discovered in the vessel, he entreated to be per- mitted to remain on board and to be taken to Britain ; and accordingly he was brought in the "Thomas and Ann" to Leith. In the same ship ho re- turned to Greenland in the following year ; and on his arrival on his native shore, ho discovered that his only near relative had died in his absence. This loss was an additional reason why he should not return to dwell with the Eskimos; and continuing in the ship to which, in this .itrango way, he had attached himself, he again made the homeward voyage with the Leith vessel in the autunni of 1817. During his residence in Leith in the winter of 1817, he had been taken notice of by Mr Xasmyth, the artist, who introduced hinx to Sir James Hall. The Eskimo, Saekheuse, was very desirous of being ap- pointed on the Arctic expedition which Captain Ross was to command ; and THE FfliST ICEBERG. 81 his wishes to tliis eUbct having l)een communicated to the Admiralty l>y Cap- tain Jiasil Hall, he was enga[,'ed to accompany the expedition as interpreter. Captain Koss had several conversation^' with Sackhense. " He ini'ornis me," says Itoss, "that he had, thronj^h the missionaries, heen converted to Chris- tianitv, and the stronjf desire he had to sec the conntrv these "ood men came from had induced him to desert his own ; but that it was his intention to return when he had learned the Scrijjtures and the art of drawing,'. He related several traditions current in his country respectinj,' a race of pco[)le who were supposed to inhabit the north ; adding, that it was for the purpose of com- municating with them, and converting them to Christianity, that he had volunteered for our expedition. His utility to lis in connnunicating with the natives will l)e apparent in the course of this narrative. He returned, like the rest of the crew, in perfect health during the passage home ; often re- peating that when he had got more instructions on religion ho would return to the wild people, and endeavour to convert them to Christianity." The equipment and inspection of the expedition being completed, the ships droi^ped down the Thames early in April, and sailed away northward for Lerwick, in Shetland, where they arrived on the oOth of the month. Steadily but slowly making their way westward during the month of May, the vessels passed Cape Farewell, the southmost jmint of Greenland, and soon after (2l W. It was covered with snow, seemed to be eight or nine miles distant, and a thousand feet long, though of inconsiderable height. "Imagination," says Captain Itoss, "pre- sented it in many grotesque figures : at one time it loolw^d something like a wdiite lion and horse rampart, which the quick fancy of .sailors, in their harm- less fondness, naturally enough shaped into the lion and unicorn of the king's arms, and they were delighted, accordingly, with the good luck it seemed to augur. And truly our first introduction to one of these huge masses, with Avhich we were afterwards to grow so familiar, was a sort of epoch in our voyage that might well excuse a sailor's divination, particularly when the asi)ect with which it was invested tended to inspire confidence, ana- wav at most timcvs of the year alon"' the west coast of Cireenland. Thns, with land visible on the east, and with the sea-ico on the west, ho kept on to the north, at the head of a Heet of forty sail of whalers, until passing Disco f.and he arrived on the "JSlth dune off Four Island Toint in hit. about 70 iA', long. 54 1(( W. The following day being Sunday, the crews, as was their custom, attended divine service ; and on the j\b)nday, the weather being moderate, C'aptain Ross oi'dered John Sackheuse, the Eskimo interpreter, to proceed on shore and communicate with the natives. The [»rospect from the mast-head was that of interminable ice, weak and decaying, however, in the neighbour hooil of the ships. Sackheuse returned with seven natives in their canoes or cayacks, bringing a small sujjply of birds. The village of the natives stood on the south side of the bay, and appeared to consist of a few huts made of sealskins, suflicimt for the residence of about fifty persons. Being desirous of procuring a sledge and ilogs, C-aptain Koss offered them a rifle musket for one completely fitted, which they promised to fetch — with much honest prin- ciple, however, refusing to accept the rifle till they had brought the sledge. They soon returned, howc>ver, bringing the sledge and dogs in a boat managed by five women, dressed in deerslvins. This larger kind of boat is called an oomiack, and is rowed by women standing. Two of these women, who were tall(M' than the rest, were the daughters of a Danish resident and an Eskimo niother. They were all of the colour of mulattoes. " We soon became in- timate with our visitors," says C'aptain lloss, " and invited them into the cabin, where they were treated with cofl'ee and biscuit, and had their portraits taken. After leaving the cabin, they danced Scotch reels on the deck with our sailors to the animating strains of our musician. Sackheuse's mirth and joy exceeded all bounds ; and, with a good-humoured officiousness, justified by the im- portant distinction which his superior knowledge now gave him, he performed the office of master of ceremonies. An Eskimo master of ceremonies to a ball on the deck of one of His IMajesty's ships in the icy seas of Greenland was an office somewhat new, but Nash himself could not have performed his functions in a manner more appropriate. It did not belong even to Nash to combine in his own person, like Jack Sackheuse, the discordant (pialifications of seaman, interpreter, draughtsman, and master of ceremonies to a ball, with those of an active fisher of seals and a hunter of white bears. A daughter of the Danish resident, about eighteen years of ago, and by far the best look- ing of the group, was the object of Jack's particular attentions ; which being observed by one of our oflicers, the latter gave him a lady's shawl, ornamented with spangles, as an offering for her acceptance. He presented it in a most i D.WCi: U 177/ ESKIMO lillLLHS. 83 rospoctful and not un.!:n'af*i''"l inannor to the damsel, v ho l)aslilnlly took a pewter riii^' fmin her finder anil presented it to him in retnrn ; rcwanlin;,' liim, at the same time, with an clofpient .smile, whieli eonld leave no pos>iliIe dunlit on our Eskimo's mind that he had ma«le an impression on her lu art. After the ball, coH'ee was ai^niin served, and at ei<,dit o'eloek the [)artv h't't us, well pleased with their entertainment, and promisint; to come hack with a skin boat, an article which I conceived mi.^ht be useful on the ice. I permittefl Sackheusc to escort them, chiefly that he might hasten their movements, and search for specimens of natural history. ' Sackheu.se was not so punctual in his return to the vessel as mii;ht havi^ been desired. On the fullowinj; day there were si<,'ns «jf the breakini,' \\\^ of the ice towards the north, and a light breeze having sprung up. Captain lioss was imi)atient to proceed. A Injat Ma.s then .sent to shoi-e to bring otf the interpreter. Tint it was no want of loyalty to his conunander that detained the Eskimo among hi>? countrymen and countrywomen. On llu' previous day he had overloaded his <."n, whether with the itlea of making a magnificent display of his prowess as a mark.>man under the eyes of the belle, whose pewter ring adorned his Hnger, is not known. " Plenty jxnvder — plenty kill," .said Sackheuse, in excuse for his imprudence. The recoil df the overloaded wea[)on was so violent that it broke his collar bone, and he was thus rendered imable to row back in his canoe to the ship. lie was Itrought on board, and put under the care of the surgeon. On July :3d the " Isalxdla ' and " Alexander " were otf Sanderson's Hope, and in .sight of the Woman's I.slands of Baflin ; and thus, after a lap.se of two hundred years, the track of that great discoverer was at last being followed up, and his di-scoveries, which had l>een at first doubted, and then denied and expunged from the charts during the eighteenth centniy, were at last verified by Captain Kos.s. For the next fortnight the progi'e.ss was slow, owing to continuous fog.s. On the iSth July the weather cleared, and land could be seen on the east ; but no pas.sage through the ic< could be olwrved. On the same day a large bear was seen making its way towards one of the .ships. ( )ne of the " Alex- ander's" men, who was straying at .some distance on the ice, first discovered the animal, and went to meet it ; but .soon perceiving he was no match for a creature so buge, so powerful, active, and tierce, he i)rudently halted, till a number of olHcers and seamen joined him. The bear, noting in his turn that prudence before such a reinforced enemy was the better jtart of vahmr, now turned tail, and led his pursuers a tedious hunt after him in vain. On the 21st the weather cleared, land was again seen, and an open pa.ssagc through the ice presented a way to the north. Ketl Head was now passed in hit. 75 VI — the highest latitude to which ships employed in the whale-fishing were, up to that time, known positively to have penetrated. The whole of the li 1:1 ■ H4 A'l tss \s I' I US r A lie ru • i v> > '. f f; /■:. H J'.. li'Jd was cinplovt'd in trarkiii}^ tlirouj^h tlic ice, a proccsH which I)t'coines necessary when the chainiel is too narrow to allow a vessel to heat or he towed s;,L;ainst (he wind. In exeeutiny this service, the whole ship's company was sent on the ice, antl a rope was thrown to them, one i-nd of which was f'astene«l to the end of the foremast. The men having hold of the other end, then jinlled the ship ahead, marchinj; to music, the nnisician always leadin*^ the way. As it sometimes hait[)ened that a hole covered with snow, or a weak part was found, the men ocr-asionally tnnd»led in ; hut as they never let i,'o the rope, they weri' immediately pulled out. When this accident hapj)ened to the fiddler, it afforded the sailors great amusement, and they never failed to exer- cise tlu'ir wit on the occasion. (.'ai)tain Hoss now records one of the chief discoveries made in this lotable voyage: "The shore lu'tween lat. 7.") t*J and 70 formed a spacious hay, in the miay, from respect to the presiiit first Lord of the Admiralty. It is situated between lat. 75 1:.'' and 70 , and abountls with whales, many of which were taken by the ships which were persevering enough to follow us." Thus it was only in the wake of Captain IJoss' c.\pe«lition of 1S18 that the whalers fust penetrated .so I'ar north as Mclrille Haii, as it is now always named. ]>ut for many years subseqnently this icy inlet was regarded as a place of terror by the whalers. Protected on the ncn-tli by the abutting pen- insula of Cape York, the ice formed in this bay is not exposed to the general drift down IJaflin's ]>ay, but nsually remains in the condition of fixed ice lirndy adhering to tlie coast, and often extending to a distance of thirty to fifty miles from it. In this region the prevailing winds in the early part of the season are from the north, in which case the drifting pack is blown off shore, and leaves a bane of open Avater along the fixed ice, or liiii(l-jhn', as it is called, of ."Melville r>ay. "When tlie wind is from the south," says ]\Ir Clements K. ^Slarkham, writing in 18713, " the pack drifts into .Melville Bay ; but ii) that case the land-floe is a sonrco of i)rotection, for, as the drifting ice presses against it, the land ice, being oldest, almost invariably proves the stronger of tlie two. A dock can then be tut in the land ice, and a ship may ride in safety until the pressure eases off. Thus, ' by sticking to this land-floe,' as the whalers say, of ISIidville Bay, a vessel is never at the hiercy of the drifting pack, and though there may frequently be long detention, ground is seldom lost, and final success is the reward of perseverance. . . . lUit ISIelville Bay used to be a place of dread and anxiety for the whaling fleet ; for when a southerly wind brought the drifting pack in violcl and irresist- ible contact with the land-floe, the ship.s, slowly creeping along its edge, ir i II . IK i W 1 ■Si 1 ^^^^H ¥! i|: . r;: w I : M- -"i ■t! > 1 I \ Hi ■r. y. O 'i < •1- Z- c ' ft i 4' .1* 4^ ' \ \ A I; ■ i* 1; 'if' y n I ■ii ,1 WIIALINd ADVENrUIti:. 85 were frequently crushed like so many walnuts. In 1819 as many as fourteen ships were smashed to pieces in this way ; in 18'Jl, eleven ; and in 18*22, seven. The year 1830 was the ^reat season of disaster f(jr the whalers, when nineteen ships were entirely destroyed, oecasioinnf^' a total loss to their owners of £142,0()(). On June 19th — of that year a fresh ^ale from the south-south-west drove masses of ice into ^lelville liay, and nipped the whole fleet against the land Hoe, about foriy miles to the southwartl of Capo York. In the evening the gale increased, and the Hoes l)egan to overlap each other. A huge Hoe then came down upon the devoted sliii)s, and a scene of indescribable destruction ensue(i. In a ([uarter of an hour several fine ships were converted into shattered Iragments ; tlu. ice, with a loud grinding noise, tore open their sides, masts were seen falling in all directions, great ships were squeezed Hat a)id thrown broadside on to the ice, and one whaler — the "liattler " — was liter-.illy tiu-ned inside out. The men only just had time to jump on the ice. lUit it nmst be understood that there is little or no danger of loss of life in ]\[elville Hay. The .shipwrecked sailors took refuge on board their more fortunate consorts, for even in 1830 the " Cum- brian '" and several other ships escaped by digging deep docks in the land ice. Even if a solitary whaler is destroyed, when no other is in sight, the retreat in boats to the Danish .settlements is perfectly safe and easy. When the fearful catastrophe occured in 1830, there were a thousand men encamped on the ice ; the clusters of tents were a scene of joyous dancing and frolic, for Jack had got a holiday ; and the season was long remeniljered as the year of " Baffin's Fair." Such is the character of the bay, the di.scovery of which, on July 24, 1818, by Captain Koss, we have just recorded. A whaling adventure was the cause of considerable excitement to the expedition in its jiassage across INIelville Bay. The monster was first har- pooned by the " Isabeha's " boat, the harpoon striking in the back, behind the left fin, and the Avound appearing at first to be mortal. iUit the creature appears only to have been stunned. He soon recovered himself, and carried the boat to the edge of the ice, where he was lost. He soon after reappear(!d about a mile and a half distant, with the harpoon m his back. As the ' loose fish" remaiued near the surface, and appeared to suffer from the wound, the young oHicers of both sliij)s, who each connnanded boats, pulled with emu- lation to the spot where each expected him to rise, waiting for the nutment of his appearance with anxiety. Fortune favoured Mr James Ifoss, mid- shipman in the " I.sabella," and the commander's nephew, the aninuil rising nearest his boat, and I'eceiving in succession three well-planted harpoons. The ca])ture was now certain, and as the whale wan much exhausted, and therefore obliged to remain at the .surface, and thus expose himself to the lancers, his end was near. As he breathed, the blood ro.^e in a column from the blow-hole. The peoi)le in the boats, aware of their danger, retired and 86 IfOSS'S FIRST AliCTir VOYAfiE. I Dtl r.' il ': r; !„(i left him to spend his turv on the water. He was soon towed on board, and was fonnd to be forty-six feet in length. Nine tons of bhibber, intended to be nsed as liglit and fuel, should the ve.ssels be obliged to winter in the ice, Avere obtained from him. In the beginning of August there was but little progress made, as every channel was thickly encumbered. On the right (to the east) was the land ice ; on the left, out to ica, there was much newly-finnned ice of the colour of the Avater, and which is known as bati-he. The expedients made use of in these comi)aratively early days of Arctic exploration to open up a way through the frozen water are interesting from their very primitive and simple character, and attbrd an additional instance of the fact, that before the employment of steam vessels in these seas, the old mariners were obliged to creep where a modern explorer linds it easy to run. On the morning of the 4th August the seamen were sent to track the ship, but the bay or newly formed ice was so strong that it became necessary to break it " by suspend- ing a boat from the jibboom ; this being constantly rolled by two seamen, raised a wave ahead of the ship that effected this purpose ; tlnis gradually making way for her advance." After having sailed all day, Captain Ross moored to the ice at midnight, but was obliged to cast off in order to escape from an iceberg which he saw bearing down upon him. The little aides were exceedingly plentiful in the neighbourhood in which the vessels now found themseh'es — oft" (.'ape Melville, at the north extremity of Melville Hay — and many of ihem were shot for food, as was also a h.ige gull, two feet five inches in length, antl which, when killed, disgorged one of the little auks entire. On the following day not less than two hundred little auks were shot and served out to the ships' companies, among whose victuals they proved an agreeable variety, not having the fishy flavour thav might be expected from their food, which consists commonly of small shrimps, found very plentifully in this quarter. The trials and extraordinary dangers of Arcti^: navigation are well illus- trated in one of the adventures of the following day. After two o'clock, a small opening was seen ahead, and as it gave some hopes of forcing a passage. Captain Ross resolved to attempt it. The ships were accordingly tracked with great labour for about a mile through bay-ice to the narrowest part of a floe, which obstructed the ships' passage, into a pool ahead. Through this intervening stri^:) of Hoe, or small ice-field, a passage had to be cut with the great saws, working over a block suspended between poles. In this way, and by means of warping, some slight progress was gained. " As it ajjpeared likely," says Captain Ro.ss, "that our people would be at woi'k throughout the night, an extra allowance of provisions was served out. Their labours were incessant till half-past one, when, being almost win-n out by exertitm, I allowed them to rest till five. At half-past six the ice l)(>gan to move, and 11 A NARROW ESCAPE. 87 the wind increasing to a gale, the only eliance left for us was to endeavour to force the ship through it to the north, where it partially opened ; but the channel was so much obstructed by heavy [)ieces that our utmost efforts were ineff'ectua' ; the floes closed in upon us, and at noon we felt their pressure most severely. A floe on one side of the ' Isabella ' appeared to be fixed, while another, with a circular motion, was passing rapidly along. The pres- sure continuing to increase, it became a trial of strength between the shij) and the ice ; every support threatened to give way, the b(>anis in the hold began to bend, and the iron tanks settled together. At this critical moment, when it seemed impossible for the shi]) to sustain the accumulating pressure much longer, she rose several feet ; while the ice, which was more than six feet thick, broke against her sides, curling back on itself. The great stress now fell upon her bow, and, after being again lifted up, she was carried with great violence towards the ' Alexander,' which ship had hitherto been, in a great measure, defended by the 'Isabella.' Every effort to avoid their getting foul of each other failed ; the ice-anchors and cables broke one after another, a:id the sterns of the two ships came .so violently into contact as to crush to pieces a boat that could not be removed in time. The collision was tremendous, the anchors and chain-plates being broken, and nothing less expected than the loss of the masts. But at this eventful instant, by the in- terposition of Providence, the force of the ice seemed exhausted ; the two fields suddenly receded, and Ave passed the ' Alexander,' with comparatively little damage. The last things that hooked each other wore the two bower anchors, which, being torn from the bows, remained suspended in a line between the two ships until that of the ' Alexander' gave way. Neither the masters, the mates, nor those men who had been all their lives in the Green- land service, had ever experienced such imminent peril ; and they declared that a common whaler must have been crushed to atoms. Our safety must, indeed, be attributed to the perfect and admirable manner in which the vessels had been strengthened when fitting for service." But their troubles were not yet at an end, for, as the gale increased, the ice began to move with greater velocity, while a continued thick fall of snow kept from their sight a further danger that awaited them till it became im- minent. A large field of ice was now discovered at a small distance, bear- ing fiist down upon them from the west, and it thus became necessary to saw docks for refuge, in which service all hands were immediately employed. The ice, however, was found too thick for their nine-feet saws, and no pro- gress could be made. This circumstance proved fortunate, for it was souu after perceived that the field in which they attempted to c it the docks was drifting rapidly on a reef of icebergs which lay aground. The topsails were therefore close-reefed, in order that the ships might run, as a last resource, between two bergs, or into any creek that might be found among them, when i' 88 /iV>.S',S.S' FIRST ARCTIC VOYAGE. smUU'iily the ice-fickl acquirod a circular motion, so that every exertion was now necessary to warp along the edge, that being the sole chance they liad of escai)ing the danger of being crushed on an iceberg. In a few minutes, that part of the field into which they had attempted to cut docks came into contact with the berg with such rapidity and violence as to be dashed up against the fixed ice-mountain to the height of more than fifty feet, when, breaking, this lofty rampart tumbletl back on the lower part of the ice-field with a terrible crash, oviTwhelming with its ruins the very spot in which they had attemi)ted to find safety. Soon afterwards the vessels succeeded in clearing the reef of bergs, and thus again found themselves secure. Officers and men, who in this moment of incalculable danger and excitement had behaved with the utmost coolness and fortitude, had now a brief rest. Extra allowances of preserved meat and grog were served out, and the spare hands were told off to repair damages. While these were being attended to, Captain Saliine of the Koyal Artillery, who was appointed to the expedition in the capacity of astronomer and naturalist, accompanied by IMessrs IJushnan and Skene (midshipmen), and Mr Beverley, assistant-surgeon, were sent to examine the nearest shore, which apjieared to be about six miles distant. INIr Bushnan discovered that the land was surrounded by water, and the name of Bushnan Island was accordingly given to it. It was found to be utterly desolate, but piles of stone, resembling in appearance and arrange- ment the Eskimo graves that had been seen in other localities on the Green- land coast, indicated that the island had been recently inhabited; and the stem of a heath bush burned at one end was found, and was recognised by Sackheuse as the instrument with which the natives irim tlieir lamps. Little vegetation beyond a few specimens of the ranunculus and two or three specimens of a short grass were found, and there was nothing in the dead waste and solitude of this sterile island, with its few rude graves, to prepare the expedition for the very curious and interesting intercourse with the previously unknown natives of the west coast of North Greenland, a narra- tive of which is given in our next chapter. AX UXKXOWX RACE OF ESKIMOS. 8I> CHAPTER II. ixtercouhsk with an unknown tribe of eskimos — the arctic highlands- captain ross's great delusion — conclusion. and results ok ross and parry's voyage. The "Isabella" and "Alexander" had not advanced far after their mir- aculous escape from bein )! i. 1^ »■•:' Wiii yu JtOSS\S riUST AltCTIC VOYAaE. only slirul) .seen on tlio shore). This polo being curried to an iceberg, mid- way between the ships and the shore, was there erected, and a bag contain- ing presents, with a device of a hand painted on it, was fastened to the pole, wiuhin reach, and left there — the ships in the meantime being moored in a convenient situation for observing what might take place. The gale ha:m '1' ' escape. Sometinu's thoy drew back the coverinjj; they had on tho''- ^'cads, as if Avishiiii,' to catdi tlio most distant sonnds ; at which time ^ d (hs- corn tlicir features, disphiyinj,' extreme ternn- and amazement, i..o every limb appeared to tremble as they moved. Sackheuse was directed to entice them to the sl;!p, and two men were now sent with a plank, which was Jiccordiiit^dy placed across the chasm. They appeared still much alarmed, and recpiested that Sackheuse only .should come over. lie accordinj-ly passed to the opposite side, on which they earnestlj' besouj;ht him not to touch them, a.s, if he did, they should certainly die. After he had used many arj,'uments to persuade them that ho was flesh and blood, the native who had shown most courage, ventured to touch his liand ; then pulling himself by the nose, set up a shcnit, in which he was joined by Sackheuse and the other three. The presents were then distributed, consisting of two or three articles of clothing and a few strings of beads ; after which Sackheuse ex- changed a knife for one of theirs." The hope of getting some important information, as well as the interest naturally felt for these poor creatm-es, made Captain Koss impatient to com- municate with them himself, and he therefore desired Lieutenant Parry to accompany him to the place where the party were assembled. The two chief oiticers, provided with additional presents, consisting of looking-glasses and knives, together with some caps and shirts, proceeded towards the spot where the conference was being held between the interpreter and the savages. " By the time we reached it," says Koss, " tho whole were assembled ; those who had originally been left at a distance with their sledges, having driven up to join their conn-ades. The party now therefore consisted of eight natives, with all their sledges, and about fifty dogs, two sailors, Sackheuse, Lieutenant Parry, and myself ; forming a group of no small singularity ; not a little, also, increased, by the peculiarity of the situation, on a field of ice far from the land. The noise and clamour may easily be conceived ; the whole talking and shouting together, and the dogs howling, while the natives were flogging them with their long whip" to preserve order. Our arrival pro- duced a visible alarm, causing them to retreat a few steps towards their sledges ; on this Sackheuse called to us to pull our noses, as lie had dis- covered this to be the mode of friendly salutation with them. This cere- mony was accordingly performed by each of us, the natives during their retreat, making use of tho same gesture, tho nature of which we had not before understood. In the same way we imitated their shouts as well as we could, using the same interjection, heigh yawl which we afterwards found to be an expression of surprise and pleasure. We then advanced towards them while they halted, and presented the foremost with a looking-glass and a knife, repeating the same presents to the whole as they came up in succes- sion. On seeing their faces iu the glasses, their astonishment appeared * I ! ! ■ : I I il t-' l;i irti';;iii HQi-sc iNTFiemed to consider' very poor stuff. After being loaded with presents, they took their departure, promising to return " after they hail eaten and slept," by which phrase they expressed, as nearly as they could, the idea of "to-morrow." On the morning of the 11th August the " Isabella" and " ^Vlexandcr" wore able to .".dvance seven miles to the Avestward, and Avere fortunate enough t( find a station of safety under the lee of an immense iceberg, Avhich lay aground in one hundred and fifty fathoms. The situation of the expedition Avas noAV in lat. about 75° 55' N. ; long, about 65' 32' W. On this day, Captain Koss, conversing Avith the Eskinu) interineter, learned that the natives, in their alarm at bcJKjlding the ships of the strangers, had sent their Avomen and cliildren to the mountains; that their original intention in coming to the ships Avas to beseech the mysterious visitors to "go aAvay and not destroy them" — this n\ NATIVE DANCE AND SONG. r^ constant fear of destruction being a suggestive commentary on the life of continual apprehension which these creatures led in this inhospitable region — and that they had watched the ships for some time, expecting to see the great winged creatures fly either to the sun or moon, from one of which they concluded the vessels had flown to their shores. Some slight progress was made on the loth, tlu; vessels again finding slielter close to an iceberg. While working towards this stati(m, I'airy saw land from the mast-head bearing W.8.W. ; the atmosphere was wonderfully clear, and all distant objects seemed strangely raised by refraction. The sun delineated the features of the horizon in a distinct and beautiful manner, and the ri'flections of light on the icebergs were peculiarly splendid — emerald, sapphire, and orange, Ixniig the prevailing colours. Vast numbers of whales were here seen. They came up alongside the ship to respire, and betrayed no sign of alarm ; a number of sea-unicorns (narwhals) were also seen, and in the mornings and evenings the open pools in the ice swarmed with little auks, luuulreds of which were shot daily. On this and on the tbllowing day, intercourse was renewed with the natives, but nothing novel was observed in their habits or manners until two of them were asked to give specimens of their dancing. This request was forthwith complied with ; and as a preliminary to the exhibition proper, one of the two performers began immediately to distort his face and turn up his eyes in such :i hideous fashion, that Caiitain lioss, believing him to have been taken suddenly ill, was about to call for the surgeon, when the Eskimo, having concluded this introduction to his performance, proceeded to execute a variety of extra- ordinary gestures and attitudes, accompanied by the most violent and soul- harrowing distortions of countenance. The gestures and actions were not wanting in that reprehensible element, for which the Nautch of India and the Can-can of the most polished nation in the Avorld are notorious. The body was kept generally in a stooping posture, with the hands resting on the knees. In a short time the performer burst into the song of "Amnali Ayah," Avhich seems to be, in a sense, the national hymn of the Eskimos, and which Ave shall have occasion, in recording the observations of a later explorer, to describe. INIeantime the second performer, avIio had hitherto been looking on in silence, seemed to catch an inspiration from the notes of the well-loved air, and gaA'e expression to his feelings by, in his turn, making the most hideous faces, and by adding to the monotonous " Amnah Ayah " the chorus of " IlejaAv-hejaw." " After this had continued with increasing energy for some minutes, the tune was suddenly i^iumgcd to a shrill note, in which the words ' Wehee-wehee ' were uttered with great rapidity. They then approached each other by slipping their feet forward, grinning, and in great agitation, until their noses touched, Avhen a savage laugh ended this extraordinary performance." 96 ROSS'S FIRST ARCTfC VOYAGE. On the oveniiig of the 15th August, the pool in which the ships were lying widened to several miles in extent, and soon the auks were seen flying towards it in immense clouds that covered the whole surface of the water. These sea- fowl came to feed on the same small marine animals which here form the staple food of the whale. Two boats were despatched from each ship to pro- cure a supply of the birds, for the purpose of preserving in ice, and at mid- night the boats of the " Isabella " returned with about fifteen hundred. So close packed was the Hock of auks that fifteen fell to every shot. The boats sent by Lieutenant Parry from the " Alexander " were equally fortunate, and ::'rom this time tin-ee birds were served out daily to each man, and were found to make excellent soup, not unlike that made fx'om hare. At four o'clock on the following day the ice appeared to be comparatively open ; and eager to pursue the main object of the expedition as soon as a way should open up before him, Captain Ivoss gave orders to make sail. With a fine breeze from the north, the ships proceeded westwards along the margin of the ice, Avhich ap])eared attached to the land, and in about two hours arrived at a barrier of icebergs stretching from the northernmost land in sight towards the west. There were, however, narrow channels among the bergs, and working through among these, Eoss discovered and named Cape York, and continued to steer west by north along the !;ind, and at a distance of four miles from it. In the neighbourhood of Cape York the sea was seen washi-ig the shore unencumbered with ice. A very singular phenomenon was also here observed by lioss for the first time. The clifts along the shore seemed to bo covered with crimson snow. On sending a boat ashore to examine this apparent freak of nature, it was found that the snow was penetrated down to the rock — a depth in many places of ten or twelve feet — with a deep crimson colouring matter. On subjecting the snow to examination under a microsf>'^'^je magnifying a hundred and ten times, this colouring matter appeared to con- sist of very minute round particles, all of the same size, and all of a deep red colour. The general opinion of those who exaniinc'1 the snow was that the crimson colouring matter was vegetable in its nature, probably the seedg of some plant; and this impression was strengthened by the circumstance that the summits of the hills, six hundred feet above the cliffs, were clothed with vegetation of yellowish green and reddish brown cOiOurs. Passing the Cape Dudley Diggcs of Ballin, a magnificent glacif .', filling up a space of four sc^uaro miles, extending a mile into the sea, and rising inland to the height of a thousand feet, was discovered. Wolstenholme Island was soon in sight to the northward ; and as the two vessels were now steering for it with a fine breeze and with an open sea before them, the ex- l)lorers began to indulge high hope of at last attaining the grand object of their enterprise, and of sailing right on until they should open the sea that was supposed to wash over the North Pole. Wolstenholme Sound, whicli TflE GREAT DELUSION. 07 was found to l)c completely blocked up with ice, was passed at two p.m. The entrances to the inlet, and the general trend and outline of the land, were found to agree in all important particulars witli the account of these given 1)y their discoverer, Baffin. Two hours later Whale Sound was discovered, or rather rediscovered, for hitherto Itoss had been strictly following in the track of Baffin. To the northward of Whale Sound the land appeared to be very mountainous, and to take a westerly direction. ^Vt nine p.m. the weather became very clear, and ('arey's Islands were discovered. Continuing on the same northward course all night, Itoss found himself abreast of the western- most of the Carey Islands on the morning of the 19th. VVc now approach the clir.iax of Captain Koss's enterprise —that stage of his expedition uhere he reached his furthest, northwards, and where he re- luctantly, but with a confidence as full and dogmatic as it was mi.splaced, came to the conclusion that no northward passage was to be found through. Smith's Sound. As every movement of the "Isabella" and "Alexander" became at this point of tin.' greatest interest, it will be necessary to foil v Cajitain Ross's own narrative closely until we find him turning his bows southward on his homeward voyage, in the full conviction that the instruc- tions he had received from the Admiralty could not by possibility be carried out. Passing the westmost of the Carey Islands on the morning of the 19th, Eoss stood to the north-east, to get a better view of Whale Sound and the land near it, and he soon convinced himself, on evidence that we now know to have been insufficient, that there was no navigable passage in that direction. lie afterwards resumed a westward coiu-se, and saw Ilackluit's Island of Bafiin " very near to the mainland." iVt night a fresh breeze sprang u]), and the commander " had hopes of being al)le to examine the great bay which appeared to the north, and through which a passage might possibly be found." From this statement it might be inferred, that when Ivoss reached these high latitudes ho was cherishing the preconceived idea that he would be certain to be stopped by land. In search of the " passage " northward, he bore up under all sail in that direction, advancing sixteen miles, partly through loose ice. At ten he signalled Lieutenant Parry ; and having delivered to him some additional sealed instructions, to be opened in the event of the ships parting company, he bore up again to make out the situation of the land. Carey's Islands were now in sight on the south-cast. " It continued clear," says Eoss, " mitil near one in the morning ; and the sun, passing in azimuth below the Pole, along the tops of the mountain.s, gave us an excellent view of the bottom of this bay. Smith's Sound, discovered l)y Baflin, was distinctly seen, and the capes forming (>ach side of it were named after the two ships — ' Isabella' and 'jVlexander.' I considered the bottom of the Sound to be about eighteen leagues distant ; but its entrance was completely blocked up N h »> OS ROSS'S FIHST ARCTIC VOYAGE. by ice. A tliick l(\if soon came on, and we again hauled to the westward." Soundings on the night of the Itith gave V,V1 I'athonis. (Jrey mud, stones, and chocohite-cohiured chiy, in which worms were found, were brought up ; and, says tlie commander, " the hirge icebergs, wliich wc passed in great numbers, were also a proof that the \vat(>r was not shallow" — and a proof also, by inference, that the explorer was not so near what he supposed to be the north shore of the bay as he imagined. On the morning of August 'li)\\\, Koss reckoned himself to be in hit. 70 54' N. ; and " iidrintj determined there was no pusstfrfe/art/ier to the north- ii'iird" he stood under easy sail for ten miles to the south-west inider pressure of a gale. The gale abating, he again hauled to the north-north -east, ad- vancing upon the threshold of the unknown with the utmost caution— keep- ing the lead going, and having look-out men posteil at the mast-heads, yard- arms, and jib-boom end. He ran in the direction stated from nine in the morning till ft)ur, " when it suddenly cleared, and we saw the nearest land at a distance of six leagues, bearing north-west. To the north-eastward there appeared a bay, but the land was distinctly seen beyond it, forming a chain of mountains from Smith's Sound to the westward." It was lloss's intention to have examined this bay, " which was evidently the noiLhernmost," in order to determine more accurately its geograj)hical position ; but a firm field of ice, with an outer rami)art of icebergs driven upon it by southerly gales, occupied its surface. Approaching the icebergs as near as he could with safety, Koss signalled Parry, and gave him directions to proceeil with a party to a convenient iceberg and make observations. As results of these, the dij) of the magnetic needle was found to have increased from 85° 44' 33' to 80 0' 33" since the preceding day, and the magnetic force, as ascertained by the oscillations, was found to have increased about one foi'ty-cighth part, evidence which went to prove that an approach was being made toward the JNIagnetic Pole. Iicfore recording the great mistake which practically brought Ross's expedition to a com])aratively fruitless termination, it is necessary, in Justice to this able navigator, to state the circumstances that scen.ed to afford an api)arent basis for tlie illusion in which the mistake had its origin. In ihe middle ;kani, a line of Alps, Imilt only of water- blink and shadow, an unsubstantial j)a,neant throjigh which, and far beyond, IJentenant Parry penetrated in the followin<;' year. Havinjj; thus tt) his own satisfaction finished his work in the extreme north of ]>aflin's ]>ay, Captain lloss shaped his course to the westward and southward. He caused accurate bearings to be made of the different head- lands at the entrance to Smith's Sound ; and having named the lofty cape on the west side of "the bay" Cape Clarence, he shaped his course on the morning of the '21 st August towards the next opening which appeared in view to the westward. Two days afterwards, he stood in to examine the Jones' Sound of liallin, and in the evening he made out to his satisfaction the north and south points of the land across the bottom of this bay, or inlet, which answered I'aHin's description of Jones' Sound. At midnight, a ridge of very high mountains was seen to extend nearly across the bottom of it, and joining another from the south, which was not quite so high. This " ridge of very high mountains " was afterwards sailed over by various explorers of Jones' Sound. On the iOth, Coburg Island, Cape Leopold, and Princess Charlotte's Monument, at the mouth of Jones's Sound, were discovered and named. On the 3()th, Captain lloss found himself in the opening of Lancaster Sound, and sailed some distance westward with the view of exploring it. This part of his voyage was in no sense thorough or satisfactory. He had come to the conclusion, apjiarently on the most insufficient grounds, that this great Sound was only an " inlet." This inlet he describes as being enclosed on the north, west, and south by the Cunningham, Croker, and Martin Mountains. The Croker JNIountains he believed formed an impassable barrier westward, yet we know that Parry, in the following year, sailed over the spot which his predecessor supposed them to occupy. From this point, however. Captain Ross's expedition loses interest for us. Ross continued to sail southward, coasting along Byam Martin's Land, Baffin's Land, and its peninsula Cum- berland, giving names to numerous islands, inlets, etc., but making no im- portant discovery, and experiencing no surprising adventure. On the 14th of November he arrived on the coast of England, and cast anchor in Grimsby Roads. The chief results of Ross's first Arct'c voyage are that he vindicated the claims of Baffin as a great discoverer, and removed the suspicion that had continued to cloud the fame of that famous navigator for two hundred years, and that, by penetrating beyond the dreaded ^Melville Bay into the north water, south of the entrance to Smith Sound, he opened up a n )w and most productive whale-fishing ground, which British whalers have not failed to frequent every summer from his day to our own. !„ I', PART III. CHAPTER I. IN SEARCH OK THE NORTH-WEST PASSAGE — P.-URY's FIRST EXPEDITION, 1819- EXTEUS LANCASTER SOUND — DISCOVEItV 'F PRINCE REGENT's INLET- STEERING WESTWARD. it; 'I jJi Ca"tain IvOss's first Arctic voyage was undjrtakcn "for tlio purpose of ex- ploring Bullin's Bay, and ascertaining tlie i)rol)abiIities of a north-west j)assagc to the Pacific ; " but this coniniantk'r having failed to carry out the instructions he had received from the Admiralty, and, instead of ascertaining the probability of a passage by either Smith's, Jones's, or Lancaster Sounds, having merely looked in at the doors of these great openings, the actual " Search for the North- vv est Passage " during the present century — the search that called into activity the best energies of a score of famous explorers, and demanded the sacrifice of Franklin and the crows of the " Erebus " and "Terror," before it yielded up the secret that had so long lain hid in its gloomy, ice-locked straits — cannot, strictly speaking, bo said to have com- menced until immediately after the return of the "Isabella" and "Alex- ander," when a new expedition, with this definite end in view, was organised and despatched to the Polar seas, under the leadership of Captain Eoss's first officer. Lieutenant Parry. In the narrative of his first Arctic voyage. Captain Iloss leads readers to infer that when he left the three great sounds leading north and west of the extreme north of Baffin's Bay unexplored, in the full but unwarranted con- viction that these openings were not really sounds, but only inlets backed by lofty and continuous ridges of mountainous land, he did so only after con- sulting all his officers, and obtaining the additional weight of their unanimous opinions in support of his own. But such an inference is not justified by the facts of the case. In the private journal of one of the officers on board the "Alexander," the following suggestive passage occurs in reference to the withdrawal of the vessels of the expedition from the mouth of Lancaster Sound : " Not any ice was to be seen in any direction, and at seven o'clock, THE Xnli I'll- WEST PASSAGE. 103 the weather being remarkably fine and ek'ar, hind was not to be discerned between N. 21 W., and X. 44 E. At this time onr distance from the northern hind was estimated at seven or ei,i,dit k'a<^nes; but alas! the sanguine hopes and high expectations excited by this promising ajtpearance of things were but of short duration, for al>out tlu'ce o'clock in the afternoon the " Lsal)ella " tacked, very much to our surprise indeed, as we could not see anything like land at the bottom of the inlet, nor was the weather well calculated at the time for seeing any object at a great distance, it being some- what hazy. When she tacked, the " Isabella " was a1)out three or four miles ahead of ns." .Several passages in Parry's journal, and in his private letters written soon after his arrival with the vessels in ]>ritish wati'rs, expresses the same conviction that open water extended before them in Lancaster Sound, and the same regret that a north-west passage had not been sought in that direc- tion. Writing to his friends at home on his arrival at Shetland, he says : " That we have not sailed through the Xorth-West I'assage ; our return in so short a period is, of course, a sutlicient indication ; hnt 1 kiioiv it is in iwintence, and not rery hard tojfnd. This opinion of mine, which is not lightly formed, niust, on no account, be uttered out of our family ; and I am sure; it will not, when I assure you that every future prosi>ect of mine de})ends upon its being kept a secret." Again, \\Titing from London. November 18, 1818, he thus describes an interview which he had had with Lord ^Melville, then First Lord of the Admiralty : " About three o'clock Lord jNIelville saw as " (Franklin and himself). " He conversed with me upon our expedition, and, what was more interesting to me, upon what yet remained to be done. You must know that, on our late voyage, we entered a magnificent strait, from thirty to sixty miles wide, iipon the west coast of Bafiin's Bay, and — ranie out a^/ain, nobody knows why ! You know I was not sanguine, formerly, as to the existence of a north-west passage, or as to the practicability of it, if it did exist. ]>ut our voyage to this Lancaster Sound, as Baffin calls it, has left quite a different impression, for it has not only given us every reason to believe that it is a broad passage into some sea to the westward (probaljly that of Ilearne and INIackenzie) ; but, what is more important still, that it is, at certain .seasons, practical)le ; for, when we were there, there was not a bit of ice to be seen. This truth has been fully conununicated to Lord ^Melville by JNIr Barrow " (.successor to his fatlier. Sir John Barrow, in the secretaryshij) to the Ad- miralty), " who had, with his usual di.scernment, immediately discovered it, without any information from me on the subject. Lord j\Ielville convcrscil with me pretty freely on the probaltility of a p.! sage there." The results of this interview were, that in the following mo.^ith (December), two vessels were selected to form another Arctic expedition, to start in the a])proaching spring, and that, on the Kith January, Lieutenant Pariy was, to his intense gratification, appointed to its command. 