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1 2 3

f 4^

THE NORWEGIAN POLAR EXPEDITION

1893-1896.

"FARTHEST NORTH

>»

DR. FRIDTJOF NANSEN

f'OLD MEDALLIt^T, R.G.S.

"^^yvTyth-jU

^iux|/f^*^^t^

FRIDTJOF NANSENS

"FARTHEST NORTH"

BEING THE RECORD OF A
VOYAGK OF EXPLORATION OF
THE SHIP FRAM 1893-96 AND
OF A FIFTEEN MONTHS' SLEIGH
JOURNEY BY DR. NANSEN AND
LIEUT. JOHANSEN WITH AN
APPENDIX BY OTTO SVERDRUP
C^ A P T A I N OF THE FR A Af

AliOUT ONE HUNDRED AND iWENlV

FULL PAGE AND

NUMEROUS TEXT ILLUSTRATIONS

AND COLOURED PLATE

IN FACSIMILE FROM

DR. NANSEN'S OWN SKETCH KS

PORTRAIT

AND MArs

Vol. I

bonbon:

CEORGE NEWNES, Ltd.
1898

.00

V, I

AMCHir.ALD CONSTABl.K c\ Co.

LONDON :

IIARKISON AND SONS, ST. MARIIN's lANF.,

I'KINTEKS I.N OUUINAKY TO IIEK MAJKSIV.

"l '-

H E R

WHO

CHRISTENED THE SHIP

AND

HAD THE COURAGE TO WAIT.

PUBLISHER'S NOTK.

The Map is boutul in at ihc end of tin- X'olume.

For permission lo reproduce die map of I'Van/ Josef
Land in Julius I'ayer's Xac /.in/</s //'/////// //u- jhrfir
CircU\ the publishers are indehteil to the courtesy of
Messrs. Macmiilan and Com[)any.

;er

'ir

„f

COXTHNTS.

Pack.
CHAPIKK I.

iMKOOtJCllON I

CHAPTKR II.

l'l<i;i'\liAII()Ns AM) Ei.)riI'.\IK.\ 1 \\

CHAri'KR III.
The SiAKi , , . . . (i\

CHAPTER IV.

lv\KI AVI II. TO Xokw.w . , 7 7

CHAl'TER V.

\'()VA(;i riiKort.H iiiii FC\ka Si a . , 105

CHAITKR VI.
'Xwv. WiNTEK Nir.iir . . \^^

CHAPTKR Vli.

The Spring and Si'mmkk or 1894. ....... . rigi

CIIArTER VIII.

SiXTiXI) AUTIMN IN Mil. Ic I'.

r\c.i'

;4i

cnAriKR IX.

^^"I: Pkli'ARE iok tin: Si.ldci. Iaitdiiion

llIAPTEK X
'I'lir: New Year 1S95 419

iHAriKR XI.

W'f. .Maki. a Siaki

4.SI

<Mi

r\(;K
34 r

;r^9

419

4.- 1

LIST or ILLUSTRATIONS.

COLOURED ri.ATK.

Kv( NMN*; Among Dri !■ ricr:.

lUl

I, I

\GE PLATED

\(;r.

Portrait of Dr. Nansen ......

F<ontispi(ic

Otto Svcrdru[) .......

'«9S

Scott-Hanscn

'Sfr.

Hjalmar Joliansc-n ......

1 r

Theodor C. Jacolj-scii ....

'.S

Henrik Blessing ......

.S95

Lars Petterscn . . ......

Anton Amundsen ......

-9

Adolf Jucll

1 89,^

\},

Peter Henri ksen

4,?

Bernt l^entzeii .......

Bernard Nordahl ......

Ivar Mog.stad .......

Tiie /'hrm leaving Hergcn .....

Dr. Blessing in his Cabin .....

Fir.st Drift-ice (July 28th. 189^5) . . . /,y Olto

Sindi)}:-^

The Smithy on the Frain

«\S

Scott-Hansen and Johansen Inspcctnig the Barometers

•

Christofcrsen and I'loiitheim

Fram in the Kara Sea

Off the Coast of Siberia

A Warm Corner among the Walrus .

Flaying Walruses ....

Magnetic Observation

I Let Loose some of the Dogs .

The Men who were Afraid of Frightening the

A Chronometer Observation

Sverdrup's IJear Trap

At the Coming of Spring .

Returning Home after Sunset

Taking a Sounding of 2,058 Fathoms

Ice Stratification ....

Observing the Eclipse oi the Sun

Reading the Temperature witli a L^: s

A Summer Evening ....

Drift-ice in Summer ....

Summer (iuests ....

Rhodostethia rosea ....

Homesickness . . . . .

A Summer Scene, July, 1894

The Stern of the Fram, Johansen, and Dog

Peter Henriksen in a Brown Study

Nansen takeo a Walk

I'etterscn afier the E.\i)losion

A Summer Evening ....

In line for the Photograi)her

Page.

. 99

By Otto Sindiiij^ \ 1 1

• 134

By Otto Sindiii^': 147

By Otto Sindi/ig 149

. 163

. By //. Egidius \ 7 1

Bear Jix A. Blocli 173

341
249

257

265

• 273
281
289

305

307

309

3'5
321

3 -'5
327
336

V ,-/. B/oc/j 337

• 345

361

xni

Deep '\\'ater 'l"c\nperatures, July, 1804

The Return of Snowshocrs

Scott-Hansen's Observatory

I addressed tlic Slii[)'s Company

Musical I'lntertainment

Captain Sverdrup in his Cabin

The Fram after Ice-pressure

The Winter Nigln .

A Whist Tarty in the Saloon

The Fram in the I< e

Upper End of Sup[)er Table

Lower I'.nd of Supper Table

The Crew after Second AVinter, I'ebruary, 1895

7^16 Start from the Fram, March, 1^95

Bx A. Ekbakke

Page.

377

• 383
/)!'/. Xordha^cii ,^85

• 393

. )Ot

409

• }i7
■ ^25

• 433
^Vy. Nordha^^en 441

. 440

• )57
173

li.i-USTRATIONS IN I EXT,

Portrait of Cohii Ardier

Designs for the Frnni ........

The New Church and the Old Church at Khabarova .

Our Trial "i'rip with the Dogs . . . By Otto Siiidiii::,

Evening Scene at Khabarova

Landing on Yahiial ,

The Plain of N'alinai .

In the Kara Sea

Ostrova Kamenni

A Dead Bear on Reindeer Lsland

50
S4

By Otto Si //(//// 1; m^

J\v Otto S//!i////g 107

Fv Otto Si/h////x icS

Fy Otfo Siiidiii::, \ 09

. y\i

XIV

I
I

Tagk.

At First Wo Tried to Drag the Bear .

C!ape ("iielyuskin .....

Oil Land, l^ast of (;ai)e Chelyii.skin .

The Ice into which the Fraiit ^vas I'ro/cn .

The Thermometer House

A Smoke in the ("■alley of the /vv?/// .

The Saloon was converted into a Reading Roon

Dogs Chained on the Ice ....

A[y First .Attempt at Dog Driving

A Lively (lame oi' ( "ards ....

I took the Lantern and gave him a Whack ,

A Nocturnal A'isitant ....

He Staretl, Hesitating, at the Di'licious Morsel

illustrations from the Juainsjaa

J'^aiii I"'eli()\vs on the ^^'arpath .

ra)ii I'cllows still on the AVarpath

It was strange once more to see the Moonlight

A dame of II
Two Friends

uma

K.Nperiment in Sledge Sailin

'iaili

)iece to Clia]

)tv:

Sailing on the l'"resh Water I'ool
Taking \\'ater Temperaturis

Our

Kennels

The DoL

;s baskinc; m tlie .Sun

tiK

1 7th of May Procession, 1 894
Blessing goes off in search of .Mga3
Blessing Fishintr for .Mijiu

/>> .'/. Eicbakh'

121

1\\ OUo yitidiiii:^

'44

Jiy Otto SimUii::

'45

155

• • • •

161

. By A. Eicbakbc

'65

1 . . .

107

. /)!■ If. E:^idiits

183

. Jiy A. Blocit

1S7

207

. By //. ir-/^///y

215

. Jiv //. Ex/<//us

219

. />y Jf. Ey;idiii.s

225

• • • •

226

• • ■ •

226

-^ '^ *7

••Of

-^30

^33

. By A. /IWi

-'77

279

290

297

302

312

313

317

* • • •

326

* • • •

3-^9

l^y H. E^i(Uus

Pressure I\.i(l;^fc on llie Port Quarter o{ Frain, July fsl, i S94

()!i the Ice near the />•(?///

Snowshoe Practir? ....

Return from a Snowshoe Run

Itlock ol" Ice, .September 2.Sth, 1 S94 .

The Waning Day, October, i CS94

\ Snowshoe ICxcursion, Octo'oer, 1 8>;4

On tlie After- Deck of Juain

All Hands on Dec!: ....

A most remarkable Moon .

Tailpiece to Chapter

Sunday .\fterno(;n on Board

The Cookiu';- ApiKiratus .

. />'r //. J^ii^/dias

J\v J''. Aa/zsc//

/\v F. U'/r/iskio/J

l''roin a Diai'/wn

l'Ar;F..
.lU
o39
35^

353
353

"? r" T

359

4-9
437
44S
461
470

Ji,<l

•r.

'T.

T3
C
M

FARTHEST NORTH

IlEINC. TIIK KKCOKI) OK A X'OVACl'. Ol" i;.\l'l.( )KA TlOX Ol
Till-: Silll- hRAM i8<j3-./> AM) IIIK Kl I TKIIN MON TIIS'

si.Kioii j()iKNi:v iiv DR. XAXSKX Axi) i.ii:ri\

JOIIAXSEX Wnil -X AI'I'KXDIX I'.Y OTTO

SVKKDKl.l' CAI'TAIN OF llir:

I'RAM

CHAP'1-EK 1.

INI'ROUUCTION.

" A lime will conic in Inter years when the ( )ccan will unloose the 1 ;mh1s of thinj;s,
wlun the innneasuralile eaiili will lie ojjjn, and Thule will no lon^.r I e the jslreiiie
point amnns; the lands." -Sknkca,

U.vsi.KN and untrodden under their spotless mantle of ire the rij,nd
polar regions sle[)t the proibund sleep of death from the earliest dawn
,01" time. Wrapped iii his wiiite shroud, the mifihty >,nant streli lied
his clanih;)- iie-linil)s al)road, and dreamed his age-loii<f dreams.

Ages passed -dee[) was the silence.

Then, in the dawn ol" history, far away in the south, the awakening
spirit oi" man reared its head on high and gazed over the earth. To
tb.e south it encountered warmtli, to the north, ( old ; and heliiiid
tlie boundaries of tlie unknown, it [jlaced the twin kingdoms ci"
consuming heat aid of deadly cold.

But the limits of the unknown had to recede steji by step before
the ever-increasing yearning of the human mind after light and know-
ledge, till they made a stand in the north at the threshold ol" Nature's
great Ice Ten^ple of the polar regions with their endless silence.

I I

3 Chapt(r I.

Up to this point no insuperable obsta'-les had opposed the progrrs:;
of the advancing hosts, whi<h conridently proceeded on their way.
IJiit liere the ramparts of ice and the long darl^ness of winter l)rought
them to bay. Most after host niarclied on towards the north, only
to suffer defeat. I'resh ranks stood ever ready to advance over the
bodies of their predecessors. Shrouded in fog lay the mythic land of
Nivlheim, where the " Rimturser '"* carried on their wild gambols.

Why did we continually return

to the atta» k ? There in the

darkness and cold stood Helheim, where the death-goddess held her
sway ; there lay Naastrand, the shore of corpses. Thither, wliere no
living being could draw breath, thither troop after troop made its way.
To what end? Was it to bring home the dead, as did Hermod when
he rode after l^aldur ? No! It was simply to satisfy man';; thirst for
knowledge. Nowhere, in truth, has knowletlge been purchaseil at
^leater cost of privation and suffeiing. lUit the spirit of mankind will
never rest till every spot of these regions has been trodden by the foot
of man, till every enigma has been solved.

Minute by minute, degree by degree, we have stolen forwards, wilh
painful effort. Slowly th" day has approached ; even now we are
but in its early iiawn ; darkness still broods over vast tracts around
the I'ole.

Our ancestors, the old ^■ikings, were the first Arctic voyagers. It
has been said that their expeditions to the frozen sea were of no
moment, as they have left no enduring marks behind them. This,
however, is scarcely correct. Just as surely as the sealers and whalers
of our age, in their persistent struggles with ice and sea, form our
outposts of investigation up in the north, so were the old Northmen,
with Eric the Red, l.eif and other.', at their head, the pioneers of the
polar expeditions of future generations.

It should be borne in mind, that as they were the first ocean
navigators, so also were they the first to combat with the ice. Long
before other seafaring nations had ventured to do more than hug ti.e
coast lines, our ancestors had traversed the open seas in all directions,
had discovered Iceland and Greenland, and had colonised them-

^' Frost-giants.

■i

■M

OTTO SVKRDRUP.

{From a plutogral^h taker, in /J\;i.)

B 2

Chapter I.

At a liitiT pi-riod \\\vy (listovert'il Anu-rii a, and did not shrink from
makin;; a straij^ht coiirsi' ovt-r tlu' Atlaiuit Oct'an, from (iri't'idaml
to Norway. Many and many a lioiit did they liavo witli tin- ico alonj,'
till' (oasts of (irt'cidand in tlu'ir opi-n l)arl\s, and maiiv a lil'i- has hccn

lost.

And that \vhi< ii impt'lli'd thi'in to undertake tiu'se lAjK-ditions was
not thi' mt-rt' lovt- of adventure, tliouj^Ii that is, indeed, one of the
essential traits of our national ( harat ter. It was rather tlie necessity
of dis( overin^f new countries for the many restless heinjjs that (ould
not lind suIVk ient room in Norway. I'urthermore, they were stimu-
lated \)\ a \\\\\ desire for knowled^'e. Othar, who ahout 890 resided
in i;n;jland at Alfred's Court, set out on an errand of ^geographical
inxi'stination ; or. as he says himself, " he felt an inspiration and a
desire to learn, to know, and to demonstrate how far the land stretched
towards the north, and if there were any regions iidiahited by man
northward beyond the desert waste." He lived in the northernmost
l)art of Helgeland, probably at Hjarkoi, and sailed round the North
Cape and eastwards, even to the White Sea.

Adam of IJremen relates of Ilarald Ilardrade, "the experienced
king of the Northmen,"' that he undertook a voyage out into the sea
tow.irils the north and "explored the expanse of the northern ocean
with his ships, but darkness spread over the verge where the world falls
away, and he |)Ut about barely in time to I'scape being swallowed in
the vast abyss."' 'I'his was (linnungagaj), the abyss at the world's end.
How far he went, no one knows, but at all events he deserves
recognition as one of the first of the polar navigators that were
animated b)- pure love of knowledge. Naturally, these Northmen
were not free from the superstitious ideas about the polar regions
lirewilenl in their times. There, indeed, they ])laced their (linnun-
gag:ip. their Nivlheim, Helheim, and later on 'l"rolleI)otn ; but even
diese mythical and poetical iileas contained so large a kernel oi"
()l)-.er\ation, that our fathers may be said to have possessed a re-
markably clear conceiition of the true nature of things. How soberly
and correctly they observed, may best be seen a couple of hundred
yt/avs later in Ki'/i^cs/^eikf (" The Mirror of Kings '"). the most
scieiitillc treatise of our ancient literature, where it is said that '' as

ImrocUiction.

soon ns oni' li;is tnivor^eil the j;ri'att'r part of tlu' wild «it'a. oiu- ( onu's
upon MK li a lui;(i' ipiantity of ii »• that nowhcn- in th«j wlink- world
has the likf htm known. >^( nu- of the i( t- is so Hal that it looks a^.
if it wi-rt* fro/L-n on the sea itself; it is from S to lo feet thi< k, and
estemls so fir out into the sea that it would take a jovirni'v of four or
more days to ri'a< h the land o\er it. lUit this ice lies more to the
north I'i'.sl or north. I)e\(ind the limits of the land, than to the soulh
and south-west or west . . . ."

"This ii e is of a wonderful nature. It lies at times rpiite still, a-.
one would e\pc( t, with opening's or larj,a' fjords in it ; hut sometnnes
its movement is so strong' and rapid as to e([ual that of a ship running
hefore the wind, and it drifts a^'amst the wind a> often as with it."

This is a conception all the more remarkahle when \iewe<l ni the
light of the (rude ideas entertained hy the rest of the world at that
period with regard to lore ign climes.

'I'he strength of our people now dwnidled awa\, and ( enturie>
elapsed hefore explorers oik e more sought the northern seas. Then
it was other nations, especially the English and the Dutch, that lei
the \an. The soher ohservations of the old Northmen were forgotten,
and in their stead we meet with repeated instances of the attrac tion ol
mankind towards the most fantastic ideas ; a tenden< \ of thouglit
that found ample scope in the regions of the north. When the cold
proved not to he ahsolutely deadly, theories Hew to the opposite
extreme and marvellous were the erroneous ideas that sprang up. and
ha\e held their own down to the present day. Over and over again
it has heen the same — the most natural explanation of phenomena
is the very one that men have most shunned ; and, if no middle
course was to he found, they have rushed to the wildest hypothesis.
It is only thus that the helief in an open polar sea (ould have arisen
and held its ground. Though everywhere ice was met with, |)tople
maintained that this open sea must lie hehind the ice. Thus th.e
helief in an ice-free north-east and north-west passage to the wealth
of Cathay or of India, first propounded towards tiie (lose of the
15th century, cropped up again and again, only to he again and again
refuted. Since the ice harred the southern regions, the way must lie
further north ; and fniallv a i)assaire over the Pole itself \v:> sought

Chapter I.

for. Wild as these theorie.s were, they have worked for tlie benefit of
mankind ; for by their means our knowledge of tlie earth has been
widely extended. Hence we may see that no work done in the service
of investigation is ever lost, not even when carried out under false
assumptions. England has to thank these chimeras in no small
degree for the fact that she has become the mightiest seafaring nation
of the world.

IJy many paths and by many means mankind has endeavoured to
penetrate this kingdom of death. At first the attempt was made
exclusively by sea. Ships were then ill-adapted to combat the ice,
and people were loth to make the venture. The clinker-l)uilt pine
and fir i)arks of the old Northmen were no better fitted for the
l)urpose than were the small clumsy carvels of the first English and
Dutch Arctic explorers. Eittle by little they learnt to adapt their
vessels to the conditions, and with ever-increasing daring they forced
them in among the dreaded floes.

But the uncivilised polar tribes, both those that inhabit the Siberian
tundras, and the Eskimo of North America, had discovered, long
before polar expeditions had begun, another and a safer means of
traversing these regions— to wit the sledge, usually drawn by dogs.
It was in Sii)eria that this excellent method of locomotion was first
applied to tlie service of polar exploration. Already in the 17th and
iStli centuries the Russians undertook very extensive sledge journeys,
and charted the whole of the Siberian coast from the borders of
Europe to Bering Strait. And they did not merely travel along the
coasts, but crossed the drifc-ice itself to the New Siberian Islands,
and even north of them. Nowhere, perhajjs, have travellers gone
through so many sufferings, or e\inced so much endurance.

In America too the sledge was employed by I'Lnglishmen at an
early date fi)r the ])urpose of exploring the shores of the Arc tic seas.
Sometimes the toboggan or Indian sledge was used, sf)metimes that
of the Eskimo. It was under the able leadershij) of ]\I'Clintock that
sledge journeys attained their higliest development. While the
Russia IS had generally travelled with a la'ge number of dogs, and
only a few men, the I-Jiglish emi)loyed, as a rule, many more men
on their expeditions, and their sledges were entirely, or for the most

Siori-:!) SCOTT-HAXSKX.

Chapter I,

])nr', drawn l)y llic (.'xploivrs tht-niselves, 'i'lnis in tlu' nK;st enerjjetir
atlcni|)t ever made to reach higli latitudes, A!l;eit JNiarkham's nienior-
al)le march towards llie north fVom tlie A/crf's winter (luarters, tliere
were j;j; men who iiad to draw the slec'ges, th()U>j;li there were |)lenty
of d()i;s on hoard the shi|). Durin<r his famous exi.'editiou in searcii
of I'"ran'Klin, M'Chntock used both men and dogs.

The American traveller I'eary has, however, adopted a (lifferent
method of travelling on the inland ice of (Ireenland, employing as
{(tw men and as many d(;gs as possible. 'I'iie great im])ortan(e of
dogs for sledge journe\s was clear to me before I undert(H)k my
(Ireen.land expedition, an:l the reason 1 did not use them then was
simply that I was unable to procure any serviceable animals.*

A third method may yet be mentioned whi( h has been em|)loyed
in the Arctic regions — namely boats and sledges combined. It is
said ol the old Nordimen in the Sagas and in the A'cv/^i-vy'-t'//, that
for days on end they had to drag their boats over the ice in the
(Ireenland sei, in order to reach land. The first in modern times to
make use of this means of travelling was I'arry, who in his memor-
able attempt to reach the Pole in 1827, abandoned his ship and made
his way over the drift-ice northwards, with boats which he dragged on
sledges. He succeeded in attaining the highest latitude (82' 45')
that had yet been reached ; but here the current carried him to the
south more rapidly than he could advance against it, and he was
obliged to turn back.

Of later years this method of travelling has not been much employed
in approaching the Pole. It may, however, be mentioned that
JMarkham took boats with him also on his sledge expedition. Many
expeditions have through sh.eer necessity accomplished long distances
over the drift-ice in this way, in order to reach home after having
abandoned or lost their ship. Especial mention may be made of the
Austro-Hungarian Te^^ctlioff ex])edition to Fran/ Josef Land, and the
ill-flited American yiv^/z/zc/'/'c expedition.

It seems that but few have thought of following the exam])le of the
Eskimo- living as they do, and, instead of heavy boats, taking light

it'

* iiis! Ci\'f.<iii-- 0/ UiWiii/aiiJ, \'nl. I. p. 30.

Introduction.

knyaks, drawn by dogs. .\t all events, no attempts liavc been made
in this direction.

Tlie nietliods of advance have been tesle;! on four main rv)Utes : th.e
Smith Sound route, the sea route between Greeidand and Spitzljerifen,
Franz Josef Land route, and llie Berinj^ Strait route.

In later times, the point from whicli tlie I'ole has been most
fre([uently assailed is Smith Sound, probably l)e(ausL- Ameri(an
explorers had somewliat too hastily asserted that they had there
(icscried the open Polar Sen, extendinir indefmitely towards the north.
ICvcry expeilition was stopped, however, by immense masses of u x\
whicii came driftinj^ soutinvards, and piled themselves up atjainst the
coasts. The most important expedition by this route was the PLiiglish
one conducted by Nares in 1875 76, the e(iuii)ment of which invoKed
a vast expenditure. Markham, the next in command to Nares on
board the .l/cr/, reached the higliest latitude till then attained, S3 20',
i)ul at the cost of exertions hardly e(|ualled in Arctic history ; and
Nares was of opinion that the impossibility of reac hinij the I'ole by
this route was fully demonstrated.

Durin<r the stay of the (lreel\- expedition from 1881 to 1884 in ihi^
same re<fion, Ix)ckwooil attained a somewhat hi<:jher reccjrd, viz.,
83" 24', the most northerly jwint on the globe that human feet had
trodden previous to the expedition of which the present work treats.

By way of the sea between Greenland and Spitzt)ergen, several
atteni])ts have been made to penetrate the secrets of the dt)main of
ice. In 1607 Henry Hudson endeavoured to reach the Pole along
the east coast of Greenland, where he was in hopes of finding an oi)eii
basin and a waterway to the Pacific. His progress was, however.
st()p|)ed at 73' north latitude, at a point of the coast which he nameii
'• Hold with Hope."' The German expedition under Koldewey
(1869-70), which visited the same waters, reached by the aid ol
sledges as far iiorth as 77 north latitude. Owing to the enormous
masses of ice which the ])olar current swee])s southward along this
roast, it is certainly one of the most unfavourable routes for a polar
expedition which wants to advance far North. A better route i.-. that
by Spitzbergen, which was essayed by Hudson, when his ])rogress was
blocked off Greenland. Here he reached 80 23' north latitudj.

(ir

Chapt

Thniiks to the warm ciirrent that runs
iKML'tMi in a r.ortlK'rlv (Hrection, thf sea is

by iho west coast of S])itz-
kc'pt free' frc/in ice, and it

is \vith(.ut comparison tlie route by wliicli one can tlie most safely
;iml easily reacli hijijh latitudes in ice-free waters. It was north of
S])itzber;^;en tlial Kdwarcl Parry made liis attempt in 1827, above

all

U(le(

1 to.

InirtI

ier eastwar*

Is, th

e ice-conditions arc le-s favourable, and

therefore few polar expeditions have directed their coiu-se throuji;h
these reirioiis. The original object of the Ausiro-Hungarian e\i)e(lition
under \\eyprecht a!id I'ayer (1872 74) was to seek for the North-East
Passage: but at its hrst meeting with the ice, it was set fast off the
north point of Novaya Zemlya, drilted nortlnvards, and discovered
l'"ranz Josef I, and, whence Payer endeavoured to jjiish forwards to the
north with sledges, reaching 82' 5' north latitude on an island, which
he named Crown 'Mince Rudolfs Land. 'I'o the i^.orlh cf this he
ought he could see an extensixu tract of land, lying in about 8_^'

til

nortii latitude, which he called I'etermann's Land. Franz Josef Land
was afterwards twice visited by the English traveller Leigh Smith
in iSSo and 1881-82; and it is here that the English Jackson-
ILirmsworth expedition is at jiresent established.

'The jilan (jf the Danish J'',x])edition under Hovgaard was to push
forward to the North Pole from Caje Chelyuskin along the east coast
of an extensive tract of land wliic h Hovgaard thought must lie to the
east of Franz Josef Land. He got set fast in the ice, liowtver, in
the Kara Sea, and remained th.e winter there, retuvniiig h.( me the
following vear.

Only a few attempts ha\e been made through I'ering Strait. The
firs', was Cook"s in 1776: the las; [hv /((rz/J/ti/r expedition 1S79 81
undir Lieutenant l)e Long, ( S the American nav\-. Scarcely ;,ny-
wlure have polar travellers been so Ik pelessly likicked by ice in
comparativelv low latitudes. '!1ie last named expedition, however,
hail a most imp(>rlant bearing u])on mv own. As l')e Long liimself
says in a letter to Cordon liennett. who supplied the hmds for the
expedition, he was of o])ini<)n that there were three routes to choose
from, Smith Soinid. the east coast of Creenland. or I'.ering Strait ; but
he pu*. most faith in the last, and this was ultimately selected. His

'•ft

HJALMAR JOHANSEN.
{From a /'iioi'<\ra/ ii luUn in Detank; i-. /S'i^J.)

ir^

Chapter I.

main reason for this choice was liis tjehef in a Japanese current
runninf^ north throiij^h Hering Strait and onwards along the east coast
of Wrangel Land, which was l)eHeved to extend far to the nortli. It
was urged that tlie warm water of this current would open a way along
that coast, jiossihly up to the I'ole. The experience of whalers showed
that whenever their vessels were set fast in the ice here, they drifted
northwards ; hence it was concluded that the current generally set in
that direction. '* This will help explorers,"' says I)e Long, " to reach
high latitudes ; hut at the same time will make it more difticult for them
to come back." The trutli of these words he himself was to learn
by bitter exjierience.

The /(V?;/;/<^7/t' stuck fast in the ice on September 6th, 1879, in jT'
35' north latitude and 175° 6' east longitude, south east of Wrangel's
Land — which, however, jjroved to be a small island — and drifted with
the ice in a west-north-westerly direction for two jears, when it
foundered, June 12th, 1S81, north of the New Siberian Islands, in 77"
15' north la':iLude and 150° $i)' east longitude.

Everywhere, then, has the ice stopped the j^'ogress of mankind
towards the north. In two cases only have ice-bound vessels drifted
in a northerly direction — in the case of the Te^e/Z/q^ and the Jeaniietk
— while most of the others have been carried away from their goal by
masses of ice drifting southwards.

On reading the history of Arctic explorations, it early occurred to mj
that it would be very difficult to wrest the secrets from these unknown
regions cf ice by adopting the routes and the methods hitherto
employed. But where did the ])roper route lie?

It was in the autumn of 1884 that I happened to see an p.rticle by
Professor Mohn in the Norwegian M(>r}:;cnl>Iad, of Nov. 30th, 1884, in
which it was stated that sundry articles which must have come from
the Jcannctte had been found on the south-west coast of Greenland.
He conjectured that they must have drifted on a floe right across
the Polar Sea. It immediately occurred to me that here lay the
route ready to hand. If a floe could drift right across the unknown
region, that drift might also be enlisted in the service of exploration —
and my ])lan was laid. Some years, however, elapsed i;efore. on the
18th of Februar)-, iSgo. after my return from my Clreenland Expc-

Introduction.

(lition, 1 at Inst propounded tliL' idea in an address before the ("iiris-
tiania Cieographical Society. As this address plays an im|)ortant ])art
in tlie iiistory of the ex])edition, I shall reproduce its principal features,
is printed in the March number o{ Xafitren, 1890.

Ai'ler j,nvin<f a brief sketch of the different polar expeditions of
former years, I i^o on to say — " The results of these numerous attempts,
as I have pointed out, seem somewhat discouragintf. Tliey appear
to show plainly enouf^h that it is impossible to sail to the I'ole by any
route whatever ; ibr everywhere the ice has proved an impenetrable
barrier, and has stayed the progress of invaders on the threshold of the
unknown regions.

" '1\) drag boats over the uneven drift-ice, which moreover is
constantly moving under the influence of the current and wind, is an
e(iually great difficulty. The ice lays such obstacles in tlie way that
any one who has ever attempted to traverse it will not hesitate to
declare it well-nigh impossible to advance in this manner with the
equipment and |)rovisions recpiisite for such an undertaking."'

Had we been able to advance over land, I said, that would have
been the most certain route ; in that case the I'ole could have been
reached " in one summer by Norwegian snow-shoe runners." Hut
there is every reason to doubt the existence of any such land. (Ireen-
land, I considered, oiu! not extend furtlier than the most northerly
known point of its west coast. " It is not probable that I'ranz Josef
Land reaches to tlie Pole ; from all we can learn it forms a grou]) of
islands separated from each other by deep sounds, and it appears
improbable that any large continuous track of land is to be found
there.

" Some peojjle are perhaps of opinion t'lat one ought to defer the
examination of regions like those around the Pole, beset, as they are,
with so many difficulties, till new means of transport have been
discovered. I have heard it intimated that one fine day we shall be
able to reach the Pole bv a balloon, and that it is onlv waste of time to
seek to get there before that day comes. It need scarcelv be shown
that this line of reasoning is untenable. I'".ven if one could really
suppose that in the near or distant future this fixMiueiitly mooted idea
of travelling to the Pole in an air-shi[) would be realised, such an

H. 1

•4

Chapter I.

expedition, however interestinjf it niiglU l)e in certain rfsite<ts, would
be far from yieldinj,' the scientilic resiihs of expeditions ( arried out in
the manner here inchcated. Scientific results of importance in all
bran(-hes of research can he attained only by persistent observations
durinjr a lenjrthened sojourn in these regions ; while those of a balloon
expedition cannot but be of a transitory nature.

We must, then, endeavour to ascertain if there are not other
routes— and I believe there are. I believe that if we |)ay attention
to the actually existent forces of nature, and seek to work with and not
a}^ainit them, we siiall thus find the safest and easiest method of
reachinif the Pole. It is useless, as previous expeditions have done,
to work tii^ainst the current ; we should see if there is not a current we
can work ici/th. The Jeatnuttc Expedition is the only one, in my
opinion, that started on the right track, though it may have been
unwittingly and unwillingly.

"The Jeanmttc drifted for two years in the ice, from Wrangel Land
to a point north-east of the New Siberian Islands. Three years after
she foundered, there was .found frozen into the drift-ice in the neigh-
bourhood of Julianehaab on the south-west coast of Creenland, a
number of articles which a])peared, from sundry indubitable marks, to
proceed from the sunken vessel. These articles were first discovered
by the Eskimo, and were afterwards collected by Mr. I.ytzen, Colonial
Manager at Julianehaab, who has given a list of them in the Danish
Geogyap/iical Journal for 1885. Among them the following ma)'
especirdly be mentioned : —

" I. A list of provisions signed by De Long the commander of the
Jeaniicttc.

"2. An MS. list V){\\\^ Jeanmiies boats.

" 3. A ])air of oilskin breeches marked ' Louis Noros,' the name of
one o'i \.\vi Jctuuit'/fc's crew, who was saved.

" 4. The peak of a cap on which, according to Lytzen's statement, was
written /''. C. Liiidcinanii. The name of one of the crew of
the Jccinnctk', who was also saved, was F. C. Nindemann.
This may either have been a clerical error on Lytzen's part or
r. misprint in the Danish journal.

THKOUOK C. JACOHSKX, M.VIE OK TlIK '' I'RAM."

(l-'rout a /■/lofi'^nij'''), iX'iciiibcy nth, iSi^j.)

Chapter I.

" In AnnTic a wlicii it was rfportcd tliat llifse artick's had huLii
foiiiid, |)i'()|)li' wvYv NtTV s(i'|)ti(al and doiihts of tlieii j^cmiincni'ss were
exprt'sst'd in tin- Anu'rican newspapers. 'I'hc facts, liowt'xcr, (an
scantly \)v slu'cr inventions; and it may thcrufoR' l)t' safi-lv assiimt'cl
that an icL'-llo'j l)earin^' these articles from tlie JcannetU' had drifu-d
from the place when- it sank to Juhaneliaal).

" IJy what route (Hd tliis icelloe reach the west coast of drcenland ?

" Professor Mohn, in a lecture i)efore tlie Scientific Society >;f
Clhristiania in November, 1894, sliowed that it coidd have come by no
other way than across tlie I'ole.*

" It cannot possibly have come throiiffh Smith Sound, as tiie current
tliere passes alon^' tlie western side of Haffin's Hay, and it would thus
have been conveyed to liaftin's Land or Labrailor, and not to the
west coast of Greenland. The current Hows alon^ this coast in a
northerly direction, and is a continuation of the (Ireenland polar
current, which con:es alon^f the east coast of (Greenland, takes a bend
roimd Cape Farewell, and passes upwards alonj; the west coast.

" It is by this current only that the floe coidd have come.

" lUit the Muestion now arises what route did it take from the
Xew Siberian Islands in order to reach the east coast of Greenland ?

" It is ( one eivable t.hat it mi},Mit luUe drifted alonj^ the north coast
of Siberia, south of I'lanz Josef Land, U]) through the soiuid between
Fran/: Josef Land and Spitzberj^en, or even to the south of Spitzi)er}ren,
aji.d mi<,dit after that have ,uot into the polar ciUTent wliich flows along
(Ireenland. If, however, we study the directions of the currents in
these rejfions so far as they are at jnesent ascertained, it will be found
that this is extremely improbable, not lo say im])ossiI)le."

" Mr. Lyt/eii, (if iuliiURh;ial), a;"tciwar(ls. cnntrihulcd an articic to \\\v. U,'\!^rafhk
'ridfikiifl (Sill Vi)!., iSS5-tS6, j)]). 40 51, t"i)|)(.Tilint;ciit, in which lie cxpres-ied
hims'jif, so far al Icasl as I un(lc;>liin(l hiin, in tlie same ;-,cnsc', and r/niarkahly
ciiini^h. sviL,'i;e>.!(jd tiiat ihis lircum.slancL' nii^hl |)n>>ii)ly he fuund to have an ini| 01-
taiU hearinij im Arelir esploiaticm. lie says: — " It will therefcre he seen that i''ilar
i\|)liirers wlm siek •nia<hance Inwards the Pole from the Siherian Sea will iimlahly
ai I 'He place (ir aiiipther he hemmed in li\ 'he ice, hut the-e masses of ice will he
carrieil hy die currer.i ahni; the Greenland ciast. It is not, therefore, altoijether
imi)i>-~>ililc that, if the shi]) of such an expe'Htion is alile to survive the pre'sure of the
masses (.)f ice for any V:: ;':h of lime, it will arrive >afely at South Gree.iland ; hut in
tlial ca^c it must he ])reiiaied lo spend several ycar> on the way."'

Introductio!!.

Iri (u'd

■afis/:

Ml)!y
I or-
■ilar
■ahly

Haviiiff shown that this is evident from the Tegcthoff (hill and from
many other circumstances, I prcxeeded : —

"The distance from the New Siberian Islands to the 8oth dej,'ree of
latitude on t!ie east coast of (Ireenhmd is 1,3^)0 j(e()j,'rai)hical miles,
and tlie distance from the last-named phue to julianchaal) 1.540
miles, makinj,' toj^ether a ilistance of 2,900 niiles. 'i'his distance was
traversed by the lloe in i.too days, which gives a speed of 2'(t miles
|)er day of 2\ hours. 'I'he time durinjf whi( h the relics drifted after
having reached the Soth degree of latitude, till they arrived at Juliane-
haab, can bj calculated with tolerable precision, as the speed of the
above-named ciUTcnt along the east coast of Oreenland is well known.
It may be assumed that it took at least 400 days to accomplish this
distance; there remain, then, about 700 days as the longest time the
drii"ting articles can have taken from the New Siberian Islands to the
Soth degree of latitude. Supposing that they took the shortest route,
/.('.. across the I'ole, this computation gives a s])ee(l of about 2 miles
in 24 hours. On the otlier hand, supposing they went by the route
south of Franz Josef Land, and south of Spitzbergen, they must
have drifted at much higher speeil. Two miles in the 24 hours,
however, coincides most remarkably with the rate at which the
Jcainictic drifted during the last months of her voyage, from
January ist to June 12th, i.SSi. In this time she drifted at
an average rate of a little over 2 miles in the 24 hours. If,
however, the average speed of t'le wliole of the Jcannctli's
drifting l)e taken, it will be found to be only i mile in the
24 liours.

" I5ut are there no other i-vidences of a current flowirig across the
North Pole from Bering Sea on the one side to llie Atlantic Ocean on
the other ?

" Yes, there are.

" Dr. Rink received from a Greenlandcr at Godthaab a remarkable
piece of wood which had been found among the drift-timber on the
coast. It is one of the 'throwing sticks' which the ICskimo use in
hurling their bird-darts, but altogether unlike those used by the Eskimo
on the west coast of Greenland. Dr. Rink conjectured that it possibly
proceeded from the Eskimo on the east coast of Cireenland.

i<S

Ch:i|)t('r T.

i.'i-,

rom Liter ctniuinr ..* howtM-r it iippciii'd tluit it must luivo conir
I'loin llu' < (i;i^l of Al.i->k;\ in tin- nrij,'lil>!)iirli()()il of Ufring Stniit, iis tluit
IS ihf only pl.ii I' wluTc "tluowinj; sticks' of a similar form arc usi-d.
It was even ornaiiH-'iitt'd with CliiiU'si' j;lass heads, cxadly similar to
tliosi- \vhi( li till' Alaskan Kskimo ol)tain by harti-r from Asiatic triht's,
and use for tlu' decoration of their * throwinj^ stic ks.'

" Wc may, therefore, witli loni'idence assert that this piece of wood
was carried from the west coast of Alaska over to (ireeidand by a
current tlie whole course of which we do not know, hut whic h may be
assumed to flow very near the North I'ole, or at some place between it
an<l Franz josef Land.

"There are, moreover, still further proofs that sucli a current exists.
As is well known, no trees j^row in (ireenland that can be used lor
making boats, sledges, or other ap|)liances. 'I"he driftwood that is
carried tiown by the polar current along the east roast of (Ireenland
and up the west coast is, therefore, essential to the existence of the
(Ireenland i^skimo, lUit whence does this timber come?

'* Here our encpiiries again carry us to lands on the other side of the
Pole. 1 have myself had an ojjportunitv of examining large cjuantities
of driftwood both on the west coast and on the east coast of (Ireenland.
I have, moreover, found pieces drifting in the sea off the east coast, and,
like earlier travellers, have arrived at the conclusion that much the
greater i)art of it can only have come from Silx '\ while a smaller
lK)rtion may possibly have c ome from America. I'or amongst it are to
be found fir, Siberian larch, and other kinds of wood peculiar to the
north, which could scarcely have come from any other cjuarter.
Interesting in this respect are the disc-overies that have been made on
the east coast of (Jreenland by the second German Polar Expedition.
Out of twenty-fi\e ])ieces of driftwood, seventeen were Siberian larch,
.'ive Norwegian lir (|)robably //(Vv? ol'ovata), two a kind of alder (a/iii/s
IncdUii f), and one a poplar (popu/its trcmula ? the common aspen), all
of which are trees found in Siberia.

" By way of supplement to these observations on the Greenland side.

■* Soj 1)11 lliis point Dr. V. Nielsen in Forhandlin^i^er i Videnskabssehkabet i Chris-
(iaiiia. Meeting liclil liinc Iltli, l8S6.

Chris-

HENRIK BLESSING.
( From a photograph taken in /S<)J. )

C 2

I*
•I

111

Chapter I.

it may 't)t' mentioned that the Jeannettc Ivxpedition fre(]nently found'
Siberian driftwood (fir and birch) l)etween the floes in the strong
northerly current to the northward of the New Siberian Islands.

" I'brtunately for the Eskimo, such large quantities of this driftwof)d
come every year to tiie coasts of Greenland, that in my o])ini()n one
cannot but assume liiat they are conveyed thither by a constantly-flow-
ing current, especially as the wood never appears to have been very
long in the sea, at all events not without having been frozen into the
ice.

" That this driftwood passes south of Franz Josef Land and Spitz-
l)ergen is quite as unreasonable a theory as that the ice-floe with the
relics from the Jcainiette drifted by this route. In further disproof of
this assumption it may be stated that Siberian driftwood is found north
of Spitzbergen in the strong southerly current, against which J'arry
fouglit in vain.

" It appears, therefore, that on these grounds also we cannot but
admit the existence of a current flowing across, or in close liroximitj'
to, the Pole.

" As an interesting fact in this connection, it may also be mentioned
that the (lerman botanist Grisebach has shown that the Greenland flora
includes a series of Siberian vegetable forms that could scarcely have
reached Greenland in any other way than by the help of such a current
conveying the seeds.

" On the drift-ice in Denmark Strait (between IceJand and Greep.-
land) I have made observations which tend to the conclusion tliat this
ice too was of Siberian origin. For instance, I found quantities of nuid
on it, whicli seemed to be of Siberian origin, or might ])Ossibly have
come from North American rivers. It is possible, however, to maintain
that this mud originates in the glacier rivers that flow from under the
ice in the north of Greenland, or in other unknown polar lands ; so
that this piece of evidence is of less importance than tl rse already
named.

" Putting all this together, we seem driven to the conclusion that a
current flows at some point between the foh' and Franz Josef Land from
the Sil'erian Arctic Sea to the east coast of Green/and.

"That such must be the case we may also infer in anotb.cr way. If

■"*»

Introduction,

•. If

-\ve regard, for instance, the polar current that broad current which
flows down from the unknown polar regions between Spitzbergen and
(Ireenland- and consider what an enormous mass of water it carries
along, it must seem selfevident that this cannot come from a circum-
scribed and small basin, hut must needs be gathered from distant
sources, the more so as the Polar Sea (so far as we know it) is remark-
ably shallow everywhere to the north of the European, Asiatic and
American coasts. The polar current is no doubt fed by that branch of
the (Julf Stream which makes its way up the west side of Spitzbergen ;
but this small stream is far from being sufficient, and the main body of
its water must be derived from further northwards.

" It is probable that the jwlar current stretches its suckers, as it were,
to the coast of Siberia and Bering Strait, and draws its sujjplies from
.these distant regions. The water it carries off is replaced partly through
the warm current before mentioned which makes its way through
Bering Strait, and partly by that branch of the (uilf Stream which,
passing by the north of Norway, bends eastwards towards Novaya
/emlya, and of which a great ])ortion unquestionably continues its
course along the north coast of this island into the Siberian Arctic Sea.
That a current coming from the south takes this direction, at all events
in some measure, appears jjrobable from the well-known fact that in the
northern- hemisphere the rotation. of the earth tends to compel a north-
ward-flowing current, whether of water or of air, to assume an easterly
course. The earth's rotation may also <ause a southward-flowing
.stream, like the ])olar current, to direct its course westward to the east
<oast of ( Greenland.

"But even if the.'-.e currents flowing 'n the jjolar basin did not exist,
I an'i still of opinion thai in some other way a body of water must
collect in it, sufficient to form a polar current. In the first place there
are the North European, the Siberian and North American r -ers de-
bouching into the Arctic Sea, to su])])ly this water. The fluvial basin of
the.se rivers is very considerable, com])rising a large jjortion of Northern
Kuro|)e, almost the whole of Northern Asia or Siberia down to the
Altai Mountains and Eake Baikal, togeth-r with the principal part of
Alaska and T?ritish North America. All these added together form no
■unimportant portion of the earth, and the rainfall of these countrie:; is

2 2 Chai)tcr I.

enormous. It is not conceivable that the Arctic Sea of itself could
contribute anythinjj; of importance to this rainfall ; for, in the first place,
it is for the most part covered with drift-ice, from which the evaporation
is but triflinir ; and, in the next place, the comparatively low tempera-
ture in tl;ese regions prevents any considerable evaporation taking place
2ven from open surfaces of water. The moisture that produces this
rainfall must consequently in a great measure come from elsewhere,
|)rincipally from the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, and the amount of
water which thereby feeds the Arctic; Sea, must be very considerable.
If we possessed sufficient knowledge of the rainfall in the different
localities it might be exactly calculated.*

" The importanc^e of this augmentation appears even greater when we
consider that the i)olar basin is comparatively small, and, as has been
already remarked, very shallow ; its greatest known depth being from
60 to 80 fathoms.

" But here is still another factor that must help to increase the
cjuantity of water in the polar basin, and that is its own rainfall.
Weyprecht has already pointed out the probability that the large influx
of warm, moist atmosphere, from the south, attracted by the constant
low atmospheric i)ressure in the polar regions, must engender so large a
rainfall as to augment considerably the amount of water in the Polar
Sea. Moreover, the fact that the polar basin receives large supplies of
fresh water is itroved by the comi)aratively small amount of salt in the
water of the polar current.

" From all these considerations it appears uncjuestionable that the sea
around the Pole is fed with considerable quantities of water, partly
fresh, as we have just seen, partly salt, as we indicated further back,
proceeding from the different ocean currents. It thus becomes
inevitable, according to the law of equilibrium, that these masses of
water should seek such an outlet as we find in the Greenland [jolar
current.

* Since writint; the above I have tried to make such a calculation, and have come
to the conclusion that the agj,'ieyale rainfall is not so large as 1 had at first supposed.
See my paper in The No}ii.\'i^iaii Geoi^raplihal Socii'ly s Annual, ill, 1891-92, p. 95 ;
and The GiOgrapliiial Journal^ London, 1893, p. 5.

LARS FETTERS EN.
{From a photogniph taken in iSgj.)

If""'

1 \

Chapter I.

" \.et us now enquire whether further reasons can he found to show
why this current flows exactly in the given direction,

" If we examine the ocean soundings, we at once find a conclusive
reason why the main outlet must lie hetween Spilzbergen and Green-
land. The sea here, so far as we know it, is at all points very deep;
there is, indeed, a channel of as much as 2,500 fathoms depth ; while
south of Spitsbergen ani Franz Josef Land 't is remarkably shallow,
not more than 160 fathoms. As has been stated, a current passes
northwards through Bering Strait ; and Smith Sound, and the sounds
between the islands north of America, though here, indeed, there is a
southward current, ;.ie far too small and narrow to form adeciuate
outlets for the mass of water of which we are speaking. There is,
therefore, no other assumption left than that this mass of water must
find its outlet by the route actually followed by the polar current. The
channel discovered by \\\q Jeannette Expedition between A'rangel Land
and the New Siberian Islands may here be mentioned as a notable fact.
It extended in a northerly direction, and was at some points more than
80 fathoms deep, while at the sides the soundings ran only to 40 or 50
fathoms. It is by no means impossible that this channel may be a
continuation of the channel between Spitzbergen and (Greenland,* in
which case it would certainly influence, if not actually determine, the
direction of the main current.

"If we' examine the corfditions of wind and atmospheric pres-sure
over the Polar Sea, as far as they are known, it would appear that they
must tentl to produce a current across the Pole in the direction
indicated. From the Atlantic to the south of Spitzbergen and Franz
Josef Land a belt of low atmospheric pressure (minimum belt) extends
into the Siberian Arctic Sea. In accordance 'vith well-known laws,
the wind must have a |)reponderating direction from west to east on the
south side of this belt, and this would pronote an eastward-flowing
current along the north coast of Siberia, such as nas been found tc.
exist there. t The winds on the north side of the minimum belt must,

* The discovery during our expedition of a great depth in the polar basin renders
it highly probable that this assumption is correct.

f The experience of our expedition, however, does not point to any such eastward-
flowing current along the Siberian ooa».t.

Introduction.

however, l)lo\v mainly in a direction from cast to west, and will con-
sec [uently produce a westerly current, passinjjf across the Pole towards
the (Ireenland Sea, exactly as we have seen to be the case.

" It thus a|)i)ears that, from whatever s'de we consider this question,
even apart from the specially cogent evidences above cited, we cannot
escape the conclusion that a current passes across or very near to the
I'ole into the sea between Greenland and Spitzbergen.

" This being so, it seems to me that the plain thing for us to do is
to make our way into the current on that side of the Pole where it
Hows northward, and by its help to penetrate into those regions
which all who have hitherto worked against it, have sought in vain to
reach.

"My plan is, briefly, as follows: — I propose to have a siiip built,
as small and as strong as possible ; just big enough to contain
supplies of coals and provisions for twelve men for five years. A ship
of about 170 tons (gross) will jjrobably suffice. Its engine should
be ijowerful enough to give a speed of 6 knots ; "out in addition it
must also be fully rigged for sailing.

" The main point in this vessel is that it be built on such princii)les
as to enable it to withstand the pressure of the ice. The sides must
slope sufficiently to prevent the ice, when it presses together, from
getting firm hold of the hull, as was the case with the Jeatinettc and
other vessels. Instead of nipping the ship, the ice must raise it
up out of the water. No very new departure in construction is likely
to be needed, for the Jeaiinefte, notwithstanding her disadvantageous
build, was able to hold out against the ice pressure for about two
years. That a vessel can easily be built on such lines as to fulfil
these re(|uirements no one will (juestion, who has seen a ship nipi)ed
by the ice. For the same reason, too, the ship ought to be a small
one; for besides being thus easier to manceuvre in tlie i( e, it will
he more readily lifted by ihe i)ressure of the ice, not to mention
that it will be easier to give it the requisite strength. It must, of
course, be built of ])icked materials. A sliip of the form and size
here indicated will not be a good or comfortable sea-boat, but that
is of minor importance in waters filled with ice such as we are here
speaking of. It is true that it would have to travel a longdistance

-'A'

%
f

2 6 Chapter I.

over the ojjen sea before it would get so n,r, I)iit it would not be
.so bad a sea-boat as to he unable to get along, even though
seaside passengers might have to offer sacrifices to the gods of the
sea.

" With such a ship and a cjew of ten, or at the most twelve,
able-bodied and carefully picked men, with a full e(iui|)ment lor
five years, in every respect as good as modern appliances jjermit of,
I am of opinion that the undertaking would be well secured against
risk. With this ship we should sail up through IJering Strait and
westward along the north coast of Siberia towards the New Siberian
Islands* as early in the summer as the ice would permit.

"Arrived at the New Siberian Islands, it will be advisable to employ
the time to the best advantage in examining the conditions of currents
and ice, and to wait for the most opportune moment to advance as
far as possible in ice-free water, which, judging by the accounts oi
the ice conditions north of Bering Strait given by American whalers,
will probably be in August or the beginning of Sejitember.