104 PARRrs FIRST i:xrKDITIO\-\^\{\. i W-' The vessels cliosen to form tlie new expedition, and which liud heen selected l»y Parry himself, prior to his appointment to their command, were the "Hecia" and "(Jriper." The "Ileda" was a bond* of 'M'^ tons, hnilt in a merchant's yard at Ilnll in the year isl."), of larj,'e s('antlin<,', and havinj,' a capacions hold; the "(Jriper" was a j;un-hrij,' of 1H<» tons. Both ships were taken into dock ahont the middle of JJecend>er, and their thoron<;h repair, and the j'reat stren<;thening they underwent to tit them for Ai'ctic service, were directly supervised by Lieutenant I'arry himself. The total number of individuals forming' the expedition, includ- \\v^ Parry himself and Liee.tenant Liddon, who commanded the "(Jriper," was ninety-four ; and as the Admiralty a,<>reod to «,'rant to every man engaged in the expedition double the current })ay of the Xavy, the ships were speedily manned with a full complement of excellent seamen, includ- ing nearly the whole of those who had served on the former expedititm under Koss. Captain Salnno joined the new expedition, to i)erform the duties ho had discharged with so much credit in the i)revious one — those of astronomer and naturalist — and among the ofHcers were Lieutenants F. W. Beediey and H. P. Ilojipner; while among tlic midshipmen were J. C Koss and J. JJushnan, of whom we have had occasion already to make mention. The object of the expedition, as stated in the Admiralty instructions, was to " endeavour to discover a North- West Passage froii the Atlantic to tlie P.aeific Ocean." With this end in view, Lieutenant i ./ry was instructed to make the best of his way to tJic entrance of Davis's Strait, from which locality, if he should find the ice sufliciently open to permit his approach to the western shores of the strait, and his advance to the northward as far as the opening into Lancaster Sound, lie was to proceed to explove the bottom of that sound. If no westward passage was foiuid in this dirLx,uon, Parry was to proceed to and examine successively Jones's and Smith's Sounds. The ships were fully furnished with provisions and stores for two years ; and on the 4th INLiy 1819, the " Hecla " was towed down the Thames to Nortlifieet, to be followed on the next day by the " Griper." The latter vessel, however, show- ing bad sailing qualities from the commencement, it was not till the \'2i\\ that the " Hecla," taking the slower vessel in tow, ran with her through Yarmouth Roads. Thus was the nineteenth century search for the North- West Passage commenced, under a commander whose good luck it was to achieve the most important results after spending an entire winter in a i)reviously unknown region, aiid undergoing adventures and making himself fiimiliar with exjjcri- ences of which the scientific world of that time could not have formed any distinct conception. The vessels rounded the northern point of the Orkneys on the i;Oth May. The first " stream " of ice was fallen in with early on the morning of the 18th June, and soon after icebergs were seen. (Jn the 23rd, the shi])s being then I I II /; \ Ti:ns a wca s ti.r s(H sh. 105 ill Int. G-J' 4:3', lonf,'. or 3M', tlio iic of Davis's Strait, in l>cr;,'s and looso .streams, Mas seen to tiic west-noith-wcst ; and from this point, to avoid a too early collision with tlie jj;reat enemy of the Arctic exi»h)rcr, a noithern conr.so was steered, and the ice kept well to the westward. I'nablo to force a passa<,'e westwaid tln'on^h the ice of Davis's Stiait, I'arry kept on his course niirthward alon^' the east fringe of it Avithont meetin;^ with any slrikinmly novel experience, until, on the 'Jlstduly, clear weatlu-r having' set in, tlie land called l)y Davi.s, Hope Sanderson, and the Woman's Islands on the west coast of CJreenland (lat. ahont I'l 40' X.), were seen on the east. Tlu; vessels now found th'-mselves in the midst of numerous very hif;h ieelter^s, of whit-h Tarry counted, from the crow's-nest, as many as eighty-eight, while the smaller bergs were almost innumerable. Taking advantage of this clear weather, with which ho had not been blessed for fourteen days previously, I'arry tacked immediately to the westward to examine the ice, and try for a passage westward into the entrance of Lancaster Sound, toward which his hopes of a successful voyage allured him. He accordingly, on the 'Jlst, ran into the middle-ice of Ballin's Bay before a moderate south-ea.st breeze, and found liimself soon among Hoes or ice-fields of consideral)Ie extent, and of from six to seven feet in thickness. Progress was slow. Parry was without the powerful aid of steam. IJoring wa.s impo.ssible, and he had occasionally to heave the .ships tlnough between the ice-masses with hawsers. As an indication of the average rate of ad- vance through the ice toward the desired sound, it may be stated that on the •2r)th July, Parry, having made the "(Jriper" fast astern of the " Hecla," and liaving manned the capstan of the latter with the crews of both vessels to warp forward the ships by means of winding on the ropes of ice anchors planted in the ice in advance, all the progress that was made after eleven hours' laborious exertion Avas only four miles. On the I'Oth there was so much clear water that the .shi})s had a })erceptible })itcliing motion, which was hailed with pleasure as an indication of an open sea. On the folhjwing day the open water continued, and the vessels now seemed all at once to iiave got into the headquarters of the whales, no less than eighty-two of which were seen during the day. At noon the latitude was found to be 74 01', the longitude 1'^^ 59' W. A breeze springing up from the X.X.W. in the afternoon, the "lleclii" made all sail ahead to make the land, and early in the evening the n'.ountainous land about Possession Bay, at the southern entrance to Lancaster Sound, was distinctly seen, and Parry beheld with exultation the gate to the unknown region open l^efore him, and inviting him to enter. " Sir James Lancaster's Sound," writes Parry, " was now oi)en to the westward of us, and the experience of our former voyage had given us reason to believe that the two best months in the year for the navigation of these seas were yet to come. ' 2 o ;: I ii. ill III , h v l\i 1()() PARRY'S FIRST EXPIIDITIOX -\>^\^. Making the best use of the time at his cdiiunaiul, I.ieutpnant Parry ur<>pd on westward, and found himself in lat. 74 •_'.')', long. 80° 4' on the 3d August. A favourable breeze spiinging up f'-oni the east, a crowd of sail was set to carry the ships with all ra})idity to the westward, through the hitherto unknown sound. The sup])osed Croker Mountains, which Ho.ss had believed he had seen closing all passage through the sound t'.> the westward, were nowhere to l)e seen. Hope and open water were in front — the mirage and the timidit}' that had closed the voyage of the explorer of the previoiis year having vanished together. " It is more easy," says Parry, "to imagine than to describe the almost breathless anxiety which was now visible in every countenance, Avhile, as the breeze increased to a fresh gale, we lau quickly up the soinid. The mast-heads Avei-e crowded by the officers and men during the whole afternoon ; and an unconcerned observer, if any could have been unconcerned on £uch an occasion, would have been amused by the eagerness with which the various reports from the crow's-nest were received, all, liowever, hitherto favt)urable to our most sanguine hopes." The course was nearly due west, with a wind continually freshening. Only one drawback was at this time felt — the painfully bad sailing qualities of the consort-ship, the " Griper." The only ice now met with consisted of a few large bergs, very much washed by the sea ; and the weather being remarkably clear, so as to allow I'arry to run on with })erfect safety, he was, by midnight, in a great measure relieved from his anxiety respecting the supposed continuity of land at the bottom of this magnihcent inlet, having reached the longitude of 83° 12', where the two shores were still above thirteen leagues apart, without the slightest api)earance of land to the M'cst- ward for four or five points of the comj)ass. The advance on the 4th August was in the highest degree exciting. Still bearing up to the westward, with a haze covering and concealing the land on the south, the sea was in tlu^ morning as free from ice as any part of the Atlantic, and the explorers began to flatter themselv(>s that they had fairly enter(Ml the I'olar Sea. This j)leasing pros])ect was rendered the more flattering by the sea, which had been yellowing for some time pre- viously, now assuming the true deep colour of the ocean. In the evening, however, ice was reached extending for miles in a direction nearly parallel to the cotr.'je of the ships ; but as clear water could be seen over it to the southward, Parry still continued to hope that it would prove oidy a detached stream. Towartls midnight, however, the sun then shining with noon-day brightness, the ice was seen joining a compact and impenetrable l)ody of fiocs, which lay across the whole breadth of the strait, thus forbidding, in the meantime, any further advance westward. The (expedition had now arrived in longitude about 90" W. ; that westward reach of l-ancaster Sound, extending innncdiately to the south of North Devon Islanil had been discovered and T)is('ovi:ry or j'rinc\e regexts inlet. 107 named by Parry, Barrow Strait ; and two islands, at the western opening of that now historic strait, were also discovered by the gallant navigator, and named LeopoUl Islands, in honour of His Ivoyal Highness Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg. Immediately to the eastward of these islands there was a strong " water-sky " -a certain darkness in the sky which invariably indi- cates the presence of 0}jcn water in the direction in which it is seen in these seas — but to the rvistward of the islands a bright ice-blink shone, indicating the certain existence of a gi'eat ice-field, and atl'ording little hope, for the present, of finding a passage in the desired direction. A glance at the map will show that the "llecla"and "CjI riper" had now reached that part of Lancaster .Sound immediately to iLe north of the mouth of the as yet undiscovered Prince liegent's Inlet. On the ijth, the Aveather being calm and foggy, a number of the ofhcers and men anuised themselves in the boats endeavouring to kill some of the white whales which were swarming abtnit the vessels ; but the creatures were wary enough to avoid danger, and to dive before the boats coidd approach them within forty yards. Afr Lisher, the assistant-surgeon of the " Hecla," described the whales as being from eighteen to twenty feet in length, and stated that he had several times heard them emit a shrill ringing sound, " not unlike that of nuisical glasses when badly played." This scund was most distinctly heard when they happened to swim directly beneath the boat, even when they were several feet under water, and ceased altogether on their coming to the surface. A number of narwhals, called by the sailors " sea-iuiicorns," were also seen here for the first time. There being in the meantime no lio[)e of a passage to the westward, Parry perceived with interest, during the clear weather which inunediatcly succeeded the fog, that there was a Uoye open space to the soiit/nvard, Mhere no land was visible ; and for this opening, over which a dark " water-sky " was looming, he now directed his course. Driven onward by a breeze from the N.N.W., the vessels slowly forged southward, and it was soon discovered that they were entering an inlet not less than ten leagues wide at its mouth, and with no land visible in its mid-channel. At this time ((3th August) Parry thus clearly states his i)Osition in the entrance of what has since been known as Prince Ivegent's Inlet : " The western shore of the inlet, which extended as far as we could see to the S.S.W., was so encumbered with ice, that there was no possibility of sailing near it ; I therefore ran along the edge of the ice, between which anil the eastern shore there was a broad and open chaimel, with the intention of seeking, in a lower latitude, a clearer passage to the westward than that we had just been obliged to abandon, lying between I'rince Leopold's Lsles and JMaxwell's liay. The headland which forms the western point of the entrance into this inlet was honoureil by the name of Cape Clarence, after His Poyal Highness the Duke of It i u 108 PARRY'S FIRST FX J' JW/TJOX— 1819. Clarence ; and {mother to the south-castwartl of this was named after Sir Robert Seppings, one of the surveyors of His Majesty's Navy." Continuing his southward course along the edge of the land-ice of the western shore, Parry found that he was gradually being forced to near the eastern shore ; and by midnight of the 7th, the channel in which he was sailing was narrowed to about five miles. The weather was beautifully serene and' clear, and the sun, for the second time this season, just dipped, at midnight, below the northern horizon, and then reappeared in a few minutes. A dark sky to the south-west had given hopes of finding a Avesterly passage to the south of the ice along which Parry was sailing, more especially as the inlet began to widen considerably as he advanced in that direction, but he was soon to experience disappointment. On the 8th the prospect from the crow's nest began to assume a very unpromising appearance, the whole of the western horizon, from north round to south by east, being completely covered by ice, consisting of heavy and extensive floes, beyond which no indication of water was visible. The distance Parry sailed to the southward in this inlet was 120 miles — lat. 71° 53', long. 90° 8' W. — and he saw no reason to doubt the practicability of ships penetrating much further to the south, by watching the occasional openings in the ice, if the " determining the geography " of this part of the Arctic regions Avere considered worth the time. To himself, this result did not appear to be worth the trouble ; and on the morning of the 9th he put his helm about, and returned to the north to prosecute his search for a passage westward from Barrow Strait. On the evening of the 11th the boats succeeded in harpooning a narwhal, to the great delight of the Greenland sailors of the expedition, who took so much delight in the sport to which they had been accustomed, that they could with difficulty be restrained from striking at a whale under any circumstances. On the l*2th of August, Parry makes the following memorable entry in his journal : "This being the anniversary of the birthday of Ilis Eoyal Highness the Prince Pegent, it naturally suggested to us the propriety of honouring the large inlet, which we had been exploring, and in which we still were sailing, with the name of Puinoe lti':GENT Inlet." On the 13th, the vessels had sailed clear out of the inlet, and were again off Leopold's Islands in BarroAV Strait, reconunencing their search in the old quarter for an outlet westward. After beating about in the vain endeavour to find such a passage through the ice, the vessels neared the northern shore of the great strait, and there found a comparatively open channel running westward along the edge of the land ice. On the 21st, there was nothing to impede tlie progress of the ships but the want of wind ; the great opening of Lancaster Sound, through which they had proceeded from liallln's Bay, being now so perfectly clear of ico that it was almost inqxjssible to believe it to STEERIXCi WEST WARD. 109 be the same part of the sea, which, but a day or two before, had been com- plotcly covered with iiocs to the utmorit extent of view. Very sk)wly was progi'ess made for some time ; for Parry was navigating an unknown sea, in foggy weather, though without the obstruction of ice. lie crept on, how- ever, through the strange waters and along the sterile coast, giving names to the more salient features of the shore — among them Kadstock Bay and Beechey Island, so called after his own lieutenant. A breeze sprang up on the 2:id, and all sail was made to the westward. The coast of North Devon was at length passed, and a magnificent channel, ruiming northward between it and a great island to the Avestward, was discovered and named by Parry, Wellington Channel. "The arrival off this grand opening," sa^'s Parry, " was an event for Avhich avc had long been looking with anxiety and impatience ; for the continuity of the land to the northward had always been a source of uneasiness to us, principally from the possibilty that it might take a turn to the southward and unite with the coast of America. The appear- ance of this broad opening, free from ice, and of the land on each side of it, more especially that on the west, leaving scarcely a doubt on our minds of the latter being an island, relieved us from all anxiety on that score ; and every one felt that we were now finally disentangled from the land which forms the western side of Baffin's Bay, and that, in fact, we had actually entei-ed the Polar Sea. . . . Though two-thirds of the month of August had now elapsed, I had every reason to be satisfied with the progress wdiich we had hitherto made. I calculated upon the sea being still navigable for six weeks to come, and probably more, if the state of the ice would permit us to edge aAvay to the southward in our progress westerly. Our prospects, indeed, were truly exhilarating ; the ships had suffered no injury ; we had plenty of provisions ; crews in health and spirits ; a sea, if not open, at least navigable ; and a zealous and unanimous determination in both officers and men to accomplish, by all possible means, the grand object on which we had the happiness to be employed." il If! i I ii Mi n no PA HR Y'S J-mST h:XI*ElifTlOX \^\^. CHAPTER II. CORNWALLIS AND BATHL'HST ISLANDS DISCOVERED — DTSCOVEHV OF MELVILLE ISLAND. On the 23d August the " Hocla " and " Grii)cr " were in full sail westward, through that part of Lancaster .Sound which extends immediately to the south of Cornwallis and North iJevon Islands. The magnificent inlet of Wellington Channel extended away to the northward, and was as open and navigable as any i)art of tha Atlantic. It lay, however, at right angles to the course which Parry had resolved to pursue, and although its wide and free area was in the highest degree tempting to the explorer, he had suf- ficient determination to push on due west ui search for the passage, the discovery of which was the object of the expedition. If, however, the sea to the westward, which was the direct course, had been obstructed by ice, and the wind had been favourable, such was the inviting appearance of Wellington Chainiel, in Avhicli no impediment whatever was visible, that Parry would have been induced to run through it, as a degree r.iore or less to the northward made little or no difference hi the distance he would have to run to Icy Cape, at the western extremity of the supposed passage. But there was no necessity for altering the original plan. The western course was open as well as the northern, and Parry decided to follow out his proper route, and turn neither to the right hand nor the left. Nothing coidd have been more animating than the quick and unob- structed run across the entrance to Wellington Channel, from Beechey Island to Cape Hotham. " Most men," says I'arry, " have probably, at one time or another, experienced that elevation of spirits which is usually pro- duced by rapid motion of any kind ; and it will readily be conceived how much this feeling Avas heightened in us, in the few instances in which it occurred, by the slow and tedious manner in which the greater part of our navigation had been performed in these seas." At noon of the '23d, the vessels had reached hit. 74" 20', long. 94' 43', when Griffith Island was dis- covered and named. Oi)posite to this island the shores of Cornwallis Island, which bounded the Sound on the north, rose with a gradual ascent from a sandy beach with one conspicuous headland, which was named Ca])e Martyr. On the morning, and again in the evening, of this day, much ice CORXWALLIS AM) /LI 77/ 1 fiST /SL.i\/)S. Ill liad been met with, but a passage on both occasions was fouml l)y " boring," and the ships persevered in their westward course. On the 2i3th ]5athiu\st Island was discovered and named ; and during this (Uiy it was remarked, not witliout some degree of unpleasant feeling, that not a single bird, or any other living creature, made its appearance. Everything was still and quiet in this solitary sea, from which the brown deserted islands leared their heads in silence. For the most part the sea was covered with ice in a com- pact and imdivided body, but a channel of sufficient breadth was still left open between the ice-field and the shore, under the lee of liathurst Lsland. The weather ;' -^s at this time remarkably serene and clear, and, although a hue of ice was seen to the southward, lying in a direction nearly east and west, or parallel to the course we were steering, yet the space of open water was still so broad, and the prospect from the mast-head so flattering, that Parry thought the chances of the two ships parting company — a contingency that had always been apprehended, owing to the bad saiUng qualities of the " Griper " — were now greater than they had ever been. He accordingly furnished Lieutenant Liddon of the " (iriper " with special instructions, fixing upon a place of rendezvous for a certain date in the event of separa- tion, and again stretched away westward. Leaving Bathurst Island behind, Parry now discovered a smaller island fi^rther west, to which he gave the name, Byam Martin Island. On the 28th consideralde delay Avas caused by the closing in of the ice, and there was for the time no passage westward. Advantage was taken of the enforced idleness of the expedition to examine Byam Martin Island— Captain Sal)ine and jNIessrs Ross, Edwards, and Fisher being despatched in a boat for this purpose. While this was being done, the vessels continued " to stand off'-and-on by the lead, which seems a very safe guide on this coast, firing guns frequently, till five p.m., when we were not sorry to hear our signals answered by muskets from the boat." The officers reported on their return that they had landed on a sandy beach, near the east point of the island, which they found to be more productive, and altogether more interesting, than any other part of the Polar regions they had yet visited. Remains of Eskimo houses were found in four different places. These occupied a small ravine near the sea, and they consisted of rude structures of stones placed upon each other in a circular or rather elliptical form. They were from sevei; to ten feet in diameter, and attached to each of them was a smaller circle generally fom* or five feet in diameter, Avhich had probably been the fire-place. The stones were moss-covered, and the huts had the appearance of having been deserted for a number of years. It had been remarked that during the advance of the shijjs to these high latitudes, the compasses became more and mt)re untrustworthy for the pur- poses of navigation. They became too slugg'sh to traverse, and at last it was resolved to abandon their use in the meantime. On the ildth a dense ! i S'lK H 11-2 /'J A7.» )".S' rfNST EXPEDITfOX -\^\?K fdg settled (Idwn around the ships, and Parry's hope to find a channel among the ice, by which to pass Byam jNIartin Island, and push on westward did not seem likely to be realised. Lieutenant Pany's description of his diffi- culties, under these circumstances, has the advanliige of being clear and graphic. "At four .\.m. on the "iOth the current nas tried by mooring a boat to the bottom, but ncme could be detected. About this time the fog partially cleared away for a little while, Avhen we observed that the ice was more open off Cape Gillman (south coast of Byam Martin Island) than when we had before attempted to pass in that direction. At five o'clock, there- fore, we made sail for the pohit with a light easterly breeze ; but at seven, when wc had proceeded only two or three miles, the fog came on again as thick as before : fortunately, however, we had previously been enaliled to take notice of several pieces of ice, by steering for each of which in succes- sion we came to the edge of a floe, along which our course was to be pur- sued to the westward. As long as we had this guidance, we advanced Avith great confidence ; but as soon as we came to the end of the floe, which then turned off" to the southward, the circumstances under which Ave were sailing were, perhaps, such as have never occurred since the early days of naviga- tion. To the northward was the land ; the ice, as we sunposed, to the southward ; the compasses useless ; and the sun completf^ly obscured by a fog, so thick that the " Griper " could only now and then be seen at a cable's length astern. We had literally, therefore, no mode of regulating our course but by once more trusting to the steadiness of the Avind ; and it Avas not a little amusing, as avcU as novel, to see the quartermaster conning the ship by looking at the dog-vane." The fog Avas so dense that at times the sloAvly adA'ancing vessels, from Avhich land and ice Avere alike concealed, had no guide Avhatcver to steer by. Under such circumstances the very best use Avas made of the brief intervals of clear Aveather Avhich occurred. During one of these intervals, and Avhile Parry Avas sailing on the course Avhich he kncAV by the bearings of the land to be the right one, it Avas observed that the " Griper " Avas exactly astern of the " Hecla," at the dirtance of about a tjuarter of a mile. The Aveather Avas not quite so thick as to prcA'cnt the officers in the advance ship seeing the " Griper " at that distance, and the quarter-master Avas directed Lu stand aft, near the taffrail, and to keep her constantly astern of the " Ilecla," by Avliich means the latter contriA'ed to steer a tolerably straight course AvestAvard. The " Griper," on the other hand, naturally kept the " Ilccla " right ahead, and thus, hoAvever ridiculous it may appear, " it is nevertheless true," says Parry, " that Ave steered one ship entirely by the other for a distance of ten miles out of si.\.ieen and a half, Avhicli Ave sailed between oiie and eleven p.m." On the 2d Sei)tember, Avhen the " Hecla " and " Griper " Avere off the coast of a ncAv land lying to the Avest of Byam Martin Island, and to Avhich I x\ DTSCnVERY or MELVILLE fSLWD. 11:1 Parry afterwards gave the name of iSlelville Island, in lunionr of T.ord ]\tel- ville, head of the Admiralty, a star was seen — the first that had been visible ff and bright Arctic summer was on the wane, and that if any distinctive suc- cess in the navigation of the Polar seas Avas to l)e achieved this season, it must be won within the next few days, for winter was coming, and had already sent his antnt-rouricre to give warning of his approach. The navi- gation continued to be difficult from prevalent fogs, and from the loose ice through wliich the vessels were to force their way. The main body of the ice was alxnit three miles distant from the shores of ^Melville Island, and the space between the ice-field and the land was thickly covered Avith loose ice- blocks. At the distance of half-a-mile from the shore there were many large masses of ice aground ; and it was here that the method, so often resorted to in the subsequent part of the voyage, of placing the ships between these masses and the land, in case of the ice closing suddenly upon the vessels, first suggested itself to Parry's mind. An excursion to the .shore was not productive of any very valuable results. No traces of inhabitants could bo found. Deer were seen, though none were shot, and there were abundant traces of the musk-ox. At the top of a hill a bottle containing papers giving a sketch of the fortunes and successes of the expedition down to date, was buried, and a mound of stones and sand, in the middle of Avhich a boarding- pike Avas set up to attract attention, raised above it. The visit to the shore being over, the voyage to the westward was resumed. Parry examined the southern coast of IMelville Island Avith mtense inten^st. He kncAV he Avas looking on a scene that had never before b(!cn seen by civilised w^w. Hi; knew also that in a foAV Avceks, if he Avere not fortunate enough to discover a north-Avest passage, he Avould have to Avinter in some creek or inlet of that coast, and that consideration Avas sufficient to invest the barren shores Avith a singular and exceptional interest. Throughout his Avhole career this ftimous navigator shoAved that he Avas naturally a leader of men. lie Avas endeared to his crcAvs alike by the nobleness of his nature and by the Avisdom of his conduct. In this voyage he had his usual good fortune in securing the affection ;:e regard of his officers. This regard he kncAV hoAV to main tain as Avell as evoke. The more striking features of the coasts he dis- covered Avere often named after his oavu officers, as some little recognition for zeal and loyalty to their captain ; and Ave find that in these days of early Se})tcmber in ISlO, he had named Point Ross, Skene Bay, Cape Palmer, and Beverley Inlet after four of the officers of the " Ilecla " and " Griper." The sunset of the evening of the 3d September Avas " extremely beautiful, the Aveather being clear and frosty, and the sky Avithout a cloud. The moon rising soon after, afforded a spectacle no less pleasing, and far more sublime. Her horizontal diameter appeared to be very much elongated Avhcn just 2 p 114 /'AU/i'Y'S F/h'ST i:.\l'J:J)lTIO\ -\^\\). lllh jibovc the horizon, owing to the nncqnal refraction of the upper and lower limbs." Continuing to feci his way westward along the southern shore of Mel- ville Island — tacking between the shallows of the low shores on the north and the sea-ice that extended in a broad unbroken field on the south — Parry had the great satisfaction of crossing the meridian of 110" west of Green- wich on the night of Saturday, 4th September, and of earning for himself, his officers, and men, the bounty of five thousa:id pounds, which Government, by a recent Act of Parliament, and with the view of encouraging the search for a North-West Passage, had voted to be given as a reward to such of his Majesty's subjects as should first penetrate so far to the westward within the Arctic Circle. On the following day (Sunday) after divine service had been performed, the commander, with what feelings of pride may well be imagined, assembled the ofliccrs, seauu^n, and marines of the " Ilccla," .and announced to them otlicially, that their exertions had so far been crowned with success, as to entitle them to the first prize in the scale of rewards granted by his Majesty's Order in Council, above mentioned. " I took this ojiportunity," Parry remarks, " of impressing upon the minds of the men the necessity of the most strenuous exertions, during the short remainder of the present season ; assuring them that if Ave could penetrate a few degrees farther to the westward, before the ships were laid up for the winter, I had little doiibt of our accomplishing the object of our enterprise before the close of the next season." lie addressed a letter to the same eftect to Lieutenant Liddon of the " Griper," and directed a small addition to be made to the usixal allowance of meat, and some beer to be served, as a Sunday's dinner, in celebration of this substantial triumph of the expedition. The success was further commemorated by the men conferring the name of Bounty Cape upon a headland, which had just been passed. A determined struggle Avith the ice had already been maintained for a number of days, and now, with a fresh gale blowing from the north, the ice continued to oppose an inii)enetrablc barrier to all progress westward. Under these circumstances Pan-y resolved to beat up along the shore in search of a tolerable roadstead Avhere he could drop anchor and await one of those changes in the Aveather and in the condition of the ice, Avhicii, at certain seasons of the year are here as frequent as they are unexpected in their occurrence. Such a roadstead AA'as at length found and named the " Bay of the Hecla and Griper." Its recommendations Avcre, that its bottom afforded good holding ground, consisting of mud and sand, from Avhich the lead Avas Avith difficulty extricated ; that it Avas completely sheltered from every Avind round from east-nortii-east to south-Avest, and that it Avas more free from ice than any part of the southern coast of the island yet seen. No sooner had the anchorage been taken tip than Captain Sabine, Avith a staff" of assistants, FIRST STAGE OF VOYAGE COMPLETED. Hi was sent ashore to examine the country. The locality they visited proved barren ind unproductive ; tiocks of ducks, with ^ulls and tern, were seen, and tracks of deer and musk-ox Avcrc observed. The I'ocks were found to bo composed of sandstone, but j.;ranite, flint, and coal were also found. It was not until dropping anchor in this bay that Parry nanie.^ this island— the largest of the group he had recently discovered— iMelvillc Island, in honour of Viscount ]\Ielvillc, First Lord of the Admiralty. It is with Justiiialjle satisfiiction that Parry concludes the narrative of this part of his voyage. " The Bay of the Hecla and Griper," he states, " was the first spot where we had dropped anchor since leaving the coast of Norfolk ; a circumstance which was rendered the more striking to us at the moment, as it appeared to mark in a very decided manner the completion of one stage of our voyaj^j. The ensigns and pendants were hoisted as soon as we had anchored, and it created in us no ordinary feeling of jjleasure to see the British flag waving for the first time in tliese regions, which had hitherto been considered be- yond the limits of the habitable part of the world." I 110 PAJIIIY'S FIRST /i'A7Vi7>/7Y0A— 1819. CHAPTER III. LAST ATTEMPTS TO PUSH WESTWARD — LOST IN THE SNOAV — RESOLVE TO SEEK A STATION FOR THE WINTER — ENTER WINTER HARBOUR — LIFE ON SHIPBOARD IN WINTER — SHORTEST DAY — CHRISTMAS. The exploring '"^sscls had been moored comfortably enough in the "Bay of the Ilecla and Griper " on the fjth September, bnt not to rest there in idleness. The open season was now rajjidly wearing to a close, and one last effort must be made to seek r. winter station furtlier west. Accordingly the anc])ors were weighed next morning, and the shi^js rounding Cape Hearne, at the west extremity of the bay, proceeded westward along the shore until they were sto])ped by a compact body of ice extending completely in to the shore. The commander then issued orders to make fast to a floe for the night, for the season had now so far advanced as to make it necessary to secure the ships every night from ten till two o'clock, the weather being too dark during that interval to allow them to be under way in this unknown sea, in which navigation, unaided by compasses, was so uncertain and peril- ous. No clear water could be seen from the crow's-nest or from the hills of the shore next day ; and on the Sth, the ice having a threatening appear- ance, Parry resolved to take them inshore and moor them inside the line of bergs which lined the coast and aflibrded protection froni the encroachment of the sea-ice. In this position the vessels remained till the 13th. During this time an incident occurred which gave rise to the greatest alarm in both ships, and promised to surround the expedition with gloom. Mr Fife, Greenland master of the " Griper," Avent ashore early on the morn- ing of the 10th with a party of six men, in the hope of coming upon some reindeer and musk-oxen, whose tracks had been seen in a ravine near where the " Griper " lay. The party were instructed to return on the same day, and the quantity of provisions supplied to them for t1 e day was accordingly small. The day passed, but neitiier Fife nor any of his men returned. Night came down, wild, stormy, and bitterly cold, but the wanderers did not return. IMorning dawned, but the return of light failed to bring back the lost men. The fact of their absence was now for the first time communi- cated to Parry, who recommended Lieutenant Liddon to send out a search- party for the missing men, and accordingly Messrs Reid, Beverley, and Wake- LUST IS rilE SX01V ii: liani volunteered for this service, iiuly proltable that the vessels would have been frozen up at sea, and wholly defenceless against the motions and tho changes of the ice. From these considerations, Parry considered it his duty to invite the opinions of his senior oflicers as to the expediency of imme- diately seeking a harl)our in which the ships might lie securely during tho ensuing winter. The oj>inions of the oflicers concurred with his own, ami the commander then determined, whenever the ice and weather would permit, to run back eastward into the "Day of the Hecla and Griper," in which neighbourhood alone ho had any reason to believe that a suitable harbour might lie foiuid. Inunense iiil)our and continuous peril for a number of days were incurred in carrying out this programme ; but at length, on the 24th September, the vessels sailed into the Bay, and prepared to cut a canal through the ice, four or live inches in thickaess, which covered the inlet of the bay in which it was resolved to M'inter the shijjs, and to which the name of Winter Harbour was afterwards given. The ic^ covered this inner harljour in a continuous and level floe, and as soon as tho crews had breakfasted, I'arry proceeded with a small i)arty of men to sound and mark with boarding-pikes upon the ice the most direct channel to the anchorage. " This operation," says Parry, " was performed by first marking oiit two parallel lines, distant fi-om each other a little more than the breadth of the larger ship. Along each of these lines a cut was then Jnade with an ice-saw, and others again at right angles to them, at intervals of from ten to twenty feet ; thus dividing the ice into a number of rectangular pieces, which it was again necessary to subdivide diagonally, in order to give room for their being floated out of the canal. On returning from the upper part of the harbour, where I had marked out what appeared to be the best situation for our Avinter quarters, I found that considerable progress had been made in cutting the canal, and in floating the pieces out of it. To facilitate the latter part of the process, the seamen, who are always fond of doing things in their own Avay, took advantage of a fresh northerly breeze by setting some boat's .sails upon the pieces of ice, a con- trivance Avhich saved both time and labour." In the evening, the anchors were Aveighed, and the vessels Awarped up the canal. At night an extra alloAvancc of half a pound of fresh nn^at per man AA'as issued ; and tho food of the men continued to be supplemented to this extent till their labours I_ I 120 PARRTS FIRST EXPEDITION— \S\^. were ended, and the vessels warped u}) into tlieir permanent quarters in Winter Harbour. The consunnnation of tlieir labours, which was achieved at half-past one p.m. on September 20th, Avas hailed with three loud and hearty cheers from both ships' companies. The ships were anchored in hve fathoms, a cable's length from the beach, and aftc. bufteting about among the moving ice for two months, something like a fixed home was thus established for Parry and his comjianions in the frozen waters of Winter Harbour. The position in Avhich we now have to regard the crews of the " Ilecla " and " Griper," in a region of the earth hitherto unknown to human society ; on the eve of a Polar Avinter, the rigours of Avliich they could n(;t as yet even guess at ; cut off from all connnunication with the civilised Avorld ; their very existence itself dependent on their loyalty to their officers and their faithful- ness to each other and to the conamon cause, is singular in itself, and inter- esting from the circumstance that the trial to Avhich they were now about to subject themselvos was the first experiment of the kind attempted in the present century. Their commander at least seems to have been deeply impressed with the responsible and exceptional character of his situation. "Having now," he says, "reached the station where, in all probability, we were destined to remain for at least eight or nine months, during three of which we were not to see the face of the sun, my attention was immediately and imperiously called to A'arious important duties, many of them of a singular nature, such as had, for the first time, devolved on any officer in His jNEajesty's Navy, and might indeed be considei'ed of rare occurrence in the Avhole history of navigation. The security of the ships and the preservation of the A'arious stores Avere objects of immediate c(mccrn. A regular system to be adopted for the maintenance of good order and cleanliness, as most conducive to the health of the crews during the long, dark, and dreary Avinter, equally demanded my attention." With these olijects in vicAV, operations Avere at once commt .iced to render the ships tolerably habitable during the Avinter. ^\11 the upper masts Avere dismantled, and the lower yards Averc lashed fore and aft amitlships, at a sufficient height to support the planks of the housing intended to be erected over the ships, the loAver ends of Avhich rested on the gunwale, and the Avhole of which, forming a framework resembling a high-pitched roof, Avas covered over Avith canvas, and afforded a sufficient shelter from snoAv and Avind. The boats, spars, running rigging, and sails, Avere removed on shore, in order to give as much room as possible on the upper deck to enable the men to take exercise on board Avhen rigour of Aveather forbade Avalking on shore. As soon as the .ships Avere secured and housed over, Parry gaAc his Avhole atten- tion to arrangements for promoting the health and comfort of the officers and men. The berths and bed-places were kept as warm and dry as possible, although, from the condensation of vajjour, and of the steam from the ARRANGr:MENTS FOR THE WINTER. 121 coppers, upon the beams and planks, perfect dryness coidd scarcely be attained. Among the means employed to prevent this condensation of vapour on the timbers was a thick screen fixed round the galley, and dropping within eighteen inches of the deck, wliich served to intercept the steam from the coppers, and prevent it from curling along the beams, and condensing upon them into drops. This scr(>en was especially useful at the time of drawing off the beer which the " Heda's " men were in the habit of brewing from essence of malt and hops, and which continued to be served for several weeks as a substitute for part of the usual allowance of spirits. The steam arising from the brewing was found so annoying during the cold weather that, though the beer was valuable as an antiscorbutic, it was re- solved eventually to shut up the brewery. As everything in the future was so comi)letely uncertain to the explorers, it was deemed advisable to reduce the regular allowance of bread to two-thirds. " A poiuid of Donkin's pre- served meat, together with one pint of vegetable or concentrated soap, per man, was sulistituted for one pound of salt beef weekly ; a proportion of beer and Avine was served in lieu of spirits, and a small quantity of soiu* kraut and pickles, with as much vinegar as could be used, was issued at regular intervals. The daily proiiortion of lime juice and sugar was mixed together, and, Avith a proper quantity of Avater, Avas drank by each man in presence of an ollicer appointed to attend to this duty. The latter precaution may appear to have been unnecessary to those Avho are not aware hoAv much sailors resemble children in all those points in Avhich their oaa'u health and comfort are concerned. Whenever any game Avas procured, it Avas directed to be served in lieu of, and not in addition to, the established alloAvance of other meat, except in a fcAv extraordinary cases, AA'hen such an indulgence Avas alloAved ; and in no one instance, either in quantity or quality, AA'as the slightest preference given to the oflicers." The most rigid economy Avas adopted in the use ncss of tiie ice and snow." A deer-stalking adventure, Avhich occurred early in October, had a serions, and might have had a tragic, termination. I'arry had given orders that all hunting, or other parties sent out over the ice should make it an invariable rule to be back on A IIUNTL\G ADVENTURE. 123 board before sunset. On the lOth, a number of deer were seen near the ships, and a jxirty sent out alter them had so far the good fortune to wound a stag, and being led on by the ardour of pursuit, forgot or negleeted to return till very late, when serious apprehension had for some time been felt for their safety. John Pearson, a marine belonging to the " Ciripcn-," who was the last to return on board, had gone away witliout mittens and with a musket in his hand. The result was that, in the exposure to the eold of the evening, his hands were severely frost-bitten. A seareli party sent out to seek for him, found him at the bottom of a bank of snow, down which he had falhni, in that state of torpor and ilrowsiness which, after exposure to the severe cold of these regions, is the invariable precursor of death. With ditlieulty he was conducted on board, and w'hen he Avas brought in his fingers had stiffened, and were bent and hxed — the form they had taken in carrying the musket. The frost-bite was so severe that three of his fingers had to be amputated a few days after. The etfect of ex[)osure to intense frost, in benumbing the mental as well as the physical faculties, " was," says Pai'ry, " vei'y striking in this man, as well as in two of the ycnuig gentlemen who returned after dark, and of whom we were anxious to make incpiiries respecting Pearson. When I sent for them into my cabin, they looked wild, spoke thick and indistinctly, and it was impossible to draw from them a rational answer to any of our questions. After being on board for a shoil time, the mental faculties appeared gradually to r'jturn with the returning circulation, and it was not till then that a looker-on could easily persuade himself that they had not been drinking too freely. To those who have been much accustomed to cold coantrii>s this will be no new remark ; but I cannot help thinking (and it is with this view that I speak of it) that many a man may have been punished for intoxication, who was only sutler ing from the beiuimbiug effects of frost ; for I have more than once seen our people in a state so exactly resembling that of the most stupid into.xication, that I should certainly have charged them with that offence, had I not been quite sure that no possibU; means were atibrded them on iMelville Island to procure anything stronger than snow-water. In order to prevent, as far as possible, the recurrence of any similar danger. Lieutenant I'arry issued an order to the effect that in the case of any members of the crews being absent from the ships without leave after dark, tlie expense of all rockets and other signals used in such cases to guide them back, should in future be charged against the wages of the offending party. But, as from fog, snow-drift, and the natural darkness of mid-winter, there would be constant danger of being lost, even at mid-day, Parry caused finger-posts, pointing towards the ships, to be erected on all the hills within two or three miles of the harbour. From many tokens it was now evident that winter was fast closing in upon this colony of Englishmen, housed in their vessels on the shore of Mel- k:( ;; t . If ' I' u 124 PARRY'S FIRST EXPEl)ITIO\—\>^\^. ville Island. All the water they used now was obtained from snow, arti- fieially dissolved. The snow for this purpose was du^' out of the drifts, which had formed upon the ice round the shii)s, and dissolved in the coppers, after which it was strained, and found pure and wholesome. The last covey of ptarmigan that were seen this season were observed on the loth October; and on the same day a herd of fifteen deer were seen to the southwaid. They were all lying down at first, except one large one, probably a stag, which afterwards seemed to guard the rest in their flight — going frc»iuently round them, and sometimes striking them with his horns to make them go on, which otherwise they did not seem much inclined to do. A northern gale, accompanied by a constant snow-drift, blew during the IGth, anil a striking peculiarity of this Arctic weather was that while the air was per- fectly clear overhead, the boat-house, at the distance of three or four hun- dred yards, could scarcely be seen from the ship. Of course, in this dark weather, no one was allowed to leave the vessels. " Indeed," says Parry, " '.vhen this snow-drift occurred (as it frequently did during the winter) with a hard g:.\^, and the rhei'monicter very lovr, I believe that no hiunan being could have remained alive after an hour's exposure to it." In order, there- fore, to secure the means of rapid communication between the ships, as well as from the ships to the house on shore, a line was kept stretched between the various points. In the middle of October the cold was intense. On the 18tli, a thermometer placed in the sun at noon rose only to -9° (nine degrees below zero) ; while in the shade the temperature was -16°. The UOth October was one of the finest days which ever occur in this climate, the weather being clear, with little or no wind ; and, though the thermometer remained steadily at between -15° and -10° even at noon, it was neither try- ing nor unpleasant. The shij)s' sportsmen were out during the whole day> but returned willKuit Living s'jen any living animal — the southern migration of deer and birds having by this time taken place. In the evening the aurora borealis was observed, forming a broad arch of irregular white light extending from N.N.W to S.S.E., the centre of the arch being ten degrees to the eastward of the zenith. It is described as having been brightest near the southern horizon ; and frequent but not vivid coruscations were seen shoot- ing from its upper side towards the zenith. Between two and three p.m. on the following day, the weather being still remarkably fine and clear, a brilliantly-coloured parhelion was seen on each side of the sun near the horizon, at the distance from it of twenty-threc! degrees, and looking like the legs of a rainbow resting on the land. On the 20th, there was suf- ficient daylight for reading and writing, from half-past nine till half-past two, in Parry's cabin, tlie stern windows of which exactly faced the south. About this period, nothing could exceed the beauty of the sky to the south-aist and south-west, at sunrise and sunset. " Near the horizon there was gener- L •'liftYAL ARCTIC TJIKATRK" OPES ED. 125 ally a rich bluisli-i)ui'[)le, and a biit-ht arch of deep rod above, the one mingling imporce})tibly with the other." Tlie weather about this time is said to have been remarkably mild ; the mercury having stood at or above zero for more than forty-eigln: hours. On the 29th, however, the thermo- meter registered 24° below zero, on which occasion it was observed that the smoke from the funnels would not rise, but skimmed horizontally along the housing. So intense had the cold now become that to touch any metallic substance in the open air, with the naked hand, was now found to be a i^ainful experiment, the feeling i)roduced by which exactly re- sembled that produced by the opposite extreme of intense heat. Whenever the flesh was allowed to touch metal the skin came off. For this reason the greatest caution was required in using the sextants or other instruments, jiarticularly the eye-pieces of the telescopes, which, if allowed to touch the ftice, occasioned an intense burning pain. The inconvenience was only remedied by covering the parts of the instruments likely te come hi contact with the skin, with soft leather. On the 4th of November, the sun was seen for the last time till the 8th February — an interval of ninety-six days ; and it was probably in anticipa- tion of this somewhat depi'cssing event that the commander of the expedi- tion had arranged that the theatre should be opened, for the first time, on the following day. Accordingly, on the following day, the Royal Arctic 'Theatre was opened, and " Miss In Her Teens " Avas performed, Pariy sustain- ing the part of Erlbble. The amusement derived from the performance fully justified the anticipations that had been iormed of the vahie of such enter- tainments in such circumstances. With the play itself the men were delighted ; while even the bustle and the novelty of fitting up the theatre, and talcing it to pieces again, which occupied the men for a day or two, both before and after each performance, had a salutary eft'ect in engaging the men in a labour anuising in itself, and performed in the most cheerful and willing manner. " I dreatled," writes Parry, " the want of employment as one of the woi'st evils that was likely to befall us." During these dark, sunless days of midwinter, the circumstances of the situation of the expedition being such as had never before been experienced by the crews of any ships of the British navy. Parry's account of the routine, which was followed with little variation from day to day, is of the greatest interest ; and all the more so from the circumstance, that in these later years, and especially since the improvements made by INPClintock in sledge- travelling, the conditions under which Arctic life now transacts itself on ship- board, even during the hundred days' darkness of winter, are so materially altered, that a sketch of life on board the " Ilecla " in 181!)-2U is not without its value as a memorial of a variety of naval life which has now passed away. ^m- !■ i 126 PARIirS FIRST KXPKl)ITIOX-^\^\{). " The oflicers and quarter-masters," says I'arry, " Avere divided into I'-ur watches, whir'li were reguhirly kept, as at sea, Avhilo the remainder of the slii])'s company were allowed to enjoy their night's rest undisturbed. The; hands were turned up at a (juarter before six, and both decks were well rubbed with stones and warm sand befor'' eight o'clock, at which time, as usual at sea, both otHeers and men went to breakfast. Three quarters of an hour being allowed after breakfast for the men to prepare themselves for nuister, we then beat to divisions punctuidly at a quarter j^ast nine, when every person on board attended on tlu' quarter-deck, and a strict inspection of the men took ])lace, as to their personal cleanliness, and the good con- dition, as Vicll as suflicient warmth, of their clothing. The ri'ports of the olHcers having been made to me, the people were then allowed to walk about, or more usually, to run round the upper deck, while I went down to examine the state of that below. . . . The state of this deck may be said, indeed, to have constituted the chief source of our anxiety, and to have occupied by far the greatest share of our attention at this period. Whenever any (hunpness ap[)eared, or, what more frequently happened, any accumulation of ice had taken place during the preceding night, the necessary means were immediately adopted for removing it ; in the former case, usually by rubbing the wood with clotlhs, and then directing the warm air pipe towards the place ; and in the latter, by scraping off the ice. . , . We returned to the u])[)er deck, where I personally inspected the men ; after which chey were sent out to walk on shore, when the weather would permit, till noon, when they returned on board to their dimier. AVhen the day was too in- clement for them to take this exercise, they were ordered to run round and round the deck, keeping step to a tune on the organ, or not unfrequently, to a song of their own singing. . . . The oillcers, who dined at two o'clock, were also in the habit of occupying one or two hours in the middle of the day in rand)ling on shore, even in our darkest i)eriod, except when a fresh wind and a heavy snow-drift confined them within the housing of the ships. It may be well imagined, that at this period there was but little to be met with in our walks on shore, which coukl either anmse or interest us. The necessity of not excei'ding the limited distance of one or two miles, lest a snow-drift, which often rises very suddenly, should prevent our return, added con- siderably to the dull and tedious monotony, which day after day presented itself. To the southward was the sea, covered with one unbroken surface of ice, miiform in its dazzling whiteness, except that, in some parts, a few hum- mocks were seen thrown up somewhat above the general level, ^'or did the land offer nuich greater variety, being almost entirely covered with snow, except here and there a brown patch of bare ground in some exposed situation, where the wind had not allowed the snow to remain. When viewed from the suinnut of the neighbouring hills, on one of those calm and clear days -v^ LIl'E ON HOAR I) Sill I* IN WINTER 127 which not imfroquently occurred during the winter, tlio scone was such as to induce contemi)lations whicli had, perhaps, move of meUmcholy than of any other feeling. Xot an object was to be seen on wliich the eye could long rest with pleasure, unless when directed to the sjxjt where the ships lay, and where our little colony was planted. The smoke which there issued from the several fires, affording a certain indication of the presence of man, gave a partial cheerfulness to this ])art of the prospect ; and the sound of voices, wliich, during the cold weather, could be heard at a nuich greater distance than usual, served now and then to break the silence which reigned around us, a silence far different from that peaceable composure which characterises the landscape of a cultivated country ; it was the death-like stillness of the most dreary desolation, and the total absence of animated existence. Such, indeed, was the want of objects to afford relief to the eye or annisement to the mind, that a stone of more than usual size appearing above the snow, in the direction in which we were going, immediately l)ecame a mark, on which our eyes were unconsciously fixed, and towards which we mechanically ad- vanced. . . . Wo had frequent occasion, in oiu" walks on shore, to re- mark the deception which takes place in estimating the distance and magni- tude of objects, when viewed over an unvarietl surface of snow. It was not unccnnnon for us to direct <:»ur steps towards what we took to be a large mass of stone at the distance of half-a-mile i'rom us, but which we were able to take up in our hands after one minute's walk. ... In the afternoon, the men were usually occui)ied in (h'awingand knoLting yarns, and in making pt)ints and gaskets — a never-failing resource where mere occu[)ation is re- quired, and which it was necessary to perform entirely on the lower deck, the yarns becoming so hard and brittle Avhen exjiosed on deck to the tenq)erature of the atmosphere, as to be too stiff' for working, and very easily In-oken. ... At halt-})ast five in the evening, the decks were cleared up, and at six we again beat to divisions, when the same examination of the men and of their berths and bed-places took place as in the moriung ; the people then went to their supper, and the officers to tea. .Vfter this time, the men were permitted to amuse themselves as they pleased, and games of various kinils. r ^. Avell as dancing and singing occasionally, Avent on upon the lower deck till rdne o'clock, when they went to bed, and the lights were ex- tinguislied. In order to guard against accidents by fire, where so many fires and lights were necessarily in use, the quarter-masters visited the lower deck every half-hour during the night, and made their report to the officers of the watches that allAvas, in this respect, safe below ; and to .secure a ready siq)ply of water in case of fire, a hole was cut twice a day in the ice, close alongside each ship. It is scarcely ncn-essary to add, that the evening occupatiojis of the ollicers were of a more rational kind than those wliich engaged the at- tt'utiou of the men. Of these, reading and Avriting were the principal enq)loy- 128 PARRY'S FIRST EXPEDITION— \^n. hi i ments, to which were occasionally added a game of chess, or a tune on the flute or violin, till half-past ten, about which time we all retired to rest. Such were the employments which usually occupied us for six days in the week, with such exceptions only as circumstances at the time suggested. On Sundays, divine service was invariably performed, and a sermon read on board both ships ; the prayer appointed to be daily used at sea being altered, so a.ut this was no great hardship. The expedition, which was complete in so many departments, was not unfurni.shed with a poet and playwright, and soon a musical entertainment, which was named the " North-West Passage" was put together, and performed to the great gratification and satisfaction of all concerned. The " North- West Passage" is described by Parry as " expressly adapted to our audience ; and having such a reference to the service on whicn we were engaged, and the success Ave had so far experienced, as at once to aiford a high degree of present recreation, and to stimulate, if possible, the sanguine h(jpes Avliich were entertained by all on board, of the complete accomplishment of our enterprise." Serious fears were at one time felt that this amusement would have to be stt)pped by tlu^ severity of the weather. Arctic theatricals are often carried on under excei>tional disadvantages. Certain of the costumes expose the Avearers to the all-searching cold, and Ave could fancy the sufferings of a young officer doomed to personate a sea-nymph or a shepherdess Avith the temperature on the stage at several degrees beloAv zero. Caiatain Lyon, Avho took the "Hecla" into the Polar seas in 1821-23, played Dick Dowlas in the "Heir-at- LaAv," going through the last act Avith tAvo of his fingers frost-bitten. An important epoch came round in the shortest day, the 22d December, for noAV the hopes of the frost-bound people turned toAvard the Arctic summer, and the liquid seas it Avould bring Avith it. On this day the light Avas sufficiently clear, and lasted sufficiently long, to alloAv the officers to Avalk out very comfortably for tAvo hours. There was usually in clear Aveatlier a beautiful arch of bright red light overspreading the .southern hori/on for an hour or tAvo at this st ason of the year, the light increasing in strength as the %u CffltrSTM AS— 1819. 129 sun nearcd the meridian. Although the day was short, and still sunless, the reflection of light from the snow, and the unusual brilliancy of the Arctic moonlight, -were at all times sufUcient to i)rcvent the explorers experiencing anything like the gloomy night which occurs in more temperate climates. Especial care was taken, during the time the sun was below the horizon, to preserve the strictest regularity in the time of the meals, and in the various occupations which engaged the men during the day ; and this, together with the gradual and imperceptible manner in which the darkest season wore on, prevented this night-in-day kind of life, in reality so no. el, from causing any actual inconvenience, or even from appearing unnatural or surprising. The shortest day of the year, with all its crowding reflections rnd muster- ing hopes, was scarcely over, when the famous 25th was at h-^nd, and the hundred Englishmen of the " Hecla" and " Grijjer" found themseives about to celebrate Chi'istmas for the first time in a region completely out of keeping with the jollity, the hospitality, comfort, and plenty with which they had always previously associated the most famous of English holidays. "To mai-k the occasion in the best manner which cu-cumstances would permit," Avrites the leader of the expedition, "divine service was performed on board the ships ; ar d I directed a small increase in the men's usual proportion of fresh meat as a Christmas dinner, as well as an additional allowance of grog, to drink the herdth of their friends in England. The officers also met r.t a social and friendly dinner, and the day passed with much of the same kind of festivity by which it is usually distinguished at home. A piece of English roa.st beef which had been on board since the preceding INIay, and which had been preserved during that time without sait, and merely by the cold of the atmosphere, formed part of the officers' dinner." On the 30th December the thermometer fell to -43°, or to 75° below the freezing point of Eahrenheit. This was the lowest temperature that had yet been experienced. The weather, however, was fine, calm, and clear, and the colours of the sunless southern sky at noon were observed to be remark- ably prismatic. But the Arctic climate is subject to strange variations, and on the following day, the 31st, the wind sprang up, and the thermometer, rising with the wind, registered -f- 5° at midnight, or only 27' below freezing point, thus closing the year with milder weather than the explorers had experienced during the ei<''^'t preceding weeks. l'^ A I 3 B I no r.\nnys rinsr iixpeditiox isio. 11 I :! ft (J 11 A P T ¥. R I V. Tin: m:\v vhak -fiust .\i'im:ai;an(i: oi" .scriiv^' extiu'.me cold — escape fko.m WIM'KU llAUIiOIK— rO\CLrsi(»N Ol' VOVAliK, AM) Uin'L'ltX TO ENGLAND. The cxtraordiiuirily mild weatl-er with wliich the new year M'as uslievod in on the soullu-ni sliores of Alelvilk' Islaiitl was not of long continuance, for as tlu' wind moderated the thermometer fell. On the 1st of January a pale halo was seen around the moon, with three paraselenic, or false moons, seen above and at each side of the real oiie. Th(\se false moons were very lumin- ous, but were not tinged witli the prismatic colours ; and the ghostly feeling of their colour and strange figure Mas intensihed on the following day, Avhen the same appearance was again visible in the sky, witl; the addition of a vertical stri})e of white light proceeding from the upper and the lower "linil)s," or sides of the real moon, and forming, with part of a horizontal cirele passing throuuh tho latter, the apoearance of a cross. On the same day, the conuuander of the expedition was alarmed by hearing from tho surgeon that the gunnci- of tho " Ilecia " was suffering from scurvy. The cause that had superinduced the disease was found to be the dam})ness of the gunner's bed-place. ^Measures Avcre innnediatcly taken to have all the bed-places and clotlies dried poric^dically, and the whole magazine of anti- scorbutics which the "Ilecia" carried, consisting of preserved vegetable soups, lemon juice and sugar, pickles, preserved currants and gooseberries, and spruce beer, Avere brought to bear upon the disease that had thus in- vaded the ship. Parry began also at this time to raise a small quantity of nmstard and cress in his cabin, in small .shallow boxes, fdlcd with mouhl, and placed along the stove-pipe ; by which means, evei^ in tho severest winter weather, he coidd generally secure a crop at the end of the sixth or seventh day after sewing the seed, which, by keeping several boxes at work, would give two or three scorbutic patients nearly an ounce of fresh sahul each daily. The mustard and cress thus raised were colourless, from being- grown in the dark', l)ut they had all their natural aromatic pungency of taste, and salads composed of them were found to be a perfect s])eciHc for scurvy. The gunner, taken in hand in this vigorous and business-like manner, soon recovered the use of his legs, and, after the ninth day, declared himself lit to "run a race." i ' EXriiEMi: COLD. 1:51 On the lltli, tlio theriDometer sank to -Ht below zovo, the most iiUeiiso degree of cold that the cxi)loror.s had yet experienced ; bnt, as llic weatlier was calm, the crews were able to walk on the shove for an hour without in- convenience, th(> sensation of cold depcndinfi; mncli more on the slrenutli of the wind at the time than on the absolute tempeiature of the atmosphere as indicated In- the thermometer. " In going from the cabins to the ojxmi air," says Parry, " we were cimstantly in the habit for some nionlhs of nnd( riioing a change of from xi) to lO(r, and in several instances of ll.M» , of temperature, in less than one minute;"' but no distressing sensation i.n- ]iain in tiie lungs was felt in passing out into the cold, or retiu'iiing into the warm atmospheri'. "And what is still more extraordinary," continues the commander, " not a single inflammatory complaint, beyond a slight cold, which was cured l)y common care in a day or two, occurred during this ])artieu1ar ])eriod/' The most splcndiil displays of the aurora liorealis were seen during tlie month of January, and the appearance of the sky l)eeam(> daily more and more interesting till the 3d rel)ruary, when the sun made his lirst appearance above the horizon after his long absence during the dreai'y Arctic night of winter. When first seen from the main-top, a column of pale I'eil light ex- tended from the ujiper part of the sun's disc to about ;J of altitude. The breadth of this column, which was at times intensely I)right, at otlier times scai'cely perceptible, and which was visible for thi(H> quarters of an hoiu- before and after noon, was equal to that of the sun's diameter, and its ])right- ness was much more intense near the sun than at the other extremity. As the sun continued to rise in his lengthening daily course, the cold became more iixtense, and frost -l)ites were common among the nien, though no very serious case occurred. The distance at which sounds were heard in the open air, during the continuance of the extreme cold, was often the cause of surpi'ise. " AVe have, for instance," Parry states, "often heard peojtle (li.stiuctly conversing, in a common tone of voice, at the distance of a mile ; and to-day (11th February), I heard a man singing to himself, as he walketl alontr the beach, at even a 'greater distance than this." In this verv severe weather, two of the " llccla's" mai'ines Averc temptemselves by freezing some mercury by simj^ly exposing it to the atmosphere, and beating it out on an anvil. When thus fro/en, the mercury was not very malleable, but broke under the hammer after two or three blows. On the 10th, the weather continuing about equally severe, the play arranged for performance for the evening was duly acted ; " but it must be confessed that it was almost too cold for either actors or audience to enjoy it, especially for those of the former who undertook to appear in female dresses." As the month wore on, the explorers were cheered by the sun's light for about eight hours daily. On the 22d, the weather was fine and clear; and though the thermometer stood at 23.J° below zero in the sun, walking along the shore was a great enjoyment. " With our present temperature," writes Tarry, " the breath of a person, at a little distance, looked exactly like the smoke of a musket just fired, and that of a i)arty of men cmi)loyed ujion the ice to-day resembled a thick white cloud." On the 24th, at a quarter-jiast ten, when the men were running round the decks for exercise, and luckily were, on that account, well clothed, the house on .shore, which was used chiefly for making astronomical observations, was dis- covered to be on fire. All the officers and men of both ships instantly went off to extinguish it ; and having, by great exertion, pulled off the roof with ropes, and knocked down a part of the sides, so as to allow snow to be thrown upon the flames, they succeeded in getting it under after three- quarters of an hour, and, fortunately, before the fire had reached that end of the house where the two clocks, together with the transit and other valuable instruments, Avere standing in their cases. Having removed these, and covered the ruins with snow, to prevent any further outbreak of fire, the men returned on board till more temperate weather should permit of their digging out the rest of the things, which were subsequently found uninjured. The ships' companies were then mustered, to show that they had put on dry clothes before sitting down to dinner. " The appearance which our faces presented at the fire," says Parry, "was a curious one, almost every nose and cheek having become quite white with frost-bites in five minutes after being exposed to the weather ; so that it was deemed necessary for the medical gentlemen, together with some others appointed to assist them, to go con- stantly round, while the men were working at the fire, and to rub with snow the parts affected, in order to restore amimation. Notwithstanding this pre- caution, which, however, saved many frost bites, we had an addition of no less than sixteen men to the sick lists of both .ships in consequence of this accident. Among these there were four or five cases which kept the patients confined for several weeks ; but John Smith of the artillery, who was Captain \> . 'I i 'in; '*'MiU. :n\') h F:;K IHh ':.H;l i ;i . it CLOSE OF THE "ROYAL ARCTIC THEATRE:^ 183 Sabine's servant, and who, together with Sergeant INIartin, happened to be in the house at tlie time the fire broke out, was unfortunate enough to suffer much more severely. In their anxiety to save the dipping-needle, which was standing close to the stove, and of which they knew the value, they immediately ran out with it ; and Smith, not having time to put on his gloves, had his fingers in half-an-hour so benumbed, and the animation so comi)letely suspended, that on his being taken on board by ]\Ir luhvards (the surgeon), and having his hands plunged into a basin of cold water, the surface of the Avater was immediately frozen by the intense cold thus suddenly connnunicated to it ; and, notwithstanding the most humane and unremitting attention paid to them by the medical gentlemen, it was found necessary, some time after, to resort to the amputation of a part of four fingers on one hand and three on the other." The month of March was memorable to the explorers on account of the surprising and very beautiful atmospheric phenomena then seen. Of these, as forming a distinct and peculiar element of the sky-scenery of the Arctic regions, and as being seen almost daily at this time of the year, it is necessary h^re to give some brief sketch. Near noon, on the 4th of ]March, a halo ap- peared round the sun, at the distance of lii'" 17' from it, consisting of a circle, nearly complete, and glowing with prismatic colours. " Three i)arhelia, or mock suns, were distinctly seen upon this circle ; the first being directly over the sun, and one on each side of it, at its own altitude. The prismatic tints were much more brilliant in the parhelia than in any other part of the circle ; but red, yellow, and blue, were the only colours which could be traced, the first of these being invariably next the sun in all the phenomena of this kind observed. From the sun itself, several rays of white light, continuous but not very brilliant, extended in varioiis directions beyond the halo, and these rays were more bright after passing through the circle than within it. This singular phenomenon remained visible nearly two hours. On the Sth, a similar halo, with three parhelia, was again visible, and i)henomena of this kind continued to l)e seen almost daily." On the evening of the 19th March, the officers performed tlio farces of the " Citizen " and the " jNFayor of Garratt," I'arry sustaining the parts of Old riiUpot in the fiu'mer, and Matliew Mi((i in the Jutter. This Avas the last night of the theatrical season ; for the severity of the winter weather had, by this time, so far mitigated, that there was now no longer any want of occupa- tion for the men. The ice continued to remain firm, however ; tind although in April and early in May the .snow had melted in certain localities, little could yet be done in preparation for continuing tli(> voy.'ige, or retni'ning to England. On the 1st .Fune. Lieutenant Tarry, accoinpanied ))y twelve ollicers and men, and furnished with jn'ovisions for three weeks, .set out on a travel- ling tour into the interior of Melville. Tie retiu'ued on the loth, after a ! < H' Hf i?A PARRY'S FIRST EXPEDITlOX—lSn. journey romarkiiNc for notliiii,!:>' except the admirable spirit and courage with wliich, in the face of constant liardssliips, it was ])erfonned. Dtu'ina: the absence of Parr}', the equipment of the sliijis for sea had been actively carried on by Lieutenants ]>eechey and Ijddon, and by the middle of June both vessels Avere nearly ready to sail. \\'ith the view of occupying t^e time of the oflicers and men, Parry directed that a hunting party should be oi'ganised in each ship, tuider Lieutenants Beechey and lloppner, to re- main out on the island for a number of days, at the distance of ten or twelve miles, as it was found that the scanty game that were now observed from day to day were too wild to be approacheil from the ships; and that esi)ecially the deer that Averc now migrating from the south to the feeding i)l'.tces in the remote north, could, by vo means, be got at from the shi^js. Three deer, each yielding about sixty pormds of fresh meat, together with nmucrous birds and hares, made up a good bag for the lirst tAvo ir three days ; and the leader rcsolveil to continue the hunting parties, the ollicers of which wei'e instructed not only to supervise the camj)ing out (>f the })arties, etc., but also to keep a carefid watch on the condition of the ice, and inunediatcly to re])ort any decided change that might take place. The men were delighted to be sent on these hunting excursions, from Avhich they invariably returned in the l)estpos- •sible health, though often ratner thinner than when they went out. The heads and hearts of the deer were considei'cd the lawful perquisites of those who killed them ; and no ilighland sportsman, that ever stalked over a Scottish lorest, was keener in the hunt than Avere the Jack Tars let loose iq)on IMelville Island from the " Ilecla " and "Gri[)er." The dt'cr gradually became Avild, however, a;i(l stratagem Avas often rc([uired to Ijring them down. Lieutenant P>eechey killed one by lying down quietly and inutating the voice of a fawn, Avhon the deer immediately came \q> to him Avithin gun-shot. The horns of the deer killed at this early })art of the season Avcre covered Avith a soft skin, having a downy pile or hair \\\)o\\ it ; the horns themselves Avere soft, and at the ti[)s Hexible and easily broktui. jMeantime the ice Avas melting all over the district, both in Winter Harbour and on the island, Avhich, for many miles round, had now become so familiar to the explorers. Pools Avere ol)served all over the; surface of the ice, and large cracks were seen extending IVom the land for some distance seaward. Jt Avas remarked, that Avheu any hard substance, broken down into small pieces, Avas laid ujion the ice, it soon made a deep hole for itself by the heat it altsorbed and radiated, and Avhich melted the ice ; but it Avas curious to note hoAV directly contrary Avas the etl'ect produced upon the ice by a quantity of straAV Avhich Avas put out u])on it in the early part of May, and which, " by jjreventing the access of Avjuinth, had uoav become raised abov(> the general svu'face more than two I'ect ; all'ording a strong practical exanq)le of the ])rincipli' on Avhich straw is made use of in ice-houses, and, what was at th;U i ESCAPE FROM WINTER [[ARBOUR. 1:J.') time of more importance to lis, a proof liow much the upi)er svrfuce of the ice hud been iiiseusiljly wasted by dissohition." The melting of the ice in the harljour went on so rapidly in the early part of July that Parry was greatly surprised on the 0th, to iiud that in several (jf the pools of water around the " llecla," holes had been wasted quite through to the sea beneath. On exanu'ung several of these holes, it was dis- covered that the average thickness of the ice, in the upper jiart of the harbour where the shi[)s M'ere lying, was nuich less than the explorers had yet dared to hope — being only two feet. On the 14th, owing to the break- ing up of a number of ice partitions separating holes and pools, a boat ])assed for the first time between the ships and the shore, and on the ibllowing day communication, in the sari-^ ^\•ay was established between the ships. The vessels had now been quite ready for sea for some days, and a continuous and anxious look-out was kept I'rom the crow's-nost for any alteration in the ice that might favour escape from Winter Ilarljour. The ^Vrctie summer was now rapidly advancing, and the whole character of t!ie scenery of bleak jNIelville Island was about to undergo a wonderful tran.sformation. The snow had now disappeared, except in the hollows and ravines, and the walks which the winter-bound sailors were now al)le to take, Avhen the weather had become really mild and pleasant, and to them — accustomed to the rigour of a winter severe enough to fr(^eze the liquid and nimble nici-cny into a bullet that could be iired from a musket through a deal boartl — ... \varm as the sunnner of any temperate climate, were an unfailing source of pleasure. Game were now conqniratively plentiful, fresh meat was obtainal)le every day, and the abundant supply of fresh sorrel from the shore provided the exi)editiou with the most wholesome of vegetables, and so im])roved their health and spirits, that their condition was now as good and ellicient as Avhen they left England. On the 18th July, there was an open passage all round tlie shores of Winter Harbour, though the middle of the bay was still Tilled with ice. On the 2()th, the " llecla," ireed at last from the ice, now fairly rcjde at anclior in open Avater. The " Griper " had been etpially fcn-tunate, and both ships now only waited the widening of the passage leading out to the open sea. Day after day brought new hoi)es, and als(J new disai)[)ointments, for the ice at the entrance continut'd to remain iirm. At this time it was one of I'arry's most anxious cares to conceal from his men, by stratagems of various kinds, tho fact that was never absent from his own mind, that if the vessels were d(!tained in the harbour but a few weeks longer, all hoi>e of escape this •season nnist be abamloned. At length, on the last day of July, the wind shifting to the W.8.W. at eleven I'.M., the wlude body of the ice in the harbour was perceived to be moving slowly out to the south-eastward, breaking away, for the first time, at the })oints which formed the entrance to the harbour. r^ ,1 u Ijll li 11 i ino PARRY'S FIRST EXPEDITION— \^\^. At Olio I'.M. on the 1st August, everything being in readiness, the " Ilechi " wciglied and ran out of Winter Harbour, in Avliich she had been confined for over ten mouths, and sailed westward along shore towards Cape llearne, generally at the distance of half-a-niilc f'oni the land. On the 8d, I'arry arrived otf Cape Providence at eleven p.>r., and had just got far enough to see that there was a free and open channel beyond the westernmost point of jNIelville Island, when his progress was almost entirely stopped for Avant of a breeze to enable him to take advantage of it. The calm continued till the Tith, when a breeze sprang uj) from the eastward. All sail was made, and the " Ilecla " ran before the wind for tAvo hours without obstruction, until ice, in very extensive and heavy floes, was seen to close in with the land in advance, a little to the westward of Cape Hay. Having run the "Hecla" in-shore, under shelter of a projecting })oint which intervened be- t\veeii the vessel and the threatening ice. Parry here found himself imprisoned by adverse winds and drifting ice for several days. On the 8tli he distinctly saw high and bold land towards the south-west, and at the distance of from sixteen to eighteen leagues from the station in which the ships were lying. "This land," says Parrv, "which extends beyond the 117th degree of longi- tude, and is the most western yet discovered in the Polar Sea to the north- ward of the American Continent, was honoured with the name of Banks' Land, out of respect to the late venerable and worthy President of the Royal Society." On the 9th a musk ox was killed on the beach near the ships. When first brought on board, the carcass of this animal smelt very strongly of musk, and of the flesh, the heart especially had a musky flavour. It yielded 421 lbs. ci' beef, which was served to the crews as usual, instead of the customary salt provisions, and was much relished, notwithstanding its peculiar flavour. The meat was fat, and when hung up in quarters, " looked as lino as any beef in an English market." About this time a seal Avas killed, eaten, and found to be very tender and palatable, by the people in the "Griper." After being detained for twelve days on this unsheltered shore, with a sea of ice in front, and threatening every moment to close in and crush the vessel, or eftectually seal it up on shore for another year, and without the slightest hope of making a Avestward passage through the stilid and Avide- spreading floes that lay close around. Lieutenant Parry resolved to run back eastAvard for a fcAV miles, and then steer soutlnvard along the outer edge of the ice, and thus seek a Avestward passage in a loAver latitude. The station in Avhich the vessels Avere still lying on the IGth August Avas in lat. 74° 26', and in long, 113^ 40', Avith Cape Dundas a fcAv mi'cs to the AvestAvard. Cast- ing off' from the shore, the "Hecla" left this station, and ran close along the edge of the ice to the eastAvard. On the 17th, she Avas obliged to seek CONCLUSIOX OF VOYAdi:. 187 shelter iu a little harbouv (long. 112" OS), formed, as usual, by tlie grounded ice, some of which was fixed to the bottom in ten or twelve fathoms. Here both vessels were hemmed in till the 28d, when they were worked eastward as for as Cape Providence, in the neighbourhood of which, among ice that was at once heavy and loose, the vessels received by far the heaviest shocks they had experienced during the voyage. Parry now finally reviewed the situation in which the expedition was placed. It was now the 2od August, and the 7th September he considered it reasonable to regard as the limit beyond which the navigation of this part of the Polar Sea could not be carried on. The direct distance to Icy Cape, the supposed termination of the North- West Passage, was between eight and nine hundred miles, and during tlic whole of this open season all the distance he had advanced in this direction was only sixty miles. What, then, were the chances of his completing the passage this year with apparently endless icy seas before him, and with the Arctic winter coming upon him in a fortm'glit 1 " We had experienced," he says, " during the first half of the navigable season, such a continued series of vexations, disappointments, and delays, accompanied by such a constant state of danger to the ships that I felt it would no longer be deemed justifiable in me to persevere in a fruitless attempt to get to the Avest- wai'd." Besides this consideration, the stores of provisions and fuel were much reduced, and though the health of officers and men was still as sound as when the expedition left England, yet the stores of lemon-juice, and of the other remedies for scurvy, were nearly exhausted. In these circum- stances. Parry resolved to consult the officers of both vessels, who unani- mously agreed with him in the opinion that any furth(\ attempt to penetrate to the westward, iu the latitude in which they now lay, woulil be fruitless, and that it would bo expedient to return to England rather than risk another winter in these seas. This resolution having been arrived at both by com- mander and ollicers, no time was lost in carrying it out, for there was yet danger in being overtaken by the fast approaching winter Avhile still in the Polar Sea. Accordingly, all sail was made eastward on the 2Gth August for Barrow's Strait and Lancaster Sound. Punning along the south shores of this great passage, I'arry named the large island on the west of Prince Regent's Inlet, North Somerset ; while to the great land on the north side of Lancaster Sound he gave the name of North Devon. On the morning of the 1st Septeml)er the vessels were abreast of the flag- staff on Possession Bay, at the eastern extremity of Lancaster Sound, and on the evening of the oth, they had reached lliver Clyde Inlet, on the east coast of Baflin Land (along which they were coasting), and in lat. 70" 20' N. While standing ott' in this inlet, they perceived four canoes, containing Eskimos, paddling towards tliein. The canoes were taken u}) at the men's desire, intimated by signs, and they themselves came up on board without 3 s 1 ! 1 1 1 138 PARRY'S FIRST KXPEDlTIOX—lSl'd. ! t : ti ■ ii;! li hesitation. Tlicy consisted of one old and three yonng men. " As soon as they came on deck," writes Parry, " their vocifeiations seemed to increase with tlicir astonishment, and, I may add, their pk'asure ; for the reception they mc^t with seemed to create no less joy than surprise. Whenever they received a present, or were shown anything that excited fresh admiration, they expressed their deliglit by h)ud and repeated ejaculations, which they sometimes continued till they were quite hoarse, and out of breath with the exerh"on. This noisy motle c ^v;prr g their satisfoction was accompanied by a jumping which continuo. " • - inute or more, according to the degree of the passion which excited i^ :'•'•' .: bodily powers of the person who exercised it — the old man being ., .icr tc :• "nfirni, but still doing his utmost, to go through the performance." Having purchased a few skins and ivory knives from the Eskimos, the officers of the; " Hocla " took them down to the cabin, where Lieutenant Beechey sketched the portrait of the oldest of the visitors. Here the natives carried on an active barter of their clothes, spears, and whalebone, with great enthusiasm, but with perfect honesty, receiving English knives, etc., in exchange. Next day Parry, with a party of officers and men, landed on one of the islands of the inlet, and was soon visited by the old man and one of the younger natives from the mainland, who came as before to sell their seal- skin dresses, etc. Parry lieM up a looking glass to each of the Eskimos, and then gave it into the hands of each. The younger native was quiic in raptures, and literally jumped for joy for nearly a quarter of an hour ; but the old man, having had one smile at his own queer face, returned the glass, and fixed his attention upon a sailor who was opening a canister of preserved meat, by cutting the case with a hatchet struck by a mallet. He begged hard for the mallet, but could scarcely be persuaded to taste the meat. Neither he nor his younger companion could be prevailed upon to touch any rum, after once smelling it. The Englishmen now visited the little Eskimo settlement, consisting of two tents, on the mainland. " As soon as we came in sight of the tents," writes Parry, " every living animal tliere^ — men, women, children, and dogs — were in motion, the latter to the top of the hill out of our way, and the rest to meet us with loud and continued shouting ; the word jnlletay (give me !) being the only articulate sound we could distinguish amidst the general uproar, liesi ^cs the four men whom we had already seen, there were four women, one of whom, being about the same age as the old man, was pro- bably his wife ; the others were about thirty, twenty-two, and eighteen years of age." Two of the women had infants slung at their backs, and there were in all nine children, the eldest twelve years of age. The usual bartering again went on, the natives receiving knives, axes, brass kettles, needles, etc., for their simple commodities. The women NATIVES OF RIVER CLYDE ISLET. 139 begged hard for presents — there appeared to l)e a premium upon < Ticers' buttons — but all bargains contracted Avere faithfully and hone.-^'v ■ arricd out by the natives. Tlic stature of these peo})l(! was much below ' '-. usual standard ; though one of the younger men was about five feet six inches in height. " One of them, we thought," says Parry, " bore a stiikiiig resem- blance to our poor frien ; John Sackheuse, Avell-known as the Eskimo who accompanied the former expedition, the Avant of avIiosc services we particu- larly felt on this occasion, and whose premature death had been sincerely lamented by all who knew him, as an intelligent and amiable man, and a valuable member of socitity." Parry and his party remained for four or five hours on the mainland, near the natives' settlement. Having ■'• .pitted the observations, which formed part of his purpose in visiting th<. n. dand, he took leave of the Eskimos. " The old man seemed quif '^ati^ I with the day's exertions, but his eyes si^arkled with delight, a- \v thought with gratitude too, on being presented Avitli another brass Jvctt' to add to the stores with Avhich we had enriched him. He seemed to understand us when we shook him by the hand. The whole group Avatcl 'i in silence, as we went into the boat, and, as soon as Ave had rowed a icav hundred yards from the beach, quietly retired to their tents." The homoAvard course Avas uoav resumed, and prosecuted Avithout further adventure, and tOAvard the close of October the " llecla " AAas in ]}ritish Avaters, and on the 29th of that month, Lieatenant Parry, accompanied Ijy Captain Sabine and Mr Hooper, landed in safety at Peterhead, Avhence they, without delay, proceeded soutlnvard tOAvai'd Loudon, PART IV. OHAPTEE I. franklin's great journey, l819-*22 — arrival at york facory — scenery OF STEEL river — SLEDGE JOURNEY TO ATHABASCA LAKE — DEPART FOR GREAI' SLAVE LAKE. i': i ■J[ While Parry was, as we have seen, engaged in making the splendid dis- coveries of Lancaster Sonnd, Prince Regent's Inlet, Wellington Channel, and the whole range of the most northern i.slands of the Polar Sea, north of America, his friend, Lientenant John Friinklin, was conducting an exiDcdi- tion, intended to co-operate with his own. This expedition of Franklin's — the famous land journey from the shores of Hudson's Bay to those of the Polar Sea — is in some respects the most extraordinary enterprise of the kind ever undertaken by man. The narrative of this great journey, " adds," says Sir John Barrow, " another to the many splendid records of enterprise, zeal, and energy of our sailors ; " and the late Admiral Sherard Osborne, himself a distinguished Arctic explorer, Avhose achievements it will be our duty to chronicle in their place, has said of it : " It is indeed a tale which should be in the hands of those sailors of England who desire to emulate the deeds and fame of such men as himself and his followers. It is an Iliad in prose, and replete Avith pictures of rare devotion to the most ennobling of causes, the advancement of human knoAvledge. A generous and chivalrous spirit breathes through every page, and sheds a lustre not only on every act of the leader, but likewise of those who were his comrades and friends in many a sad hour of need and danger. Those terrible marches ; the labori- ous exploration of the regions around the mouths of the Mackenzie and Coppermine rivers ; the long, bitter stai'vation of the winter ; the murder of Hood ; the destruction of the assassin and the cannibal . . . are all tales which should be household Avords by every English fireside." We have already stated that on the 18th November, 1818, both Parry and Franklin had an interview Avith Lord Melville, then Secretary of the Admiralty. To Parry, the result of this intervicAV, as Ave have seen, Avas his \IUil\M. AT YfUiK I'ACnUi) 141 appointment to the connnand of the " llecla " and " Griper ; " to Franklin, the result was his ai)pointnu'nt to the connnand of an overland expedition to explore tlie shores of the North American Continent, from the month of the Co])permine River to the eastward. The «;entlemen nominated to accompany Franklin — the names of all of whom are now famcms — were 1 )r flohn liichardson, snrLTeon in the IJoyal Navy ; .Mr (leor^e r>ack, who had sailed as mate in the "Trent" with Franklin, in 181S; and Iiobert Hood, midshipman. The main objects of the expedition were to dcteiniine the latitudes and longitudes of all Itays, rivers, harbours, headlands, etc., on the northern coa.st of America, from the montii of the Coppermine Kiver to the coast on the east side of the Continent ; to place conspicuous maiks at places whore ships might enter, or to which a boat could bo sent ; and to deposit information as to the nature of the coast, for the use of Lieutenant Parry, in the event of the commander of tlu; " Kecla " and " Griper " being able to find a North-AVest Passage along the American shore. Franklin Avas further instructed to register the temperature of the air, at least three times a day, to note the state of the wind and weather, the dip and the variation of the magnetic needle, the intensity of the magnelic force, etc. lie received anii)Ie credentials and letters of reconnnendation from the (Governors of the Hudson's Bay Comjiany, and of the Xorth-West Com- pany — the rival fur-trading companies of British Xoi'th .Vmerica — and he had the gratitication of reading the orders sent by these (xovernors to their agents and servants in North America, instructing these persons to do their utmost, by every means and in every way, to i)romote the objects of the expedition, and to respond liberally to all its reqiiii-ements. The group of explorers forming the expedition, and consisting of L^rank- lin and Richardson, Back and Hood, with one attendant, John ITepl)urn, an English seaman of the best type, end>arked at Gravesend, on board the " Prince of Wales," a ship belonging to the Hudson's Jjay Company, on the 23d jNIay 1810 — though the voyage across the Atlantic cannot be said to have begun imtil the beginning of July — and arrived at York Flats, Hud- son's Bay, on the 80th August. Immediately on the arrival of the " Prince of Wales," Mr Williams, the Governor of York Factory— the "post" or station of the Comj)any, seven miles inland from Hudson's Bay — came on board, and informed the explorers that he had already rcM'cived information of the equipment of the expedition, and assured them that the instructions that had been sent to him from the eonnnittee of the Hudson's \Va\ Com- pany, Avcre to the eft'ect that every jjossible assistance was to be given to the expedition, and that he would have the greatest pleasure in carrying out these instructions to the letter. Franklin accom})anied ]\Ir Williams to York Factory, and there saw several partners of the North-West ( "ompany, to whom he presented his credentials, and from whom he obtained ready I I f I' t 142 r RAX h LIN'S an HAT j()u/fy/':y~^s]i)-2'2. l)r()niisos of assistauco, in coinplianco with tlio exin-osscMl dosiiv of tlio (iovtTiinuMit of tluit day, and of tlic London aj^'ont of the Xf)rth-West Company. Having' exphiined the objects of tlio expedition to the gentlemen of both Companies, Franklin asked each of them to state his ojiinion as to the best ronte to the shores of the Polar Sea, at the month of C<»pperniine Iviver, where the actnal work of exploration wonld commence. The opinions of all the ollicers of both Com])anies were so decidedly in favonr of the route which ran west-south-west I'rom Yoi-k Factt)ry to Cund)erland House, and thence northward through the chain of the Conq)anies' "posts" to the Great Slave Lake, that Franklin resolved u])on taking this line, and communicated his intention to the (lovernor (Air Williams), with a request that he would furni.sh the means of conveyance for the party. The route by Cumberland House and the chain of lakes to the Great Slave Lake, and thence to the head-Avaters of the Coi)permine liiver, is really a water-way, though the portages separating the line of streams and lakes are almost numberless. iMr Williams, therefore, presented the expedition with one of the largest of the Company's boats, and on the 9th September 1819, the expedition prepared to start. When the stores were brought down to the beach, however, it was found that the boat could not contain all of them, and consequently the whole of the l)acon, and part of the flour, rice, tobacco, and ammunition, Avere left behind, and returned into the store, the Governor undertaking to forward them in the following season. The ex- plorers embarked at noon, and were honoured with a salnte of eight guns and three cheers from the Governor and all the inmates of the fort, who had assembled to witness their departure. Franklin gratefully returned their cheei's, and then made sail up the Llayes Kiver, delighted at having at last commenced his voyage into the interior of America. At sunset the voyagers landed, and pitched the tents for the night, having only advanced twelve miles. A lire Avas soon lighted, supper speedily prepared and more speedily despatched, and the travellers, laying themselves doAvn in their buffalo robes, under their cauA'as roof, enjoyed a night of sound repose. The advance up the numberless streams, over the lakes, and across the ever-recurring })ortages, over Avhich boat and cargo had to be cariied Avith infinite lal)oiu", the men having often to make half-a-dozen journeys OA'er the same portage, carrying heavy loads each alternate journey, is somcAvhat monotonous in incident, and can only be summarised in the briefest form here. Often the current of the stream Avas too rapid to alloAv of the use of oar or sail, and progress could only be made by the crew getting out upon the banks and " tracking " or dragging the boat by a line, to Avhich they Avere harnessed. Had the shores been leA'el and firm, Ave could conceive hoAV this mode of advance, though in the last degree tedious and laborious, k s('/:xj:iiy or steel river. i4n niiylit have been tolorablo to l)nive and mucli-ciuluiiiiiL!; men ; but when Ave read in Franklin's ahly-writtcn narrative that the shores were often h)fty, roeky, and interrujited witli ravines and the chainiels of tributaiT streams ; that the ropes by Mhich the boat was (b'a,c;,H(Ml often broke; tliat the rapids were often so stronj,' tliat the ofUcers had to leap ont of the water to keep the head of the boat to the stream, and so prevent her bein;,' swept down- ward ; that portaj;'es, over rounh rocks, on which the l)oat was frecpiently damaged, had to be crossed almost daily ; and that for these, anil other reasons, all the progress made after a long day of the severest toil was some- times no more than two miles ; the endurance, the patience, and courage of these explorers seems to us beyond calculation. The actual work of exploration, which Mas the object of the expedition, did not commence till Fraidvlin arrived at Great .Slave Lake ; and the toils, sutterings, and adventures of the explorers on their journey to this iidand sea from Hudson's Bay must not detain us. lint it would show scant sympathy with noble and self-sacrificing achievement if some few details of the condi- tions under which [)rogress was made were not here given, once for all, before Ave transfer the scene to the remoter regions near the Polar Sea, where the main incidents of this remarkable enteri)rise took i)lace. With this vicAV, Ave summarise the narrative of the journey up the rivers during the first fcAV days after tlu- expedition started, and when the new and Avild life upon Avliich Franklin had launched must still have had for him something, at least, of the fascination of novelty. On the morning of the 13th September, an attempt Avas nuule under sail to stem the current of Steel lliver, along Avhich the boat was noAv being tracked, but as the course of the stream Avas serpentine, the sails Avere found to afibrd little assistance, and tracking Avas resumed. " Steel liiver," Avrites Franklin, " presents nuieh l)eautiful scnery. It winds through a narrow, but Avell-Avooded valley, Avliich at every turn disclosed to us an agreeable variety of prospect, rendered more pictiu-esque by the effect of the season on the foliage, noAV ready t(^ drop from the trees. The light yellow of the fading poplars formed a fine contrast to the dark evergreen of the spruce, Avhilst the AvilloAvs, of an intermediate hue, served to shade the two principal masses of colour into each other. The scene Avas occasionally enlivened by the bright purjde tints of the dog-AVOod, blended Avith the browner shades of the dwarf- birch, and frequently intermixed Avith the gay yelloAV HoAvers of the shrubby cinquefoil. With all these charms, the scene appeared desolate fi'om want of the human species. The stillness Avas so great that even the tAvittering of the cinereous croAV caused us to start. Our voyage to-day Avaf sixteen miles on a south-Avest course." There Avas much rar during the r nt and in the morning, so that the party Avere kept undei- c vas longer tbu usual. Set- ting out, they reached the head of Steel River, and being joined in the morn- I 144 F/i.i\A'/J\'S C'N/'JA T JOCJi\/:yA8H)'2± ■;i' ' I iny ])}■ three of the Company's boats, thev entered Hill Ifiver in conii)any. The water in this river •was so hnv, and the I'apids so bad, tiiat the ollicers were obliged several times to juni]) into tlie water, and assist in lifting the boats over the large stones that impeded the navigation. Length of voyage on this day only six miles and three-ipiarters. The four boats commenced operations together at five o'clock the following morning, but Franklin's boat being overladen, he found that he was unable to kee}) pace with the others, and therefore proposed to the gentlemen in charge of the Com- pany's boats that they should reUeve him of part of his cargo. " This they declined doing," says Franklin, "notwithstanding that the circular, with Avhich I was furnished by Ciovernor ^Villiams, strictly enjoincM.! all the Com- pany's servants to atU)rd us every assistance. In consequence of this refusal Ave dropt behind, and our steersman, who was inex})erienced, being thus deprived of the advantage of observing the route followed by the guide, who was in the foremost boat, frequently took a wrong channel. The tow-lino broke twice, and the boat was only prevented from going broadside down the stream, and br(>aking to piices against the stones, by the ofllccrs and men leaping into the water, and holding her head to the current until the line could l.)e carried again to the shore. . . . Wo encamped at sunset, com])letely jaded with toil, Our distance made good this day was only twelve miles and a (juarter." On the following day, only eleven miies wei'e made, and on the 17th, tracking having commenced very early, a ridge of rock extending across the stream was reached. From