" When the right time has arrived, then we shall plough our wav
in amongst the ice as far as we can. We may venture to conclude
from the experience of the Jcaimetie Expedition, that we should thus
be able to reach a point north of the most northerly of the Kew
Siberian Islands. De T,ong notes in his journal that while tlie
eypedition was drifting in the ice north of Bennett Island they
saw all around them a dark ' water sky ' — that is to say, a sky which
gives a dark reflection of open water — indicating such a sea as would
be, at all events, to some extent navigable by a strong ice-ship. Next,
it must be borne io mind that the whole Jeannette Exjjedition travelled
in boats, partly in open water, from Bennett Island to the Siberian
coast, where, as we know, the majoriiy of them met with a lamentable
end. Nordenshiold advanced no farther northwards than to the
southernmost of the islands mentioned (at the end of August), but
here he found the water everywhere open.

'•• I first thought of choosing the route through Bering Strait, hecause I imagine J
■ It I could reach the New Siberian Ishinr's safer and earlier in the year from that
side. ■ On-furthcM''investigntion I found that tl is was doubtful, and I decided on the
shorter route througli the Kara Sea and noith of Cape Chelyuskin.

Introduction.

" It is, tlierefore, |)r()l)al)le that we may l)e al)lc to |)iish our way
up past the New Siberian Islands, and tliat acc.oniplislied we shal'
be riglu in the current which carried the Jeanncth'. 'Ilie thing will
then i)e simply to force our way northwards till we are set fast.*

"Next we must choose a fitting place and moor the ship firmly
between suitable ice-floes, and then let the ice screw itself together
as much as it likes -the more the better. 'I'he sliip will simply be
hoisted u[) and will ride safely and firmly. It is possible it may heel
ever to a certain extent under this pressure ; but that will scarcely be
of much importance. . . . Henceforth the 'urrent will be our
motive power, while our ship, no longer a means of trans[)ort, will
become a barrack, and we shall have ample time for scientific observa-
tions.

" In this manner the expedition will, as above indicated, probably
drift across the Pole, and onwards to the sea between Greenland and
Spitzbergen. And when we get down to the 80th degree of latitude,
or even sooner if it is summer, there is every likelihood of our getting
the ship free, and being able to sail home. Should she, however,
be lost before this — which is certainly possible, though as I think
very unlikely if she is constructed in the way above described —the
expedition will not, therefore, be a fliilure, for our homeward course
must in any case follow the polar current on to tlie North Atlantic
basin ; there is plenty of ice to drift on, and of this means of locomo-
tion we have already had experience. If the feannetle ICxpedition
had had sufficient provisions, and had remained on the ice-floe on
which the relics were ultimately found, the result would doubtless
have been very different from what it was. Our ship cannot possibly
founder under the ice pressure so quickly but that there would be
tine enough to remove, with all our ecjuipment and jjrovisions, to a
substantial ice-floe, which we should have selected befc'.'.'liand in
view of such a contingency. Here the tents which we should take
with us to meet this contingency would be pitched. In order to

* As subfequenily state! in my lecture in London (Gto^i^raphical Sorir'y' s fciti)iai..
p. 18), I purposed to go north along the west coast of the'New'Silierian I lands, as
1 thought that the warm v.ater coming from the Lena would keep the -e.i < pen here.

Chapter I.

preserve our provisions and otlier e(|uii);nents we sb.oiild not place
tiieni all together on one spot, hut should distribute tliem over the
ice, layinj( them on rafts of planks and beams which we should have
built on it. 'I'his will obviate the |)ossibility of any of our ecjuipments
sinking, even should the floe on which they are break up. The crew
of the Iltvisiu who drifted for moie than half a year along the east
coast of (Greenland, in this way lost a great quantity of their supplies.

" For the success of such an exjiedition two things only are
recpiired : — viz., ,j,wv</ ciot/iin}:;, and plenty of food, and these we can
take care to have with us. We should thus be able to remain as safely
on our ice-floe as in our ship, and should advance jusi as well towards
the Greenland Sea. The only difference would be that on our arrival
there, instead of proceeding by shij). we must take to our boats, which
would convey us just as safely to the nearest harbour.

"Thus it seems to me there is an overwhelming probability that
such an expedition would be successful. Many peojjle, however, will
certainly urge: — 'In all currents there are eddies and backwaters;
suppose, then, you get into one of these, or perhaps stumble on an
unknown land up by the Pole and remain lying fast there, how will
you extricate yourselves ? ' To this I would merely reply, as concerns
the backwater, that we must get out of it just as surely as we got into
it, and that Ave shall have provisions for five years. And as regards
the other possibility, we should hail such an occurrence with delight,
for no spot on earth could well be found of greater scientific interest.
On this newh' discovered land we should make as many observations
.as possible. Should time wear on and find us still unable to get our
shi|) into the set of the current again, there would be nothing for it
but to abandon her, and with our boats and necessary stores to
search for the nearest cunvat \\\ order to drift in the manner before
mentioned.

"How long may we suppose such a voyage to occupy? As we
have already seen, the relics of the Jcaiinctte V.xy^iXxUow at most took
two years to drift along the same course down to the 8oth degree of
latiuide, wiiere we may, with tolerable certainty, count upon getting
loose. This would correspond to a rate of about two miles per day
•of twcnt\-four hours.

■H

ANTON AMUNDSEN.
(From a photograph taken in Dlwhi/wi , jScpj.

.^o

Chapt(jr I.

" \\\' m;iy llu'rcloro i^.ot unrtas()ii;il)Iy caU ulate en ri'achinji this
point in tlic ( oiirse of two years ; and it is also |)ossii)lt' that the
sliip niij(ht he set free in a hij^lier latitude than is here contemplated.
Five years' provisions nuist therefore be rej^ardcnl as ample.

" iUit i:; not the (old in winter in these ref,'ions so severe that life
will he impossible? There is no probability of tliis. We can even
say with tolerable certainty, that it the I'ole itself it is not so cold in
■winter as it is (for example) in the north of Siberia, an inhabited
re^'ion, or on the northern part of the west cc;ast of Greenland, which
is also inhabited. Meteorologists have calculated that the mean
temperature at tlie Pole in January is about — 33^ Kahr. (— 36" C.)
while, for example, in Yakutsk it is — 43' I'"ahr. (—42° C), and in
Verkhoyansk — 54° Fahr. (— 48° C). \N'e should remember that the
Pole is prol)ably covered with sea, radiation from which is considerably
less than from large land surlaces, such as the plains of North Asia.
The polar legion has, therefore, in all probability a marine climate
with comparatively mild winters, but, by way of a set-off, with cold
.summers.

" The cold in these regions cannot, then, be any direct obstacle.
One difficulty, however, which many former expeditions have had to
contend against, and which must not be overlooked here, is scurvy.
During a sojourn of any long duration in so cold a climate, this malady
will unquestionably show itself unless one is able to obtain fresh
provisions. I think, however, it may be safely assumed that the
very various and nutritious foods now available in the form of
hermetically closed preparations of different kinds, together with
the scientific knowledge we now possess of the food stuffs necessary
for bodily health, will enable us to hold this danger at a distance.
Nor do I think that there will be an entire absence of fresh provisions
in the waters we shall travel through. Polar bears and seals we may
safely calculate on fmding (ar to the north, if not up to the very Pole.
It may be mentioned also that the sea must certainly contain (juantities
of small animals that might serve as food in case of necessity.

" It will be seen ihat whatever difficulties may be suggested as
possible, they are not so great but tint they can be surmounted
by means of a careful equipment, a fortrnate selection of the mem-

IiUroiluction.

lu'is of tl.t' I'xpr lilioii. :i'i'l iu(Ii( ious !(_';i<li'rsliip ; no that jfood results
may !)'• I)o|k".1 tor. W i' may rci ko;i on m'ttiiijf out into tlie sea
iK'twccn (Irccnland and SpitzljLT^cn as surely as we can reckon on
^'jtliii),' into \.\\Q. Jcantiettc ciuTent off the New Siberian Islands.

" liul if lliisy(;'(i////<y/(' current (k)ts not pass ri^dit across the Pole?
If, for instance, it passes between the I'ole and l-'ranz Josef Land,
as above intimated? ^VIlat will the expedition do in that case to
reach the earth's axis? \es, this may seem to be the Achilles' heel
of the undertakinjf ; for shoidd the ship be carried past the I'ole
at more than one degree's distance, it may then appear extremely
impruilent and unsafe to abandon it in mid-current and face such
a Ion},' sledge journey over uneven sea-ice, which itself is drifting.
Even if one reached the Pole it would be very imcertain whether

one could find the ship again on returning I am,

however, of opinion that this is of small im])()rt : it is not to seek
for the exact matlieniatical point t/iat forms tlw iiortliern extremity
of the cartlis axis i/i.it ice set out, for to reacli this point is intrinsi-
cally of small moment. Our object is to investigate the great unknown
region that surrounds tiie Pole, and these investigations will be ecjually
important from a scientific point of view whether the expedition
passes over the polar point itself or at some distance from it."

In this lecture I had submitted the most important data on which
my plan was founded ; but in the following years I continued to
study the conditions of the northern waters, and received ever fresh
proofs that my surmise of a drift right across the Polar Sea was
correct. In a lecture delivered before the Geographical Society in
Christiania, on September 28th, i8(j2, I alluded to some of these
enquiries.* I laid stress on the fact that on considering the thickness
and extent of the drift-ice in the seas 0,. both sides of the Pole, one
cannot l)ut be struck by the flict that while the ice on the Asiatic side,
north of the Siberian coast, is comparatively thin (the ice in which the
Jeannette drifted was as a rule not more than from 7 to 10 feet thick),
that on the other side, which comes drifting from the north in the

See the Sodeiys Annual, III, 1S92, p. 91. See also my paper in the Geographical
Journal, London, 1893, P- 'O.

1 ->

riiaptcr I.

sea l)i't\vt'iMi ('iivi'iihiiul and S|iilzl)c'rg(Mi. is rcir.arlcahly niassivt.', and
this, notwitlistaiiditij,' that tlie sea north of Sil^Tia is ont* of t lie coldest
tracts on tlie earlli. This, I suggested, could he explained only on
the assunijition that the ice is constantly driftinj^' from tlu' Siberian
coast, and that, while passing,' throii^di the unknown and cold sea
there is tinu- for it to attain its enormous thickness partly hy iVeeziny,
partly hy the constant packing,' that takes place as tlie Hoes screw
themselves to^rt-tln'r.

I lurlher mentioned in the same lecture that the mud found on this
drift-ice sei-nied to point to a Siberian orij^in. I did not at the time
attach ^,'reat importance to this fact, but on a further examination
of the deposits I had collected durin^^ my (Ireenland I'',x])e(lition, it
appeared that it could s( an ely come from anywhere else but Siberia.
On investif^atinjr its mineralo^ncal com|)osition. Dr. 'I'orneboiun. of
Stockholm, came to the conclusion that the j^reater ])art of it nuist
he Siberian river mud. He found about twenty different minerals
in it. " This (piantity of dissimilar constituent mineral ])arts appears
to me," he says, "to point to the fact that they take their origin
from a very e\tensi\e tract of land, and one's thoughts naturally turn
to Siberia." Moreover, more than half of this mud dejOTsit consisted
of humus or boggy soil. More interesting, however, than the actual
mud deposit were the diatoms found in it, which were examined by
I'rofessor ("leve, of I'psala, who says : —"These diatoms are decidedly
marine (/.<■., take their origin from salt water), with some few fresh-
water forms which the wind has carried from land. The tliatomous
flora in this dust is quite peculiar and unlike what I have found in
many thousands of other sjjecimens, with one exception, with which
it .shows the most complete conformity, namely, a sjjecimen which
was collected by Kellman during the J'i',!^a lvx])editi()n on an ice-lloe
off Cape Wankarem, near Hering Strait. Species and varieties were
perfectly identical in both specimens.'' Cleve was able to distinguish
sixteen .species of diatoms. All these appear also in t!ie dust from
Cape Wankarem, and twelve of them have been found at that place
alone, and nowhere else in all the world. This was a notable coinci-
dence between two such remote points, and Cleve is certainly right
in saying: -''It is, indeed, quite remarkable that the diatomous flora

.■MiOI.K JUKI.!,

{fioin a /■'totc^rdf</i taken in Dcceinlci-, iSgj.)

;;

34 Chapter I.

on the ice-floes off iieiiiig Strait and on the east coast of Greenland
should so comuletely re.senil)ie each other, and should he so utterly
unlike all others : it points to an ()|)en connection between the seas
east of (Ireenland and north of Asia.'' " Throutrh this open con-
nection," I continued in my address, "drift-ice is, therefore, yearly
transported across the unknown Polar Sea. On this same drifl-ia\
and by the same route, it must Ik no less possH>le to transport an
eApeditionr

W!ien this |)lan was propounded it certainly met with approval in
various (luarters, espe( ially here at home. Thus it was vijrorously
su[)ported by Professor Mohn. !>ut, as mii;ht be ex|)ected, it met
■with opposition in tiie main, especially from abroad, wiiile most of
the polar travellers and Arctic authorities declared, more or less
o.penlv, that it was sheer madness. The year before we set out, in
Nove;p.I)er, 1892, I k.'.l it before the deographical Society in London
in a lecture at which the principal Arctic travellers of Eni,dand were
present. After tlie lecture a discussion took place,* which plainly
shc)weci how greatly I was at \ariance with the generally-accepted
opinions as to die conditions in the interior of the I'olar Sea, the
principles of ice na\ igation, and the methods that a polar expedition
ouglit to pursue. The eminent Arctic traveller, Admiral Sir Leopold
M'Clintock, opened the discussion with the remark : -" I think I may
say this is the most adventurous programme ever brought under the
notice of the Royal Geographical Society." He allowed tliat the facts
spoke in favour of tlie correctness of my theories, but was in a high
degree doubtful whether my plan could be realised. Me was espe-
cialK' of opinion that t^htj danger of being crushed in tlie ice v;as too
great. A ship could, no doubt, be l)uilt that would be strong enough
to resist tlie ice pressure in summer ; but should it be exposed to this
pressure in the winter months, when the ice resembled a mountain
frozen flist to the shi])"s side, he thought that the possibility of being
forced up on the surface of the ice was very remote. He firmly
believed, as did the majority of the others, that there was no proba-

* Koth my lecture and the disciwsion are printed in Tlic Gco^raptihal Joiiniat,.
London, vol. i, 1893, ii[). I-32.

iS'

Introduction.

j:)

high

!
I.

bility of ever seeins^ tlie J'hr;// ;iij^ain, when oik e she had f^ivcn
lic'ist'ir over to the i)itiless polar ice, ami coiu hided by saying, " I wisli
the doctor full and speedy success, liut it will he a griMt reliei' to
his many friends in England wlien he returns, and more particularly
to those who have had experience of the dangers at all times insepar-
able from ice navigation, even in regions not (juite so far north.''
Admiral Sir (ieorge Xares said : —

"The adoi)ted Arctic axioms l\)r successfully na\ig,.ting an icy
region are that it is absolutely necessary to keep close to a coast line,
and that the farther we advance from civilization, the more desirable
it is to insure a reasonably safe line of retreat. Totally disregarding
these, the riding principle of the voyage is that the vessel — on which,
if the voyage is in any way successful, the sole future liope of the
party will depend, is to be pushed deliberately into the pack-ice.
Thus, her commander — in lieu of retaining any power o\er her future
movements — will be forced to submit to be drifted helplessly about in
agreement with the natural movements of the ice in which he is
imprisoned. Supposing the sea currents are as slatetl, the time
calculated as necessary to drift with the T)ack across the polar area
is several years, during which time, unless new lands are met with,
the ice near the vessel will certainly I'.ever be (|uiet, ami the ship
herself never free from tlie danger of being crushed by ice presses.
To guard against this the vessel is said to be imusually strong, and
of a spiecial form to enable her to rise when tl.e ice presses against,
her sides. This idea is no novelty whatever : but when once frozen
into the polar pack the form of the ves.'.el goes for nothing. She is
hermetically sea! ;d to and forms a part of the ice block surround-
ing her. The form of the ship is for all practical purposes the
form of the l)loc:k of ic;e in which she is frozen. This is a matter
of the first importance, for there is no rec:ord of a vessel frozen
into the i)olar pack having been disconnecied from the ice, and
so rendered capable of rising under pressure as a separate l)od\
detached from the i( e block, even in the height of summer. In
the event of the destruction of the vessel, the boats necessarily
fully stored, not only for the retreat, but for continuing the voyage —
are to be available. This is well in theory, but extremely difficult

i; 2

Chapter I.

""%

to arrange for in ])ractice. Preparation to al)andon the vessel is
the one thing tliat gives us the most anxiety. To place boats, i\:c.,
on the ice packed ready for use involves the danger of being separatet'
from them by a movement of the ice, or of losing them altogether,
should a sudden ojjcning occur. If we merely have everything handy
for heaving o\ cr the side, the emergency may be so sudden that we
have not time to save anything. , . ."'

As regards the assumed drift of the p,olar ice,*, \ares expressed
himself on the whole at variance with me. He insisted that the flrifc
was essentially determined by the prevailing winds :^

" As to the probable direction of the drift, the Fiatti, starting from
near the mouth of tlie Lena River, moy expect to meet the main pack
not farther north than about latitude iCP 30'. I doul)t her getting
farther north before she is beset ; l;ut taking an extreme case, and
giving her 60 miles more, she will then only be in the same latitude
as Cape Chelyuskin, 730 miles from the i'ole, and about 600 miles
from my supposed limit of the effective homeward arrying ocean
current. After a close study of all the information we possess, 1
think the wind would be more likely to drift her towards the west
than towards the east. With an ice-encumbered sea north of her,
and more open water or newly-made ice to the southward, the chances
are small for a northerly drift, at all events at (irst, and afterwards
I know of no natural forces that will ca'Ty the vessel in any reascnable
time much fartlier from the Siberian coast than the Jt'armettc was
carried, and during the whole of this time, unless protected by newly
dis(-overed lands, she will be to all intents and purposes immovably
sealed up in the pack, and exposed to its well-known dangers. There
is no doubt that there is an ocean connection across the area proposed
to be explored."

In one point, however, Nares was able to declare himself in agree-
ment with me. It was the idea "that the principal aim of all such
voyages is to explore the unknown polar regions, not to reach exactly

* On tliis ii)iii:)rt:int point Sir (Icorge Narcs was riglit, as Mas jjioveil by our
ixiicricnce liuri.ig the drift of ihj Fraiii.

Introduction.

that mathematical point in which the axis of our globe has its northern
termination."*

Sir Allen Young says, among other things : " Dr. Nansen assumes
the blank space around the axis of the earth to be a pool of water or
ice ; I think the great rlanger to contend with will be the land in
nearly every direction near the Pole. Most previous navigators seem
to have continued seeing land again and again further and further
north. These Jcamicite relics may have drifted through narrow
channels, and thus finally arrived at their destination, and, I think,
it would be an extremely dangerous thing for the ship to drift through
them, where she might impinge upon the land, and be kept for years."

With regard to the ship's form. Sir Allen Young says : " I do not
think the form of the ship is any great point, for, when a ship is fiirly
nipped, the question is if there is any swell or movement of the ice to
lift the ship. If there is no swell the ice must go through her, what-
ever material she is made of."

One or two authorities, however, expressed themselves in fiivour of
my plan. One was the Arctic traveller. Sir IC. Inglefield, another
Captain (now Admiral) Wharton, Director of tiie Hydrographic
Department of England.

In a letter to the Geographical Society, Admiral Sir George H.
Richards says, on the occasion of my address : " I regret to have to
.speak discouragingly of this project, but I think that any one who can
speak with authority ought to speak plainly where so much may be at
stake."

With regard to the currents, he says : " I l)elieve there is a constant
outflow (I prefer this word to current) from the north, in consequence
of the displacement of the water from the region of the Pole by tl->e
i<-e-cap which covers it, intensified in its density by the enormous
weight of snow accumulated on its surface." This outflow takes
place on all sides, he thinks, from the polar basin, but should be
most pronounced in the tract between the western end of the Parr)-

* After our return home, Admiral Nares, in the most cMvalrous fashion, sent me
a letter of congratulation, in which he said that the /■'ram's remarkable voy.ige over
the Polar Sea proved that my theory was correct, and his scepticism unfounclv'd.

Chapter I.

Islands and Spitzhergtin ; and with tliis outflow all previous expedi-
tions liave had to contend. He does not appear to make any excep-
tion as to tlie TcgeiliojJ or Jeainictle, and can find no reason " for
believing that a current sets north over the Pole from the New
Siberian Islands which I )r. Nansen ho|)es for and believes in."
'• It is my opinion that when reallv within what may be <alled the
inner circle, say about 78" of latitude, there is little current of any
kind that would influence a ship in the close ice that must be
.;pcrted ; 1l is when we get outside this circle — round the corners,
as it were — into the straight wide channels, where tiie ice is loose,
that we are really affected by its influence, and here the ice gets
naturally thinner, and more decayed in autumn, and less dangerous
to a ship. Within the inner circle probably wrX mucli of the ice
escapes ; it becomes older and heavier every year, and in all
probabiliiv comi)letely blocks the navig.ilion of shi]js entirely. This
is the kintl of ice v.hich was brought to Xares' winter (juarters at the
heatl of Smith Soiuid in about 82" 30' north ; and this is the ice
which Markliam struggled against in his sledge journey, and against
which no human power could prevail."

He attached "no real importance" to the /ca/iiictie relics. "If
found in Greenland, they may well have drifted down on a iloe from
the neighbourhood of Smith Sound, from some of the American
Ivxpeditions which went to dreely's rescue." "It may also well be
that some of l)e Long's printed or written documents in regard to his
ecpiipment may have been taken out by these expeditions, and the
same may apply to the other articles." He does not, however,
expressly s;iy whether there was any indication of such having been
the case.

In a similar letter to the Geographical Society, the renowned
botanist. Sir Joseph Hooker, says : — " Dr. Nansen's project is a wide
departure from any hitherto i)ut in practice for the ]nirpose of polar
discovery, and it demands the closest scrutiny both on this account,
and because it is one involving the greatest peril ....

" From my experience of three seasons in the Antarctic regions I
do not think that a ship, of whatever build, couM long resist destruc-
tion if committed io the movements of the pack in the jiolar regions.

Introduction.

One built as stronsrly as the Frain would no doubt resist great pres-
sures in the open pack, but not any pressure or repeated jiressures,
and still less the thrust of the j)a(k if driven with or by it against
land. *rhe lines of the /''lam might be of service so long as she
was (;n an even keel or in ice of no great height above the water-
line ; but amongst Hoes and bergs or when thrown on her beam-ends
they wt)uld avail her nothing."

'•If the Frain were to drift towards the (irecnland coast or the
American polar islands he is of opinion that, supposing a landing
coidd be effected, there woidd be no probability at all of salvation.
Assuming that a landing could be effected, it mnst be on an
inhospitable and probably ice-bound coast, or on tb.e mountainous
i( e of a palo^ocrystic sea. ^\'ith a certainly enfeebled, and probably
reduced shijj's company, there could, in such a case, be no prospect
oi' reaching succour. I'utlir.g aside the possibility of scurvy (against
wliich there is no certain prophylactic), have the depressing inlluence
on the minds of the crew resulting from long confinement in very close
(luarters during many months of darkr.ess, extreme colil, inaction,
ennui, < onstant peril, and the haunting uncertainty as to the future,
been suthciently taken into account? Perfunctory duties and occupa-
tions do not avert the effects of ll^.ese conditions ; they hardly mitigate
them, and have been known to aggravate them. 1 do not consider
the att;iinment of \)\. Nansen's object by the means at his dis[)osal to
be impossible ; but I do consider that the success of such an enter-
prise would not justify the exposure of valuable lives for its attainment."'

In America, (leneral (Ireely, the leader of the ill-fated expedition
generally known by his name (1881-84), wrote an article in The Forurn
(.August, 1891) in which he says among other things : -'*It strikes me
as almost incredible that the plan here advanced by Dr. Nansen
should receive encouragement or support. It seems to me to be
based on fallacious ideas as to physical londitions within the polar
regions, and to foreshadow, if attempted, barren results, a])art from
the suffering and death among its members. l)r, Nansen, so far as I
know, has had no Arctic service ; his crcjssing of (Ireenland, iiowever
difficult, is no more ]K)lar work than the scaling of Mount St. Elias.
It is doubtful if any hydrographer would treat seriously his theory of

1 '

Chai)tcr I.

polar currents, or i" any Arctic traveller would indorse the whole-
scheme. There are pert ai)s a dozen men whoi-e Arctic service has
been such tiiat the positive support of this plan by even a resjiec table
minority would entitle it .'o consideration and confidence. These
men are ; — ^Admiral M'Clintock, Richards, Collinson and Nares, and
Captain Markham of the Royal Navy, Sir Allen Vounij and Leiglv
Smith of I'^ngland, Koldewey of Germany, Payer of Austria, Norden-
skiold of Sweden, and Melville in our own country. I have no
hesitation in asserting that no two of these believe in tlie possibilit)
of Nansen's first proposition — to build a vessel capable of livinif or
navigating in a heavy Arctic pack, into which it is proposed to put
his shi|). The second proposition is even more hazardous, involving
as it does a drift of more than 2,000 miles in a straight line through an
unknown region, during which the party in its voyage (lasting two or
more years, we are told) would take only boats along, encamp on an
iceberg, and live there while floating across."

After this General C,-reely i)roceeds to ])r()ve the falsity of all my
assum[)tions. Respecting the objects from the Jcannctte he sa\s
plainly that he does not believe in them. " Probably !;ome drift.
articles were found," he says, " and it would seem more reasonable t(]
trace them to the Porteus which was wrecked in Smith Sound about
I, coo miles north of Julianehaab." . . . ''It is furtiier important
to note that, if the articles were really from the Jeanm'th\ the nearest
route would have been, not across the North Pole along the east coast
of Greenland, but down Kennedy Channel and by way of Smith Sound
and Baffin Hay, as was suggested as to drift from the Porteus^

We could not possibly get near the Pole itself by a long distan( e..
says Greely, as " we know almost as well as if we had seen it, that there
is in the unknown regions an extensive land which is the birth [jlace of
the flat topped icebergs or the palreocrystic ice." In this glacier-
covered land, which he is of opinion must be over 300 miles in
diameter, and which sends out icebergs to Greenland as well as to
I'Yanz Josef's Land,* the Pole itself must i)e situated.

* With refeicnce (.0 his stutemciil tlnit l.citjli-Sniilh had ol;SL'rveiI such icolicrgs on
the iiorth-tvcst coast of Franz Josef's Land, it may be remaiked ihui no human liein^j.
has ever heen I liere.

Introtkictioii.

"As to the inde.structil)!(.' ship," he says, "it is certainly a most
(lcsiral)Ie tliinjf for Dr. Nansen." His nieaiiing, howc-ver, is tliat it
cannot l)e built, " Dr. Nanscn a])i)L'ars to hr-lic-vt' that the (juestion of
h.iildin^ on such lines as will <^ive the sliip the greatest power ol
resistance to the pressure of the iie-flot has not been thoroughly arid
satisfactorily solved, althougli hundreds of thousands of dollars haw
been sjjent for this end by the seal and whaling companies of Scotland
and Newfoundland." As an authority he (juotes Melville, and says,
" ever}' Arctic navigator of experience agrees with Melville's dic:tuni.
that even if built solid a vessel could not withstand the ice-|)ressure cA'
the heavy polar pack." To my assertion that the ice along the
" Siberian coast is comi)aratively thin, 7 to 10 feet," he again quotes
Melville, who speaks of ice " 50 feet high, etc." (something we did not
discover, by the way, during the whole of our voyage).

After giving still more conclusive proofs that the /'hiw must
inevitably go to the bottom, as soon as it should be e.\|)Osed to thr
pressure of the ice, he goes on to refer to the impossil)ility of drifting
in the ice w.th boats. And he concludes his article with the remark
that " Arc.ic exploration is sufficiently credited with rashness and
danger in its legitimate and sanctioned methods, without bearing the
burden of Dr. Nansen's illogical scheme of self-destruction."

From an article (Ireely wrote after our return l-'on"'e, in Harper's
Weekly for Septemb'^r lyth, 1896, he ap[)ears to have come to the
conclusion that the /ea/metle relics were genuine and that the assump-
tion of their drift may have been correct, mentioning " Melville, Dall
and others " as not l)elieving in them. He allows also that my scheme
has i)een carried out in spit-, of what he had said. This time he
concludes the article as follows : — " In contrasting the expeditions
of De Long and Nansen, it is necessary to alkule to the sir.gle blemisli
that mars the otherwise magnificent career of Nansen, who deliberately
(piitted his comrades on the ice-beset ship liur.dreils of miles from any
known land, with the intention of not returning, but, in his own
reported wortis, 'to go to Spitz!)ergen where h.e felt ceicain to find a
ship 600 miles awa).' De Long and Amblei had sucii a sense of
hoMour that they sacrificed their lives rather than separate themselves
ironi a dying man whom tlieir [u-esence could not save. It paries

V -

Chapter I.

( omi.alicnsion \u,\\ Nar.MMi < ould have tlms deviated from the most
sa( red duty drvolvinu ,,n tlie (oiiuikuk' >• of a naval e\|)L'dition. 'I'lie
sail- rrtun of l,ra\c Cajitain Sverilriip with the /-hwi does not excuse
Nansin. Svrrdruj-s coivsisicncv, coura^a', and skill in holdint; last to
Ihv /■'ram and hiiiii^in^r his conirades i)a( k to Norway, wdl win lor him
in the minds of nii.ny laurels even brighter than those ol' his able and
ic! omplislud cliier,"

One ()'" iIk; lew who ])ul)Iic'; ga\ e lo mv i)lan the support of his
scierlilic authoiity was Trofessoi Supan, the well-known l';dit(.r of
l\ieni!aiui'.s ?Jitti'^liiiii:^i"i. In an artiek- in this journal for i.Sc;!
(p. 191) he noi oi>ly spoke warmly in its favour, but supported it with
new suggestions. His view was that w'lat he terms the Arctic "wind-
shed " pr(jliably for the greater part of the year divides the unknown
polar basin into two parts In the eas'ern part the jTCvailing winds
blow towards the b'ering Sea, while those of the western part blow
towards tl;e Atlariie. He thought that, as a rule, this "wind-shed"'
must lie near the ISering Se„, and that the prevailing winds in the tracts
\«e purjKjsed traversing would thus favour our drift. Our experience
b^ie out Professor Sup.an's thecM-y in a remarkable degree.

PETER HENRIKSEN.

(Fio:n a photoi^raph takiii in /Sgj.)

. V:

CHAPTER IT.

Preparations am) Imjiii'mkn't.

T'ooMiARDV as the scheme appeared to some, it received powerful
support from the Norwe^^ian (lovernment and the K'wv^ of Norway. A
Hill was laid before (he Storthing for a grant of jC^^f-S° (200,000
kroiu r) or two-thirds of the estimated cost. The remaining third 1
hope! to he able to raise from private sources, as I had already
received i>romises of support from many quarters.*

On June 30th, 1890, the amount demanded was votcfl by the
Storthing ; which thereby expressed its wish that the expedition siiouUl
be a Norwegian one. In January, i8yi, Mr. Thos. Fearnley, Consul
Axel Heiberg, and Mr. KUef Ringnes set to work to collect the further
sum re([uired, and in a few days the amount was subscribed.

His Majesty King Oscar gave ;^i,i25 (20,000 kroner) while private
individuals in Norway gave as follows ; —

Consul Axel He!l)erg

Ditto (later)

Mr. Anton Chr. Houen .
Mr. A. Dick, Hovik

I )itto (later) .

Mr. Thos. Fearnley (merchant)

Ditto (later;

Messrs. Ringnes cV Co. (brewers) .

Ditto (later)

if.

■ s(^2

393

• 1,125

281

393

281

s(^

* I mnieJ lately after my return from the crossiiiy; of CIreenlan:!, Cdiisul Axel
Heiberg had placed at my dispcsal £$62 towards the expense-; of another e\[)editioti.
lie was also instrumental in setting on iooi the subsequent subscription.

reparations aiu

1 I"

(|uij)mcnt.

Mr. A. S. Kjustcrud (mcrchapt), Drainiiicii .
Ditto (later)

Mr. Iv Stindt (merchant), IJergcn .
Consul Westye Eycbcrg ....

Mr. Halver Schou

liaruii Harald ^V(Jdcl Jarl.sbcrg and C lovcns-

kiold, Minister of .State . . . .

Consul Nicolay IL Knudtzon, Chrisliansund .

.V.

:Si

5^'

281

502

2S1

5^'-^

jSi

Among foreign (.ontributtjrs ni.iy i)e mentioned the Royal Ceo-
graphical Society of London, which showed its sympathy widi the
undertaking by subscribing jCz^o sterling. J'aron Oscar Dickson
provided at his own cost the electric installation (dynamo, accunui
lators, and conductors).

As the work of e(iuipment proceeded, it appeared that the fir.-t
estimate was not sufficient. This was especially due t(j the ship, which
was estimated to cost X!^,437 \os. (150,000 kroner) but which came to
nearly double that sum. ^^ here so much w;is at stake, I did not think
it right to study the cost too much, if it seemed that a little extra
outlay could ensure the successful result of the expedition. The three
gentlemen who had taken the lead in the lust collection, Mr. Thomas
I'earnley, Consul Axel Heiberg, and Mr. Kllef Ringnes, imdertook at
my recjuest to constitute themselves the Committee of the exi)cdition
and to take charge of its pecuniary affairs. In order to cover a portion
of the deficiency, they, together with certain members of the Council of
the Geographical Society, set on foot another private subscription all
over the coiuitry ; while the same society at a later period headed a
national subscription. By these means about ^956 '^s. was collected
in all. I had further to petition the Norwegian Storthing for an
additional sum of ^^4,500, when our national assembly again gave
])roof of its sympathy with the luidertaking by granting the amount
named (June 9th, 1890).

Finally, Consul Axel Heiberg and Mr. Dick subsciil)cd an additional
^^337 lO'^- each, while I myself made up the deficiency that still re-
mained on the eve of our departure.

Ch.'iptcr II.

SiAir.Mi'.vi (ir Accounts oi mi. I'AI'Idiimn n\ us Si.iiiNr,

Ol'T, \^i)^\

JiiCinnc.

State (Iraiit .......

H.M. 'I'Ik' Kin^;, miuI ()ii;;iiial pris'atc subs? lihcrs
Piivalc sul)S('ri|ili()ii oltlu' (jcopsraphical Soci^-ty
National .subscription .....

Interest accrued ......

Ciuaraiiteecl by private individuals .
I)elic-it covered by A. lleiberg and A. Dick

Ditto I''. Nansen

(leographical Society, London (^300) .
II. Simon, Manchester (^100)
;\ Norwegian in Riga (1,000 njubles) and others

Total
* Nearly ;^2 5,ooo.

Kroner ore

3Sc,ooo o

105,000 o

I 2,7s t j;,

-%2S7 23

9,729 7S

5,400 o

12,000 o

5,400 o

9,278 62

444,339 3^'^

Exl^eiuiiliire.

Wages account ....

Life insurance premiums of married i)articipators

Instruments account

Ship account ....

Provisions account

I'Apen.ses account

Eciuipnient account

Total

It will be evident from the plan above expounded, that the most
important point in the equii.'ment of our expedition was the building of
tlie ship that was to carry us through the dreaded ice regions. The
construction of this vessel was accordingl\- carried out with greater care,
probably, than has been devoted to any shij) that has hitherto ploughed

Kroner

ore.

•

46,440

ticipators .

5,3^' I

12,978

271,927

39,172

1 0,6 1 2

57,846

444,339

r.KRNI' MKNTZEN.

{From a photograph takm in /h'a'iii/'cr, /S(^^.)

•s

Chapte

r li.

the Arctic waters. I found in the well known shipbuilder, Colin Archer,
a man who thoroughly understood the task I set him, and who concen-
trated all his skill, foresight, and rare thoroughness upon the work.
We must gratefully recognise that the succeii cf the expedition was in
no small degree due to this man.

CCLiN ARCHER.

If we turn our attention to the long list of former expeditions and to
their equipments, it cannot hut strike us that scarcely a single vessel
hnd i)een built specially for the puri)Ose— in fact, the majority of ex-
plorers have not even provided themselves with vessels which were

Preparations and Equipment.

originally iniended for ire navigation. This is the more surprising
when we remember the sums of money that have been lavished on the
equipment of some of these expeditions. The (cXrt i:-, they have
geneially been iii such a hurry to .^c': out that there has ::vc'^ no time
to devote to a more rareful ecjuipment. In many cases, indeed, pre-
parations were not begun until a few months before the expedition
sailed. The present expedition, however, could not be ecjuipijed in so
short a Lime, and if the voyage itself took three years, the preparations
took no less time, while the scheme was conceived thrice three years
earlier.

Plan after [ilan did Archer make of the projected ship ; one model
after another was prepared and abandoned.

Fresh improvements were constantly being suggested. The form wo
finally adhered to may seem to many people by no means beautiful ;
but that it is well adapted to the ends in view I think our expedition
has fully proved, ^^■hat was especially aimed at was, as mentioned on
page 35, to give the ship such sides that it could readily be hoisted up
during ice pressure, without being crushed between the floes. Greely,
Nares, etc., etc, are certainly right in saying that this is nothing new
I relied here simply on the sad experiences of earlier expeditions.
What, however, may be said to be new is the fact that we not only
realised that the ship ought to have such a form, but that we gave it
that form, as well as the necessary strength for resisting great ice-pres
sure, and that this was the guiding idea in tlie whole work of construc-
tion. Colin Archer is quite right in what he says in an article in the
iVr/rs/: 'riiisskrifffor Sovu'St'ii, 1892: — ''When one bears in mind what
is, so to speak, the fundamental idea of Dr. Nansen's plan in his North
I'ole Expedition .... it will readily be seen that a ship which is to
be built with exclusive regard to its suitability for this object must diffc r
essentially from any other previously known vessel. . . .

"In the construction of the slup two ])oints must be especially
studied (i) that the shape f)f the hull he such as to offer a.; small a
vulnerable target as possible to the attacks cjf the ice ; and (':) that it
be built so solidly as to be able to withstand the greatest possit/l''
pressure from without in any direction whatsoever.''

And thus she was built, more attention being paid to making her a

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Preparations and E(iui{)m(jnt.

safe and warm stronghold while drifting in the ice, than to endowing
her with speed or good sailing (jualities.

As above stated, our aim was to make the ship as small as possible.

The reason of this was that a rmall ship is, of course, lighter than a
large one, and can be made stronger in proportion to her weight. A
small ship too is better adapted for navigation among the ice ; it is
easier to handle her in critical moments, and to find a safe berth for
her between the packing ice-floes. I was of opinion that a vessel of
170 tons register would suffice, but the /'hiw is considerably larger,
402 tons gross, and 307 tons net. It was also our aim to build a short
vessel, which could thread her way easily among the floes, especially ns
great length would have been a source of weakness when ice-pressure
set in. But in order that such a ship, which has, moreover, very
sloping sides, shall possess the necessary carrying capacity, she must
be broad ; and her breadth is in fact about a third of her length.
Another point of importance was to make the sides as smooth as
possible, without projecting edges, while i)l:ine surfaces were as much
as possible avoided in the neighbourhood of the most vulnerable points,
and the iiull assumed a plump and rounded form. How, stern, and
keel — all were rounded off so that the ice should not be able to get a
grip of her anywhere. For this reason, too, the keel was sunk in the
planking so that barely three inches protruded, and its edges were
rounded. The object was that " the whole craft shoukl be able to slip
like an eel out of the embraces of the ice."

The hull was made pointed for^ and aft, and somewhat resembles a
pilot boat, minus the keel and the sharp garboard straker. ]5oth ends
were made specially' strong. Tiie stem -onsists of three stout oak
beams, one inside the other, forming an aggregate thickness of 4 feet
(i"25 m.) of solid oak; inside the stem are fitted solid breasthooks of
oak and iron to bind the ship's sides together, and from these breast-
hooks stay.' r.re placed against the pawl-bii. The bow is protected by
an iron stem, and :^cross it was fitted transverse bars which run some
small distance backwards on either side as is usual in sealers.

The stern is of a special and somewhat peculiar construction. On
either side of the rudder and propeller jwsts — whi'h are sided
24 inches (65 cm.) — is fitted a stout oak counter-timber following the

i; 2

^ " i

rZ '-> r^

i I

I; !

|i ' i

Cha])ter II.

curvature of tliO stern right up co the upper deck, and forming, so to
speak, a double stern post. The pkinking is carried outside these
liml)ers, and ib.e stern [)rotected by heavy iron pkites wrought outside
the |)kinking,

Between these two counter-timbers there is a well for the screw, and
also one Ibr tlie rudder, through which they can both be hoisied up on
deck. It :.; usual in sealers to have the screw arranged in l.is way, so
that It car. easily be leplaced by a s[)are screw shc-:Id it be broken by
the ice. IJut such an arrangement is not usual in the case of the
rudder, and, while with our small crew, and with the helj) of the
capstan, we could hoist the rudder on deck in a few nunutes in case of
any sudden ice pressure or the like, I have known it take sealers with
a crew of over 60 men several hours, or even a whole day, to shij) a
fresh rudder.

The stern is, on the whole, the Achilles' heel of ships in the polar
seas : liere the ice can easily inflict great damage, for instance, by
breaking the rudder. To guard against this danger, our rudder was
placed so low down as not to be visible above water, so that if a floe
should strike the vessel aft, it would break its force against the strong
stern-part, and could hardly touch the rudder itself. As a niatter ol
fact, notwithstanding the violent pressures we met with, we never
suffered any injury in this respect.

Everything was oi" course done to make the sides of the ship as
strong as possible. The frame timbers were of choice Italian oak that
had originally been intended for the Norwegian navy, and had lain
under cover at Morten for 30 years. They were all grown to shape and
jo-ii inches thick. The frames were built in two courses or tiers,
closely wrought together, and connected by bolts, some of which were
riveted. Over each joint flat iron bands were placed. The frames
were about 21 inches (56 cm.) wide, and were placed close together,
with only about an inch or an inch and a-half between ; and these
interstices were lilled with pitch and sawdust mixed, from the keel to a
little distance above the waf.erline, in order to keep the ship noderately
watertight, even should the outer skin be chafed through.

"! he outside planking consists of three layers. The inner one is of
oai". 3 inches thick, fastened with spikes and carefully caulked ;

Preparations and EqLiI{)nicnt.

outside this another oak slieathing 4 inches thick, fastened with
through bolts and caulked ; arid outside these comes the iceskin of
greenheart, which like the other planking runs right down to the keel.
At the water-line it is 6 inches thick, gradually diminishing towards the
bottom to 3 inches. It is fastened with nails and jagged bolts, and
not with through bolts, so that if the ice had stri[)ped off the whole of
the ice sheathing the hull of the ship would not have suffered any great
damage. The lining inside the frame timbers is of pitch pine planks,
some 4' some 8 inches thick ; it was also ^^refully caulked once or
twice.

The total thickness of the ship's sides is, therefore, from 24 to
28 inches of solid water-tight wood. It will readily be understood that
such a ship's side, with its rounded form, would of itself offer a very
good resistance to the ice ; but to make it still stronger the inside was
shored up in every possible way, so that the hold looks like a cobweb
of balks, stanchions, and braces. In the first place, there are two rows
of beams, the upper deck and between decks, principally of solid oak.
partly also of pitch pine ; and all of these are further connected with
each other, as well as with the sides of the ship, by numerous supports.
The accompanying diagrams will show how they are arranged. The
diagonal stays are, of course, placed as nearly as possible at right angles
to the sides of the ship, so as to strengthen them against external
pressure and to distribute its force. Tiie vertical stanchions between
both tiers of beams and between the lower beams and keelson are
admiral)ly adapted for this latter object. All are connected together
with strong knees and iron fastenings, so that the whole becomes as it
were a single coherent mass. It should be borno in mind that, while
in former expeditioi: ■ it was thought sufficient to give a couple of
beams amidships some extra strengthening, every single cross beam in
the Fram was stayed in the manner described and depicted.

In the engine-room there uas, of course, no space for supports in the
middle, but in their :'.ace two stay ends were fixed on either side. The
beams of the lower deck were placed a little under the water-line,
where tlie ice-pressure would be severest. In the after-hold these
beams had to be raised a little to give room for the engine. The
upper deck aft, therefore, was somewhat higher than the main deck,

Chapter II.

1 1 i

and the ship had a poop or half-deck, under which were the cabins foi
all the members of the expedition, and also the cookir^^-galley. Strong
iron riders were worked in for the whole length of the ship in the
spares between the beams, extending in one length from the clamp
under the upper deck nearly to the keelson. The keelson was in two
tiers and about 31 inches (80 cm.) high, saving in the engine-room
where the height of the room only allows one tier. 'J'he keel consists
of two heavy American elm logs 14 inches sijuare ; but, as has been
mei'itioned, so built in that only 3 inches protrude below th^ outer
planking. The sides of the hull are rounded downwards to the kecl^ so
that a transverse section at the midship frame reminds one forcibly of
half a cocoanut cut in two. The higher the ship is lifted out of the
water, the heavier does she, of course, become, and the greater her
pressure r n the ice, but for the above reason the easier also does it
become for the ice to lift. To obviate much heeling, in case the
hull should be lifted very high, the bottom was made flat, and this
proved to be an excellent idea. I endeavoured to determine experi-
mentally the friction of ice against wood, and taking into account the
strength of the ship, and the angle of her sides with the surface of the
water, I came to the conclusion that her strength must be many times
sufficient to withstand the pressure necessary to lift her. This calcu-
lation was amply borne out by experience.

The principal dimensions of the ship were as follows : — Length of
keel, 102 feet; length of water-line, 113 feet; length from stem to
stern on deck, 128 feet; extreme breadth, 36 feet; breadth of water-
line, exclusive of ice-skin, 34 feet; depth, 17 feet; draught of water
with light cargo, 12^ feet ; displacement Vv'ith light cargo, 530 tons; with
heavy cargo, the draugnt is over 15 feet, and the displacement is 800 tons;
there is a freeboard of about 3 feet 6 inches. The hull with boilers
filled was calculated to weigh about 420 tons, and with 800 tons
displacement there should, therefore, be spare carrying-power for coal
and other cargo to the amount of 380 tons, Thus, in addition to the
requisite provisions for dogs and men for more than five years, we
could carry coal for four months' steaming at full speed, which was
more than sufficient for such an expedition as this.

As regards the rigging, the most important object was to have it as

Preparations and Equipment.

;th of
■m to
Iwater-
water
; with
tons;
•oilers
tons
ir coal
;o the
|rs, we
;h was

it as

simple and as strong as possible, and at the same time so contrived as
to offer the least possible resisuince to tiie wind while the ship was
under steam. With our small crew it was moreover of the hist import-
ance that it !:;iiou"id be easy to work from deck. I'or this reason the
Fram was rigged as a three-masted fore-and-aft schooner. Several of
our old Arctic skippers disaitprovcd of this arrangement. They had
always been used to sail with S([uare-rigged shiiis, and with the conser-
vatism peculiar to their class were of ()|)iniun that what they had used
was the only thing that could be used in the ice However, the rig we
chose was unquestionably the best for our [jurpose. In addition to the
ordinary fore-and-aft sails we had two movable yards on the foremast
for a scjuare foresail and topsail. As the yards were attached to a
sliding truss they could easily be hauled down when not in use. The
ship's lower masts were tolerably high and massive. TIj'j mainmast
was about 80 feet high, the main topmast was 50 feet high, and the
crow's-nest on the top was about 102 feet (32 m. above the water. It
was important to have this as high as i)ossible, so as to have a more
extended view when it came to jjicking our way through the ice. The
aggregate sail area was about 6,000 sq. feet.

The ship's engine, a triple expansion, was made with particular care.
The work was done at the Akers Mechanical Factory, and Engineer
Norbeck deserves especial credit for its construction, \\ith his cpiick
insight he foresaw the various possibilities that might occur, and took
precautions against them. Tiie triple ex[)ansion system was chosen as
i)eing the most economical in the consumption of coal ; but as it m'ght
hai)pen that one or other of the cylinders should get out ot order, it
was arranged, by means of separate pipes, that any of the cylinders
could be cut off, and thus the other two, or, at a pincli, even one alone
could be used. In this way the engine, by the mere turning of a cock
or two, cculd be changed at will into a compound high pressure or
low-pressure engine. Although nothing ever went wrong with any of
the cylinders, this arrangement was frequently us'.'d with advantage.
By using the engine as a compound one, we could, for instance,
give the Fmm greater speed for a sliort time, and when occasion
demanded we often took this means of forcing our way through
the ice. The engine was of 220 indicated horse-power, and w<i

Chapter I!,

could in calm wcailiLT with a light cargo attain a speed (if 6 or
7 knots.

TIic propellers, of which we had two in reserve, were two-i)lade(l,
and niad'j of cast-iron : hut we never used either the spare pri>pjl'ers
or a spare rudder which we had w'th us.

Our quarters lay, as 'fore nti led, ah'ift unoe " tl' • tudf-deck,
and were arran, 'd so i!i i !h : .doon, which formed our dining-room
and drawing room, wr in lb iniiidle, surrounded on all sides by the
sleei)ing-cabins. These consioied oi . -t state-rooms with one berth
apiece and two with four berths. The object of this arrangement was
to i)rotect the saloon from* external cold ; but further, the ceiling, floors
and walls were covered with several thick coatings of non-conducting
material, the surface layer, in touch with the heat of the cabin, consist-
ing of air-tigiit linoleum, to prevent the warm, damp air from jjcnetrating
to the other side and depositing moisture, whi( h would soon turn to ice.
The sides of the ship were lined with tarred felt, then came a space
with cork paddin;/, next a deal panelling, then a thick layer of felt, next
air-tight linoleum, and last of all an inner i)anelling. The ceiling of the
saloon and cabins consisted of many different layers : air, felt, deal
panelling, reindeer hair stuffing, deal panelling, linoleum, air and deal
panelling, which, with the 4-inch deck-planks, gave a total thickness of
about 15 inches. To form the floor of the saloon, cork padding, 6 or
7 inches thick, was laid on the deck planks, on this a thick wooden
floor, and above all linoleum. The skylight which was most exposed
to the cold was protected by three panes of glass one within the other,
and in various other ways. One of the greatest difficulties of life on
board ship which former Arctic expeditions had had to contend with,
was that moisture collecting on the cold outside walls either froze at
once or ran down in streams into the berths and on to the floor. Thus
it was not unusual to find the mattresses converted into more or less
solid masses of ice. We, however, by these arrangements, entirely
avoided svch an unpleasant state of things, and when the fire was
lighted in tne saloon there was not a trace of moisture on the walls
even in the sleeping cabins. In front of the saloon lay the cook's
galley, on either side of which was a companion leading to the deck.

As a protection against the cold, each of these companion-ways was

Preparations aiul Iu|iii|)infnt.

f tied with four small solid doors (onsisting of several layers of wooil
with lelt beMvcen, all of \vhi( h hn to he passed ihroui^h on ^oing out,
And the nicj . )mi)letely to e.\( lude the (old air the thresholds of the
doors were made more tli.m ordinarily high. On the half-deck over the
cook's g; Me}', ^'jt.veeii the mainmast and the funnel, was a ihartroom
facing the how, and a smaller work-room abaft.

In order to secure the safely of tiie shi}) in case of a leak, the hold
was divided into three compartments by watertight bulkheads. Jiesides
the usual pump' 've had a i)owerful centrifugal i)ump driven by the
cngme, which couid be connected with each of the three comp> aw . 's.
It may be mentioned as an im[)rovement on former expedi -'jns t
the J'hif/t was furnished with an electric light instalku.yr. liie
dynamo was to be driven by the engine while we were u.uk' ■ jam ;
while the intenticjn was to drive it partly by means of the wind, partly
by hand i)ower, during our sojourn in the ice. For th. '-,.ose we
took a windmill with us, and also a "horsemill"' to be worked by
ourselves. I had anticipated that this latter might have been useful in
giving us exercise in the long polar night. W'c found, however, that
there were plenty of other things to do, and we never used it ; on the
other hand, the windmill proved extreme!)- serviceable. For illumina-
tion when we might not have enough power to prouuce electric light,
we took with us about i6 tons of petroleum, which was also intended
for cooking purposes and for warming the cabins. This petroleum, as
well as 20 tons of common kerosene* intended to be used along with
coal in the boiler, was stored in massive iron tanks, eight of which were
in the hold, and one on deck. In all, the ship had eight boats, two of
which were especially large, 29 feet long and feet wide. These were
intended for use in case the ship should, after all, be lost, the idea
being that we should live in them while drifting in the i.e. They were
large enousjh to accommodate the wb.ole ship's company with provisions

* This oil, li) ..leans of a s])cciall)' construrtid sicam-jci appaiatus, was iiijicted
into the furnaces in the fnini of a line s])ia}', wiieie it burned in a verv economical
lind saving manner, giving forlh a great amount of iieat. The apparatus was one
which has been applied to locomotives in I'.nglnnd. whence il was i)rocuted. Il
appeared, however, that it tended to overheat the boiler at one particular jioint,
where it made a dent, so that we soon abandoned this method of tiring.

Chapter II.

for many montlis. 'I lion there were four smaller boats of the form
seak-rs generally use. They were exceedipt^ly strong and lightly built,
two of oak, and two of elm. The seventh boat was a small pram, and
the ckdith a launch with a petroleum engine, which, how.ner, wa.s not
very G^iviceable, and caused us a great deal dI" trouble.

■\s 1 shall have beijuent occasion later on to speak of other details
oi' our etjuipmen.t, 1 shall content mysell' here with mentioning a few of
the most important.

Special attention was, of course, devoted to our conmii.ssariat with a
view to obviating the ilanger of scurvy and other ailments. The
principle on whicli 1 acted in the choice of provisions was to combine
variety with wholesomeness. Every single article of food was chemi-
cally analysed before being adopted, antl great (are was taken that it
should be properly packed. Such articles, even, as bread, dried
vegetables, etc., etc., were soldered down in tins as a protection against
damp.

A good li'orary vras of great importance to an expedition like ours,
and thanks to i)ublishers and friends Ixjth in our own and in other
countries we were very well supplied in this respect.

The instruments for taking scientific observations of course formed
an important part of our eijuipment and special care was bestowed upon
them. In addition to the collection of instruments I had used on my
(Ireenland expedition, a great many new ones were provided, and no
pains were .spared to get them as good and complete as possible. Tor
meteorological observations, in addition to the ordinary thermometers,
barometers, aneroids, psychrometers, h.vgrometers, anemometers, etc.,
etc., self- registering instruments were also taken. Of sjjccial impor-
tance were a self-registering aneroid barometer (barograph) and a oair
of self-registering thermometers (thermograi)hs). For astronomical
observations wf, had a large theodolite and two smaller one^;, intended
for use on sledge expeditions, together with several sextants of different
sizes. We had, moreover, four ship's <;hronometers and several pocket
chronometers. For magnetic observations, for taking the declination,
inclination and intensity (both horizontal and total intensity) we had a
complete set of instruments. Among others may be mentioned a
spectroscope especially adapted for the northern lights, an electroscope

rSERNARI) NORDAIli..
(From a photoi^raph taken in Ikicuibir, iSgj.)

Cliiiptcr II.

for (lotrrmining tlic amount r)r electricity in the air, plujtoffrapliic
apparatuses, of wliich we liad seviii. lar^e and small, and a photo-
yraphonuter for maisin^i; < harts, I considered a pen;U'lum apparatus
with ils adjuncts : 1 !-e of s|)e( iai iniportanc c to erd^li- us to niaUe
jx-nduluui t'Np'jrimenls m tlu' far north. 'I'o do this, how^'ve**, land
was nt'ct'ssarj-. 'nd, as we did not find any. this uislruuH'nt unfortunately
did not ( ouie into usi-. 1 or hyilroj;raphi( observations we took a lull
e(|uipment of water samplers, deep water thermometers, eti . To
ascertain the saltness of the water, we had, in addition to the orduiary
areometers, an electric api)aratus specially constructed by Mr. 'riiorniie.
Altogether, our scientilic c(iuipirient was especially excellent, thanks in
great measure to the oblij^ing assistance rendered me by many men of
:icienc-e. 1 would take; this opportunity of tendering my special thanks
to Professor iMohn, who, besides seeing to the meteorological instru-
ments, helloed me in many other ways with his valuable advice ; to
Professor (leelmuyden, who undertook the supervision of the astrono-
mical instruments ; to Dr. Neimu'\er, of Hamburg, who took c liarge
of the magnetic ecjuipment ; and to Professor Otto Petter.son, of
Stockholm, and Mr. Thorucje, of Cliristiania, both of whom super-
intended the hydrographic: de[)artment. Of no less importance were
the physiologico-medicinal preparations, to which Professor 'Porup
devoted particular care.

As it might be of the utmost importance in severai rcntingenc:ies to
have good sledge-dogs, I applied to my friend, iiaron P^.dward von Toll,
of St. Petersburg, and asked him whether it was poss!i)le to procure
serviceable animals from Siberia.* ^\'ith great courtesy \'on Toll
replied that he thought he himself could arrange this for nie, as he was
just on the point of undertaking his seccjnd scientific expedition to
Siberi:i and the New Siberian Islands. He proposed to send tlu clogs
to Kiiabarova, on Yugor Strait. On his journey through Tinmen in
January, iS:;3, by the help of an Paiglish merchant named A\'ardroper,
who resided there, he engaged Alexander Ivanovitch Trontheim to

* I liiul thouglit of pincu ring lings from tlu- Eskimo of ("iiienland ruid IIiulscJii
H.iy, l)ul there provctl to be iusupLMalile iliHiculties in the way oi gelling llieiii
conv:;yeci from there.

r<'|)arali<)ns a

lul ]•

:|lll|)in('llt.

Til

inouili ot tlie OlfiU'k, wIk'ic

undiTtakc tlic i)iii( luisc of thirly Osti.ik do^s, .uid tlu'ir i onscyaiK i' to
\'ii;,'()r Strut. Hut NOiiIdII w.is iiDt (ontiiu witli tins. Mr. Nikolai
Kl1( li li.iviiiL; (ifUrrd lo l)f,ir tlii" expanse, my I'rii'tid prrx iin-d die l'!a>t
Siljcrian do^s, wliich an' a( kn iwlud^i'd tn he hcitcr draiij;lit do^'s tlian
tluisc t-f West S'hcria (Ostiak do.Lfs), and JoMaii rorj^tTson, a Nor
wcgian, uiidntook to deliver tlivin at i
it was arran^'ed that we should toinh.

Von Toll, moreover, thou;,d)t it wouM he iin|)ortant to cstahlish some
ilepots of provisions on the New Siberian Islands, in case the Itam
should meet with disaster and the e\pedition should he ohlij,fed to
return home that way. ( )n VOn I'oH's mentioninj;,' this, Keh h at onee
expressed himself willin},^ to Ix ar the costs, as he wished us in that
event to meet with Siberian hospitaliiy e\en on the New Siberian
Inlands. As it was diftic ult to find tni^tworiliy agents to carry out a
task involvin;j so much responsibdity, \'on Toll determined to establish
the de|)bts himself, and in May, 1S93, he set out on an adventurous
and hi.i,ddy interesting journey from the mainland over the ice to the
New Siberian Islands, where, be-^ides laying down three depots for us,*
he made some very important geological researches.

Another important matter, I thought, was to have a cargo of ( oal
sent out as far as possible on our route, so that when we broke off all
(onneclion with the ri'st oi" the world we should have on board the
I'Viini as much ( oal as slie < oiild carry. I dierefore joyfully accepted
an offer from an I'aiglishman, who was to a(("om[)Tny us with his steam
yacht to Novaya Zemlya or the Kara Sea, and give us 100 tons of coal
on parting com[)any. As (jur departure was drawing nigh 1 learnt,
however, that other arrangements had been made. It being now too
late to take a: other measures, 1 charleieil the sloop Urania, of

■ TI1C.-.C ik'|)r>ts \vi.r<' anangud most t-nicfully aiul every prccaulicn so well laken
that wc certainly ^IkiuIii idI have sulVered frum laiiiiii-' liad we j;()ne there. In the
ndrlhenunost deiti'il al Stan l)iirnova on the west '.-uast of Kcitclnoi, at 75' ^7' X.L.,
we should have found jirovisions for a week ; with thCFC we « uld easily hrvc made
our way 65 niiks souihwaids aion|; the eoa^t to the second depot al Uiassal ich,
where, in a I.ouse hiiill liy Huron \\\\ Toll ni lSS5, we should have found jJrovisM.ns
for a whole nioiuh. Lastly, a third de[i(il in a hous(," on Uic south side of F.itl'ti
LiaUholf I>land, with provisions for two months, would have enabled us lo leac: the
mainland with ea^c.

(

«,.

! i

62 Chapter II.

Bronosund in Nonlland. to bring a cargo of coals to Khabarova on the
Yugor Strait

No sooner did the plan of my expedition become known, than
petitions poured in by the hundred from all ([uarters of the earth, from
Euiope, America, Australia, from i)ersons who wished to take part in
it, in spite of the many warning voices that had been raised. It was no
easy thing to choose among all the brave men. who applied. As a
matter of course it was absolutely essentia! that every man should be
strong and healthy, and not one was finally accepietl till he had been
carefully examined In- Professor Hialniar lleiberg, of Christiania.

The following is a list of the members of the expedition : —

Otto A\iiiiiaiii! Svcrdnip, Commander of the /')a/!i, was born in
l^indal in Helgeland, i8s,5. At the age of seventeen he went to sea,
passed his mate's examination in 1S78, and *" )r some years was captain
of a shii). In 1888-89 he took part in the (Ireenland Mxitedition. As
s on as he heard of the plan of the i'olar I'lxpedition he ex[)ressed his
desire to accom]xany it, and I knew that I coukl not [)lace the Fraiii in
better hands. He is married, and has one child.

^/{,'V/;v/ Stott-JIaiiscii, l-'irst Lieutenant in the Xavy, undertook the
nianaiiement of die meteort)logi<al, astronomical, an ' magnetic observa-
tions. He was born in Christiania in 1868. .After i)assing through the
Naval School at Morten, he became an officer in 1889, and I'irst
Lieutenant in 1892. He is a son of Andreas Hansen, luirish priest in
Christiania.

Ilt'iirik G/rvc I)/cssi/r^\ doctor and botani.^t to the expedition, was
born in Drammen in 1866, where his fuller was at that time a
clergyman. He became a siudent in 1885, and graduated in medicine
in the spring of 1893.

Theodore Claudius Jacol^scn., male of tlie '■'rom. u-as born .it Tromso
in 1855, where his father was a sliip"s captain, afterwards liarbcu'
master and head [lilot. .\t the age ol' liftecn he went to sea, and
pas.scd his mate's examination foin- years later. He spent two years in
New /c.iland. and from i886-()0 he went on vo\:iges to the .\rclic Sea
as skipper of n Tromso sloop. He is m.,rrie<!. and ha> one ( hild.

Anton AinuudsoK chief eiinineer of the /■'/■am. was born at Ilorten in
1853. In 1SS4 he passed his technical examination, and soon after-

i^,

Preparations and Iu]uipment.

vanls his engineer's examination. Vor twenty-fivo years he has been
in tlie Navy, where he attained the rank of chief engineer. He is
married, and has six children.

Adolf lac!/, steward and c<Jok of the F/ani, was horn m 'die parish of
Skato, near Kragero, in i860. His father. Clans Nielsen, was a fanner
and shipowner. In 1879 he passed his mate's examination, and has been
captain of a ship many years. He is married, and has four children.

l.a/s Pctlcrsi'ii, second engineer of the Fnvn, was born in i860, at
Borre, near Landskrona, in Sweden, of Norwegian parents. He is a
fully (lualilied smith and machinist, in which capacity he has served in
the Norwegian Navy for several years. Is married and has < hildren.

Frederik HJaliiiar Jo/ia/isc/i, Lieutenant in the Reserve, was born at
Skien in 1867, and matriculated at the University in 1886. In 1891-
92 he went to the Military School and became a supernumerary officer.
He was so eager to take part in the expedition that, as no other post
could be found for him, he acce])ted that of stoker.

yV/(7- Lconnrd Hcnrikscn, har[)ooner, was ijorn in IJalsfjord, near
Troms(), in 1859. From childhood ho has been a sailor, and from
fourteen years old has gone voyages to the Arctic Se; as harpooner and
skipper. In 188S he was shipwrecked off Novaya Zemlya in the sloo[)
F>iii:;ha/c/i, from Christiansand. He is married, and has four chillren.

Bernha>-d Xorda/i/ \\o.<<\)on\ \\\ i.]\\\'\^U:\\\\:i in 1862. At the age of
fourteen he enten/d the Navy and advanced to be a gunner. Sub-
secjuently he has done a little of everytldng, and among other things
has worked as an electrical engineer. He had charge of the dynamo
and electric installation on board, a( ted, moreo\er, as slok;.:- an;! for a
time assisted in the meteorcjlogical observations. He is married, antl
has five children.

/rvr;- O/fo /ri^cis J/oxs/dd wa^ born at Aure in Xordmore "■■■'. 'S56.
In 1877 P^i'^^e'd his examination as fust assistant, and from 18S2
onward:? was one of tin- head keepei's at the C.austad Lunati" Asylum.

Bcnif Fciitzcii, born in i860, went to sea for several years. In 1890
he passed his mate's examination, since whii h he has sailed ; s male in
several voyages to the .Arctic !>ea. We engageil !iim at '!'ro;n>o jusl as
we were starting. It was 8.30 when he came on ln)ard to speak tt) nie,
antl at 10 o'clock the I''ram set sail.

CHAPTER III

Tin; Start.

" Sii travel I north to the gloomy abode
That I lie sun never shines rn —
There is no day."

It was midsummer day. A dull, gloomy day ; and with it ramc the
inevitable leave-taking. The door ( loscd behind me. I'or the last
time I left my home, and went alone down the garden to the beach
where the Fnvii's little petroleum launch pitilessly awaited me.
IJehind me lay all I held dear in life. And what before me? Mow
many years would i)ass ere I should see it all again ? What would I
not have given at that moment to be able to turn back ; but up at the
window little Liv was sitting clai)[)ing her hands. Happy child, little
do you know what life is -how strangely mingled and how full of
change. Like an arrow the little boat sped over Lysaker liay, bt^aring
nie on the lirst stage of a journey on which life itself, if not more, was
staked.

At last everything was in readiness. The hour had arrived towards
which the [)ersevering labour of years had been incessantly bent, and
with it the feeling that everything being jirovided and completed,
responsibilitv might be thrown aside and the weary brain at last find
rest. The /■'/■di/i lies yonder at Pei-perviken, impatiently panting and
waiting for the signal, when the lat'iuli comes puffing i)ast Dyna and
runs alongside. The deck is closely packed with peo])le come to bid a
iast farewell : and now all must leave the ship. Then the FroDi
weighs anchor, and, heavily huk'H and moving slowly, makes the tour
of the little (reek. The quays are black with crowds of people waving
their hats and handkerchiefs, laut silently and (juietlythe Fram heads
towards the fjord, steers ^hjwly jjast Bygdij and Dyna out on her

The Start.

^\^

unknown path, while httle ninihlc craft, steamers, and jileasure ooats,
swarm around her. J'eaceful and snu^^ lay tlie villas alon^^ the shore
behind their veils of ioliaire, just as tb.ey evL-r seemed of old. Ah '
"fair is the woodland slo])(', and never did it look fairer.' Lonu,
lonj; will It he before we shall plouj^di these well-known waters ai,'ain.

And now a last farewell to hoi";ie. \'onder it lies on the ]>oint : the
fjord sparkliiif^ in front, pine and fir woods around, a little snnling
meadow-land and lon[( wood-clad riilges behiiivl. Through the glass
one could descry a summer-clad figure by the bench under the tlr-
tree. . . .

It was the darkest hour of the whole journey.

And now out into the fjord. It was rainy weather, and a feeling of
melancholy seemed to brood over the familiar landsca|)e with all its
memories.

It was not until noon next day (June 25th) that the Frain glided
into the bay by Raikvik, Archer's shipyard, near Laur\ ik, wheie ner
t radle stood, and where many a golden dream had been dreamt of her
victorious career. Here we were to take the two long-hoats on board
and have them set up on their davits ; and there were several other
things to be shipped. It took the whole day and a good i)art of the
next before all was completed. About three o'clock on the 26th wc
bade farewell to Ra^kvik, and made a bend into Laurvik l>ay in order
to stand out to sea by Frederiksva;rn. Archer himsi 1'' had to take the
wheel and steer his child this last bit before leaving the shq). And
then came the farewell hand-shake ; hut few words were spoken, and
they got into the boat, he, my brothers, and a friend, while the Fram
glided ahead with her heavy motion, and the bonds that united us
were severed. It was sad and strange to see this last relic of home in
that little skiff on the wide blue surface, Anker's cutter behind, and
Laurvik further in the distance. I almost think a tear glittered on
that fine old face as he stootl erect in the Ix^it and siv ute<l a farewell
to us and to the Fnvii. Do you think lie does not love the \essel?
That he believes in her I kn )w well. So we gave him the lirst salute
from the Fnvii's guns a worthier inauguration they could not well
have had.

J''ull speed ahead, and in the (aim, briglit summer weather, while

!••

Chapter III.

the settin<r snn slu'd his beams over tlie land, ihr lu-am stood out
towards the hhie sra. to ,ii:et its first roll in the lonif hea\ing swell.
Th'-\' stood u|) p ttu' boat and watrhed us for loni;.

V>'l' bore alont;' the ( oast in i^^ooil weather, past ("hri>tiaiisand. The
ie\t ,n-eiiin,i,f, June 27th, we were off the Xa/e. T sat u|) and chatted
wiui Scott-l lansen till late in the ni,i,dit. He acted as captani on the
trip from ('hristiania to Troiidhjeni, where Sverdrup was to join, after
liavin^f accompanied his family to Steenkiier. As we sat there in the
chart-house and let the hours >lip by while we pu^l■;ed on in the ever-
increasin<,r swell, all at once a si'a burst ojjcn tiie tlot)r and poured in.
We rushed out on deck. The ship rolled like a lo!-,^ the seas broke in
o\er the rails on both sides, and one by one up came all the crew. I
feared most le>l the slender davits which supported the lonij^-boats
should <^\\v wav, and the boats themselves should go overboard,
jierhaps carrying away 'vith diem a lot of the rigging. 'I'lv.n twenty-
live empt}' ])araftin casks which were lashed on de< k broke loose,
washed backwards and forwards, and gradually filled with water ; so
that the outlook was not altogether agreeable. But it was worst of all
^vhcn the piles of reserve timber, spars, and |)lanks, began the same
dance, and threatened to break the props under the boats. It was an
anxious liour. Sea-sick T stood on the bridge, occui)ying mysell in
alternately making libations to Xeotune and trembling for the safety of
the boats and th" men, who were trying to make snug what they could
forward on deck. 1 often saw only a hotch-potch of liea, drifting
])lanks, arms, legs, and em])ty barrels. Now a green sea poured over
lis and knocked a man off his legs so that the water deluged him ; no.v
I saw the lads jumping over hurtling spars and barrels, so as not to get
their feet crushed between them. There was not a dry thread on 'hem.
Juell. who lay asleep in the '' (Irand Hotel," as we called one of the
longboats, awoke to hear the sea roaring under him like a cataract. I
ni( I him at the cabin door as he came running down. It was no longer
sale tiii_ro 1" • ihouijht : best to save one's rags — he hail u bundle under
hi.; arm '"uen i,e set off forward to secure his sea clust, which was
float'ig :'•"'; *■ mi t! >• fore-deck, ai 1 dragged it hurried!)' aft, while one
■ lea.' ) !-,ea aft:-i ai-.' it.''e.' swept lAerhim. Once the /vvw burieil hei
bov.s ae.d s'l'.npi J; a sea eve'- the I'orecaslle. 'I'here was one fellow

iil!

■■I'UPHi

IVAR MOGSTAD.

{From a f'ltolo^'ra/'h taken in /Si//. )

:i 1

Chapter III.

Clinging to the anchor-davits over th(„ frothing water. It was poor
juell again. We were iiard put to it to secure our goods and chattels.
We had to throw all our good paratiin casks overboard, and one prime
timber l)aulk after another went the same way, while I stood and
watched them sadly as they floated off. 'i"he rest of the dL( k ( argo
was shiftetl aft on to the half-deck. I am afraid the shares in the
expedition stood rather low at this moment. Then all at one e. when
things were al)()ut at their worst with us, we sighted a bark looming out
of the fog ahead. There it lay with royals and all sails set, as snugly
and peacefully as if nothing was the matter, rocking gently on the sea.
It made one feel almost savage to look at it. A'isions of the J'/yi/i,i^
Dutchman and other devilry flasheil through my mind.

Terrible disaster in the cook's galley ! Mogstad goes in and sees
the whole wall sprinkled over with dark red stains — rushes off to
Nordahl, and says he believes Juell has shot himself through desjjair
at the insufferable Iieat lie complains so about, "Great revolver

disas . r on board the Irani! " On close inspection, however,

the stains appeared to proceed from a t)ox of chocolate that had upset
in tlie cupboard.

Owing to the fog we dared not go too near land, so kejit out to
sea, till at last, towards morning, the fog lifted somewhat, and the ])ilot
found his bearings between Farsund and Hummerdus. We ])ut into
Lister I'jord, intending to anchor there and get into better sea trim ;
but as the weather imj^roved we went on our way. It was not till the
afternoon that we steered into Ekersund, owing to thick weather and a
stiff breeze, and anchored in Hovland's Bay, where our pilot, Hovlnnd,*
lived. Next morning the boat davits, etc., were put in good working
order. The Fram, however, was too he:ivily laden to be at all easy in
a seaway ; but this we could not alter. What we had we must keep,
and if we only got everything on deck shipshape and properly lashed,
the sea could not do us much harm liowever rough it miglit be ; for
we knew well enough that ship and rigging would hold out.

* Huth Ilovland who piloted us from Christiania to Ucrj,'en» and Julian IlatjinNeii
who took us from Hcri^cn to Vardii, were most kindly placed at the disposal of the
expedition 1)) the Xurdenfjcldske Steamship Company of Trondhjen;.

TIk- Start.

II w;is late in tlic evening of llie la>t day of June when we rounded
Kvarven, and stood in for Heri^en in the ^dooin of die sullen ni,i,du.
Next niornin<,f when 1 came on de( k, \'a^fen lay ( kar and hriglit in tlie
sun, all the sliips l)ein<,f ^aily decked (.at with huntiuLj iVoni topmast to
deck. 'I'lie sun was holding,' hi^h festival in the sk\' L'lriker.. Moiren
and I-o\siakken sparkle 1 and glittered, and i,Me(.'ted me as of old. It
is a marvellous ])lace. that old llaiiseatic town .'

In the e\eninjr I was to t,Mve a le( tuie, hut arri\ed half an hour too
ia^e, hor iu>t as 1 was dressinj^ to go, a number ol' hill.-, poured in. and
il I was to leave the town as a solvent man I must net'ds \k\\ them. and
so the public perforce had to wail. IJut the worst of it was that the
saloon was full of those everlastingly in([uisitive tourists. I could hear
a whole (om])any of them besieging my cabin door while I was dressing,
declaring " they must shake hands with the doctor i"* One of them
actually peeped in throLigh the ventilator at me, nr mm '.'tarx told me
afierwards. A nice sight she must have seen, the iowl) creature I
J\e|)c)rt says she drew her head back \ery (luickl)-. Indeed, at every
place where we jjut in we were looked on somewhat as wild animals in
a menagerie. I'or they peeped unceremoniously at us in our berths as
if we had been bears and lions in a dun, and we could hear them
loudly disputing among themselves as to who was who, and whether
those nearest and dearest to us whose jxjrtraits hung on the walls could
be called pretty or not. ^\■hen I had finished my toilette 1 opened the
door cautio'jsly. made a rush through the gajjing comjjany. "There
he is, there he is I "f they called to each other as the\ tumbled u\) the
steps after me. It wa> no use, I was on the cpiay and in the carriage
long before they had reached the deck.

At S o'clock there was a great banciuet, many fine speeches, good
fare and excellent wine. ])retty ladie--. music. :ind dancing till far into
the night.

Next morning at i i o'cloc k — it was Sunday-- in bright sunshiny
weather, we stood iiorlhwarch, over liergen Fjord, main friends
accom|)anving us. It w.is a loveh'. inver-lo-be-forgotten summer day.
In Herlo l''jord, right out by the skerries, thev parted from us. amicl

* I'Jngli.sh in tliL- original

//•/,/.

y £ '

IS' .1

I i ^feH

'■

1 '

i li

[

Chapter III.

wavinfjs of h;its .ind pcx krt-liaiidki'n hiffs ; we roul<l sw the littie
harl)()iir boat lor a Ion;: while with its i)la( k (loud of sinokt' on th'.'
sparkling sm-lace of tlu' watrr. Outsidr, the sea rolled in the ha/v
sunli^dit : an<l within lay the Hat Man^ferland full of memories for me
)!" /ooloyii al in\vsti<rations in lair weather and foul, years and years
.igo. Here it was that one of Norway's most iamous naturalists, a
lonely pastor far ivmove<l from the outer world, made his <rreat
dis( overies. Here I myself first gro[)ed my way along t

g tlie narnjw i)a

ol /.oo|'ii,Mi ai resean h.

was a wondrous evemiu

le lingering Hush ol vanished day

suffused the northern sk\, while the moon hung
tl

le mountains heiiin

irgt and round over
d us. Ahead lay Alden and Kinn, like a fairy-
land rising up from the sea. Tired as I was, I could not seek my
must drink in all this loveliness in deep refreshing draughts.

berth ; I
It was like

nalm

to the soul after all the turmoil am! frict

ion with

crow Is ol strans/ers.

) w^' Went on our wav, mostiv in fair

weather, occasionallv in

and rain, through sounds and bet

I ( )g

coast of Xorwav. A
this is to be found t!"
mornings, when nati '

Ween islands, northwards along the
glorious land- I woncK'r if another fairway like
whole world o\ er ? Those never-to-be-for<fotleii

wakens to hie, wreaths of mi^t

littering like

silver o\er the
out of the sea

mountains, their tops soaring al)o\c the mist lik

Then the da\- gleaming: over tl

e Islands

le (laz/liiiLj white sncnv-

peaks ! And the e\enmgs, and the sunsets with llie pale

moon ovir-

lieai

while mountains

md islands

av hushed and dreamlike as a

youthful Ion

UUILT

II(

ere and there past homely litti

ha\ens with

houses around tln'iii se

in smilinir •■reiMi trees.

Ah :

ose snuir

homes in the lee o
in the breast. ^'

f th

e skerries awake a loninnir

for li

and

i-mi

oil mav shriiL;- vour

sHoulder> as much as vou ukc at

e Meauties <

>l nature, but it is a line thiiii: for a iiei

land.

to have a fai

he it nevt'r so

loor,

e\er did tins si^em ( leaiXT to ivie th.".n Uov

when I

wa- lea\ iw' it.

ery now and then a hurrah from

mil

at one time from a 'a

)f children, at another I

nop

rom growiMi]) ]>eople, but mostly from wondi-r-

ing peasants who ga/e long at the strange-lookinir

hip and muse over

Its enigmatic destination. An<l men and >vomen on board sloops and

CliapUr III.

ti'ii-(),ir''(I l)(i;it> stand up in llicir

slin't> tliat Lilow in tlU' si

iiilif,'lit,

and 1(^1 (in llicii- oars tn liMik at lis. Steamboats c row led with prc'pli'
rainc out lioni the towns wi' passfd to irrftt us and hi 1 usliodspird

on our wav with music, .soiius, and ( aiinoii salutes.

u' 'HiMt tourist

sUMinho.its dipped flails to us and fired salutes, and the smaller craft
did the sanu'. It i> emharrassin^^ and oppressive to he the ol)je( t ol
homage lil;e this hel'ore anything has been acct)m[)lisht'd. There is an

OKI s

.1)11

itr

Al i\(.' ihu (liy slmll lie pniiscil,
TIk' wife when 'lu' i-- hmiil,
'I'lu' >wi)iil v\ lull ii iid,
'I lie wdiuan will II m.iriicd,
'Ihi' iiL' wlun i);i-.sL(l ovii,

A I

c wlKii cini

-.1;

Most touching was the interest and sympathy with whi( h these ]
fisher-i'olk and peasants greeteil us. It often set

loor

me wonaerinir.

I ell

they followed us with fervent eagerness. I remember one day— it was
north in llelgeland — an old woman was standing waving and waxing

to us on a Dare ( ra;/.

ler cottage lav some distance inland.

wonder if it can realU be us she is \\a\ ing to." 1 said to the pilot, who

was standiii'f beside me

r.ut

liow (an slie know who we are

Vou ma\' be sure it is,'' was the answer.
'■ ()!i ! ihev know all about

the l-'iixin up here, in e\ ery cabin, and they will be on the look-out for

vou as vou come hac

k, 1

(an tell vou, he answer

red.

Av, triilv, It IS a

res])onsible task we are undertaking, when the whole nation are with
us like this. What if the thing should turn out a huge disappoint-
ment !

In t

le e\eninir I w(/iild sit and 1

ool-

iround — lonelv huts lav

scattered here and there oij points and islets. Here the Norwegian
])e()])le we.ij out tlieir lives in the struggle with the ro(ks. in the

struggle with the sea ; and it is this people

that

is sending us out into

the great hazardous unknown; the very folk who stand there in their
fishingdjoats and look wonderingly after the Fraiii as she slowlv and
heavilv steams alon<r on hei northward ( our l'. Mai

nv ol

lem wave

their sou'-westers and shout '' Hurrah

OtI

lers have barelv time to

gape at us in wonderment. In on tlie point are a troop of women
waving and sliouting. (-)Utside a few l)oat^ with ladies in light summer

The Start.

/.>

(Irt'^^cs Mild ^fiUk'HU'ii ;it tlu' oars fiUi-rlaiiim;,' them uitli small t.ilk, a^
llicy wavi' llu'ir paiaMiN and [kx kt't-lian(lkt'r(hit.'f>. Wv-. ; il i> tlu-y wlm
arr SL-iidin;; ii'^ init. Il i> iml a ( la-i'riii^ thoii^jlu. Not one (if ilicm.

tlicy
Aiv

indhahly. knows what they air pasinn tiuir iMincv

lor,

l\ he

a\L' ncai'd it is a ^^lorious I'litt. r|inst' : hut \\\\\ ? lo what end

Wf not (k'lraiKliiiL' llifiii

lUil thrir c'\('s arc iixcttcd (in thf slnii. and

H'lhaiis there dawns hftdic tlu-n' niuids a nioniLiitai)' \ ision dl a nrw
nid in( i)ncL'i\ ahlf wmhl, with aspirations alter a sonuthinj,' ol whuh

hcv

;nou naii<:ht.

neiT on i)oaiil arc nicn wlio arc

a\ing wil'c and children liehiiid lhe:ii. Now sad lia-> lieeii the

st'pariition — wh u lon^finy, what ycarnin

await theiii in the < oinniL

years I And it is not for profit they do it. I'or honour and ^lory then
•J"h

th
tl

ese ma he scant eiionijh.
same ( raviiiLj to f^^et hi'um

]t is the saiiu' thirst U

I the limits (if till'

a( hie\ finent,

know II w liK h iiiHMicil

us p(.'ople in the Sa^^a times, that is stirnni,' m them ai^am to(la\.

spite ol all our toil for suhsisteiK e. in spite of all uur " peasant
politics,'' sheer utilitarianism is perhaps not so dominant among us
alter all.

As time was pre( iuus I did not. as originally intended, put in at
'I'rondhjem, hut stopped at l>eian, where Sverdrup joined u.^. Here
JJrogger also came on hoard, to accompany us as far as

'lofe

ssor

roniso.

Here, too, o'.:r doctor re( eived three monstrous ( hest> with the
medicine supply, a gift from Apothecary riruun of 'I'rondhjem.

And so on towards the north along the lo\ely coast of N'ordland.

A\'e stopped at one or two ))la(es to take dried lish on hoard as
provision for the dogs. Past 'I'orghalten, the Seven Sisters, and
Hestemanden, past I.ovunen and 'rrieneii, far out xomkr in the sea.
past Lofoten and all the other lovely places ea( h hold giganti( lorm
wilder and more heautiful than the last. It is uni(|ue a fair) land a
land of dreams, ^\'e felt afraid to go on too fast
something.

On lulv 1 2th we arrived at I'ronisd. where we were to take in coal

for fear (if missing

and other things, such as reindeer t
mocassin). I'inn shoes. '• senne

loaks

omager '' (a sort of 1 ,app

ol WilK

rrass. dried reindeer llesh. etc., et( .,
h had heen procured h} lluit indefatigahle friend of the

IMAGE EVALUATION
TEST TARGET (MT-S)

r/.

.^^!^

1.0

I.I

La 12.8 |2.5
*^ Uii 122

1.8

L25 1 U.

^ ^

6" -

►

^>i

Photographic

Sciences

Corporation

23 WEST MAIN STREET

WEBSTER, N.Y. MSSO

(716) 872-4S03

..V

4^ ^
4^

74 Chapter III.

exjiedition, Advocate ^[ack. Tromso <rave us a cold reception — a
north-westerly gak-, with driving snow and sleet. Mountains, plains,
and house-roofs were all covered with snow down to the water's cilge.
It was the very bitterest July day I ever experienced. The people
there said tliey coulil not remember such a July. l*er!.aps they were
afraid the i)lace would come into disrepute, for in a town wliere they
hold snow-shoe races on Midsummer Day one may be prepared for
anything in tiie way of weather.

In Tromso the next day a new member of the expedition was
engaged, I>ernt IJentzen— a ^tout fellow to look at. He originally
intended accompanying us only as far as \'i;gor Strait, but as a matter
of fact he went the whole voyage with us, and proved a great ac(|uisi-
tion, being net only a capital seaman, but a cheerful and amusing
comrade.

After a stay of two days we again set out. On the night of the
1 6th, east of the North Cape or Magero, we met with such a nasty sea,
and shipped so much water on deck, that we put into Kjollefjord to
adjust our cargo better by shifting the coal and making a few other
changes. We worked at this the whole of two days, and made everv-
thing dear for the voyage to Novaya /emlya. I had at (irst thought ot
taking on board a fresh supply of coal at \'ardo, but as we were
already deeply laden, and tiie Cniz/ui was to meet us at \'ugor Strait

w 1

coal

^e thought it best to be contented with what we had

already got on board, as we might expect bad weather in < ros^ing the

^\'hite Sea and IJarents Sea. At ten o'clock in the eveni

nu we we

ighed

anc iior and reac lied X'artU) next evening, where we met with a magni-
li( ent reception. There was a band of music on the pier, the fjord
teemed with boats, 'lags waved on every hand, and salutes were lired.
The |)eople liad been waiting for us ever since the |)re\ious evening,
we were tolcb-some of tiiem, indeed, comins;: from \'adso — and thev

lia;

seized tlie opportunity to get up a suhsc ription to provide a bi

drum for the town band, the " Ninth Pole,

And here we we

tertained to a sumjituous banipiet, with speeches and champagne

flowing in streams, ere we bade Norway our last farewell.

The last thing that had now to be done for the l-'rani was to have
her bottom cleaned of mussels ami weeds, so that she mi";Iit be able to

Chapter III.

make llu' l)i-sl spL'fd p.issihlc. 'I'lii:, work was dont- hy divers, who
were leadily placed at our service l)y the local inspector of the
(ioveriiineiU H.irhour Department.

lUit our own bodies also ( lainied oi\e last ( ivilised Tea-.t o!" purifi-
( alion. heiore enteriiij,M)n a life of savaj^ery. Thj hath nov.se of the
town is a small timber buildiiv^f. The bath-room 'tseli is low. and
provided with shelves where you lie down and are parboiled with hot
steam, which is constantly kejjt up i:y water bein^r thrown on the
i,dowin<r hot stones of an awful oven, wortny of hell itself; while all
the time young (^)ucen (lasses) flog you with birch twigs. After that
you are rubbed down, washed and dried delightfully -everything being
well managed, clean and comfortable. I wonder whether old father
Mahomet has set up a bath hke this in his paradise.

CHAPTER IV.

FarevvT-ll to NokvvAY,

I FELT in a strange mood as I sat up the last night writing letters
and telegrams. We had hidden farewell to our exc ellent pilot Johan
Hagensen, who had pilctefl us from IJergen, and now we were only
the thiiteen memhers of the expedition, together with my Secretary,
Christofersen, who had a(( ompanied us so far, and was to go on with
us as far as Vugor Strait. Everything was so calm and still, save for
the scraping of the pen that was sending off a farewell to friends at
home.

All the men were asleej) below.

'I'he last telegram was written, and I sent my secretary ashore with
it. It was 3 o'clock in tiie morning when he returned, and I called
S\erdrui) u]) and one or two others. We weighed anchor, and stood
out of the harbour in the silence of the morning. The town still lay
wrapped in sleep, everything looked so i)eaceful and lovely all around,
with the exception of a little stir of awakening toil on board one
single steamer in the harbour. A sleepy fisherman stuck his head u])
out of the half-deck of his ten-oared boat, and stared at us as we
steamed past the breakwater ; and on the revenue cutter outside there
was a man fishing in that early morning light.

This last impression of Norway was just the right one for us to
carry away with us. Such beneficent i)eace and calm ; su( h a rest for
the thoughts ; no hubbub and turmoil of people with their hurrahs and
salutes. The masts in the harbour, the house-roofs and chimneys
stood out_against the cooF morning sky. Just then the sun broke
through the mist, and smiled over the shore^rugged, bare, and
weatherworn in the hazy morning, but still lovely — dotted here and
there with tiny houses and boats, and all Norway lay behind it. . . .

Chapter W.

W'liik' llu' /'hi/// was slowly and (|uic'tly workint; Ikt way out to sea,
towards our distant j,foal. I stood and watched tin.- land jfradually fading
away on tlv.' horizon. 1 wonder what will hapjirn to her and to us,
before we ai,riin see Norway risint,' u|) o\i'r the sea?

Ihit a fo^f soon ( ame on, an(' ol)-.(ured everythin^f.

Aiid through foj^, nothinj^ l)Ut fojf, we steamed awav for four days
without sto]i|)in<f, until, when I canie on de( k on the morninj^ of the
.Tyth of July, behold ( lear weather I The sun was shiniii<f in a
cloudless sky. the l)ri;.,dit blue sea was heaving; with a f,a"ntle swell.
Ajfain it was <,n)od to be a livin.L,' bein|(, and to drink in the i)eacefulness
of the sea in loni^ (lrau<,dits. 'I'owards noon we si<(htcd (loose Land
on Xovaya /emiya, and stood in towards it. (Inns and cartridges were
got ready, and we looked forward with joyful anticipation to roast
goose and other game ; but we had gone l.'ut a short di>tance when
the grey woolly fog from tlie south-east came u]) and enveloped us.
Again we were shut off from the world around us. It was
scarcely prudent to make for land, so we set our course eastwards
towards \'ugor Strait ; but a head wind soon compelled us to beat up
under steam and sail, whic h we went on doing for a couple of days,
plunged in a world ol' fog. Ugh .' that eiidless, stubborn fog of the
Arctic Sea ! When it lowers its curtain, and shuts out the blue above
and the blue bolow, an<l everything becomes a damp grey mist, day in
and day out. t!ie!i all the vigour and elasticity of the soul is needed to
save one from being stilled in its < lammy embrace. Fog, and nothing
but fog. wherever we turn our eyes. It condenses on the rigging,
and drips down on every tiniest spot on de( k. It lodges on your
clothes, and fmally wets you thnjugh and through. It settles down on
tin- mind and spirits, and everything becomes one uniform gre\'.

On the evening of July 27th, while still fogbound, we (piite
unexpectedly met with ice; a mere strip, indeed, which we easily
passed through, but it boded ill. In the night we met with more — a
broader strip this time, which also we passed through. But next
morning 1 was ( ailed up with the information that there was thick, old
ice ahead. Well, if ice difficulties were to begin so soon, it would be
a bail look out indeed. Such are the chill surprises that the Arctic Sea
has more than enough of. I dressed and was up in the crow's-nest in

a.
cc

oc :5

CI <

u. <

(-
if.

Chaplcr IV.

a twinkling,'. The ice l;iy t'vtcnded everywhere, as far as the eye rould
rea( ii throii^Ii tlie loj,'. \vlii( h had hfted a little. 'INuti- was no small
<liianlity of i< i', hut it was tolerably f)|ien, and tliere was nothing for it
hut to ht- true to our watchword an<l " <fii frani " push onwards, l-'or
a good while we pic ked our way. Hut now it began to lie (loser with
large Hoes every here and tlu-re, and at the same time the fog grew
denser, and we could not see our way at all. To go ahead in diffw ult
ice and in a fog is not very jjrudent, for it is im|)ossible to tell just
where you are going, and you are apt to be set fast before you know-
where you are. So we had to stop and wait. l!ut still the fog grew
ever denser, while the it e did the same. Our hopes meanwhile rose
and fell, but nostly t!ie latter I think. To encounter so much i( e
already in these waters, where at this time of year the sea is, as a
rule, (]uite free from it, boded anything but good. Already at Tromso
and Vardo we had heard bad news; the White Sea, they said, had only
been dear of i( e a very short time, and a boat that had tried to reach
Yugor Strait had had to turn back because of the ice. Neither were
our anticipations of the Kara Sea altogether cheerful. What might we
not expect there? l-'or the Uniuia with our coal, too, this ice
was a bad business ; for it would be unable to make its way througli
unless it had found navigable water further south along the Russian
coast.

Just as our prosjjccts were at their darkest, and we were preparing to
seek a way back out of the ice which kept getting ever denser, the
joyful tidings came that the fog was lifting, and that clear water was
visible ahead to the east on the other side of the ice. After forcing
our way ahead fcjr some hours between the heavy floes, we were once
more in open water. 'I'his first bout with the ice, however, showed us
])lainly what an excellent ice-boat the Fram was. It was a royal
pleasure to work her ahead through difficult ice. She twisted and
turned " like a ball on a platter.'' No channel between the floes so
winding and awkward but she could get through it. But it "s hard
work for the helmsman. " Hard a-starboard ! Hard a-port ! Steady!
Hard a-starboard again I " goes on incessantly without so much as a
breathing-space. And he rattles the wheel round, the sweat pours off
him, and round it gf>es again like a spinning-wheel. And the ship

Farewell to Norvvav.

swinpfs rnunrl, and WTifjfjlos her way forward among the floes without
toiK hing. if there is only just an openinjf vide enough for lier to shp
through : and where tiiere is none she drive, full tilt at the i( e. with
he. Ivavv i>lunge, runs her sloping hows up on it. treads it uniler her
and hursts the floes asunder. And how strong she is too! Even when
she goes full speed at a floe, not a creak, not a sound is to be heard in
her ; if she gives a little shake it is all she does.

On Saturday. July 2yth, we again headed eastwards towards \'ugor
Strait as fast as sails and steam could take us. We had open sea
ahead, the weather was fine and the wind fair. Next morning we
came under the south side of Dolgoi or Kangoia, as the Norwegian
whalers c all it, where we had to stand to the northward. On reac hing
the north oi" the island we again bore eastwards. Here I descried from
the ( row's-nest, as far as I could make out. several islands whi( h are
not given on the charts. They lay a little to the east o( I.angoia.

It was now ])retty clear that the Unviiix had not made her way
through the ice. While we were sitting in the saloon in tlie forenoon
talking about it, a cry was heard from deck that' the sloop was in
sight. It was joyful news, but the joy was of no long duration. The
next moment we heard she had a crow's-nest on her mast, so she was
doubtless a sealer. When she sighted us, she bore off to the south,
])robal)ly fearing that we were a Russian war-ship or something etiually
bad. So, as we had no particular interest in her, we let her go on her
way in peace.

Later in the day we neared Yugor Strait. We kept a sharp look-out
for land ahead, but none could be seen. Hour after hour passed as we
glided onwards at good speed, but still no land. Certainly it would
not be high land, but nevertheless this was strange. Yes — there it lies
like a low shadow over the horizon on the i)ort bow. It is land — it is
Vaigats Island. Soon we sight more of it — abafr the beam, then too
the mainland on the south side of the strait. More and more of it
comes in sight — it increases rajjidly. All low and level land, no heights.
no variety, no apparent opening for the strait ahead. Thence it
stretches away to the north and south in a soft low curve. This is
the threshold of Asia's boundless plains, so different from all we have
been used to.

fp^

Cliaplcr IV.

W'f MOW ^lidid into the slr.iit will) its low rocky slinres on I'ltlu'r siili'.
'I'hr strata ol' tin- ro( ks lie (.-ndways, an<l ari' i riimpU'd and hrokm, hut
on tin- surta(i' fvcrylliinj,' is ii'si'l and smooth. No one who travels
over the llat ^'ri'en plains and tundras would ha\e any ick'a of tlu-
mysteries and iiphe.ivals thai lie hiddi'n beneath the sward. Here
once upon a time were moimtains and valleys, now all worn away and
washe(| out.

We looked out for Khaharova. On the north side of the sound
there was ;i mark ; a shijjwrecked sloop lay on tlu- shore, it was a
Norwej^ian sealer. 'The wreck of a smaller vessi'l lay by its sidi'. On
tlie south side was a ll a;,' staff, aiul on it a red ila<,f ; Khal)aro\a must
tlien lie lti'!iin<l it. At last one or two huildinifs or shanties ai)i)i'ared
behind a promontory, and soon the whole phu e lay exposed to \ iew,
consistinj^ of tents and a few houses. On a little juttinjf-out point
close by us was a larj^^e red buildinjf, with white door frames, of a very
homelike appearan( e. It was indeed a \orwe<fian warehouse whi( h
Sibiriakoff had imported from l-'inmarken. lUit here the water was
shallow, and we had to proceed carefully for fear of runninj; aj,'rountl.
\\'e kept heavinj,' the lead incessantly we had 5 fathoms of water, and
then 4, then not much more than we needed, and then it shelved to a
little over 3 fathoms, 'i'his was rather too close work, so we stood out
again a bit to wait till we <rot a little nearer the place before drawing
in to the shore.

A boat was now seen slowly approaching from the land. A man of
middle height, with an open kindly face and reddish beard, <ame on
board. He miglit have been a Norwegian from his appearance. I
went to meet him, and asked him in (ierman if he was Trontheim.
Yes, he was. After him there came a number of strange figures clad
in heavy robes of reindeer skin, whi( h nearly touched the deck. On
their heads they wore peculiar " base hlik "-like caps of reincalf skin,
beneath which strongly-marked bearded faces showed fortli, su< h as
might well have belonged to old Norwegian \'ikings. The whole
scene, indeed, called up in my mind a pic ture of the Viking Age, of
exj)editions to Oardarike and Bjarmeland. Tliey were fine stalwart-
looking fellows, these Russian traders, who barter *vith the natives,
giving them brandy in exchange ftjr bearskins, sealskins, and other

of
on

|ini.

lad

\On

:in,

as
liole

of
lail-

,L'S,

Iher

I'arcwcll to Xorway.

^;>

valual)k's. ami who, when oiu »• tliry ha\r a liold on a man. krt'p Inin

in s

11* h

Ins

a stall- of (lr|ii'nik'n( I' that lie can scarttly c ,• I 'lis sou
l'',s ist I hiL' alti' (ii'N( Im htr. (lo( h \\\rd --if innr r nni." Soon,
too. thi' Samovi'di's canu' flo* km^' on ho.nd. |iltMsnit !( atmcd |>i'o|)lt'

own.

of thf l)road Asiatic l\

( )!' roiiisc it w.is oiilv thr mrn \vh,» ( ami-

'llu' rii'st (iiicstion I .iskfd 'rrontluMin was ulioit ti. • ii f. lie
n'|»lit'd thai \'iij,ror Strait had bci'ii open a loiiy; while, and that lu' h.id

hi't'ii i'\|K'( tin^ our arri\al i-vi

TV d

,iy situ I' then with rvi'r ini A':'.s;n^^

anxii'ty, Thi- nati\c's and thr Russians had !i

tiiiK' wt'iil on, and no l-'roiii was to Ik- si-i-n ; hut now he had

,'iin to jeer at him as
his

rL'Vfnj,'i' and was

suiishiiu'. III' thoimht till' statr of thr i( i- in thi*

Kara Si'a would hi' faN'ourahk' ; soiiu' SainoyrcU'-. Iiad said so. who had
l)i'i'n sral huntiiifi near tlir i.'astrrn fntianif of the Strait a day or t'vo
piTviously. 'I'his was not \cry mm h to build upon, ( rrtainly. hut -till
sufticii'iit to inaki' us ri'gril that wc had not ^'ot thrrr hrfoii'. 'Ihen
wi; spoki' of till' I'riiniit, u'i which no oni'. of «'oursi', had situ any-
thing. No shij) had put in thciv fcr somu timi'. cm I'pt tlii' scalin;,'
sloop wc had passed in the niorninjf.

Next we eiKjuired about the do^'s and learned that everything '.vas
all right with tliem. 'I'o make sure, Trontheim had jjurc liased forty
dogs, though I had oidy asked for thirty. I'ive of these, from \arious
mishaps, had died during their journey — one had been bitten to
death, two had got hung fast and had l)een strangled while passing
through a forest, etc., etc. One, moreover, had been taken ill a few
days before, and was still on the sick list ; but the remaining thirty-

ve could hear them liowlinL' and

four were in good conditii
barking. During this conversation we had come as mar to Kha-
barova as we dared venture, and at seven in the evening < ast am hoi
in about 3 fathoms of water.

Over the supper table 'i'rontheim told us his adventures. On the
way from Sopva and Ural to the Pe( lioia he heard that there was
a dog epidemic in that locality ; conse(|uently he did not think it
advisable to go to the I'echora as he had intended, but laid his ( ourse
instead direct from Ural to \'ugor Strait. Towards the end oi' t!ie
journey the snow had disai)peared. and, in company willi a reindeer
caravan, he drove on with his dogs over the bare jjlain, stoi ks and

Chapter IV.

stones and all, iisin^' tin- sk-d^a's nont- tlu- It-ss. 'I'lu- Samoyt'dos anfl
nalivt's of NuitluTn Siberia liavt' no vehu les l)ut skd^'i's. 'Ihc
siiniinur slc'd^a- i>. soiniwliat hiulu-r tlian tin- winter slcdj^a', in order
tluit it may not lian;; ra:>t upon stoni's ami sluni|ts. As may l»e
supposed, however, suinnuT sledj,nn>i is anytliinj^ l)Ut smooth work.

After supper we wi-nt asliore, and \wrv soon on the flat hea( h of
Khaharova. tlie Russians and Samoyedes regar(hn,'; us with the utmost

^Sft'^'.

■•^^*^p:-:

THE NEW CHURCH AND THE OLD CHURCH Al KHAUAROVA.

(/■i\wi a p/ioloi^rapk.)

curiosity. The fn->t objects to attract our attention were the two
churches — an old venerable looking wooden shed of an oblong
rectanjj;ular form, and an octagonal pavilion, not unlike many summer-
houses or garden pavilions that 1 have seen at home. How far the
divergence between the two forms of religion was indicated in the
two mathematical figures I am unable to say. It might be that the
simphcity of the old faith was exjiressed in the simple, four-sided

T
K'

)f
st

()

.T-

le
le
le
ed

d w

I ^

-* "^ IT

v. X f-

o ■'s

o g

Cm X

i !l

'1^

'i '.■ ■'

Chapter IV.

building, wliilc the rites and ceremonies of the otlier were typified in
ihe octagonal form, witii its doul)le numi)er of corners to stiimi)le
against. Then we must go and see the monastery — " Skit," as it was
called — where the six monks had lived, or rather, died, from what
people said was scurvy, jjrobahly helped out by alcohol. It lay over
against the new church, and resembled an ordinary low Russian
timber house. The priest and his assistants were living there now, and
had asked 'I'rontheim to take up his quarters with them. Trontheim,
therefore, invited us in, and we soon found ourselves in a couple of
comfortable log-buill rooms with open fire-places like our Norwegian
'• peis."