this })lace the boat was dragged ui) several narrow rockv chainiels until the liock Portaye was reached, where the stream, pent in by a range of small islands, forms several cascades. In ascending the river, the boats and cargoes are carried over one of these islands, and having performed the operatiay Company. Ilt^i-e Frankl'n was infornietl that he was now about to encay establishment there, called Fort Wedderburn, and delivered to him (lovernoi- Williams' circular-letter, instructing all agents and servants of the Company to do everything within their power to contribute all necessary .supplies to the expedition, and to forward its progress by every possible means. "Our lirst object," Avrites Franklin, "was to obtain some certain information respecting om- future route ; and, accordingly, we received from one of the Xorth-West Company's interpreters, named BeaulieU; a half-breed, who had been brought up amongst the Dog-llibbcd and Copper Indians, some satisfactory information, which we afterwards found tolerably correct, respect- ing the mode of reaching the Coppermine Kiver — which he had descended a considcral)le Avay — as well as of the course of that river to its mouth. The Copper Indians, however, he said, would be able to give us more accurate information as to the latter part of its course, as they occasionally pursue it to the sea. He sketched on the floor a representation of the river, and a line of coast, according to his idea of it. Just as he had finished, an old Chepewyau Indian, named IJlack Meat, unexpectedly came in, and instantly recognised the plan. He thiii took the charcoal from lU-aulicu, and inserted a tivick along the sea coast, which he had followed in returning from a war excursion, made by his tribe against the Eskimos. He detailed several pa)*- DEPART FOR GREAT SLA VE LAKE. 147 ticulars of the coast and the sea, which he represented as studded with well- wooded islands, and free from ice, close to the shore, in the month of Juh% but not to a great distance. He described two other rivers to the eastward of the Copper-mine Iliver, which also fall into the Xorthern Ocean — the Anatessy, which ihsucs from Hum Lake, and the Fish Iviver, which rises near the eastern boundary of the Great Slave Lake." Here, then, was something like palpable ground for Franklin to go upon in working out his great object. The shores of the Polar Sea, it appeared, were accessible, and these shores were indented by two known rivers Mowing from the south, and hitherto unexplored by Europeans. It was clear that, in the light of this intelligence, Franklin should send on in advance to the agents of the two Comi)anies at the depots on Great Slave Lake, and inform them of the natiu'e of his mission, of the time ^t Avhich his expedition would bo likely to arrive at their stations, and of the nature of the assistance ho would require at their hands. He accordingly wrote to ]\Ir Smith, of the North-West Company, and ]\tr M' Vicar, of the Hudson's ]>ay C'ompany, the gentlemen in charge of the ports at Great Slave Lake, exi)laining tlie object of the expedition, describing the proposed route, and soliciting any informa- tion they possessed, or could collect, from the Indians respecting the countries he had to pass through, etc. As the Copper Indians frequented the establish- ments on the Lake, he particularly requested that these should be made ac- quainted with the object of his visit, and that some of them should be engaged as guides and hunters to accompany the expedition. The letters were despatched by two Canadian voyagers. On the 10th IMay, anemones hrst appeared in Hower at Fort Chepcwyan. Leaves were noticed bursting from the trees, and muscpiitoes were found in the warm rooms. In the same month, gentlemen belonging to both the trad- ing Companies began to asbcmble from their difterent posts in the depart- ment, bringing their winter's collections of furs to be forwarded to the main depots. Every one Avas now fully occupied at the Fort, and I'raidvlin liad some difficulty in interesting the officers in his expedition. He nuule a re- (piisition on the Companies for eight men each, and whatever useful stores they could supply ; but he learned, with regret, that the si)are stores were very limited, and that the men, especially those of the Hudson'.s Uay Com- pany, were unwilling to engage with him, except at an extortionate rate of wages. Difficulties of this sort generally diminish or disaitpear in time. On the l:Uh July, Mr Richardson and ]\Ir llooil arrived i'rom Cundjerland House, Avhere Franklin had left them in January. These gentlemen had brought all the stores they could procure from the establisliments at Cundjer- land and Isle a la Crosse. At the latl"r p]act> tliey had received leu bags of penuiiican from the iNortli-West Comi)any, which proved to be mouldy ami so totally luilit iuv use, that it had to be thrown away. They got no penunican I 148 FRANKLIX'S GREAT JOURNF.Y~\B\%-22. •ni ;i i( a:}! fi'om til ■ liudson's Bay Post, as the Canadian voyagers belonging to that Compray, being themselves destitute of provisions, had consumed the supplies intended lor the explorers. " In consequence of these untoward circum- stances," says Franklin, " the canoes arrived with only one day's supply of this most essential article. The prospect (-f having to commence our journey from hence, almost destitute of provisions, and scantily supplied with stores, was distressing to us, and very discouraging to the men. It was evident, however, that any unnecessary delay here would have been very imprudent, as Fort Chepewyan did not, at the present time, furnish the means of sub- sistence for so large a party, much less was there a prospect of our receiv- ing any supply to carry us forward. We, therefore, hastened to make the necessary arrangements for our speedy departure." Besides the four officers, the party consisted of sixteen Canadian voyagers — the crew, so to speak, of the expedition — two intei'px'eters, and the in- valuable John Hepburn, the English seaman. On the morning of the 18th July, the stores Avere distributed to the three canoes with which Franklin had been furnished. The stock of provisions did not amount to more than sufficient for one day's consumption, exclusive of tv/o barrels of flour, three cases of preserved meats, some chocolate, arrow root, and portable soup> which had been brought from England to be kept in reserve for the journey to the coast the following season. Seventy pounds of the flesh of the moose deer, and a little barley, were all that could be obtained from the fort. But the very near prospect of short commons did not seem to depress the spirits of the Canadians, who loaded the canoes cheerfully ; and, on the sign being given for starting, paddled awayfrom the shore across the AthabascaLake to the accompaniment of a lively boat song. Passint.'' <•.!., ,.t the north-west extremity of the Lake, the canoes entered ^"ave Rivi . wl!t< a connects Lake Athabasca with Great Slave Lake, and descended this magniacent river rapidly. On the 2'A\\, the exjiedition reached the establishment of the North- West Company on ]\Ioose Deer Island in Great Slave Lake. On the same island was a post of the Hudson's Bay Company, but both stations were extremely bare of provisions. Sailing northward across the Lake without nuich delay, Franklin landed at Fort Providence, where it was arranged he was to meet Mr Wentzel, of the North- West Company. This gentleman's duties, in the interests of the Company, were the management of the Indians, the superintendence of the Canadian voyagers, the collection and distribution of provisions a ad the issue of the other stores. Mr Wentzel had agreed to accompany (h'' pr.ptxlition in Us march of exploration to the Coppermine, and he it was v. io had v-'agaged a number of Indian hunters, under their chief, to hun' fo" th'^ expedition, and keen them supplied with moose-meat. These Indians, v.pon vuom the success kh the expedition so much depended, were huntin \\ .Ik^ n.-iguboiiihood of Fort Providence, on the arrival of the 1 k.. ALLIANCE WITH THE IXDlANS. 149 expedition ; and now tlie time liad come when the first interview between Uso explorers and their dusky allies was to take place. "As we were informed," says Franklin, "that external appeal -.inv'Ci made lasting impressions on the Indians, Ave prepared for the intervic'v by decorating ourselves in uniform, and suspending a medal round each of otsr necks. Our tents had been previously pitched, and over one of them a silken union flag was hoisted. Soon after noon, on July 30th, several Indian canoes were seen advancing in a regular line ; and on their approach, the chief was discovered in the headmost, which was })addled by two men. On landing at the fort, the chief assumed a very grave aspect, and walked up to Mr Wentzel with a measured and dignified step, looking neither to the right nor to the left at the persons who had assembled on the beach to witness his debarkation ; btit preserving the same immovability of countenance until ho reached the hall, and was introduced to the olficers. When he had smoked his pijDe, drank a small portion of spirits and water himself, and issued a glass to each of his companions, who had seated themselves on the floor, he commenced his harangue, by mentioning the circumstances that led to his agreeing to accompany the expedition — an engagement which he was quite prepared to fulfil. He was rejoiced, he said, to see such great chiefs on his lands ; his tribe was poor, but they loved Avhite men, who had been theii- benefactors ; and he hoped our visit would be productive of much good to them. The report Avhich preceded our arrival, he said, had caused uiuch grief to him. It was at first rumoured that a great medicine chief accom- panied us, Avho was able lo restore the dead to life; at this he rejoiced. The prospect of again seeuig his departed relatives had enlivened hi.« spirits; but his first communication Avith ]\Ir Wentzel had removed these vaii xoyjes, and he felt as if his friends had a second time been torn from him. ITc now Avishcd to be informed exactly of the nature of our (-xpt lition." "In reply to this speech, Avhich I under.>^t od had been prepared for many days, I endeavoiu'cd to exjilain the objei of our mission in a manner best calculated to insure his exertions in our snvice. With this view 1 told him that Ave Avere sent out by the greatest i liief in the Avorld, Avho Avas the sovereign also of the trading companies in the country; that he Avas the friend of peace, and had the interest of every nation at heart. Having learned that his children in the north Avere much i: A\'ant of articles of meicliandise, in consequence of the extreme length and difiiculty of the present route, he had sent us to seai'ch for a paswage by the sea, Avhich, if found, Avoui'i v_-nablo large vessels to transport great (puvntities of goods more easily t>) their lauds. That Ave had not come for the purpose of tratH(% but solely to make dis- coveries for their benefit, as avcU as that of every other people. That wo had been directed fo inquire into the natuj of all the productions of the countries Ave might i)ass through, and partK darly respecting their inhabi M iwa nn wa} '■ I iL 1 t ! " l^ll^ 1 ^ J ^ >?^:i^ould have been unbecoming the dignity which the senior Indians assume during a confer- ence. Frankliu then presented to the chief, the two guides, and the seven hunters who had engaged to accompany the expedition, a quantity of cloth, together with blankets, tobac"i, kni\es, daggers, etc., and a gun each. The Indians set out on the mornhig of August 1. intending to wait for the expedition at the mouth of the Yellow Knife Iviver, which Hows north from Great Slave Lake, and the explorers waited behind to pack up their stores, an operation not to be transacted with comfort in presence of the Indians, who begged for everything they saAV. The stores at this time con- sisted of Uvo barrels •':f gpqjowder, 140 lbs. of ball and small-shot, four fowling-pieces, a fi.v I'kl vraiiing guns, eight pistols, twenty-four Indian daggers ; some pacl;ages of knives, chisels, axes, nails, and fastenings for a boat; a few yards of chnu; s^ mo blankets, needles, looking-glasses, and beads, and some fibhing-nets. TVo provisions consisted of two casks of flour, LM)0 dri(Hl reindeer tongues, some dried moose-meat, portable soup, and arrowroot— .-iuflicient w all for ten days' consumption. The expedition now included tv. '>nty-eight persons, comprismg sixteen Canadian voyagers to work the canoes ane and his hunters spent several days in bewailing his loss — thus starving the living to show their respect for the dead. Worse than this, the death of the chief referred to \\as the cause of the removal, to a great distance, and entirely out of the ])roposed route to the Copper- mine, of another party of Akaitcho's tribe, which had been sent forward to prepare an ample store of provisions on the banks of that river. IJnt worst of all was Akaitcho's point-l^laidc refusal to accompany Franklin in his pro- jected excursion. AN'hen the chief heard that this excursion wa- to be carri{>d out at once, he souL;lit an interview with Franklin, and began a gloomy harangue to the eftect that the very attempt to reach the Coppermine that season would be rash and dangerous, as the weather was cold, the leaves were falling, some geese had passed to the southward, and the winter Wuuld .shortly set in. He considered that the lives of all who went on such a joiu-ney Avould be forfeited, and, therefore, he would neither go himself nor permit the hunters to go. There was no wo(jd to be had, ho said, in an eleven days' march, so that there would Ije no fire to cook with, or to make the camphig - places comfortalde. Then the explorers might get blocked up with ice in the next moon ; and if they survived all these pre- liminary dangers and hardships it really Avould not much matter, as they Avould be quite effectively killed by starvation on the return journey, as all the reindeer had already migrated from the lianks of the river. Expostula- tion had only the effect of reconciling him to the disaster which he so clearly foresaAV. " I have," concluded the chief, " said everything I can urge to dis- suade you from going on this service, on which it scorns you wish to sacrific(! your own lives, as well as the Indians who might attend you ; however, if, after all T have said, you are determined to go, some of my young men shall join the party, because it shall not be said that we pernutted you to die alone, after having brought j'ou hither ; but from the moment they embark in the canoes, I and my relatives shall lament them as dead." Thus eucouraged, Frankh'n had a conference with his oflicers, who all agreed thai: tlie descent to the sea by the Coppermine should not be attempted that season, but that a party should be sent to ascertain the distance of the stream, its general character, volume, etc., and the nature of its banks. Accordingly, Fraiiklin resolved to despatch INIessrs Back and Hood in a light canoe on that service as soon as possible. They were ready to start on the '-'Uth, accomi»anied by St Germain the interpreter, eight Canadian voyagers, and one Indian. They were furnished with blankets, two tents, and a few instruments ; and they started in the best of spirits. Akaitcho and his hunters now went away to their hunting grounds, and i i ■ ■ II , '■ .' il 1^ I 154 hliiXKLI.YS UREA T .lOU HNblY—X^XW-'l'l. Franklin and Dr Eicliardson, having' not much to do, detcrniint'd on making a walking tour to tlio Coppermine, leaving INFr Wentzel in charge of the men, and to superintc^nd the building.s. They startcil on Sept mber l»tli, under the guidance of Kcskarrah the Indian, and atti'uded by the seamau John Hepburn, and a Canadian. In the course of the afternocm, after they had walked a number of miles in a bee-line, straight from the top of one hill to the to]) of another, Keskarrah killed a deer, and loaded himself with the head and skin, while the others carried each away a few pounds of the meat. The Indian guide oflered the raw marrow from the hind legs of the animal to the others as a great treat. All the party ate of the raw marrow, and thought it very good, except Franklin, who adds, however, " 1 was also of tlic same oi)inion, when I subseipiently con snow fell so thick, that upwards <.X two hours were wasted in endeavouring to make a lire, during whicii time our clothes were freezing ujxni u.s. At length our ( llorts were crowned with success, and, after a good sui)[)er, we laid, or rather sat, down to sleep, for the natiu'c of the ground obliged us to pass the night in a semi- erect position, with our backs against a bank of earth. The thermouietcr was at 10' at six I'.m."' The travellers started next morning at daybreak, the thermometer then standing at 18'. They moved on very slowly at first, as they had to wait for I'Vauklin, who was >uiferin^ from an ankle that had some time previously been sprained, and which had been very painful for some days past, owing, no doubt, to the unusual exertion (tf the journey. As they proceeded, they had to ford a rivulet, and the elfect of the cold Avater on Franklin's ankle was magical. The pain immediately passed away, and he was able to walk Avith ease for the remainder of the day. Another night spent camping out in the open, frosty air; and the travellers, starting at sunrise, pushed right on to F(nt Enterprise, Avherc they arrived at eight p.m., after a hard walk of twenty-two miles over uneven and s]i})pery ground. Arriveil at home, they enjoyed a fragrant supper of hot deer-steaks, Avhich restored their strength. oSfessrs Back and Hood had already returned fnnn their visit to the Coppermine, after a journey undistinguished by any striking discovery or special adventure. During the Ijrief expedition nf Franklin and Richardscm to the Copper- mine, ]Mr Weuizcl had made great progress in the erection of the Avinter- house at I'ort Enterprise, AAdiich Avas noAV being roofed in. Ily the ;J()th September it Avas nearly completed, Avlien a liea\y fall of rain Avashed the greater part of the mud oiftho roof, Avliich had consequently to be re-covered. Besiili's the party of men constantly employed at the Ikhiso, two men Avere appointed to lish, and olhers aaxtc occasionally employed in bringing home the meat from the hunting grounds. This latter emi)loyment, though very laborious, Avas ahvays eagerly undertaken by the Canadians, avIio never failed to use their prescriptive right to hel[) themselves to the fattest and most delicate parts of the deer. At the close of .September the reindeer, q\iitting the outlying barren grounds, begau to croAvd in near the house, on their Avay to the Avoods. The success of the hunters Avas noAv A'cry gratify- ing, but the necessity for sending an extra number of hands to bring in the meat interferi'd with the building operations. In the meantime, tlu' party >^, sO-^ IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) .^^ ^<^ 4i. i.O I.I |28 |2^ IM 1112.2 1^ us 110 i M 1.8 1.25 1.4 111.6 ^ 6" ► v: d? / Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, NY. MSSO (716) 873-4S03 ^V '^^^ iV ^\ ;\ 6 h % f 15G F/i'A.\A'/J\'S UREA T JOl/i\/.:y—lSl<}--22. 1 f f I continued to live in canvas touts, wliicli proved very chilly habitations, aUhuugh files were kej)! burning in front of them. " On the (Jth of October, the house being completed," writes Franklin, "we struck our tents and removed into it. It was merely a log building, fifty feet long and twenty- lour wide, divided into a hall, three bedrooms, and a kitchen. The walls and roof were plastered with clay, the floors laid with planks rudely sfpiarcd with the hatchet, and the windows closed with parchment of deer skin. The clay, which, from the coldness of the weather, required to be tempered before the fire with hot water, froze as it was daubed on, and afterwards cracked in such a maimer as to admit the wind from every quarter ; yet, compared with the tents, our new habitation appeared comfortable ; and, having filled our capacious clay chimney with fagots, we sjjent a cheerful evening l)efore the invigorating blaze. The change was peculiarly beneficial to Dv Ivichardson, who having, in one of his excursions, incautiously lain down on the fiozcn side of a hill when heated with walking, had caught a severe inflammatory sore throat, which became daily wor.se whilst wo remained in the tents, Init began to mejid soon after ho was enabled to confine himself to the more agreeable warmth of the house. We took ui) om- al)ode at once on the Hoor, but our working part}', who had shown such skill as house carpenters, soon i)roved themselves to be, with the .same tools (the hatchet and crooked knife), exci^Uent cabinetmaker.s, and daily added a table, chair, or bedstead, to the comforts of our establishment. The crooked knife, generally made of an old file, bent and tempered by heat, served an Indian or Canadian voyager for plane, chisel, and auger. "With it the .snow-shoe and canoe timbers are fashioned, the deals of their sledges reduced to the retpiisite thinness and polish, and their wooden bowls and spoons hollowed out. Indeed, though not ([uiti^ so retpiisite for existence as the hatchet, yet without its aid there would be little comfort in these wild.s." ]'>y the middle of ()ctol)er the weather had become much colder, and all the lakes in the neighbourhooil of Fort Fnterprise were frozen over. The deer now began to leave the district for better sheltered pastures farther south. But even had they stayed longer near the winter settlement of the explorers, it would have been but of little advantage to them, for their ammunition was now almost completely expended. "We had, however," says Franklin, "alrt'ady secured in the store-house the carca.s.ses of 100 deer, together with 100(> lbs. of suet, and some dried meat ; and had, more- over, 80 deer stowed up at vaiious distances from the house. The necessity of employing the men to build a house for themselves, before the weather became too seven', obliged us to put the latter cit nir/ic, as the V(jyagers term it, instead of adopting the more safe plan of bringing them to tho house. Putting a deer ci/ riirlii- means merely protecting it against the U'.iXT (}/' juurx/T/ox. n7 wolves, and still more destructive wulvcriiu's, liy licsny loads of wood or stones." The total Avant of aninumition would have proved fatal to the exjiedition as an enterprise, and to I'raidvlin and his companions as well. Had the servants of the Ihulson's JJay Company and the Xurth-Wesi Company been both able and willini^- to redei'ui their promises to forward tlie stores that had been left liehind by l-VanUlin at dillerent stations, and the further supplies of stores with which they had pledged themsi-lves to furni.-h him, the expedition need not have Ijcen at any time in want of a sullicit nt sujjply of this, as of other necessaries. ]>ut that there had been a want either of inclination or al)ility on the }»art of the oHieers at tlie dillerent po.^ts to for- ward stores was now sufliciently evident, and Franklins practical intellect led him at once to the conclusion that some eneri^ctic measure should nt once be taken to have a supi)ly of necessaries sent to Fort Knterjuise without delay. "Ammunition," he says, "was essential to our existence, and a con- siderable su])ply of tobacco was also requisite, not only for the comfort of the Canadians, wiio use it lari;'ely, and had stii)ulated for it in their engage- ments, but also as a means of preserving' the friendship of the Indians. ]>lankets, cloth, and iron-M"ork were scarcely less indi-^pensable to equip our men for the advance next season." Meantime ^Nlr IJack had volunteered to go and make the necessary arrangements for transp(jrtiiig the stores that were to have l)een sent frcnn Cumbi-rland Ibmse, and to endeavour to olitain some additional supjilies from the (Establishments on Great Slave Lake. If any accident shoidd have prevented the forwarding ol" the expedition's stores to (ireat Slave Lake, and the establishments there were unable to sui)ply deficiency, he was, if he found himself erpial to the task, t(. proceed to Fort Chepewyan on Lake Athal)asca. Accordingly, Mr iSack and Mr ^^'entzel, accompanied by two Canadians and two Indians, with their wives, set out for Fort Providence, on (Jreat Slave Lak(.', on the 18th October. The object of sending Wentzel with I'ack was that the former might assist tiie latter in obtaining from the tradi^s, on the score of oKl friendship, what stores and provisions thev nn'ght refuse to Fianklin's necessities. On the 'JOth October .Vkuitcho and his party ariived at I'ort I'.nterjjrise, the hunting in the surronmling district being now over ftn- the .season, the deer having rc^tircnl southward to the .shelter of the woods. A second house had in the meantime been l)uilt for the men, and was thirty-four feet long, eighteen feet vvide, and divided into tMo aparlnn-nts ; so that the buildings now erected at the Fort consisted of three structures -the olliceis' h(>use, tlu! men's house, and the store-house, the thiei- buildings foiiuing the three sides of a (piadrangle. lUit the arrival of Akailcho and his liuut(>rs Avas an inconvenience where the acconnnodation was so limiled, though the neces- sity of issuing them daily rales of [jrovisions was a far nu)re serious consideru- r- ^oH rnANKLirs grka t Jou/fXf:Y—i^\o-'22. i! Sli tion. IVanklin Inul no aiiiniunition to f;ivo llioni, and tlicroforo it was in vain to send tlioni out to hunt ; and altliouqli it was cust(nnarv tor thcni to subsist tliemsclvos durinj^- this period of tlic year by lishin^' or snarint-' the deer, witliout niakinji; use of lirc-arnis, yet on this occasion they did not .seem inclined to exert thcuisclves, and were quite content to bo in(h)lent so ]o\v^ as tlic Fort remained well stocked with provisictus. ]\[eantinie Franklin exerted himself to keep his people profitaldy employed. In the bei>;i lining' of October a party had been sent to the westward to search for birch to make snow-shoe frames, and the Indian women were afterwards emi)loyed in nettinjf the shoes and preparing,' leather for winter clothing' for the men. IJobes of reindeer .skin were also obtained from the Indians and i.ssiied to the men who Avero to travc^l, as they were not only a -, Avhich had been carried on until the Mi of October, when (he season was to(j far advanced, and the wc^alher too severe to continue it, had been a prolitabb; employment of one or two of the Canadians. One thou.sand two Inmdred white fish, of fnnn two to three pounds each, t(\i;ether with ji numlu'r of urayliiii^, "round fi.sh," trout, pike, and carp, had been caught. The lish froze as they were taken out of the nets, and became in a very short time like .solid masst>s of ice. They were then readily split oi)en with a l)l(nv of a hatchet and cleaned. If the fish, after havin(l for their nnu.snal return, by the unusual mildness of the .season. In order to take advantage of this singular occurrence, j'ranklin caused some of his jiewter cups to be melted down into bullets, live of which were «;iven to each of the hnnter.s, none of whom, however, were successful, except Akaitcho, Avho killcfl two deer. ]\[r JJack had noAV been absent for a considerable lime, and the ofllcers at the fort had become anxious to hear of his having' arrived at Fort Provi- dence. The un(>asiness and solicitude of I'Vaidvliu on this subject Avas inten- .silied by the {gloomy forebodings of the Indians, Avho comforted I'lanklin by continually asserting that Uack and his party must either have fallen thi'ough MISCARIUAdE I\ FORWARI>rXa STORKS ir)9 the ico, and pcri-sliod, or that they liail boon waylaid and cut oti' by the LHig- ril) Indians. l*ainfnl uncertainty on tliis subji'ct continut'd (ill the '23d. wluMi ]j('lanf;vr, one of the Canadians who had accompanied Hack, came in to Fort Enterprise. He had walked for the last thirty-six hours, leavinj,' his Indian companions encamped in the last woods— they being unwilling to accompany him across the barren grounds during the storm that had ])re- vailed for several day.s, and was raging with unusual violence on the morn- ing of his arrival. When IJelanger came in out of the tempest his locks were matted with snow, anil he was encrusted with ice from head to foot, " so that," says Franklin, " wo scarcely recognised him when ho burst in upon ua. We welcomed him with the usual shake of the hand, but were unable to give him the glass of "um which every voyager receives o.i his arrival at ti trading post. As soon as his packet was thawed, wc eagerly opened it to obtain our English letters. The latest were dated on tlio pre- ceding Ai)ril. They came by way of Canada, and were brought u[) in Sc})- teniber to Slave Lake by the North- West Company's canoes. We were not so fortunate with our stores. Of ten * pieces ' or bales, of ninety pounds weight, which had Ijeen sent from York Factory by Governor Willi;ims, ii\e of the most essential had been left at the (irand Kapid, on the Saskatchewan, owing, as fixr as we could judge from the accounts that reached us. to the misconduct of the ollicer to whom tlu'y were intrusted, and who was ordi'red to convey them to Cumberland House. ]3eing overtaken by some of the Xorth-West Company's canoes, he had insisted on their taking half of his charge, as it was intended for the service of Government. The North-West gentkMuen objected that their canoes had already got a cargo in, and that they had been re(iuest(>d to convey our stores from Ciunberland House 0!dy, where tlu>y had a canoe waiting for the purpose. The Hudson's I'ay ollicer, u[)ou this, deposited our ammunition and tobacco upon the beach, and departed, without any regard to the serious consequences that might result to us from the want of them." Dining the month of December the cold Avas more intense than the travellers had evei- yet felt, J37 below zero being registered by the thermometer on one occasion, while the mean temperature of the month was 29' 7' below zero. r»ut though the weather was intensely cold, the atmosphere was generally calm, and the wood-cutter.s and others went about their ordinary occupations, without making use of any extraordinary precautions. They wore reindeei' shirts, leathern mittens lined with blanket, and furred caps, but none of them used or iwpiired any protection for the face. The [irin- cipnl occupation of the ollicers at this time was writing up their journals, visiting the woodmen at their work, or walking along the river. The diet at this time consisted alnuist entirely of reindeer meat, varied twice a week by fish, and occasionally by a little tlour. There were no vegetables used. Gu i: ]■ I 1 1 ! 1 1 00 r/f.ixh'/jx's a in: AT .u niSEr^AM^^-n. '\ the Siuiday iiioruiiii^s a ciij) nf chocolate was made ; liut tlic j^roatost luxury tlicir stores alVonicd was tea, without siij^ar, which was renulaily served out twice a y\x\\\ Caudles, of a rude dc^crijdioii, Avere uiade out of reindeer tallow, with a strip of cotton shirt for a wick ; and ilei»1)urn became skilful ill the manufacture of soap from wooil-ashes, fat, and salt. On the l.')th of Januar}' I'^iil, seven of the men belon^iuij; to the expedi- tion arrived from Foit Providence with two kei;s of rum, one barrel of powder, sixty ])ouiid.s of lead, two rolls of tobacco, and some clothing. The ammunition and a small jjre.sent of rum were sent to Akaitcho. On the '27th, Mr Went/el arrived with two Eskimo interpreters, whose unpronounce- al>le native names had Ikmmi changed to Augustus and Jurdus. Only Augustus eoidd .speak English. On the ',i\\\ of .March, the people returned from Slave Lake, bringing with them the remainder of the stores belonging to the expedition, consisting of a cask of Hour, thirty-six pounds of sugar, a roll of tobacco, and i'orty pounds of powder; and on the 17th, ]\[r iSack arrived from Fort C'hepewyaii, having jierformed a journey of more than a thousand nnles on foot sinci' he had left tlu' winter y the agents of the Hudson's I5ay and Xortli-West Cduipanies. Tiie explorer gave all he could spare to his Indian ally, and might have given more, had he received all the stores that should by this time have been sent up to him from the posts of Cumberland House, Fort C'hepewyan, and Fort Providence. .Vkaitcho, however, with the distrust of his race, did not believe in the oft-asserted poverty of the " White Chief," and tedious, indeed, is the narrative of their frequent disputes. "With these disputes we shall not burden our pages. It is enough to state that at last Akaitcho, having received notes from Franklin, to be drawn upon the Xorth-West and Hudson's Bay Companies as soon as the expedi- tion should have been concluded, declared himself satisfied at last ; and, assuring Franklin that he w(ndd exert himself to the utmost to keep the expedition supjtlicd with meat, set out in advance of the explorers, appar- ently resolved to carry out honourably the terms of the agreement. Without having received such an assurance from Akaitcho, it would have been in the last degx'ee foolhardy in Franklin to have commenced his journey. On the 4th June a party under the connnand of Dr llichav'^on, and consisting of twenty-three persons, including fifteen voyagers, , a few hunters and : dian women, started from Fort Enterprise, and tlieir way north vi( -1 ( by the land route. On the 14th June a second party, Avith two canoes laid upon trains, and each dragged by four men, assisted by dogs, set forward to strike the water route at Winter Lake, a short distance from the fort. After the departure of the latter party, Franklin equally distributed the remaining stores, the instruments, and a small stock of dried meat, amounting only to eighty pounds, among Hepburn, three Canadians, and two Eskimos. With this third party, to which two "aidian hunters were attaclied, Franklin " quitted Fort Enterprise, most sincerely rejoicing that the long wished-for day had arrived, when we were to proceed towards the final object of the expedition." At Martin Lake, immediately to the north of Winter Lake, Franklin came up with the canoe party already mentioned, and was sadly disa]jpointcd to learn from his hunters who had gone on in advance, and killed two deer, that the meat they had put en cache here beneath a i)ile of stones, had been destroyed by wolverines, and he was thus obliged at the outset of his journey to break upon his scanty stock of dried meat to provide supper for his party. This circumstance, of no gi-eat moment in itself, is stated here as an example of disappointments in finding supplies, to which, for one reason or another, the exi)edition was henceforth to be subject almost daily. The wind changed from south-east to north-east in the evening, and the wepthcr became extremely cold, the thermometer standing at 43 at nine p.m. The fev»' dwarf birches that could be collected after supper afforded but a poor and comfortless fire, and the travellers DOIVX rilR cor PERM I M-: lilVER. 163 ictircd, under covoriiifij of their blankets, to pass a miserable night. Next (lay they were ^'lad to start at five in the moiniii() FliA.SKLLVS GREAT J0UIiSKY—\M{)-12. ccrMin on his return that tlie Incnnd was so loose in the frame that its timbers could not bo secured, and tlicre Avas danger of its bark separating,' from the gunwales, if exposed to a heavy sea. Distressing as were these circumstances, they gave Franklin less concern than the voyager.s, who had hitherto behaved with gieat spirit and gallantry, but now openly, anil in the presence of their ofiiccrs, began to complain of the hard- ships and the hopelessness of their voyage. A number of deer and bears had in tlie earlier part of the voyage been shot by St ( Jermain and Adani, the interin-eters ; but the good luck of these skilled hunters now mysteri- ously came to an end, and Franklin could not help suspecting that their recent want of success arose from an intentional cessation of eHbrt on their part, in order that the consequent want of provisions should compel him to tabandon his intention of proceeding, and return. The stores now consisted of no more than would subsist the party for three days ; every day was iiu'reasing the distance which avouUI require to be traversed in returning, and as the season was now too far advanced to permit of the exi)editi()n reaching Kepulse IJay, Franklin announced that if no remarkable success Avas achieved in four days he would return. After this assurance the voy- agers agreed to persevere for four days more. Sailing round the eastern shore of Coronation Gulf, Franklin reached his farthest point eastward. Observations were last taken in lat. 68' 18' N., and long. 110 5' W. ; but the ollicers went along on shore to a point ten or twelve miles farther east. This point they named Point Turnagain — the headland that marks the extreme limit reached by the expedition. A rapid retreat from this inhospitable locality was now imperati\e, and Franklin lost no time in commencing it. A start was made on the 22d, the object being to sail across Coronation Gulf, in a southward direction, to Arctic Sound, aiul, enteiing Hood's Kiver, which falls into that inlet, paddle up the stream, and thence strike across the barren grounds for I'oint Lake and Fort Enter- prise. On the 25th August, after a fearfully perilous voyage, the canoes reached Hood's Iliver, and ascended it as far as the first rapid. Here the tired explorers pitched their tents, and here terminated their voyage on the Arctic sea, during which they had sailed G^O miles along shores never pre- viously navigated, except by Eskimos. The Canadian voyagers, more familiar with the perils of land and river travel than of an ocean voyage, gave expression to their delight in having at last turned their backs on the sea ; and though the most painful and certainly tlie most hazardous part of the journey was yet before them, they were too happy in reflecting ou the dangers they had passed to give much heed to those that were to come. The great march inland commenced on the following day, 26th August 1821. The earlie. details of this extraordinary journey need not detain us. i! I ffi 'IPBF" :i I I 1 J 08 FRAXKLIX'S GJIKIT JOVnXEY- lSn-2'2. m " Wilbcrforcc Falls," at Avliich Hood's Rivor makes two leaps clown a chasm 250 feet in depth, were reached on tlu^ 'J7ih, and Franklin, having found that the upper course of the river seemed to be shallow and rapid, resolved to take his canoes asunder and construct two smaller ones out of the materials. The use of the smaller canoes, each of which was to hold three persons, was to enable the party to cross sucli rivers or lakes as might lie in their way, on the southward march to Fort Enterprise. The canoes were finished or. the 31st, and everything was arranged to continue the jcnirney on the folloAving day. The leather, which had been preserved for making shoes, was equally divided among the men ; two pairs of tlannel socks were given to each person ; and such articles of warm clothing as remained were issued to those that most required them. The men were also furnished with one of the ofHcers' tents. " The next morning," writes Franklin, " was warm and fine. Everyone was on the alert at an ear'v hour, being anxious to commence the journey. Our luggage consisted of ammunition, nets, hatchets, ice - chise'". astronomical instruments, clothing, blankets, three kettles, and the two canoes, which were each carried by one man. The officers carried such a portion of their own things as their strength would permit ; tin weight carried by each man was about ninety pounds, and with this we advanced at the rate of about a mile an hour, including rests." There was still some littlo comfort to be enjoyed in the early part of the journey ; for the alluvial soil near the mouth of the river yielded brushwood, with which a comfortable nieal might be cooked. As the travellers proceeded, however, they entered the sterile region which bears — and it is about the only thing it docs bear — the name of the Barren Grounds. In this gravelly wilderness shrubs were exceedingly scarce, and as the weather now became rapidly colder, the wa:it of good fires at night began to be severely felt. Progress was necessarily very slow, for the small stones with ^Vhich the gi'ound was covered occasioned great pain to men cariying heavy burdens, fvii ' ' hose feet were protected only by soft moose-skin shoes. V .. '.' 1 3d September Franklin left the valley of Hood lliver, which curv ivestward, and preserving a course directly south-south-west, led the ^ y ;>to a level but very barren country, marked only by small lakes and it' •«»■ es aJid covered with stones. On the 4th, after a walk of only twelve 1,. ;es, the travellers encamped at seven p.m., and the leader distributed the last piece of pemmican, which, with a litcle arrowroot in addition, made only a scanty meal. Heavy rains commenced at midnight, and continued without intermission till five next morning, when the wind, changing to the north- west, and soon increasing to a violent gale, brought down a heavy fall of snow. " As we had nothing to eat," says Franklin, " and were destitute of the means of making a fire, we remained in our beds all the day ; but the covering of our blankets was insufficient to prevent us from feeling the DESTITUTIOy. 1(59 severity of the frost, and suffering inconvenience from the (Iriftini; of llie snow into our tents. There was no abatement of the storm next day. Our tents were completely frozen, and the slow had drifted around them to a depth of three feet, and even in the inside there was a coverin-;' of several inches on our blankets, (^ur suffering from cold, in a comfortless canvas tent, in such weather, with the temperature at I'O , and without ttre, will be easily imagined; it was, however, less than that which we felt from hunger." As a voyage of discovery, Franklin's expedition of lSilO-:>2 was now practically at an end, and there remains little to adtl, except the narrative of hardships, probably unparalleled in any other record of travel, which he and his companions endured on the return march to Fort Enterprise, and dui-ing his residence there, until the time of his rescue. Indeed, only a small portion of Franklin's narrative concerns itself with purely geograjjlii- cal discovery ; for, essentially, it is a narrative of travel and adventure. Yet it must be remembered that, after rcaciung the Polar Hea at the mouth of the Coppermine liivci-, he traced the hitherto uidvuown shores of that sea a distance of 540 miles, and thus added nmch to the geographical knowledge of his time. Had it been possible for man to do more, under the circum- stances, he would have done it ; for, as he modestly puts it, he " prosecuted the enteqirise as far as it was prudent, and abandoned it only under a well- fcmnded conviction that a farther advance wouhl endanger the lives of the whole party, and prevent the knowledge of what had been done from reach- ing England." is ,i ' ■" 1 170 FRANK LIN'S GREAT J0L'JlNEy~lSld-2± CHAPTER IV. ON THE BARREN GROUNDS— A CANOE LOST — SIX DAYS AYITIIOUT FOOD — GENEROUS SELF-DENIAL OF PERRAULT— THE LAST CANOE LOST — CROSSING THE COPPER- MINE — THE BEGINNING OF THE END. The terrible four now fell upon the travellers, that the winter had set in, in all its rigour, at an unusually early period of the year, and that they were already within its grip. It was on the night of the 4th September that they eneamped under pelting rain on the Barren Grounds. 8noAV and frost, severe enough to convert their tents into a species of ice-hcuse, and to cover every man's sleeping-blanket to the depth of several inches with snow, and make it have the appearance of a newly-mounded grave on a Avintry mcor, had prevailed sine that date till the morning of the 7th, and duiing the whole of that time they had remained within their "beds," if the living graves in which they had shivered for two days and two nights can be called by such a name, and had not eaten a single morsel, lint the last dreadful moment seemed now to have come, anrl if any effort, however desperate, was to l)e of any avail to extricate them from this stpte of death in life, it must be made now or never. On the morning of the 7th, though the wind was still howling around them, and the cold was intense, the explorers lescjlved to make another attempt to push onward, as it was certain no fate that could bsfall them could be more aAvful than that which awaited them in their iVozen tents. They therefore arose and prepared for their journey, though they were weak almost as infants from the effects of fasting ; and their clothes were frozen stiff" as boards. No fire could be made to dry their clothes, for the moss, which was at all times difficult to kindle, was now covered with ice and snow, and was entirely useless for such a purpose. They took longer this morning to pack up the frozen tents and bed-gear than they had ever done before, not only from the difficulty of getting these stiffened articles to bend and fold up, but also because, in the extrenu'ly cold and keen gale that blew, it was impossible for any one to keep his hands any length of time uncovered ; while, so long as the mittens were on them, little could be done, -hut as the dismal procession was al)()ut to commence its march, l-'ranklin was seized with a fainting lit, in consetpience of ex'iaustion and sudden cxjiosure to the wind, and only recovered after a moi'sel of port- ON THE BARREN GROUNDS. in able soup had been dissolved in his mouth, and swallowed. IFe was unAvill- ing at first to take this soup, as it was diminishing the small ami the only meat left for the party, but a number of his men kindly and generously urged him to take it. On the march into this barren, snow-covered waste, destitute of every sign of animal life, and vocal only with the wintry wind, the ground Avas covered a foot deep with snow, the margins of the laker; were encrusted with ice, and the swamps over which the explorers had to travel were frozen, — the ice, however, not being sufficiently strong to bear their weight, so that they frequently broke through, and sank knee-deep h\ the marslies. The Canadians, who took turns in carrying the canoes, Avere frequently b^own down by the wind with their burdens on their backs, and as often fell from the insecure footing of the slippery stones. On one of these occasions, the largest canoe was so completely smashed as to be damaged beyond repair. This was indeed a serious misfortune, as it was feared the remaining canoe was too small to be of nnich use in transporting the party across the rivers. There was much reason to fear that Benoit, the Canadian who had been carrying the now ruined canoe, had broken it on purpose to be rid of the burden : and indeed this man had been heard to threaten that wdien it came to his turn to carry it, he would break it, and be done with it. He was closely examined on this point by Franklin, but as he stoutly denied all intention to damage it, and vowed that his fall was accidental, Franklin, who saw that no good could come of the inquiry, allov.^ed the matter to drop. The accident could not be remedied ; and it was not without a gay disregard and defiance of mis- fortune that Franklin called a halt and ordered a fire to be made of the bark and tindjers of the .lamaged vessel, to cook the remainder of the ponable soup and arrowroot. " This," says Franklin, " was a scanty meal after three days' fasting, but it served to allay the pangs of hunger, and enabled us io proceed at a quicker pace than before." Owing to the depth of the snow, it was found advantageous for the party to advance in Indian, or single, file, each man treading in the steps of the man in front of him, and tlie colunni always headed by one of the Canadian voyagers. It was the custom to point out a distant object to the voyager who led the column, and the man walked right on towards it, followed first by Mr Hood, wdio undertook to keep the leader from deviating from the true course, and afterwards by the others — all of them keeping to the one track. In the afternoon tlie travellers got into a more hilly country, where the ground was strewed with large stones. The surface of these stones or boulders was covered with a species of edible lichen (of the geinis (ijirophora). Of this lichen, called by the Canadians Tripe de Roche (I'ock-tripe), a considerable quantity was gathered, and, a few pavtri(lg(>s having been shot during the course of the day, half a one was given to each man, which, when cooked with the lichen, the material for the Hi 172 FRANKLIN'S GREAT JOURNEY 1819-22. H I I \ lliili «i fire being supplied by a few willows dug- up from beneath the snow, furnished a slender supper. After passing a comfortless night in their damp clothes, the travellers resumed their march at five on the following morning, and after walking about two miles, came to Cracroft Kiver, flowing to the westward over a rocky channel in the latitude (nearly) of the Arctic circle, and in long, about 111' 30' W. This river Avas crossed with dilliculty, the canoe having been found to be of no use. Many of the party were drtniched from head to foot in fording the stream, and falling among the rocks of its bed ; and their wet clothes stiffening with the frost, gave them much pain in walking. One or two hunters had been sent on in adva"ce, and the march this day was pro- longed to a late hour, in order to come up with them. This, however, was not accomi)lished, and the travellers encamped and cooked the only meal they had that day — a partridge each, with some tripe de roche. There is nuich simple manliness in the few words with which Franklin concludes his account of this evening: "This repast," he says, "although scanty for men with appetites such as our daily fatigue created, proved a cheerful one, and was received with thankfulness. Most of the men had to sleep in the open air, in consequence of the absence of Credit (one of tlie Canadians), who carried their tent ; but we fortiuiately found ai: unusual (quantity of roots to make a fire, which prevented tlieir suffering much from the cold, though the thermometer was at 17 !" Junius, one of the Eskimo interpreters, who had been absent from the camp for a whole day, seeking an easier ford over Cracroft Kiver than that which Franklin had crossed, rejoined his companions ou the afternoon of the {)th, bringing with him abo".t four pounds of meat, the remains of a deer upon which a number of wolves had been preying. Another rivor was now crossed, the small canoe being managed with great dexterity by St Germain, Adam, and I'eltier, who ferried over one passenger at a time, causing him to lie dowii flat along the bottom, and among the water tuat flowed in through its numerous leaks. The transport of the whole party was effected by five o'clock, and the march was resumed. The whole distance traversed on the 9th, however, was only five miles and three-quarters on a south-west course. The tents were then pitched, and, with the piece of meat brought in by Junius and two small Alpine hares shot by St Germain, supper was made. Ou the morning of the 10th September, the thermometer stood at 18°, and the ground, which was strewn with great boulders, was thickly covered with snow. Walking along, the men were in constant danger of breaking their legs by falling, as they often did, into the interstices between the stones. " If any one had broken a limb here," says Franklin, " his late wo\dd have been melancholy indeed ; av^ could neither have remained with him, nor carried him on." A thick fog had prevaileil throughout the uorn- SfX lU VS WITHOUT FOOD. 173 ■■■ 1 ing ; but about noon the weather cleared, and, to the great joy of the whole party, a herd of musk oxen were seen grazing in a valley near. " The party instantly halted, and the best hunters were sent out ; they a]ii)rGached the animals with the utmost caution, no less than two hours being consumed before they got within gun-shot. In the meantime ue beheld their prtjceed- ings with extreme anxiety, and many secret prayers were doubtless ott'crod up for their success. At length they opened their fire, and we had the satis- faction of seeing one of the largest cows fall. This success infused spirit into our starving party. To skin and cut up the animal was the o-ork of a few minutes. The contents of its stomach were devoured upon the spot, and the raw intestines, which were next attacked, were iironounced, by the most delicate amongst us, to be excellent. A few willows, whose tops were seen peeping through the snow in the bottom of the valley, were quickly grubbed up, the tents pitched, and supper cooked and devoured with avidity. This was the sixth chni since we had had a [food meal; the tripe de roche, even where we got enough of it, only serving to allay the pangs of hunger for a short time. . . . I do not think that we witnessed through the course of our journey a more striking proof of the wise dispensation of the Almighty, and of the weakness of our own judgment, than on this day. We had con- sidered the dense fog which prevailed throughout the morning, as almost the greatest inconvenience that could have befallen us, since it rendered the air extremely colil, and prevented us from distinguishing any distant object towards which our course could be directed. Yet this very darkness enabled the party to get to the top of the hill, which bounded the valley Avheiein the musk oxen were grazing, without being perceived. Had the herd discovered us and taken alarm, our hunters, in their present state of debility, Avould in all probability have failed in ajiproaching them." On the 12th, the snow was two feet dccyt, and the ground was much broken, which rendered the march extremely painful and laborious. The travellers now experienced a greater degree of faintness and weakness than they had ever done before —their strength impaired by the sudden and, for the moment, ample supply of animal food. The last of the meat was consumed that night for supper. On the following day, after a march of only six miles, the advance of the expedition was stopped by a largo lake, on the borders of which the camp Avas made. Trij>e de roche and a single partridge formed the supper. But the edible lichen had now become nauseous to the Avholo party, and in many of them its consumption caused severe pains and diarrha'tic complaints. Rlr Hood was the gi-eatest sufferer from this cause. Franklin now discovered with dismay that his Canadians, in their desire to dimir.ish their burdens,, at whatever expense, had thrown away three of the fishing-nets, and burnt the floats. These careless and selfish men knew that the expedition had brought on the nets to procure subsistence for the whole party, Avhen the animals fW 17J rHAXh'LlN'S GREAT JOURXEY—\HU)-2-2. ■' .'I ^1i \\ sliould fail ; uiul the oilit'crs could st-arcely bt'lieve the fact of their having voluntarily deprived themselves of this resource, especially when each man among them had passed the greater part of his service, as voyager for the Companies, in situations in which he had to depend on fishing alone for a sul>sistence. 