After tliis we proceeded to the dog-camj), which was situated on a
plain at some distance from the houses and tents. As we approac;hed
it the howling and barking kept getting worse and worse. When a
short distance off, we were surprised to see a Norwegian flag on the tc")
of a pole. Trontheim's face beamed with joy as our eyes fell on it.
It was, he said, under the same flag as our expedition that his had been
undertaken. Tiiere stood the dogs tied up, making a deafening
clamour. Many of them appeared to be well-bred animals — long-
haired, snow-white, with u])-standing ears and pointed muzzles. With
tlieir gentle, good-natured looking faces they at once ingratiated
themselves in our affections. Some of them more resembled a fox,
and had shorter coats, while others were black or spotted. Evidently
tliey were of different races, and some of them betrayed by their
drooping ears a strong admixture of ]'2uropean blood. After having
duly admired t'le ravenous w.iy in which they swallowed raw fish
(gwiniad), not without a good deal of snarling and wrangling, we took
a walk iiiLuid to a lake close by, in search of game; but we only found
an Arctic gull with its brood. A channel had beea dug from this lake
to convey drinking water to Khabarova. AcccM'ding to what Trontheim
told us, this was the work of the monks — about the only work,
probably, they had ever taken in hand. The sod here was a soft ciay,
and the channel was narrow and shallow, like a roadside ditch or
gutter; tlie work could not ha\e been very arduous. On the hdl above
the lake stood the flagstaff which we had noticed on our arrival. It
had been erected by the excellent Trontheim to bid us welcome, and

Farewell to Norway.

on the flag itself, as I afterwards discovered by chance, was the word
" Vorwiirts." Tronthcim had been told that was the name of our ship,
so he was not a little disapjKjinted when he came on board to find it
was Fram instead. I consoled him, however, by telling him they both
meant the same thing, and that his welcome was just as well meant,
whether written in (lerman or Norwegian, Trontheim told me
afterwards that he was by descent a Norwegian, his father having been
a shijj's ca])tain from Trondhjem, and his mother, an Ksthonian,
settled at Riga. His father had been much at sea, and had died early,
so the son had not learnt Norwegian.

Naturally our first and foremost object was to learn all we <ould
about the ice in the Arctic Sea. We had determined to ])ush on as
soon as ])ossible ; but we must have th(! boiler put in order first, while
sundry pipes and valves in the engine wanted seeing to. As it would
take several days to do this, .Sverdrup, Peter Henriksen, and 1 set out
next morning in our little ])etroleum launch to the eastern opening of
the Yugor Strait, to see with our own eyes what might be tlie condition
of t!ie i(^e to the eastward. It was 28 miles thither. A quantity of ice
was drifting through the strait from the east, and, as there was a
northerly breeze, we at once turned our course northwards to get under
the lee of the north shore where the water was more open. 1 had the
ratlier thankless task of acting as helmsman and engineer at one and
the same time. The boat went on like a little hero and made about
six knots. Everything looked bright. lUit alas ! good fortune seldom
lasts long, especially when one has to do with i)etroleum launches.
A defect in tlie circulation pump soon sto])i)ed the engine, and we
could onlv tjo for short distances at a time, till we reached the
north shore, where, after two hours' hard work, I got the engines
so far in order as to be able to continue our journey to the north-
east through th(. sound between the drifting flues. A\'e got on pretty
well, excejjt fo<" an interruption every now and then when the engine
took it into its head to come to a standstill. It caused a good deal
of merriment when tlie stalwart Peter turned the craivl< to set her
off again, and the engine g.ive a start, so as nearly to ])ull his
arms out of joint, and upset him head over heels in the boat. Every
now and then a flock of long-tailed duck {Ifarehfa x^dda/is) ox other

Chapter IV.

birds came whizzing by us, one or two of them invariably falling
to our guns.

We had kept nbng the Vaigats shore, but now crossed over towards
the south side of the strait. When about the middle of the channel I
was startled by all at once seeing the bottom grow light under us, and had
nearly run the boat on a shoal of which no one knew anything. There
was scarcely more than 2 or 3 feet of water, and the current ran over
it like a rapid river. Shoals and sunken rocks abound there on every
hand, especially on the south side of the strait, and it required great
care to navigate a vessel through it. Near the eastern mouth of the
strait we put into a little creek, dragged the boat uj) on the beach, and
then taking our guns made for some high-lying land we had noticed.
We tramped along over the same undulating plain-land with low ridges
as we had seen everywhere round the Yugor Strait. A brownish green
carpet of moss and grass spread over the plain, bestrewn with flowers
of rare beauty. During the long, cold Siberian winter the snow lies in
a thick mass over the tundra ; but no sooner does the sun get the
better of it than hosts of tiny northern flowers burst their way u))
through the last disa])pearing coating of snow, and oi)en their modest
calices, blushing in the radiant s v. -er day that bathes the ])lain in its
splendour. Saxifrages with larg*. jIoc nr ; ])ale yellow mountain poppies
{papavcr niidicaulc) stand in brir,. ". ^lusters, and here and there with
bluish forget-me-nots and white cloud-berry flowers ; in some boggy
hollows the cotton-grass spreads its wavy down carpet, while in other
spots small forests of blue-bells softly tinkle in the v.ind on their
ui)right stalks. These flowers are not at all brilliant s])ecimens, being
in most cases not more than a couple of inches high, but they are all
the more exquisite on that account, and in such surroundings their
beauty is singularly attractive. While the eye vainly seeks for a
resting place over the boundle;)S ])laMi, these modest blooms smile .it
you, and take the lancy captive.

And over these mighty tundra-jilains of Asia, stretching infinitely
onwards from one sky-line to the other, the nomad wanders with :iIo
reindeer-herds, a glorious, free life ! Where he wills he pitches his
tent, his reindeer around him : and at his will again he goes on his
way. I almost envied him. He has no goal to struggle towardsj no

Farewell to Norway.

anxieties to endure — he has merely to hve ! I well-nigh wished that I
could live his peaceful life, with wife and child, on these boundless,
open plains, unfettered, happy.

After we had proceeded a short distance, we became aware of a
white object sitting on a stone heap beneath a little ridge, and soon
noticed more in other directions. They looked quite ghostly as they
sat there silent and motionless. With the help of my field-glass I
discovered that they were snow-owls. We set out after them nut they
took care to keep out of the range of a fowling-piece. Sverdrup,
however, shot one or two with his rifle. There was a great number of
them ; I could count as many as eight or ten at once. They sat
motionless on tussocks of grass or stones, watching, no cioubt, for
lemmings, of which, judging from their tracks, there must have been
quantities. We, however, did not see any.

From the tops of the ridges we could see over the Kara Sea to tlie
north-east. Everywhere ice c:ould be descried through the telescope,
far on the horizon — ice, too, that seemed tolerably close and massixt.
But between it and the coast there was open water, stretching like a
wide channel, as far as the eye could reach, to the south-east. This
was all we could make out, but it was in reality all we wanted. There
seemed to be no doubt that we could make our way forward, and, well
satisfied, we returned to our boat. Here we lighted a fire of driftwood,
and made some glorious coffee.

As the coffee-kettle was singing over a splendid fire, and we
stretched ourselves at full length on the slojie by its side and smoked a
quiet pipe, Sverdrup made himself thoroughly comfortable, and told
us one story after another. However gloomy a countrv migiit look,
however desolate, if only there were jilenty of driftwood on the beach,
so that one could make a right good fire, the bigger the better, then
hi;.; eyes would glisten witli deliglit -that land was his El Dorado, So
from that time forth he conceived a high ()i)ini()n of the Siberian
coast — a rig "It good i)la( e for wintering, he called it.

On our vay back we ran at full sjieed on to a sunken rock. After
a bump or two, the boat slid over it ; but just as she was slip{)ing off
on the other side, the proi)eller struck on the rock, so that the stern
gave a bound into the air while the engine whizzed round at a tearing

ttw

^WlltWiltf'.-.'.^*.-.

Chapter IV.

rati'. It ;ill l)a])])L'nf(l in a second, hcfore I had time to stop hei.
Unluckily one screw blade was broken off, l)ut we drove ahead with the
other as best we could. Our i)ro£[ress was certainly rather uneven, but
for all that we nianajfcd to get on somehow.

'I'owards morninir we drew near the /''ram, passing two Samoyedes
who had drawn their boat u]) on an ice-floe and were looking out for
seals. I wonder what they thought when they saw our tiny boat shoot
by tliem without steam, sails or oars. We. at all events, looked down
on these '• poor savages" with the sell-satisfied comjjassion of ICuro-
peans, as, comfortably seated, we dashed ])ast them.

lUit pride comes before a fall I We had not gone far when — wliirr,
whirr, whirr— a fearful racket I bits of broken steel s])rings whizzed
past my ears, and the v.hole machine came to a dead sto]). Jt was not
to be moved either forwards or bac kwards. The vibration of the one-
bladed ])r()peller had l)rt)iight the lead line little by little within the
range of the flywheel, and all at once the whole line was drawn into
the machinery, and got so ilreadfully entangled in it that we had to
take the whole thing to jiieces to get it clear once more. So we had
to endure the humiliation of rowing back to our proud ship, for whose
fleshpots we had long been an-hungered.

The nett result of the day was : tolerably good news about the Kara
Sea ; fortv birds, princi])ally geese and long-tailed ducks ; one seal ;
and a disabled boat. Amundsen and I, however, soon ])ut this in
complete repair again — but in so doing I fear I forfeited for ever and
a day die esteem of the Russians and Samoyedes in these ])arts. Some
of them had been on board in the morning and seen me hard at work
in the boat in my shirt sleeves, face and bare arms dirty with oil and
other messes. They went on shore afterwards to Trontheim, and said
that I could not jjossibly be a great person, slaving away like any
other workman on board, and looking worse than a common rough.
Tr-'Utheim, unfortunately, knew of nothing that could be said in my
excuse ; there is no fighting against facts.

In the evening some of us went on shore to try the dogs.
Trontheim picked o it ten of them, and harnessed them to a Samoyede
sledge. No sooner were we ready and I had taken my seat, than the
team caught sight of a wretched strange dog that had come near, and

lid

lie

Farewell to Norway.

off (laslied do^^s, slcdifc, and my valuahlf pt-rson after tlu- poor
creature. 'J'liere was a tremendous uproar ; all the ten tumbled over
each other lik-e wild wolves, l)itin<,r and tearin*,' wherever they coulfl'
catch hold ; blood ran in streams, and the ( ulprit howled i)itiabl\,
while 'rrontlieim tore round like a madman, strikin<,f riirju aiid left with
his l()n<f switch. Samovedes and Russians came screamint' from all
sides. I sat passively on the sled<,a' in the middle of it all, dumb
with fri<,dit, and it was ever so long before it occurred to me that
there was ])erhaps something for me too to do. With a horrible yell
I flung myself on some of the worst fighters, got hold of them by the
neck, anfl managed to give the culprit time to get away.

^>^-

^Vi/ -x-

OVR TRIM, TRII' WITH THK DOGS.
{/>'j' 01 to SiiiJiii^\ jioDi a I'lscl'^^raph.)

Our team had got badly mixed up during the battle, and it tock some
time to disentangle them. At last everything was one e more ready for
the start. Trontheim cracked his whip, and called, '■ I'r r-r-r, pr-r-r-r,''
and off we went at a wild gallop, over grass, clay, and stones, until it
seemed as if they were going to carry us right across the lagoon at the
mouth of the river. I kicked and pulled in with all iu\ might, but was
dragged along, and it was all that Trontheim and I with our umted
strength could do to stop them just as they were going into the water,
although we shouted " Sass, sass,"' so that it echoed over the whole of
Khabarova. IJut at last we got our team turned in another dirc( tion,
and off we set again merrily at such a pace that I had enough to do to
hold on. It was an extraordinary summer ride ; and it irave us a hiirh

fPV

Chapter IV.

oi)inion of the dogs' strength, seeing how easily they drew two inen
over this, to put it mihlly, had sledging ground. We went on board
again well satisfied, also the richer, by a new ex])erienfe ; having
learnt that dog driving, at any rate to begin with, recjuires nuic h
patience.

Siberian dog-harness is remarkat)ly jjrimitive. A thick rope or a
strap of sail-cloth passes round the aniujal's bac k and belly. 'I'his is
held in its place above by a ])iece of cord attached to the collar. The
single trace is fastened under the belly, goes bac k between the legs,
and must often ])lague the animal. I was unpleasantly surprised when
I noticed that, with four exceptions, all the tlogs were castrated ; and
this surprise I did not conceal. Hut Trontheim on his side was at
least efjually astonished, and informed me that in Siberia castrated dogs
are considered the best.* This was a disai)pointnicnt to me. as I had
reckoned on my canine family increasing on the way. I'or the ])resent
I should just have to trust to the four '' whole "' dogs and " Ivvik," the
bitch 1 had brought with me from home.

Next day, August ist, there was a great religious festival in
Khabarova, that of St. Elias. Samoyedes from far and near had come
in with their reindeer teams to celebrate the day by going to church and
then getting roaring drunk. We were in need of men in the morning
to help with filling the boiler with fresh water and tlie tank with
drinking-water, but on account of this festi\al it was difficult to get
hold of any at all. At last, by dint of jiromising suf"tu ient reward,
Trontheim succeeded in collecting some jjoor fellows who had not
money enough to drink themselves as drunk as the day retiuired of
them. 1 was on shore in the morning, partly to arrange about the
l»r(/vision of water, partly to collect fossils, in which the ro( Iv hen-
abounds, especially one ro( k below Sil)iriakoiT's warehouse. I also took
a walk U]) the hill to the west, to 'i'rontheim's flagstaff, and looked out
to sea in that direction after the I'raiiia. liut there was nothing to be
seen except an unbroken sea-line, l.oatled with my find 1 returned to
Khabarova. where I, of course, look advantage of the opportunity to
see something of the festival.

"* 'I'hc iiidinaiy male clui^ is lialilo In gi.-t iiillainniatiiin of tlic scroUim fiDiii llie
li.cnon i>f the trace.

Farewell to Norway.

I'Voin early mornint,' tlu' wonu-n had hfcii (Iil-sslmI in their fiin.'-.t
rlothes— l)rilliant colours, .skirts with many tucks, and ^^rcat coloured
hows at the end of plaits of hair whi( h lun\LC lar down their hac ks.
I'efore service, an old Sanioyede and a comely young girl led out a

♦'

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• 'At''

|j;|i|ji^

i|gip^

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"■ -^"■"" ""^

■iaBS»4H*!&''' .,'.'■ 1 is^^

t: '

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&?l£*'""^-

vs. ,,

'f ' ■ ^ '"-^'^ * *'' '

KVENINC; SCKXK AT KII.\l!.\ROV,\.
(Ay (V/t) Sim/iiii,^, fiom a r/itfloi;rapfi.)

lean reindeer which was to be offered to the church — to the old church,
that is to say. Even up here, as already mentioned, religious differ-
ences have found their way. Nearly all the Samoycdes of these parts
belong to the old faith and attend the old church. But they go
occasionally to the new one too ; as far as I could make out, so as not

Chapter IV.

to offcnil thu priest mid Sil)iriak()ff-— or pt'rliaps to he surer of heaven ?
l-'rom wliat I ^^ot out of 'I'rontheiiii on the siihje< t, the chief (hffereiice
between the two rehgions hes in the way tliey make the sij^n of the
cross or sometliin<^ of that sort. To-day was hij^h festival in both
cluir< lies. All tiie Sanioyeiles first paid a short visit to the new church
and then immediately streamed over into the old one. The old church
was for the moment without a ])riest, but to-day they had clubbed
togetlier and offered the priest of the new church 2 roubles to hold a
service in the old one too. After careful consideration, he agreed, and
in all his |)riestly pomp crossed the old threshold. The air inside svas
so bad that I could not stand it for more thru two minutes, ,,0 1 now-
made my way on board again.

During the afternoon the howling and screaming began, and
increased as time went on. We (Ud not need to be told that the
serious part of the festival had now begun. Some of tlie Samoyedes
tore about over the plain with their reindeer teams like furious animals.
They could not sit on their sledges, but lay on them or were dragged
behind them, howling. Some of my comrades went on shore, and
brought back anything but an edifying account of the state of things.
E.ery single man and woman appeared to be drunk, reeling about the
place. One young Samoyede in particular had made an ineffaceable
imi)ression on them. He mounted a sledge, lashed at the reindeer, and
drove " amuck " in among the tents, over the tied up dogs, foxes, and
whatever came in his way ; he himself fell off the sledge, was caught
in the reins, and dragged behind, shrieking, through sand and clay,
(iood Saint Rlias must be much flattered by such homage. Towards
morning the howling gradually died away, and the whole town slept the
loathsome sleep of the drunkard.

There was not a man to be got to help with our coal shifting next
day. Most of them slept all day after the orgie of the night. A\'e had
just to do witiiout helj) ; but we had not finished by evening, and I
began to be impatient to get away. Precious time was passing ; I had
long ago given up the Urania. We did not really need more coal.
The wind had been favourable for several days. It was a south wind,
which was certainly blowing the ice to the northward in the Kara Sea.
Sverdrup was now positive that we should be able to sail in open water

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(/5

Chapter I\'.

all the way to the New Siberian Islands, so it was his opinion tliat
there was nr) hurry for the present. Ihit hope is a frail reed to lean on,
and my expectations were not (piite so bright ; so I hurried things on,
to get away as soon as possible.

At the supper ^lble this evening King Oscar's gold medal of merit
was solemnly presented to Trontlieim, in rec-ognition of the great (are
with which he had executed his difficult commission, an>l the valuable
assistance thereby rendered to the expedition. Hislionesl face beamed
at the sight of the beautiful medal and the bright ribbon.

Next day, August 3rd, we were at last ready for a start, and the .34
dogs were brought on board in the afternoon, with great noise and
confusion. 'They were all tied up on the deck forward, and began
by providing more musical entertainment than we desired. IJy evening
the hour had come. We got up steam — everything was ready. lUit
such a thick fog had set in that we could not see tlie land. Now came
the moment when our last friend, C'hristofersen, was to leave the ship.
^Ve sup])lied him with the barest sufficiency of jjrovisions and some
Ringnes's ale. \\'hile this was being done, last lines were added in
feverish eagerness to the letters home. Then came a last hand-( lasp ;
C'hristofersen and Trontlieim got into tlie boat, and ha^l soon
disappeared in the fog. \\'ith them went our last post ; our last link
with home was broken. We were alone in the mist on tlie sea. It was
not likely that any message from us would reach the world before we
ourselves brouglit the news of our success or defeat. How much
anxiety were those at home to suffer between now and then ? It is true
\.c might jiossibly be able to send letters home from the mouth of the
Olenek, where, according to the agreement with Haron Toll, we were
to call in for another supply of dogs ; but I did not consider this
jirobable. It was far on in the summer, and I had an instinctive
feeling that the state of the ice was not so favourable as I could have
wished it to be.

Tronthf:im's Narrative.

Alexander Ivanovitch Trontheim has himself given an account, in
the Tobolsk official newspaper, of his long and difficult journey with

Fare well to Norway. <;;

our (io^s. Tlu' ;u( Diinl w.is written hy A. Kryloff rroiii TroiUlii'mi's
story. Tilt.' follosviiijj is a sliort nsumi- : —

Al"tt*r havinj,' made the (oiitrart witli Haroii Toll, Trontheiiii was
on Jaiuiary aSth (jamiary i6th hy Rns.-,iaii rcckoninj,') already at
IJerezotT, where there was then a ''assak-nicetinj,'.* and conscciuently a
j^reat assembly i)f Ostiaks and Samoyedcs. 'I'rontheim made u>e of
this opportunity and hou^dit 33 (this ought prol)al)ly to he 40) ( hoico
sledge dogs. These he conveyed to the little country town of Muzhi,
where he made preparations for tlie " very long jouriu-y." passing the
time in this way till April 16th. Hy this date he had prei)ared 300 pud
(about g,6oo lbs.) of dog ])rovender, consisting cliiefly of dried fish.
For 300 roubles he jngaged a Syriane, named 'IVrentieff, with a reindeer
herd of 450, to convey him, his dogs, and baggage to Vugor Strait.
For three months these two with their caravan — reindeer, drivers, dogs,
women, and children — travelled through the barren tracts of northern
Siberia. At first their route lay through the I'ral Mountains. " It
was more a sort of nomadic life than a journey. They did I'.ot go
straight on towards their destination, hut wandered over wide tracts of
coa.itry, rtcppinjj wherever it was suitable for the reindeer, and where
they Icund lichen. From the little town of Muzhi the expedition
])assed un the Voikara River to its sources ; and here begun the ascent
of tho Ural Mountains by the Pass of Kjaila (Kjola). In their
crossing of the Ciiain they tried to skirt along tlie foot of the
mountains, climbing r:i little as jtossible. . . .'■

" They noticed one marked contrast between the mountains in the
northern and those in the southern part of the Ural chain. In the
south the snow melts (piickly in the lower regions and remains lying
on the top-i. Here (in the northern Ural), on the contrary, tlie
mountain tops are free from snow before the sun's rays penetrate into
the valleys and melt :t there. In some valleys, especially those closed
by mountains to the south, and more exposed to north winds, the
snow lie-i the whole summer. \\'hen they had got across the Ural
Mountains they first followed the course of the Ri\er I.emva, then
crossed it, and now followed a whole svstem of small river.s, Un- wliicli

\'as3.ik is a lax paid in fur by llic Siberians.

Chapter IV.

even llu- nativi's havt- no names. At last, on May ^tli, tlu" i-xpedition
reachi'il the Rinit I's^a, on tin- hanks of wliicli lay the luit of thf
Syrianc Nikilsa." This was "tlu- oir- inliahitt-d spot in this enormous
tiMit of (oiintry." ami Ihtc they stopped two weeks to rest the
reindeer and ^et provender for them. "The (oiintry lyitiK between
the sources ol' the \dikara and the L'ssa is woodeil in every dire< tion. "
Hetwi-en the River L'ssa and the River \'orkuta, and even heyond
that, Troiitheim and his company travelled throu;,'h. ijuite luxuriant
wood. In the middle of May, as the caravan approached the tundra
ref^ion, the wood ^^)t thinner and thinner, and by May 27th it was
nothin;,' but scattered underwood. After this came (|uite small bushes
and wt'eds, and then at last the interminable tundra came in sii,dit.
Not to be without i'uel on the tundra they felled some dead trees and
other wood, eij(ht sledge loads. Tlie day after they j,'ot out on the
tundra (May 29) the cara\an set off at full speed, the Syrianes beinj^
anxious to j^et cpiic kly past a place where a whole herd of reindeer
had ])erished some years before. The reindeer-drivers take j^ood
note oi" such places, anil do everything possible to avoid them, as the
animals may easily be infected by j^nawing the bones of their dead
comrades, (lod help the herd that this happens to I The disease
|)asses rai)idly from animal to animal, and scores may die of it in
a (li\.*

"In tliis re^Mon there are many bojjs ; tlie low land forms one
conluiuous morass. Sonu-times we hail to walk up to tiie waist in
water ; thus on June 5th we splashed about the whole day in water, in
constant fear of the doj,'s catchin<f cold. On the 6th a strong north-
east wind blew, and at night the cold was so severe that two reindeer-
calve-, were frozen to death ; and besides this two grown ones were
earned off by wohes,"'

The caravan had often to cross rapid rivers, where it was sometimes
very difficult to find a ford. They were fretpiently obliged to
c()n->truct a bridge with the help of tent poles and sometimes blocks
ol' ice, and it occasionally took them a whole day to get across.
By degrees their sui)ply of wood was used up, and it was difficult to

Thi.s disease is piobahly anthrax, or sonictliing of the same nature.

O. CHRISTOFERSEX AND A. TROXTHLI.M.
(From a Pholograpk')

H 2

lOO

Chapter IV.

get food .cooked. Few bushes were to be found. On June 17th they
met a Syriane reindeer driver and trader ; from him they l)ought two
bottles of wine (brandy) at 70 kopecks each. " It was, as is
customary, a very friendly encounter, and ended with treatings on
both sides. One can see a long way on the tundra ; the Syriane's
keen eye detects another herd, or smoke from inhabited tents,
10 versts off; and a nomad who has discovered the presence ot
another human being 10 or 12 versts off never lets slip the oppor-
tunity of visiting him in his camp, having a talk, and being regaled
wuh tea, or, in preference, brandy. The day after, June 18th, some
Samoyedes, who had heard of the caravan, came on four sledges to the
camp. They were entertained with tea. The conversation, carried on
in Samoyede, was about the health of the reindeer, our journey, and
the way to Yugor Strait. When the scanty news of the tundra had
been well discussed they took their departure."

By the end of June, when they had got through all the ramifications
of the IJttle Ural Mountains, the time was drawing n-^ar when,
according to his agreement, Trontheim was due at Vugor Strait. He
was obliged to hasten the rate of travelling, which was not an easy
matter, with more than 40 sledges and 450 reindeer, not counting the
calves. He, therefore, determined to divide the caravan into two
parts, leave the women, children, and domestic animals behind and
push forward without any baggage, except the necessary food. So on
June 28th "thirty sledges, tents, etc., were left with the women and
children, wlio were to live their nomadic life as best they could. The
male Syrianes took ten sledges and went on with Trontheim.'' At last,
on July 9th, after more wanderings, they saw the sea from a " high
hill," and next day they reached Khabarova, where Trontheim learned
that no steamer had arrived yet in Yugor Strait, nor had any sail been
seen. At this time the whole shore of Yugor Strait and all the sea
withm sight was covered with ire, driven there by northerly winds.
The sea was not quite open till July 22nd. Trontheim passed the
tune while he was waiting for the Fram in hunting and making
excursion?! with his dogs, which were in excellent contlition. He was
often in the Sibiriakoff colony, a meeting place for the Samoyedes of
the district, who come here in considerable numbers to dispose of

Farewell to Norway.

lOI

their wares. And it was a melancholy jihase of life he saw here in
this little " world-forsaken " colony. " Every summer two or three
merchants or peasant traders, generally from Pustozersk, come
for the purpose of bartering with the Samoyedes, and sometimes the
Syrianes, too, for their wares — bearskins, blubber, and sealskins,
reindeer skins, and such like— giving in exchange tea, sugar, flour,
household utensils, etc. No transaction takes i)lace without the
drinking of brandy, for which the Samoyede has an insatiable craving.
When the trader has succeeded in making a poor wretch quite tipsy,
he fleeces him, and buys all he wants at some ridiculous price — the
result of t".^ transaction generally being that the Samoyede is in debt
to his ' beneliictor.' All the traders that come to the colony bring
brandy, and one great drinking bout goes on all the summer, ^'ou
can tell where much business is done by the number of brandy casks
in the trader's booth. Hiere is no i)olice inspection, and it would be
difficult to organise anything of the kind. As soon as there is snow
enough for the sledges, the merchants' reindeer caravans start from
the colony on their homeward journey, loaded with empty l)randy
casks and with the jjroceeds of this one-sided bartering."

•'On July 30th [this ought to be 29th] 'Jrontheim saw from the
shore, first, smoke, and soon after a steamer. There could be no
doubt of its being the From. He went out in a little Samoyede boat
to meet her, and called out in Russian that he wanted to be taken en
board. From the steamer they called back asking who he svas, and
when they heartl his name he was hauled up. On deck he met Nnn>en
himself, in a greasy working jacket. He is still quite a young man, ot
middle height ..." Here follows a flattering description of the
leader of the expedition, and the state of matters on board. " It is
evident," he then goes on, "that we. have here one family, unitt.'d y\\A
inspired by one idea, for the carrying out of which all labour devotedly.
The hard and dirty work on board is fairly divided, no difference being
made between the common sailor and the captain, or even the chief o(
the exjiedition. The doctor, too, takes his share in the general work,
and this community of labour is a close bond between all on bcarvl.
The existence of such relations among the ship's company made a very
favourable impression on Trontheim, and this most of all (in his

I02

hapter IV.

opinion) justified the hope that in difficult crises the expedition would
be able to hold its own."

" A. I. Trontheim was on board the Fram every day, breakflisting
and dining there. From what he relates, the shij) must be admirably
built, leaving nothing what-ever to be desired. The cabins are roomy,
and comfortably fitted up ; there is an excellent library, containing the
classics of Euroi)ean literature ; various musical instruments, from a
beautiful grand piano* to flutes and guitars ; then chess, draughts, etc.,
all for the recreation of the company."

Here follows a description of the Fram, her general equipments, and
commissariat. It seems to have made a great imjjression on him that
we had no wine (brandy) on board. " I was told," he exclaims, " that
only among the medicine stores have they some 20 or 30 bottles of the
best cognac — pure, highly rectified spirit. It is Nansen's o])inion that
brandy-drinking in these northern regions is injurious, and may, if
indulged in on such a difficult and dangerous voyage, have very serious
consequences ; he has therefore considered it exi)edient to supply its
place by fruit and various sorts of sweets, of which there are large
supplies on board." '• In harbour the crew spent most of the day
together ; in s])ite of community of work, each individual's duties are
fixed down to the minutest detail. They all sit down to meals together,
with the exception of the acting cook ; whose duty they take by turns.
Health and trood spirits are to be read on every foce ; Nansen's immov-
able faith in a successful and happy issue to their expedition inspires
the whole crew with courage and confidence."

•' On August 3rd they shifted coal on board the From, from the
shii)'s hold ciown to the stoke hold (coal bunkers). All the members
of the expedition took part in this work, Nansen at their head, and they
worked unitedly and cheerfully. This same day Nansen and his
companions tried the dogs on shore. Eight [this should i)e ten] were
harnessed to a sledge on which three persons took their i)laces.
Nansen expressed his satisfaction with the dogs, and thanked Tront-

* By this he probal)ly means our organ. Our other musical instruments were as
follows : — An accordion, belonijing 10 the ship, and a flute, violin and several JcwV
harps, belonging to one of the ship's company.

Farewell to Norway.

heim for the good selection he had made, and for the excellent
condition the animals were in. When the tlogs were taken over and
brought on board,* Trontheim applied to Nansen for a certificate of
the exact and scrupulous wa\ in which he had fulfilled his contract.
Nansen's answer was : ' No ; a certificate is not enough. Your duty
has been done with absolute conscientiousness, and vou have tlierebv
rendered a great service to the expedition, I am commissioned to
l)resent you with a gold medal from our king in recognition of the
great help you have given us.' With these words Nansen handed to
Trontheim a very large gold medal with a crown on it. On the
obverse is the following inscription: 'Oscar II., King of Norway and
Sweden. For the Welfare of the Brother-Nations.' And on the
reverse : ' Reward for valuable service. A, I. Trontheim.' Along with
this Nansen also gave Trontheim a written testimonial as to the
admirable manner in which b" had carried out his commission,
mentioning that for this he had been rewarded with a medal."

" Nansen determined to weigh anchor during the night of this same
dayt and set sail on his long voyage without waiting for the coal sloop
I'ntitia, which he thought must have been delayed by the ice. In the
evening Trontheim took leave of the whole jiarty, with hearty wislies
for the success of the expedition. Along with him Herr Ole Christo-
fersen, correspondent of one of the chief London newspapers, + lelt the
sliip. He had accompanied Nansen from Vardo. At parting, Nansen
gave them a plentiful su})ply of provisions, Christofersen and Tront-
heim having to await the arri\al of the Urania, as they were to go
home by her. Precisely at 12 o'clock on the night between August
4th and 5th the signal for starting was given, and the Fmin stood out
to sea."'

On August 7th the Urania at last arrived. As I had supposed, she
had been stopped by ice ; but had at last got out of it uninjured.

"'■ It will he obseiveil that there is s jim slip of memory here — it was ihc evening
before.
-• t It was, in fact, the day after.

* I do not believe that Christofersen ever in his life had anylhint; to do with a
London newspaper.

I04

Chapter IV.

Christofersen and Trontheim were able to sail for home in her on the
nth, and reached Vanlo on the 22nd,. food having been very scarce
during the last part of the time. The ship, which had left her home
port, Bruno, in May, was not provided for so long a voyage, and these
last days they lived chiefly on dry biscuits, water, and— weevils.

CHAPTER V.

Voyage through the Kara Sea.

It was well into the nig':t after Christofersen and Trontheim had left
us, before we could tcct riway. The channel was too dangerous for us
to risk it in the thick fcg. But it cleared a little, and the i)etroleum
launch was got ready ; I had determined to go on ahead with it and
take soundings. We starte^l about midnight. Hansen stood in the
bow with the lead line. First we bore over towards the point of
Vaig.its to the north-west, as Palander directs, then on tlirougli the
strait; keeping to the \'aigats side. The fcg was often so thi< k tI\U it
was with difficulty we could catch a giimjj.se of the Fram, whicli
followed close beliind us, and on board the Fraiii they could net see
our boat. But so long as we had enough water, and so long as we saw
tliat they were keeping to the right course behind us, we went ahead.
Soon the fog cleared again a little. But the depth was not (juite
satisflictory ; we had been having steadily 4^ to 5 Huhoms ; then it
dropped to 4 anc'. then to T,h. This was too little. Wc turned and
signalled to the Fraiii to stop. Then we held forther out from land
and got into deeper water, so that the F/am could come on again
at full si)eed.

From time to time our petroleum engine took to its old tri( ks and
sto]:)ped. I had to i)our in more oil to set it going again, and as I was
standing doing this, tiie boat gave a lurch, so that a little oil was spilt,
and took fire. The burning oil ran over the bottom of the boat, where
a good deal had been spilt already. In an instant the wliole stern was
in a blaze, and my clothes, which were sprinkled with oil, cauglit fire.
I had to rush to the bow, and for a moment the situation was a critical
one, especially as a big pail that was standing full of oil also took fire.
As soon as I had stopped the burning of my clothes, I rushed aft again,

io6

Chapter V.

seized tlie pail, and poured the flamint,' oil into the sea, burning my
fingers badly. At once the whole surface of the water round was in
flames. Then I got hold of the baler, and baled water into the boat
as hard as I could ; and soon the worst was over. Things had looked
anything but well from the Fraiii, however, and they were standing by
with ropes and buoys to throw to us.

Soon we were out of Yugor Strait. There was now so little fog that
the low land round us was visible, and we could also see a little way
out to sea, and, in the distance, all drift-ice. At 4 o'clock in the
morning (August 4th) we glided past Sokolii, or Hawk Island, out into
the dreaded Kara Sea.

Now our fate was to be decided. I had always said tliat if we could
get safely across tlie Kara Sea and past Cape Chelyuskin, the worst
would be over. Our prospects were not bad— an open i)assage
to the east, along the land, as far as we could see from the mast-
head.

An hour and a half later we were at the eilge of the ice. It was so
close that there was no use in attem|)ting to go on through it. To the
north-west it seemed much looser, and there was a gooil deal of blue in
the atmosphere at the horizon there.* ^\"e kej)! south-east along the
land through broken ice. but in the course of the day went further out
to sea, tlie blueness of the atmospiiere to the east and north-east
])r()mising more open water in that direction. However, about 3 i).m.
the ice became so close, that I thought it l)est to get back into the
o])en channel along the land. It was certainly possible that we
might have forced our way through the ice in the sea here, but
also possible that we might have stuck fast, and it was too early to run
this risk.

Next morning (August 5th), being then off the ct)ast near to the
mouth of the River Kara, we steered across towards Yalmal. We soon
had that low land in sight, but in the afternoon we got into fog and

* There is ;i wliiie rellection from white ice, so that the sky above fields of ice
has a lii;hi or whitish appearance ; wherever there is open water it is blue or dark.
In lliis way the Arctic navigator can judge by the appearance of the sky what is the
Slate of the sea at a considerable ihstanee.

Voy

age through the Kara Sea.

107

close ice. Next day it was no better, and we made fast to a great
ice-block which was lying stranded off the \'ahiial coast.

In the evening some of us went on shore. Tlie water was so
shallow that our boat stuck fast a good way from the beacii, and we
had to wade. It was a perfectly flat, smooth sand beach, covered by
the sea at full tide, and beyond that a steep bank, 30 to 40 feet, in
some places probably 60 feet high.

We wandered about a little. I'lat, bare country on every hand.

LANDING ON VAI.MAL.
(B}' Otto Siihiiii:;^, from a Photoi^aph.)

Any driftwood we saw was buried in the sand, and st)aking wet. Not
a bird to be seen except one or two snipe. We came to a lake, and
out of the fog in front of me I heard the cry of a loon, but saw no
living creature. Our view was Ijlocked by a wall of 'iv^ whichever
way we turned. There were i)lenty of reimleer tracks, but of course
they were only those of the Samoyeiles' tame reindeer. This is the
land of the Samoyedes— and oh I but it is desolate and mournful !
The only one of us that bagged anything was the botanist, lieautiful
flowers smiled to us here and there among the sand mounds — the one

loS

Chapter \'.

messaj^'c from a l)ii,L(lUcr world in tliis land of f.)<fs. Wc went fiir in
over tile !lat.-i. i)iit came only to sheets of water, with low spits runnin.<f
out into tlie.n. and ridges between. We often heard the cry of loons
on the water, hut could never catch sight of one. All these lakelets
were of a remarkable, exactly circular conformation, with banks all
round, just as if each had dug out a hole for itself in the sandy
plain.

With the oars of our boat and a large tarpaulin we had made a

I: I

THE PLAIN OF VALMAL.
(Ay Otto Sindiiis^^froiii a Photop-a/'/i .)

sort of tent. We were lucky enough to find a little dry wood, and
soon the tent was filled with the fragrant odour of hot coffee. When
we had eaten and drunk and our pipes were lit, Johansen, in spite of
fatigue and a full meai, surprised us by turning one somersault after
another on the heavy, damp sand in front of the tent hi his long
military cloak and sea i)oots half full of water.

By 6.30 next morning we were on board again. The fog had
cleared, l)ut the ice, which lay drifiing backwards and forwards

Voyage through the Kara Sea.

109

according to the set of the tide, looked as close as ever towards the
north. During the morning we had a visit I'roni a boat with two
stalwart Samoyedes, who were well received and treated to food and
tobacco. They gave us to understand that they were living in a tent
some distance inland and farther north. Presently they went off
again, enriched with gifts. These were the last human beings we met.
Next day the ice was still close, and, as there was nothing else to be
done, some of us went ashore again in the afternoon, partly to see
more of this little-known coast, and partly, if possible, to fmd the

IN THE KARA SEA.

Samoyedes' camp, and get hold of some skins and reindeer floh. It
is a strange, flat country. Nothing but sand, sand everywhere. Still
flatter, still more desolate than the country about Vugnr Strait, with a
still wider horizon. Over the ])lain lay a green cari)et of gras> and
moss, here and there s])()iled by the wind having torn it up and swept
sand over it. lUit trudge as we might, and search as we might, we
found no Samoyede camp. \Ve saw three men in the lar (h^tani e,
but they went off as fast as they could the moment they caught
siglit of us. There was little game — just a few ptarmigan, golden
plovers, and long-tailed ducks. Our chief gain was another

I lO

Chapter V.

rollertion of plants, and a few j,'L'()l<)giraI and j,a'ojTrai)hical notes.
Our oh^t-rvations sliowtnl tlxit the land at this plate was charted not
less than lialf a dej,'ree or 36 to 38 minutes too fiu west.

It was not till next forenoon (Auf,'ust 9th) that we went on hoard
again. The ice to the north now seemed to he rather looser, and at
8 p.m. we at last began once more to make our way north. We found
ice that was easy to get through, and held on our course until, three
days later, we got into open water. On Sunday, August 13th, we stood
out into the open Kara Sea, past the north point of Yalmal and P/ieloi-
Ostrov (White Island). There was no ice to be seen in any direction.
l)uring the days that followed we had constant strong east winds, often
increasing to half a gale. We kept on tacking to make our way eastward,
but the liroad and keel-less v'>(?/« can hardly be called a good "beater";
we made too much lee-way, and our progress was correspondingly slow.
In the journal there is a constantly-recurring entry of " Head wind.
Head wind."' The monotony was extreme, but as they may be of
interest as relating to the navigation of this sea, I shall give the
most important items of the journal, especially those regarding tiie
state of the ice.

On Monday, August 14th, we beat with only sail against a strong
wind. Single jjieces of ice were seen during the middle watch, but
after that there was none within sight,

Tuesday, August 15th. The wind slackened in the middle watch ; we
took in sail, and got up steam. At 5 in the morning we steamed away
east over a sea i)erfectly clear of ice ; but after mid-day the wind began
to freshen again from E.N.E., and we had to beat with steam and sail.
Single floes of ice were seen during the evening and night.

\\'ednes(lay, August i6th. As the Kara Sea seemed so extraordinarily
free from ice, and as a heavy sea was running from the north-east, we
decided to hold north as far as we could, even if it should be to the
Einsamkeit (Lonely) Island. But about half-i)ast three in the afternoon
we had a strij) of close ice ahead, so that we had to turn. Stiff breeze
and sea. Kept on beating east along the edge of the ice. Almost
lost the jietroleuiii launch in the evening. The waves were constantly
breaking into it and fdling it, the gunwale was burst in at two ])laces,
and the heavy davi.s it hung on were twisted as if they had been

!4L

> .^

I 12

Chaplcr V.

<()l)l)or wires. Only jiM in tlic ni' k of timr, wit'i the waves wasliini,'
(iviT us, sonu' III" 111 ni;»n;ij,'i'(l to ^cl it lashcil to tlic side of the shii).
'I'lu'ro si'cMH'il to lie SOUK- fatality about this hoat.

'I'iuirsday, August 17th. Still hratini,' raNtward under sail and
stt'iuii throiigii scattrri.' I ice. autl along a uiargui of fixed ice.
Still blowing hard, with a heavy scvi as soon as we headed a little out

I'roin

the i(

Friday, Aug.ist iSth. Continued st)rni. Stood south-east. At
4.30 a.m. Sverdrup, who had g -ne up into tlie ( row's-nest to look out
for hvar-i and walrus on the ice-ll.;eN saw land to the south of us. ,-\t
10 a.m. I went up to look at it --we were then pr 'hiMy not more than
10 miL'i away Ironi it. It was low land, seemingly of the same
formation as \'alinal, widi steep sandd)anks and grasNgrown ah )Ve.
The sea grew shallowi-r as we neared it. Not far from us, sm.dl
icebergs lay aground, 'i'lie lead s!iowe 1 steadily le^s and less water ;
by ri.^p a.m. t'n're were only some S fathom>. then to our surpri>ethe
bottoni suddenly i'e'.l t ) 20 fathoms, and after tliat we found steadily
incre.ising depth. I'.etween the land and the blo( ks of stran led i( e on
our lee there app.'ared to be a cliannel with ratlier (leejter water and
not so much ice aground in it. It se; ae<l difficult to conceive that
there should be undiscovered land here, where both Xorden.ikiold and
K Iward Johansen, and possibly several Russians ha 1 passed without
seeing anything. Our observations, however, werj incontestable,
and we immediately named the land Sverdrup.-. island, after its
discoverer.

.\s there was still a great deal of ice to windward, we continued our
south-westerly cour.-.e. keeping as close to tlie wind as possible. The
weather was clear, and at S o'clcx k we siglited tlie mainland, witli
Dickson's Island ahea<l. It had been our intention to run in and
anchor here, in order to put letters for home under a cairn, Captain
\\'iggins having promised to ])ick them up on his way to tlie N'eiiisei.
l)Ut in the meantime the wind had fallen — it was a favourable chance,
and time was precious. So gave up sending our post, and continued
our course alon<r the coast.

d'iie country here was quite different from N'almal. Tl

louiT r.o

very high, it was a hilly country, with patches and even large drifts of

111
.'i.
e.

Voyai^c tliroiiL,Mi the Kara Sea.

I I :>

snow luTi' and there, some of them lyinjj (lost- down hy the short'.
Next nioriunji I sij,'hte(l thi'soiitheriiinost of thi- Kanienni Islands. Wt-
took a. ta( k in under it to si-i* if there wt-re animals of any kind, Imt
could catt h sij(ht of none. The island rosi' i-venly from the sea at all
points, with steep shores. They consisted for the most part of nx k,
which was partly solid, partly broken up hy the a( tion of the weather
into heaps of stone-. It appeared to he a stratified ro( k, with stronf,dy
marked ohliipie strata, 'i'he island was also covered with quantities of
gravel, sometimes mixed with larjjer stones ; the whole of the northern
point seemed to be a sand heap, with steep sand-banks towaids the
shore. The most noticeable feature of the island was its marked shore
lines. Near the top there was a specially jjronouiK I'd one. whi( h was
like a sharj) ledge oi\ the west and north sides and stretched across the

OSTROVA KAMr.NM (KOCKV ISI.A.NH) OI T lirr. COASI' diK SIUKKIA.

island like a dark band. Nearer the beach were several other distinct
ones. In form they all resembled the upjier one with its steep ledges,
and had evidently bein formed in the same way, by the action of the
sea, and more especially of the ice. Like the upper one, they also were
most marked on the west and north sides of the island, wliich are those
fiicinfj most to the open sea.

To the student of the history of the eartii tliese marks of the former
level of the sea are of j^reat interest, showini^ as they do tiiat the land
has risen or the sea sunk since the time they were formed. Like
Scandinavia, the whole of the north coast of Siberia has under<,'one
these changes of level since the (Ireat Ice Age.

It was strange that we saw none of the islands which, according to
Nordenskiold's map, stretch in a line to the north-east from Kamenni
Island. On the other hand, I took the bearings of one or two other

».

114

Chapter V.

islands lying almost clue east, and next morning we passed a small
island iaitlier north.

A\ e saw few hirds in this neighbourhood — only a few flocks of geese,
some Arctic gulls {kstris />arasifka and /. huffouH), and a few sea-gulls
and tern.

On Sunday, August 20th, we had, for us, uncommonly fine weather
— blue sea, brilliant sunshine, and light wind, still from the north-east.
In the afternoon we ran in to the Kjellman Islands. These we could
recognise ''rom their i)osition on Nordenskiold's maj), but south of
them we found many unknown ones. They all had smoothly rounded
forms, these Kjellman Islands, like rocks that have been ground
smooth by the glaciers of the Ice Age. The Fram anchored on the
nortli side of the largest of them, and whilst the boiler was being
refitted, some of us went ashore, in the evening, for some shooting.
We had not left the ship when the mate, from the crow's-ne:it, caught
sight of reindeer. At once we were all agog ; everyone wanted to go
ashore, and the mate was quite beside himself with the hunter's fever,
his eyes as big as saucers, and his hands trembling as though he were
drunk. Not until we were in the boat had we time to look seriously
for the mate's reindeer. We looked in vain — not a living thing was to
be seen in any direction. Yes — when we were close in shore, we at
last descried a large flock of geese waddling upward from the beach.
W'e were base enough to let a conjecture escape us, that these were
the mate's reindeer a suspicion which he at first rejected with
contem])t. (Iradually, however, his confidence oozed away. But it
is possible to do an injustice even to a mate. The first thing I saw
when I sprang ashore was old reindeer tracks. The mate, had now
the laugh on his side, ran from track to track, and swore that it was
reindeer he had seen.

A\'hen we got uj) on to the first height we saw several reindeer on flat
ground to the south of us ; but the wind being from the north we had
to go back and make our way south along the shore till we got to lee-
^\ard of them. The only one who did not approve of this plan was the
male, who was in a state cf feverish eagerness to rush straight at some
reindeer he thoiight he had seen to the east, which, of course, was an
iibsolutely certain way to clear tlie field of everyone of them. He

I-

Voyage throui^h the Kiira Sea.

1 I

tisked and received permission to remain behind with Hansen, who
was to take a magnetic observation ; but had to i)romise not lo move
till he got the order.

On the way along the shore we passed one great flock of geese after
another ; they stretched their ne( ks and waddled aside a little, until
we were (juite near, and onl)' tiien took flight ; but we had no time to
waste on such small game. A little further on we caught sight of one
or two reindeer we had not noticed before. We could easily liave
stalked them, but we were afraid of getting to windward of the others,
which were farther south. At lastiwe got to leeward of these latter also,
but they were grazing on flat ground, and it was anything but easy to
stalk them — not a hillock, not a stone to hide behind. Tiie only
thing was to form a long line, advance as best we could, .uid, if
possible, outflank them. In the meantime we had caught sight of
another herd of reindeer farther to the north, but suddenly, to our
astonishment, saw them tear off across the plain eastward, in all j)ro-
bability startled by the mate, wlio had not been able to keei) 'in'c't any
longer.

A little to the north of the reindeer nearest us chere was a liollow,
opening from the shore, from which it seemed that it might be jjossible
to get a shot at them. 1 went back to try this, wliilst the others kept
their places in the line. As I went down again towards tlie shore I
had the sea before me, cpiiet and beautiful. I'lie sun had gone down
behind it not long before, and the sky was glowing in the clear, liglit
niirht. I had to stand still for a minute. In the midst of all this
beauty, man was doing the work of a beast of i)rey ! At this moment
I saw to the north a dark speck move down the height where the mate
and Hansen ougiil lo be. it diviiled into two, and the one moved
east just to the windward of l\w animals I was to stalk. They would get
the scent immediately, and be off. There was nothin; for it but to
hurry on, while I rained anything but gool wislies on thtse fellows'
heads. The gully was not so deep as I had expected. Its sides were
just high enough to hide me when I crejjt on all fours. In the middle
were large stones and clayey gravel, with a little runnel soaking tl',r.)ugh
them. The reindeer were still grazing (juietly, only now and then
raising their heads to look roimd. My '* cover " got lower and lowei',

ii6

Chapter V.

and to the north I heard the mate. He would ]iresently succeed in
settin<( off my jjame. It was imperative to get on quickly, but there
was no longer cover for me to advance on hands and knees. My only
chance was to wriggle forward like a snake on my stomach. But in
this soft clay — in the bed of the stream? Yes — meat is too ])recious
on board, and the beast of prey is too strong in a man. My clothes
must lie sacrificed : f)n I crept on my stomach through the mud. ]}ut
soon there was hardly cover enough even for this. I squeezed i lyself
flat among the stones and ploughed forward like a drain-cutting
machine. And I did make way, if not quickly and comfortably, still
surely.

All this time the sky was turning darker and dirker red behind me,,
and it was getting more and more difficult to use the sights of my gun,
not to mention the trouble I had in keeping the clay from them and
from the muzzle. The reindeer still grazed quietly on. AVlien they
raised their heads to look round I had to lie as cjuiet as a mouse,
feeling the water trickling gently under my stomach ; when they began
to nibble the moss again, off 1 went through the mud. Presently I
made the disagreeable discovery tiiat the\- were moving away fr .m me
about as fast as I could move forward, and I had to redouble my
exertions. lUit tlie darkness was getting worse and worse, and I had
tlie mate to tiie nortii of me, and presently he would start them off.
The outlook was anything but bright either morally or physically. The
hollow was getting shallower and shallower, so that I was hardly
covered at all : I scjueezed myself still deeper into the mud. A turn in
the ground heljjed me forward to the next little height, and now they
were right in front of me. within what I should have called easy range
if it had been dayligiit. I tried to take aim, but could not see the
bead on my gun.

Man's fate is sometimes hard to bear. My clothes were dripping
with wet clay, and after what seemed to me most meritorious exertions,
here I was at the goal, unable to take advantage of my position. But
now the reindeer moved down into a small depression. I crept forward
a little way furtner as quickly as I could. I was in a splendid position,
so far as I could tell in the dark, but ! could not see the bead any
better than before. It was impossible to get nearer, for there was only

Voyajre through the Kara Sea.