'J'he travellei's were now getting weaker every day from insuf- ficiency of food, and as they were unal)le to fish and so increase their store of provisions, it became necessary to reduce their burdens, and leave every- thing behind except ammunition, clothing, and the few instruments required to enable them to keep a straight route. Franklin therefore issued direc- tions to deposit the dijiping needle, azinuith, compass, magnet, a large ther- mometer, and the few books they had carried, by the side of the lake. lie also incitetl his men to activity in hunting, by promising rewards to such of them as would kill any animals. On this occasion also, ]\Ir Hood lent his gun to jMichel, the Iroquoi;;, who was an eager, and often successful hunter. Wo shall see how the savage requited the kindness of his officer. On the morning of the 14th, the ofiicers being assembled round a small fire, Perrault, one of the most faithful of the Canadians, approached and presented each of them with a small piece of meat, which he had saved from his allowance. " It was received," says Franklin, " with gi'cat thankful- ness ; and such an act of self-denial and kindness, being totally unexpected in a Canadian voyager, filled our eyes with tears." Credit, another of the voyagers, who had been absent from the party for some time, now came rushing into the camp with the joyful intelligence that he had killed two deer in the morning. IMarching at once to the place where the nearest deer lay, the party instantly halted, and sharing the carcass, prepared breakfast. The other carcass being afterwards sent for, Franklin gave orders to cross the lake, at a part Avhere the water seemed the most smooth. The crossing of the lake was perhaps the most perilous and difficult exploit hitherto undertaken by the expedition. The frail canoe was time after time iipset and v/hirled away by the current of its mid-channel and the rapid on the farther side. Franklin, accompanied by .St Germain and a voyager named Belanger, were the first to attempt the passage, but the whole of the party were only got across on the morning of the following day. On the 17th, some deer were seen in the morning ; but the hunters failed to kill any. In consequence of this failure, the travellers had no breakfast, and but a scanty supper; "but," says Franklin, "we allayed the pangs of hunger by eating pieces of singed hide." A little tripe de roche M'as also obtained. These would have satisfied them in ordinary times, but they were nc almost ex- hausted by slender fare and travel, and their a])petites had become ravenous. On the 19th, having nothing to eat for the two preceding days but a little of the rock-lichen, they were faint with hunger, and marched on with the utmost difiiculty, a\ ading through snow, two feet deep, in the teeth of a fresh breeze. \ ■ THE LAST CAXOE LOST. 175 The tents wore pitched at four o'cluck, after a inarch of only four miles, anil as no tripe de firlte was to be found, tlie men, clearing- away the snow, came upon a quantity of Icehuul moss, wliieh, on being Ijoiled for svip})er, proved so bitter, that few of the party could eat more than a few spoonfuls of it. On this night the bhmkets were insufficient to keep them in tolerable Avarmth, and the slightest breeze seemed to pierce through their famished frames. "The reader," says Franklin, " will i)robal»ly be desirous to know how we passed our time in such a comfortless situation : The first o[)i'ration, after encamping, was to thaw our frozen shoes, if a sullicient lire could bo made, and to put on dry ones. Each person then wrote his notes of the daily occurrences, and evening prayers were read. As soon as supper was l)rcpared it was eaten, generally in the dark, and we went to bed and kept lip a cheerful conversation until our blankets were thawed with the heat o[ our bodi(!S, and Ave had gathered sullicient warmth to enable us to sleep." On the :20th, jMr Hood Avas so Aveak that he Avas obliged to give up his post of second man in the travelling line, and his place Avas taken ni) by Dr IJicliardson. The men, Avho on this night had nothing but a small (piantity of tr'q^e (Is roche for supper — they had been obliged to do Avithout breaki'ast — now threatened to throw aA\^ay their bundles and leave the expedition. (>n the :*nd, the starving procession, in whom the s})ark of life Avas barely kept alive by one meal a-day of the "rock-tripe," moved along very sloAvly, and Avith extrei 'o dilliculty. At this time the s lall canoe Avas being carried l)y a voyager niim^ Peltier, but, as a fresh breeze Avas bloAving, this man, Avitli the canoe on his shoulders, Avas often bloAvii doAvn, and received several severe falls. At last he became impatient, placed his burden — already much damaged by repeated tumbles — on the ground, and refused to take it up again. It Avas taken up by Vaillant, another voyager. On tliis day it happened that both Franklin and Eiciiardson got in advance of the voyagers, and travelled on until they found themselves alone, the men having evidently dropped Ijehind. They retraced their steps, and found that the Canadians had halted among some willoAvs, where they had picked up some pieces of skin, and a fcAV bones of deer thi't had been devoured by Avolves in the pi-cceding spring. The famished mm had made the bones brittle by burning them, and had eaten them, as Avell as the scraps of skin. That they had agreed upon a mutiny against the ofliccrs, Avhom they had contracted to accompany back to Fort Enterprise, seemed evident from the circumstance that several of them had also supplemented their desperate repast by eating their old shoes. Peltier, the former bearer of the caiu)e, and ^"aillant, in AAdiose charge it had been left, Avere among the party. Franklin questioned them about the canoe, and they ansAvered that it had been so completely broken by another fall as to be incapable of repair, and entirely useless, and that for that reason they had throAvn it aAvay. " The anguish this intelligence occa- m lij I III: I "'I ^'1 I I '!' 176 IlfAXh'LLWS GREAT JOURNEY— \A\^-'2'1. sioned," exclaims Franklin, " may be conceived, but it is beyond my power to describe. Impressed, howerer, with the necessity of takin.^' the canoe forward, even in the state in which these men rei)re8ented it to be, we urgently desired them co fetch it, but they declined going, and the strength of the officers Avas inadequate to the task. To their infatuated obstinacy on this occasion, a great portion of the melancholy circumstances which attended our sidjsequent progress may, perhaps, be attributed. The men now seemed to have lost all hope of being preserved ; and all the arguments we could use failed in stimulating them to the Ica.st exertion." The march, however, Avas resumed after the remains of the bones and horns of the d{;er had been eaten ; and in the evening a narrow part of the lake was discovered and forded, and an encampment of the whole party made on the opposite side. On the following day the men 1)ccame furious at the suspicion of having been deserted by the hunters, who had gone on in advance ; and some of the strongest of them, throwing down their bundles, prepared to set out by them- selves. The ollicers succeeded, lioAvever, in appeasing them, and, " after halting an hour, during which," says Franklin, " we refreshed ourselves with eating our old shoes and a few scraps of leather," the jiarty encamped, supped upon tripe de ror.he, and enjoyed a comfortable pine-wood fire. Next morn- ing the travellers had the great good fortune to kill five small deer out of a herd that came in sight as they were on the point of starting for the day's march, and this most seasonable and unexpected supply reanimated the despairing spirits of the men, and filled every heart with gratitude. After a day of rest, and, on the part of the voyagers, of inconsiderate and improvident feasting, the march a\ as resumed, and a river was reached, which was recognised fi'om its size, to be the Coppermine. The men now deplored their folly and impatience in breaking the canoe, for its destruction was afterwards discovered to have been a voluntary act. After wandering about in the vain search for a ford, or for wood to construct a raft, during which time the voyagers — who had previously consumed their own share of the deer that had last been killed — robbed tlie officers of a part of their provi- sions, the party were again reduced to starvation, and were obliged to sub- sist for a time on the putrid carcass of a deer discovered in the cleft of a rock into which it had follen in the previous spring. The lives of the party now depended on their being able to cross the Coppermine, and Franklin pro- mised a reward of three hundred francs to the first person who should convey a line across the river, by which a raft could be managed in transporting the party. Days were spent in constructing rafts and *vtt(>mpting the passage ; but, between the strength of opposing breezes, the wtvnt of oars, etc., every attempt was futile. At length Dr Kichardson volunteered to swim across with a line round his middle, but he had got only a short distance from the bank when his arms became benumbed with cold, and he lost the power of cnossixi^ THE corrEinnM: 177 moving tlioin. lie still persevered, however, and turnin;^ npun his back, had nearly reached the farther side, when, to the ^reat alarm of the ollicers, he was seen to sink. He was pulled ashore by the line in an .ilmost lifeless state, and so far restored as to be able to give directions for his own treat- ment. He had lost all feeling in his left side, nor did he recover the full power of his left limbs till the succeeding summer. On being brought to the 1)ank, he had l)een stripped, rolled ii: blankets, and ])laced in front of a lire of willows. The appearance he presented when naked was tliat of a living skeleton, .so nnich was his frame wasted from Avant of food. " 1 can- not describe," writes Franklin, what every one felt at lu'holding the skeleton which the doctor's debilitated frame exhibited. "When ho stripped, the Canadians simultaneously exclaimed, 'Ah ! que nous si>nniie,< maiijrcs /' " (^ne circumstance in connection with this attempt to swim the Coppermine, and thus save the whole party, must be mentioned. "When Ifichardson was aboiit to step into the water, ho accidentally put his foot on a naked dagger, which cut him to the bone. Bat this most painful accident could not deter him from attempting to carry out his generous and humane undertaking. It was only after making repeated attempts on willow rafts, and after suffering the direst pangs of hunger, that the Avholo party were enabled to cross the Coppermine by means of a small canoe constructed of the pieces of painted canvas in which the travellers wrapped their Ixnlding, and which could only suj)port one person at a time. Having now [lassed over the last great stream that separated the party from the known lands in the neigh- bourhood of Fort Enterprise, Franklin, in order that no time might be lost in procuring relief, sent forward ]\Ir IJack, accompanied by St (lermain, Belanger, and Beauparlant, to search for the Indians. Back was directed to go to Fort Enterprise, and, in the event of his hunters killing any deer, i)art of the meat was to be placed en cache for the use of the main body. On the morning of the i)th, Franklin roused »very member of his party by daybreak. The weather was cold and clear, but as the tents and bed- clothes were frozen, it was eight o'clock before a start could be made. The time had now come when the sufferings and the i)rolonged starvation to which the travellers had been subjected had so worn down their vital forces that it was evident some fatal crisis must immediately supervene, unless a place of refuge, aftbrding food and shelter, should be reached. ]\Ir Hood, who had long been suffering from illness, was now so feeble that he could scarcely crawl along ; and ]\Ir Bichardson, still suftering from the wou id he had received on the north bank of the Coppermine, Avas equally Aveak. These tAvo gentlemen kept together, and Avalked sloAvly in the rear of the party. The track folloAved Avas that of the advance party under My Back. In the afternoon, Avhen the camping-place had been selected. Credit, the Canadian, Avhose turn it Avas that day to carry the voyagers' tent, came 3 z ^)*9i IB I I ' t 17S r/i\i.\h'/j.\"s cHi'Li T ./6'ry,'.VA>--iHi{>-'_>L>. stajx<,vrin;j; into camp so exhausted that lie was uiia'ile to stand. The ln'/>e de fiirlti' di.sa,i,'ived Avith this man, and also witli Vaillant ; they were, con- sequently, the first whose strenj^th totally tailed. Previously to settinj;' out on the following,' nu)rnin{,', the whole i)arty ate the remains of their old shoes, and whatever other scraps o^ leather they possessed, in order to strengthen them lor the fatigue of the day's journey. In the course of the morning, while the straggling and feeble procession struggled on, the gale became piercingly cold, and the drift made it dillicult for those in the rear to follow the track over the heights. Those in Jidvance made frequent halts to allow the weaker men to come up, but as the coUl was so extreme, the advance men were unable to remain standing still, and were obliged to tramp on before the rear could come up with them. About noon, one of the Canadians came to the front and informed Fraid men's tent, a barrel of i^nnpoAvder, and several other articles, were accordingly left l)ehinu, and Fraid^lin and his party then moved on. They marched till dusk without finding any animals, any edible lichen, or any suitable place to encamp, and at night were compelled to take shelter imder the lee of a hill amongst some willows, with which, after many attempts, they at last succeeded in lighting a feeble fire. ]>ut this poor comforter Avas too Aveak to Avarni the whole party, much less to thaw their frozen shoes ; and the weather not i)ermitting them to gather any tripe de rorlw, they had nothing to eat. The situation of the expedition was now d("'K>ratc indeed, lleviewing the melancholy events of this terrible day, Franklin found it im- possible to sleep, and he .shuddered when he contemplated what might be the effects of this bitterly cold night upon the two Canadians, Vaillant and Credit, that had been left behind. How miscral)le the situation of the party was at this time may be conceived from the statement of Franklin, that "stmie faint hopes were entertained of Credit's .surviving the storm, (i!< he was ]))'ovide(l with a good blmiket, ond h(id> some leather to eat." On the following morning, the camp was broken up at )iine, and the travellers moved forward, arriving before noon at a thicket of small willows, near which, on the rocks, a quantity of the edible lich u was found. Hero Kiehardson and Hood determined to remain — IleiJ.jarn, their faithful attendant, volunteering to stay with them. The tent was accordingly l)itched, a few willows collected, and all other articles deposited, except the tent, the clothing, and a small amount of ammunition, which were to be carried forward by Franklin and his party. The commander then addressed the men, and placed before them the alternative of remaining with Richard- son and Hood, or going forward under his own leadership at once. All of them decided to go on with their leader. The moment of parting was a solemn one. Upon the breasts of how many of these " co-niatcs and brothers in exile" might not the shroud of snow be already rising ! Who can realise what must have been the emotions with which the captain of this band, doomed never again to be reunited, conducted this last interviev,', and spoke the last Avords of fiirewell ! But here, as in other trying moments, the courage and noble simplicity and trustfulness of the man bore him up. " After we had united in thanksgiving and prayers to Almighty God," writes this man, at once childlike and heroic, " I separated from my companions, deeply af Dieted that a train of melancholy circumstances should have demanded of nie the severe trial of parting, in such a condition, from friends Avho had become endeared to me by their constant kindness and co-operation, and a participation in numerous sufferings. This trial I could not have been in- duced to undergo, but for the reasons they had so strongly urged the day before, to which my own judgment assented, and for the sanguine hope I r \Hl) riLWKIJS'S CRHA T JOIRMIY \^\\)2'2 i felt of citlior nndini,' ii supply of |>n)visions at Fort Ktitor]>riao, or mooting tilt' Iiuliiins in the iiuiiKMliate viriiiity of thiit i)laee, accorcling to my arran^e- moiits with Mr Wcnt/.ol ami Akaitclio." When the moniout for starting canio, I'lanklin and the Canadians, re- fusing to touch any of the tripe dc rochc gi'owing in the neighbourhood of the tent of the conu'ades they were leaving Ijehind, and who so nuuh re(|uired for themselves all the nutrim(>nt within their reach, marched briskly forward, and arrived at a line group of i)ines about a nule antl a (piarter from the tent. The leader now regretted that IJichardson and Hood had not known of this sheltered spot, as they could have been well supi)lied with fuel here, as well as with the lichen on which they now wholly de})ended for subsistence. Pusliing onward, Franklin found the snow very deep, and the labour of wading through it was so fatiguing for the whole party, that a halt had to be called, and an encampment made, after a march of only four miles and a half. What must have been the diiliculties of that march through the snow, when a body of brave men, made desperate by hunger, and with the hope of succour in advance, were content to bring the labotu's of the day to close after a march of only four miles I But even in this short journey, so desperate had been the battle with the chilling, unyielding, and engidfing snow, that Belanger, the Canadian, and Michel, *^e Irorpiois, were left far behind, and only arrived in camp at a late hour, and in a condition of com- plete exhaustion. Ijclanger, bursting into tears, declared himself unable to ])rocoed and bogged to be allowed to go back next morning to the tent, and shortly afterwards the Iroquois made the same request. The sudden collapse of these hardy and bold voyagers cast a gloom over the entire party, which their leader tried in vain to remove by assuring them that the distance to Fort Enterprise was only a four days' journey. Night closed in on these cheerless wanderers ; and as there was no tripe de roche to be seen around the cncanqmient, they drank an infusion of the Labrador tea-jjlant {Ledum jtit/iif/re), and ate a few morsels of burnt leather for supper. They were una1)l( to raise their tent ; and as they found its weight too much ft)r them to carcy in their weak state, they this night " cut it up, and took a part of the canvas for a cover." The night was bitterly cold ; and though they lay as close to each other as possible, they found it too cold, from the want of .shelter, to obtain any sleep. In the morning, Franklin, having been con- strained to assent to the pitiful appeal of Belangcr and Michel, wrote a note to liichardson and Hood, describing the gi'oup of pines they had passed, and advising their remo\'al thither. The note was scarcely written, when two of the voyagers, Perrault and Fontano (the latter an Italian), were seized with a fit of dizziness, but afterwaids recovered a little, and joined Franklin and his now gradually thinning party, in setting out. Before ho had gone 200 yards, Perrault again staggered. A third attempt was made to ! I I •. AlililVI-: AT FORT EXT I : If P RISE. 181 advance, ulion In* a.i,'aiu stopped, and .slieddiiis were acrid and rotten, and the soup extracted from them excoriated the nu)nth when taken alone ; but boiling the edible lichen with it made it somewhat milder to the palate. Franklin, who seems to have been curious in his cookery, though his materials were scarcely of the most choice description, .says that ho " even thought the mixture palatable, with the addition of salt, of which a cask had been fortunately left here in the spring." 0\\ this day, Augustus set two fishing-lines in the open water below the rapid of Winter Kiver, in the neighbourhood of the house. On the afternoon of the 14th October, two days after Franklin's arrival at Fort Enterprise, the Canadian, Belanger — there were two voyagers of this name belonging to the expedition — arrived at the fort Avith a note from Air ]>ack, stating that he had seen no trace of the Indians, and desiring further instructions as to the course he should pursue. There was scarce time to glance at the letter, f(U- the condition of IJelanger, this messenger from the snowy wilderness, re(piired immediate care. On his arrival ho was almost speechless, and he was covered with ice, liaving fallen into a raj)id and nar- rowly escaped drowning. "He did not recover sullieieutly to answer our questions until we had rubbed him for some time, changed his dress, and given \\\\\\ some warm soup. ]My coin]:)anions niu'sed him with the greatest kindness, and the desire of restoring him to lu>alth seemed to absorb all regard for their own situation. I witiu>ssed, with pecidiar ])leasure, this conduct, so dilferent from that which they had recently pursued, when every tender feeling was suspended by the desire i)f .self-preservation. They now no longer betrayed impatience or despondency, but were composeil and cheerful, and had entirely given up the practice of swearing, to which the Canadian voyagers are so lamentably addicted." The conversation naturally turned u[)on tlu' prospect and upon the means best adapted for obtaining it. The absence of aU ti'aces of the Indians on Winter River convinced Frank- f fmm f i1 li !i'f 184 FRANKLLYS GREAT JOURNEY— l8l[)-2'2. lin that they were by this time on the way to Fort Providence, and that by jn'oceeding towards that post ho conhl overtake them, as they move slowly when they have their families with them. The ronte from Fort Enterprise to Fort Providence also afforded the prospect of killing deer on Kcindeer I.ake, in which neighbourhood they had been always found in numerous herds by Back and his party, in his journeys of the preceding winter. Upon these grounds Franklin determined to take the route as soon as he was able to Fort ]'rovldence, and he prepared a letter for Mr Back desiring the latter to join him at Kcindeer Lake. With this letter Belanger departed on the 18tli October, cai^ying with him, by way of provision for the journey, a bit of deer-hide. Franklin was now resolved upon immediate action, and intended at first to set out with his five companions to Fort Providence. It was found, how- over, that Adam was afflicted with swellings in the legs — an ailment which he had hitherto concealed — and that he could not be moved. It was there- fore necessary to divide the party. Peltier and Samandre volunteered to remain with and attend Adam ; Benoit and the little Eskimo, Augustus, agreed to accompany Franklin. The few simple, but necessary, prepara- tions were soon made. Among other things the commander's wardrobe had to bo seen to. " ISIy clothes," he says, " were so much torn as to be quite inadequate to screen me from the wind, and Peltier and Samandre, fearing that I might suffer on the journey in consequence, kindly exchanged with me part.s of their dress, desiring mo to send them skins in retiu'u, b} the Indians. Having patched up three pair of snow-shoes, and singed a quan- tity of skin for the joiu'ney, we started on the morning of the 20th. . . . I thought it necessary to admonish Peltier, Samandre, and Adam to eat two meals every day, in order to keep up their strength, which they promised me they would do. Xo language that I can use could adequattily describe the parting scene. I shall only say there was far more calmness and resigna- tion to the Divine will evinced by every one than could have been expected. • We were all cheered by the hope that the Indians would be found by the one party, and relief sent to the other." At first setting out, Franklin, Augustus, and Benoit were so feeble that they wore scarcely able to move forwards, and the descent of the bank of the river was a severe labour to men Avho had not tasted wholesome fi)od for weeks. When they ciime \\\nm the ice, where the snow was not so deep, they advanced with less fatigue ; but after walking six hom-s, and having only gained fom* miles, they were ol)liged to encanq) on the borders of Pound Kock Lake. vVugustus tried for fish hero, but without success, so that the fare for supper was singed hide and weed tea. Tlien conq)osiiig tliemselves to rest, the travellers lay down close to each other for Avarmth. l)Ut even willi this precaution they felt the night bitterly cold — the wind THE BEGTNNIXG OF THE EXD. 185 piercing through their famished and fleshless frames. Next day, Franklin had the ill-luck to break his snow-shoes in a fall between two rocks. This misfortune put an end, so far as he was concerned, to the excursion ; and after giving his companions instructions to go on and seek for ]\Ir Back, and, failing to find him, to push on for Fort Providence, he returned to the Fort. The condition of the Canadians at Fort Enterprise, and their manner of life at this time, will be best imderstood from Franklin's own sketch : " On my return to the house, I found Samandre very dispirited, and too weak, as he said, to render any assistance to Peltier, upon whom the whole labour of getting wood and collecting the means of subsistence would have devolved. Conscious, too, that his strength would have been unequal to these tasks, they had determined upon taking only one meal each day ; so that I felt my going back particularly fortunate, as I hoped to stimulate Samandre to exer- tion, and at any rate could contribute some help to Peltier. I undertook the office of cooking ; and insisted they should eat twice a day, whenever food could be procured ; but as I was too weak to pound the bones, Peltier agreed to do that in addition to his more fatiguing task of getting wood. We had a violent snow-storm all the next day,, and this gloomy weather increased the depi-ession of spirits under which Adam and Samandre were labouring. Neither of them would quit their beds, and they scarcely ceased from shedding tears all day. In vain did Peltier and myself endeavour to cheer them. We had even to use much entreaty before they would take tho meals we had prepared for them. Our situation was indeed distressing, but in comparison with that of our friends in the rear, wo thought it happy. Their condition gave us unceasing solicitude, and was the principal subject of our conversation. Though the weather was stormy on the 26th, Samandri; assisted me to gather iripe de roche. Adam, who was very ill, and could not now be prevailed upon to eat this weed, subsisted principally on bones, though he also partook of the soup. The trij^e de rochc had hitherto afforded us our chief support, and we naturally felt great uneasiness at tho prospect of being deprived of it, by its being so frozen as to render it impossible for us to gather it. We perceived our strength decline every day, and every exertion began to be irksome. When we were once seated tho greatest effi)rt was necessary in order to rise, and we had frequently to lift each other from our scats ; but even in this pitiable situation we conversed cheerfully, being sanguine as to tho speedy arrival of the Indians. We calculated, indeed, that, if they should bo near the situation where they had remained last winter, our men would have reached them by this day (20th October). Having expended all the wood which wo could procure from our present dwelling, without danger of its fall, Peltier began this day to pull down tho partitions of tho adjoining houses. Though these were only distant about 4 2 a w i I ill m 180 FRANKLIN'S GREA'l JOURNEY— lSi{i-22. twenty yards, yet the increase of labour in carrying the wood fatigued hiiu so much, that by the evening he was exhausted. On the next day, his weak- ness wns such, especially in the arms, of Avhich lie chiefly complained, that he with difliculty lifted the hatchet. Still he persevered, while Samandre and I assisted him in bringing in the Avood ; though our united strength could only collect sufficient to replenish the fire four times in the course of the day. As the insides of our mouths had become sore from eating the bone-soup, we relinquished the use of it, and now boiled the skin, which mode of dressing we found more palatable than frying it, as we had hitherto done. On the 29tli, Peltier felt his pains more severe, and could only cut a few pieces of wood. Sr r-iandre, who was still almost as Aveak, relieved him a little time, and I aided them in carrying in the Avood. We endea- voured to pick some tnpe de roche, but in vain, as it Avas entirely frozen. In turning up the snoAV in searching for bones, I found several pieces of bark, Avhich proved a valuable acquisition, as Ave Avero almost destitute of dry Avood proper for kindling the fire. We saw a herd of reindeer sporting on the river about half-a-milc from the house. They remained there a long time, but none of the party felt themselves strong enough to go after them, nor Avas there one of us Avho could haA'o fired a gun Avithout resting it. Whilst Avo Avere seated round the fire this evening, disbursing about the anticipated relief, the conversation Avas suddenly interrupted by Peltier's exclaiming, Avith joy, 'Ah ! le monde ! ' imagining that he heard the Indians in the other room. Immediately afterwards, to his bitter disappointment. Dr Richardson and Hepburn entered, each carrying his bundle." Peltier's disappointment, hoAvever, soon gave Avay to a more humane feel- ing, and he immediately recovered himself sufficiently to express his delight at their safe arrival. With Franklin it Avas different. The sudden appear- ance of these tAVO comrades, recovered from the gi'ave, and standing before him in the bare room, sent a chill to his heart. What of Hood, of Credit, of Vaillant, Pcrrault, and Fontano ? Had the Italian " gone home " at last ? Had Hood received the step of promotion .hat no Admiralty or any earthly court could confer 1 DR RICriARDSON'S NARRATIVE. 187 m ^\ ,i3 CHAPTER V. DR Richardson's narrative — miciiel, the troquois — murder of mr hood — SHOOTING THE ASSASSIN — THE MAJtCH TO THE FORT — ARRIVAL. When Dr Eicliardson, with the invaluable Ilopljurn, entered the chrclling- room of Foi't Enterprise, and came face to face with Franklin and the Canadians, a mutual thrill of surprise, 'lorror, and pity seems to have ran through each, for the evident sufferings of the other party. " AVu were all shocked," says Franklin, " at beholding the emaciated countenances of the doctor and Hepburn," Avhich hunger had stripped of all the roundness and colour of health, leaving only staring bones and sickly hollows. On tho other hand, the doctor, scientific to the last fibre of him, yet combining tho rapid perception of the trained practitioner Avitli the ample oft'ection and ready sympathy of a faithful friend and officer, observed, at once \.ith curios- ity and with great distress, that the wretched inhabitants of this famished abode were reduced absolutely to skin and bone. " Speak a little more cheerfully if you can, and not in such sepulchral tones," said the doctor, who had been shocked with the deep and hollow sound of the commander's voice ; "but he was unconscious," adds Franklin, "that his own voice partook of the same key." But there was no time to be lost. There was death in Uie house, an■ I f .1 CHAPTER VI. it TWO CANADIANS STARVED TO DEATH — ARIUVAL OF RELIEVING PARTY — FRANKLIN AGAIN DESERTED — RESCUE AT LAST — ARRIVAL AT GREAT SLAVE LAKE — MR back's NARRATIVE — CONCLUSION OF VOYAGE. It Avas on the 29tli October, that llicliardsou and Hepburn, tlio sole survi- vors of the party of eight that had been left behind by Franklin, arrivctl at Fort Enterprise, and it was not till the evening of the following day that the doctor, who had been reduced almost to the point of death by exhaustion and excitement, found himself strong enough to recount to the leader of the expedition the events sketched in the last chapter. On the morning of the 31st, the dull routine of life, to which Franklin and the Canadians were partly inured before the arrival of their old comrades, was resumed. Attempts were made daily to kill deer ; but so weak had even the strongest beconuj that the greatest diHiculty Avas experienced in getting Avithin range of the game ; Avhile the ability to hold the gun steady and take sure aim Avas noAv altogether denied them. On this last day of October, the Canadians, Peltier and Samandre, Avere much Aveaker, though Adam Avas a little easier, and Avas able to leave his bed. From this day the doctor and Hepburn took upon themselves the labour of cutting the Avood, and bringing it to the house. Franklin himself AA'as too Aveak to cut or carry fuel, and Avas obliged to content himself Avith the minor offices of searching for bones, cooking, and attending upon the sick Canadians. During the night the Englishmen Avere surprised to see Peltier and Samandre, Avho had not been able to rise during the day, crossing the floor, carrying logs to replenish the fire. It Avas the last service they cA'cr perf jrmed, and seems to have been an instance of that sudden access of apparent strength, Avhich sometimes comes Avhen death is very near. Next day there was nothing to eat but a little tvijie de roclie. Peltier could scarcely taste it, and in the afternoon, being too Aveak to sit, ho fell off" his seat upon the bed, and lay there, apparently asleep, for tAvo hours. At the end of this time, a rattling in his throat alarmed this miserable household, and noAV all knew that Peltier'? hour AA-as come, and T mam 190 FRAXKLLVS GREAT JOURXEY-\n^-22. that death, whom they had so gallantly and so long endeavoured to shut out from their faminc-struclv circle, had entered at last, and taken uj) his place by their hearth. For weeks Peltier had been repeating, at intervale, that if the Indians did nut come to the rescue before the 1st of Xovcnnber, he would cease from that date to look for relief, and no was sure ho would not sur- vive the day when he should cease to hope, lie was a true prophet, for he died starved to death, during the night that preceded the 1st November. Samandre, Peltier's companion in suffering, who had sat up during the greater part of the 31st October, and even assisted in pounding some bones, seemed to loose all spirit, when he witnessed the death of his conu-ade. lie became very low, and began to complain of cold and stiffness of the joints. Ilis companions spread their blankets upon him, in the attempt to keep him warm. But all \vas in vain, Samandre died in the early dawn of the 1st November. The comparatively sudden death of these two men, due immediately to loiin^' lier.rt and hope, was a severe shock to Franklin and his companions. Pelt! •• iuid endeared himself to each of them by his cheerfulness, his un- ceasutg activity, and affectionate care and attentions, ever since the arrival of the party at Fort Enterprise. Community of .suffering had softened the rude nature of the Canadian, and developed all that Avas generous and humane in his character. lie had nursed Adam, the interpreter, with the tenderness of a Avoman, The effect of his death, and that of Sanuindre, told most unfavourably upon the health of Adam, who became very low and despondent, and on that of Frankhn, who from this date became too ill to be of any assistance to the doctor and Hepburn, in their Avork of cutting and collecting fuel. From this point, the daily record of the experiences of these wretched men becomes brief and obscure. The darkness of death seems to have been gathering above them ; their intellects seem to have become clouded ; and it was evident that when the last moment should come, they would have nothing more to suffer. Their death would have been literally " a falling asleep ; " for the period of anguish and suffering Avas well-nigh past. On November 4th, they read prayei's, and a portion of the New Testament, in the morning and evening, as had been their practice since Ilichardson's arrival ; and " the performance of these duties," writes Frank- lin, " always afforded '^r the greatest consolation, serving to re-animate our hope in the mercy of thi Omnipotent, who alone could save and deliver us." On the 5th, Kichardson and Hepburn, who alone Avero noAv able to move about, became very Aveak. They came into the house frequently in the course of the day to rent themselves, and, Avhen once seated, were unable to rise Avithout each other's help. On this day also, Adam surprised and terri- fied his companions by occasionally getting up and Avalking about the room, Avith Avild and ghastly looks and rambling, incoherent talk about far dis- AlilUVAL OF RKLIKVIXG PARTY. 107 tant times and scenes, and matters wliich his comrades knew nothing about. Next day, he got np in the morning, talkeil of cleaning his gun, and promised his companions that, if there were any birds about, ho would soon bring them something good to cat. But his tone suddenly changed, his unnatural spirits left him, and he sank down dejected, and could scarce be prevailed on to taste the vile soup of bruised bones and singed hide. " T moy hero remark," writes Franklin, " that owing to our loss of flesh, the hardness of the floor, from which we were only protected by a blanket, produced sore- ness over the body, and especially those parts on Avhich the weight rested in lying; yet to turn ourselves for relief Avas a matter of toil ai^d difliculty. However, during this period, and, indeed, all along, after the acute pains of hunger (which lasted but three or four days) had subsided, we generally enjoyed the comfort of a few hours' sleep. The dreams which, for the most part but not always, accompanied it, were usually (though not invariably) of a pleasant character, being very often about the enjoyments of feasting. In the day-time we fell into the practice of conversing on common and light subjects, although we sometimes discussed, with seriousness and earnestness, topics connected with religion. We generally avoitled speaking directly of our present sufferings, or even of the prospect of relief. I observed that in proportion as our strength decayed, our minds exhibited symptoms of weak- ness, evinced by a kind of iinreasonal)le pettishness with each other. Each of us thought the other weaker in intellect than himself, and more in need of advice and assistance. So trifling a circumstance as a change of place, recommended by one as being more warm and comfortable, and refused by the other, from a dread of motion, frequently called forth fretful expressions, which were no sooner uttered than atoned for, to be repeated, perhaps, in the course of a few minutes. The same thing often occurred, when wo endeavoured to assist each other in carrying wood to the Are ; none of \is were willing to receive assistance, although our task Avas disproportioned to our strength. On one of these occasions, Hepburn was so convinced of this Avaywardness, that he exclaimed : ' Dear me, if Ave are spared to return to England, I Avonder if Ave shall recover our luidcrstandings ? ' " The morning of the 7th November arose in gloom above the starving hovel of Fort Enterprise, Avith its bcAvildered inmates chattering in tho insanity produced by })rolongcd Avant. Adam had passed a restless night ; for the imago of approching death Avas before him throughout the long hours of the night, nor did it leave him in the morning, although the Englishmen did their utmost to cheer him, and dispel his gloomy anticipations. He Avas so loAV in the morning that he could scarcely speak. Fraidvlin remained in bed, by his side, to cheer him as much as possible. Tho doctor and Hep- burn had commenced to cut Avood for tho day ; but had little more than gone out to set abou*^ this labour Avhen th(>y Avere suddc^nly amazed, and, for •M. i 108 FRANKLIN'S GREAT JOURNEY ~\SW-22. % 51'i,ll the moment confoimclcd, by hearing the report of a musket. " They could scarcely believe," says Franklin, " that there was really any one near, until they heard a shout, and immediately espied three Indians close to the house. Adam and I," continues the commander, " heard the latter noise, and I was fearfid that a part of the house had fallen upon one of my companions— a disaster which had, in fact, been thought not unlikely. My alarm was only momentary ; Dr Richardson came in to connnunicate the joyful intelli- gence that relief had arrived. He and myself immediately addressed thanksgivings to the throne of mercy for this deliverance ; but poor Adam was in so low a state he could scarcely comprehend the information. When the Indians entered, he attempted to rise, but sank down again. But for this seasonable interposition of Provideiice, his existence must have termin- ated in a few hours, and that of the rest probably in a few days. Tho Indians had left Akaitcho's encampment on the 5tli November, having been sent by INIr Back with all possible expedition, after he had arrived at their tents. They brought but a small supply of provision, that they might travel quickly. It consisted of dried deer's meat, some fat, and a few tongues." The kindly Indians imprudently presented the food to the starving men in injudiciously liberal quantities, and Franklin, Richardson, and Hepburn fell upon it ravenously, although they were perfectly aAvare of the danger of eating freely, after such a long period of want. " Be moderate ! " cried the doctor, as he beheld, with alarm, the avidity with which his comrades attacked the meat ; but he was quite unable himself to abide by the rule which he prescribed for the others, and, like them, ho devoured the food with the eagerness of a famished wild animal. So reduced Avere they all from want, that their strength of mind, resolution, and self-control had died within them, and they were unable in any degree to curb their animal instinct. The almost immediate consequence of their voracity was that they suffered dreadfully from indigestion, and had no rest during the whole of the following night. Adam being unable to feed himself, was judiciously treated by the Indians, and began to revive rapidly. The youngest of the Indians, after resting an hour, set out on a return journey to Akaitcho's camp with a letter from Franklin to INIr Back, urging that officer to forward a further supply of provisions with the least possible delay; the tAvo others remained at the Fort to take care of the invalids there, and nurse them into a condition of strength before they should attempt to move forward towards the hunting-grounds. The condition of tho Fort now demanded the kindly offices of the relieving party. The room was covered with an accumulation of dirty fragments of pounded bones, etc., and in a corner were lying the ghastly dead bodies of Peltier and Saniandr6. The superstition of the Indians forbade them to remain in the same room with a dead body, and Dr Richardson and Hepburn perceiving this, dragged rii. 1 .VA7.AV A GA IN DESEll TED. 199 tlic corpses to a short distance outside, and covered tliciu with snow. The Indians then set about clearing the room with an activity that seemed amazing to the sickly men. Contrasted with their own emaciated and nerveless figures, the frames of the visitors, as they moved about in the light of the blazing fire that now crackled on the hearth, seemed gigantic to Franklin and his comi^anions, and their strength impressed them as being su^'^rnatural. The beards of the Englishmen, unshorn since tliey had left the shores of the Polar Sea, had grown to an enormous length, and were hideous in the eyes of the Indians, who persuaded their allies to shave and wash themselves. This agreeable duty performed, Franklin's party ex- jierienced, from the cleanness of the room and of their persons, from the nourishing food and the blazing fires, high-heaped with the wood which the Indians lost no time to collect, a degree of comfort to which for many months they had been strangers. On the 9th four large trout were caught by Crooked-Foot — by which graphic appellative one of the Indians was known — and formed a highly-pri'.ed delicacy, especially to Franklin and ]lichardson, who, after their first ravenous feed of meat, suffered dreadfully from, indigestion and distention, and who, naturally enough, took a dislike to meat for a short time. The improved condition of affairs at the Fort may best be understood from Franklin's statement, that " though the night (of the 9th) was stormy, and our apartment freely admitted the wind, we felt no inconvenience, the Indians Avere so very careful in covering us \ip, and in keeping a good fire ; and om' plentiful cheer gave such power of resisting cold that wo could scarcely believe otherwise than that the season had become milder." On the loth November the weather was stormy, and snow constantly fell. It was now six days since the Indians had arrived, and since the youngest of them had returned to Akaitcho's camp to urge the chief to for- ward another supply of provisions. No supply had as yet arrived, and the Indians beginning already to despond, became spiritless and morose, and refused to go out either to hunt or to fish. With their usual readiness to forbode evil, they now expressed their conviction that some mishap had befallen their companion, that he had never reached Akaitcho, and that consequently the best thing they could do was to return at once themselves, and hurry up the provisions to the Fort. Accordingly, on the evening of the IStli, having first given a handful of pounded meat to each of the men at the Fort, they stole away suddenly and secretly. Franklin and his com- panions were once more left in their weakness and illness without food, and there was every prospect of their having again to undergo the sufferings from which the opportune arrival of the Indians had relieved them. On the following morning, however, Hepburn, who had been out gathering wood, cauio in with tho stirring intelligence that a party were in sight on the river il I! I 1: ;. 1 ■■ '1 • '! 200 FRANKLLVS GREAT JOURNEY— 19A{)-22. at the foot of the Fort Euterpvise hill. This intelligence created the greatest excitement in the house, and each man set about cleaning the apartment, and removing the scraps of hide upon -which the party had been feeding, for the Indians believed that burning deer skin was unlucky, and made them unsuccessful in hunting. The party turned out to be Crooked-Foot, with two more men and two women, who were dragging provisions. Adam, who, during the whole day, had been sunk in despondency, wonderfully recovered his spirits on the arrival of the relief party, and rising from his bed, walked about the room with an appearance of strength and activity which surprised everyone. "As it was of consequence," writes Franklin, "to get amongst the reindeer before our present supply should fail, \\'e made preparation for quitting Fort Enterprise the next day ; and accordingly, at an eirly hour on the 16th, having united in thanksgiving and prayer, the whole party left the house after breakfast. Our feelings in quitting the Fort, where we had formerly enjoyed much comfort, if not happiness, and latterly experienced a degree of misery scarcely to be jiaralleled, may be more easily conceived than described. The Indians treated us with the utmost tenderness, gave us their snow-shoes, and walked without these aids themselves, keeping by our sides, that they might lift Uo when Ave fell." The rescuing party, with the four starved men, descended Winter Eivcr, and crossed Hound Eock Lake, distant about three miles from the house, and here the first halt had to be made, for Dr Eichardson sutlered so nuich in his limbs that he was unable to proceed. The Indians jircparcd the encampment, and cooked for the Englishmen, and fed them as if they had been children, displaying a degiee of humanity and sympathy that would have done credit to the most civilised people. Pursuing their way by short marches, and slowly improving in health from day to day, the party arrived on the 2Gth November at tho abode of the Indiau chief Akaitcho. They Avcre received in the leadei-'s tent by the assembled Indians, who, by their looks of compassion and the profound silence they maintained, expressed their sympathy for the Avoeful sufferings to which they had been subjected. Not a word was said until the rescued men had tasted food. The chief showed them the most friendly hospitality, and lavished upon them the most considerate personal attentions, even cooking for them Avith his oavu hands, an ofiice Avhich he never performed for himself In the course of the day the Englishmen Avere visited by every person in tho tribe, not merely from curiosity, but from a desire to evince sympathy for their late distress. On the 1st December they set out to the southward Avith the Indians, and, travelling sloAvly in this direction, Avere met by Belanger, who had left them early in the season Avith INIr Back. The Canadian had been sent up to them by ]\[r Weeks, from Fort Providence, Avith tAvo trains of dogs, some spirits and tobacco for the Indians, a change of dress for the English- men, and a little tea and sugar. He also brought letters from England, and ARRIVAL AT GREAT SLAVE LAKE. 201 from Mr Back. By the former, Franklin learned the gratifying news of the successful termination of Parry's voyage up Lancaster Sound, and of his own promotion, together with that of Mr Back and the unfortunate Hood, now lying stark in his rude grave on the Barren Grounds. On the 8th December the Englishmen set out with two sledges heavily laden with provision and bedding, drawn by two dogs, and conducted by Belanger and another Canadian. On the 11th they arrived at Fort Provi- dence, and had the indesci'ibable satisfaction of knowing that once more th.