117

a smooth slope between us. There was no sense in tliinking of
waitinj;' for Hght to shoot by; it was now niichiight, and I liad that
ti.rrible mate to the north of me, besides the wind was not to be trusted.
.1 held the rifle uj) aj^ainst the sky to see the bead clearly, and then
■owered it on the reindeer. I did this once, twice, thrice. . The bead
was still far from clear; but all the same I thought I mi!j;ht hit, and
pulled the trigger. The two deer gave a sudden start, looked round in
astonishment, and bolted off a little way south. There they stood still
agiiin, and at this moment were joined by a third deer, which had been
;-tanding rather f ' ther north. I fired off all the cartridges in tiie
magazine, and all to the same good i)uri)ose. Ihe creatures started
and moved off a little at each shot, and then trotted farther south.
Presently they made another halt, to take a long careful look at me ;
and I dashed off westward, as hard as 1 c(,uld run, to turn them. Now
they were off straight in the direction v>here some of my comrades
ought to be. I e.\i)ected every moment to hear shots and see one or
two of the animals fall, but away they ambled southwards, ([uite
unchecked. At last, lar to the south, crack went a rifle. I could see
!)y the smoke that it was \t too long a range ; so in high dudgeon 1
shouldered my rifle anil lounged in the direction of the shot. It was
])leasant to see such a good result for all one's trouble.

No one was to be seen anywhere. At length I met Sverdrup; it was
he who had fired. Soon lUessing joined us, but all the others had
long jince left their i)o^ts. Whilst Blessing went iiack to the boat
and his botanising box, ^verdrup and 1 went on to try our luck once
more. A little farther south we came to a valley stretching rigiit across
the island On the further side of it we saw a man standing on p.
hillock, and not far from him a herd of live or six reindeer. As it
never occurred to us to doubt that the man was in the act of
stalking these, we avoided going in that direction, and soon he and his
reindeer disappeared to the west. I heard afterwards that he had
never seen the deer. As it was evident that when the reindeer to the
south of us were startled, they would have to come back across this
valley, and as the island at this jiart was so narrow that we conunanded
the whole of it, we determined to take up our posts here and wait.
We accordingly got in the lee of some great boulders, out of the wind.

i i

Ii8

Chapter V.

In front of Sverdriip was a larLTc Hock of ffeese. near the mouth of the-
streani. (lose down by the shore, Tliey kept up an incessant ,tral)l)Ie.
and thv tein])tation to liave a shot at them was very .i{reat : hut
considering tlie reindeer, we thou.uht it l)est to leave them in jjeace.
'I'hev gahhled and waddled away down through the mud. and soon took
wing.

'I'he time seemed long. At first we listened with all our ears —
the reindeer must come very soon and our eyes wanderefl inres'-nntly
i)a<k and forwards along the slope on the other side oi' tl^.e val'ey.
lint no reindeer came, and soon we were having a struggle to keej)
our e\e> open and our heads up -we had not had much sleej) the last
few ilav>. They w//s/ he coming 1 We shook ourselves awake, and
gave another look along the hank, till again the eyes softly < losed and
the heads began to nod, while the chill wind blew through our wet
clothes, and I shivered with cold. This sort of thing \' lit on for an
hour or two, until the sport began to i)all on me, and I scrambled
from my shelter along towards Sverdrup, who was enjoying it about as
much a.-> I was. We climbed the slope on the other side of the valley,
and were hardly at the top before we saw the horns of six splendid
reindeer on a height in front of us. They were restless, scenting
westward, trotting round in a circle, and then snififing again. They
could not iiave noticed us as yet, as the wind was blowing at right
angles to the line between them and us. We stood a long tune
watchuig their man(euvres, and waiting their choice of a direction,,
but the\ iiad apparently great difficulty in making it. At last off they
swung south and east, and off we went south-east as hard as we could
go, to get across their course before they got scent of us. .Sverdrup
had got well ahead, and I saw him rushmg across a flat piece of
ground — presently he would be at the right i)lace to meet them. I
sto])ped, to be in readiness to cut them off on the other side if the\'
should face about and make off northward again. There were six
splendid animals, a big buck in front. The\' were heading straight for
Sverdrup, who was now crouching down on the slojje. I expected
e\ery moment to see the foremost fall. A shot rang out ! Round
wheeled the whole flock like lightning, and back they came at a
gallop. It was my turn now to run with all my might, and (jfif I went

\'()va''c throuLih the Kara Sea.

119

over the stones, down towards the \alley we had come from. I onlv
sto])ped once (,r twice to take breath and to make sure that tlie
animals were cominfr in tiie direction I liad reckoned <jn — then off
ajjain. \\'e were s,'ettint,f near each other now. they were cominjf on
just where I had calculated, tiie thinjr now was to he in time for them.
I made my lonf( le<,fs <ro their fastest over the houlders, and took leaps
from stone to stone that would have surprised myself at a more soher
moment. More than once my foot slipped and I went down head hrst
among the houlders, yun and all. Hut the wild beast 'in nie had the
upper hanil now. The passion of the chase vibrated through every
fibre of my body.

We reached the slant of the valley almost at the same time— a leap
or two to get up on some big boulders, and the moment had come I
miisf shoot, though the shot was a long one. When the smoke cleared
away I saw the big buck trailing a broken hind-leg. When their leader
sto])])ed, the whole flock turned and ran in a ring round tlie poor
animal. They could not understand what was ha])pening, and strayed
about wildly, with the balls whistling round them. Then off they went
down the side of the valley again, leaving another of their number
beliin 1 with a broken leg. I tore after them, across the valley and up
the other side, in the liope of getting another shot, but gave that u])
and tiuMied back to make sure of the two wounded ones. At the
bottom of the valley stood one of the victims awaiting its fate. It
looked imploringly at me, and then, just as 1 was going forward to
shoot it, made off much quicker than I could have thcnight it possible for
an animal on three legs to go. Sure of my shot, of course I missed ; and
now began a chase, which ended in the poor beast, blocked in e\er\
other direction, rushing down towards the sea and wading into a small
lagoon on the shore, whence 1 feared it might get right out into the
sea. At last it got its (piietus there in the water. 'I'lie other one was
not far off, and a ball soon juit an end to its sufferings also. As 1 was
])roceeding to rip it up, Henriksen and Johansen ai)peared ; they had
just shot a bear a little farther south.

After disembowelling the reindeer, we went towards the boat again,
meeting .Sverdrup on the way. It was now well on in the morning, and
as I considered that we had already s])ent too much time here, 1 was

!il i

I20

Chapter V.

impatient to inish northwards. Whilst Sverdrup and some of the
others went on board to }j[et ready for the start, the rest of us rowed
south to fetch our two reindeer and our hear. A strong breeze had
begun to bU)w from the north-east, and as it would be hard work for
us to row l)a(k against it, I had asked Sverdrup to come and r.ieet us
with tlie Fmm, if the soundings permitted of his doing so. We saw
quantities of seal and whitefish along the shore, but we had not time to

A DEAD REAR 0>J REINDEER ISLAND (AUGUST 2 1ST, 1893).

[From a Photograph.)

go after them ; all we wanted now was to get south, and in the first
place to pick up the bear. \\'hen we came near the i)lace where we
expected to iind it, we did see a large white heap resembling a
bear lying on the ground, and I was sure it must be the dead one, but
Henriksen maintained that it was not. W'q went ashore and approached
it, • it lay motionless on a grassy bank. I still felt a strong suspicion
that it had already had all the shot it wanted. We drew nearer and

Voya<^e tlirouirh the Kara Sea.

I : I

nearer, but it gave no sign of life. I looked into Henriksen's hni est
fare, to make sure that they were not playing a trick on me; hut he wis
staring fixedly at the bear. As I looked two shots went off, and
to my astonishment the great creature bounded into the air, still (l;;z'(l
with sleep. Poor beast ! it was a harsh awakening. Another shot, and
it fell lifeless.

We first tried to drag the bears down to the boat, but they were too
heavy for us ; and we now had a hard piece of work skinning and
■cutting them up, and carrying down all we wanted. IJut bad as it

" AT I'IRST WE TRIKD TO DRAG 'IHE liKAR.

(/■V ./. Eiiliakkt\fivni a J'/ui/ot.'rti/'/i.)

was, trudging through the soft day with heavy 'juarters of bear on our
backs, there was worse awaiting us on the beach. The tide had risen,
and at the same time the waves had got larger and swami)ecl the boat,
and v.ere now breah.ing over it. (Urns and ammunition were .;oaking
in the water ; liits of bread, our only ]>rovision, floated round, rnd tin'
butter dish lay at the bottom, with no butter in it. It required no
small exertion to get the boat drawn up out of this heavy surf and
■emptied of water. Luckily, it had received no injury, as the beach

I 2.

Cha[)tL'r \'

was of a soft sand ; hut llie s;in(l liad i)v.'in.'tratL'd witli t'n. water fvcry-
wlierc, oven into the most dehcatu parts of the locks of our rilles. lUit
worst of all was tlie loss of our provisions, for now we were ravenously
hunj,'ry. We had to make the best of a had business, and eat pieces
of bread soaked in sea water, and flavoured with several varieties of
dirt. On this occasion, too, I lost my sketch-book, with some sketches
that were of value to me.

It was no easy task to },fet our heasy j,fanu' into the boat with these
bi},' waves breakinf,^ on the flat beach. We had to keep the boat
outside the surf, and haul both skins and flesh on board with a line ;
a f^ood deal of water came with them, but there was no help for it.
And then we had to row north along the shore against the wind and
sea as hard as we could. It was very tough work. The wind had
increased, and it was all we could do to make headway against it.
Seals were diving round us, white whales coming and going, but we
had no eyes for them now. Suddenly Henriksen c-alled out that there
was a bear on the point in front. I turned round, and there stood a
beautiful white fellow rummaging among the flotsam on the beach.
As we had no time to shoot it, we rowed on, and it went slowly in
front of us northwards along the shore. At last, with great exertions,
we reached tlie bay where we were to put in for the reindeer. The
bear was there before us. It had not seen the boat hitherto ; but
now it got scent of us. and came nearer. It was a temjjting shot. I
had my finger c>n the trigger several times, but did not draw it. After
all we had no use for the animal ; it was cpiite as much as we could
do to stow away what we had already. It made a beautiful target of
itself by getting up on a stone to have a better scent and looked about.,
and after a careful survey it turned round and set off inland at an easy trot.

The surf was by this time still heavier. It was a flat, shallow shore,
and the waves broke a good way out from land. We rowed '-i till the
boat touched ground and the breakers began to wash over us. The
only v.ay of getting ashore was to jump into the sea and wade. lUit
getting the reindeer on l)oard was another matter. There was no
better landing-])la( e farther north, and hard as it was to give uj) the
excellent meat after all our trouble, it seemed to nie there was nothing
else for it, and we rowed off towards our ship.

\ ()\a''L' throiiijh the Kani Sua.

123

It was the liardost row 1 vwv luul a liaiul in. It wi'iit ini-tty well
to l)f<,nn with ; wt- liad the- ciirrcnl witli us. and j^ot (|iii( kl) out iVoni
land ; l)Ut |)resently the wind rose, the « iirrent slackened, and wave
after wave broke over us. .After incredible toil, we had at last only
a short way to go. I cheered up the good fellows as best I could,
reminding them of the smoking hot tea that awaited them after a few
more tough pulls, and picturing all the good things in store for thenu
We really were all pretty well done up now. but we still took a good
grip of the oars, soaking wet as we were from the sea constantl ■
breaking over us, for of course none of us had thought of such things
as oilskins in yesterdays beautiful weather. lUit we soon saw that
with all our pulling and toiling the boat was making no headway
whatever. Apart from the wind and the sea we had the current dead
against us here ; all our exertions were of no avail. We pulled till
our fmger-tips felt as if they were bursting; but the most we could
manage was to keep the boat where it was ; if we slackened an instant
it drifted back. I tried to encourage my comrades : " Xtm' we made
a little way ! It was just strength that was needed ! "' Hut all to no
purpose. The wind whistled round our ears, and the spray dashed
over us. It was maddening to be so near the ship that it seemed as
if we could almost reach out to her, and yet feel that it was impossible
to get on any Hirther. A\'e had to go in under the land again, where
we had the current with us, and here we did succeed in making a
little progress. We rowed hard till we were about abreast of the ship ;
then we once more tried to sheer across to her, but no sooner did we
get into the current again than it mercilessly drove us back. Beaten
again ! And again we tried the same manreuvre with the same result.
Now we saw them lo^vering a buoy IV"'.: ihe ship -if we could only
reach it, we were saved; but we did not reach it. They were not
exactly blessings that we i)oured on those on board. Why on earth
could they not bear down to us, when they saw the straits we were jU ;
or why, at any rate, could they not ease up the aiu hor, and let the -ihip
drift a little in our direction? They saw how little was needed 'o
enable us to reach them. Perhaps they had their reasons.

We would make one last desperate attempt. We went at it with
a will. Every muscle was strained to the utmost — it was only the

124

Chapter V.

biiov WL- had to rcacli this tiiiic. Hut to our rage we now saw the
buoy l)eing hauled up. We rowed a httle way on, to the windward
of tlie />■(////, and then tried again to slieer over. This time we got
nearer lier tlian we had ever been before ; but we were disappointed
in still seeing no buoy, and none was thrown over; there was not
even a man to be seen on deck. We roared like madmen for a
buoy-- we had no strength left lor another attempt. It was not a
pleasing jjrospect to have to dr :"t back, and go ashore again in our
wet t lothes ; — we uuiuld get on board! Once more we yelled like
wild Indians, and now they came rushing aft and threw out the buoy
in our direction. One more cry to my mates that we iviust put our
last strength into the work. There were only a few boat lengths to
cover, and we bent to our oars with a will. Now there were three
boat lengths. Another desperate spurt. Now there were two-and-a-
half boat lengths — presently two — then only one! A few more frantic
])ulls, and there was a little less. "Now, boys, one or two more
hard pulls and it's over! Hard ! hard ! ! Keep to it ! Now another !
Don't give up! One more! T/iciv hh' /nivc if .' .' .'" And one joyful
sigh of relief passed round the boat. " Keep the oars going or the
rope will break. Row, boys I " And row we did, and soon they had
hauled us alongside of the Fyaiii. Not till we were lying there
getting our bearskins and flesh hauled on board, did we really know
what we had had to light against. 'J'he current was running along the
side of the ship like a rapid river. At last we were actually on board.
It was evening by this time, and it was sjjlendid to get some good hot
food and then stretch one's liml)s in a comfortable dry berth. There
is a satisfaction in feeling that one has exerted one's self to some
pur))ose. Here was the net lesult of four and twenty hours' hard toil
— we had shot two reindeer, which we did not get, got two bears that
we had no use for, and had totally ruined one suit of clothes. Two
washings had not the smallest effect upon them, and they hung on
deck to air for the rest of this trip.

I slept badly that night, for this is what I tind in my diary: "Ciot
on board after what I think was the hardest row I ever had. Slept
well for a little, but am now lying tossing about in my berth, unable
to sleep. Is it the coffee I drank after s.iijper? or the coid tea I drank

Voyage throuj^h the Kani St-a.

'25-

wlu'ti I awoko with a hiirning thirst? I shut my oyt's and Irv a|,Min
time alter time, hut to no ;)ur|)ose. And now memory's airy visions
steal softly over my soul, (lleam after gleam breaks throuj,di the mist.
I see before me sunlit landscapes — smilin^f fields and meadows, green,
leafy trees and woods, and blue mountain ridges. The singing of the
steam in the boiler pipe turns to bell-ringing church bells — ringing
in Sabbath peace over \'estre-Aker on this beautiful summer morning.
I am walking with father along the avenue of small birch-trees that
mother planted, uj) towards the church which lies on the height
before us, pointing up into the blue sky and sending its call far
over the country-side. l''rom up there you can see a long way.
Nivisodden looks quite close in the clear air, especially on an autunui
morning. And we give a cpiiet Sunday greeting to the people that
drive past us, all going our way. What a look of Sunday happiness,
dwells on their faces !

" I did not think it all so delightful then, and would much rather
have run off to the woods with my bow ami arrow after s(iuirrels — but
now— how fair, how wonderfully beautiful that sunlit picture seems to
me ! The feeling of i)eace and happiness tiiat even then no doubt
made its impression, though only a i)assing one, comes back now with
redoubled strength, and all nature seems one mighty, thrilling song of
l)raise ! Is it because of the contrast with this poor, barren, sunless
land of mists — without a tree, without a bush nothing but stones
and clay? No peace in it either— nothing but an endless struggle to
get north, always north, without a moment's delay. Oh, how one
yearns for a little careless hapi)iness I "

Next day we were again ready to sail, and I tried to force the Fnim
on under steam against wind and current. lUit the current ran strong
as a river, and we had to be spt ially careful with the helm, if we
gave her the least thing too much, she would take a sheer, and we
knew there were shallows and rocks on all sides. We kejjt the lead
going constantly. For a time all went well, and we made way slowly,
but suddenly she took a sheer and refused to obey her helm. She
went oft" to starboard. The lead indicated shallow water. The same
moment came the order, " Let go the anchor ! " And to the bottom
it went with a rush and a clank. There we lay with 4 fathoms of"

!1 ■

126

CliapUT V.

HiittT niKk'r tlic stt-rn, and 9 fatlionis in (Voiit at tlio aiK hor. \\\'
wtTi' not ;i nionu'iit too soon. W'v ^,'ot tlu' /•hiffi's lu-ad strai^'lit to the
win;l. and tried a;,'ain tinn' alter tinu', luit always witli tlu' sanu- result.
Vhv atteni|)t had to Ik- ^nveii ii|i. 'I'lu-re was still the |Kissil)ility of
making our way out oi t!u' sound to leeward ot the l;ind. hut tlu'
water ^^ol iiuickly shallow tlu ri'. and we nii^dit come on rocks at any
nioniinl. We could have ifom- on in front with the hoat and sonnck'd,
luit I had already had niori' than enouf,di ol' rowing' in th;it current,
lor tlu' present we must stay where we wen- and anoint ourselves with
tin- ointment called Patience, a medicament of wliii h every i)olar
expedition ouj,du to lay in a larjfe supply, ^\'e hoped on for a ( han^'e,
hut the ( urreiit remained as it was, and the wind ( ertainly did not
de( ri-ase. I was in des])air at havinj( to lie liere for nothinjf hut this
cursed ( urrent. with open sea outside, perhaps as far as (!ai)e ("hel-
)uskin, tliat eternal cape, whose name had been ^ounding in my ears
for the last three weeks.

When I came on de( k next morninj^ (.August ^3rd) winter had
come. There was white snow on the <leck, and on every little
piojection of the rigging where it had found slielter from the wind ;
white snow on the land, and white snow floating through the air.
Oh ! how the snow refreshes one's soul, ami dri\es away all the gloom
and sadness from this sullen land of fogs I Look at it scattered so
delicately, as if by a loving hand, over the stones and the grass flats
on shore I lUit wind and current are much as they were, and during
the day the wind blows up to a regular storm, howling and rattling in
the /'hi/// s rigging.

The following day (August 24th) I had (]uite made uj) my mind
that we must get out some way or other. When I came on deck in
the moining the wind had gone down considerably, and the current
was not so strong. A boat would almost be able to row against it ;
anyhow one could be eased away by a line from the stern, and keep
on taking soundings there, while we " kedged "' the /'hi//i with her
anchor just clear of the bottom. lUit before having recourse to this
last expedient, 1 wouKl make another attempt to go against the wind
and the current. The engineers were ordered to put on as much
pressure ol steam as they dared, and the Fratn was urged on at her

V'(»\;i"'C llir()ii<'h the Kara Sea.

127

1(»|) s|m'im1. ( )iir snrprisi- \v;is not miuiII wIu'M wo j^.iw th:il \\v witc
making' way. and cvfii al a ti)lfral)lf rati-. Sdoii wi- wi-ri- out nl' tlu-
sound or '■ Knipa " (nippor) as wo cliristoniMl it, and 1 (iiild heat oii( lo
sea witli stoani and sail. Of (oiirso wi- had, as usual, (ontrary wind,
ami thi( k woatluT. 'I'lu'ri' is ani|»lL' space hotwoon oM-ry liltU- hit ol'
lainsliino in these (luartcrs.

Next day wo kept on boating northward hotwoon tho odgo of the
ico and tho land. Tho ojjon ohannol was broad to boj^in with, but
I'artlior north it bocanio so narrow that wo could ofton soi' tho coast
whon wo put about at tho vi\}ic of tho ico. .At this tinio wo passed
many unknown islands and j^roups of islands, 'riiere was evidently
plenty of occupation here, for any one who (ould spare tho time, in
making a (hart of the coast. Our voyage had anotlu-r aim, and all
that we could do was to make a few occasional moasuromonts of tlie
same nature as Nordenskiold had made before us.

On August 25th, I noted in my diary that in the afternoon we had
seven islands in sight. They were higher than those we had seen
before, and consisted of precipitous hills. 'I'here wore also small
glaciers or snow-fields, and the rock formation showed ( loar traces of
erosion by ico or snow, this being especially tho case on tho largest
island, where there were even small valleys, partially filled with
snow.

This is the record of August 26th : " ^^any new islands in various
directions. There are here,"' the diary continues, '' any number of
unknown islands, so many that one's head gets confused in trying
to keej) account of them all. In the morning we ])assed a very
rocky one, and beyontl it I saw two others. After them land or
islands farther to the north and still more to the north-oast. We had
to go out of our course in the afternoon, because we dared not pass
between two large islands on account of possible shoals. The
islands were round in form, like those we had soon farther back, but
were of a good height. Now we held oast again, with four biggish
islands and two islets in the offing. On our other side we jjresontly
had a line of flat islands with stoop shores. The channel was far
from safe here. In the evening we suddenly noticed large stones
.standing uj) above the water among some ice-floes close on our port

•j

■, a... «aiui.i« .«». ( ^,k5«^<«.*rf«t».5

128

Chapter V.

bow , and on our starboard beam was a shoal with stranded ice-floes.
We sounded, but found over 21 fathoms of water."

1 think this will suffice to give an idea of the nature of this coast.
Its belt of skerries, thout,di it certainly cannot be classed with the
Norwegian one, is yet of the kind that it would be difficult to find
except off glacier-formed coasts. This tends to strengthen the
opinion I had formed of there having been a glacial period in the
earlier history of this part of the world also. Of the coast itself, we
unfortunately saw too little at any distance from which we could get
an accurate idea of its formation and nature. We could not keep
near land, i)artly because of the thick weather, and partly because of
the number of islands. The little I did see was enough to give me
the conviction that the actual coast line differs essentially from the
one we know from maps ; it is much more winding and indented than
it is shown to be. ! even, several times, thought that I saw the
openings into deep fjords, and more than once the suspicion occurred
to me that this was a typical fjord country we were sailing past, in
spite of the hdls being comparatively low and rounded. In this
supposition I was to be confirmed by our experiences farther north.

Our record of August 27th reads as follows: "Steamed among a
variety of small islands and islets. Thick fog in the morning. At
12 noon we saw a small island right ahead, and therefore changed
our course and went nortli. We were soon close to the ice, and after
3 in the afternoon held north-east along its edge. Sighted land wherv
the fog cleared a little, and were about a mile off it at 7 p.m."

It was the same striated, rounded land, covered with clay and
large and small stones strewn over moss and grass flats. Before
us we saw i)oints and headlands, with islands outside, and sounds
and fjords between ; but it was all locked u]) in ice, and we could
not see far for the fog. There was that strange Arctic hush and
misty light over everything — that greyish-white light caused by the
reflection from the ice being cast high into the air against masses of
vapour, the dark land offering a wonderful contrast. We were not
sure whether this was the land near Taimur Sound, or that by Ca])e
Palander, but were "greed that in any case it would be best to hold
a northerly course, so as to keep clear of Alnnpiist's Islands, which

Voyage through the Kara Sea.

129

Nordenskiold ma^ks on his ma]) as lyinj; oft' Taiinur Inland. If we
shaped our coiirsc' for one watch north, or novtli to west, we should
he safe alter that, and he able ai^ain to hold tarther east. But we
miscalculated after all. At midnight we turned north-eastward, and
at 4 a.m. (August 28tii) land ajjpeared out of tin- fog al)out half-a-mile
off. It seemed to Sverdru]), who was on de( k, the highest that we
had seen since we left Norway. He »()nsei|uently look it to he the
mainland, and wished to keep well outside ol it. but was obliged to
turn from this course because of ice. A\ e held to the \V.S.\V., and
it was not till 9 a.m. that we rouniled the western jioint of a large
island, and could steer north again. East ol" us were many islands
or ])oints with solid ice between them, and we followed the edge of
the ice. All the morning we wenc nortli along the land against a
.strong current. There seemed to be no en<l u> this land. Its
discrepancy with every known map grew more and more remarkable,
and I was in no slight dilemma. We had for long been far to tiie
north of the most northern island indicated by Xordi nskioid.* My
diary this day tells of great uncertainty. " This land (or these
islands, or whatever it is) goes confoundedly tar uoriii. If it is a
group of islands they are tolerably large one--. ft has often the
a])pearance of connected land, witli fjords and points; but the
weather is too thick for us to get a i)ri)per view. . . (."an tiiis that
we are now coasting along be the Taimur Island nf the Russian maps
(or more precisely, Lajjteffs map), and is it -e)»arated from the
mainland by the broad strait indicated by him, wliiKt Nonlenskiold's
Taimur Island is what La])teff has mapped as a ]ii(ije< ling tongue of
land? This su])position would ex])lain e\ er\ tiling, and (.)ur observa-
tions would also fit in with it. Is it pos^ilile t'liai Xnrdeiiskiold found
this strait, and took it for Taimur Strait, wliilst in reality it was a new
one ; and that he saw Alm(]uist's Islanils, but liail no suspicion that
'i'ainmr Island lay to the outside of them ? The difilc iilty about this
explanation is that the Russian maps mark 110 I'-lands round Taimur

* It is true that in his account of the voyaj^e he cxiircs^ly states that the
continued very thick fo}^ " prevented us from lioing mure than luappinjj out most
vaguely ti"; islands among and past which the Ti'^'it soui;ht h^r way."

I30

Chapter V.

Island. It i> iiK oiKX'ivaljIe that a-nyone should have travelled all
about iiere in sledLCe^. without seeing all these small islands that lie
scattered around.*

" In the afternoon, the water gauge of the l)oiler got choked up ; we
had to stop to have it rejjaired, and therefore made fast to the edge of
the ice. \\'(-' sjtent the time in taking in drinking water. We found a
pool on the ire. so small that we thought it would only do to begin
with; but it evi<lently had a 'subterranean' communication with
other fresh water ponds on the floe. To our astonishment it i)ro\ed
inexhaustible, however much we scooped. In the evening we stood
in to the head oi" an ice bay, which opened out opposite the most
northern island we then had in sight. There was no passage beyond.
The broken drift-ic;e lay [)acked so close in on the unbroken land-ice,
that it was impos:.ii)Ie to tell where tiie one ended and the other
began. We could see islands still farther to the north-east. Fron>
the atmosphere it seemed as if there might also be open water in that
direction. To the north it all looked very close, but to the west there
was an o|ien waterway as far as one could see from the masthead.
I was ill some dmibt as to what should i)e done. There was an open
channel for a short way up past the north point of the nearest island,
but farther to the east the ice seemed to be close. It might be
possible to force our way through there, init it was just as likely that
we should be frozen in, so I thought it more judicious to go back and
make another attempt between tliese islands and that mainland,,
which I had some difficulty in believing that Sverdrup had seen in
the morning."

" Wednes lay, August 30th. Still foggy weather. New islands
were observed on the way l)ack. Sver(lru])'s high land did not come

* Latci', wliLii I bad investiL^atcd the stale of mattcis oulsiile KoriUnskirild's
Taimur l.s'aiid. it s.'cnied U< me tliat tlie same reiiiarU api'liecl here witli even better
reason, as nn sledi^e expedition coald _t;(i round the roast oC this island, witliout seeintj
Alm(|uist"s Islands, which lie so near, for instance, lo Cajie Laptefi', that they nufjbl
lobe seen even in ver) thick weather. It woiifd be less excusable to omit marking;
these islands, wli l1i are niueh larj^er. than to omit the small ones lying off the coast
of the large i^!ai d (or, as I now consider it, group of large islands) ue were at jireseat
Skirtiiu;.

Voyage through the Kara Sea.

131

to miuh. It turned out to be an island, and that a low one. It is
wonderful the way things loom up in the fog. This reminded me of
the story of the [)ilot at home in the Drobak Channel, He suddenly
saw land right in front, and gave the order ' l'"ull speed astern 1 '
Then they approat bed carefully and found that it was half a baling-
can floating in the water."

After passing a great number of new islands, we got into open
water off Taimur Island, and steamed in still weather tlirough the
sound to the north-east. At five in the afternoon I saw from tlie
crow's-nest thick ice ahead, which blocked further progress. It
stretched from Taimur Island right across to the islanuh south of it.
On the ice, bearded seals {phoca barbata) were to be seen in all
directions, and we saw one walrus. We approached the ice to make
fast to it. but the Fram had got into a dead-water, and made hartlly
any way, in sj)ite of the engine going full pressure. It was such slow
work that I thought I would row ahead to shoot seal. In the mean-
time the Frani advanced slowly to the edge of the ice with her
machinery still going at full speed.

For the moment we had simply to give up all thoughts of getting
on. It was most likely, indeed, that only a few miles of solid ice lay
between us and the proiiably open Taimur Sea ; but to break through
this ice was an impossibility, It was too thick, and there were no
ojjenings in it. Nordenskiold had steamed through here earlier in
the year (August i8th, 1878) without the slightest hindrnnce,* and
here, perhaps, our ho])es, for this year at any rate, were to be
wrec'^ed. It was not possible that the ice should melt before winter
set in in earnest. The only thing to save us would be a proper
storm from the soath-west. Our other slight hope lay in the possi-
bility that Nordenskiold's 'I'aimur Sound farther south might be open,
and that we might manage to get the Fram through there, in sjjite of

* In his accmint of his voyaLjc Nordenskinlil writes as follows of the coiKHiimi nf
this chciiiiicl : " Wc were met i)y only small f|uantities of that sort o'i ice which has a
layer of fresh-wa'er ice on the top of the sail, and we noticed that it was all nieltini;
fjord or ri\er ice. I hardly thinU that we came ^ll day on a single piece of ice big
enough to ha\e cut u]) a sjal upon."

K 3

132

Chapter V.

Nordenskicild having said distinctly " that it is too shallow to allow of
the passnjfe of vessels of any si/e."

After having been out in tiie kayak and boat and shot some seals,
we went on to anchor in a bay that lay rather farther south, where it
seemed as if there would be a little shelter in case of a storm. We
wanted now to have a thorough cleaning out of the boiler, a very
necessary operation. It took us more than one watch to steam a
distance we could have rowed in half an hour or less. We could
hardly get on at all for the dead-water, and we swept the whole sea
a ong With us. It is a i)eculiar phenomenon, this dead-water. We
had at present a better opportunity of studying it than we desired.
It occurs where a surface layer of fresh water rests upon the salt
water of the sea, and this freshwater is carried along with the ship,
gliding on the heavier sea beneath as if on a fixed foundation. The
difference between the two strata was in this case so great that while
we had drinking water on the surface the water we got from the
bottom cock of the engine-room was far too salt to be used for the
boiler. Dead-water manifests itself in the form of larger or smaller
ripples or waves stretching across the wake, the one behind the other,
arising sometimes as far forward as almost amidships. We made
loops in our course, turned sometimes right round, tried all sorts of
antics to get clear of it, but to very little ])urpose. The moment the
engine stopped it seemed as if the ship were sucked back. In spite
of the Frain's weight, and the momentum she usually has, we could
in the present instance go at full speed till within a fathom or two
of the edge of the ice, and hardly feel a shock when she
touched.

Just as we were approaching we saw a fox jumping backwards and
forwards on the ice, taking the most wonderful leaps, and enjoying life.
Sverdrup sent a ball from the forecastle which put an end to it on the
spot.

About midday two bears were seen on land, but they disappeared
before we got in to shoot them.

The number of seals to be seen in every direction was something
extraordinary, and it seemed to me that this would be an uncommonly
good hunting ground. The flocks I saw this first day on the ice

Voyage through the Kara Sea.

133

reminded me of the crested-seal hunting grounds on the west c oast
of Greenland.

This experience of ours may appear to contrast strangely with that
of the Fci^i'd Expedition. Nordenskiold writes of this sea, comparing
it with the sea to the north and east of Spitzi)ergcn : — " Another
striking difference is the scarcity of warm-blooded animals in this
region as yet unvisited by the hunter. We had not seen a single
bird in the whole course of the day, a thing that had never before
happened to me on a summer voyage in the Arctic regions ; and we
had hardly seen a seal." The fact that they had not seen a seal is
simply enough exjilained by the al)sence of ice. From my impression
of it, the region must, on the contrary, abound in seals. Nordenskiold
himself says that " numbers of seals, both phoca barbata and phoca
hispida, were to be seen '' on the ice in Taimur Straits.

So tliis was all the progress we had made uj) to the end of August.
On August iSth, 1878, Nordenskiold had passed through this sound,
and on the 19th and 20th jjassed Cape Chelyuskin, but here was an
impenetrable mass of ice frozen on to the land lying in our way at the
end of the month. The prospect was anything but cheering. Were
the many })rophets of evil — there is never any scarcity of them — to
prove right even at this early stage of the undertaking? No! The
Taimur Strait must be attempted, and should this attempt fail, another
last one should be made outside all the islands again. Possibly the
ice masses out there might in the meantime have drifted and left an
open way. We could not stop here.

September came in with a still, melancholy snowfall ; and this
desolate land with its low, rounded heights, soon lay under a deeo
covering. It did not add to our cheerfulness to see winter thus
gently and noiselessly ushered in after an all too short summer.

On September 2nd the boiler was ready at last, was filled with
fresh water from the sea surface, and we pre|)ared to start. While
this preparation was going on, Sverdruj) and I went ashore to have
a look aTter reindeer. The snow was lying thick, and if it had not
been so wet we could have used our snow-shoes. As it was, we
tramped about in the heavy slush without them, and without seeing
so much as the track of a beast of any kind. A forlorn land, indeed !

' I

,yiw S'^'^- M BW M I W. ' IIUi Wgr •■mmW'..' ■rrr.-fi' -

.:.; I. ■■ i- ■ ; .

Ic 1^:1.

AdJ^vAarfifc.

OFF THE COAST OF SUiKRIA.
(From a Photograph.)

^
•^

Voyaj^e through the Kara Sea.

Most of the birds of i)a.ssage had already taken their way south ; we
had met small Hocks of them at sea. They were collectin^f for the
great flight to the sunshine, and we i)Oor souls could not help wishing
that it were possible to send news and greeting with them. A few
solitary Arctic and ordinary gulls were our only company now. One
day I found a belated straggler of a goose sitting on the edge of the
ice.

We steamed south in the evening, but still followed by ilie dead-
water. According to Nordenskiold's map, it was only about 20 miles
to Taimur Strait, but we were the whole night doing this distance.
Our speed was reduced to about a fifth part of what ii would other-
wise have been. At 6 a.m. (^September 3rd) we got m among some
thin ice that scrajjed the dead water off us. The ( hange was notice-
able at once. As the /'hi/n cut into the ice crust she gave a sort or
spring forward, and, after this, went on at her ordinary speed ; and
henceforth we had very little more trouble with dead-water.

We found what, according to the maj), was Taimur Strait, entirely
blocked with ice, and we held larther south, to see if we could not
<-ome upon some other strait or passage. It was not an easy matter
finding our way by the maj). We had not seen Hovgaard's Islands,
marked as lying north of the entrance to Taimur Strait ; yet the
weather was so beautifully clear, tliat it seemed unlikely they could
have escaped us, if they lay where Nordenskiiild's sketch-map places
them. On the other hand, we saw several islands in the offing.
These, however, lay so far out that it is not probable»that Nordenskiold
saw them, as the weather was thick when he was here ; and, besides,
it is impossible that islands lying many miles out at sea could have
been mapped as close to land, with only a narrow sound sejiarating
them from it. Farther south we found a narrow open strait or fjord,
which we steamed into, in order if possible It) get some better idea 01
the lie of the land. I sat up in the crowVnest, hojjing for a general
clearing u]) of matters ; but the ])rospect of this seemed to recede
farther and farther. What we now had to the north of us, and what
I had taken to be a ])rojection of the mainland, i;fove(l to be an
island ; but the fjord wound on farther inland. Now it got narrower
— presently it widened out again. The mystery ihii kt-ned. Could

V' '

f k

136

Chapter \^

this he 'J'ainnii Strait alter all? A dead calm on the sea. I'of,''
everywhert! ovt-r llie land. It was well nig!; iiupossihle to distini^uish
the smooth suiTai e ul llie water froii. the i((-, and tlie ice irom the
snow ( ()\ered land. ICvrrjthinff is so strangely still anc? dead. The
sea rises and iali^ with ea< li twist of the fjord through the silent land
of mists. Now wi- have open water ahead, now more ice, and it is
impossible to make >ure which it is. /s this 'raimiir* Strait ? Ave we
getting through r* A whole year is at 'take! ... No ! here we stop
— nothing hut k e ahead. N'o ! it is only : mooth water with the
snviwv land i\'lk'( teo in it. 'J'his /////s/ he 'I'aimur .Strait.

iliit now we had several large ice-floes ahead, ;.nd it was cUffuult to
get on ; so wc am hored at a j^oint, in a good, safe harbour, to make
a closer ins|)e( tion. We now discovered that it was a strong tidal
current that was (arr\ing the ice-floes with it; and thert; could Ive no
doubt that it was a straii we were lying in. I rowed out in the evening
to shoot some seaU. taking for the purpose my most precious weapon,
a double-barrelled fXpress rifle, calibre "577. As we were in the act
of taking a seal.>k;ii on board, the boat heeled over, I slipped and
my rifle fell into the sea — a sad accident. Peter Henriksen and
Bentzen. who were rowing me, took it so to heart that they could
not speak for some time. They declared that it would never do to
leave tlu- \aluable gun lying there in 5 fathoms of water. So we
rowed to the .f'ra;it tor the necessary apparatus, and dragged the spot
for several hours, well on into the dark, gloomy night. While we
were thus employed, a bearded seal circled round an(' round us,
l)ol)l)ing up its big startled face, now on one side of us, now on the
other, and always ( oniing nearer; it was evidently anxious to find
out what our night work might be. Then it dived over and over
again, jirobabl) to see how the rlvrgging was getting on. Was it
afraid of our finding tlv; rifle.'' At last it became too intrusive. I
took Peter's rifle, and put a ball through its head ; but it sank before
we could reach it : and we g ive u}) the whole business in despair.
The loss of that rifle saved the life of many a seal ; and, alas I it i>ad
cost me ^'28.

We took the boat again next day and rowed eastward, to fmd out
if there I'-ally was a passage for us through this strait. It had turned

\'oya^e through the Kara Sea

^2>7

cold (lurinu tin.- nii^lit. :in(l snow had falk'ti. so the sen round the
J'rain was covef'-'d with toU'rahK thi( k snow ice, ami it t osi us a
^•ood (k';d of exertion to l)reak tlironj,di it into open water with the
boat. I thouffht it possible that the land farther in on the north side
of the strait mij^ht he that in the neij,dil)ourho()(l of Actinia I'ay,
where the /('.v*' had lain ; hut I souj,dit in vain for the < airn erected
there by \ordenski()ld. and presently discovered to ni\ astonishment
that it was only a smah island, and i.hat this island Ij) on '!ie south
side of the principal entrance to Taimur Strait. The strait was very
broad here, and I felt pretty certain that I saw where the real A( tiiiia
liay cut into the land far to the north.

We were hunjjry now, and were ureparinj^ to take a meal before we
rowed on from the island, when we discovered to our (lisapi)ointment
that the butter hatl been for<;fotten. ^^'e crammed down the dry
biscuits as best we could, and worked our jaws till they were stiff on
the pieces we manat(ed to hack off a hard dried reindeer < hine.
When we were tired of eatin_i(. thoufj^h anythinjr but satisfied, we set
off, j,dving this point the name of '• Cape Butterless." We rowed far
in through the strait, and it seemed to us to be a good jiassage for
ships 8 or 9 fathoms right up to the shore. However, we were
stopped by ice in the evening, and as we ran the risk of being frozen
in if we pushed on any farther, I thought it best to Uirn. We
certainly ran no danger of starving, for we saw fresh tracks both of
bears and reindeer everywhere, and there were j)lenty of seals in the
water; but I was afraid of delaying the Fram in view of the possibility
of })rogress in another direction. So we toiled back against a strong
wind, not reaching tlie ship till next morning , and this was none too
early, for presently we were in the midst of a storm.

On the subject of the na\igal)ility of Taimur Strait, Nordenskiold
writes that, '• ac cording to soundings made by Lieutenant Palander,
it is Gi)struct.e'i by rocky shallows ; and being also full of strong
currents, it is hardly advisable to sail through it, at least until the
direction of these currents has been carefally investigated."' I have
nothing particular to add to this, except that, as already mentioned,
the channel was clear as far as we penetrated, and had the a|)pear-
ance of being i)ractical)le as lar as I could see. I was, therefore^

1 1

1^,8

Chiiptir V.

♦letL'rmiiu"! that \vc; would, if ntjtcssary, try to (one our way through
with tho /'hi Ml.

The 5tli of St'|)tenil)er hrouf^ht snow with a stiff hrueze, which
stt-athly grew stronger. When it was rattling in the rigging in the
evening we congratulated each other on being safe on hoard — it
would not have been an easy matter to row hack to-day. I'ut
altogether I was dissatislied. There was some cliance, indeed, that
this wind might loosen the ice farther north, and yesterday's
experiences had given me the hope of being able, in <ase of
necessity, to force a way through this strait ; but now the wind was
steadily driving larger masses of ice in i)ast us ; and this approai h
of winter was alarming -it might (juite well be on us in earnest
before any channel was opened. I tried to reconcile myself to the
idea of wintering in our present surroundings. I had already laid all
the plans for the way in which we were to occupy ourselves during
the coming year, llesides an investigation of this coast, which
offered problems enough to solve, we were to explore the unknown
interior of the Taimur I'eninsula right across to tne mouth of the
Chatanga. With our dogs and snowshoes we should be able to go
far and wide ; so the year would not be a lost one as regarded
geography and geology. But no ! I could not reconcile myself to
it I I could not ' A year of one's life was a year; and our e\])edition
])romised to be a long one at best. What tormented me most was
the reflection that if the ice stop[)ed us now, we could have no
assurance that it would not do the same at the same time next year.
It has been observed so often that several bad ice-years come
together, and this was evidently none of the best. Though I would
hardly confess the feeling of depression even to myself, I must say
that it was not on a bed of roses I lay these nights, until sleep came
and carried me off into the land of forgetfulness.

Wednesday, the 6th of September, was the anniversary of my
wedding-day. I was superstitious enough to feel when I awoke in
the morning, that this day would bring a change, if one were coming
at all. The storm had gone down a little, the sun pee])ed out, and
life seemed brighter. Tlie wind quieted down altogether in the
course of the afternoon, the weather becoming calm and beautiful.

VoyajL^c ihrouj^li tin; Kara Sea

• ;>9

I'lie strait to tlu- norlli ol us, \vlii( li was l)l()< kfd Ih'Ioiv witli solid
ice, had bet'l) swept opun by the storm ; hut the strait to the east,
where wt- had been with tlie bf)at, was lirinly blo( ked, and il" we had
not turiU'd when we did that evening', we shouhl have beeti there yet,
and for no one knows how lonjf. It seemed to us not improbable
that the ice between Cape f.apteff and Almcpiist's Islands niij,dit be
broken up. We therefore got up steam and set off north about
6.30 i).m. to try our I'ortune once more. I felt (piite sure that the day
would bring us luck. The weather was still beautiful, and we were
thoroughly enjoying the sunshine. It was such an unusual thing, that
Nordahl, when he was working among the coals in the hold in the
afternoon, mistook a sunbeam falling through the hatch on the coal
dust for a plank, and leaned hard on it. He was not a little
sur])rised when he fell through it on to some iron lumber.

It became more and more diffi< ult to make anything of the land,
iind our observation for latitude at noon did not help to ( lear up
matters. It placed us at 76 2' north latitude, or about 14 miles from
what is marked as the mainland on Nordenskiiild's or Uove's maj).
It was hardly to be expected that these sliould be correct, as
the weather seems to have been foggy the whole time the explorers
were here.

Nor were we successful in finding Hovgaard's Islands as we sailed
north. When I supposed that we were off them, just on the north
side of the entrance to Taimur Strait, I saw, to my surprise, a high
mountain almost directly north of us, whi( h seemed as if it must be
on the mainland. What could be the ex|)lanation of this? I began
to have a growing sus])ici()n that this was a regular labyrinth of
islands we had got into. We were ho|)ing to investigate and clear
up the matter, when thick weatiier, with sleet and rain, most
inconveniently came on, and we had to leave this problem for the
future to solve.

The mist was thick, and soon the darkness of night was added to
it, so that we could not see land at any great distance. It might
seem rather risky to push ahead now, but it was an o|)portunity not
to be lost. We slackened s])eed a little, and kept on along the coast
all night, in readiness to turn as soon as land was observed ahead.

140

Chapter V.

Salislii'd thai tliin^rs wt-ri' in j^ood hands, as it was Svt'rdrii|>'s-
\vat( li, 1 lay down in my hi-rth with a li^'hltT mind than I had had lor

At 6 o'clock ii('\t inoiiim;^ (St'ptrnilK'i" 7th) Svi'rdni|) roiisL'(| mu'
with the inrornialion ihal wc had passrd '['ainiur Island, or Cape
l.apti'ff, at ;^ a.m., and wvw now at Taimur liay, hut with ( losi- ice
and an island aluMd. It was possihic that wr mi^,'ht reach the island,
as a ( hannci had just opened throu,i,di the i( e in that direction ; hut
we were at present in a tearinj^ '• whirlpool " current, and should he
ol)lij,a'(l to put hack for the niomi'nt. Alter breakfast I went u|) into
the crow's-nest. It was brilliant sunshine. 1 founif that Sverdrup's
island must be mainland, which, however, stretched remarkably far
wi'st compared with that j,Mven on the maps, I could still see
Taimur Island behind uw, and the most easterly of Alm(|uisl's
Islands lay ;,deamin^f in llie sun to the north. It was a Unv^ sandy
point that we had ahead, and I could follow the land in a southerly
direction till it disappeared on the lK)rizon at the head of the bay in
the south. Then there was a small strip where no land, only open
water, (ould be made out. After that the land emerged on the west
side of the bay, stret( hini,' towards Taimur Island. With its heights
anil round knolls this land was essentially different from the low
coast on the east side of the bay.

To the north of the point ahead of us I saw open water ; there was
some ice between us and it, but the /''rd/// forced her way through.
When we got out, right off the jtoint, I was surprised to notice the sea
suddenly covered with brown ( laye\ water. It could not be a deep
la)er, for the track we left behin;l was ([uite (dear. The ( layey water
seemed to be skimmeil to either side by the passage of the shij). I
ordered soundings to be taken, and found, as I expected, shallower
water — first 8 fathoms, then 60, then 5^. I st()i)])ed now, and
backed. TInngs looked very suspicious, and round us ice-floes luy
stranded. There was also a \ery strong current running north-east.
Constantly sounding, we again went slowly forwards. Fortunately the
lead went on showing 5 fathoms. Presently we got into deeper
water — 6 fathoms, IJien 6.', -and now we went on at full speed again.
We were soon out into the clear, blue water on the other side. There

V'oyaj^c ihroui^h ilic K.ir.i Sea.

141

was (luitc a sliarp l)oun<lary lint' bftwi'cii tin- Imowii -^m lac r water ami
till' ( k'ar l)liu'. 'I'Ir' nuiddy watfi" I'vidrntly (aiiif liom ^omc river a
littli- fartliiT soutli.

I'rom this point tlu' bnd trcndiMl lia< k in an easterly direction, and
we lield east and north-east in thi' open water between it an<l tlu- i( c
In the al'ternoon lliis » hannd j,'rew very narrow, and we got rij,'iit
under the coast, wliere it a^'ain slopes north. Ve kept close alonj,' it
in a very narrow <ut, willi a depth of 6 to S (athoins, hut in the
evening had to stoj), as the ice lay packed close in to the shore ahead
of lis.

This land we had been coasting along bore a strong resemblance to
Yalnial, The same low plains, rising very littli- above the sea, ami
not visible at any great distance. It was perhaps rather more undu-
lating. At one or two places 1 e\en saw somi' ridges of a ( iTtain
jlevation a little way inland. 'l"he shore the whole way seemed to be
formed of strata of sand and (lay, the margin slo|)ing sti-i'ply to the
sea.

Many reindeer herds were to be .^een on the plains, and next
morning (September Sth) I went on ^lujre on a hunting expedition.
Having shot one reindeer, I was on my way farther inland in search
of more, when I made a surprising discovery, which attracted all my
attention, and made me (]uite forget the erraiitl I had < Dine on. It
was a large fjord cutting its way in through the land to the north of
me. I went as far as |)ossible to find out all I could about it, but did
not manage to see the end of it. So far as I amid see, it was a fine
broad sheet of water, stretching eastwards to some blue mountains
far, far inland, which, at the extreme limit of my vision, seemed to
slope down to the water. Beyond them I could distinguish nothing.
My imagination was fired, and for a moment it seemed to me as if
this might almost be a strait, stretching right across the land here,
and making an island of the Clhelyuskin Peninsula. Hut probably it
was only a river, which widened out near its mouth into a broad lake,
as several of the Siberian rivers dcj. All about the c lay plains I was
trarni)ing over, enormous erratic l)locks, of various formations, lay
scattered. They can only have been brought here by the great
glaciers of the Ice Age. There was nut much life to be seen.

142

Chapter V.

IJesides reindeer there were just a few willow-grouse, snow-huntings,
and snipe ; and I saw tracks of foxes and lemmings. This farthest
north part of Siberia is (}uite uninhabited, and has probably not been
visited even by the wandering nomads. However, I saw a tircular
moss heap on a plain far inland, which looked as if it might be the
work of man's hand. Perhaps, after all, some Samoyede had been
here collecting moss for his reindeer ; but it must have been long
ago ; for the moss looked quite black and rotten. The heap was
cjuite possibly only one of Nature's freaks — she is often capricious.

What a constant alternation of light and shadow there is in this
Arctic land. When I went up to the crow's-nest next morning
(September 9th), I saw that ihe ice to the north had loosened from
the land, and I could trace a channel which might lead us north-
wards into open water. T at once gave the order to get up steam.
The barometer was certainly low — lower than we had ever had it yet ;
it was down to 733 mm. (28'S inches) ; the wind was blowing in heavy
squalls off the land, and in on the plains the gusts were whirling up
clouds of sand and dust.

Sverdrup thought it would be safer to stay where we were; but it
would be too annoying to miss this splendid opportunity : and the
sunshine was so beautiful, and the sky so smiling and reassuring. I
gave orders to set sail, and soon we were pushing on northwards
through the i( e, under steam, and with every stitch of canvas that we
could crowd on. ('ape Chelyuskin must be vantiuished ! Never had
the Fram gone so fast ; she made more than 8 knots by the log : it
seemed as though she knew how much depended on her getting on.
Soon we were through the ice, and had open water along the land as
far as the eye could reach. We |)assed point after point, discovering
new ijords and islands on the way, and soon 1 thought that 1 caught
a glimpse through the large telescope of some mountains far away
north ; they must be in the neighbourhood of (!a])e Chelyuskin itself.

The land along wliicli we to-day coasted to the northward was

(piite tow, some of it like what T had seen on shore the previous day.

At some distance from the low coast, fairl)- high mountains or

untain chains were to be seen. Some of them seemed to consist

of horizontal seiliinentary schist : they were flat-topped, witii precij)!-

Voyaoe through the Kara Sea.

tons sides. Further inland the mountains were all white with snow.
At one point it seemed as if the whole range were covered witii a
sheet of ice, or great snow field that spread itself down the sides. At
the edge of this sheet I could see projecting masses of rock, hut all
the inner part was spotless white. It seemed almost too continuous
and even to be new snow, and looked like a permanent snow mantle.

Nordenskiold's map marks at this place, *' high mountam ( hains
inland '" ; and this agrees with our observations, though I cannot
assert that the mountains are of any considerable height. But when,
in agreement with earlier majjs, he marks at the same place, " high
rocky coast '" ; his terms are open to objection. The coast is, as
already mentioned, quite low, and consists, in great part at least, oi
layers of clay or loose earth. Nordenskiiild either took this last
description from the earlier, unreliable maps, or possibly allowed
himself to be misled by the fog which beset them during their voyage
in these waters.

In the evening we were approaching tlie north end of tiie land,
but the current, which we had had with us earlier in the day, was now
against us, and it seemed as if we were never to get past an island
that lay off the shore to the north of us. The mountain height
which I had seen at an earlier hour through the telescojie. lay here
some way inland. It was flat on the top with i)re(ipitous sides, like
those mountains last described. It seemed to be sandstone or
basaltic rock ; only the horizontal strata of the ledges on its sides
were not visible. I calculated its height at i.ooo to 1,500 feet. Out
at sea we saw several new islands, the nearest of them being of some
size.

'I'he moment seemed to be at hand, when we were at last ti) round
that point which had haunted us for so lnu<j the second of the
greatest difiliculties I expected to have to o\er(()r.ie on this c\])e(li-
tion. I sat up in the crow's-nest in the evening, looking out to the
nortli. The land was low and desolate. The sun had long siiKe
gone down behind tlie sea, and the dreamy exer.ing sky was yi'Uow
and gold. It was lonely and still up here, high above the water.
Only one star was to be seen. It stood straight abo\e Cape Chel
yuskin. shining clearly and sailly in the pale sk)-. As we sailed on

144

Chapter V.

aii'l got tliL- (■a])e more to the east of us, tlie >tar went with it ; it
was always there, straight above. 1 < ouhl not help fitting watching
it. It seemed to have some charm for me. and to bring such i)eace.
Was it my star? Was it the spirit ol" home t'ollowing and smiling to
me now? Many a thought it brought to me. as the /•>'(?/// toiled on
through the melancholy night, i)ast the nijrlhernmost point of the old
world.

Towards morning we were off what we took to he actually the
north.ern extremity. We stood in near land, and at the change of
the watch, exactly at four o'clock, our flags were hoisted, and our
three last cartridges sent a thundermg salute over the sea. Almost

CAi'K CIIELVLISKIX, THE NORTHKRXMOST POINT OF THE OLD WORLD.

at the same moment the sun rose. Then our poetic doctor burst forth
into the follcjwing touching lines : —

'• U]) go the flags, off goes tlie gun ;
The clock strikes four and lo, the >un !"

As the sun rose, the Chelyuskin tnjll, that had so long had us in
his i)ower, was banned. We had escaped the danger of a winter's
im])ris(jnment on this coast, and we saw the way clear to our goal, the
drift ice to the north of the New Siberian Islands. In honour of the
occasion, all hands were turned out, and i)unch, fruit, and cigars were
served in the festally lighted saloon. Something special in tlu way of
a toast was ex])ei'ted on such an occasion. I lifted my glass, and
made the fc>llowing s])eech : •'Skoal, mv lads, and be glad we've
passed Chelyuskin!'' Then there was some organ i)laying, during
which I went up into the ( row's-nest again, to have a last look at the
land. 1 now saw llial the height I had noticed in the evening, which
has already been descri!)ed, lies <jn the west side ol' the peninsula,

Voyat^e through the Kara Sea.

145

•while farther east a lower and more rounded heij,f'it strtt' hes south-
ward. This last must he the one mentioned by Nordenskiold, and,
according to his description, the real north \)o\ni must lie out beyond
it : so tliat we ware now off King Oscar's Bay ; hut I looked in vain
l!n-ough the telescope for Nordenskiold's cairn. I hail tlie greatest
inclination to land, hut d'd not think that we could spare the time.
The hay. which was clear of ice at the time of the / 'c;;',7?'j; visit, v.-as
now closed in with thick winter ice, frozen fli.st to the land.

<«. in m II «iiiini iilMMKiliati

s*t

'^«'** ^ i f> «-- ^gaawais^

V.^^- ■ ^*...,

— **&^!

■■■V^'-?

"'1s>*i^^-«=

Mfcr^

(i~"

ON LAND EAST OF CAPE CHF.I.VUSKIN (SEITEMBER lOTH, 1893).
(fiy Olio Siiidi'^^ from a Plioto}^raph.)

^^'e had ;n op.en channel before us; but we could see the edge of
the drift-ice out at sea. A little farther west we ]xissed a couple of
small islands, lying a short way from the coast. Wl* had to stop before
noon at the north-western corner of Chelyuskin, on account of the
drift-ice, which seemerl to reach right into the land hctore us. To
judge by the dark air, there was open water again on the other side of
an island which lay ahead. We landed and made sure that iiome

jiHi

^isssmmmmtS^X

1,0

Chapter V.

straits or fjords on the inside of this islaml to the south were (juite
closed with nrm ice ; and in the eveninj^ the Frain forced her way
through tlie drift-ice on the outside of it. W'c steamed and sailed
southwards along the coast all night, making splendid way : when the
wind was blowing stiffest we went at the rate of 9 knots. AVe came
upon ice every now and then, hut got through it easily.

Towards morning (September nth) we had high land ahead, and
had to change our course to due east, keeping to this all day. When I
came on deck before noon I saw a fine tract of 'lill country with high
summits and valleys between. It was the lirst view of the sort since we
had left Vardo, and after the monotonous lowland we had been coasting
along for months, it was refreshing to see such mountains again. 'I'hey
ended with a precipitous descent to the east, and eastward from that
extended a perfectly Hat plain. In the course of the day we cjuite lost
sight of land, and strangely enough did not see it again ; nor did we
see tile Islands of St. Peter and St. Paul, though, according to the
maps, our course lay close past them.

Thursday, September 12th. Henriksen awoke me this morning at
six with the information that there v^-ere several walruses lying on a floe
quite close to us. " By jove I " Up I jumped and had my clotlies on
in a trice. It was a lovely morning — ^rtne still weather ; the walruses'
guffaw sounded over to us along the clear ice surface. They were
lying crowded together on a floe a little to landward from us, blue
mountains glittering behind them in the sun. At last the harpoons
were sharpened, guns and cartridges ready, and Henriksen, Juell and I
set off. There seemed to be a slight breeze from the south, so we
rowed to the north side of the floe, to get to leeward of the animals.
From time to lime tiieir sentry raised his head, but apparently did not
see us. We advanced slowly, and soon were so near that we had to
row very cautiously. Juell kept us going, while Henriksen was ready
in the i)ow with a harpoon, and I behind him with a gun. The
moment the sentry raised his head the oars stopped, and we stood
motionless ; when he sunk it again, a few more strokes brought us
nearer.

Body to body they lay close-packed on a small floe, old and young
ones mixed. Enormous masses of flesh they were I Now and again

r-:

L 2

H
H

lb
O

:^ ^

148

Chapter V.

one of the ladies fanned her.iclf l)y moving one of lier fiapi)ers back-
wards anil forwards over her bod\' ; then she lay quitt again on her
back or side. " Good gracious ! what a lot of meat ! " .said Juell, who
was cook. More and more cautiously we drew near. Whilst I sat
ready with the gun, Henriksen took a good grip of the harpoon sliaft,
and as the boat touched the floe he rose, and off flew the harpoon.
But it struck too high, glanced off the tough hide, and skipped over the
backs of the animals. Now there was a pretty to do ! Ten or twelve
great weird faces glared upon us at once ; the colossal creatures twisted
themselves round with incre;lible celerity, and came waddling with
lifted heads and hollow bellowings to the edge of the ice where we lay.
It was undeniably an imiiosing sight ; but I laid my gun to my slioulder
and fired at one of the biggest heads. The animal staggered, and then
fell head f)remost into the water. Now a ball into another head; this
■creature fell too, but was able to fling itself into the sea. And now the
whole flock dashed in, and we as well as th.ey were hidden in spray.
It had all happened in a few seconds. But up they came again
immediately round the boat, the one head bigger and uglier than the
other — their young ones close beside them. They stood up in the
water, bellowed and roared till the air trembled, threw themselves
forward towards r.s, then rose up again, and new bellowings tilled the
air. Then they rolled over and disajjpeared with a splash, then bobbed
u[) again. The water foamed and boiled for yards around — the ice-
world that had been ;;o still before seemed in a moment to have been
transformed into a raging Bedlam. .Vny moment we might expect to
have a walrus tusk or two through the boat, or to be heaved up and
capsized. Something of this kind was the very least that could happen
after such a terrible commotion. But the hurlv-burly went on and
nothing came of it. I again picked out my victims. They went on
bellowing and tjrunting like the others, but with blood streaming from
their mouths and noses. Another ball, and one tumbled over and
floated on the water ; now a ball to the second, and it did the same.
Henriksen was ready with the harpoons, and secured them both. One
more was shot, but we had no more harpoons, and had to strike a seal-
hook into it to hold it up. The hook slipped, however, and the animal
,sank before we could save it. Whilst we were towing our booty to an

W ^S

(4 ti

K-j ^

1^'

I50

Chapter V.

ice-floe, v/c were still, for part of the time at least, surroundefl by
walruses ; hut there was no use in shooting any more, for we had no
means of carrying them off. The Fnxm presently came up and took
our two on board, and we were soon going ahead along the coast. We
saw many walruses in this part. >Ve shot two others in the afternoon,
and cc.uld have got my rr ; if ve had had time to spare. It was
in this samt. neighuo.Afhoi'tl ihai Nordenskiold also saw one or two
small herds.

We now continued oui : oursi , .'ainsi a strong current, southwards
along the coast, ])ast the mouth of ti.e Chatanga. Tliis eastern part
of the Taimur Peninsula is a comparatively high, mountainous region,
but with a lower level stretch between the mountains and the sea —
apparently the same kind of low land we had seen along the coast
almost the whole way. As the sea seemed to be tolerably ojjen and
free from ice, \>e made several attempts to shorten our course by leaving
the coast and striking across W^x the mouth of the Olenek ; but every
ime thick ice drove us back to our channel by the land.

On September i4ih we were off the land lying between the Chatanga
and the .\nabara. This also was fairly high mountainous country with
a low strip by the sea. "In this respect," so I write in my diary, " this
whole coast reminds one very much of Ja;deren in Norway. But the
mountains here are not so well separated and are considerably lower
than those faither north. The sea is unpleasantly shallow; at onetime
during the night we had only 4 fathoms, and were obliged to put back
some distance. U'e have ice outside, quite close ; but yet there is a
sufficient fairway to let us push on eastwards."

The following day we got into good, open water, but shallow — never
more than 6 to 7 fathoms, ^^'e heard the roaring of waves to the east,
so there must certainly be open water in that direction, which indeed
we had expected. It was j)lain that the Lena, with its masses of warm
water, was beginning to assert its influence. The sea here was browner,
and showed signs of some mixture of muddy river-water. It was also
much less salt.

" It would be foolish," I write in my diary for this day (September
15th), " to go in to the Olenek now that we are so late. Even if there
were no danger from shoals, it would cost us too much time — probably

Voyiijji'c tiirouuh the Kara Sea.

'51

a year. Besides it is l)y no Pieans sure that the Fram can ^'et in tiiere
at .'11 ; it would he a ver\ Mresome business if she went a^fround in
these \\ ters. No dout)l we shcnild he very much thehetter lor a ll'w
more dogs, hut to Ijse a year is too much; we shall rather head straij,dit
e;^st (o. vhe New .Siberian Islands, now that there is a good opportunity,
and really bright prospect:-.

'• 'I'he ice here pu.izles me a good deal. How in tiie world is it not
swept northwards by the current which, according to my calculations
ought to ■ 1 north from this coast, and whicli indeed we ourselves have
felt. Ami "t is such hard, thick ice — has the appc. I'ai". *> of I'eing
sL'\eral years old. Does it come from the eastward ci d'^ it lie and
grind round here in the sea between the ' north-g(>ii.f ' i Ui.ent of the
Lena and the 'I'aimur I'eninsula ? 1 cannot tell i h, .an\how it is
difterent from the thin one-year-old ice we have s-en , nti. now in the
Kara Sea and west of Cape Chelyuskin.

"Saturday, September i6th. We arj keeping a iioi\h-westerly course
(l)v compass) through open water, and have got pretty well north, hut
sc-e n(j ice, and the air is dark to the northward. Mild weather and
water ( omparatively warm, as high as 35 Fahr. We have the curn.Mit
against us, and are always considerably west of our reckoning. .Sever-^.l
tU)( ks of eider-duck were seen in tlie coursi of the day. We ought to
have land to the north of us ; can it be that which is keeping ba( k the

ice ? ■'

Next day we met ice, and had to hold a little to the south to keep
clear of it; and 1 began to fear that we should not be able to get a^
far as I had hoped. lUit in my notes for tlie following day (Monday,
.September iSth) 1 read : "A splendid day. Shaped our course north-
wards, to the west of IJielkoff Island. Open sea : good wind from the
west : good progress. Weather clear, and we had a little sunshine in
the afternoon. Now the decisive moment approaches. At 12.15
shaped ©ur course north to east (by compass). Now it is to be proved
if my theory, on which the whole expedition is based, is correct— if we
are to find a little north from here a north-flowing current. So far
everything is better than I had expected. VVt are in latitude 75^' N.
and have still open water and dark sky ta the north and west, in tne
evening there was ice-light ahead and on the starboard bow. AL)out

■ ;l;

! I

152

Chai)t(-'r V.

sc'vi'ii I tliou^du tliat I could SL-e ice, wlilch, however, rose so re.^iilarly
tlial it moiv rcseinldcd l;iiul, hut it \v;is too dark to see distiin tly. It
heenied as if it nu^ilw he HieikolT Inland, and a l)iff lij,'ht spot farther to
the east might even he the relle( tion from the siio\v-( overed Kotehioi.
I should have liked to run in here, partly to see a hltie of this interest-
ing island, and partly to inspect the stores wh.ich we knew had been
deposited for us here by the friendl\ care of iJaron \()n 'i'oll ; hut time
\v,is precious, and t(i the nortli the sea seemed to lie open to us.
Prospects were bright, and we sailed steadily northv.ards, wcjndering
what the morrow would brin,<f. Disappointment or hope? if all
went well we should reach Sannikoff Land that, as yet, unircMlcien
ground.

" It was a strange feeling to be sailing away north in the dark night
to unknown lan(l^>, over an open, roll'ing sea, wiiere no ship, no boat had
been belore. We might have been hundreds of miles away in more
southerl) waters, the air was so mild for Septend)er in this latitude.

" 'I'uesda), September 19th. I have never had such a splendid sail.
On to the north, steadily north, with a good wind, as fast as steam and
sail can take us, and t)pLn sea mile after mile, watch after watch,
through these unknown regions, always clearer and clearer of ice on*j
might almost say ! How long will this last ? The eye always turns to
the northward as one paces the briilge. It is gazing into the future.
Ihit there is always the same '.'ark sky aluiad, which means open sea.
My plan was standing its tes^ It seemeil as if luck had been on our
side ever siiu e the 6th c;r September. A\'e see 'nothing but clean
water," as Henriksen answered from the crow's-nest when I callt;d up
to liim. When he was standing at the wheel later in the morning, and
I was on the bridge, he suddenly said : ' They little think at home in
Norway just r.ow that we are sailing straight for the Pole in clear
water.' ' Xo, they don't believe we have got so far.' And I shouldn't
have believed it m\self if anyone had prophesied it to me a fortnight
ago ; but true it is. All my reflections and inferences on the subject
had led me to e.xpect open water for a good way farther north ; but it
is seldom that one's inspirations turn out to be so correct. Xo ice-
light in any direction, not even now in the evening. We saw no land
the whole da)' ; but we had fog and thick weather all the morning and

!
I 1^

Voya^i^c throne; h tlic Kara Sea.

>53

foR'nooii, so that wc were still j,'()ing at half speed, as we were afraid of
tomiiij,' suddenly on something. Now we are almost in 77 ' north
latitude. IIow lon^ is it to go on? I have said all along that I
should In' glad if we reached 78' ; hut Sverdrup is less easily satisfied ;
he says over 80' - perhaps K.r, 85 '. He even talks seriously of die
open Polar Se;i, which he once read about ; he always comes l)a( k
upon it, in spile of my laughing at him.

"I have almost to ask myself if this is nol a dream. One must
have gone against the stream to know what it means to go wtli ihe
stream. As it was on the Greenland Expedition, so it is here ; —

" ' Dort ward der Traum ziir WirkTu hkeii,
Hier wird die A\'irkli( hkeit zum 'Iraum ! '

" Hardly any life visn)le here. Saw an auk or black guillemot
to-day, and later a sea-gull in the distance. When 1 was hauling up a
bucket of water in the evening to wash the deck, I noticed that it was
si)arkling with ])h()sphorescence. One coukl almost have imagined
ore's self to be in the south.

'• \Vednes(la\'. September 20th. I have had a rough awakening
from my ilieam. As I was sitting at iT a.m. looking at the map and
thinking that my cup would soon be full we had almost reached 78^
■ — there was a sudden luff, and I rushed out. Ahead of us lay the edge
of the ice, long and compact, shining through the fi:g. I !-.ad a strong
inclination to go eastward, on the possibility of there being land in that
direction ; but it looked as if the ice extended farther south there, and
there was the probability of being able to reach a higher latitude if
we kejjt west ; s(j we headed that way. The sun broke throui;h for a
moment just now, so we took an observation, which showed us to be
in about 77° 44' north latitude.

We now held north-west along the edge of the ice. It seemed to me
as if there might be land at no great distance, we saw such a remark-
able number of birds of various kinds. A t^ock of snipe or wading
birds met us, followed us for a time, and then took their way south.
They were pro!)ably on their ])assage from some land to the north of
us. W'c could see nothing, as the fcg lay persistently over the ice.
Again, later, we saw Socks of small snipe, indicating the pos.sible

III!

;i;;,

154

Cliiipicr V.

|)r(>\iinity of I;iiul. \c\l diiy the wi'.illur \v;is ( IcartT, hut still tlurt'
was no laiul in siylit. \\'i' were now a >,'oo(l way iioith ot tlic s[iot
wliiTc iJaroM von Toll Ikis niappi'd thr soiitli coa-^l of SanniUolt" l,an<l,
but ill about tlif sami' lon^ntudi-. So it is probably onh a small island,
and in any case cannot i-Mt-nd far nortli.

On ScplcnibLT jist wu luid thick fo^' again, and when wc had sailed
north to the head of a l)ay in the ice, and could ,i(el no lariher, I
decided to wait here for < lear weather to ^^ee if progress farther north
were possible. 1 calculated that we were now in about ySi north
hititude. We tried several times during the day to take soundings,
but did not succeed in reaching the bottom with ^15 fathoms of line.

"Today made the agreeable discovery that there are bugs on Ix-ard.
Must plana (ampaign against them.

" l'"riday, September 22nd. iirilliant sunsliine once again, and
white daz/ling ice ahead. I''irst we lay still in the log because we
could not see whicii way to go ; now it is clear and we know just as
little about it. It looks as if we were at the northern boundarN'of the
open watiT. To the west the ice ap|HMrs to e\len(f south again. To
tin- north it is com])a( t and white only a small open rift or pool
e\ery here and there ; and the sky is whitish-blue i'ver\where on the
hori/on. It is iVom the east we have just come, but there we (ould
see very little ; and for want of anything better to do, we shall make a
short excursion in that direction, on the possibility of tinding openings
in the ice. If there were only thiie, what I should like would be to go
east as far as Sannikoff Island, or, better still, all the way to IJenne'c
Land, to see what condition things are in there; but it is too late
now. The sea will soon l)e freezing, and we should run a great risk
of being frozen in at a disadvantageous point.''

Earlier Arctic explorers have considered it a necessity tt) keep near
some coast, liut this was exactly what I wanted to avoid. It was
the drift of the ice that 1 wished to get into, and what I most feared
was being blocked by land. It seemed as if we might do much worse
than gi\e ourselves up to the ice where we were, especially as our
excursion to the east had proved that following the ice-edge in that
direction would soon force us south again. So in the meantime we
made fast to a great ice-block, and prepared to clean the boiler and

Voyage tliroiiL;h the Kara Sea.

J55

shift (iials. " \\\' ;iri' Unig in M|irii w.iu-r, with mily ;i fi-w larj,".- floi-s
htTf and thcic ; hut I luivi' a |-it->ciUimi'iU that this is our winter
liarhour.

'•driMt hu^' war lo-day. W'r play tht.' hij; steam hcvsc on nialtrcssi's,
sola-t u>liinn>. -ovcrythin^' that wi- tliink (an |i()s>ihly harl)our the
fiicmies. All clotht-N arc |iut into a harri'i, wlii( Ii is hfrnu-tically
dosed, cxcfpt whi'ri' tin- Iiom' is introdiKcd. 'I'hfn full steam is si-t
on. It whi//rs and whistles inside, and a httle forces its way tlirou>,di
tlic joints, and we think that the animals must l)e having a line hot

^^m

f C ' iWMiiMniimfVX Wi g? '" '-

Tin: ICL INTO WHICH IHi: /A'. /.I/ WAS IkOZEN (SEI'TEMliEK 25TH,

isg3).

time of it. But suddenly the barrel (racks, the steam rushes out, and
the lid hurst.; off with a violent explosion, and is flun<( far alonj^ the
deck. . still hope that there has been a ,<,neat slauj,diter. for these are
horrible enemies. Juell tried the old experiment of settin<f one on a
piece of w. A to see if it would ( reej) north. It would not move at
all, so he took a blubber hook and hit it to make it j^o ; but ii. wuul!
do nothinjf but wriggle its head — the harder he hit thj mure it
wriggled. * Sijuash it, then,' said I'.entzen. And scjuashed il was.

"Saturday, September 23rd. We are still at the sane moorings,
working at the coal. An unpleasant contrast, —everything on board,

1: !!

T56

Chapter V.

men and dogs included, black and filth}', and everythinj,^ around white
and hriifht in beautiful sunshine. It looks as if mure ice \v(;re
driving' in.

•'Sunday, Septemlier 24th. Still coal-shifting. Fog in the morning,
\vhi( h cleared off as the day went on, wh.en we discovered that we
were closely surrounde! on all sides by tolerably thick ice. Between
the floes lies slush-ice, which will soon be (juite hrm. There is an
oi)en pool to be seen to the nortli, but not a large one. I'rom the
crow's-nest, with the telescope, we can still descry the sea across the
ice to the south. It looks as if we were being shut in. Well, we
must e'en bid the ice welcome. A dead region this ; no life in any
direction, excejjt a single -seal { phoca faiida) in the water: and on the
floe beside us we can see a bear-track some days old. We agaui try
tt) get soimdings, but still find iio b(>ttom ; it is remarkable th.at there
should be such depth here."

Ugh ! one caw hardly imagine a dirtier, nastier job than a spell (jf
coal-shifdng on board. It is a pity that such a useful thing as coal
should be so black . What we are doing now is only hoisting it from
the hold, and filling the bunkers with it ; but every man on board
must hel|), and everything is in a me.js. So many men must stand on
the coal heap in the hold and (ill the buckets, and so n-;any hoist them.
Jac(ii)sen is s])ecially good at this last job : his strong arms ])ull up
bucket after bucket as if they were as many boxes of matches. The
rest of us go backwards and forwards with the buckets between the
maiii-hat( h and the half-deck, pouring the coal into the bunkers ; and
down below stands .\munvlsen ])acking it, as black as he can be. Of
course coal-tlust is flying over the whole deck; the dogs cree]> into
corners, black and tousled : and we ourselves — well, we don't wear our
best clothes on such days. \\'e got some amusement out of the
remarkable appearance of our faces, with their dark con^plexions,
blai k streaks at the most unlikely places, and eyes and white teeth
shining through the dir\ Anyone ha]ipening to touch the white wall
below with his hand leaws a bhu^k fi\-e-fingered blot : and the doors
have a wealth of such memento';s. The seats of the sofas must have
their wrong si.'.es turned up. else they would bear lasting marks of
another [)art of the body ; and the tablecloth — well, we fortunately do

Voyaij^e throuLrh the Kara Sea,

not possess surli a tiling. In short, roal-shifting is as dirty and
wretched an experience as one can well imagine in these bright and
])ure surroundings. One good thing is that there is jilenty of fresh
water to wash with.: \\v. can fnid it in every hollow on the llocs, so
there is some hope of our being clean again in time, and it is jjossible
that this may be our last coal-shifting.

"Monday, September 25th. I'Vozcn in faster and fa .ter ! Beauti-
ful still weather; 13 degrees of frost last night, ^\'inter is (oming now.
Had a visit from a bear, which was off again before anyone got a shot
at it."

i ']

•:!' '

CHAPTER VI.

The WiNTr:R Night.

It really looked as if we were now frozen in for good, and I did not
e\[)ect to get the Fnrw out of the ice till we were on the other side
of the Pole, nearing the Atlantic Ocean. Autumn was already well
advanced ; the sun stood lower in the heavens day by ilay : and the
temperature sank steadily. The long night of winter was approaching
— that dreaded night. There was nothing to be done except prepare
ourselves for it, and by degrees we converted our shij), as well as we
could, into comfortable winter (juarters ; while at the same time v,e
took every i)recaution to assure her against the destructive influences of
cold, drift-ice, and the other forces of nature to which it was jirophesied
that we must succumb. The rudder was hauled up, so that it might
not be destroyed by the pressure of the ice. We had intended to do
the same with the screw ; but as it, with its iron case, would certainly
help to strengthen the stern, and especially the rudder stock, we let it
remain in its place. We had a good deal of work with the engine, too ;
each separate part was taken out, oiled, and laid away for the winter ;
slide-valves, pistons, shafts, were examined and thoroughly cleaned.
All this was done with the very greatest care. Amundsen looked after
that enginj as if it had been his own Jiild : late and early he was down
tending it lovingly ; and we used to tease him about it, to see the
defiant look come into his eyes ami hear him say : " It's all very well
for you to talk, but there's not such another engine in the world, and
it would be a sin and a Vhame not to take good care of it.'' Assuredly
he left nothing undone. I do not suppose a day passed, winter or
sumni'T. all these three years, that he ditl not go down antl caress it,
and do sonielhin!i or tJtlier for it.

The Winter Nluht.

159

W'e cleared up in the hold to make room for a joiner's wori<sliop
down there : our mechanical workshop we had in the engine-rootn.
The smithy was at first on deck, and afterwards on the ice ; tinsmith's
work was done chiefly in the chart room, shoemaker's and sailmaker's,
and various odd sorts of work, in the saloon. And all these occui)ations
were carried on with interest and activity during the rest of the expedi-
tion. There was nothing, from the most delicate instruments down to
wooden shoes and axe-handles, that could not be made on board the
Fram. ^^'hen we were found to be short of sounding-line, a grand
rope-walk was constructed on the ice. It proved to be a very i)roi"itable
undertaking, and was well patronised.

Presently we began putting up the windmill which was to drive the
dynamo and produce the electric light. While the ship was going, the
dynamo was driven by the engine, but for a long time past we had had
to be contented with [jetroleum lamps in our dark cabins. The wind
mill was erected on the port side of the fore-deck, between the main
hatch and the rail. It took several weeks to get this important appliance
into working order.

As mentioned on page 57, we had also brought with us a "horse-
mill ■' for driving the dynamo. I had thougiit that it might be of
service in giving us exercise whenever there was no other })hysical
Avork for us. But this time never came, and so the "horse-mill" was
never used. There was always something to occupy us ; and it was
not dititicult to iuid work for each man that ^;[ave him sufficient exercise,
and so much distraction that the time did not seem to him unbearably
long.

There was the care of the ship and rigging, the ins[)ection of sails,
ropes, etc., etc . ; there were provisions of all kinds to be got out from
the cases down in the hold, and handed over to the cook ; there was
ice — good, pure, fresh-water ice — to be fi)und and carried to the galley
to be melted for cooking, driiiking and washing-water. Then, as already
mentioned, tlvjre was always something doing in the various wt)rkshops.
Now "Smith Lars'" had to slraighten the longboat davits whicli had
been twisted by the waves in the Kara Sea ; now it was a hook, a knife,
a bear trap, or something else to be forged. The tinsmith, again " Smith
Lars," had to solder togethc a great tin pail l"or the ice-melting in the

i6o

Chapter VI.

{fallcy. The nu'chanician, Anuiiidsuii, would have an ordL-r for some
instninu'iit or other--i)L'rhai)s a new current-gautfL'. Tlie witc hniaker.
Moy-itad, would ha\e a thermograph to examine and <lean. or a new
j-jprinic to ])Ut into a watch. The sailmaker might have an order for a
([uantity of dog harness. Then each man had to he his own shoe-
maker-make himself canvas hoots with thick, warm, wooden soles,
a( (ording to S\er>Irui)"s newest pattern. Presently there would come
an order to mechanician Amundsen for a supply of new zinc music-
sheets for the organ these being a brand-new invention of tlu' leader
of the e\i)edition. The electrician would have to examine and (lean
the accumulator batteries, which were m danger of freezing. When at
las', the windmill was ready, it had to be attended to, turned according
to the wind, etc. And when the wind was too strong, some one had
to (limb up and reef the mill sails, which was not a pleasant occupation
in this winter cold, aiul involved much breathing on fingers and rubbing
of the tip of the nose.

It happened now and then, too, that the ship re(iuired to be pumped.
This became less and less necessary as the water froze round her and
in the interstices ii^ her sides. The pumps, therefore, were not touched
f:-om December, 18(^3, till July, i8,)5. The only noticeable leakage
during that time was in the engine-room j but it was nothing of anv
consequence; just a few buckets of ice that had to be hewn away every
moiuh from the l):)ttom of the shi]) and hoisted up.

To thes \aried employments was presently added, as the most
important of all, the taking of scientific observatioa^, whicli gave
manv of us constant occupation. Those that involved the greatest
labour were, of course, the meteorological observations, which were
taken every four hours day and night ; indeed, for a considerable part
of the time, every two hours. They kept one man, sometimes two, at
rt'ork all day. It was Hansen who had the ])rincipal ( liarge of this
de|)artment, and his regular assistant until March, 18(^5, 'was Johansen,
wh().^e place was then taken by Xordahl. The night observations ere
tikei-, ')\ A'hoex'er was on watch. About every second da\- when the
wtaijKV was clear, Hansen and his assistant too!; the astronomical

r.!-.

"'.I'lK'P \,i,:ch ascertain (1 our posUion.

nis was certamlv the

W'lvl: \v";uh •\a.- f)lK.)wed v.ah niosl interest b,v all tlie member,^ of the

The Winter Xi<'ht.

i^l

■expedition ; and it was not uncommon to sec Hanson's cabin, wliilc he
was makini; his calculations, hcsie<,'e(l willi idle spectators, wailinjj to
hear tlie rcsuU wliether we had drifted nortli or south sinci; the last
ol)servalion, and how far. Tlie state of feehni,^ on hoard \rr\ i:ui( li
depended on these results.

1-roiit a\

THi: thi:r.mo.mi:ii:r housk

{^/'iiu/ixrci/ h.

Hansen had also at stateil periods to take ohserv'-ions to deterir.ine

the mairnetic constant ni this unknown re'non.

lese wvw carneu

on at first in a tent, specially constructed for the purpose, which was
soon erected on the i( e : hut later we huilt him a I.i'-ge snow hut, as

Ijeinu both more suitable i.'iid more comfuriable.

Hi':

i6:

ChapUT VI,

I'or tin; fillip's doctor llu'if mm-; Irs-; occupation. Tie Innkcd lonfr
and \;iinl\ for ]KUic'iils, and at last iiad to liwv it up :\ni\ in despair
taki' to duclorin^f llie dogs. ( )iu:e a month he too had to make his
scientific ol)ser\ations. \vhi( li consisted in the weigliing of each man,
and the counting ol" lilood cori)usclLs. and estimating the amount of
blood ])igment. in order to ascertain the number ol" red blood cor-
puscles and the (juantity oi" red colouring matter (httmoglobin) in the
blood of each. This was also work that was watched with anxious
interest, as every man thought he could till t'roni the result obtained
how long it would be before scur\y oxcrtook him.

.Among our scientific inirsuits may alsf) be mentioned the deter
mining of tin- temjierature of the water and of its degree of saKness
at varying depths : the collection and examination of such animals as
are to be found in these northern seas : the ascertaining of the aiuount
of electricity in the air: the observation of the formation of the ice. its
growth and tmckncss. and of the temperature of fhe different layers of
ice : the investigation of the currents in tlie water under it. etc, etc.
I had the main .harge of this department. 'I'here remains to le
mentioned the regular (/bservation of the aurora borealis, which we
had a splendid op[K)rtunii\ of stud} ing. After I had gone on with it
for some time, Blessing undertf)ok this part of my duties : and when I
left the ship, I made over to him all the other observations that were
imder my ( ha.rge. No; an inconsiderable item of our scientific work
were the soundings and dredgings. At the greater depths it was such
an undertaking that ever\ one had to assi.it : and from the way we
were obliged to do \l later, one sounding sometimes gave occupation
for se\eral (la\s.

One day differed very litt'; from anodier on br)ard. and the descrip-
tion of one is, in e\ery particulai of an\ impf)rtan( e, a descii|)tion of
all,

We all turned out at eight, and breakfasted on hard bread (both r\e
and wheat), cheese (Hutch clove cheese. Cheddar, (jfuyere, and
Mj'sost. or goal's-whey ( heesc, prepared from dry powder), corned beef
or corned mutton, luncheon ham or Chicago tinned tongue or bacon,
cod-ca\iare. anchoxy roe: also oatmeal biscuits or iMir^lish ship-
biscuits — with orange marmalade or k'lame Food jelly. Three times

'X, '^

M Z

i64

Chaptiir VI.

a week we had fresh-baked l)read as well, and often cake of some kind.
As iur (Uir beverages we i)egan i)y having roffee and chocolate day
about ; but afterwards had coffee only two days a week, lea two, and
chocolate three.

AfUT breakfast some men went to attend to the dogs give tlicm
their food, wiiich consisted of half a stockfish or a ( ouple of dog
i)is( nils cacli ; let them loose ; or do whatever else there was to do for
them. The others went all to their different tasks. Each took liis turn
of a week in the galley — helping the cook to wash up, lay the table,
and w lit. The cook himself had to arrange his bill of fare for dinner
inmiediately after breakfast, and to set about his ])re|)ar,iti()ns at (^iice.
Some of us would take a turn on the floe to get some fresh air, and to
examine the state of the ice, its pressure, etc. At one o'clock all were
assembled for dinner, which generally consisted of three ( oursts -
.soup, meat, and dessert ; or soup, fish, and meat ; or fish, meat and
dessert ; or sometimes only fish and meal. With the meat we ahva\s
had potatoes and eitlier green veg^'tables or maccaroni. 1 think ve
were all agreed that the fare was good ; it would hardly liave been
better at home; for some of us it would perhaps have been worse.
And we Ic ked like fatted pigs; one or two even oegin to cultivate a
double cliM and a corporation. As a rule, stories and jokes circulated
at table along with the bock-beer.

After dinner the smokers of our com|)any would march off, well fed
and contented, into the galley, which was smoking room as well as
kitchen, tobacco being tabooed in the cabins e\ce|)t on festive
occasions. Out there they had a good smoke and (hat : manv a story
was told, and not seldom some warm dispute arose. Afterwards came,
for most of us, a short siesta. Then each went to his work again until
we were summoned to supper at six o'clock, when the regulation day's
work was done. Supper was almost the same as breakfast, except that
tea was alwavs the beverage. Afterwards there was again smoking in
the gallex . while the saloon was transformed into a silent reading-room.
(}ood use was made of the valuable library presented to the e\|)edition
bv generous publishers and other friends. If tlie kind donors could
(lave seen us away up there, sitting round the table at niglit with head.-,
buried in books or collections of illustrations, a'^d could have under-

[

i i

; 1

1>.

'I"hc Winter Xiiiht.

l6:

stood lio\v invnliiahle lliese rompanions wimc to us, tlicy would liavt-
felt rewarded by tW' know It-dgt; that they liad (onlrnvd a ii'al l);)oi\ -•
that th( y had niati-rially Oiisisti'd in making the /'hi//i tlie httle oasis tliat
it was in t!iis ^■.r I ice dc'SL'it. About half-past soven or eif^ht cards or
other {Tames were biou<,dit out, and we played well on into the ni^rh.t.
seated in groups round the saloon table. One or other of us might go

Henriks. n. SvLnlnii). I'.lcssii;;;.

A S.MOKi: IN THE GALLi:V OF THE /A'. /J/

to the organ, and with tlie assistance of the crank handle, perfotm
some of our beautiful pieces, or johansen would bring out tlie
accordion and play many a Hne tune. Hi-> crowning efforts v.ere
"Oh, Susanna:"' and '* Xajjoleon's March • cross tlic Alps in an
Open Boat." About midnight we turned in. and then the night watch
was set. Each man went on for an hoiu-. Their most trying work on
watch seems to have bien writing tlieir diaries and looking out, when

\(J)

Chapur VI.

the (loijs l).ukc'(I, lor any signs of l)cars at hand. LU-sidi's this, t-vt-ry
two liouis or four hours, the watcli liad to ^'o aloft or on to thi' i( l- to
take tla- nictcvrolo^Mcal olist-rvations.

1 l)fht've I may salt'ly .-ay tliat on thi- whole the time passed
|ileasantly and im|)erce|»lil)ly, and tlial we thro\c in virtue of the
re<,nilar iiahits imposi'd upon us.

My notts from day to day will give the best idea of our life, in all its

nionoionv.

■I'hey

are not ureat events that are lu're ri'corde)

hut m

their ve^-v l)areness ihev i:i\e a Irui' i)i( ture. Sue h. and no other, was

our Iili..

ive some <|uotati()ns direct from my diary

Ul -li

all L'

SeMtemhe

jOdi.

autiful weather.

T!-,

sun stands

nuich lowir now ; it was ij

hovi' \\)v hori/on at nnddav. Winter is

n^pidly approae

ilUli

tiiere are 14

)f frost this I'vcning, liut we do

n(.t feel it cold. To-davs ol).servations unfortunately show no particular
drift iiorthwards ; acciirding to tliem we ate still in 7S 50' north

he fice towards evening. Nothing

alilude.

w.'.p.dered al);ai o\\ r i

ivu re wonderfullv heauinul can exist than the Arctic nil

hi. It

dreamland, painted in the unagination's most delicate tints; it is
colour ethereali.-.ed. One sliade melts nUo the ether, so that you
<annot ti 11 where one ends ami the other begins, and yet the)' are all
tlxre. Xo forms it is all faint, dreamy colour music, a far-away, long-
(hav,n-out melov'y (Jii muled strings. Is not all life's beauty high, and
delicate, and pure like this night ? (live it brighter colours, and it is
no longer .-o beautit'ul. The sky is like an enormous ( upo'a. blue at
the zenith, shading down into green, and then into lilac and violet at
the edges. ( )ver the i( e-lields there are cold violet-blue shadows, with
liuhter pink tints where a ridge here and there catches the last rtllection
of the vanished day. L'p in the blue of the cu]x)la shine the stars,
speaking peace, as they always do, those unchanging friends. In the
south stanils a large red-yellow moon, encircled by a yellow ring and
light golilen clouds lloating on the blue ba<kground. Presently the
aurv)ra bureali;; shakes over tlie vault of heaven its veil of glittering
siher changing now to yellow, now to green, now to red. It sjjreads,
it contracts again, in restless change, next it breaks into wa\ing, many-
folded bands of shining silver, o\er which shf)ot billows of glittering
rays: and then the glory vanishes. J'resently it shimmers in tongues

'I'hc W'iiiicr \i''hi.

167

III' n.mu' oviT till' wry /cnitli : ami ilun .i^am it sIkidIs a liii;,'iit ray
ri},f|il up rniiu tlir limi/on, uniil ilic whuk- melt-, awav m ilir nidoiili^lil,
ami it is a>. tlidiiuli uia- IhmkI the sit^h ol a iK'iiartin.L; siiinl. I l(i\' ami
ihiTr ari' left a Irw uavint,^ Ntixaiiur. of ii^jlit. \amu' as a loiiiiodiiij,' -
tlu'y arc the diisl iVom llic aurora's ;,'littcrin<,f ( l(jak. I'.ut miw it is
growing again ; new liglitnings hhool \\\> ; and the mdk'ss game begins
atVesli. Ami all the time this ulier stillness, impressive as die
.symphony ul' mlinilude. 1 have never been able to grasp the fact that

"the saloon was converted into a reauing-roo.m."

this earth will some day be spent and desolate and empty. To what
end, in that case, all this beauty, with not a creature to rejoice in it ?
Now I begin to divine it. 27//s is the coming earth - here are beauty
and death, but to what purpose? Ah, what is the purpose oi' all
these spheres ? Read the answer if you < an in the starry blue lirma-
ment.

'• Wednesday, September 27111. (Irey weather and strong wind from

' i;t

s^.

IMAGE EVALUATION
TEST TARGET (MT-3)

7
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f/u

f/.

1.0

I.I

l^|2J |2.5

|so "^ H^B

1^ liii 12.2

IIIIIM

1.25 ■ 1.4

1.6

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Photographic

Sciences
Corporation

23 WEST MAIN STREET

WEBSTER, NY. M580

(716) 872-4503

l/j

1 68

Chiiptc^r VI.

the south-south-west. Nonlahl, who is cook to-day, had to haul up
some salt meat which, rolled in a sack, had been sleeping for two days
i.i the sea. As .soon as he got hold of it he called out, horrified, that
it was; crawling with animal.s. He let go the .sack, and jumped away
from it, the animals scattering round in every direction. They jiroved
to he sand-hoi)[)ers, or awf<ltipodie, which had eaten their way into the
meat. There were pints of them, both inside and outside of the sack.
A pleasant discovery ; there will he no need to starve when .such food
i.s to be had by hanging a .sack in the water.

" Hentzen is the wag of the party ; he is always playing some
practical joke. Just now one of the mew came rushing up and stood
respectfully waiting for me to s[)eak to him. It was lientzen that had
told him I wanted him. It v.on'l bt long before he has thought of
some new trick.

" Thursday, September 28th. Snowfall with wind. To day the
dogs' hour of release has come. Until now their life on board has
been really a melaiK holy one. They have been tied up ever since we
left Khabarova. I'iie stormy seas have broken over them, and they
have been rolled here and there in the water on the deck ; they have
half hanged themselves in their leashes, howling miserably: they have
had the hose played over them every time the deck was washed ; they
have been sea-sick : in bad as in good weather they iiave had to lie on
t!ie s|)ot hard fate had chained them to, without more exercise than
going backwards and forwards the length of their chains. It is thus-
you are treated, you splendid animals, who are to be our .stay in the
hour of need \ When that time comes, you will, for a while at least,.
have the place of honour. ANhen they were let loose there was a
perfect storm of jubilation. They rolled in the snow, washed and
rubbed themselves, and rushed about the ice in wild joy, barking
loudly. ( )ur floe, a sihort time ago so lonesome and forlorn, was ciuite
a cheerful sight with this sudden population ; the silence of ^gz.^, v.as
broken."

It was our intentio;: .-^iter this to tie up the dogs on the ice.

" Friday, September 29th. Dr. Ulessing's birthday, in honour of
which we kX <()ur.<' had a fete, our first great one on board. There
was a double occasion lor it. Our niiddaj- observation showed us to-

The Winter Ni'-ht.

169-

be in latitude 79° 5' north; so we had passed one more (k_^fiCL'. Wf^
had no fewer than five courses at dinner, and a more than usually^
elaborate concert during the meal. Here follows a copy of the p/inted
nienu :

" ' fram;

" Mkm'. Sei'temukr 29TH, 1893.

Sou])e a la julienne avec des macaroni-dumpHnjrs.

I'otage de poison (sii) avec des pommes de terre.

Pudding de Nordahl.

Glace du (Ireenland.

De la table bicre de la Ringnnees.

Marmalade intacte.

'•Ml SIC A Dink (su).

5.
6.

7-
8.

9-
10.

II.
12.

14.

IS-
if).

17-
18.

\'alse Myosotic.

Menuette de Don Juan de Mozart.

Les Troubadours.

(College Hornpipe.

1 )ie letzte Rose de Martha.

Kin flotter Studio Marsch de Phil. Farbach.

Valse de Lagune de Strauss.

Le Chanson du Nord (Du ganda, du fri..ka.

Hoch Habsburg Marsch de Krai.

Josse Karads Polska.

\'art i,and, vart Land.

Le Chanson de Chaseuse.

Les Roses, Valse de Me;ra.

Fischers Hornpipe.

Traum-^'alse de Millocher.

Hemlandssang. ' A le miseral)le.'

I'iamanten und Perlen.

Marsch de ' Det lustiga Kriget.'

■e

19 ^'a!se de ' Det lustige Kriget.
20. Priere du Freischiitz."

170

Chapter VI.

1 hoiH- my ivatk'is will admit lluit tliis \v;is (|uitc' a tine fiitertain-
im-iil lo he given in latitude yi)" noilli : but of siu li we had many on
hoard llu- J-'mm at still higlier latitmles.

•■ ('offee and swei'ts were served alter <linner ; and al'uT a Ix-tter
su|)])er tlian usual, came strawherry and lemon ice (it/i,is granitta)
and limejui( f todiiy, witiiout alcohol. 'i'lie health of tlie hero of
the day was fn'st proposed ' in a few well-chosen words" ; and then we
drank a hinnpi'r to the seventy-nintli degree, which we were sure was
only the fust of many degrees to lie i ompiered in the same wav.

•• Saturdax . Sepiendn'r ,iOtli. 1 am not satisfied tliat the /■hr///\i
present ])osition is a good oni' for tlu' winter. The gn'at tloe on tlie
|)i)rt side to whicli wi' are moored .-ends out an ugly iMojection about
ami(lshi[)s. wliich miglit give her a bad scpiee/e in case of the ice
lM(king. We thi-iefore b.gm to-dav to warp her ba( kwards into
betti'r i( e. It i-^ l)\ no means (|ui< k work. i'lie comparatively open
( hannel aroumi as is now covered witli tolerably thick ice, which has
to l)e hewn .md broken in ])iecc's with axes, ice-staves, and walrus-
spears. Then the capstan is manned, and we hea\e her thnuigh the
broken lloe foot l)y loot. The temperature this evening is 9^4 f'ahr.
( — I2'0 (.'.). A wonderful sunset."'

•• Sunday. ( )c toiler isi. Wind from the U'.S.W". and weather mild.
We ari' taking a day of rest, whic h means eating, sleeping, smoking,
and reading.

" Monday. October 2nd. Warped the ship farther astern, until we
found a good berth for her out in the middle of the newlv-frczen pool.
On the |)ort side we lia\e our big lloe, with the dogs" camp — thirty-tive
i)lac k ilogs tied up on the white ice. This lloe turns a low, and bv no
means threatening, edge ;v)wards us. We have good low ice on the
starboarc' too ; and between the ship and the floes we have on both
sides the newly frozen surfice ice, which has, in the |)rocess of warping,
also got pac keil in under the ship"s bottom, so that she lies in a good
bed.

" .\s S\erdrup, Juell, and I were sitting in the chart-room in the
;ifcernoon. splicing rope for the sounding line, Peter* rushed in

■' I'cter Heniikson.

'^y, ''.■-■, y^'ff''^'?.

'm.0/'

1 LLT l.OOSK SOM1-: OK THK UOOS.

I 72

Chapter \'I

shouting, 'A bear! a iK-ar I ' 1 .sn;il( litil up my rifle, and tore out.
' Wliere is it ? ' ' There, near tlie tent, on the starboard side ; it came
right up to it, and liad ahnost jj^ot liohl of them.'

" And there it was, big and yellow, snufthig away at the tent gear.
Hansen, Blessing, and Johansen were running at tlie top of their speec!
towards the sliip. On to the ice I jumped, and off I went, broke
through, stumbled, fell, and up again. The bear in the meantime
had done snifling, and had pr()i)ably determined that an iron spade,
an ice-staff, an axe, some tent-jjegs, and a canvas tent were too
indigeslii)le food even for a bear's stomach. Anyhow it was follow-
ing with mighty strides in the track of the fugitives. It caught
sight of me, and stopped astonished, as if it were thinking, ' \\hat
sort of insect can that be?' I went on to within easy range; it
stood still, looking hard at me. At last it tut-ned its head a little,,
and I gave it a ball in the nee k. \\'ithoul moving a limb, it sank
slowly to the ice. I now let loose some of the dogs, to accustom them
to this sort of sport, but they showed a lamentable waiit of interest in
it ; and ' Kvik,' on whom all our hope in the matter of bear-hunting
rested, bristled up and approached the dead animal very slowly and
carefully, with her tail between her legs — a sorry spectacle.

" I must now give the story of the others wiio made the l)tai's
acquaintance first. Hansen had to-day i)egim to set up his observatory
tent a little ahead of the ship on the starboard bow. In the afternoon
he got lilessing and Johansen to help him. While they were hard at
work they caught sight of a bear not far from tliem, just off the how of
the J'hvii.

" 'Hush ! Keep (piiet, in case we frighten him,' says Hansen.

" 'Yes, yes I ' And they crouch together and look at him.

"'I thmk I'd better try to slip on board and announce him,' says
Blessing.

'* ' I think 'ni should,' says Hansen.

" \\\(\ off steals Blessing on tiptoe, so as not to frighten the bear.
By this time Ikuin has seen and scented them, and comes jogging
along, following his nose, towards tliem.

" Hansen now began to get over his lear of startling him. The bear
caught sight of Blessing slinking off to the ship, and set after him.

•

-■J

r-<

UJ
H

P-

'"'

c«

t/J

C/5

■k

>'.

H- 1

ir4

Chapter VI.

lUessin^' also was now much less concerned than lie had been as to
tlie l)ear's nerves. He stopped uncertain what to do; hut a moment's
reflecti(m hroufjht him to the cone lusion that it was |)leasanter to he
three than one just then, and he went hack to the others faster than lie
liad gone from them. The bear followed at a good rate. Hansen did
not like the look of things, and thought the time had come to try a
dodge he had seen recommended in a l)0(;k. He raised himself to his
full height, flung his arms about, and yelled with all the power of his
lungs, ably assisted by the others. Jlut the bear came on (|uite undis-
turbed. Tile situation was becoming critical. I'^ach snatched u|) his
weapon -Hansen an ice-staff, Johansen an axe, and Blessing nothing.
They screamed with all their strength, ' Hear I bear ! ' and set off for
the ship as hard as they could tear. But the bear held on his steady
course to the tent, and examined everything there before ^as we have
seen) he went after them.

" It was a lean he-bear, 'i'he only thing that was found in its
stomach when it was opened was a piece of paper, with the names
'I/itken and Mohn." This was the wrapping paper of a 'ski' light,
and had been left by one of us somewhere on the ice. After this day
some of the members of the expedition would hardly leave the shii>
without being armetl to the teeth."

"Wednesday, October 4th. North-westeily wind yesterday and
to-day. \'esterday we had — 16° (3" i'.), and to-day — 14^ C. (7" I".).
1 had worked all day at soundings and got to al)out Soo fathom.s
depth. The bottom samples consisted of a layer of grey clay 4 to 4}
inches thick, and below that brown clay or mud. The temperature
was, strangely enough, just alxne freezing point (+ om8 C.) at the
bottom, and just below freezing i)oint (— 0*4" C.) 75 fathoms up. 'J'his
rather disposes of the story of a shallow polar basin, and of the extreme
coldness of the water of the Arctic Ocean.