^y were within the pale of civiHsation. Franklin expected to have found sufficient stores at Fort I- vidence wherewith to reward the Indians for their kindness to his party. Only a part of the stores, however, had iu the meantime arrived, and Akaitcho and his hunters had to be content for the time with what they could obtain. The philosophical Indian took his disap- pointment in the best possible spirit. He made an oration to Franklin, which was remarkable for its good sense. " The world goes badly," he said ; " all are poor, you are poor, the traders appear to be poor, I and my party are poor likewise ; and since the goods have not come in, we cannot have them. I do not regi'et having supplied you with provisions, for a Copper Indian can never permit a white man to suffer from want of food on his lands without flying to his aid. I trust, however, that I shall, as you say, receive what is due next autunui ; and at all events," he added, in a tone of good humour, " it is the first time that the white people have been indebted to the Copper Indians." On the lyth Franklin and Ilichardson set out on sledges to Moo.se Deer Island, the station of the trading companies on Great Slave Lake, where they arrived on the 18th, and had the great pleasure oi again joining Mr Back. The narrative given by this officer of Jiis adventures from the time that (leaving Franklin, Eichardson, and the others, after the crossing of the Coppermine) he set out with Beauparlant, St Germain, and one of the Belangers — for, it will be remembered, there were two Canadians of this name — to push on in advance to Fort Enterprise, and thence to send back provisions to the main body of the expedition, was one of extreme trial and hardship. We can only glance at its principal incidents. Mr Back, with his companions, set out on the morning of the 5th October, and travelled on amidst extremely deep snow, sinking in it frequeni.y up to the thighs — a labour which nothing but the hope of reaching the fort, and thence sending back relief to their friends, could have enabled them to support. On the night of the 6th the frost was hard and the cold intense, and though they lay close together, they remained trembling the whole night. In marching over Marten Lake, Belanger fell through the ice, and was only saved by his companions forming a rope by fastening their worsted belts together, and, by means of it, pulling him out. The night of the 7th was stormy. Starting 4 2o 202 FliAXKLirS GREAT JO i'liXEY— 1819-22. I ir next morning, the party were too feeble to oppose the wind and drift, and finding it impossible to go on, encamped under the shelter of a small clump of pines. There was no rock tripe to be found, and they were obliged to allay the pangs of hunger by eating a gun cover and a pair of old shoes. At this time Back had scarcely strength to get on his legs. He rose next mo'-ning with difficulty, and commenced to stagger on, "but," writes this indomitable officer, " had it not been for the hope of reaching the house, .1 am certain, from the faintness which overpowered me, that I must have remained where I was. We passed the Slave Rock," continues Back, "and, making frequent halts, arrived within a short distance of Fort Enterprise. But as we per- ceived neither any marks of Indians, nor even of animals, the men began absolutely to despair. On a nearer approach, however, the tracks of large herds of deer, which had only passed a few hours, tended a little to revive their spirits ; and shortly after, we crossed the vuinous threshold of the long- sought sjiot. But what was our surprise, what our sensations, at beholding everything in the most desolate and neglected state I The doors and windows of that room in which wo expected to find provisions had been thrown down, and the wild animals of the woods had resorted there as to a place of shelter and retreat ! . . . For the moment, however, 1 unger prevailed, and each began to gnaw the scraps of putrid and frozen meat that Avere lying about, without waiting to prepare them. A fire was after- wards made, and the neck and bones of a deer found in the house were boiled and devoured." On the 11th Back Avas again on his journey, for he knew his leader and the main body of the expedition Avere starving in the rear, and it Avas his duty to succom- them by either finding the Indians or travelling to the nearest trading establishment, Avhich Avas distant 130 miles. On the 12th the only food the travellers had consisted of scraps of deer skin and swamp tea ; on the 13th they Avere entirely Avithout food. On tlie 14th Belanger Avas despatched back to the fort Avith a note to Franklin, asking for instructions, and this day, also, the Avretched men had nothing to eat. On the 16th the Canadian, Beauparlant, complMned of increasing Aveakness, and said that he should ncA'cr get beyond the next encampment, as his strength had quite failed him. He asked Avhere the next halting place Avas to be, and St Germain pointed to a clump of pines near, as the only place that offered fuel. " Well, take your axe, Mr Back," said Beauparlant, "and I shall follow at my leisure ; I shall join you by the time the encampment is made." The others moved on, reached the pines, and saAV a number of croAvs perched on their higher branches. St Germain immediately kncAV that there must be sc ) dead animal near. Back and he noAV looked about and discovered several heads of deer half buried in the snoAV and ice and Avith- out eyes or tongues — the previous severity of the Avcather having obliged the Avolves and other animals to abandon them. "An expression of '0 merci- BACK'S NARRATIVE. 203 ful God, we are saved!' broke from lis both," exclaims Back, ami he and St Germain "shook hands, not knowing what to say for joy." The next twenty-four hours woukl have terminated the existence of both had they not discovered tlie deer heads. A thick fog now came on, and the two became anxious for Beauparkant, who failed to come up when the encampment was made. It was impossible to see any distance in the fog, and to all intents and purposes their companion Avas lost to them. They fired guns, however, to which he answered ; they then called out to him, and, listening, heard faint responses borne on to them out of the darkness. Back had not strength to go in search of the Canadian, and St Germain reminded him that if they left the camp in the darkness, they would themselves be lost. Next morn- ing St Germain was sent to bring in the missing man. He returned, bring- ing with him a small bundle, which Beauparlant was accustomed to carry, and with tears in his eyes, told Back that their comrade was dead. He had found him stretched on his back on a sand-bank, frozen to death, his limbs all extended, and swelled enormously, and as hard as the ice that rose around him in iron mounds and ridges. " His bundle was behind him," said St Germain, " as if it had rolled away when he fell, and the blanket which ho wore around his neck and shoulders, throv/n on one side. Seeing there was no longer life in him, I threw your covering over him, and placed his snow- shoes on the top of it." This melancholy incident Aveighed heavily on the mind of the English oflicer ; and, weak with privation and exhaustion, he broke down altogether for a while, and gave way to grief. " Left/' he says, " with one person, and both of us weak ; no appearance of Belanger ; a likelihood that gi-eat calamity had tf.ken place amongst our other companions ; still upwards of seventeen days' march from the nearest establishment, and myself unable to carry a burden — all these things pressed heavily on me. How to get to the Indians or to the fort I did not know ; but, that I might not depress St Germain's spirits, I suppressed the feelings to which these thoughts gave rise, and made somo arrangements for the journey to Fort Providence." On the 18th, Belanger returned from his visit to Fort Enterprise with Franklin's letter to B^ k, and the three remained at the camp, where the deers' heads had been found, till the 25th. By that time the men, who had been on the brink of death, began to recover a little. Back himself was the weakest of the three. The soles of his feet were cracked all over, and the other parts were as hard as horn from constant walking. The remains of a deer were discovered on the 27 th, and, having made up two small packets of dried meat, or rather sinews, enough to last men accustomed to fast for eight days, at the rate of one indifferent meal a day, the three men prepared to start on the oOth, the object being to rejoin Franklin. After a most painful march of three days, on the 3d November, Belanger suddenly i'A rj r ■■ \ '■ ) : : : i 1 i ■ i t il ■ 1: ] 1 lii f!|rr I ! at 204 FRAXKLLYS GREAT JOURNEY— 1310-22. stopped and shouted, " Footsteps of Indians ! " He had that moment discovered a recent track in the snow. Tho lost men, for at this time they hardly seemed to know where they were going, now knew that relief must be at hand. St Germain examined the trail, and announced that, on the day before, three persons had passed, and that he knew the remainder of the tribe must be advancing to the southward. Back now ordered an encampment to be formed, and sent St Germain forward on the newly- discovered track, with instructions to the chief Akaitcho to send immediate assistance to Franklin and his party at Fort Enterprise, and also to himself and his com.panion. " I was now," writes Back, " so exhausted, that had we not seen the tracks this day, I must have remained at the next encamp- ment, until the men could have sent aid from Fort Providence. We had finished our small portion of sinews, and were preparing for rest, when an Indian boy made his appearance with meat. St Germain had arrived before sunset at the tents of Akaitcho, whom he found at the spot where he had wintered last year ; but, imagine my surprise, when he gave me a note from the commander, and said that Benoit and Augustus, two of the men, had just joined them. The note was so confused, by the pencil marks being partly rubbed out, that I could not decipher it clearly ; but it informed me that he had attempted to come with the two men, but finding his strength inadequate to the task, he relinquished his design, and returned to Fort Enterprise, to await relief with the others." Back, who suspected that Fi'anklin was suffering much more acutely than the note seemed to indicate, communicated his fears to Akaitcho, who at once showed a humane and generous nature, by despatching three Indians to Fort Enterprise, loaded with meat, skins, shoes, and a blanket. With the arrival of this relieving party at the fort we are already acquainted. On the 9th, one of these Indians returned with a letter from Franklin, detailing all the fatal occur- rences that had taken place, both on the Barren Grounds and at the house. Back now proposed that Akaitcho should immediately send three sledges, loaded with meat, to Fort Enterprise. By noon of the same day, two large trains, laden with meat, were despatched to the fort. Of their arrival there, and the rescue of Franklin, Richardson, Hepburn, and Adam, the story has been told. Franklin's great journey of 1819-22 was now practically at an end. His comrade, Mr Back, after a long absence was now restored to him, and both, with the few survivors of the expedition, were now comfortably housed at the trading-station at IVIoose Deer Island, Grreat Slave Lake, where the unremitting care and attentions of the agents of the Company (for the Hud- son's Bay and the North- West Company were now united), contributed much to their restoration to health. By the end of February, the swellings in their limbs subsided, and they were able to walk to any part of the island. CONCLUSION. 205 Their ravenous appetites gradually moderatccl, and they had almost regained their ordinary condit'on of body before the spring. In JNIay a canoe arrived from Fort Chepewyan, bringing the whole of the stores which Franklin required for the payment of Akaitcho and his hunters. " It was extremely gratifying to us," says Franklin, " to be thus enabled, previous to our di par- ture, to make arrangements respecting the requital of our late Indian com- panions. ... It was an additional pleasure to find our stock of ammu- nition more than sufficient to pay them what was due, and that we could make a considerable present of this most essential prticle, to evory indi- vidual that had been attached to the expedition." On the 26th May, they set out for Fort Chepewyan, where they arrived on the 2d June. Starting again on the 5th, they arrived at Norway House on the 4th July. On the 14th July, they arrived at York Factory, whence they took passage to Eng- land. " And," concludes Franklin, " thus terminated our long, fatiguing, and disastrous travels in North America, having journeyed by water, and by land (including our navigation of the Polar Sea), 5550 miles." The conclusion of Franklin's disastrous expedition may be said to mark ail 3ra in Arctic exploration. In this expedition, the terrible privations and the loss of life suffered were due to the imperfect character of the arr inge- ments made by Government for the proper maintenance of the exp.orers. It is true that Government instructed boih the North and the Iludsc/i s Bay Company to supply the travellers with every necessity, and that partly owing to the rivalry of these Companies preventing them from acting in concert in anything, and partly ow'ig to the want of sufficient food supplies for their own men, they were unwuling or unable to carry out the instriictions of Government. In one sense, therefore, the responsibility for Franklin's misfortunes does not rest with Government, as they commuted the office of providing for the expedition to the Canadian trading companies. On the other hand, Government should not have commuted such a grave responsi- bility to any company, however trustworthy, but should have made the matter of Frankhn's supplies a certainty by attending to it themselves. Franklin's great journey was the last Arctic expedition in which Govern- ment failed to make the supplies of the explorers their own especial care. M ■);! w I PART V. EXPEDITIONS OF PARRY AND FRANKLIN, 1821-27. CHAPTER I. parry's second FXPEDITION, 1821-23 — the officers and crews — REPULSE BAY EXPLORED. lii Captain Parry's extraordinary success, in 1819-20, in penetrating Lancaster Sound, and the channels that open up Avestward from it, and in actually forcing a north-west passage over a distance extending to upwards of thirty degrees of longitude, from the mouth of Lancaster Sound to Winter Harbour, on the south shore of Melville Island, was regarded by the Admiralty, and by the country, as encouragement sufficient to justify the immediate ap'pointment of a new expedition for Arctic exploration. Kefer- enee to our narrative of " Parry's First Expedition " will show that this suc- cessful no vigator, after carrying his flag far into hitherto unknown regions, was stopped by solid ice to the westward of his winter quarters in 1819-20. It was reav^onable to suppose that, should the new expedition pursue the same route, it would be stopped by the same obstacle. It was therefore resolved that another route should be sought in a loiver and, presumably, a more temperate latitude ; and to discover and penetrate such a route was the motive and the object of the new expedition. It was on the 30th October that Parry landed at Peterhead, after his first expedition; on the 21st December the "Hecla" and' "Griper" -ere paid oflF, and, the new expedition having in the meantime been determined on. Parry received his commission for the " Fury " on the 30th December. In the previous expedition the " Griper's " bad sailing qualities had often been the cause of annoyance and delay, and for this reason she was not commis- sioned for the new venture ; but as the " Hecla " had been found well adapted for this peculiar service, she was again selected to sail under Parry's orders, THE OFFICERS AND CREWS. 207 and was rccomiuissioned by Captain George Francis Lyon on the 4th Jan- nary 1821. So great a fovonritc was Parry with all who had ever sailed witii him, that when he received his appointment to the command of the new expedi- tion he had only again to hoist his pendant, and the first of the eager crowd of volunteers who offered to join were the old officers and seamen of the "Hecla" and "Griper." An interesting letter, written by Parry two days after his appointment to the command, and which is quoted from the ex- cellent " Memoirs of Kear- Admiral Sir W. E. Parry," by his son, will serve at once ris an indication of the gratification with which he accepted his new comiiiission, and as a valuable description of the officers who were to be his rompanions on the voyage. Writing to his nearest relatives on the 2d Janu- ary 1821, he says, "I commissioned the ' gallant Fury bomb' yesterday, and have already been overwhelmed with offers of persons to accompany me in all kinds of capacities. Two lieutenants are by my desire appointed to " Fury," Nias and Reid, who were both on the last expedition, and accom- panied me on our journey across Melville Island. Lieutenant Lyon, who has lately been travelling a good deal in Africa, has been induced to accept the command of the " Ilecia," with the promise of instant promotion to the rank of commander. He is spoken of by all who know him as an exceed- ingly clever fellow, and his drawings are the most beautiful I ever saw. Hooper (purser in the previous expedition), of course, goes with me. I hope Edwards, the surgeon, will go, but ^ fear he has had enough of it. I would give £100 to have him, and I know, if he would go with any one, he would go with me. [Mr Edwards did go, and showed that he had not ' had enough of it.'] My number of daily visitors is now about doubled, half of them coming to talk about the last, and the other half about the next, expedition. . . . ' Fury ' came into dock to-day, and our men are beginning to find their way back again, being very desirous of trying a third trip." Of the officers, it is only necessary further to state that the Eev. G. Fisher sailed in the " Fury " as astronomer, but also officiated as chaplain ; and that Lieu- tenant H. P. Hoppner again joined Parry, sailing in the " Hecla ; " and Mr John Bushnan, whom we have also he^.rd of before, sailed in the "Fury" as assistant-surveyor. Among Parry's midshipmen were James Clark Ross, who sailed with his uncle in the " Isabella " (see Ross's First Expedition), and with Parry in the previous expedition, and who was destined to be the discoverer of the Magnetic Pole, together with the gallant, but unfortunate, Francis Rawden M. Crozier, who performed his first Arctic voyage under Parry in the " Fury," and his last as captain of the ill-fated " Teri'or," mn er Franklin. There sailed, in all, sixty officers and men in the " Fury," and fifty-eight in the " Hecla." The two vessels were of exactly the same size, both were barque-rigged, and in order to increase the resources m stores, the i i * 208 EXPEDITIONS OF PARRY A ND ERA A7v'Z/.V— 1 821 -27. l)lan of " equalised " fore-masts and main-masts was adopted. Not only were the masts e({iialised in each ship., but all the dimensions of the masts in the ships, and of everything belonging to them Avero precisely alike in both, so that any article belonging to these four masts might be transferred from ship to ship, and at once applied to its proper use without selection, trial, or alteration of any kind. The resources of the expedition in fittings might be said, by this arrangement, to have been practicably doubled. The ships were strengthened in Deptford Docks, in the most approved manner ; and, as the scientific results of the previous expedition were valuable — the observations in magnetism were the first made so near the Magnetic Pole — both vessels were furnished with the best astronomical and other instruments then known. The ships were ready for sea on the 27th April, though the start was not made for a few days afterwards ; and, while they are bowling along over the Atlantic to the scene of their first labours in Hudson Strait, we shall take occasion to glance at the official instructions which their commander had received from the Commissioners of the Admiralty. The principal object of the expedition being to find a route westward from the Atlantic to the Pacific in some latitude lower than that of Lancaster Sound, and therefore more likely to be practicable. Captain Parry was directed to take his ships into Hudson Strait, and to sail westward until he should reach, either in Repulse Bay or elsewhei'e, some part of the coast which he should convince himself was part of the continent of North America. After having struck the coast, he was directed to keep along the line of this coast to the northward, always examining every bend or inlet which might appear to him likely to aftbrd a practicable passage to the westward. Practically, these were the essence of the Admiralty instructions, and it was now Cap- tain Parry's business to carry them out. He had as a preliminary, however, to inquire to what point northward the examination of the eastern coast of North America had been carried. Captain Middleton, in 1742, had reached Wager Inlet, and had described it as a river, which subsequent investigation proved it to be. Wager Eiver or Inlet runs westward into the mainland from Rowe's Welcome — the northern outlet of Hudson's Bay running north between the mainland on the west, and Southampton Island on the east. On leaving Wager Inlet, Captain Middleton proceeded to the northward, keeping both the American coast and the shores of Southampton Island in sight, as far as Cape Hope on the American shore, and near the entrance to Repulse Bay. From Cape Hope, therefore. Parry resolved to take up the exploration of the coast northwards, and he resolved to reach this starting- point by sailing from Hudson Strait in a west-north-west direction round the north coast of Southampton Island, and on through the Frozen Strait of Middleton to Repulse Bay. With this view, he made sail out of Hudson Strait for Southampton Island, where, after having much trouble with the REPULSE DA Y EXPLORED. L'OO ice, he arrived on August 4th, iHiil. On tluitday, after an un<)l)struc'te(l run of between thirty and forty miles, he was st()j)ped l)y ice, and obliged to make fast. Sail was made next day; and after a good deal of boring,' Parry found himself ten miles nearer land, after which, however, progress was found to be, for the time, impossible. The floes or icefields amid which lie now found himself, were of great size, and were covered with iniuuneiable " hummocks," with pools of water between. The hummocks, which ai)peared to have been formed of detached masses enclosed within the new ice of the last winter season, and " soldered " together by it, were five or six feet above the general level of the ♦'oe. The ice of this region was also distinguished for the number of stones — granite, gneiss, feldspar, and lime — found upon and embedded in it. On the Gth, observations were taken in hit. 65° 28', long, about 83°. The ships were now between Baflin Island on the north and the high land of Southampton Island on the south ; and from this point begin the discoveries of Parry's second expedition. Detained by ice and by a west wind for five days, on the 12th the vessels advanced up Frozen Strait, heading for Eepulse Bay. " Nothing," says Parry, " con' 1 exceed the fineness of the weather about this time ; the climate was, indeed altogether so different from that to which we had before been accustomed in the icy seas, as to be a matter of constant remark. The" days were temperate and clear, and the nights not cold, though a very thin plate of ice was usually formed upon the smface of the sea in sheltered places, and in the pools of water among the floes." On the 15th, the weather continuing fine and clear, enabled the oflicers to obtain good observations by the moon and stars. The lat. was found to be 65' 28', and the long. 84° 40'. During the whole of this night the aurora was distinctly seen glowing with a beautiful orange colour. Pushing on through Frozen Strait to the westward. Parry endeavoured to make out the land in that quarter. "The appearance of this land," he writes, "continued to perplex us more and more as we advanced, as instead of any opening cor- responding to Wager River, which lies about this latitude, and the high shores by which it is bounded, we soon discovered before us a continuous line of low yellow-looking coast, extending all round, so as to meet the high land of Southampton Island to the south, as well as that to the north, and leaving no perceptible outlet to the westward." Standing across the open water, and keeping away to the southward, Parry discovered something like a small opening in the north-western corner of what otherwise appeared a large bay. This opening in the southern shore of Southampton Island, a short distance within the entrance to Frozen Strait, and which, after having been carefully surveyed, was found to offer no passage leading westward, was named the Duke of York's Bay. After the survey of this bay, the com- mander resumed the voyage, and on the 20th passed Passage Island on his 4 2d t| f -. 210 EXPKDiriOXS OF PARRY AND FRAyKLLY—m2\-'27. way through Frozen Strait. On the 21st, Parry had led the "Fury" into the middle of Repulse Bay ; and on the following day, having jienetrated, in search of a westward- leading passage, to the north-west extremity of that inlet, he left the " Fury," accompanied by an exploring party of officers, and signalled Captain Lyon to join him. At the samo time he directed another boat to be despatched from the " Ilecla," under tlie command of Lieutenant Palmer, to row round a small bight in the north-west corner of Eepulso Bay, where alone, from the circumstance of two points overlapping each other, there was the slightest doubt of the land being continuous. Upon a point just to the east of this bight. Parry landed; but though he made many interesting discoveries, and found many Eskimo remains and relics, he failed to find what he was in search of — namely, a sea-way leading west- ward from the head of Repulse Bay. This ' ly, which since Middleton's days had been a subject of controversy, wa.^ found to be completely land- locked. This discovery was the first considerable achievement of l^irry's second Arctic expedition. From twenty-two minutes past seven a.m. till twelve minutes past one p.m., when Parry left the north-west or innermost shore of Repulse Bay, the tide was constantly ebbing. It fell seven feet three inches in that time. Soon after the commander got on board, Lieu- tenant Palmer returned from the examination of the north-western bi<>ht, which he named Gibson's Cove, and of which he delivered to the captain a sketch, showing the continuity of land all around it, and giving its soundings and general outline. Palmer's report stated that he had rowed close in shore all round the baj'^, and had found it "terminate in a small cove, having a deep ravine running into it on the western side." The long-contested question of the continuity of land round Repulse Bay was thus settled, and the doubts and conjectures which had so long been entertained respecting this remote inlet, set at rest for ever. PARUrS SECOND EXPEDTTTOX—\^2\2% •211 m CHAPTER II. WINTER QUARTERS FOUND — WINTER ARRANGEMENTS — THE CAPTAINS CONCERTS — THE ESKIMO NEIGHBOURS — CAPTAIN LYON's NARROW ESCAl'l'. i I, Captain Parry having ascertained that there was no passage leading west- ward throngh Repulse Bay, and thus satisfactorily concluded the first stage of the expedition, now proceeded to carry out the instructions ho had re- ceived to keep along the line of this coast (the east coast of the north-east extremity of North America), always examining every bend or inlet which might appear likely to afford a practicable passage to the westward. Tho boats were accordingly hoisted up, and all sail was made back througli Frozen Strait to the eastward. On the morning of the 2;]d August, Parry perceived that the land ho was approaching, and which formed })art of the north shore of Frozen Strait, had a broken appearance, and in one place ap- peared to consist only of islands. In order to satisfy himself whether there was "any bend or inlet" running north and west into this apparently open coast, he commissioned Captain Lyon, accompanied by the assistant surveyor, Mr Bushnan, and a party of seamen, to go and examine it, and, if necessary, to travel round the land, and thus prove its continuity. After an absence of three days, Captain Lyon returned ; and though the result of his short journey was unsatisfactory, on account of bad weather, he obtained results from which sanguine hopes were entertained of finding a passage to the northward of the inlet he had examined. The remainder of the month of August, the whole of September, and tho first few days of Octobei-, were occupied in strictly carrying out the instruc- tions of the Admiralty, and examining every part of tho coast to the north of the mouth of Frozen Strait. As this part of tho north-east coast of tlu! American continent is nuicli broken, the work was necessarily tedious, and unenlivened by any remarkable occurrence. It is sullicieut to say, that tho survey of the coast was thorough ; and it is to Captain Parry and his oflicers that wo are indebted for the accurate kiicnvledge of this j)art of tho extreme ninth of Aniei'ica which we possess. On the ()th October, the ships, being then at the mouth of Jiyon Inlet, in tlic south of Melville Peninsula, were got under way, the objc^ct being to i' :1 ii i* i '! Ii:! 212 EXPEDITIONS OF PARRY AND FRANKLIN— 1821-27. sail to the south-cast, to find some secure winter quarters on the south side of Winter Island. The ships' bends were now so coated with ice about the water-line, that it had to be beaten or cut off every day to render progi'ess possible. On the 6th, a clear run was made past Cape Edwards, at the mouth of Lyon Inlet. After rounding this cape, Parry found the sea covered with pancake ice, which, however, being thin, did not offer much resistance. As they advanced, however, the ice became much more troublesome. After much labour, the vessels reached a suitable bay on the south side of Winter Island ; and before the night of the 8th October, the ships were got into their stations for the winter by sawing for two or three hundred yards through the ice. Parry had now arrived at the second stage of his enterprise ; and, reviewing the events of the season, and considering the progress made, " it was impossible," he states, "not to experience considerable satisfaction. Small as our actual advance had been tOAvard Behring's Strait, the extent of coast newly discovered and minutely explored in pursuit of our object, in the course of the last eight weeks, amounted to more than tAvo hundred leagues, nearly half of which belonged to the continent of North America. This service, notwithstanding our constant exposure to the risks which intricate, shoal, and unknown channels, a sea loaded with ice, and a rapid tide con- curred in presenting, had providentially been effected without injury to the ships, or suffering to the officers and men ; and we had now once more met with tolerable security for the ensuing winter, when obliged to relinquish further operations for the season. Above all, hoAvever, I derived the most sincere satisfaction from a conviction of having left no part of the coast from Repulse Bay eastward in a state of doubt as to its connection with the continent. And as the mainland noAV in sight from the hills extended no further to the eastward than a north-north-cast bearing, we ventured to indulge a sanguine hope of our being very near the north-eastern boundary of America, and that the early part of the next season would find us employing our best efforts in pushing along its northern shores." The operations at sea being now at an end for the season. Parry directed his chief attention to the security of the ships, and to the various internal arrangements which experience suggested as necessary for the preservation of cleanliness, health, and comfort during the winter. The upper masts were struck, the topsails and courses were kept bent to the yards, and the rest of the bending sails were stowed on deck, and the spare spars lashed over the ships' sides to leave a clear space for taking exercise in bad Aveather. A Avatch was set to attend to the fires, and to the heating and drying of the ships betAveen decks, and regulations similar to those adopted on Parry's first expedition Avere enforced to provide for the comfort and cleanliness of the crcAVs. Having had abundant experience of the astonishing effects pro- duced by the passions in inducing or removing symptoms of scurvy, the ( disease to which crews in Arctic regions are most liable, Parry did every- thing in his power to provide for the rational amnscmcnt of the men. A theatre was established under the management of Captain Lyon, and schools were established in each ship. The interests of science were also carefully considered, and Mr Fisher the astronomer and Parry selected a spot for tho portable observatory. This house Avas built of spare boat-plank ; the sides, which were double, and filled with sand between, being fixed to capstan bars set upright, and sunk two feet into the ground. In December there were continual and extraordinary displays of aurora ; and in observing these, and attending to the routine of scientific observations, the officers were chiefly employed to the close of the year. The theati'ical season was now in full swing. On the 2-lth December, Christmas Eve, the ships' companies were amused by the officers performing the two farces of "A Roland for an Oliver" and the "Mayor of Garratt." On Christmas Day divine service on board the " Fury " was attended by the officers and crews of both ships. Some little increase was made in the allowances, to mark the festive season ; and among the luxuries which the Christmas dinner afforded was that of a joint of English roast beef, of which a few quarters had been preserved for such occasions, by rnbbing the outside with salt. This being the season of inactivity in these early days of Arctic ex- ploration — in our days great part of the winter season is occupied in sledge- travelling — it was somewhat difficult to find employment for ali. A pleasant picture is given by the commander of the manner in which the more musical among the officers occasionally spent their evenings : " Among the recreations which afforded the highest gratification to several among us, I may men- tion the musical parties we were enabled to muster, and which assembled on stated evenings throughout the winter, alternately in Captain Lyon's cabin and my own. More skilful amateurs in music might well have smiled at these our humble concerts, but it will not incline them to think less of the science they admire to be assured that, in these remote and desolate regions of the globe, it has often furnished us with tho most pleasurable sensations which our situation was capable of affording ; for, independently of the mere gratifica- tion afforded to the ear by music, there is perhaps scarcely a person in t^ o world really fond of it in whose mind its sound is not more or less connected with 'his far-distant home.' There are always some remembrances which render them inseparable : and those associations are not to be despised, which, while we are engaged in the performance of our duty, can still occasionally transport us into the social circle of our friends at home, in spite of the oceans that roll between us." On the 1st January 1822 the thermometer stood at 22" below zero. A number of curious examples of the effect of intense cold came under the observation of the officers at about this time. On the uth the cold had sunk -i •■-' ( I H 214 EXPEDITIONS OF PARRY AND FRAA'KLIX- 182] -27. to -Sr. Oil the 12th a number of bottles of wine were examined. Two or three bottles w^ere found broken, and the wine, in perfect moulds, was found frozen in thin lamintc, not unlike the plates of white mica, and from one- eighth to two-eighths of an inch in thickness. White wine was frozen into one mass, retaining its colour and translucency, and assuming the appear- ance of very clear amber. In the beginning of February an event occurred which at once turned the current of the thoughts of every officer and man into a new channel, and which had no inconsiderable effect upon the scientific results, and upon the mensurc of success achieved by the expedition. " On the morning of the 1st of February," writes Parry, " it was reported to mo that a number of strange people were seen to the westward, coming toAvards the ships over the ice. On directing a glass towards them, Ave found them to be Eskimos, and also discovered some appearance of huts on shore, at the distance of two miles from the ships, in the same direction. I immediately set out, accom- panied by C'aptai'i Lyon, an ofHcer fioni each ship, and tAvo of the men, to meet the niiiivcs, who, to the number of five-and-tAvcnty, Avcre draAvn up in a line abreast, f^.nd still advancing slowly tOAA'ards us. As Ave approached nearer, they stood still, remaining, as before, in a compact line, from Avhich they did not move for some time after Ave reached them. Nothing could exceed their quiet and orderly behaviour on this occasion, Avhich presented a very striking contrast Avith the noisy demeanour of the natives of Hudson Strait. They ajipeared, at a distance, to have arms in their hands, but Avhat we had taken for boAvs or spears proved to be only a fcAV blades of Avhale- bone, Avhich they had brought either as a peace-offering or for barter, and which we immediately purchased for a few small nails and beads. Some of the Avomen, of , Avdiom there Avere three or four, as Avell as tAvo children, in this party, having handsome clothes on, Avhich attracted our atterMon, began, to our utter astonishment and consternation, to strip, though the ther- mometer stood at 23° beloAV zero. We soon found, hoAvever, that there Avas nothing so dreadful in this as Ave at first imagined, every individual among them having a complete double suit. The Avhole (suits) were of deer-skin, and looked both clean and comfortable. HoAvever quietly the Eskimos had a.Avaited our approach, and still continued to conduct themselves, there Avas as little apprehension or distrust in their countenances or manner as it Avas possible for one strange set of people to evince on meeting another. As soon, hoAvever, as Ave had bought all they had to sell, and made them a number of A'aluable presents, avo expressed by signs a Avish to accompany them to their huts, Avith Avhich they Avillingly complied, and Ave immediately set out together. On our Avay, the Eskimos Averc much amused by our dogs, especially by a large one jf the NoAvfoundland breed, that had been taught to fetch and carry, a qualification Avliich seemed to excite iv.ibcjnded aston- I , ' '■ I THE ESKIMO NEIGHBOURS. 4.') ishment ; and the children could scarcely contain themselves for joy when Captain Lyon gave them a stick to throw for the dog to bring back to them. A child of five or six years old, thus amusing itself on such a day, and in such a climate, formed by no means the least characteristic figure of our motley group." As this tribe of Eskimos was decidedly the most intelligent with wiiich any former Arctic explorer had established any communication, .md as they were of no inconsiderable assistance to the captain in giving him directions and drawings which assisted him in his su'^ocquent movements, it may not bo out of place to devote a page or two of this narrative to an account, con- densed from Parry's own description, of their manners, habits, and character. The Eskimo establishment consisted of five huts, with canoes, sledges, dogs, and above sixty men, women, and children, as regularly, and, to all appearance, as permanently fixed as if they had occupied the same spot all the winter ; yet, although all the surrounding shore was scanned daily by so many keen eyes in the " Fury " and " Hecla," the village had never been seen before. If the first view of the exterior of the village created astonishment in the minds of Parry and his companions, that feeling was heightened when they entered the houses and found that in their construction " not a single material was used but snow and ice. After creeping through two lov; passages, having each its arched doorway, we came to a small circular apartment, of which the roof was a perfect arched dome. From this three doorways, also arched, and of larger dimensions than the outer ones, led into as many inhabited apartments, one on each side, and the other facing us as we entered. The interior of these presented a scene no less novel than interesting. The Avomen were seated on the beds at the sides of the huts, each having her little fireplace or lamp, with all her domestic utensils about her ; the children crept behind their mother.s, and the dogs, except the female ones, which were indulged with a part of the beds, slunk out past us in dismay. The construction of this inhabited part of the huts was similar to that of the outer apartment, being a dome formed hj separate blocks of snow, laid with great regularity and no small art, each 1. .ing cut into the shape requisite to form a substantial arch, from seven to eight feet high in the centre." The Eskimos were as desirous of pleasing their visitors as the latter wei'o to be pleased. While the Englishmen were engaged in examining every part of the huts, the behaviour of the Eskimos was in tho highest degree respectful and good humoured. They eagerly received the articles that were given them, either in exchange for their own commodities or as presents, but on no occasion importuned the strangers for anything, nor did the well-known sound of " pilletay " (give me) once escape them. They also seemed to be unusually honest, and if their visitors dropped a glove or a handkerchief accidentally, they would immediately direct attention to it by ■II I V . L, 210 EXPEDITIONS OF PARRY AND ERA NA'L IN— 1821-27. pointing. Parry invited these people to the shijjs, where they expressed, much loss surprise or curiosity than might naturally have been expected. But though they Avere quiet and orderly and avcII under self-restraint, they were by no means dull, for when Captain Lyon ordered up his fiddler on the deck of the " Kecla" they danced with the nion for an hour, and then went oiT to their huts in high glee and good humour. Early o.i the following day, the 2d February, Parry set out with a large party on a second excursion to the huts. They were received with great cordiality, and much bartering went on for some time. The Englishmen dined in the huts, and the Eskimos partook gladly of the biscuit and meat of the strangers, but did not relish their wine. After passing a pleasant and interesting day, and laying the foundation of perfect confidence and good understanding that Avas never aftcrAvards interrupted, the captain and his party returned to the ships at sunset. " On the 4th," Avrites Parry, " a number of Eskimos came to the ships, and Ave took the opportunity of getting them to go through the process of building a snoAV hut for our amusemerit and information. From the quickness Avith Avhich they com- pleted this, our surprise at the sudden appearance of their village ceased, as we noAV saAV that tAvo or three hours Avould be more than sufficient to have completed the Avhole establishment just as Ave at first found it. They Avere then taken on board, Avhere they derived great amusement from our organ, and from anything in the shape of music, singing, anO dancing, of all which they are remarkably fond." On the folloAving day the Eskimos again came to rebuild the snoAV hut in a more substantial manner, and to put a plate of ice into the roof as a AvindoAV. This Avork they performed Avith great neat- ness and expertness, a number of the women cheerfully assisting in the labour. Visiting the natives again on the 7th, Parry found the village in the charge of the Avomen and children, the men having gone on a sealing excursion to the north-eastern side of the island. In the folloAving passage Parry introduces us to Iligliuk, the belle of the Eskimo village, and perhaps the most intelligent and talented individual of this nation with Avhom the Etiglish have doAA'n even to the present day made any acquaintance : " One of the Avomen, named Iligliuk . . . Avho fiivoured us Avith a song, struck us as having a remarkably soft voice, an excellent ear, and a great fond- ness for singing, for there Avas scarcely any stopping her when she had once begun. Wo had, on their first visit to the ships, remarked this trait in Iligliuk's disposition Avhen she was listening for the first time to the sound of the organ, of Avhich she seemed never to have enough ; and almost every day she noAv began to display some symptom of that superiority of under- standing for Avhich she Avas so remarkably distinguished." On the evening of the 7th a Avolf was caught in one of the traps close to the ship. A party of the officers that Avcnt out to secure the stranger fired A WOLF ADVEWTURE. 217 two shots into the trap, and afterwards, finding that the animal continued to bite at a sword that was thrust in against it, fired another shot. The trap was then sufficiently opened to get the hind legs of the animal finnly tied together, and, thinking that he was now tolerably secure, the officers decided to pull him out. He had scarcely got his head out, however, when he flew furiously at the tlu'oat of Mr liichards, midshipman of the " Ilccla." Itichards, not liking the tactics of the enemy, resolved iipon traversing them ; and, instead of allowing the wolf to seize him by the throat, he reversed the operation, and seized the animal by the neck with his utmost force. This unexpected tu quoque had the effect of making the wolf change his mind. He took to his heels, though two of these were tied together, and succeeded in getting clear away as safe and hearty as any animal with three shots and a sword-thrust in him has any reasonable grounds to expect. Ho was four? ' dead the following day at the distance of three-quarters of a mile from the ships. The Eskimos, whose food consisted for the most part of the flesh and blubber of the seal, and the measure of whose comforts, therefore, depended on their good fortune in seal catching, would have been reduced to want in the beginning of February had not Parry issued supplies of bread dust to them from time to time. The necessity of such supplies was suilicicntly evident from the circumstance that when Parry's men took the bread dust to the village they found " some of the poor creatures actually gnawing a piece of hard sealskin with the hair on it," while in few of the huts was there any lamp alight, for the failure of the seal fishery involves a double calamity in depriving the Eskimos both of food and fuel, and the failure of oil or blu^^ber for fuel not only involves the want of warmth and light, but the want also of the means of melting snow for drinking purposes. They were there- fore compelled to slake their thirst by eating unmelted snow. Besides the bread dust, the commander senL tl Vw- E- > « 1 < -■-0 d- w X O 1:3 2 5i 1— I hJ > < w i^ W w p Accordingly, after boating alxnit and experiencing much ritiigh weather and endless diflicnlties with the young ice, I'arry at length succeeded in entering Prince Kegent Inlet on September "JOth. Finding oi)en water along the eastern shores of tho inlet, he penetrated it in a southward direc- tion. " A strong blink," ho writes, " extending along the western horizon, pointed out the position of the main body of the ice, which was farther dis- tant from the eastern shore of the inlet than I ever saw it. ]k'ing assisted by a fine workin'g, clerk of the " l''ury." In these schools, those of the nuMi who were backward in " the three It's " received instruction in them, and made wonderful proi^ress. Nor was the bcni'fit confmed to these odd pu[)ils alone — it extended itself to the rest of the ship's company, "makinj^-," i?:^}'^ I'arry, "the whole of the lower deck such a scene of quiet, rational occuiiation as I never before witnessed on board a ship. And I do not speak lightly when I express my thoronf(li })i'rsnasion that to the moral eifects thus produced, were owini*', in a very hi^h degn>e, the constant yet soljer cheerfulness, the uninterrupted j^'ood order, and even, in some measure, the extraordinary state of health which prevailed among us during this winter." In these employments the weeks and months of the long wintei sped on. Three land ex})editions were undertaken by Captain Hojipner into the interior eastward from Port J>owen, and by Lieutenants Sherer and Itoss along the coasts north and south from the port respectively. As these travelling ])arties made no striking discovery, however, it is enough merely to mention them. Towards the end of June the dovekies (Co/j/iiifjiif grjille) were seen swarming in the cracks of the ice at the month of the port, and were shot in great numbers ; but it was not till the :20th July that the ice in the ])ort broke up and allowed the " Ilecla" and " Fury" to get clear out to sea. Pai-ry hrst made sail to the western shore of l*rince Ifegent's Inlet, but was stopped by ice, after sailing eight mdes. On the following day he could perceive no o])euing of the ice leading towards the Avestern land — no appearance of any channel to the southward along the eastern shore. He then made sail nt)rlhward and coasted for a time in the neighbourhood of the Leopold Isles, which he had discovered in 1810. 