"While we were hauling up the line in the afternoon, the ice
cracked a little astern of the Fram, and the crack increased in breadth
.so quickly, that three of us, who had to go out to save the ice-anchors,
were obliged to make a bridge over it with a long board to get back to
the shi|) again. Later in the evening there was some |)ackiiig in the
ice, and several new [)assages opened out behind this first one.

The Winter Ni<>ht.

" 'rinirsdny, Octohcr 5th. As I was divs^iiii,' llii-. m'>rninp, just
hefore breakfast, tliv mate iHshcd down to tell niL' a l^ar was in si^dit.
I was soon on duck and saw him coniinj; from tlie soutli, to tiic lee of
us. lie was still a j;ood way off. l)ut stojjped and looked about.
Presently he lay down, and Henriksen and I started off across the ice,
and were lucky enough to send a bullet into his breast at about
350 yards, just as he was moving off.

'' We are making everything snug for the winter and for the ice
pressure. This afternoon we took u|» the rudder. Beautiful weather,
but cold, — 18 {'. (— o*4° I''.) at 8 p.m. 'J'he result of the medical
inspection to-day was the discovery that we still have bugs on board ;
and I do not know what we are to do. Wo have no steam now, and
must fix our hojies on the cold.

" I must confess that tliis discovery made me feel (|uite ill. If bugs
got into our winter furs the thing was hopeless. So the next day there
was a regular feast of purification, accortling to the most rigid antiseptic
prescriptions. ICach man had to deliver up his old clothes, every stitch
of them, wash himself, and dress in new ones from top to toe. .Ml the
old clothes, fur rugs, an 1 such things, were carefully c arried up on to
the deck, and ke|)t there the whole winter. This was more than even
these animals could stand ; — 53° C. (— 63 V.) of cold |)roved to be
too much for ihem, and we saw no more of them. As the bug is made
to say in the popular rhyme : — •

* Put me in the boiling |)ot. and shut me down tight ;
Hut don't leave me out on a cold winter night ! "

" Friday, October 6th. (!old, down to 11 below zero (Fahr.). To-
day we have begun to rig up the windmill. The ice has been packinfc
to the north of the /•>•(?///".*• stern. As the dogs will freeze if they are
kept tied up and get no exercise, we let them loose this afternoon, and
are going to try if we can leave them so. Of course they at once began
to fight, and some poor creatures limjied away from tlie battle-field
scratched and torn. Put otherwise great joy ])revailed : they lea|)ed.
and ran, and rolled themselves in the snow. Prilliant aurora in the
evening.

" Saturday, October 7th. Still cold, with the same northerly wind

176

Chapter VI.

we liavi' Iiatl ;ill ihtsi' last days. 1 am afraid wt- aiv drifting' far south
MOW. A I"l\v days aj,'() wi- were, accordinj^ to llie ♦)l)servati()iis, in 78°
17' nortli latitude. 'I'hat was 16' south in less than a week. 'I'his is
to ) uuK li ; hut we must make it up a;;ain : we must get north. It
meai.i ^'oing away from home now, hut soon it will mean K<''"K nearer
liomi'. \\ hat depth of heauty, with an unden urrent of endless sadness,
iheri- is in these dreamily j,dowing evenin|,'s ! The vanished sun has
left its tra< k of melan( holy llame. Nature's music, whit h fdls all space
is instinct with sorrow that all this heauty should he spn-ad out day
after day, week after week, year after year, over a dead world. \Vhy?
Sunsets are aUvays sad, at home too. This thou^dit makes the sight
seem douhly precious here and douhly sad. 'I'here is red hurning
hlood in the west against the cold snow — and to think that this is the
sea, stiffened in chains, in death, and tliat the sun will soon leave us,
and we shall he in the dark, alone ! 'And the earth was without form,
and void ' ; is this the sea that is to come?

"Sunday, Octoher Stii. IJeautifuI weather. Made a snow-shoe
expeilition westward, all the dogs following. "The running was a little
spoiled hy the hrine, which soaks up through the snow from the
surface of the ice flat, newly frozen ice, with older, uneven blocks
breaking through it. 1 seated myself on a snow hummock far away
out ; the dogs crowded round to be i)atted. ]\Iy eye wandered over
the great snow plain, endless and solitary, nothing but snow, snow
everywhere.

"The observations to-day gave us an unpleasant surprise; we are
now down in 7cS° 35 north latitude ; but there is a simple enough
eNplanation of this, when one thinks of all the northerly and north-
westerly wind we have had lately, with open water not far to the south
of us. As soon as everything is frozen we must go north again ; there
«an be no cjuestion of that : but none the less this state of matters is
unpleasant. I fmd some comfort in the fact that we have also drifted
a little east, so that at all events we have kept with the wind and are
not drifting down westward.

" ^^onday, October 9th. I was feverish both during last night and
to-day. (loodness knows what is the meaning of such nonsense.
When I was taking water samples in the mornhig I discovered that the

'Vhv Winter Xiulit

.■-i'

>;7

wntcr-lifttT sud'lenly stoppfd at tlu' (lipth of ;i littk- Ilss than
80 fathoms. It was really tliu hottoni. So wt- liavr drit'tt'd soutli
a};ain to thw shallow water, ^^'e k-t the weij^ht lit- at the Itottoin for a
little, and saw hy the line that for the moment we were drifting nort!i.
Ihis was some small comfort anyhow.

"All at once in the afternoon, as we were sittinj,' idly (halting', a
deafeninj^ noise heyan, and the whole ship shook, '{"his was the lir-.t
ice -pressure. Everyone rushed on de( k to look, '["he /'ht/fi hehavid
heautifully, as I had expected she would. On pushed the i( e with
steady pressure, hut down under us it had to go, and we were slowly
lifted up. These ' s(pieezinf,'s ' continued off and on all the afternoon,
and were sonctimes so stronfj that the /'hiw was lifted several feet ;
hut then the ice could no longer bear her, and she broke it below lur.
Towards evening the whole slackened again, till we lay in a good-
sized piece of open Viater, and had hurriedly to moor her to our oM
floe, or we should have drifted off. There seems to be a good deal of
movement in the ice here. Peter has just been telling us that he hears^
the dull booming of strong pressures not far off.

" Tuesday, October loth. The ice continues disturbed.

" Wednesday, October nth. The bad news was brought this after-
noon that 'Job' is dead, torn in |)ieces by the other dogs. He was
found a good way from the ship, 'Old Suggen' lying watching the
corpse, so that no other dog could get to it. They are wretches,
these dogs ; no day i)asses without a tight. In the day-time one of us
is generally at hand to stop it, but at night they seklom fail to tear and
bite one of their comrades. Poor ' IJarabbas' is almost frightened out
of his wits. He stays on board now, and dares not venture on the ice,
because he knows the other monsters would set on him. There is not
a trace of chivalry about these curs. When there is a fight, the whole
pack rush like wild beasts on the loser. Put is it not, pcriiaps, the
law of nature that the strong, and not the weak, should be protected ?
Have we not human beings, perluips, been trying to turn nature
topsy-turvy by protecting and doing our best to keep life in all the
weak ?

" The ice is restless, and has pressed a good deal to-day again.
It begins with a gentle crack and moan along the side of the ship.

lii

l-/^

CIiaDUr \'l.

whuli ^;ra(liially soiimN lomlcr in cvny key. Now it i^ a lli^ll
|)laintiv».' tnm>, mow if is a Miarl, and tlu' ship j^ivcs a siart up. The
noise steadily j,M()\vs till it is like all tlu- pipes of an tir;,'.m ; llu- ship
trenihk's and shakes, and ri--es i)y lies and starts, or is Nonutinus ^^i-ntly
lii'u'd. 'I'lu-re is a pleasant. ( oniiortahle I'eelinj,' ni >.iltinj,' iisieninj^ to
all this uproar and knowing tl:e stren^'tii of our ship. M.my a one
w.iuld have been crushed lonj^ aj,'.). Ihit outside the i( e is ground
a,s,Minst our ships sides, the piles ol" hroken-up lloe are tun t'd under
her heavy, invulnerable hull, ami we lie as if in a bed. Soon tlu' noii.e
bej,'ins to die down ; the ship sinks into its old position aj^ain, and
presently all is silent as before. In several places round us the i( e is
piled up. at one spot to a considerable heij^ht. Towards eveninjif there
was a slackeninj;, and we lay aj,Min in a larife, open pool.

" I'luirsday, ()< tober I2lh. In the niorninj,' we and «)ur lloe were
drifiinj,' on blue water in the middle of a larj;e, open lane, which
strel( hed far to the north, and in the north the atmosphere at the
hori/on was dark and blue. As far as we could see from the crow's-
lust with the small field-iflass, there was no end to the open water,
with only sin;,de pie<es of ice stickin^f U|) in it here and there. These
are extraordinary < lianj^'es. I wondered if we should prepare to j(v)
ahead. lUil they had long ago taken the machinery to pieces for the
winter, so that it would be a matter of time to get it ready for use
again. Perhaps it would be best to wait a little, ('lear weather, with
sunshine — a beautiful, ip.s;)iri'.ing winter day — but the same northerly
\»ind. Took soundings ari:l found 50 iathoms of water (90 metres).
We are drifting slowly southwards. 'I'owards evenir.g the ice packed
together again with mU( h ft)r( e ; but the /hr/// can hoKl her own. In
the afternoon I fished in a depth of about 27 fathoms (50 metres) with
Murray's silk-net,* and had a good take, especially of small crustaceans
{/:o/>c/><'i/ir, (>strak<Hia\ ixmplhf^odic, etc.) and of a little .\rctic worm
{s/'tule/hi) that swims about in the sea. It is horribly difficult to

* This lilk Ijiignct is inlendoil to ln' <hiiy;t;e(l afior ii Ixuit or ship lo c;Uth ihc livin;^
anini.'xls or plant orj^anisnis .it wuiuus depllis. We uscil them coiisianily ihirini; our
(iriftint;, sinkiag tlicm to (liricrent depllis iiiidcr the ice, .ind iliey often l-rought up
rich spoils.

Tile W'iiUci \i«'lit.

m.in.i>,'v' ;i little lishiiig luri-

(> -iMiiicr h.iM' yoii Icimu an o|)iMiinn

to slip your liK kit- lhroiij;li, tluiii it lugiiis to c losr iij,Miii, and you have
to IkiuI u|) as liard as you (an. ^o a^ not to j^i-t tin- liiu- ni|)|»r»l and losi-
I'Vt'rythinif. It is a ]iit\, for llnif arc intt-wstinj; liauU to lu- madr.
( )m' si'i's |)hos|)liori'( UK r' in tln' uatir Ikh' \\lu'nc\»r tliru- is the
sinalk'st opi-ning in the it i.'. 'I'luio is Ny no nicans sut h ;. s( art itv ol"
animal lilV as one might ivju't t.

•• I'riday, OttoluT r^^tji. Now we are in the viTy midst of wliat tin-

]>roi)lH'ts would have had us dri'ad so muc h

U' \iv i.«. inessin

K an.

pat king round us witli a ntiise like thunder. It is piling itsflf up into
lon^' walls, and heaps higii enough to reat h a got)il way up the /•'/■<t//i's
rigging; in fact, it is trving its vt. ry uiint)st to grintl the /'hi/f/ intt»
powder. I'ut ht're we sii i|uite tramiuil, not even going up tt) look at
all the hurly-burly, Jiut just t hailing ami laughing, as usual. Last
night there was trememlt)us pressure round our old tlt)g-l1t)e. The i-. e
hatl towered up high.er than tin- highest point of the Hoe, antl hustled
iluv.ii upon ii. It hatl ijuite s|)t)ilt a well, where we till nt)W liatl found
good thinking water, filling it with hrine. l-urthermore, it hatl east
itself t)ver our stern ite-ancht)r and part of the steel table whith held
it, hurying ihem so effet tually that we hatl afterwards tt) tut the table.
'I'ben it tt)vered tiur planks antl sleilges, which stt;od t)n the it e.
i.elbre lt)ng the tlogs were in tlanger, antl the watth hatl tt) turn t)Ut
;'.il liands to save t1iem. At last the lloe split in two. This mt)rniiig
die ice was t)ne scene of melant ht)ly confusion, gleaming in the nit)st
glt)rious sunshine. I'iletl up all rtiimtl us were high, steep ice walls.
S rangely enough, we hail lain t)n the very verge t)f tlie wt)rst c()nfusit)n,
and hail est aped with the lt)s.: of an ice-ancht)r, a piece of steel cable,
a few planks antl other bits of wt)od, and half of a Samoyede sletlge,
all of which might have been saved if we hatl li)t)keil after them in
time. l>ut the men have grown so indifferent it) the pressure n; w,
that liiey dt) not even go U[) to ltx)k, let it thunder ever so hanl. 'i'hey
leel that the ship can stand it. antl so long as that is the case there is
nt)lhing tt) hurt except the ice itself.

This phosphorescence is [irincijiary cliiv to sin.ill luininous criisiacea (i'd/it/oi/u-).

N 2

i 1

It b": li • Ai

I 80

Chapter \'I.

" In the morniii;^ the pressurt sl;i( keiiecl agriin, and we were soon
lyin<f in a lm<;e piece of open water, as we (Ud yesterday. To-day,
again, tliis strett hed far away towards the northern liorizon, where the
same dark aimospliere iniUcated some extent of open water. I now
gave the order to put the engine together again ; they told me it could
be done in a day and a half or at most two days. We must go nortli
and see what there is up there. I think it possible that it may be the
boundary between the ice-drift the Jcannettc was in and the pack we
are now drifting south with or can it be land?

" We had kept company quite long enough with the old, now
broken-u[) floe, so worked ourselves a little way astern after dinner, as
the ice was beginning to draw together. Towards evening the pressure
l)egan again in earnest, and wa.i especially bad round the remains of
our old lloe, so that I believe we may congratulate ourselves on having
left it. It is evident that the pressure here stands in connection with,
is perhaps caused by, the tidal wave. It occurs with the greatest
regularity. l"he ice slackens twice and packs twice in 24 hours. The
pressure has happened about 4, 5, and 6 o'clock in the morning, and
almost at exactly the same hour in the afternoon, and in between we
have always lain for some jxirt of the time in open water. 'I'he very
great pressure just now is probabl} due to the spring tide ; we had new
moon on the yth, which was tlie first day of the pressure. Then it wa3
just after midday when we noticed it, but it has been later every day,
and now it is at 8 p.m.

The theory of the ice-pressure being caused to a considerable extent
by the tidal wave has been advanced repeatedly by Arctic explorers.
During the Franis drifting we had better opportunity than mo;it of
tiiem to study this |)henomenon, and our experience .seems to leave no
doubt that over a wide region the tide ))roduces movement and pres-
sure of the ice. It occurs especially at the time of the spring tides,
and more at new moon than at full moon. During the intervening
periods there was as a rule little or no trace of pressure. But these
tidal i)ressures did not occur during the whole time of our drifting.
We noticed them especially the first autumn, while we were in the
neighbourhood of the open sea north of Siberia, and the last year.
when the Fram was drawing near the open Atlantic Ocean : thej' were

The Winter Niiiht.

i8i

less noticeable wliilo we were in the polar basin, rrossuro occurs
here more irregularly, and is mainly caused by the wind driving the
ice. When one pictures to one's self these enormous ice-masses,
drifting in a certain direction, suddenly meeting hindrances — for
example, ice-masses drifting from the opposite direction, owing to a
change of wind in some more or less distant (piarter-it is easy to
understand the tremendous pressure that must result,

Such an ice c<Miflict is undeniably a stupendous spectacle. One
feels one's self to be in the presence of Titanic forces, and it is easy
to understand how timid souls may be overawetl and feci as if nothing
could stand before it. I'"or when the packing begins in earnest, it
seems as though there could be no spot on the earth's surface left
unshaken. First you hear a sound like the thundering rumble
of an earthiiuake far away on the great waste ; then you hear it in
several l)laces, always coming nearer and nearer. The silent ice world
re-echoes with thunders ; nature's giants are awakening to the battle,
'i'he ice cracks on every side of you, and begins to pile itself up ; and
all of a sudden vou too find voursclf in the midst of the struy;Lrle.
There are bowlings and thunderings roimd you; \()U feel the .'.e
trembling, and hear it rumbling under your feet ; theie is no ])eace
iinywhere. In the semi-darkness you can see it piling and tossing
itself up into high ridges nearer and nearer you — Hoes, lo, 12, 15 L'jf
thick, br(«ken, and flung on the top of each other as if they were
featherweights, 'i'hey are ([uitc nt^ar you now, and you jump away
to save your life. But the ice splits lu f.ont of you, a black gulf
opens, and water streams up. ^'ou turn in another direction, but
there through the dark you can just see a new ridge of moving ice-
blocks coming towards you. You try another direction, but there it is
the same All round there is thundering and n)aring, as of some
enormous waterfall, with explosions like cannon salvoes. Still nearer
you it conies. The floe you are standing on gets smaller and smnller:
water ])ours over it ; there can be no escape exce[)t by scrambling
over the rolling ice-blocks to get to the other side of the pack, but
now the disturbance begins to calm down. The noise i)asses on, and
is lost by degrees in the distance.

This is what goes on away there in the north month ai'ter month

1^2

Chapter \'I.

I !
1 i

and year after year. 'I'hv ice is siilit and piled up into moiuids,
which extend in everv (hrection. If one could ijet a i)ird's-eye view
of the ice-fields, tiiey would seem to be cut up into scpiares or meslves
by a network of these packed ridges, or pressure-dykes as we called
them, because they reminded us so much of snow-covereil stone dyke;;
at home. su( h as, in many part^ of the country, are used to enclose
fields. At first slight these pre>>ure-ridges appeared to be scattered
about in all possil)le directions, hut on closer ins|)ection I was sure
that I disco\\.'rL'd < L'rtain directions which they tended to take, and
especially that they were apt to run at right angles to the course of the
pressure which produced them. In the accounts of .Arctic expeditions
one ofien reads <lescrii)lions of pressure-ridges or i)ressurc-hummc;( ks
as high as 50 feet. 'I'hese are fairy tales. 'I'he authors of sucli
flintastic descriptions cannot have ta <en the trouble to measute.
During the whole period of our drifting and of our travels over the
ice-fields in the far north 1 only once saw a hummock of a greater
heiglit than 23 feet. Unfortunately I had not the o])portunity ('\'
measuring this one, but I believe I may say with certainty that it was

verv nearlv ^o feet high. All t'

uhest blocks I measured — and

they were many — had a height of iN • > ..t, feet: and I can maintain
with certainty that the pat king (•' ice to a height of over 25 fejt

is a very rare exception.*

'•Saturday, October i4tli. 'l\)-day we have got on the rudder:
the engine is pretty well in order, and we are clear to start north when
the ice opens to-morrow morning. It is still slackening and packing
<iuite regularly twice a day, so that we can calculate on it beforehand.
To-day we had the same open channel to the north, and beyond it
open sea as far as our view extended. What can this mean? This
evening the pressure has been pretty violent. The floes were paiked
u\) against the /vvc/// on the jKHt side, and were once or twice on the

* Markhaiu's account jjivcs us to unilorstiind tliat on the luirth side of (irinncll
Land he came across huuimocks whicli measured 43 feet. I do not feel at all certnin
thai ihese werenot in reality iceler^s ; hut it is no duuht i)f)ss'hle tiiatsuch hummocks
might 1)6 formed by violent piessure ai;ainst land or something lesemhlini; it. After
our exi)erience, however, I lannot l;elie\e in the poisibility of their occurring in open
sea.

The Winter Xi-jht.

'S3

jjoint of toppling over the rail. The ice, however, broke l)elo\v ; they
tumbled i);u k again, and had to go under us after all. It is not thi< k
ice, and cannot do much damage; but the force is something enor-
mous. On tlie masses (ome incessantly without a pause ; they look
irresistible ; but slowly and surely they ;'.re crushe 1 against the Frnni's
Kides. Now (8.30 p.m.) tiie pressure has at last stopped. Clear
evening, sparkling stars, and flaming northern liglil ."'

DOGS CII.MXIiU ON rilK It K.

I had finished writing my diary, gone t;) bed, and was lying reading,
in " The Origin of .Species," about the struggle for existence, when I
heard the dogs out on the ice making more nois; than usual. I called
into the .saloon that some one ought to go up and see if it was bears
they were barking at. Hansen went, and came back immediatel}.
saying that he believed he had seen some large animal out in the dark.
"Cio and shoot it, then." That he was (ptite ready to do, and went u|)
again at once, accomi)anied by some of the others. A shot went off
on deck above my head, then another ; shot followed shot, nine in all.

1 84

Chapter \'I.

Johansen and ilcnriksen riisliL-d down for more cartridjres, aixl declared
that tlie creature was sliot, it was roarinj^ so horribly: but so far they
had only indistinctly seen a larjife j^reyish-white mass out there in the
<lark, moving about among the dogs. Now they were going on to the
ice after it. I'our of them set off, and not far away they really did fmd
a dead bear, willi marks of two shots. It was a young one. The old
one must be at hand, and the dogs were still barking loudly. Now
they all felt sure that they had seen two together, and that the other
also must be badly wounded. Johansen and Henriksen heard it
groaning in the distance when they were out on the ice again after-
wards to fet<'h a knife they had left lying where the dead one had Iain.
'I'he creature had been dragged on board and skinneil at once, before
it had time to stiffen ir the cold.

" Sunday, October 15th. To our surprise, the ice did not slacken
away much during last night, after the violent pressure ; and what was
worse, tiiere was no indication of slackening in the morning, now that
^ve were ([uite ready to go. Slight signs of it showed themselves a little
later, upon which I gave orders to get up steam , and while this was
being done, I tv)ok a stroll on the ice, to look for traces of yesterday
evening. 1 found tracks not only of the bear that had been killed and
of a larger one that might be the mother, but of a third, which must
have been badly wounded, as it had sometimes dragged itself on its
hind(iuarters, and had left a broad track of blood. After following the
traces for a good way and discovering that I had no weapon to despatch
the animal with but my own fists, I thought it would be as well to
return to the ship to get a gun and companions who would helj) to
drag the bear back. 1 had al.so some small hope that in the meantime
the ice might have slackened, so that, in place of going after game, we
might go north with the Fram. ]}ut no such luck I So I i)ut on my
snowshoes and set off after our bear, some of the dogs with me, and
one or two men following. At some distance we came to the jjlace
•where it had si)ent the night ])oor beast, a ghastly night I Here I
also saw tracks of the mother. One shudders to think of her watching
over her ])ot)r young one, which must have had its back shot through.
Soon we came up to the cri])i)le, dragging itself away from us over the
ice as best it could. Seeing no other way of esca])e, it threw it.self

The Winter Xis-ht.

iS:

into a small watt'r opening and dived time after time. While we were
])iitting a noose on a r<)i)e, the dogs rushed round the hole as if tliey
had gone mad, and it was difticult to keep them from jumping into the
water after the hear. At last we were ready, and the next time the
creature came up it got a noose round one |)aw and a hall in the head.
AVhilst the others drew it to tlie ship, I folUnved the mother's tracks
for some way, hut could not find her. I had soon to turn hack to
see if there was no prospect of moving the J''ram ; hut I found that
the ice !iad ])acked together again a little at the very .time when we
could generally calculate on its slackening. In the afternoon Hansen
and I went off once more after the bear. We saw, as I expected, tliat
she had come hack, and had followed her daugiiter's funeral procession
for some way, but then she had gone off east, and as it grew dark wt
lost lier tracks in some newly jjacked ice. A\'e have only one matter
for regret in connection with this bear episode, and that is the dis-
appearance of two dogs: ' Narrifas ' anil 'Fox.' Probably they went
off in terror on the first ajipearance of the three bears. 'I'hey may
have been hurt, but I have seen nothing to suggest this. The ice is
<iuiet this evening also, only a little pressure ai)out 7 o'clock.

"Monday, October 16th. Ice quiet and close. Observations on
the 12th placed us jn 78° 5' "north latitude. Steadily southwards.
This is almost depressing. The two runaways returned tliis morning.

"Tuesday, October 17th. Continuous movement in tlie ice. It
slackened a little again during the night ; some way off to staiboard
there was a large opening. Shortly alter midnight there was strong
l)ressure, and between 11 and 12 a.m. came a tremendous squeeze;
since then it has slackened again a little."

"Wednesday, October i8th. When the meteorologist, Johansen,
was on deck this morning reading the thermometers, he noticed that
the dogs, which are now tied up on board, were barking loudly down
at something on the ice. He bent over tlie rail astern, near the
rudder, and saw the back of a bear below him, close in at the ship's
side. Off he went for a gun, and the animal fell with a couple of
shots. We saw afterwards by its tracks that it had inspected all the
heaps of sweejjings round the ship.

" A little later in the morning I v.ent for a stroll on the ice. Han.sen

1 86

Chai)tcr \'I.

i '

;i I

and Johansen were l)u..y witli some magnetic observations to the south
of tlie ship. It was heaiiliful sunshiny weather. I was standing beside
an open pool a httle way ahead, examining the formation and growth
of the new ice, when I heard a gim go off on board. I turned, and
just caught a ghmpse of a l)car making off towards the hummocks. It
was Henriksen, who had seen it from the deck coming marching
towards the ship. When it was a few [laces off it saw Hansen and
Johansen, and made straigiit for them. l>y this time Henriksen had
got liis gun. i)ut il missed lire several times. He has an unfortunate
liking for smearing the lock so well with vaseline that tlie spring works
as if it lay in .soft soap. At last it went off, and the ball went through
the bear's back and breast in a slanting direction. The animal stooil
up on its hind-legs, fought tlie air with its fore-paws, then flung itself
forward and sjjrang off, to fall after about 30 .steps ; the ball had
grazed the heart. It was not till the shot went off that Hansen saw
the bear, and then he rushed up and ))ut two revolver balls into its
head. It was a large bear, the largest we had got yet."

" About mid-day I was in the crow's-nest. In spite of the clear
weather I could not discover land on any side. The opening far to
the north has cpiite disapi)eared ; but during the night a large new one
has formed quite ch)se to us. It stretches both north and south, and
has now a covering of ice. Tlie pressure is chiefly confmed to the
edges of this opening, and can be traced in walls of packed ice as far
as the horizon in both directions. 'l"o the east the ice is quite unbroken
and flat. We have lain just in the worst pressure."'

"Thursday, October igth. The i( e again slackened a little last
night. In the morning I attempted a drive with six of the dogs.
When I had managed to harness them to tlie Samoyede sledge, had
seated myself on it, and called ' Pr-r-r-r, pr-r-r-r I " they went off in (piite
qootl style o\er the ice. But it was not long before we came to some
high pack-ice and had to turn. This was hardly done before they
were off back to the ship at liglitning speed, and they were not to be
got away from it again. Round and round it they went, from refuse-
heap to refuse-heap. If I started at the gangway on the starboard
side, and tried by thrashing them to drive them out over the ice, round
the stern they flew to the gangway on the port .side. I tugged, swore.

Thcj Winter Ni^iht.

187

and trit.'d everything I could tliink of, l)Ut all to -.i;) purpose. 1 j^ot out
and tried to hold the sledj^e hack, but was pulled off my leet, and
dragged merrily cner the ice in my smooth sealskin breeches, on back,
stomach, side, just as it hajjpened. When I n^maged to stop them at

'1f!^

tJ'i\'--:<$^

:< /'// ■ ; i_^>ri-' ■;^■^ -'^ ' 'wA'jSV ^

MY FIRST ATTEMPT AT DOG DRIVING.
(Draa'it l>y A. Block.)

some pieces of pack-ice or a dust-heap, round they went again to the
starboard gangway, with me dangling behind, swearing madly that I
would break every bone in their bodies when I got at them. This
game went op till they probably tired of it, and thought they might as

1 ss

Chapter VI.

will ^o my \v;iy (or a chaiijifo. So now tlii-y went off heautirully across
tliu flat floe- until I st()|)|K'(l for a nionu-iit's brcathin},' space. Hut at
the first niovcMK-nt 1 made in the sledye tliey were off aj^ain, tearing
wildly hack tlie way we had come. I held on convulsively, pulled,
r.i;^ed, and used the whip ; hut the more 1 lashed the faster they went
on tlieir own way. At last 1 got them stopped hy sticking my legs
down into the snow h'jtween the sledge-:ihafts, and driving a strong
seal-hook into it as well. lUit while I was off my guard for a moment
they gave a tug. I lay with my hinder-part where my legs had heen,
and we went on at lightning speed — that substantial part of my body
leaving a deep track in the snow. This sort of thing went on time
after time. I lost the board I should have sat on, then the whip, then
my gloves, then my cap — these losses not imjjroving my temper. Once
or twice I ran round in front of the dogs, and tried to force them to
turn by lashing at them with the whip. They jumped to both sides,
and only tore on the faster ; the reins got twisted round my ankles, and
1 was ihrown flat on the sledge, and they went on more wildly than
ever. This was my fn^st experience in dog-driving on my own account,
and I will not pretend that I was jjroud of it. I inwardly congratulated
myself that my feats had been unobserved."'

" In the afternoon I examined the melted water of the newly-formed
brownish-red ice, of wliieh there is a good deal in the ojjenings round
us here. 'I'he micro.scope proved this colour to be produced by swarms
of small organisms, chiefly ])lants— quantities of diatoms and some algne,
a few of them very peculiar in form."'

"Saturday, October 21st. I have stayed in to-day because of an
affection of the muscles, or rheumatism, which I have had for some
days on the right side of my body, and for which the doctor is ' mas-
saging' me, thereby greatly adding to my sufferings. Have I really
grown so old and palsied, or is the whole thing imagination? It is all
1 can io to limp ab-)ut ; buL I just v.onder if I could not get up and
run with the best cf tlicm, if there happened to be any great occasion
for it : 1 almost believe I could. A nice Arctic hero of 32, lying here
in my berth ! Have had a good time reading hcnne letters, dreaming
myself at home, dreaming of the home-coming — in how many years?
Successful or unsuccessful, what does that matter?

The Winter Xiirlit.

1 89

" I li;ul n soiiiidinj,' takt-n ; it showed over 7.^ fath;)nis (r^s m ), so
we are in deeper water aj^aiii. 'i'lie sounding' line indii ated that we are
(hiftin},' south-west. I do not understand this steaily drift soutii wards.
There has not been nuu h wind either lately ; tliere is certainly a little
from the north to-day, hut not stronjf. What can he the reason of it ?
V.'ith all ni\ in format ion, all my reasoninjj;, all my puttinj^ of two and
two toj(ether, I cannot account 'ir any south-goinff current here there
ouj^ht to he a north-going one. W the current runs south here, how is
that great ojjcn sea we steamed north across, to he explained? and the
hay we ended in farthest north? These could only he produced hy the
north-going current which I pre-supposed. The only thing which puts
me out a hit is that west-going current which we had against us during
our whole voyage along the Siberian coast. We are never going to be
carried away south by the New Siberian Islands, and then west along
the coast of Siberia, anil then north by Cape Chelyuskin, the very wa)
we came I That would be rather too much of a good thing - to say
nothing of its being dead against every calculation.

" Well, who cares ? Somewhere we must go ; we can't stay here for
ever. 'It will all come right in the end,' as the saying, goes ; but I
wish we could get on a little flaster wherever we are going. On our
(Ireeniand Expedition, too, we were carried south to begin with, and
(hat ended well."

'• Sunday, October 22n(l. Henriksen took soundings this morning,
and found 70 fathoms (129 m.) of water. 'If we are drifting at all,'
said he, * it is to the east ; but there seems to be almost no movement.'
No wind to-day. I am kce])ing in my den."

" Monday, October 23rd. Still in the den. To-day, 5 fathoms
shallower than yesterday. The line points south-west, which means
that we are drifting north eastward. Hansen has reckoned out the
observation for the 19th, and fuids that we must have got 10 minutes
farther north, and must be in 78" 15' N. lat. So at last, now that the
wind had gone down, the north-going current is making itself felt.
Some channels have opened near us, one along the side of the ship, and
one ahead, near the old channel. Only slight signs of pressure in the
afternoon.''

" Tuesday, October 24th. Between 4 and 5 a.m. there was strong

iqn

Cliapur \I,

[irossuro, ;in(I t!u' /hr/// \\\\> liluvl up a little. It looks as il'ilic prcss'Ure
wi'ii' goiiij,' io ln';,nii aj^aiii ; we ha\f sprinj^-tidc will) i'lill-nioon. The
ice opeiie:! so miK h this inorniiifi that the J-'iiVn was afloat i;i I'^cr
(Ut'.inji ; later on it dosed a),Miii. anil alxint ii there was some stron;^
ifrc.ssiire ; then c.ime a, (|uiet time : hut in tin; alUrnoou the prt'ssurc
l)eji,Mn OIK e more, and was violent from 4 to 4.30. The J'Vam was
shaken and lifted up; didn't mind a hit. Peter jj[ave it as his opinion
tliat tlie pressure was coming from tlie north-east, lor he had heard the
noise approaching from tliat direction. Johansen let down the silk net
for me about 11 fatliom-i. It was all lie could do to get it up again in
time, hut it brought up a good catch. Am still keeping in.''

" Wednesday, October 25th. We had a horrible pressure last night.
1 awoke and felt the hniin bjing lifti'd, shaken, and tossed about, and
heard the loud < ra( king of the ice l)reaking against her sides. After
Ii;- Jiiing for a little wliile I fell asleep again, with a snug feeling that it
was good to be on board the Fraiii ; it would be confoundedly
uncomfortable to have to 1)'J ready to turn out every time there was a
little pressure, or to have to go off with nwx bundles on our backs like
the 'Tegethoff people."

" It is ([uiekly getting darker. The sun stands lower and lower tvery
time we see it ; soon it will disappear altogether, if it has not done so
already. The long dark winter is up;)n us, and glad sI\t11 we be to see
the spring ; but nothing matters much if we could only J)egin to move
north. There is now south-westerly wind, and the windmill, which has
t)een ready for several days, has been tried at last and works splendidly.
^Ve have beautiful electric light to-day, though the wind has not been
specially strong (5 8m. (16-26 feet) per second). Electric lamj)s are a
grand institution. "What a strong influence light has on one's spirits !
There was a noticeable brightening-up at the dinner table to-day ; the
light acted on our spirits like a draught of good wine. And' how festive
tlie saloon looks I We felt it quite a great occasion — drank Oscar
Dickson's health, and voted him the t)est of good fellows.

'• Wonderful moonshine this evening, liglit as dfty ; and along with
it aurora borealis, yellow and strange in the white moonlight; a large
ring round the moon — ^all this over the great stretch of white, shining
ice, here and there in our neiglibourhood piled up high by the pressure.

TIk' WiiiUT Xitj^lit.

191

And in tlu' inid^t of lliis ^ik'iit silvery ice-world tlu; windniill swi-cps
round its d;irk wind's ii;,Minsl the dee|) blue s!;y and the iUiror.i. .N
stranj,'e contrast : ( i\ ili/ation niakinj; a sudden incursion into this tro/en
^diostly world.

"To-morrow is li.e Fr.'in's hirtlulay. How many memories it recalls
oi the laiHK h day a war a^'o."

" 'riuirsday, October 2(ti\\. 164 fathoms (500 m.) of water when the
soimdmgs were taken this mornitij^. We are movinj( (luic kly north •
(hie north -says I'eter. It does look as if thinjfs were K<*'"K better.
Oreat celebration of the (hiy, bej,Mnnin^' with target-shooting^. 'Then we
had a splendid dinner of fv)ur courses, wiiich put our digestive apparatus
to a severe test. 'V\\k.' J'nuns iieallh was drunk amidst great and stormy
applause. 'I'he proposers words were e< hoed by all hearts when he
said that she was su( li an e\i ellent shi|) for our piupose, that we coidd
ncit imagine a better (great applause), and wi- therefore wished her,
and ourselves with her, long life (hear, hear). After supper came
strawberry and lemon punc !i, and prizes were ]iresented with much
ceremony and a good deal of fun ; all being * taken ott" in turn in
.■•uilablt! mottoes, for the most part com|)v)sed by the ship's doctor,
'lliere was a prize for each man. The first prize-taker was awarded the
wooden cross of tlie Order of the Fnvn, io wear suspended from his
neck by a ribbon of white tape ; the last received a mirror, in whic h
to see his fallen greatness. Smoking in the saloon was allowed this
evening, so now pipes, toddy, and an animated game of whist, ended a
bright and successful holiday.

" Sitting here now alone, my thouglits involuntarily turn to the
year that has* gone since we stood up there on the platform, and she
threw the chamjK-.gne against the bow, sa)ing : ' /■'ntiii is your name I'
and the strong, heavy hull began to glide so gently. I held her hand
tight ; the tears came into eyes and throat, and one could not get c)Ut a
word. The sturdy hull diveil i.ito tlie glittering water ; a sunny haze
lay over the whole picture. Never shall I forget the momer.t we stood
there together, looking out over the scene. And to think of all that
has happened these four last months! Separated by rea and land and
ice ; coming years, too, lying between us — it is all just the continuation
of what happened that day. But how long is it to last ? I have such

193

Chiiptcr \'I.

(liffit ultv in fivliivr tli;it I iiin not to sou Iioinc airain soon. W'lien

I t

n'y,\\\ to rt'lkM

t. I k

MOW that It inav

loiu

liiit I will not

IKMII'VC It.

'*'l'o-(la\, morc'oviT. \vc took solemn larfwi-ll of tin- sun. Half of
its disc showed at noon lor thi- last time above the ed),'i' of the ii e in
Ihc soiitli, a llattened body, with a dull red ^low , liiit no heat. Now
we are entering,' the ni;,dU of winter. What is it brini^in^j us ? Where
shaM We he when the sun returns? No one can tell. 'I'o console us
for the loss of the sun, we Ikui' the most wonderful moonlight ; the
moon ^'oes round the sky ni^du and <lay. 'I'hcre is, stran;^e to say,
little pressure just now ; only an occasional slij(ht siiueuze. Hut the
ice often opens considerably ; there arc large pieces oi" water in .several
directions ; to-day there were .some good-sized ones to the south."

" I'Viday, October 27th. The soundinj,rs this morning,' showed
52 fathoms (95 m.) of water. .\( (orilin;; to observations taken yester-
day afternoon, we are about ,V farther north, and a little farther west
than on the 19th. It is disj,rustinj^ the way we are muddling,' about
here. We must have got into a hole where the ice grinds round and
round, and can't get farther. And the time is pa.ssing all to no
pur]»ose : and goodness only knows how long this sort of thing may
go on. If only a good south wind would come and drive us north, out
of this hobble I The boys have taken uj) the rudder again to-day.
A\'hile they were working at this in the afternoon, it suddenly grew as
bright as day. A strange fire-ball crossed the sky in the west giving a
bluish-white light, they said. Johansen ran down to the saloon to tell
Hansen and me; he said they could still see the bright trails it had left
in its train. When we got on deck we saw a bent bow of light in the
'Triangle,' near ' Deheb.' The meteor had disappeared in the
neighbourhood of ' l-lpsilon Cygni ' (constellation 'Swan'), but its
light remained for a long time floating in the air like glowing (hl^t.
No one had seen the actual fire-ball, as they had all had their backs
turned to it, and they could not say if it had burst. This is the second
great meteor of e.xceptional splendour that has ajjpeared to us in these
regions. The ice has a curious inclination to slacken without pressure
having occurred, and every now and then we find the ship floating in
open water. This is the case to-day."

I Ik; Wiimr Ni'-lit.

").

" S;iiiiril,i\ , ( )( IdIut jSili. N'()tliiii;,Mir .iii\ iin|)iprl.inf(- . .M(iun>!iiii'.'
ni;,'ln .111(1 il,i\'. A >,'l(t\V it) llir soUlli lioiil t'lr sim."

" Siinil.iN . ( )rl(ilur .'ijtii. I'liir >lint .1 wluic los llii> ninniiiiL; > In>c
in Id ilii ''liiii. I'or •Miiiii' liiiif l.iuly Wf li.iVf hicii M'ciii;,' \i>\ li.u k> in
ilic mniniMj,'s, anil uin' Siiiul.iy .Mi>j;stail s;r,v ilic I'lix its, IT. li li.is, no
(l(iiil)i, lu'fii (oniiiii; ri'>.^ularly to I'ml mi tlu- olfal iirilic in-ars. Slmrily
al'liT till' I'li't tiiu' was shot aiintluT was scrii ; u i aiiii' anil -inrli its
iliail ( oinradi', l)iit soon mi ()(Taf,Min and ili-a|i|itMiTtl. It in r>inaik
alilr thai ilicrr should he so many invc^ on this dril't ict' so far imm
1,111(1. Iiut .iricr all il is not huh h iiioii' sm (iiisinj; tli.m iiiv ((Piinng
upon fos Ir.ii l\-i out on the i( c lu'i wi cii Jan .Ma\ en and S| li t /I ))•!■;,'( 'ii,'

"Monday. ()( tohiT .^otli. To ilay tlir ti'iiip raturc has <(oni" dowr
iS !•'. Iiclow /.i'ro(— ;:7 ('.). I took up tlu' dri'duc I h.id put out
vrstL'iil.iy, It l)rou;,du up two [lails of mud iVom the hottom. .md I
haw hci'ii busy all day washing this out in the saloon in a lar>,'f U.ith,
to <fii'{ the niany animals (ontaiiu'd in il. 'I'luy wi-iv chii'lly stai(i>!i,
waving siarlish, inudusiL" (astrol'liyton), si'a-siu,L(s, coral insects (dirvii-
ini /(('). worms, spon/fi's, slu'lMlsh, and crusUK cans ; and were, (>r coursi.',
all ( aivfully jiri'sc'rvcd in spirits.''

" Tutsday, Octohrr ,^i t. I'orty-ninc lathoirs (90 m.) of watrr to-
da\, ,ind llu' < urrfiit driving; us hard to the south west. We ha\i' Ljood
wind for the mill now, and the i'le< irii lamjjs burn all day. 'I'lie .ire
lamp under the skylight makes us ([uite foin'i the want of siin. ( )h !
li^fhl is a fflorious thiiiif. and life is fair in spite of all privations .' This
is Sverdrup's birthday, and we had revolver ])ra< tiie in the morning.
()f (ourse a magniluent dinner of five courses: thicken soup, boiled
mackerel, reindeer ribs with bakt'd tauliilower and potatoes, macaroni
pudding, and slewed pi'ars with milk Ringnes ale to wash il down."'

'• 'i'hursday, November jnd. The leinpeialuri' keep> at about 21" V .
below zero (— 30 ('.) now ; but il does nol feel wxs (old, the air is ^o
^till. We (Mil seethe aurora borealis in the day-time too. 1 saw a \ery
remarkable display of it about _; this afternoon. On tlu' southwestern
horizon Ia\' the glow of the sun ; in front (-f it liglil clouds wcic swep:
together like a cloud of dust rising above a distant troop of rider-;.
Then dark streamers of gauze seeiiied to slret( h from the dust (loud up
(Aer the sky, as if it came from the sun, ( r perha]is ratlver as if the

191

Chapter \'I,

sun wi'ii- suckiiiir it in to itself IVoiii the

WllOlC

was only m

the .soutli-wcsl tliat thusc stri-nincrs \w\x' darlc ; a littk' hii^dicr up,
farlliLT IVom tlic sun glow, tliey t;ie'\v uliitL' and shininj;', like fiiK',
glistc'tiinu; silver ,<,raii/e. 'I'liey s[)rea(l owr tiu' vault of luaveii ahove
us, and rii;ht ;'\vay towards the north. They certaiidy resembled
aurora horealis ; hut perhaps they mij^dit he ouly light vapours hoxering
iiigh up in the sky, and catching the- sunlighi

? I stood long look

at them. They were singularly still, hut th/\- :r(/r northern lights,
changing gradually in the south-west into dark cloud-streamers, and
ending in tin.' dust-cloud over tlu- sun. llansen saw them too, later,
when it was dark. 'I'here was no douhl of tlu'ir nature. Ilis impres-
sion was that the aurora horealis sjjread from th.e sun over the whole
vault of heaven like tlii' stri[)es on the inner skin of an orange."'

" Smulay, Novemher 5th. .V great race on tiie ice was advi'rtised
for to-day. Tlie course was mi-asiued, marked off, and decorated with
flags. 'I'he (ook had pre|)ari'd tlu' prizes (akes, numbered, and
properly graduatt'd in si/e. The expectation was great ; luU it turned
out that, from e\<essive iraininu duriuLr tiu- few last davs, the whole

crew were so slifl \u the legs that they were not able to moxi

e ijfot

our prizes

the same. One man wa.-; bliiul folded, and lu' decided

who was to ha\-e eacl

1 cake as \l was pouUed at.

This just arrangement

met with general ap|)robation, aiul we all ihorght it a pleasanter way of
getting the prizes than ru.nning half-a mile for them."

"So it is Siuiday once more. Ilow the da\s drag past! I work,
read, think, and dre.im ; stnun a little on the organ ; go for a walk on
the ice in the dirk. I ,ow on the hoiizon in the >outh wi'sl there is the

ush ol the Sim

a uari

lerce red

as I

smouulerniL

lontrmus

low and

ar ol

fof

hke

)IO>)(l

low Willi a!

lif

e s

11' di(-'ani-lan(l of vouth.

Uglier in the sky it luelts into orange, and that into g

reen and pale

i>l

nul then (omes dvv\) hlue. star ^own. and then mhm'ti' space

when' no dawn will ever break. In ihe luirlli are ([uivering arc lu's

faint aurora, trend)linu 1

low Uke awaKeniii

lor.giii'^s.

i)Ut

hresenllv, as

ifat the toiicli of a magic wand, to storm as striMiii^ of liLjiit throusjh

the

dark l)liK

iu'aven lU'ver at neac

rc'slk'^s a.

ne \vv\ soul ol

man. 1 can sit and gaze and gaze, m\- exes iMitranced I \- ll

11' iiri'am-

iow )onder in the west, wh.ere the iiujun'.^ tliin. [lale, siiver-sic

The Winter Niuht.

J 95

(lip])ing its point into the blood : and my soul is l)ot"ne hi'vond llic glow,
to the sun so far off now— and to \.hc honu' ( oniing ! Our task a( com
phshed, \\v arc making our wa)- up thi" fjord as last as sail and stiam
ran carry us. On l)()tii sides oi" us the houu'land hes suuhng in tiie
sun; and then .... the suiCerings of a thousand (hiys and liours
melt into a moment's inexpressible joy. I'gh ! tiiat was a bitter gust —
I jump up and walk on. What am I dreaming ai)out I so lar yet from
the goal — hundreds and lumdreds of mik's belwei-n us, i( e and land
and ice again. And we are drifting round and round in a ring,
bewildered, attaining nothing, only wailing, ahva\s wailing, for what ?

" I dreamt 1 lay on a grass\' bank.
And liie sun shone warm and ( lear,
I wakened on a desert isle.
And the sky was bku k and drear."

"One more look at llu' star of iionu'. the one that stood that I'vening
over Cai)e Chelyuskin, and I (i\'i.'p on board, when- the windmill is
turning in the cold wind, and liu' elec trie light is streaming out from
the sk)Iighl upon the icy desolation of the Arctic night."

" W'edni'sday, November Sih. The storm (which we had hail the
two previous days) is ([uite gone down : not e\t'n enough i)ree/e for the
mill. We trit'd k-tting tlie dogs sleep on the ici' last night, instead of
bringing tlu'in on board in the evening, as we ha\e been doing lately.
'I'he result was that anotlier dog was torn to pii'ces during tiie night.
It was ' riabrand,' tiie old brown, toothless follow, that went this tinu-.
'Job' and 'Moses' had gone the same way bi'fort'. W'slerdav
evening's observations plact' us in 77 .i^^;' N. lat. and i_^S S' I',, long.
This is farther south than we have been yet. No help for it ; but it is
a sorry state of matters ; and thai we ari' farther east than e\er before
is only a poor consolation. It is a new moon again, and we ma)'
therefore i-xpect |)ri'ssure ; the ice i>, in fact. alreaiK niox ing ; it bt'gan
to split on Saturday, and has broki'ii up mort.' ea( h day. The ( haiuiels
have been oI a good si/i', and the movi'ment becomes more and more
])crceptil)le. Yesterday then' was slight pressure, and we notici'd it
again this morning about 5 o'c loi k. To-day the ice by the ship has
oi)ened, and we are almost alloat.

o :

li!

196

Chapter \'I,

" Here I sit in the still winter night on the drifting ice-floe, and see
only stars above me. Far off I see tiie threads of life twisting them-
selves into the intricate web which stretches unbroken from life's sweet
morning; dawn to the eternal death-stillness of the ic?, Thoiifrht
follcvs thou<.fht — you pick the whole to i:itces, and it secn:s so small —
but iSgh above all towers one form. . . . U7/y did yoit take tJiis
V(>ya,i^c? .... Could I do otherwise? Can the river arrest its
course and run up hill ? My plan has come to nothing. I'liat palace
of theory, which I reared in pride and self-confidence, high above all
silly objections, has fallen like a house of cards at the first breath of
wind. JJuild up the most ingenious theories, and you may be sure of
one thing— that fact will defy them all. Was I so very sure? Yes, at
times ; but that was self-deception, intoxication. A secret doubt lurked
behind all the reasoning. It seemed as though the longer 1 dcfendetl
my theory, the nearer I came to doubting it. But /lo, tlieru is no
getting over the evidence of that Siberian drift-wood.

" I'ut iC, after all, we are on the wrong track, what then ? Only
disappointed human hopes, nothing more. And even if we perish,
what will it matter in the endless cycles of eternity ? "

*' 'I'hursday, November 9th. I took temperatures and sea-water
samples to-day every 10 yards from the surface to the bottom. The
depth was 9^ fLithoms. An extraordinarily even temperature of 30° Fahr.
( — 1"5 C.) through all the layers. I liave noticed the same thing before
as far south as this. So it is only jjolar water here ? There is not
nuich pressure ; an inclination to it this morning and a little at 8 o'clock
this evening, also a few squeezes later, when we were playing cards."

" Friday, November loth. This morning made despairing examina-
tions of yesterday's water samples with Thornoe's electric apparatus.
There must be absolute stillness on board when this is gc^ing on. The
men are all terrified, slip about on tiptf)e, and talk in the lowest
])ossible whispers. But presently one begins lo hammer at something
on deck, and another to file in the engine-room, when the chief's
coiViman'.ling voice is at once heard, ordering silence. These
examinations are made by means of a lele|)hone, through which a
very faint noise is heard, which dies slowly away ; th2 moment at
which it stops must be exactly ascertaincil.

The Winter Nioht.

19;

" I find remarkably little salt all the way to the bottom in the water
here ; it must be mixed with fresh water from the Siberian river.

" There was seme pressure this morning, going on till neai.y noon,
and we heard the noise of it in several directions. In the afternoon
the ice was quite slack, with a large opening alongside the port side
of the ship. At half-past seven pretty strong pressure began, the ice
crashing and grinding along the ship's side. About midnight the roar
of packing was heard to the south.

"Saturday, November nth. There has been some pressure in the
course of the day. 'J"he newly-formed ice is about 15 inches thick. It
is hard on the top, but looser and porous below. This particular piece
of ice began to form upon a large opening in the night between the
27th and 28th October, so iL has frozen 15 inches in 15 days. I
observed that it froze 3 inches the first night, and 5 inches altogetlier
during the three first nights; so that it has taken 12 days to form the
last 10 inches."

Even this small observation serves to show that the formation of ice
goes on most easily where the crust is thin, becoming more and more
difficult as the thickness increases, until at a certain thickness, as we
observed later, it stops altogether. " It is curious that the pressure
has gone on almost all day— no slackening such as we have usually
observed."