'J'he south promontory of the southernmost island he describes as pnrticularly picturestpie and Ijcautiful — the heaps of loose dchr'Di lying here and there up and down the sides of the cliff, giving it the ap})ear- ance of some huge and impn^gnable fortress, \vith immense buttresses of masonry sujjporting the Avails. Stretching southward from these islands, Parry coasted along the western shore of the inlet past Cape Seppings. On the •_*r)th and 'J(Jth July respectively he discovered and named Elwin ]]ay and Latty ]>ay. He now perceived that the ice closed comjiletely in Avith the land a short distance to the south, and having made all tin; way he could, he Avas obliged to stand off and on during the day in a channel not threc- (piarters of a mile Avide. Towards evening this channel became more con- tracted, and, feiuing the seaward ice, Parry made fast to some grounded ice on the beach. On the 28th, advantage Avas takim of a uorth-Avest wind to run doAvn along the coast about eight or nine miles. Here Parry Avas stopped by the ice, Avhich stretched close in to the shore in a closely packed and impenetrable body, as far as the eye could reach from the crow's-uest. 'M i 230 KXPEDirrOXS OF PARRY AND FRA\A'LLy-lS2\-27. Ill m m 'I'i Anxious, however, to gain every foot of advance, the commander pushed along to the termination of the open channel, and was there preparing to anchor, when to his disai)pointment and alarm he observed that the sea-ice was in rapid motion towards the shore, and that his ships were in the greatest i)eril of being crushed between the advancing ice-field and the beach, or rather tliC grounded ice upon the beach. The " Hecla " was caught by the ice and drifted shorewards, the " Fury " was hauled in beside some grounded masses. On the 30th, the " Ilecla " was shifted a mile and a ho If t*) the south- Avard — the " Fury " remained where she was, there being no other available berth even so good as the bad one in Avhich she was lying. From this most dangerous position, with the advancing ice on the one hand and a shelterless shore on the other. Parry succeeded in extricating the " Hecla ; " but all the efibrts of Captain Hoppner, during days and nights of incredible labour, were ineffectual iri getting the " Fury " clear of the gi'(nind upon which the ice at length drove her. On several occasions the " Fury " was moved, and it was Parry's inter:tion to get her into some harbour in which she could be refitted ; but again and again was the unfortunate sloop driven aground, and her timbers stove in. During the storms which prevailed, while the " Fury " was being broken on the beach at Fury Point, Parry continued to cruise in the neighbourhood — discovering and naming Capo Garry and Cresswell Bay — ready to afford any assistance to the arounded vessel. It soon became doubtful whether such assistance would bo of any avail, and on the 2uth August Captain Parry, accompanied by Captain Iloppner, left the " Hecla " in two boats to go and examine the stranded vessel. "We found her," writes Parry, " heeling so much outward, that her main channels were within a foot of the water, and a large floe-piece, Avhich was still alongside of her, „eemcd alone to sup^xnt her l)elow water, and to prevent her falling over still more considerabl}-. The ship had been forced much fivrther up the beach than before, and she had in her bilge above nine feet of water, which reached higher than the lower-deck beams. . . . The first hour's insi)ection of the " Fury's " condition too plainly assured mo that exposed as she was, and forcibly i)ressed up upon an open and stony beach, her holds full of water, and the damage to all appearance and in all j)robal»ility more considerable than before, Avithout any adequate means of liauling her off to seaward, or securing her from the further incursions of the i(;e, every endeavour of ours to get her off, or if got off, to float her to any known place of safety, would l)e at once utterly hopeless in itself, and pro- ductive of extreme risk to our remaining sliij)." Unwilling, however, to trust solely to his own opinion on the advisability of abandoning the " Furjf," Parry instructed Captain I[oi)pner and Lieutenants Austin and Sherer, together with the carpenter, to hold a survey upon the "Fury," and report. These gentlemen formed a species of jui-y, who "sat upon" the unfortunate m Tin: " Fi R }"' A II. \ .\ik)m:i). ::]7 ship, and after a careful cxaniination, pronounced her hopelessly damaged. There was now nothing' for it but to abautlon lier on the wikl Ijcaeh on Avhich her timbers had been crushed. It was " with extreme pain and regret " that the commander now made the signal for the " Fury's " ollicers and men to be sent for their clothes, most of which had been put on shore with the stores. The oificers and men Avere allowed an hour for packing up th(>ir clothes, etc., after which the "Fury's" boats were haided up on the beach, and at two a.m. Captain Parry left her, followed by Captain Iloppner, Lieu- tenant Austin and "the last of the people." The whole of the " Fury's " stores— Avhicli formed a magazine from which several subsequent expeditions obtained much-needed sup[)lies — were of necessity left either on board the abandoned sloop or on the shore, as every square foot of space in the " Ilecla" was now required for the accommodation of the double complement of ollicers and men, whose cleanliness and health could only be maintained by keeping the decks as clear and well-ventilated — as free from litter and lumber — ^as possible. What was now to be done 1 After the first accident happened to the " Fury," Fany expected to have been able to repair her damages, and, with many weeks of the open season still before him, to carry on sail towards the south. But as soon as the gales burst upon them, beating upon the harbourless shore, and tearing awixy the grounded ice which formed their protection against the Hoes driven in from the oding, and thus destroying all hope of repairing the damageil sloop, all the conditions of the situation were altered, 'leaking into consideration the little progress that had been made, the uncertain nature of the navigation of these hitherto undiscovered seas, the advanced period of the season, anil the circumstance that the stores of the expedition were now diminished by about one-luvlf, Parry felt that it ^^'ould be folly to prosecute the voyage, and that his clear duty under all the circumstances of the case, and in conq)liance with the terms of his instructions, was to return to England at once. Accordingly, as soon as the boats were hoisted up and stowed, the " Ilecla's" head was put to the north-eastward, and advantage wa^ taken of a light air off the land, to gain an oiling before the ice should again set inshore. " Fury Beach," the spot whore the wreck of the sloop, with its boats and stores, was left, is in hit. 72° 42', hmg. by chronometers 91 50'. On the 27th August a bree/e from the northward spi'ang up, and the "Hecla"was tnken across the inlet to the eastern shore, and anchored in Neill's Harbour, a few miles to the south of Port Bowen, for the purpose of restowing tlui liold, and generally prepai'ing her for the voyage across the Atlantic. All preparations completed. Parry weighed and stood out to sea on the 31st, and by four \.y\. on the ist Septend)er, having beat to windward of a compact body of ice which had fixed itself on the lee-slune about Cape York, he found himself in a perfectly open sea in Barrow Strait, and, 'f' W A 23fi EXPEDITIOX^ ')V PARRY AM) FRANKLIN— \^-li-'S!. bearinjij along to Ll)c eastward, was entering Badin's ]>ay on the I5il. After a somewhat stormy voyage, tlic "Ilccla" made the Orkney Islands, lOtli October 18*2i5, and on the 12tl) i'arry landed at Peterhead, and, setting olF without delay for London, arrived at the Admiralty on the ICth. Thus ends the outline of Parry's third and last voyage for the discovery of the North- West I'assagc — his fourth and most successful, as well as most striking voyage being undertaken for the })urposc of reaching the North Pole, lie iiad spent in all eight successive seasons in the search for the Xorth-West Passage, and to him is due the splendid merit of the discoveries of Lancaster Sound and Ikirrow Strait, Wellington Channel, leading north- wards, and Prince Pegent Inlet, leading southward from this great Avcst- ward passage, and also of the great islands, jNIelville Island and ]>anks' Land. His great experience in the Arctic seas constitutes him one of the greatest authorities on navigation in the Par North ; and the general remarks on this subject with which he concludes the narrative of his third voyage may be said to embody the results of his experience as an Arctic navigator. One circumstance forced itself upon his notice in the coiu'se of his various attempts to penetrate through the ice in these regions — namely, " that the eastern coast of any portion of land, or, what is the same thing, the western sides of seas or inlets, having a trending at all approaching to north and south, are, at a given season of the year, generally more encumbered with ice than the shores "which have an opposite aspect." In sui)port of this general statement of the results of his own observation, Parry adduces the following instances : " In the great Northern Sea, oetween Spitzbergeu and Lapland on the east aiul Greenland on the west, the Avestcrn shoros— those of Greenland — arc blocked up by ice throughout the sununer, s'i •:■: >■ make it a difTicult matter to approach them; Avhile the nn\lgation o' \\\v i istcru portion of that sea may be annually performed without didicuiry. even to a very high latitude, and at an early part of the season. A second equally well-known instance," says Parry — and here, as he is speaking in authority, his own words are given — " occurs in the navigation of Davis Strait, which from about Pesoluticni Island, in lat. Glj,° to the parallel of at least 70', is usually inaccessible as late 's the month of August, and a great deal of it in some summers not accessible at all ; while a broad and navigaljk^ channel is found open on ii.o eastern side of tho strait (that is, on the western coast of Greerdand) many weeks before that time. We cxperiencetl a third, and very sciking, exami'._ of this kind in coasting the eastern shore of ]\lelvillo Peninsula, in the yeav.-. \'^':1 and ^823, the whole of that coast being so loaded with ice as to make 'ho navij^ation extremely dillicnlt and dangerous. Now, on the eastern tMe of l''-^x Channel (the sid ^ ojjjjosite the shore of Melville Island), there is veason !n bel"'^^^'"^c, as v/ell from the account of that navigatoi- in 1031, ani ni jliuT'i iii 16ir», as from our own olrservation, that RESULTS OF PAllRY'S THREE VOYACIES. •jno tliere is little or no ice during,' the summer season. . . . The last instance of the same kind, which I shall mention, is that of Prince Ivcj^ent's Inlet, of Avhicli the events of this voyaj^c furnish too striking a i)roof — the ice ajjpear- 'wv^ always to cling to the western shore in a very remarkable manner, while the opposite coast is comparatively free from it." Taking all these facts together. Parry Avas deeply im})ressed with the idea " that there nuist exist in (lie Polar regions some general motion of the sea towards the west, causing th'> ice to set in that direction, when not intpelled by contrary winds, or local and occasional cnrrci:*-", until it butts against those shores which are actually fouml to be most encumbered by it." In confirmation of the existence of a i;enerally prevalent westward setting current, this navigator states several caj.es in which his vessels were carried to the westward, even against a strong breeze from that direction. (Jn this interesting topic Parry concludes ; " Whether the circumstances I have al)Ove stated may have any reference to the well-]..ictly speaking it may so be called, more clearly and briefly described than by Dr Carpenter in his pregnant essay on " Ocean-Circulation " in the Contein/ionn-i/ Rrrieiv for September 187o. "Much ink," writes Dr Carpenter, "has been wasted in the discussion of a question, which the common enso of any one who rightly apprehends the fiindamental principles of physics should enable him to ansv/er at once — viz., the influence of the earth's rotation ni)ou the movement of the water which fills its ocean basins. This influence, sup- posing the water to be otherwise stationary, will l)e sinqjly ni/ ; for the Avater lying lunler each pai'allel will have tiie same rate of rotation from Avest to east as the solid earth under that ])arailel. JUit snppose that a largt; body of Avater has a movtunent of its own, eitlu>r from a ', )wer to a higher, or from a higher to a lower parallel ; it Avill then, according to a Avell-kuowu 240 EXPEDITIOXS OF PAJtliY AM) FRAXKLTX~\S2\-27. principle of i^hysics, carry Avith it the ca.sterly moiiiontnm of the parallel it has quitted into a parallel which has a different rate of eastward movement ; and tlins, if Howini^ from a lower to a higher latitude, it will carry with it an excess of easterly momentum, which will cause it to tend constantly towards the cast ; whilst if flowing from a higher to a lower latitude, it will arrive at the latter with a deficiency of easterly momeuLuiP, causing it to be (as it were) left behind, so as to tend constantly towards the west Now the excess of easterly momentum possessed by the Gulf Stream, in vu'tae of its northerly flow, was rightly assigned by Captain ]\Iaury, as a jM-incipal cause of its easterly change of direction Avhere the parallels of latitude are rapidly shortening ; and I apply the same principle to explain the veiy strong eastward tendency of the poleward upper flow, which carries it (the Gulf Stream) not only to the shores of Norway, but past the North Capo towards Nova Zembla. But if this be true, the converse also Avill be true in regard to any southward movement of Arctic water ; and thus we see not only why the continuation of the Greenland and Labrador current should have a westerly tendency which keeps it close to the shore of the United States, but also why the glacial underflow should api)roach the surface along the coast line." In other words, the xVrctic Avater, having a southward motion of its own towards the equator, encounters as it flows the ever- increasing momentum towards thr east of the lower latitudes, :uid thus liecomes practically a vast current pressing ever the more directly westward, the lower ihe parallel to which it reaches. '-^ FRANKLIN'S SECOND EXPEDITION -1^2^-27. 241 CHAPTER VI. franklin's second land expedition, 1825-27 — tiihouuii the Canadian LAKES — old friends— PUELIMINAUY VOYAGE DOWN MACKENZIE KIVEU — THE PLANTING OF THE UNION JACK ON THE POLAR SHORE — UETUllN TO WINTER QUARTERS. Franklin arrived in England in the summer of 1822, after having accom- Ijlishcd his great overland journey to and from the shores of the Polar Sea. In October 1823, Parry found himself again at home after his second voyage for the discovery of the North West Passage, and a few weeks after his return, the diseoverer of the Fury and Hecla Strait was appointed to a new expedition, for the purpose of prosecuting the search for \ passage l)y way of Prince Ilegent Inlet. No sooner was this new expedition resolved upon, than Franklin, thinking that Government would do well not to eonihic them- selves to one route, in pursuing the object after which they had been striving for three centuries, laid before the Lords of the Admiralty " a iilan for an expedition overland to the mouth of the Mackenzie lliver, and thence, l)y sea, to the north-western extremity of America, with the combined ol)ject, also, of surveying the coast between the Mackenzie and Coppermine rivers." In his proposals to carry out this plan, Franklin was able to show that the dangers of his previous expedition would not be incurred in the undertiiking proposed, while the objects to be attained Avere important at once to the naval character, scientific reputation, and commercial interests of Great liritain. The application was favourably received, and Franklin was appointed to the command of the new overland expedition, and was directed to proceed at once with the preparations for its equipment. These prepara- tions consisted mainly in organising a system whereby regular supplies of provisions would be guaranteed to the explorers, in selecting stores Ibr their own use, and for distribution among the Indians, etc., and in superintending the construction of boats better adapted for the navigation of the ice- encumbered Polar Sea than the birch-bark canoes, which were so well adapted for the P' vigation of the rivers that How into that sea. The boats were built of mahogany with timbeis of ash — the largest ^wenty-six fe(>t, and two others twenty-four feet in length. A fourth boat, called the " W'alnut- D 2h ¥■ I !f. .1 242 JJXPFnrTIOXS OF PAlHt\ AND FJiANK L IN- 1821-27. ir shell," nine feet long anl four feet four inclies broad, which weighed only oighty-five pounds, and could be taken apart and made up in five or six parcels, anvith the Governor and Directors of the Hudson's Bay Company, and with their factors and traders, to provide the necessary depots of provisions at the places which Franklin pointed out. Franklin's ofiieial instructions were to proceed with his party by the packet from Liverpool to Xew i. k, and t'.ejice to make the best of his way to Lake Huron, where the stores nece:isary for his journey had been sent in advance, and afterwards, embarking in canoes, he was to follow the water communi- cation to the western side of the Great Bear Lake, where he was to establish his winter quarters. In the spring of 1820 he was to proceed down the jMackcnzie IJiver to the Polar t" ea, and to sail westward along the coast to Icy Cape, round which he was to push on into Kotzebuc's Inlet, where ho would meet ILM.S. "Blossom." INIeantinie a party from the expedition was to be '' latched to examine the intermediate coast bet\veev\ the Mackenzie and Coppermine livers. The expedition, consisting of Captain Franklin, Lieutenant Back, Dr Eichardson, Mr Kendall (assistant surveyor), and ]\Ir Thomas Drummond (assistant naturalist), accompanied by four marines, among whom was l\ol)crt Spinks, of whom the last wo heard was his perfornjing the extra- ordinary feat of "shooting the glacier" in Spitzbergen (p. 73). embarked on board the American packet-shi;» at Liverpool on the lOtli February 1825. They arrived at New York on the luth March, and were soon on their way to the Canadian lakes. They proceeded by Bainy Lake, the Lake of the Woods, Lake Winnipeg, and the Saskatchevan liiver, to Cumberland Iloiise, and thence through I'ine Island Lake, and Lake Isle a la Crosse. " In the course of this voyage," writes Franklin, " we met the gentlemen of the Hudson's Bay Company proceeding from the interior with various brigades of canoes, carrying the returns of trade for the year to York Factory, and I had not only the satisfaction of hearing frequent news of the progress of our (advance) Ijoats, but that the deposits of provisions I had re«piested, and the other arrangements I had made, were all punctually carried into cft'ect." liesuming his voyage from Isle a la Crosse station on the 27th Jime, through IJeei) Biver, Clear and Buftalo Lakes, the oflicers of the expedition overtook the ailvance boats in JNIetliye liiver on the 2yth June. At this point the boats had advanced 1200 miles from Hudson's Bay into the interior, and Franklin and his party taking the more circuitous route by New York and Canada had travelled 2800 miles to reach the same point. |i '. i' OLD FRIENDS. •J4:3 Starting on the 'iDtli Juno the whole expedition advanced northAvards, and on the evening of the 29tli July reached Fort Itcsolution on (Jreat Slave Lake. All the diflicult portages on the road to ]>ear Lake being now passed, the Canadians requested that they hould be allowed to commemorate the event by a dance, Avhich amusement they kept up all night till daylight to the music of bagjiipes relieved occasionally by a Jew's harp — the piano xm(\. forte passages being no doubt v.cll marked. At this station Fraidclin was glad to meet again with his old Copper-Indian friends, Iveskarrah and Humpy, the brother of Akaitclio, who had been waiting here for two months for the express purpose of seeing the " white father " once more. " These excellent men," says Franklin, " showed that their gratification equalled ours, by repeatedly seizing our hands and pressing (hem against their hearts, and exclaiming ' How nuich we regret that we cannot tell what we feel for you here ! * Akaitclio had left the fort about two months previously on a hunting- excursion, hoping to return with plenty of jirovisiou for our use, by the middle of August, .vhich was as early as ho thought wo should arrive." Tlie journey was resumed on the 31st, on the evening of which day the expcditi(jn arrived at the Isle of the Dead and took observations in lat. (51° 1' N., long. 114° 18' W. A small party of Chipewyan Indians joined the explorers at this encami)nient and informed tlunn that they had supplied Ur Kichardson (who had gone on in advance) with dried meat on the preceding day. " The chief was very importunate for rum," writes Franklin, "but I steadily adhered to the determination I had formed this time, on my entering the Fur Country, of not giWng spirits to any Indian. A share of our supper and tea and some tobacco Avero offered to him, and accepted though with a bad grace. The Fur Company ceased the following season to bring any rum to this quarter, and I learned that this man was one of the few natives who were highly displeased at this judicious change." The canoes entered the Mackenzie lliver on the 2d August, and on tlie 7th the expedition reached Fort Norman, situated 574 miles from Fort Kesolu- tion, and four days' jour.ioy from Bear Lako. From this point, had Franklin been desirous of gecting at once to his winter qnarters on Bear Lake, he would have journeyed eastward to its shores. But the scasor. was yet early, and he was most desirous of obtaining some information respecting the condition of the ice, the direction of the coast, etc., to the east and west of the embouchure of the Mackenzie in the Polar Sea. Accordingly, ho set off, accompanied by INIr Kendall, down the river, on the 8th August, on his preliminary visit to the sea. Meantime it was ai'ranged that Lieutenant Back, leaving the Mackenzie, should conduct the main body of the expedi- tion up the Bear Lake River (an affluent of the Mackenzie), eastward to the shore of the l^ear Lake, and shoukl there siq)erintend the erection of the Iniiklings wliich were to form the winter quarters of the exploring party. B.. 'i 244 EXPEDITIONS OF PA Jilt Y AND F R A NKL IN ~lS^l-27. If :t- A siiij,'ular phenomenon, observed by Franklin on his voyage down tho jH'cat stream to tho Polar Sea, is thus described : " A few miles above Bear Lake liiver, and near its month, tho banks of the Mackenzie contain much wood-con 1, which was on fire at the time we passed, as it had been obscrveil to be by ]\[ackenzie in his voyage to the sea. Its smell was very disagree- able. On a subsequent trial of this coal at our Avinter quarters, we found that it emitted little heat, and was unfit for the blacksmith's use. The banks likewise contain layers of a kind of unctuous mud, similar perhaps to that found on tho borders of the Orinoco, which the Indians in this neighbour- hood use occasionally as food during seasons of famine, and even, at other times, chew as an anuisement. It has a milky taste, and the flavour is not disagi'ceable. Wo use it for whitening the walls of our dwellings, for which purpose it is well adapted." Sailing swiftly with the stream, on the lOth the party arrived at EUico Island, in lat. 69" 14', long. 135° 57'. From this point, which is 1045 miles from Slave Lake, the water to the northward had a sea-like appearance, and after continuing the voyage for an hour or two, Franklin had the " indescribable pleasure " of finding that the water had a decidedly salt taste, and that ho had now without doubt reached the Polar Sea, and had consequently carried exploration farther in this direction than any previous navigator. Beyond this point every geographical fact ascertained was a discovery. " The sun was setting," says Franklin, " as the boat touched the beach, and wo hastened to the most elevated part of the island to look round. Never was a prospect more gratifying than that which lay open to us. The rocky mountains were seen from S.W. to W. ^ N. ; and from the latter points, round by the north, the sea appeared in all its majesty, entirely free from ice, and without any visible obstruction to its navigation. Many seals and black and white whales were sporting on its waves ; and the whole scene was calculated to excite in our minds the most flattering expectations as to our own success and that of our friends in the 'Hecla' and the 'Fury.'" At this stage of the explorer's narrative, a passage occurs, which, as giving us clear insight into the personal character of the man, is of the deepest interest. In 1823 Franklin had mavried Miss Eleanor Purdon, the accom- plished authoress of "The Veils," "The Arctic Expedition," and other poems. A woman of an essentially noble nature, her admiration for all that was heroic in the character of her husband, w£is only equalled by her intelli- gent appreciation of his gifts and achievements. Bright and happy was the married life of this equal-mated pair. In the early spring of 1823, Franklin had agreed to sail upon the expedition on which he was now engaged. For some time before he left England, his wife had been suffering from severe illness ; but her whole heart was bound up in her husband's new venture, and during the last days in which she enjoyed his comi^anionship, she beguiled the teiliiim of her sick-room by nuiking for Iiim a small silk Union Jack. " Never unfurl it," she said, "until you plant it on the shores of the Polar Sea." Fain would Franklin have remained with her till the period of danger should bo overpast; but her magnanimous spirit was unintlueneed by affection; and in the sublime moment of parting, she felt only that duty and honour were calling her husband from her, and she joined her voice to theirs and bade him go. A few days after the expedition sailed she died. After reaching iVmerica, Franklin received the intelligence of her deatli ; and now, six months after she had been laid in her grave, he stood, with her silken Hag in his hand, upon the shores of that Polar Sea which was so constantly in her mind during the few days before she herself reached that farther shore of which all of us must become explorer.s. We may imagine Avith what emotions he unfurled this reliquary Hag, thinking the while about the grave away in distant England, upon which the first summer's Howers were still in bloom. In the folloAving passage, so admirable in its dignity and luiobtrusive grief, the fetlings of the man are to bo measured chiefly by the a[)parent effort to conceal them. "During our absence (surveying the ocean from the island-height), the men had pitchetl the tent unon the beach, and I caused the silk Union Hag to be hoisted, which my decplydamented wife had made and presented to me as a parting gift, under the express injunction that it was not to be unfurled before the expedition reached the l*olar >Sea. 1 will not attempt to describe my emotions as it expanded to the breeze — how- ever natural, and, for the moment, irresistible, I felt that it was my duty to supi)ress them, and thac I had no right, by the indulgence of my own sorrows, to cloud the animated countenances of my companions Joining, therefore, with the best grace that I could command, in the general excitement, 1 endeavoured to return, with correspc^iding cheerfulness, their warm con- gratulations on having thus planted the British tlag on this remote island of the Polar Sea." Grief and mirth are next-door neighbours in this world, and live almost together. At military fuueials, the despairing strains of the Dead jNIarch are separated only by a muttered prayer and a rattle of musketry from the quick -step of "The girl I left behind me;" and no sooner had Franklin planted his Hag, with the hopes of his early manhood at its base, than duty called him to serve out the grog, and call upon his men to join him in three cheers for the king, and for the continued success of their expedition. " Mr Kendall and I," adds the commander, " had also reserved a little of our brandy in order to celebrate this interesting event; but Bajitiste (the Canadian guide), in his delight at beholding the sea, had set befoi'e us some salt water, which, having been mixed with the brandy before the mistake was discovered, Ave were reluctantly obliged to forego the in- tended draught, and to use it in the more classical form of a libation poured r ^, IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I ;£ 1^ iiM •^ lis III 2.2 £ 1^ III! 2.0 1.8 1.25 1.4 l'-6 -If 6" — ► Photographic Sciences Corporation 33 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 V iV ^^ \ \ 9> V O^ s\ O 24(5 EXPEDITIONS OE l\ I RR Y A ND ERA SKL IX—l 821 -27. on tlic ground, liaptistc, on discovering that lie had actually reached the ocean, stuck his feathers in his hat, and cxultingly exclaimed, ' Now that I am one of the Gens de la mer (men of the sea), you shall see how active I shall be, and how I shall crow over the (Jens du nord ' — the name by which the Athabasca voyagers were designated." Franklin wrote an account of his progi'css, embodying all necessary in- formation respecting the distance of the nearest station of the Compjiny, etc., for the use of Captain Parry, in the event of that navigator being successful enough to find his way into the Polar Sea, and deposited the letter under a pole erected for the purpose, on which a blue and red flag was left flying to attract attention. Having coasted about for some little distance on both sides of the mouth of the Mackenzie, and noted a few of the localities, Franklin connnenced the return voyage on the 18th August to the winter quarters on Bear Lake, where he and his party arrived in safety on the 4th September, FllA XKLIS'S SfJCfKV/) A'A7^A7>/770.V -182.") 27. 247 CHAPTER VII. HUILDING FOUT FUANKLIN — CnUlSTMAS AT FORT FItANKLIN — THE SUMMFK VOYAGE COMMENCED — HOSTILE ESKIMOS — HTOI'l'EI) I'ul! WANT OF SI.EDGKS — COXCUSION OF VOYAGE. Ai,L Franklin's preparations for passing tlio wintor months at Great Bear Lake had been carefully made, lie knew that a residence in the northein parts of America, wliere the party must depend for subsistence on tlie daily supply of fish, or on the more precarious success of Indian hunters, involved many duties requiring the superintemlence of a person experienced in the management of the fisheries, and accustomed to direct the labours of work- ing par' ies of Canadians and Indians. During his first overland journey ho had many opportunities of gauging the qualifieations of ]\Ir Dease, chief trader of the Hudson's Bay Company, for such a post, and he had succeeded in obtaining the sanction of (loveniment in employing that gentleman on the expedition. ]\Ir Dease had arrived at the proposed winter quarters on Great Bear Lake, with fifteen Canadian voyagers, Bcaulieu the interpreter, and four Chipewyan hunters, on the 27th July 182;"). A number of the Dog-Rib Indians were already on the spot, and he immediately employed these to procure a supply of meat for the winter's consumption as well as fresh supplies for immediate use. Great Bear Lake, however, was regarded as the source from which the main supplies of the exi)lorers were to bo derived, and Mr Dease was decided in his selection of the site for the winter residence by its nearness to that part of the lake where fish had formerly hcon found in greatest abundance. This s[)ot was the site of an old fort that had once been occupied as a station of the Xorth-West Company, but had been for some time abandoned. Here the buildings of the new fort were erected without delay. They were arranged so as to form three sides of a square, and consisted of the ollicers' and nicu's houses, tho interpreter's house, blacksmith's shop, and two stores. The whole was enclosed by tho stockading of the original fort, which was fiumd serviceable as a screen from the snow-drift and wintry blasts. The name of Fort Franklin had been given to the buildings previously to the aiiival of the !( 248 EXP EI) IT IONS OF PARRY AND FRANKLIN- \ 821 -27. ij I leader of the expedition, and at the desire of the ofTiccrs this name was retained. The number of persons belonging to the establishment amounted to fifty — consisting of five oflicers, including Mr Dcase ; nineteen British seamen, marines, and voyagers ; nine Canadians ; two Eskimos ; Beaulieu and four C'hipewyan hunters ; three women, six children, and one Indian lad. This party was too large to obtain subsistence by fishing at one station, and two houses were therefore erected, at the distance of four and seven miles from the fort, to which parties furnished with fishing nets, etc., were sent. At the fort itself from fifteen to twenty nets were kept in use, under the management of an experienced Canadian fisherman and assistants. These yielded daily, during the summer and autumn, from 300 to 800 fish, of the kind called the " herring- salmon of Bear Lake." The men were told off in separate bands — to attend the nets, bring home the meat that the Indian hunters killed, cut, bri;ig home, and si)lit up fuel, etc. ; and when the days shortened, a school was organised under the superintendence of the oilicers, and which was attended by most of the British party. The officers were em])loyed in making and registering observations ; but they had also special duties — Lieutenant Back had the general superintendence of the men, and filled up leisure time in sketching and making finished drawings ; Dr Bichanlson combined the duties of medical officer with those of naturalist; Mr Kendall was entrusted with the construction of all tlu; charts after the calculations had been revised by Franklin ; and Mv Dease had enough to do in collecting and issuing provisions, and in keei)ing his Canadians and Indians up to their work. ^V riling on the '2'3d Septendjer, Franklin tlius describes the ceremony of "opening" the fort: "The chimney of the last of the buildings being completed this morning, the Hagstaff erected, and all the men assembled, we commemorated the.se events by the festivities usual on the opening of a new establishment in this country. The first part of the ';eremony was to salute the flag. The men having drawn themselves up in line, and the women and chililren and all the Indians resident at the fort being dispersed in groups by their sitle, a deputation came to solicit the presence of the oflicers. When we appeared, we fcund our guns ornamented with blue ribbons, and we wei'e re([uested to advance and fire at a piece of money which was fastened to the flagstaff. Tin; men theri fired two volleys, and gave three hearty cheers, after which \\'ilson the piper struck up a lively tune, and placing himself at the head of his companions, marched with them round to the entrance of the hall, where they drank to his Majesty's health, and to the success of the expedition. In the evening the hall was opened for ji dance, which was attended by the Avhole party dressed in their gayest attire. The dancing was kept up with spirit to the nmsic of the violin and bagpipes until daylight." CHRIS TMA S AT FORT FR. \ SKL IN. 249 For a month or two from this date, little occurred that woukl bo considered worthy of note by readers of the present day. The occupations of the oflicers and men were constant, and tlie time seemed to pass so swiftly, that the shortest day came upon them almost unexpectedly. In all Arctic expetlitions the celebration of Christmas is always interesting, and the following vivid jmssage describes the Christmas of lisi*.") at Fort I'ranklin: "On the evening of the 24th, the Indian hunters, women, and children, were invited to share in a game of snap-dragon, to them an entire novelty. It would be as diflicult to describe the delight which the .sport atiorded them after they recovered their first surprise, as to convey the full ett'ect of the scene. Wher the candles were extinguished, the blue flame of the burning spirits shone on the rude features of our native companions, in whose coun- tenances were portrayed the eager desire of possessing the fruit, and the fear of ihe penalty. Christmas Day falling on a Sunday, the party were regaled with the best fare our stores could supply ; and on the following evening a dance was given, at which were present sixty persons, including the Indians, who sat as spectators of the merry scene. Seldom, pcihaps, in such a con- fined sjiace as our hall, or in the same number of per.sons, was there greater variety of charactei*, or gi'eatcr confusion of tongues. The party consisted of Englishmen, Highlanders (who mostly conversed with each other in Gaelic), Canadian.s, Eskimos, Chipewyan.s, Dog-ltibs, Hare Indians, Creo women and children, nnngled together in perfect harmony. The amuse- ments were varied by English, Gaelic, and French songs." On the morning of the 1st January 182G, the men as.sembled in the hall to oiler their congratulations to the ollicers. Divine service was afterwards read, and in the evening the New Year was welcomed with singing and dancing. "While these rejoicings was going forwai'd, the thermometer registered the very trying temperature of 49^ below zero, which was lower than was felt on any other occasion duri.ig the winter. The mouth of February was a very anxious one to Franklin. The pro- duce of the nets and fishing lines had been gnulually diminishing during January, until the supply did not atlbrd more than three or four small herrings to each man. The stock of dried meat was expended, and it was feared that before the return of the deer in spring the party would be in want. Toward the close of the month, hoAvever, a number of deer W(;ro shot, and the season of plenty again set in. " The conduct of the men during the season of scarcity," writes Franklin, " was beyond all praise; and the following anecdote is worthy of record, as displaying the excellent feeling of a British seaman, and as speaking the sentiments of the wIkjIc party. Talking with Ilobcrt Spinks as to the difference of his present food from that to which ho had been accustomed on board ship, I said, I was glad the necessity was over of keeping them on short allowance. ' Why, sir,' said f) 2 I . y \\ 250 EXPEDITIONS C ''' PARRY AND FRANKLIN— 1821-27. he, 'wc never iiiiiuled about the short allowance, but were fearful about having to use the provisions intended for next summer ; wc only care about the next voyage, and shall all be glad when the spring comes, that we may set oft'; besides, at the worst time, wc could always spare a lish for each of our dogs.' During the period of short allowance, the three dogs under the charge of this man were kept in better condition than any of the others." In the early summer, jjreparations were actively carried on for the voyage to the I'olar Sea, to carry out the objects of the expedition, and on the loth June the equipment of the boats was completed. Fourteen men including Augustus, th'> Eskimo interpreter, were appointed to accomj)any Franklin and Back in the "Lion" and " lleliance," and ten, including Ooligbuck, were told oft" to sail with Kichardson and Kendall in the " Dolphin " and " Union." On the 2Uth both parties left the fort, leaving old Cote, the fisherman, in sole charge until INIr Dease should return. The old Canadian, Cote, sharing the enthusiasm of the whole party, would not allow the explorers to depart without giving his hearty though solitary cheer, which Avas returned in full chorus from the departing boats. On the 3d July, after having been a number of days on the Mackenzie lliver, sailing northward to the sea in comi)any, Franklin gave Kichardson his final instructions. The doctor was to take Mr Kendall and ten men and proceed in the "Dolphin" and " Union " to survey the coast between the Mackenzie and Coppermine llivers. On reaching the latter river, he was to travel by land to the north- east arm of Great Bear Lake, Avhere Beaulieu was under orders to meet him with a boat for the conveyance of his party to Fort Franklin. " As the parties," writes Franklin, " entertained ft)r each other sentiments of true friendship and regard, it will easily be imagined that the evening preceding our separation was spent in the most cordial and cheerful manner. We felt that we were only separating to be employed on services of equal interest ; and we looked forward with delight to our next meeting, Avlien, after a successful termination, we might recount the incidents of our respective voyages. The best supper our means afforded was provided, and a bowl of punch crowned the parting feast. . . . By six in the morning of the 4th (July) the boats were all laden, and ready for departure. It was impossible not to be struck with the ditt'erence between our present complete state of equipment and that on which we had embarked on our former disastrous voyage. Instead of a frail bark canoe, and a scanty sujjjjly of food, we were now about to commence the sea voyage in excellent boats, stored with three months' provision. At Dr Kichardson's desire, the western party (Franklin's) embarked first, lie and his companions saluted us with three hearty cheers, which were warndy returned ; and as wo were passing round the point that was to hide them from our view, we perceived them also embarking." THE su^f^n:R voYAar: commenced. 251 On the 7th, havinj^ obtained an observation for latitude in 08' 53' N., and havin*,' walked towards the mouth of the river, rranklin " discovered on an island which formed the east side of the bay, into which the river opened, a crowd of tents, with many Eskimos strolling among them. I instantly hastened to the boats to make preparations for opening a communication with them, agreeably to my instructions. A selection of articles f(n* presents and trade being made, the rest of the lading was closely covered up ; the arms were inspected, and every man was directed to keep his gun ready for immediate use. . . . On (putting the chamiel of the river, we entered into the bay, which was .about six miles witle, with an unbounded prospect to seaward, and steered towanls the tents under easy sail, with tlu^ ensigns flying. The water became shallow as wc drew towards the island, and the boats touched the ground when about a mile from the beach. We shouted and made signs to the Eskimos to come off, and then pulled a short way back to awa'"t their arrival in deeper water. Three canoes instantly put off from the shore, and Ijefore they could reach us, others were launcluHl in .such quick .succession that the Avholc space between the islands and the boats was covered by them. The Eskimo canoes contain oidy one person, and arc named katfarh; but they have a kind of open boat capable of hold- ing six or eiglit people, which is named ooiiiiak. The men alone use the kayacks, and the oomiaks are allotted to the women and children. We endeavoured to count their munbers as they appi'oached, and had pro- ceeded so far as seventy-three canoes and five oomiaks, when the sea became so crowded with fresh arrivals that we could advance no further in our reckoning. The three headmost canoes were paddled by elderly men who most probably had been selected to open the communication. They advanced towards lis with much caution, halting when just within speaking distance, until they liad been assured of our friendship and repeatedly invited by Augustus to approach and receive the jjresents which I offered to them. Augustus next explained to them in detail the purport of our visit, and told them that if we succeeded in finding a navigable channel for large ships a trade highly beneficial to them would be opened. They were delighted with this intelligence, and repeated it to their couiitrymen, who testifietl their joy by tossing their hands aloft and raising the most deafening shout of applause I ever heard. After the first present, I determined to bestow no more gi'atuitously, but always to exact something, however small, in return. The three elderly men readily oft'ered their arms and knives, as well as the orna- ments they wore on their cheeks, in exchange for the articles I gave them." Franklin soon found himself surrounded by about 300 Eskimos attracted by the shouting of the three chiefs, and all of these became most anxious to share in the lucrative trade which they had seen commenced, and with endless shouting and clamour offered to sell their bows, arrows, and spears, which tl f ti I i ;:' A 252 KXPEDiriOXS OF PARRY AXJJ J'RA\A'L/N— 1821*27. savages wcro they had liithcrto kept concealed in their canoes. In vain endeavour to obtain information respecting the coast. The too intent upon English cutlery to triHe away time in gcograiihical discussion. Finding his new friends becoming ever more noisy, importunate, and trouble- some, Franklin resolved to leave them, and ordered the boats' heads to be turned seaward. The tide, however, was now fast ebbing, and soon both boats grounded and lay helpless and immovable. The Eskimos now consoled their benefactor by informing him, through Augustus, the interpreter, that the whole bay was alike flat, and that the British boats must consequently remain ill sUitn quo and wait for the turn of the tide. Unluckily, at this stage a kayack was overset accidentally by one of the oarsmen of the " Lion," and its Eskimo owner was plunged head foremost into the shallow and muddy water, in which, from the soft nature of the bottom, he was in imminent danger of being drowned. The " Lion's " men promptly rescued him, and took him into their boat until his kayack should be righted and emiitied, and Augustus, seeing him shivering with cold, wrajjped him up in his own greatcoat. At first he was exceedingly angry, but afterwards reconciling himself to the inevitable, he began to amuse himself by looking ■.: t him, and he discovered that the " Lion" carried many bales, no doubt '. • • with wonderful goods, and that many extraordinary and magnificent j,. .iCles were lying about, all of which had been concealed hitherto from the other savages by the cover- ings that hail been carefully spread over them. He soon began to ask for everything he saw, and expressed the highest displeasure that his demands were not complied with. But much worse than this, immediately rejoining his companions, he spread among them reports of the inexhaustible riches of the " Lion," and suggested the advisability of capturing the vessels of the strangers, and making themselves independent for life in the matter of spears, knives, hatciiets, and guns. The water had now ebbed so far that around the gi-ounded boats it was only knee-deep, and the Eskimos swarmed around, slyly attemjjting to steal everything within their reach. Franklin now gave his men orders not to suffer any one to come alongside. The Eskimos then retired in a body, held a brief consultation, and returning, seized the " Keliance," and j)roceeded to drag her to the shore. " As soon as I perceived the ' Keliance ' moving under the efforts of the natives, I directed the * Lion's ' crew to endeavour to follow her ; but our boat remained fast until the Eskimos lent their aid, and dragged her after the ' Reliance.' Two of the most powerful men, jumping on board at the same time, seized me by the wrists and forced me to sit between them ; and, as I shook them loose two or three times, a third Eskimo took his station in front to catch my arm whenever I attempted to lift my gun or the broad dagger which hung by my side. The whole way to the shore they kept repeating the word ' tcyma,' beating gently on my left breast with their HOSTILE ESKIMOS. 253 hands, and pressing mine against theii* breasts. As wo nearcd the beach two ooniiaks fnll of women arrived, and the ' teymus ' and vociferation were redonbled. The ' lleliance ' was fu'st brought to tlie shore, and the ' Lion ' close to her a few seconds afterwards. The three men who heUl nie now leaped ashore, and those who had remained in their canoes, taking them out of the water, carried them to a little distance. A numerous party then, drawing their knives and stripping themselves to the waist, ran to the ' lleliance,' and, having first haiUed her as far up as they could, began a regular pillage, handing the artines to the women, who, ranged in a row behind, quickly conveyed them out of sight. Lieutenant ]Jack and his crew strenuously, but good humouredly, resisted the attack, and rescued many things from their grasp, but they were overpowered by numbers and had even some dilliculty in preserving their arms. One fellow had the audacity to snatch the Canatlian Vivier's knife from his breast, and to cut the buttons from his coat ; whilst three stout Eskimos surrounded Lieuten- ant Back with uplifted daggers, and were incessant in their demands for whatever attracted their attention, especially for the anchor buttons which he wore on his waistcoat. In this juncture a young chief coming to his aid drove the assailants away. In their retreat they carried off a writing-desk and cloak, which the chief rescued, and then seating himself on Lieutenant Back's knee, ho endeavoured to i)ersuadc his countrymen to desist liy shout- ing * tei/iiKi tej/ma ; ' and was indeed very active in saving what he could from their depredations. Tho ' Lion ' had hither'.,^ been beset by smaller numbers, and her crew, by firmly keeping their seats on tho cover spread over tho cargo, and by beating tho natives off' with tho butt-ends of their muskets, had been able to prevent any article of importance from being carried away. But as soon as I perceived that tho work of plunder was going on so actively in tho ' Keliance,' I went Avith Augustus to assist in suppressing the tumult ; and our bold and active little interpreter rushed among tho crowd on shore, and harangued them on their treacherous con- duct, until ho was actually hoarse. In a short time, however, I was sum- moned back by Duncan, who called out to mo that tho Eskimos had now commenced in earnest to plunder the ' Lion,' and on my return I found tho sides of tho boat lined with men, as thick as they could stand, brandishing their knives in tho most furious manner, and attempting to seize everything that was movable ; whilst another party was rang'^-l '>n tho outside ready to bear away the stolen goods. The ' Lion's ' crew still kept their seats, but as it was impossible for so small a number to keep off' such a formid- able and determined body, several articles were carried off'. Our prin- cipal object was to prevent the loss of tho arms, oars, or masts, or anything on which tho contiiiuance of the voyage, or our persoiuil safety, depcnided. Many attempts were made to purloin the box containing the astronomical ; \- ! II' »■ ! ' i ^ 254 EXPEDITIOXS OF PARRY AND FRA yA'LfX—\82l-27. I ) B m instnimcnts, and Duncan, after thrice roscninp; it from their hands, made it fast to his k'<,' with a cord, determined that they should drag him away also if they took it." "In the Avholo of this unequal coi'test," contiiuios Franklin, "the self- possession of our men was not more conspicuous than the coolness with which the Eskimos received the heavy blows dealt to them with the butts of the muskets. I5ut at length, irritated at being so often foiled in their attempts, several of them jumped on board and forcibly endeavoured to take the daggers and shot-belts that were about tin- men's persons; and I myself was engaged with three of Ihom who were trying to disarm me. Lieutenant Back perceiving our .situation, and fully appreciating my motives in not coming to extremities, had the kindness to send to my assistance the young chief who had protected him, and who, on his arrival, drove my antagonists out of the lioat. I then saw that my ci'cw Avere nearly overpowered in the fore part of the boat, and hastening to their aid, I fortunately arrived in tinio to prevent -ricorge Wilson from discharging the contents of his musket into the body of an Eskimo. lie had received a provocation, of which I was ignorant mitil the next day, for the fellow had struck at him with a knife, and cut through his coat and waistcoat. . . . No sooner was the bow cleared of one set of marauders than another paity commenced their operations at the stern. My gun was now the ol)iect of the struggle, which was l)eginning to assume a more serious complexion, when the whole of the E.skimo3 .suddenly fled, and hid themselves behind the drift timber and canoes on the beach. It appea. s that by the exertions of the crew, the ' Reliance ' was again afloat; and Lieutenant Back, -wisely judging that this was the propf'r moment for more active interference, directed his men to level their muskets, which had produced the sudden panic." Very soon after, the " Lion " was also got afloat, and both boats were retiring from the beach, when the Eskimos, having recovered from their sudden terror, launched their kayacks, and were preparing to pur.sue. I'raidclin, however, instructed Augustus to tell them at once, and decisively, that the first man that came within musket range would be shot — a caution which had the desired effect. This strange, unequal, and very exhausting struggle had lasted for several hours, and was not at an end till eight o'clock in the evening; yet the only things of any importance that had been carried off" by the savage thieves were the mess canteen and kettles, a tent, a bale containing blankets and shoes, one of the men's bags, and the jib sails. The other articles lost could well be .spared, and were, in fact, intended for distribution among the men who had taken them. In reviewing the contest and its results, Fraidclin says : " I cannot suflicicntly praise the fortitude and obedience of both the boats' crews in abstaining from the use of their arms. In the first instance, I had been influenced by the de.sirc of preventing unnecessary bloodshed, and STOPPED Foit \\A.\T or sli:d(!i:s. jirtcrwanls, when the critical situation of my \nviy iiii^lit have well warranted nie in t'nii»h)}inj,' more decided means l'(jr tlieir dereiice, I .still endeavoured to tenipori.se, bein;^' convinced that as loni; as the boats lay a.^rountl, and mo ■\vero besot by such numbers, armed with lou^' knives, bows, arrows, and spears, we could not use lire-arms to advanta;^e. The howling' of the women and the clamour of the men, proved the hi;^li excitement to which they had wrouj^ht themselves ; and J am still of o[)iiiion that, mingled as we were with them, the first blood we had shed would have been instantly avenged by the sacrifice of all oui' lives." For another day the " Lion" and " lieliance " were detained near these hostile shores ; but learning' from Au<,'ustus (who obtained the information durinj,' a visit on shore, in the course of which the Kskimos returned a (piantity of the {-oods they had si<.It:i), that the tide began regularly to How about midnight, Traidilin was able, early on tlu; morning of the Hth July, to have his boats dragged into water snlliciently deep to float them, and to resume his voyage along the shores of the I'olar Sea, west- ward from the !Ma kenzie IJiver. On the morning of the Utli, progress was completely stopped liy land-ice, or ice adhering to the shore. This ice stretched away to seawaril beyond the limits of the explorers' view. Tiie ollicers landed, and ascended to the top of the bank to look round, when they l)eheld the sea looking as iinnly frozen as in winter, and close to the encampment which they now proceeded to form, the ice was piled up to the height of thirty feet. Exhausted with the exertions of the last few days, the weary exjjlorers retired to bed, but hud only just fallen asleej) when they were roused by the guard calling out that a party of Eskimos were close to the tents. These natives were friendly, and informed Eranklin that as soon as the wind should blow strong from the land {i.e., from the south), the ice might be expected to remove from the shore, so as to open a passage for boats, and that it (the ice) would remain ott" shore till the stars should be seen after the long days of the I'ohu' summer were over. " Farther to the westward," they said, " the ice often adheres to the land throughout the summer; and when it does break away, it is carried but a short distance to seaward, and is lirought back again as soon as a strong wind blows down from the north upon the coast. J/ there he ami channels in these jktrts, theif are unsafe for boats, as the ire is continualh/ tossiutj about. We wonder, there/ore" continued the Eskimos, " that j/ou are not jo'ovided with sled7 In tlio aftoriioon tlio rain ceased anil was followed by a south wind that carried the ice ofl'-shore, and opened a soa-way westward, of which i'ranklin took advantay-e on the follo\vin^' nioriiinLf ; but alter a few lioui-s' s;iil, and the discovery of a M'idc inlet, to the headlands of which the commander j;ave the names of Points Sabine and Kinj,', proj^'rcss Avas again stopped by ice. A land breeze prevailed on the IGth, and opened a passage for the boats ; but was found to close after being followed up for a few hours. " Tlie night was calm," writes Franklin, "and the ice remained in the same fixed state until six in the morning of the 17th, when, perceiving the pieces in the ofling to bo in motion, we launched the boats, and by breaking our way at first with liatchets, and then forcing with the poles through other streams of ice, we contrived to reach some lanes of water, along which we navigated for four hours." On the same evening the explorers reached llerschel [>land, and found it inhabited by Eskimos. The strait between this island and the main shore was the only place the ex})lorers had seen since leaving the Mac- kenzie in which a ship could find shelter —and even this channel Avas much interrupte i liETUnN OF FRAXKIJX'S SECOXD KXPF.DITIOX. •2(5:] severe weather of the mid-winter of lS:>(j-i*7 — the incidents of which differed little from those of the previous year — need not detain us. That this winter weather was severe may be believed from the fact that "on the evening of ihc 4th of January (18"27) the temperature being ^yS '1' below zero, Mr Kendall froze some mercury in the mi »uld of a pistol 1 ndlet and tired it against a door at the distance of six jiaccs. A small portion of the mercury pene- trated to the depth of one-eighth of an inch, but the remainder only just lodged in the wood." The lowest temperature, however, that Franklin ex- perienced at his fort, was -58\ which was registered on the 7th February. On the 20tli February Franklin set out with five men of the expedition and two Indians to travel through the woods to Fort Simpson, where ho arrived in safety on the Sth ]\Iarch. Departing from Fort Simpson on the 15th ]\rarch, he arrived at Fort Ifesolution on Great Slave Lake on the 'JOtli. On the 12th April he arrived at Fort Chipcwyan on ^Vthabasca Lake. "Here," says Franklin, "we welcomed the appearance of two of the large- sized swans on the l^th April as the harbingers of spring; the geese followed on the 20th ; the robins came on the 7th May ; the house-martins appeared on the 12tli, and in the course of the week wci'c busily employed repairing their nests ; the barn or forkeil-tail swallows arrived on the 20th ; and on the same day, the small-sized swans were seen, which the traders consider the latest of the migratory birds." Continuing his homeward journey, and providing as he proceeded for the comlin-tablc transport of the remaining ofiicers and men of the expedition, Franklin reached Cumberland House on the 18th Juno. lie thence pi-occeded through Canada to Xew York, whence ho embarked with Dr Richardson in a packet-ship for Liver- pool, where he arrived on the 20th Septei"ber. Back, Kendall, and Drum- mond, with the rest of the British party, arrived at Portsmouth on the 18th of October. iji 204 EXPEDITIOXS OF PARRY A XV FRAXKLrX-lS2l'27. CHAPTER IX. SUBSIDIARY VOYAGES OF CAPTAIN LYON AND CAPTAIN 13EECIIEY. LYON's VOYAGE TO UEPULSE DAY. Before concliuling that part of our M-ork "which concerns itself with the cxpcilitions of PiUTy and Frankhn, 1821-27, it will be necessary, in order to preserve the continuity of our narrative, to sketch briefly the results of Captain Lyon's expedition to Kepulsc ]jay, and Captain Becchey's voyage to Icy Cape. Of these two enterprises the former was intended to sup- plement the work done by Captain Parry in his third expedition, while the latter Avas undertaken for the purpose of taking up Captain Franklin and his party in the event of their being successful in forcing a passage west- ward along the north coast of the American continent to Icy Cape. It will be remembered that Captain Lyon commanded the " Ilccla " in Parry's second voyage for the discovery of the Xorth-West Passage, and that the first important labour performed by that expedition was the ex- amination of llepulse Bay. It had long been hoped that this forbidtling inlet was not land-locked, but that a sea-way might exist running from the head of the inlet westward, and thus affording a " passage " in the desired direction into the Polar Ocean. The thorough survey of the bay by Cap- tains Parry and Lyon, however, proved that it was completely surrounded by land, and that if a passage was to be found at all, it must be sought farther to the north. But in the course of their intercourse at Winter Island Avith the friendly and intelligent Eskimos, among whom the " wise u oman " Iligliuk was the chief figure, the explorers were informed that by travelling inland from I'epuhe Bay for three days, a great sea would be reached. The tract of laud to be crossed was the narrow isthmus (Rae Isthmus) which connects INIelville Peninsula with the mainland of North America, and the sea, on the opposite side of the isthmus from Jepulse Bay, was naturally supposed to be, as it really is, an arm or inlet of the Arctic Ocean. It was conceived to be an object of great interest to trace the connection of the shores of this sea with Point Turnagain, the farthest point reached by Franklin on his first expedition. If it be supposed for a moment that such A MISTAKE AND ITS RESULTS. 205 .1 connection had been established, tlicn the most difhcult, or rather (lie least known, half of the Xorth-West Passage f(ehring Strait, Captain iJeechcy ■was ai)pointed to the command of the " Blossom," and commissioned to sail throngh Behring Strait, and, pnshing on to Icy Cape, take p I'Yanklin there, and convey him to England. Captain P>eechey received his appointment on 12th January 1825. The crew of the "Blossom" numbered over a hundred i)ersons, and among her officers were Lieutenants Pcard, Edward Belcher, and John Wainwright. A boat, rigged as a schooner, and decked and fitted in the most complete manner, was carried by the " Blossom " to act as tender ; and all preparations having been completed, her commander weighed from Spithead on the 19th May 182'), and steered out of the channel with a fair wind. Captain Beechey was instructed to proceed, in the first instance, to Kio Janeiro, afterwards to round Cape Horn, to steer for and survey the Society Islands, to visit Otaheitc, Pitcairn's Island, and Owliyhee, and to be at the appointed rendezvous at Behring Strait not later than the 10th July 1820. With his voyage across the Atlantic and among the islands of the Pacific we are not here concerned. After touching at Kamtchatka, on the Asiatic continent, Beechey set sail north-eastward for his destination. On the 17th July the " Blossom" was close off the western extremity of St Lawrence Island, at the southern entrance to Behring Strait. On the 19th they passed King's Island, and entered Behring Strait. " We approached the strait that sejia- rates the two great continents of Asia and America," says Beechey, " on one of those beautiful still nights, well known to all who have visited the Arctic regions, Avhen the sky is without a cloud, and when the midnight sun, scarcely his own diameter below the horizon, tinges with a bright hue all the northern circle. Our ship, propelled by an increasing breeze, glided KSh'nms OF hOT/i:nri:\s so/.v/k 271 rapidly alon;.' ;i smooth .sea, startliti*,' from li(e l*riiice of Wales, then hill after hill rose alternately on either bow, curiou.sly ri-fracted, anritish navy has always been distingui.shed. The plan of ti'a veiling and the daily routine observed from day to day, varied little tlwoughout the whole of the excursion. And as the condit'or.s under winch Parry and his conu-ades were now existing — surromuled by ice, luisupported l»y the confidence which being in a ship would inspire them, bound northward in a general way in search of the IS'orth l*ole, with their faces towards a vast and completely unknown region of liie eai'th's surface — were singular, not to say alarming, it will be interesting to know Avhat was their usual mode of proceeding after they had fairly entered upon the ice. It was I'arry's intention to travel at night exclusively, and to rest by day— there being, of ooiu'se, constant daylight in these regions in the summer season. The advantages of so doing were that in travelling at night the more intense and oppressive glare of the sun, producing the innammation of the eyes 14 I J 280 EXPEDITIONS OF PARRY AND ROSS— lS27-2:i. known as " snow-blindnoss," was avoided ; that the warmer hours of the twenty-four were those devoted to sleep and to the drying of clothes which were ahuost constantly wet when in use ; and that the snow, being somewhat hanler at night than during the day, presented a firmer surface to the runners of the sledges. But this travelling by night and sleeping by day inverted the natural order of things, and led to the most confused notions. The men declared that they never knew night from day during the whole excursion, and even the oflicers and the commander, though they were furnished with pocket chronometers, were often confused as to the time of day. " When wo rose in the evening," writes Parry, "avc commenced our day by pi'ayers, after which we took off our fur sleeping-dresses, and put on those for travelling — the former being made of camblet lined with racoon skin, and the latter of strong blue box-cloth. We made a point of putting on the same stockings and boots for travelling in, whether they had dried during the day or not ; and I believe it was only in five or six instances at the most that they were not either still wet or hard-frozen. This indeed was of no consequence, beyond the discomfort of first putting them on in this state, as they were sure to be thoroughly wet in a quarter of an hour after commencing our journey ; while, on the other hand, it was of vital imi)ortancc to keep dry things for sleei)ing in. lieing rigged for travelling, we breakfasted upon warm cocoa and biscuit, and after stowing the things on the boats and on the sledges, so as to secure them as much as possible from wet, we set off on our day's journey, and usually ti'avelled from five to five and a half houi'S, according to circumstances. After this we halted /or t/ie ni'jlit, as we called it, though it was usually early in the morning, selecting the largest surface of ice wo happened to be near, for hauling the boats on, in order to avoid the danger of its breaking-up by coming in con- tact with other masses, and also to prevent drift as nmch as possible. The boats were placed close alongside each other, with their sterns to the wind, the snow or wet cleared out of them, and the sails, supported by the bamboo masts and three paddles, placed over them as awnings, an entrance being left at the bow. Every man then immediately put on dry stockings and fur boots, after which we set about the necessary repairs of boats, sledges, or clothes ; and after serving the provisions for the succeeding day, Ave went to supper. Most of the oflicers and men then smoked their pipes, which served to dry the boats and awnings very nuich, and usually raised the temperature of our lodgings 10 or IT)". This part of the twenty-four hours was often a time, and the only one, of real enjoyment to us ; the men told their stories and ' fought all their battles o'er again,' and the labours of the day, unsuc- cessful as they too often were, were forgotten. A regular watch was set during our resting-tinie, to look out for bears or for the ice brcaking-ui» round us, as well as to attend to the drying of the clothes — each man alter- ROUTINE OF MARCH. .'Ml natoly takinff this duty for one hour. "We theu couohuh-d our (hvy with prayers, and havini;' put on our fur (h'csses, hiy a covered with detached and drifting masses of ice to reach the extreme north latitude of 90". Nothing could surpass the daring of the undertaking, exce[)t the unsupportably laborious means by which the explorers sought to accom- plish it. At the outset, over the Polar Sea to the north of Spitzbergen, the pieces of ice were found to be of small extent and very rugged, and the party were obliged to make three and sometimes four journeys irom point to point, and to launch the boats several times across narrow pools of water, in order to keep their stores, clothing, etc., together. This hard Avork, however, was no more than they expected to have to go through, imtil they had crossed the margin of the ice, and every man of the party exerted himself to his utmost in the \\o\)C of coming upon easier ground after getting upon the main or "field" ice. After a most exhausting day's work, the explorers stojiped to dine at five o'clock in the morning of the '1^A\\, " aflev having made about two miles and a half of nortliinu" The early dinner having been despatched, they set oft' again — floundering through the i)ools, scraml)ling across the chasms between the ice-blocks, clambering up the hummocks, and by main force dragging the boats after them, and returning to the point from which they set out, again and yet again, for the bags of pemmican, the cocoa, biscuit, clothes, etc. — until eleven a.af. Their day's work was now done, and their evening had now come, and they halted to sleep — their last operation before closing their eyes being to take an ol)serv;i- tion at noon, by which they ascertained that they had reached the high latitude of ST l.V X., or i32o geographical miles in direct line from the North Pole. Aroused at eight o'clock at night by an outrageous blast on the bugle, blown by some brawny tar who, no douI)t, indulge I his humour by astonishing his "mates" Avith a reveille, such as never before had been extracted from any known brass instrument, this singularly situated " com- pany of adventurers " commenced their morning's Avork at half-past nine at " We found our Avay," says Parry, in his blunl and sim[)le fashion - 5 -J N night >4 282 EXPEDITIOXS OF PAUnY ANJJ JiOf;S—A><'27-^?>. too {,TiniIy earnest to be conscious of any such trifling,' matter as literary style — "to lie over notliint,' but small, I'^ose, ru«,'gcd masses of ice, sei)aratetl by little pools of water, ()bli,L;ing us constantly to launch and haul up the boats, each of Nvliich oiterations required them to be unload(;d, and occupied nearly a quarter of an lujur. It came on to rain very hard on the morning of the 20th, and finding we were making very little progress (having ad- vanced not more than half-a-mile in four hours), and that our clothes would be soon wet through, ,ve halted at half-past one and took shelter under the awnings. 1'he weather improving at six o'clock, we again moved forward, and travelled till a quarter-past eleven, when we hauled the boats upon the only tolerably large floe-})iece in sight. The rain had very much increased the quantity of water lying upon the ice, o ' which nearly half the surface was now covered with numberless little ponds of various shapes and extent." The journey was resumed at half-past nine at night. Parry states it as a remarkable fact that, in the course of this summer expedition, more rain fell than had fallen ('uring the whole of the seven previous sununers which he had passed in the Arctic regions taken totjetlier, although he had passed these seven seasons in latitudes from T to 15^ lower than the tract in which he now found himself. This fact is corroborative of the statement made by all recent Arctic navigators, that the climate of the most remote north Polar regions hitherto reached is really milder than it is in those more southeru tracts between Lancaster Sound and the northern shores of the American continent, in Avhich, for the last three and a half centuries, we have been seeking a North-West Passage into the Pacific. He also observed that much of the ice over which he passed from day to day took a peculiar formation, owing, as he believed, to the action of the rain. The ice referred to was composed, on its upper surface, of "number- less, irregular, needle-like crystals, placed vertically, and nearly close together; their length varying in difterent pieces of ice, from five to ten inches, and their breadth in the middle about half an inch, but ijointcd at both ends. The iqiper surface of ice having this structure sometimes looks like greenish velvet ; a vertical section of it, which fi'cquently occurs at the margin of floes, resembles, while it remains compact, the most beautiful satin-spar. . . . At this early part of the season, this kind of ice aftbrded pretty firm footing, but as the summer advanced, the needles became more loose and movable, rendering it extremely fatiguing to walk over them, besides cutting our boots and feet, on which account the men called them ' pen- knives.' It appeared probable to lis that this peculiarity might be produced by the heavy drops of rain piercing their way downwards through the ice, and thus separating the latter into needles of the form above described, rather than to any regular crystallisation when in the act of freezing." After travelling all night the party came, on the morning of the 28th TXCTDENTS OF THE MAHCII. 283 -Func, to Ji floo, wliicli roso in sovoral siK-cessivo tiei's and was covered with liij^li and rn^fged huinniocks. No sooner ilid tlio explorers snrniount one icy ridi^e than another presented itself. "Over one of these," writes Parry, "we lianled the boats with extreme difliculty by a 'standing i»ull,' and the weather being then so tliick that we conld see no pass across the next tier, we were obliged to stop at nine a.m. While performing this iaborions work, which reqnired the boats to be got np and down places almost l>erpendiculai', James Parker, my coxswain, received a .severe contusion in his back, by the boat falling ui)on him from a hummock ; anil the boats were constantly subject to very severe blows, but sustained no damage. The weather continued very foggy during the day, but a small lane of water opening out at no gi-eat distance fiom tlie margin of the Hoe, wi; launched the boats at eiglit in the evening, among loose drift-ice, and alter some time landed on a small floe to the eastward, the only one in sight, with the hope of its leading to the northward. It proved so rugged that we were obliged to make three, and sometimes four journeys with the boat:, and provision.^, and this by a very ciicuitous route, so that the road by which we madt; a mile of northiny; was full a mile and a half in Icnj-th, and over this we had to travel at least five and sometimes seven times. Thus, when we halted to dine at two a.m., and after six hours' severe toil and much risk to the men and boats, avc had t)nly accomplished about a mile and a cpiarter in a north- north-east direction. After dining we proceeded again till half-past six, and then halted, very much fatigued with our day's work, and having made only two miles and a half of northing." Such was the stupend(iusly laborious manner in which the expedition ci ept northward from day to day. I>ut to ensure even the most moderate progress many })recautions had to be observed. As soon as the i)arty had crossed over a i)Ool or a channel to a Hoc-piece, Captain Parry and Lieutenant lioss usually went on ahead to select the easiest route for the boats, -which in the meantime were being hauled up from the water on to the ice. ^\fter these leaders came a party dragging small sledges extemporised out of a number of snow-shoes which Parry had brought Avith him, but Avhich could not be put to their l(!gitimate use owing to the rugged and broken character of the ice. Ui)on these small sledges provisions, etc., were carried. A fair track was thus marked out across the snow and ice, and the road was in a manner made for the sledge-boats, which were dragged along on their " runners " of steel. The incidents of one day's travel, however, were repeated with hardly any variation on the next, and the painful monotony oppressed the ti- vellers. Often I'arry and Ivoss mounted the highest hummocks which roso co fifteen and twenty feet above the sea, to survey this singular '' ctnmtry," where the only "ground " was rc- [»resented by loosely Hoating blocks and fields of ice. But the dreariness which such a view presented was beyond anything the travellers had ever before H i 284: KXPKIHTfOXS OF /'AJiRY AM) JiOSS-lH'27--3^. concoivod. " Tlie cyo wearied itself in vuiii to find an object but ice and sky to rest npon; and soon the latter was often hidden from onr view by the dense and dismal fo^s Avhitdi so ifenerally i)revailed. For want of variety, the most trillin<;' circnmstunce engaged a more than ordinary share of our attention — a passing gnll, or a mass of ice of nnusual form, l)ecame objects which our situation and circimistances magnified into ridiculous importance ; and wo have often smiled to remember the eager interest with which we regarded many insignificant occurrences. Tt may well be imagined, then, how cheering it was to turn from this scene of inanimate desolation, to our two little boats in the distance — to see the moving figures of our men Avinding with their sledges among the hummocks, and to hear once more the sonnd of Innnan voices breaking the stillness of this icy wilderness." On the '2d July the weather was calm, the sun oppressively warm, and the glare of tlie unsetting sun was thrown np from the .snow so dazzlingly as to produce a most jiainful sensation in the eyes, and rendered it necessary to halt, to avoid being blinded. Advantage Avas taken of the warm weather to allow the men to wash them.selves and dry their clothes. "When the march was resinned after an hour or two, the snow was found to be so soft that the travellers sank into it to above the knees at every step. A halt was called till midnight, after which the snow was firmer l)ut still so soft as to make the travelling very fatiguing. ^Vt first the rout^^ lay across a number of small loose jiieces of ice, from five to twenty yards apa.i, or Just sufficiently separated to render the launching and haiding up of the boats necessary without affording any facilities for making progress by water. In other cases where the chasms between the pieces were less than twenty feet wide, the boats were laid across as bridges, on which the men cri o'^.l with their baggage. On the morning of the 3d, a floe a mile in width \vas reached, on the level jjarts of which there was a layer of five inches of half-frozen snow, overlying a de})th of four or five inches of snow water; "bnt the moment we approached a luunmock," says Parrj^ "the depth to which Ave sank increased to three feet or more, rendering it difiicult at times to obtain sufficient footing for one leg, to enable lis to extricate the other. The pools of Avater had lunv also become very large, some of them being a quarter of a mile in length, and their depth above onr knees. ... On this kind of road Ave Avere, in one instance, above two hours in proceeding a distance of one hundred yards ! We halted at half-past six a.m. to dine, and to empty onr boots and Avring our stockings, Avhich to our feelings Avas almost like putting on dry ones ; and again set in an liour, getting at length into a ' lane ' of Avater one mile and a qnarter long, in a north-north-east direction. Wo halted for the night at half'-an-hour before midnight, the people being almost pxliansted Avith a laborious day's Avork, and our distance made good to the nortliAvard not exceeding two miles and a quarter. Wc alloAved ourselves IfAIiD wonK L'S.') this nij^lit a hot supfxT coiisistinj]; of a pint ol' soup per in;\ii, made of an ounce of pcmniican each, and cii-lit or ten birds which w(^ had kiHcd in the course of the hist week-and tliis was a luxury which persons thus situated eouUl perhaps ahnie duly appreciate." The animals seen on this long day's journey were a few rotyes, a dovekie, a loom, a malh'uuicke, and two oi- three very small seals. On the uij.;ht of the oil July heavy rain fell, and on .setliuj;' out on the niyht of the 4th, the explorers found themselves siuroundeil hy loose drift- ice, without a Hoe, much less an ice-tield, in si<;ht. The rain had produced a greater effect than the sun in .softening the snow. J 'any and Uo.ss, in performing their i)ioneer dnty, were often so beset in the snowy sludge, that sometinu's, after trying in vain to extricate their l<\gs, they were obligetl to sit quietly down among the freezing liipiid for a short time to rest them- selves, and then make another attempt ; while the men, in dragging the sledges by means of the shoulder-strap and rope, Avcro often obliged " to crawl upon all-fours to make any prdgress at all." Observations taken on the r)th showed that latitude 81 4.V had been reached. IJising at five p.m. on this day, l*arry found the weather clear and fine, with a motlerate breeze from the south. No land was in sight x'rom the highest Inunmocks — all round to the horizon the Avide white i)lain was full of loose, broken ice. The explorers hauled u}) their boats across several pieces scarcely large enough to bear the weight, and in these cases, they were careful to divide the baggage, so that, in case of the ice breaking or turning over, they should not lose the whole of it at once. The farther the jKirty proceeded, the smaller were the i)ieces into which the ice was broken. The ice-blocks were much smaller in this high latitude than at any point between the position in Avhich the explorers now were and the edge of the " pack " on which they had entered innnediately after leaving the " Ilecla." Amid this broken ic(! the men led a sort of amphibious existence for many days, and their labours were exhausting and severe in the extreme. But they Ixire uji against their hardships and dilliculties with great cheerfulness and goodwill — always hoping soon to reach the "main ice" to the northward of Spitzbergen, which Captain I.utwidge (of Phi|»ps' expedition) had descri1)ed as " one continued plain of smooth, unbroken ice, bounded only by the horizon." On the 8th the ice met with was of a kind still lighter than any they had yet seen. On the f/th there was much rain ; but in s[)ite of it, the boats started at half-past .seven p.>r., crossing the loo.se masses, much of the surface of which consisted of the vertical neeiUes or " penknives " already mentioned. After pushing on amid the rain, and through the melted snow, for an hour, •' we halted," says Parry, " to save our shirts, which were the oidy dry clothes belonging to us." .Soon after midnight, the rain l)eing succeeded by one of the thickest fogs Parry ever saw, the t;avellers again proceeded, groping 286 EXPEDITIONS OF rAIlRY AND IiOSS—lS27-^3. tlicir way almost yard by yard from one small detached mass to another. At half-past two A.^r. on the 10th they reached a floe, which appeared at hrst a level, n.nd a large one, bnt was fonnd to be covered with immense ponds or rather small lakes of fresh watrr, too deep for wading. So great was the diflicnlty of getting forward with boats, baggage, etc., on this tloe, that the party had to traverse some parts of it five times over. Halting at six A.M., after a most laborious day's journey of only one mile and three- quarters' distance in a north-north-west direction (in making Avhich, hoAvever, many miles had been traversed), the latitude was found to be 82° 3' N., the longitude 28° 17' E. . Heavy rain fell on the 11th, but could not keep back the part}', Avho, having discovered a lane of water, launched the boats and rowed half-a-mile, when, the rain becoming much heavier, a halt was called, and the men got under the cover of the awnings to keep their shirts dry — " which Avas the more necessary," says Parry, " as we had only one spare one between every two individuals." After a slight refreshment of a little rum and a mouthful of biscuit, travelling Avas resumed until half-past seven the folloAving morn- ing, Avhen the party stopped to take supper, and have their day's sleep. As the explorers advanced nortlnvard, the birds became scarcer, and on this last day's march only one kittiAvake and a boatsAvain {Lentris prfrasiticns) were seen. Setti?ig off again on the evening of the 11th in the midst of a thick, Avet fog, Avhich obliged them to put on their travelling clothes dripi)ing Avet as AA'lien they had put them off' before retiring to sleep, the explorers pushed on over the llocs till midnight, Avhen they halted to dine, and obtained the altitude of the sun, Avhich placed them in latitude 82° 11'. The folloAving day Avas clear and fin{>, the thermometer standing at about "6° in the shade, and the sky delightfully bright after the recent rains and fogs. A start Avas again made at seven in the evening over a floe that Avas so intersected by ponds and by streams running into the sea, that traA-elling in anything like >'. straight line Avas impossible. But if anything could have compensated for the delay thus occasioned, it AVduld have been " the beautiful blue colour peculiar to these super-glacial lakes, Avhich is certaiidy one of the most pleasing tints in nature." A resting-place Avas reached at six a.m. on the 1 3th, after " haA'ing gained only tAvo miles and a half of northing, oaxt a road of aboLii four, and this accomplished by ten hours of fatiguing exertion." The latitude s.as noAV 82 17'. On again over the broken ice at seven in the CA'cning ! Besides behig much broken, and thus obliging the men to bo constant'y launching and hauling up the boats, much of the ico Avas so thin that it Avas dangerous to place any heaA'y package upon it, " and," says Parry, " it Avas often a nervous thing to see our Avhole means of existence lying on a decayed sheet, having holes quite through it in many parts, and Avhich the smallest motion among the surrounding masses nn"ght have "TTA TR-nnEA DTU 'SCA PES.' 287 instantly broken into pieces. There was, however, no elioicc except between this ronte and the more rnggcd thongh safer hnmniocks, which cost ten times the hibonr to pass over. Mounting one of the highest of these at nine p. jr., we couhl discover nothing to the northward but the same broken and irreguh\r surface ; and we now began to doubt whetlicr we shoukl at all meet with the solid fields of unbroken ice which every account had led us to expect in a much lower latitude than this." The night of the 13th was remarkably clear, with the most regular and beautiful " mackerel " sky Parry had ever seen. No land or indication of land was to be seen from the loftiest hummock:\ some of which rose to forty feet in height ; and a strong yellow ice-blink ovcr.spread the Avholc northern horizon. After five hours' miceasing labour, the explorers stoi)ped to dine at half-an-hour past midnight, having only advanced a mile and a half due north, though they had traversed at least ten miles, making circuits and going over a great part of the ground three times with loads of stores. In this five hours' journey they had launched and hauled up the boats four times, and dragged them over twenty-five separate pieces of ice. The same kind of travelling was resumed after the midnight dinner. ]\Iany of the ice- masses were separated from each other about half the length of the boat- sledges, and in crossing from one to another the officers were stationed at the dangerous places to see that no precaution was omitted to secure the safe transport of the provisions. ]\[ore than once, on the 14th, the men were obliged to ferry their provisions across a pool or channel upon a small piece of ice — the situation being such as to preclude making use of the boats. On such an occasion, had any accident occurred, such as the breaking, sinking, or overturning of the ice-piece, the provisions nmst have been HTctrievably lost, and the whole party must have perished of want. The anxiety, therefore, Avith which this ferrying process was conducted, was altogether beyond description. Wherever the boats could be hauled across with the provisions in them, this mode of transport was preferred. While this was being done, on one occasion, the ice on which the boat rested began to sink, and then turned over on one side, almost upsetting the l)oat with the provisions in her. The moment was critical, and had not a number of the men instantly jumped upon the ice, and restored the balance by their weight, they might have been kit entirely without provisions fa!- out in the Polar Sea. At six at night the expedition was again moving, but Avas delayed for twelve hours by heavy rain. " I had never before seen any rain in the I'olar regions to be compared to this, which continued, without intermission, for twenty-one hours, sometimes falling with great violence ami in large drops." On the loth the weather was clear and fair, and, climbing to the top of a huramock forty feet in height, Parry was unable to see anything but ice, 288 EXPEDITIONS OE PARRY AND ROSS— 1827-23. with small patches of water. On this day the floes traversed Avcrc larger and the ice heavicu- than any the explorers had yet seen on the voyage. Their thickness did not generally exceed nine or ten feet, which is not more than the usual thickness of the floes in Baffin's Bay and Hudson's Strait, while it is a great deal less than the ordinary dimensions of the ice about ]\Ielville Peninsula, and not half the thickness of that which Parry had seen on the shores of the western extremity of INIelville Island, " though," says the commander, " these places lie from eight to twenty degrees south of our present latitude." Towards midnight on the 18th there were smart showers of rain, with " dry, clear intervals between them, just as on an April day in England. This kind of weather, Avhich continued for several hours, harassed the men very much, as it was too warm for working with their jackets on, and they wetted their shirt sleeves when they took them off". I think the blue sky between the clouds this night was as transparent and almost of as deep a blue as I ever saw it." Indeed the whole of the evidence adduced by Parry during this expedition, on the question of climate, goes to prove that in this, the most northern region of the Polar Sea ever visited by civil- ised man, the temperature of the air and of the sea were considerably higher, the ice lighter, and the climate milder than in much lower latitudes on the eastern coasts of the American continent. From day to day the explorers continued, with noble perseverance, to push on towards the north, in the hope that, though it was now impossible they should be able to reach the North Pole during what remained of the open season, they would at least be able to reach a latitude considerably higher than had been attained by any previous expedition. On the morning of the 20th July, however, Parry made a discovery which clouded his hopes and caused him much vexation and disappointment. At noon on the day named he ascertained, by observation, that his latitude was only 82° 3G', "being loss," he says, " than Jfve miles to the northward of our place at noon on the 17th, since which time Ave had certainly travelled tivelee miles in that direction." On the 21st the latitude Avas only 82' 39', being but tAvo miles and a quarter to the north'vard of the preceding day's observation, or four and a half miles to the southAvard of Parry's reckoning. On the 22d the expedi- tion advanced betAveen ten and eleven miles in a north-north-east direction ; but Avhat Avas the commander's disappointment to find that ho had only reached latitude 82° 43', or not quite four miles to the northward of the lati- tude observed on the preceding day, instead of the ten or eleven miles Avhich had been actually traversed ! The discouraging truth Avas noAV only too apparent. The travellers during their eight hours of daily rest and sleep were hcUhj drifted to the souf/iivard by the current prevailing in this part of the Polar Sea and by the north and north-Avest Avinds against Avhich they had to contend. Though this fact Avas noAV sulliciently apparent to the com- THE HIGHEST LATITUDE EVER REACHED. 289 mandcr and his officers, the men were still unaware of it, and commenced tbclr labour every day with the greatest cheerfulness and goodwill, though they were often heard to exclaim, laughingly — " We are a long time getting to this 83° ! " On the 23d four miles and a half were made in a north-north-cast direc- tion, over a road of seven and a half miles, most of which was traversed as usual three times, and the only notice of animal life in the journal for the day, is an entry to the effect that the travellers had "heard a rotge " or little auk. On the 2-ith two miles and three-quarters had been made, and when the travellers halted "for the night," at two a.m. on the 2.3th, so small was the ice around them, that it was with some difficulty a piece could be found sufficiently large to trust the boats upon while they rested. " Such," says Parry, " was the ice in the latitude of 82° 4."y." On the evening of the 2.3lh an attempt Avas made to resume the journey ; but a snowstorm coming on, orders were given to stop, to put the awnings over the boats. At noon on the 20th, the weather having improved. Parry obtained the meridian altitude of the sun, by which he found himself in latitude 82' 40' ; " so that," says the leader of the expedition, " since our last observation we had lost, by drift, no less than thirteen miles and a half ; for we were now more than three miles to the southward of that observation, though we had certainly travelled between ten and eleven miles due north in this interval ! Again, we were but one mile to the north of our place at noon on the 21st, though we had estimated our distance, made good, at twenty-three miles. Thus it appeared that for the last five days we had been struggling against a southerly drift exceeding four miles a day !" The time had now come for Captain Parry to review the situation iu which he found himself as the commander of a party of twenty-four persons, who had made their nightly bivouac for weeks upon floating ice-floes, who had now reached a sea over which no keel had ever ploughed, who had no resources except the provisions they carried with them, and of which any of the accidents to which they were constantly liable might deprive them at any moment, and whose daily efforts to push on northwards Avere all but neutralised by a southward drift. For some time past it had been evident to himself and his ofiicers that the ice with which they had to contend was so broken and rough, and its drift to the southward so great, that they could not hope for anything but a very moderate .share of success in travelling to the northward. Still, they had been anxious to reach the highest latitude possible under the circumstances ; and with this view — although the great object of the expedition, the attainment of the latitude of 90", had long been regarded as hopeless — they had continued their northern journeys for thirty- five days, or until half their resources were expended and the middle of the season reached. " For the last few days," says Parry, " the eighty-third 5 2 o ^ •290 KXPEDITIOXS OF PARRY AND ROSS— lf^27 -?>?>. liavallcl was tlie limit to which wc had ventured to extend our hopes ; but even tliis expectation liad become considerably weakened since the setting in of the last northerly wind, which continued to di-ive us to the southward during the necessary hoiu'S of rest, nearly as much as we could gain by eleven or tAvclve hours of daily labour. Had our success been at all propor- tionate to our exertions, it was my full intention to have proceeded a few days beyond the middle of the period for wh'i.h we Avcre provided. But this ■\vas so far from being the case that I coidd not but consider it as incurring useless fatigue to the officers anu men, and imnccessary wear and tear for the boats, to per.severe any longer in the attempt. I determined, therefore, on giving the people one entire day's rest, which they very much needed, and time to wash and mend their clothes, while the olliccrs Averc occupied in making all the observations Avhich might be interesting in this latitude ; and then to set out on our return on the foUoAving day." These intentions Avere communicated to the men, Avho, though much disappointed in learning hoAv unavailing had been their exertions, cheerfully set about their preparations for the return A^oyage. The interest of Parry's last Arctic A'oyage reaches its climax at the time Avhen the expedition attained its northernmost point. " This," says the commander himself, " Avas probably at seven A.^r. on the 23d, Avhen, after the midnight obserA'ation, Ave travelled, by our account, something more than a mile and a half, Avhich Avould carry us a little beyond 82' 45'," This is the highest latitude CA'er actually reach.ed by any Arctic explorer doAvn to the present date, so that the name of I'arry still heads the list of the explorers in Arctic seas. In lat. 82^ 45' the explorers had reached a point only 172 miles distant from the " Hecla," but in reaching this point they had tra- versed 292 miles, of Avhich about 100 Avcre performed by Avater previously to entering on the ice ; and as by far the greater part of the distance on the ice was travelled over three, and not unfrequently five, times, the entire distance travelled may be set doAvn at 580 geographical, or 088 statute, miles — or about the entire distance from the position of the " Hecla " to the Pole in a direct line. The day set ai)art for rest previous to commencing the return voyage Avas Avarm and pleasant. The explorers displayed their ensigns and pendants during the day ; " and," says Parry, " sincerely as avc regretted not having been al)le to hoist the British flag in the highest latitude to which Ave had aspired, Ave shall perhaps be excused in having felt some little pride in being the bearers of it to a paiallel considerably beyond that mentioned in any other Avell-authenticated record." The r(!turn journey Avas commenced on the 27th at 4.o0 I'.^r., and Parry states, that " dreary and desolate as Avere the scenes Ave Avere about to leave, we never turned homcAvards Avith so little satisfaction as on this occasion." m^. 3 THE LAST OF PAIiRY. 291 We cannot share in the coniniander's jj:encrou.s rcgi'ct. lie was not return- ing from the discovery of another Lancaster Sound, or from exploring the shores of a new Kegent's Inlet (and thus bringing previously unknown regions within the compass of geographical knowledge, and pointing out new iishing grounds, in which our whalers have reaped splendid harvests for half a cen- tury), as he had done on earlier voyages ; but he had carried the British flag to remoter regions than had over been reached before, and thus conferred a lustre upon the naval renown of his country which has remained undimmed down to +he present day. It liai> not been our practnc to describe return voyages in detail. Ex- ploration usually terminates, and the interest of a voyage of discovery cul- minates, at the point where the explorers Pud it necessary to steer for home. Besides, the return from an Arctic enterprise is generally conducted with as much expedition as possible, and as hunger usually spurs the energies of the retreating navigator, there is but little time spent in making obser- vations of any kind. Parry's party were not without this wholesome incen- tive to activity on their retreat to the " Ileda." On the 7th xVugust, Avhilo the men were detained in the boats by rain, a fat she-bear crossed over a lane of water to visit them, and approaching the boats within twenty yards, was killed by Lieutenant Ross. " The scene which followed," says Parry, " was laughable even to us who participated in it. Before the animal had done biting the snow, one of the men was alongside of her with an open knife, and, being asked what he was about to do, replied that he was going to cut out her heart and liver to put into the pot, which happened to be then boil- ing for our supper. In short, before the bear had been dead an hour, all hands of us were employed, to our great satisfaction, in discussing the merits, not only of the said heart and liver, but a pound per man of the flesh ; besides which, some or other of the men were constantly frying steaks during the whole day over a large fire made of the blubber." On the 11th, open water was reached, and the sea was found dashing with heavy surges against the outer masses of ice on the southern edge of the pack. On one of these masses the boats were drawn up, and the last meal the explorers were to eat on the ice upon which they had lived for forty-eight days was prepared. The boats were then launched, and sail was made for Table Island, which was reached in safety next day. On tne 21st I'arry and his companions reached the " Ilecla " without mishap, after an absence of sixty-one days, and after travelling 1127 statute miles. The homeward voyage of the " Ilecla " commenced on the 28th August. The weather was beautifully fine, and the sun was seen by Pai-ry, for the first time for four months, to dip his lower limb into the sea at midnight and then at once to rise again. All around the northern coast of Spitz- bergen, where in May and June not a hole of clear water had been found, 292 EXPEDITIONS OF PARRY AND ROSS- 1827-22. not a single mass of ice was now to be seen in any direction. The voyage was prosperous and uneventful, and on the 23d September the " Hecia " read ed the Orkney Isles, whence Captain Parry took passage in the revenue cutter " Chichester " to Inverness. On the 29th tiie famous navigator reported himself arrived, at the Admiralty, Loudon. By a snigular coincidence Captain Franklin had arrived from his second expedition to the Polar Sea on the same day as Parry, and the two great seamen, arriving at the Admiralty within ten minutes of each other, were not more surprised than delighted at this most remarkable and unexpected rencontre. The " Hecla " was paid off on the 1st November, and for the last time Parry hauled down his pendant. His work as an Arctic explorer was done, although to his latest years he continued to take the greatest interest in Arctic enterprises, and continued to afford the Admiralty the most valuable advice and assistance in equipping subsequent expeditions. It is gratifying to reflect that the value of the work ho had accomplished was amply and generously appreciated by all classes of his countrymen. For months after his return he was received with enthusiasm wherever he went. Distinctions were showered upon him both at home and on the Continent. He received a most generous letter from Lord INIelville, the heact of the Admiralty, in which his own extraordinary exertions and those of his boats' crews were duly acknowledged. The remainder of his professional career was distin- guished, and some time after his death, 8tli July 1855, the Times, in speaking of his services, said, with a truth that remains unimpeachable to the present day : " No successor on the path of Arctic adventure has yet snatched the chaplet from the brow of this great navigator. Parry is still the champion of the North ! " i