"Sunday, November lyth. Our life has gone on its usual
monotonous routine since the nth. The wind has been steadily
from the south all the week, but to-day there is a little from X.N.A\\
We have had pressure several times, and have heard sounds of it in tlie
south-east. Except for this, the ice has been unusually ([uiet, and it is
closed in tightly round the sliip. Since the last strong pressure we have
probably 10 to 20 feet of ice packed in below us.* Man>en to-day
worked out an observation taken the day before yesterday, and surprised
us with the welcome intelligence that we have travelled 44' north and a
little east since the 8th. We are now in 78° 27' north latitude, 139" 23
east longitude. This is farther east than we have been yet. l-'or any
sake let us only keep on as we are going !

* On a lalcr occasion, ihcy bored down 30 feet wiihout reacliini; lliu lower surface
of tlio ico.

, 198

Chapter VI.

((

) The /'>•(?;« is a warm, cosy aljode. Whether the ihermometer
'stands at 22° above zero or at 22^ below il, we have no fire in ilie
stove. The ventilation is excellent, especially since we rigged up the
air sail, which sends a whole winter's cold in through the ventilator ;
yet in spite of tiiis we sit here warm and comfortable, with only a lamj)
burning. I am thinking of having the stove removed altogether ; it is
only in the way. At least, as far as our protection from the winter cold
is concerned, my calculations have turned out well. Neither do we
suffer much from damp. It does collect and drop a little from the roof
in one or two places, especially astern in the four-man cabins ; but
nothing in comparison with what is common in other ships ; and if
we lighted the stove it would disap])car altogether. A\'hen I have
burned a lamp for quite a short time in my cabin, every trace of damp
is gone.* 'J'hese are extraordinary fellows for standing the cold. With
the thermometer at 22" F. below zero Bentzen goes up in his shirt and
trousers to read the thermometer on deck."

" Monday, November 27th. The prevailing wind has been southerly,
with sometimes a little east. The temperature still keeps between 13°
and 22" below zero ; in the hold it has fallen to 12°."

It has several times struck me that the streamers of the aurora
borealis followed in the direction of the wind, from the wind's eye
on the horizon. On Thursilay morning, when we had very slight
north-easterly wind, I even ventured to prophesy, from the direction cf
the streamers, that it would go round to the south-east, which it accord-
ingly did. On the whole there has been much less of the aurora
borealis lately than at the beginning of our drift. Still, though it
may have been faint, there lias been a little every day. To-night it
is very strong again. These last days the moon has sometimes
had rings round it, with mock-moons and axes — accompanied by
rather strange phenomena. When the moon stands so low that
the ringr touches the horizon, a bright field of light is formed where

* When we had fire in the stoves later, especially during the following winter,
there was not a sign of damp anywhere — neither in saloon nor small cabins. It was,
if anything, rather too diy, for the panels of the walls and roof dried and shrank
considerably.

The Winter Nioht.

199

the horizon ( uts the ring. Similar expanses of hglit are also ronned
where the ]ier])en(li( iilar axis fnini the moon intersects the hori/.on
I'aint rainbows are olUii to he seen in these shining light-fields ;
yellow was generally the strongest tint nearest the horizon, i)assing
(jver into red, and then into blue. Similar colours could also
be distinguished in the mock-moons. Sometimes tliere are two
large rings — the one (julside the other — and then there may be
four mork-nn)ons. I have also seen part of a new ring ;d)ove
the usual one, meeting it at a tangent (hrectly above the moon.
As is well known, these various ring formations round the stui, as
well as round the moon, are jiroduced by the refraction of rays of
light by minute ice crystals floating in the air.

" We looked for pressure with full moon and spring tide on 23rd of
November ; but then, and for several days afterwards, the ice was <iuite
(luiet. On the afternoon of Saturday, the 25111, however, its distant
roar was heard from the south, and we have heard it from the same
direction every day since. This morning it was very loud, and came
gradually nearer. At nine o'clock it was (juite close to us, and this
evening we hear it near us again. It seems, however, as if we had now-
got out of the groove to which the pressure principally confines itself.
We were regularly in it before. The ice round us is perfectly (piiet.
Tiie })rol)ability is that the last severe ])ressure ])acked it very tight
about us, and that the cold since has frozen it into such a thick strong
mass that it offers great resistance, wliile the weaker ice in other places
yields to the pressure. The depth of the sea is increasing steadily, and
we are drifting north. This evening Hansen has worked out the
observations of the day bef(.)re yesterday, and fmds that we are in
•jr)" 11' north latitude. That is good, and the way we ought to get on.
It is the most northern point we have reached yet, and to-day we are in
all likelihood still firtlier north. W'c have made good way these last
days, and the increa.sing depth seems to indicate a hap])y change in the
direction of our drift. Have we, perhaps, really found the right road at
last ? We are drifting about 5' a day. The most satisfactory thing is
that there has not been much wind lately, especially the two last days .
yesterday it was only about 3 feet i)er second ; to-day is perfectly still,
and yet the depth has increased 21 fathoms (40 m.) in these two days.

200

CliaptcT V'l.

It sirins as if there wur ;i northerly current aflt-r all. 'So doubt many
rlisapitointniL'nts await us yet ; hut why not rejoice while iortuni'
smiles ? "'

" 'I'uesdny. Xovcmher 28th. The disappointment l():-t no tiini' in
coming;. There had hren a mi.-take either in the observation or in
IlansLu's ( alculations. An altitude of Jupiter taken yesterday evening
shows u^ to be in yS' 36' north latitude. The soundings to-day
showed 74 fathoms (143 m.) of water, or about the same as yesterday,
and the sounding -line indicated a south-westerly <lrift. However
anxioUM one is to take things philosophically, one can't help feeling a
little de{)ressed. 1 try to fmd solace in a book ; absorb myself in the
learning of the Indians — their happy faith in transcendental powers, in
the supernatural faculties of tlie soul, and in a i'uture life. Oh, if one
(ouKl onl\ get hold of a little supernatural [xiwer now, and oblige the
winds alwa\s to blow from the south I

'■ I went on deck this evening in rather a gloomy frame of mind, but
was nailed to the spot the moment I got outside. There is the super-
natural for \ou--thc northern lights flashing in matchless power and
beauty oxer the sky in all the colours of the rainbow I Seldom or
never have I seen the colours so brilliant. The prevailing one at fust
was yellow, but tliat gradually flickered over into green, and then a
sparkling ruby-red began to show at the bottom of the rays on the
luitler side of the arch, soon spreading over the whole arch. And now
from the far-away western horizon a fiery seriient writhed itsc.f up over
the sky, shinuig brighter and brighter as it came. It s])Vn into three
all brilliai-.tly glittering. Then the colours changed. The serpent to
the so-itli turned almost ruby-red, with si)0ts of yellow : the one in the
middle. )ellow ; and the one to the north, greenish-white. Sheafs of
ra\ ■; ';vept along the sides of the serpents, driven through the ether-like
waxes itetore a storm-wind. They sway backwards and forwards, now
strong, now fainter again, '''he serpents reached and passed the zenith.
'J'hough 1 was tliiidy dres:;:id and shivering with cold. I could not tear
myself awa\ till the sjiectacle was over, and only a fiiintly-glowing liery
serpent rear the \>estern horizon showed where it had begun. When I
canie on deck later the masses of light had passed northwards, and
s[>re;ul tliemsehes in incomplete arches over the northern sk)-. If one

The Winter Xi<>ht.

!OI

wants to lead mystic nicaninj^s into the jjlicnonicna of natuir, luii',
surrly, is tlii' opportunity.

"The observation this afternoon showed us to i»e in 7S 3.S' 42' X.
hit. This is anything but rapid proj^ress.

" \\'e(lnes(iay. November 2c;th. Another doj; has been l)itten to death
to-day -' I''ox,' a handsome, povvcrlul animal. He was found lyini;
dead and stiff on tiie ice at our stern this evening when they went to
l)ring the dogs in, ' Suggen ' performing her uiual duiy of watcliing the
body. They are wretches, tliesc dogs. Hut now I have given orders
that some one must ahvays watch them when they are out on tlie ice.

" Thursd.iy, November 30th. The lead showed a depth of e\a( tl\-
93 fathoms (170 m.) to-day, and it seemed by the hne as if we were
(h'ifting north west. We are ahnost certainly further north now ; hopes
are rising, ;nid life is Itjoking brighter again. My spirits are like a
pendulum, if one could imagine such an instrument giving all sorts of
irregular springs backwards and forwards. It is no good trying to take
the thing philosoi)Iiically : I cannot deny that the (juestion whether we
are to return successful or unsuccessful affects nie very deeply. It is
([uite easy to C()n\ince myself with the most incontrovertible reasoning
that what really matters is to carry through the expedition, whether
successfully or not, and get safe home again. I could not but under-
take it ; for my plan was one that I felt must succeed, and therefore it
was my duty to try it. Well, if it does not succeed, is that my affair ?
I have done my duty, done all that could be done, and can return
home with an easy conscience to the quiet happiness I liave left
behind. What can it matter whether chance, or whatever name \()u
like to give it, does or does not allow the plan to succeed and make
our names immortal? The worth of the plan is the same whetlur
chance smiles or frowns upon it. And as to immortality, hapi)iness is
all we want, r.nd that is not to be had here.

'• I v:\n say all this Ui irsyself a thousand times ; I ( an bring myseli
to I lieve iioncstly that it is all a matter of indifference to me; but
none the Ijss my spirits change like the clouds of heaven according as
the wind blows from this direction or from that, or the soundings show
the deji/n to be increasing or not, or the observations indicate a
norther])- or southerly drift. When I think of the many that trust us,

202

Chapter VI.

think of Norwny, ihiiik of all llic fiiL'iids that gave us their time,
tlu'ir I'ailli, and their money, tlie wish conies that they may not be
disappointed, and I grow sombre wIk.mi our progress is not what we
expected it would be. And she that gave most docs she deserve that
her sacrifice shcjukl have been made in vain? Ah, yes, we nuist and
will succeed I "'

"Sunday, December 3rd. Sunday again, with its feeling of peace,
and its permission to indulge in the narcotic of hajjpy day-dreams, and
let the hours go idly by, wuhout any prickhigs of conscien( e.

'' 'I'oday the bottom was not reached with over 135^ fathoms
(250 m.) of line. There was a north-easterly drift. Yesterday's
observation showed us to be in 78' 44' north latitude, that is 5' farther
north than on 'I'uesday. It is horribly slow ; but it is forwai'd, and
forwai'd we must go ; there can be no question of that.''

"'I'uesday, December 5th. This is the coldest day we have had
yet, with the tliermometcr 31" i)elow' zero (— 35"7" C.) and a biting
wind from the IC.S.E. Observation in the afternoon shows 78° 50'
north latitude, that is 6' farther north than on Saturday, or 2' per
day. In the afternoon we had magnilicent aurora borcalis— glittering
arches across the whole vault of the sky from the east towards the
west ; but when I was on deck this evening the sky was overcast : only
one star shone through the cloudy veil — the home star. How I love
it ! It is the first thing my eye seeks, and it is always there, shining on
our path. I feel as if no ill could befiill us as long as I sec it there. .

" Wednesday, December 6th. This afternoon the ice cracked a'aft
the starboar-d (juarter ; this evening I see that the crack has opened.
AVe may expect pressure now, as it is new moon either to-day or to-
morrow.

" Thui'sday, December 7th. The ice pressed at the stern at five
o'clock this morning for ai)out an hour. I lay in my berth and
listened to it creaking and grinding and roaring. There was slight
pressure again in the afternoon ; nothing to sjieak of. No slackening
in the forenoon."'

" Friday, December 8th. Pressure from seven till eight this morn-
ing. As I was sitting drawing in the afternoon I was '■tartled by a

5ht
ing

o
'J
■f.

■A

O
■jlI

2 ^

o
o

^ \

!04

Chapter VI.

Muldcn report or crash. It seemed to he slnii^'ht overhead, as if great
masses ol" ire had fallen from thi- rig^nii;,^ on to the deck al)o\e my
( ahiii. ICvery one starts up and throws on some extra j,'arment ; those
i!iat are taking an afternoon nap jump out of tiieir berths right into the
middle of the saloon, calling out to know what has happened. I'et-
tersen rushes up the comi)anion ladder in such wild haste liiat he
huists open the door in the face of the m;ite, who is standing in the
passage holchng back ' Kvik,' who has also started in fright iVoni the
lied in the chart-rooin, where she is expecting her conllnement. On
deck we could discover nothing, except that the ice was in nuHion,
and seemed to be sinking slowly away from the ship. (Ireat piles had
Ijeen i)acked up under the sLern this morning and yesterday. The
explosion was probably caused by a violent pressure suddenly loosening
all the ice along the ship's side, the ship at the same time taking a
strong list to |)ort. There was no cracking of wood to bo heard, so
that, whatever it was, the Fmrn cannot have been injured. But it was
colli, and we crept down again.

"As we were sitting at supper, ai)out six o'clcxk, pressure suddenly
began. The ice creaked and roared so along the ship's sides close by
us that it was not possible to carry on any c onnected conversation ; we
liad to scream, and all agreed with Nordahl when he remarked that it
would be much ])leasanter if the pressure would confine its operations
to the bow instead of coming bothering us here aft. Amidst the noise
we caught every now and again from the organ a note or two of
Kjerulfs melody : ' I could not sleep for the nightingale's voice.' The
hurly-burly outside lasted for about twenty minutes, and then all was
still.

"Later in the evening Hansen tame down to give notice of what
really was a remarkai)le apjiearance of aurora borealis. The deck
was brightly illuminated by it, and reflations of its light played all
over the i( e. The whole sky was ablaze with it, but it was brightest
in the south ; higii up in that direction glowed waving masses of fire.
Later still Hanse.i came again to say that now it was ([uite extra-
ordinary. No words can depi( t the glory that met our eyes. The
glowing fire-masses nad divided into glistening, many-coloured bands,
whi( h were writhing and twisting across the sky both in thu south and

'I'hc Wiiiicr Xij^ht.

Jo:

"he
wis

lal

nil

tcsl

ire.

tra-

'hc

ids,

irr.tli. 'I'll'' rays sparkled with tin- purist, iiioNt cryslalliru; rainbow
colours, ( liielly viok't ri<l or (ariniiu.' and the ( k-arcst j,'rc'c'n. Most
rr('(|ncntly tin.' ra\s ot' tlu' arcli wvyc red at the t iids, a'ui ( !ianj,'cd
hi^rher ii;.' into N|iarl<liii,u; ;,MVi'n, wliii h iiiiite at tlu top tunu'il darker,
and w^ f.'. o\er into blue or \ iolet before disappearin;^ i.i lie l)lne ol
the sky ; or tl'.- rays in one and the same ar( h ini^ht change from
clear red to ( 'car green, coming' and goin^' as if driven by a storm. It
was an endless phantasmagoria of sparkling colour, surpassing any
thing that one (an dream. Sometimes the spec tacle reached sut li a
climax that one's bri-ath was taken away ; one felt that now something
extraordinary must happen — at tin- \ery least the sky must fall. Jiut
as one stands in breathless expectation, down the wliole tiling trips, as
if in a few (piick, light scale-rims, into bani nothingness. 'I'herj is
sometliing most undramatic about such a dtiuuii'mciit, but it is all done
with such conlident assurance that one cannot take it amiss ; one
feels one's self in the presence of a master who has the conijilete
command of his instrinnent. ^^'itll a single stroke of the bow he
descends lightly and elegantly from the height of passion into cjuiet,
cver\-day strains, only with a few more strokes to work himself up into
passion again. It seems as if he were trying to mock, to tease us
When we are on the point of going below, driven by 6i degrees ol
frost f — 34'7 C), such magnificent tones again vibrate over the strings
that we stay, until noses and ears are frozen. I'or a linale, there is
a wild display of fireworks in every tint of flame — such a conflagration
that on.; 'jxpects e\ery minute to have it down on the ice, because
there is not room for it in the sky. Ikit I can hold out no longer.
Thinly dressed, without a proper ( ap, and without gloves, 1 have no
feeling left in body or limbs, and 1 crawl away below.''

"Sunday, Deicmber loth. Another peaceful Sunday. The motto
for the day in the English almanac is : — 'He is hap})/ whose circum-
stances su't his teiiifier ; but he is more excellent whn can suit his
teiri;er io my circumstances' (Hume). \'ery true, Tnd exactly the
l)hilosophy 1 am practising at this moment. I am lyi.ig on my berth
in the light f^f the electric lamp, eating cake and drinking beer whilst
I am writing my journal ; presently I shall take a book and settle
down to read and sleep. The arc lamp has shone like a sun to-dav

2o6

(Mi.iplcr \'l.

over a hn|i|iy compnin. W-.- Ii:i\ • n<» (.illKuliv n )\v in (li>iin^iiii>liin;.;
hearts from diamoinls cm (nir dirls (■.ir<N. Ii i-« wnndfirul wli.it an
effect li^'lil lias. I lulievr 1 am lu'comiiiL; a fire w()rslii|i|MT. It !■.
straMm' I'iKiugli llial liii'-uorsliiii sIkhiIiI i.ol csiiit in llic Arc In

countries.

' I''or the M)iis of mrn

l''ii(' i-i tin- l>t'-^l,

Ami tlic si^ht of t'u- siin.'

" A newspaper ajipcar-. on hoard now. /■)■•< i>is/,u!* (ni'ws ol. or
outlook from, the /■ntiii) \- ils name, and our do( tor i'^ its iiii'sponsihlc
editor. 'I'lic fn->t numhcr w.i^ read aloud tin-. e\emn^. and ^avr
occasion for much niiMriment. Amon^-^t it^ (ontenl^ nw : —

'WIN IKK IN 11 1 1'. Hi:.

(("ontrihution to the Infant /■'iiiiiisjtii.)

V\\< ill the ici' there lii's a shii). hoys,

Mast and sail, lee to the \ery tip. ho)s;

Hut. jierfeetly < kar,

If)'ou listen you (an hear,

'i'here is life and fun on hoard tlial sliip. hoys.

What can it he?

Come alon;j; and see — ■

It is Nanscn and his men that lauyh, i)oys.

Notliini^ to be heard at ni.Lihl but glasses' i hnk

I'all of greasy cards and counters' chink, hoys ;

If he won't " declare,"

Nordahl he will swear

Hent/eii is stupid as an owl, boys

]lent/en cool, boys,

Is not a fool, boys ;

" \'oi.'re another ! "" (|ui(kly he rejjlies. bovs.

hovs,

■ App;ucnlly mndclluil .^n tln' lilic of iIk' \vell-kii..\\ n iii.np;.i/'mi--, A'r/ii,C\/"",
wliich moans " .\ l/«ok .\rouii.l " or ••Smw)." l-raiii;jaa iniy,hl \k tnuisl.iU-t!
"The /■'ram's I.i)..lx-t)ui.'

The Winter \i14I1t.

Aiiinnj,' those sitting ;il the tahlc, ln.ys,

\ •' I It.ik;!,"''' witli liis l)i)(Iy 1)1^' and -.talilc Iiovs ,

lie and l.ars .so kwu,

ll would almost sccin

'I'luv would stake Unir hvcs illlny wuc ahk'. Ihiys.

AiiiundH'ii, a-ain.

Looks at tlu'sc livo nil. 11.

Sliakcs iiis iirad .md sadiv i^oi'S to lied. Iidv-..!-

i07

(/■/\i/;/ a /'//.'.',;, /•</,V/.)

Sxcrdruii, J'.Us^inL;, 1 lansni. ard mir Molm.: h(i\>,
Say of '■ luarriauu '' '• this i;ainc i^ mii- dwii," liii\>;

* Till- n;iiiu' IMor IIcniiksiTi L,'iiuially wi'iit hy cm IkwuI.

|- Ki'lVrs 1(1 ilic fMcl that Aimmdseii iiati'tl caid-playin^^ moir ili.m aiyihiig cl„- in
tlu' woild. Ill' calls canls " ihc devil's |iiayl)(ii.l<s."

X Nickname ul' (nir lucleuroji't^isl, Jolian-eii, I'lnfe-ci- M,,liii hun- a di>tiiiL;ui^licd
Norwcgi;!!! iiietcoiuiiiyisi.

I I

I ■ 1;

2oS Chapter V^I.

Soon for ihem, alas !

'l"hc happy hour is past ;

.\n(l HansL-n he says, "Come away, old Muhn ! "' boys

" It is gettin",' late,

And the stars won't wait,

\'ou and I must up and out alone," hoys.

The doctor here on board has n()u;j;ht to do, boys;

Not a man to test his skill among the crew, boys ;

AVell may he look blue,

There's nought for him to do,

\Vhen every man is strong and hearty, too, boys.

'• Now on the I'hiin" boys,

He says " I am,'' boys,

" Chief editor of newspai)er for you ! "' boys.

"Warn IXC. .' ! !

" I think it is my duty to warn tlie public that a travelling watch-
Biaker has been making the round of this neighl)ourhoo(l lately,
getting watches to repair, and not returning them to their owners.
How long is this to be allowed to go on under the eyes of the
authorities ?

'"The watchmaker's appearance is as follows: — Middle height, fair,
giey eyes, brown full beard, round slioulders, and generally delicate-

looking.

"A. JUKl.U*

'• The i)erson above notified was in our office yesterday, asking for
work, and we consider it right to add the following particulars as
completing the description. He generally goes about witii a pack of
mongrel curs at his heels ; he chews tobacco, and of this his beard
shows traces. This is all we have to say, as we did not consider
ourselves either entitled or called upon to put him under the

'■ I-^i). /'huiisjaa."

■* Til's signauirc p-nvcd tn lie forgi.'d, anil gave rise; to a lawsuit so long and
intricate that space does n<it pennii an accjuni uf it to he given.

fair,

cate-

-*•

g for

rs as

:k of

x'ard

siller

the

and

The Winter Nkrht.

209

"Yesterday's observation placed us in 79° o' north latitude, 139° 14
east longitude. At last, then, ve have got as far north again as we
were in the end of September, and now the northerly drift seems to
be steady : 10' in 4 days.

*' Monday, December nth. This morning I took a long excursion
to westward. It is hard work struggling over the ])acke(l ice in the
dark, something like scrambling about a moraine of big boulders at
night. Once I took a step in the air, fell forward, and bruised my
right knee. It is mild to-day, only 9^° F. below zero { — 23^ C).
This evening there was a strange appearance of aurora borealis —
white, shining clouds, which I thought at first must be lit up by the
moon, but there is no moon yet. They were light cumuli, or cirro-
cumuli, shifting into a brightly shining mackerel sky. I stood and
watched them as long as my thin clothing permitted, but there was no
perceptible pulsation, no play of flame ; they sailed quietly on. Th^r
light seemed to be strongest in the south-east, where there were also
dark clouds to be seen. Hansen said that it moved over later mrc*
the northern sky ; clouds came and went, and for a time there wert"
many white shining ones^ — ' white as lambs,' he called them — but no
aurora [)layed behind them."

" In this day's meteorological journal I find noted for 4 p.m. :
* Faint aurora borealis in the north. Some distinct branchings or
antlers (they are of ribbon crimped like blonde) in some diffused
patches on the horizon in the N.N.E.' In his aurora borealis journal
Hansen describes that of this evening as follows : ' About 8 p.m. an
aurora borealis arch of light was observed^ stretching from K.S.E. to
N.W., through the zenith ; diffused quiet intensity 3-4, most intense
in N.W. The arch spread at the zenith by a wave to the south. At
10 o'clock there was a fainter aurora borealis in the southern sky ;
eight minutes later it extended to the zenith, and two mii 'ites after
this there was a shining broad arch across the zenith widi intei->sity 6.
Twelve seconds later flaming rays shot from the zenith in an easterly
direction. During the next half-hour there was constant aurora,
chiefly in bands across or near the zenith, or lower in the southern
sky. The observation ended about 10.38. The intensity was tiu-n 2,
the aurora diffused over the southern sky. There were cumulus ciouds

2IO

Chapter VI.

of varying closeness all the time. They came up in the south-east at
the beginning of the observation, and disappeared towards the end of
it; they were closest about lo minutes past lo. At the time that the
broad shining arch through the zenith was at its highest intensity, the
cumulus clouds in the north-west shone quite white, though we were
unable to detect any aurora borealis jjhenomena in this quarter. The
reflection of light on the ice field was ])retty strong at the same time.
In the aurora borealis the cumulus clouds appeared of a darker colour,
almost the grey of wool. The colours of the aurora were yellowish,
bluish white, milky blue — cold colouring.' According to the meteoro-
logical journal, there was still aurora borealis in the southern sky at
midnight.

"Tuesday, December 12th. Had a long walk south-east this
morning. The ice is in much the same condition there as it is to
the west, packed or pressed up into mounds, with flat floes between,
'i'his evenin ; the dogs suddenly began to make a great commotion
on deck. \Ve were all deep in cards, some playing whist, others
' marriage.' I had no shoes on, so said that some one else must go up
and see what was the matter. Mogstad went. The noise grew worse
and worse. J'resently Mogstad came down and said that all the dogs
that could get at the rail were up on it, barking out into the dark
towards the north. He was sure there must be an animal of some
sort there, but perhaps it was only a fox, for he thought he had heard
the bark of a fox far in the north ; but he was not sure. Well, it must
be a devil of a fox to excite the dogs like that. As the disturbance
continued, I uc last went uj) myself, followed by Johansen. From
different positions we looked long and hard into the darkness in the
direction in which the dogs were barking, but we could see nothing
moving. That something must be there was quite certain ; and I had
no doubt that it was a bear, for the dogs were almost beside them-
selves. ' Pan ' looked uj) into my face with an odd expression, as if he
had something important to tell me, and then jumped up on the rail
and barked away to tlie north. The dogs' excitement was quite
remarkable ; th-y had not been so keen when the bear was close in to
the side of the ship. However, I contented myself with remarking
that the thing to do wcniUl be to loose some dogs and go north with

The Winter NiVht.

211

them over the ire. lUit these wretched dogs won't tackle a hear, and
besides it is so dark that there is hardly a chance of finding anything.
If it is a bear he will come again. At this season, when he is so
hungry, he will hardly go right awa)' from all the good food for Iiini
here on board. I struck about with my arms to get a little heat into
me, then went below and to bed. The dogs went on barking, some-
times k)uder than before. Nordahl, whose watch it was, went u])
several times, but could discover no reason for it. As I was lying
readii.g in my berth I heard a peculiar sound ; it was like boxes being
dr.igged about on v ck, and there was also scaping, like a dog that
wanted to get out, scratching violently at a door. I thought of
' Kvik,' who was shut up in the chart-room. I called into the saloon
to Nordahl that he had better go up again and see what this new
noise was. He did so, but came back saying that there was still
nothing to be seen. It was difficult to sleep, and I lay long tossing about.
I'fter came on watch. I told him to go up and turn the air-sail to the
wind, to make the ventilation better. He was a good time on deck
doing this and other things, but he also could see no reason for the
to-do the dogs were still making. He had to go forward, and then
noticed that the three djgs nearest the starboard gangway were
missing. He came down and told me, and we agreed that possibly
this might be what all the excitement was about ; but never before
had they taken \^ so to heart when some of their number had run
away. Ac last I fell asleej), but hearil them in my sleep for a long
time."

" Wednesday, December r3th. Before I was rightly awake this
morning I heard the dogs ' at it ' still, and the noisc went on all the
time of breakfast, and had, I believe, gone on all night. After bicak-
fast Mogstad and I'eter went up to feed the wretched creatures and let
them loose on the ice. 'I'hree were still missing. Peter cam.e down to
get a lantern ; he tiiought he might as well look if there were any
tracks of animals. Jacobsen called after him that he had better take a
gun. No, he did not need one, he said, A little later, as I was sitting
sorrowfully alxsorbed in the calculation of how much i;)etroleum we
have used, and how short a time our supply will last if we go on
burning it at the same rate, I heard a scream at the toi) ol" the

V 2

I >

212

Chapter VI.

companion. * Come with a gun.' In a moment I was in the saloon,
and there was Peter tumbhng in at the door, breathlessly shouting, ' A
gun ! a gun ! ' The bear had bitten him in the side. I was: thankful
that it was no worse, hearing him put on so much dialect,* I had
thought it was a matter of life and death. I seized one gun, he
another, and up we rushed, the mate with his gun after us. There was
not much difficulty in knowing in what direction to turn, for from the
rail on the starboard side came confused shouts of human voices, and
from the ice below the gangway the sound of a frightful uproar of dogs.
I tore cut the tow-plug at the muzzle of my rifle, then up with the lever
and in with the cartridge ; it was a case of hurry. But, hang it ! there
is a plug in at this end too. I poked and poked, but could not get a
grip of it. Peter screamed: ' Shoot, shoot ! mine won't go off!' He
stood clicking and clicking, his lock full of frozen vaseline n^ain, while
the bear lay chewing at a dog just below us at the ship's si .c. Beside
me stood the mate, groping after a tow-plug which he also had shoved
down into his gun, but now he flung the gun angrily away and began
to look round the deck for a walrus spear to stick the bear with. Our
fourth man, Mogstad, was wav'ng an empty rifle (he had shot away his
cartridges), and shouting to some one to shoot the bear. Four men,
and not one that could shoot, (although we could have prodded the
bear's back with our gun-barrels. Hansen, making a fifth, was lying in
the passage to the chart-room, groping with his arm through a chink in
the door for cartridges ; he could not get the door to open because of
' Kvik's ' kennel. At last Johansen appeared and sent a ball straight
down into the bear's hide. That did some good. The monster let go
the dog and gave a growl. Another shot flashed and hissed down on
the same spot. One more, and we saw the white dog the bear had
under him jump up and run off, while the other dogs stood round,
barking. Another shot still, for the animal be-an to stir a little. At
this moment my plug came out, and I gave him a last ball through the
head to make sure. The dogs had crowded round barking as long a>
he moved, but now that he lay still in death they drew back terrified.
They probably thought it was some new ruse of the enemy. It was a

He says " ei boisja " for " a gun " instead of " en bosse."

The Winter Nioht.

213

little thin, one-year-old bear that had caused all this terrible
commotion.

" Whilst it was being flayed I went olT in a north-westerly direction to
look for the dogs that were still missing. I had not gone far when I
noticed that the dogs that were following me had caught scent of
something to the north, and wanted to go that way. Soon they got
frightened, and I could not get them to go on ; they kept close in to
my side or slunk behind me. I held my gun ready, while I crawled on
all fours over the pack-ice, which was anything but level. I kej)! a
steady look-out ahead, but it was not far my eyes could pierce in that
darkness. I could only just see the dogs, like black shadows, when
they were a few steps away from me. I expected every moment to see
a huge form rise among the hummocks ahead, or come rushing
towards me. The dogs got more and more cautious, one or two of
them sat down, b'lt they probably felt that it woulil be a shame to let
me go on alone, so followed slowly after. Terrible ice to force one's
way over ! Crawling along on hands and knees does not put one in a
very convenient position to shoot from if the bear should make a
sudden rush. But unless he did this, or attacked the dogs, I had no
hope Oi getting him. A\ e now came out on some flat ice. It was only
too evident that there must be something quite near now. I went on,
and presently saw a dark object on the ice in front of me. It was not
unlike an animal. I bent down — it was poor ' Johansen's Friend,' the
black dog witli the white tip to his tail, in a sad state, and frozen stiff.
Beside him was something else dark. I bent down again and found
the second of the missing dogs, brother of the c()rpse-v>'atcher ' Suggen.'
This one was almost whole, only eaten a little about tlie head, and it
was not frozen quite stiff. There seemed to be l)lood all round on the
ice. I looked about in every direction, but there was nothing more to
be seen. The dogs stood at a respectful distance, staring and sniffing
in the direction of their dead comrades. Some of us went not long
after this to fetch the dogs' carcases, taking a lantern to look for bear-
tracks, in case there had been some big fellows along with the little
one. ^Ve scraml.)led on among the pack-ice. ' Come this way with the
lantern, Bentzen ; I think I see tracks here.' Bentzen came, and we
turned the light on some indentations in the snow ; they were bear-paw

214

Chapter VI.

marks sure enouifh. but only tho same little fellow's. ' Look I the
hrute has been dragging a dog after him here.' \'>y tiie liglit of the
lantern we traced the blood-marked path on among the hummocks.
We found the dead dogs, but no footprints except small ones, whi h we
all thought must be those of our little bear. ' .Svarten,' alias ' Johan-
sen's Friend,' looked bad in the lantern-light. Flesli and skin and
entiails were gone ; there was nothing to be seen but a bare breast and
backbone, with some stumps of ribs. It was a pity that the fine strong
dog should come to such an enil. He had just one fault: he wiis
rather bad-tempered. He had a special dislike to Johansen ; barked
and showed his teeth whenever he came on deck, or even oj/ened a
door, and when he sat whistling in the top, or in the crow's-nest these
dark winter days, the ' Friend ' would ansvt'er with a howl of rage from
far out on the ice Johansen bent down with tlie lantern to look at
the remains.

"'Are you glad, Johansen, that your enemy is done for?'

" ' No, I am sorry.'

" ' Whv ? '

" 'J]ecause we did not make it up before he died.' .And we went on
to look for more bear-tracks, but found none ; so we took the dead dogs
on our backs and turned homewards.

"On tile way I asked I'eter what iiad really happened with him and
the bear. 'A\'ell, you see,' said he, 'when I came along with the
lantern we saw a few drops of blood by the gangway ; but that might
quite well have been a dog that had cut itself. On the ice below the
gangway we saw some bear-tracks, and we started away west, the whole
pack of dog5 with us, running on far ahead. \\'hen we had got away a
bit from the ship, there was suddenly an awful row in front, and it
wasn't long before a great beast came rushing at us, with the whole
troop of dogs around it. As soon as we saw what it was, we turned
and ran our best for the ship. Mogstad, you see, he had moccasins
(komager) on, and knew his way better and got there before me. I
couldn't get along so fast with my great wooden shoes, and in my
cop'':tsion I got right on to the h\g hummock to the west of the ship's
bf)w, you know. I turned here and lighted back to see if the bear was
behind me, but I saw nothing and pushed on again, and in a minute

i'l

The Winter Nioht.

215

these slippery wooden shoes had nic Hat on my hack among the
hummocks. I was up again ([uic k enougli ; but when I got down on
to the flat ice close to the ship, I saw something coming straight for
me on the right-hand side. First I thought it was a dog- it's not so
easy to see in the dark, you know— I had no time for a second
thought, lor the beast jumped on me and bit me in tlie side. 1 had

" I TOOK THE LANTERN AND OAVE HH! A WHACK ON THE HEAD

W!TH IT."

{Dra7i.<ii iy II. lii^iiiiiis.)

lifted my arm like this, you see, and so he caught me here, right on
the hip. He growled and hissed as he l)it.'

" * What did you think then, Peter ? '

"'What did I think? I thouglit it was all up with me. \\'hat was
I to do? I had neither gun nor knife. 15ut I took the lantern and

2l6

Chapter VI.

gave him siu h a wliac k on the head with it that the thing broke, anA
went flying away over the ice. The moment he felt the blow lie sat
down and looked at me. I was just taking to my heels when he got
u|) ; T don't know whether it was to grip me again or what it was for,
but anyhow at that minute he caught sight of a dog coming, and set
off after it, and I got on board.'

" ' Did you scream, Peter ? '

" ' Scream ! 1 screamed with all my might/ And apparently this
was true, for he was quite hoarse.

" * Hut where was Mogstad all this time ? '

"'Well, you see, he had reached the ship long before me, but he
never thought of running down and giving the alarm, but lakes his
gun from the round-house wall and thinks he'll manage all right alone,
but his gun wouldn't go off, and the bear would have had time to eat
me up before his nose.

" We were now noar the shij), and Mogstad, who had heard the last
part of the story from the deck, corrected it in so far that he had just
reached the gangway when Peter began to roar. He jumped up and
fell back three times before he got on board, and had no time to do
anything then but seize his gun and go to Peter's assistance.

"When the bear left Peter and rushed after the dogs, he soon had
the whole pack about him again. Now he would make a spring and
get one below liim ; but then all the rest would set upon him and
jump on his back, so that he had to turn to defend himself. Then
he would s])ring upon another dog, and the whole pack would be on
him again. And so the dance went on, backwanls and forwards over
the ice, until they were once more close to the sliip. A dog stood
there, below the gangway, wanting to get on board ; the bear made a
spring on it, and it was there, by the ship's side, that the villain met
his fate.

" An examination on board showed that the hook of * Svarten'^-'
leash was ])ulled out quite straight ; ' Gammelen's ' was broken
through; but the third dog's was only wrenched a iictle : it hardly
looked as if the bear had done it. I had a slight hcpe that this dog
might still be alive, but, though we searched well, we could not find it.

" It was altogether a deplorable story. To think that we should

The Winter Ni^ht.

»7

have let a hear scramble on hoard like this, and should have lost
three dogs at once I Our doj^s are dwindiinj; ilown ; we have only 26
now. 'J'hat was a wily demon of a hear, to he such a little one. He
had crawled on hoard hy the gangway, shoved away a hox that was
standing in front of it, taken the dog that stood nearest, and gone off
with it. When he had satisfied the first pangs of his hunger, he had
come hack and fetched No. 2, and, if he had heen allowed, he would
have c'Mitinued the performance until the deck was cleared of dogs.
Then he would prohahly have come humping downstairs ' and
heckoned with cold hand ' in at the galley door to Juell. It
must have heen a pleasant feeling lor ' Svarten ' to stand there
in the dark and see the hear ( ome creeping in upon him.

" When I went helow after this hear affair, Juell said as I passed
the galley door : ' N'ou'll see that " Kvik " will have her pu[)s to-day ;
for it's always the way here on hoard, that things happen together.'
And, sure enough, when we were sitting in the saloon in the evening,
Mogstad, who generally plays ' master of the hounds,' came and
announced the arrival of the first. Soon there was another, and
then one more. This news was a little halsam to our wounds.
* Kvik ' has g'K a good warm hox, lined with fur, up in the passage
on the starboard ; it is so warm there that she is lying sweating, and
we hope that the young ones will live, in spite of 54 degrees of frost.
It seems this evening as if everyone had some hesitation in going out
on the ice unarmed. Our bayonet-knives have been brought out,
and I am providing myself with one. I must say that I felt quite
certain that we should find no hears as far north as this in tiie middle
of winter ; and it never oc( urred to me, in making long excursions on
the ice without so much as a penknife in m;, pocket, that I was liable
to encounters with them. But, after Peter's experience, it seems as
if it might he as well to have, at any rate, a lantern to hit them with.
The long bayonet-knife shall accompany me hencefortli.

"They often chaffed Peter afterwards about having screamed so
horrii)ly when the bear seized him. ' H'm ! I wonder,' said he, ' if
there aren't others tliat would have screeched just as loud. I liad to
yell after the fellows that were so afraid of frightening the bear that
when they ran they covered seven yards at each stride.'

2l8

Ch;ii)l{'r \'I.

" 'riuirs(l;i\ . I )i'(('inl)fr i.(tli. Wrll. MciL^^tad. Iio'v iiuiin |Hi|is
have you now? I ii^kivl ;il hn'akl'.iNl. • Tlu'rc arc Ihc now.' lUit
soon alUT liL' canu'down to tril nu' ihal llirif wiTt.' at ltM-.t tucKt'.
("ira( ions I that is ^ood value lor what \\v. \\a\v lost, lint \\f wen-
almost as pk-aseil when Jolianseii came down and said that he heard
the inissinL? dog howling on t!ie ice far away to the norlh-wt'st.
Several of iis went up to listiMi. and wt- (duld all hear him (|uiti' well ;
hi.it it sounded as if he were sitting still, howling in despair. I'i'rha|)s
he was at an opening in the ii c that he could not gel a( foss. itlessing
had also heard him din"ing his night watch, but then the sound had
come more from a south westi'rly diri'ction. When I'eter went alter
hreaki'ast to Icvd the dogs, there was the lost one, standing helow the
gangway wanting to get on hoard. Ilungry lie was, he dashed
straight irito tlu' I'ood-dish, but ( tlu'rwisi- hak' and hearts.

"This evening I'eter came and said that he was certain he Inward a
bear moving about and paw ing tlu' lev : he and i'ettersen had stood
and listened to him scraping at the snow crust. I put on my * pesk '
(a fur blouse), got hold of my diiid)le barrelled •ille, and went on dec k.
The whole crew were collected aft. gazing out into the night. We let
loose ' I'lenka ' and * i'an," and went in the direction where the bear
was said to be. It was p,itc h-dark. but the dogs would fmd the trac ks,
if there was anything there. Hansen thought lie had seen something
moving about the lunnmock near the ship, but we foimd and heard
nothing, and, as several of the others had by this time come out on
the ice and could also disc-ovi'r nothing, we .scrambled on board again.
It is extraordinaiy, all the sounds that one can fancy one hears
out on that great, still space, mysteriously lighted by the twinkling
stars.

" Friday, December 15th. This morning Peter saw a fox on the ic e
astern, and he saw it again later, when he was out with the dcjgs.
There is something remarkable about this appearance of bears and
foxes now, alter our seeing no life for so long. The last time we saw
a fox we were far south of this, jjossibly near Sannikoff i.and. Can
we have come into the neighbourhood of land again?

"I inspected ' Ivvik's ' pups in the aftenoon. '1 here were thirteen,
a curious coincidence — thirteen pups on Deceniber 13th. lor thirteen

TIr' W'iiiur Nii^Iil.

219

r.l

111(11. I'ivr were killid : • ls\i! ' 1,111 iii.iii.inf fi^lit, lnil nmrr v.oiild
l)f had lor licr. I'udi' inniln r ! ^lu' \va> mtv aiisii'ii-. alioiit lu r miuiili,
oiu s, waiitril to jimii) ii|) iiilii till' Imi\ hc^iilr ihi'iii .iiid laki' llii'in liniu
U'>. And you (an src ilial -^lu' i-< mtv pioud of llit-ni.

'• Tctcr canK- lliis (^'Vi-niivj, ;'.nd said tliat tlinx' must be a glu >l (ii the
i(X', for Ik' lu'ard lAac tly tin- sanir sounds of walking and pawing as
yt'slcrUay cscning. This scenis to Iju a populous region, alttr all.

t 1
I

H
i'j

;^'

A NOCTlRXAr. 'ISITANI'.

"According to an ohsLTxation lakun on Tuesday, vu mu.-.t !;(_• pri'ttv
nearly in 79 8' north lalitiidr. That was S' drift in llit' llirtf (la_\H
from Saturday : we are getting on hctlcr and iK'tter.

'• Why will it not snow? ("hristnias is near, and what is Christmas
without snow, thickly falling ^iiow? We ha\e not had oiif snowfall
all the time we have been driftinu. The hard grains that come down

];•::;■

2 20

Chiipicr \'I.

now and nuain are notiiin,!,'. ^^'i. tli«' iK'aiuil'iil wliito snow, fallinj,' so
m-ntly and silciuly, sdlU'iiing every liard o'.illinc willi its slii-ltcrin;,'
purity I '1'ln.ri' is notliinj; niori- dclii ioiisly rfstful, soft, and wliiti-.
'I'liis snowK'ss irc-plain is like a life without love— nutliiiiLC to soften it.
'I"he nKMl<s of all the NatlK's and pressures of llu' Uv ^tind forth just
as when they were made, rug^^ed and diffK ult to move anion;,'. I.ove
is liie's snow. It falls deepest and softest into the gashes left by the
fight —wliiler and pin-er than snow itself, \\"hat is life without love?
It is like this ice a cold, hare, rugged mass, the wind driving it and
rending it ami then forcing it together again, nothing to cover over the
open rifts, nothing to break the violence of the collisions, nothing to
round away the sharp corners of tlie broken floes — nothing, nothing
but bare, rugged drift-ice.

"Saturday, December iCith. In the afternoon I'eter came (piietly
into 'he saloon, and said that he heard all sorts of noises on the ice.
There was a sound to the north exactly like that of ice packing against
land, and then suddenly there was such a roar through the air that the
dogs started i\\) and barked. Poor Peter ! They laugh at him when
he comes down to give an account of his many observations ; but there
is not one among us as sharp as he is.

'MVednesday, December 20th. As I was sitting at breakfast, Peter
came roaring that he believed he had seen a bear on the ice. * And
that ■■ Pan" set off the moment he was loosed.' I ru.siied on to the ice
with my gun. Several men were to be seen in the moonlight, but no
bear. It was long beibre i'an came back ; he had followed him far to
the north-west.

" Sverdrup and ' Smith Lars' in partnership have made a great bear-
trap, which was put out on the ice to-day. As I was afraid of more
dogs than bears being caught in it, it was hung from a gallows, too high
for the dogs to jump up to the piece oi blubber which hangs as bait
right in the mouth of the trap. All the dogs spend the evening now
sitting on the rail barking at tiiis new man they see out there on the ice
in the moonlight.

*' Thursday, December 21st. It is extraordinary, after all, how the
time passes. 1 lere we are at the shortest day, though 7i't' have no day.
IJut now we are moving on to light and summer again. We tried to

K^-'

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^^Bkij-^

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^IS^b^mIuba **•

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HBHRHHMWrU. « ~ *•

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222

Chapter VI.

sound t()-(l;iy ; had out 2,100 metres (over 1,100 fatlioms) of line with-
out reacliing the bottom. We have no niore line ; what is to he done?
Who could have finessed tliat we should lind such deep water? There
has been an arch of li;.rht in the sky all day, ojjposite the moon ; so it
is a lunar rainl)ow, but without colours, so far as I have been able
to see.

•• I-'fiday, December ?2-^(\. A bear was shot last night. Jacobsen
saw it lirst, during his watch. Me shot at t. It made off: and he
tiien went dov^n and told about it in the cabin. Mogstad and I'eter
came on deck; Sverdrup was called, too, and came up a little later.
They saw the bear on his way towards the ship again, but he suddenly
caught siglit of the gallows with the trap on the ice to the west, and
went off tliere. He looked well at the apjjaratus, then raised himself
cautiously on his hind-legs, md laid his right paw on tlie cross-beam
just beside the trap, siared for a little, hesitating, at the delicious
morsel, but did not at all like the ugly jaws round it. Sverdrup was
by this time out at the deck-house, watching in the sparkling moon-
shine. His heart was jumping — he expected every moment to hear the
snap of his trap. lUit the b-jar shook his head suspiciously, lowered
himself cautiously on to tdl-fours again and snuffed carefully at the
wire that the trap was fastened by, following it along to where it was
made fast to a great block of ice. He went .round this, and saw how
cleverly it was all arranged, then slowly followed the wire bacK, raised
himself up as before, with his paw on the beam of the gallows, had a
long look at the trap, and shook his head again, probably saying to
himself: 'These wily fellows have i)lanned this very cleverly for me.'
Now he resumed his march to the ship. When he was within 60 paces
of the bow Peter fired. The bear fell, but jumped up again and made
off. Jacoi)sen, Sverdrup, and Mogstad all fired now, and he fell among
some hummocks. H^ was flayed at once, and in the skin there was
only the hole of one ball, which had gone through him from behind
the shoulder-blade. Peter, Jacobsen, and Mcgstad all claimed this ball.
Sverdrup gave up his claim, as he had stood so far astern. Mogstad,
seeing the bear fall direc tly after his shot, called out, ' I gave him that
one ; ' Jacobsen swears that it was he that hit : and I'enl/en. who was
standing looking on, is preiiared to take his oath anywhere that it was

The Winter Nii>ht.

22 Tl

Pt/ter's Ixill that did the (]t^vi\. 'I'lie ihspute upon this weighty point
R'lnained unsettled durinjf the whole course of the exjiedition.

" Heautifiil moonhj^ht. I'ressure in several directions. To-day we
carried our su])])ly of gun-cotton and cannon and rifle powder on deck.
It is safer there than in the hold. In case of lire or other accident,

" HfC STARED, HKSITATINC. AT I'HF. DF.LICIOUS AmRSKI..

(/X-rtr,'// /'_]' I/.' h-i,/uis.)

an explosioii in the hold might blow the sliip's sides out and send us to
the bottom before we had time to turn round. Some we put on the
forecastle, some on the bridge, {'"rom these places it would be quickly
thrown on to the ice.

" Sati'.rday, December 23rd. What we call in Norway 'Little
Christmas l^ve.' I went a long way west this morning, coming home

\ I

1 31

;il?i

•m

224

Chapter VI.

late. There was packed up ice everywhere, with flat floes between, I
was turned by a newly formed opening in the ice, which I dared not
cross on the thin layer of fresh ice. In the afternoon, as a first
Christmas entertainment, we tried an ice-blasting with four prisms of
gun-cotton. A hole was made with one of the large iron drills we had
brought with us for this purpose, and ihe charge, with the end of the
electric connecting wire, was sunk about a foot below the surface of the
ice. Then all retired, the knob was touched, there was a dull crash,
and water and pieces of ice were shot up into the "ii. Although it was
60 yards off", it gave the ship a good jerk that shook everything on
board, and brought the hoar-frost down from the rigging. The
explosion blew a hole through the four-feet-thick ice, but its only other
effect was to make small cracks round tliis hole.

"Sunday, December 24th. Christmas Eve. 67° of cold ( — 37° C).
Glittering moonlight and the endless stillness of the Arctic night. I
took a solitary stroll over the ice. The first Christmas Eve, and how
far away! The observation shows us to be in 79° 11' north latitude.
There is no drift ; 2' farther south than six days ago."

There are no further particulars given of this day in the diary, but
when I think of it, how clearly it all comes back to me ! There was a
peculiar elevation of mood on board that was not at all common among
us. Every man's inmost thoughts were with those at home, but his
comrades were not to know that, and so there was more joking and
laughing than usual. All the lamps a^^d lights we had on board were
lit, and every corner of the saloon and cabins was brilliantly illuminated.
The bill of fare for the day, of course, suri)assed any previous! one —
food was the chief thing we had to hold festival with. The dinner was
a very fine one indeed ; so was the supper, and after it piles of
Christmas cakes came on the table ; Juell had been busy making them
for several weeks. After that we enjoyed a glass of toddy and a cigar,
smoking in the saloon being, of course, allowed. The culminating
point of the festival came when two boxes with Christmas presents
were produced. The one was from Hansen's mother, tlie other from
h.\% fiancee — Miss Fougner. It was touching to see the childlike pleasure
with which each man received his gift — it might be a pipe or a knife
or some little knick-knack — he felt that it was like a message from

The Winter Niirht.

225

home. After this there were speeches ; and then the Framsjoa appeared,
with an ilkistrated supplement, selections from which are given. The
drawings are the work of the famous Arctic draughtsman. Huttetu.
Here are two verses from the poem for the da)' : —

" When the ship"s path is stepped by fathom-thick ice,
And winter':; white covering is spread,
A\'hen we're quite given up to the power of the stream,
Oh ! 'tis then that so often of home we must dream

" We wish them all joy at this sweet Christmas-tide,
Health and happiness for the ne:;t year,
Ourselves patience to wait ; 'twill bring rs to the Pole,
And home the next spring, never fear ! "

There were many more jwems, amongst ethers one giving some account
of the principal events of the last weeks, in this style : —

" Bears are seen, and dogs are born,

Cakes are baked, both small and large ;

Henriksen, he does not fall.

Spite of bear's mcst violent charge ;

Mogstad with his rifle clicks,

Jacobsen with long lance sticks,"

and so o'l. There was a long ditty on the subject of the " Dog Rape
on board the Fram : " —

" Uj) and down on a night so cold,

Kvirre virre vip, bom, bom.
Walk harpooner and> kennelman bold,

Kvirre virre vip, bom, bom ;
Our kennelman swings, I need hardly tell,

Kvirre virre vip, bom, bom,
The long, long lash you know so well,

Kvirre virre vip, bom, bom ;

226

Chapter VI.

Our hari)ocTner, he is a man of light,
Kvine vine vip, bom, bom,

A burning lantern he grasps tight,
Kvirre virre vip, bom, bom.

ILLUSTRATIONS FROM THE FKA.USJAA.

T. — PROMEWADE !N TIMES OF PEACE, WITH SVERDRUP'S

PATENT FOOT-GEAR.

They as they walk tlie time beguile,

Kvirre virre vip, bom, bom,
With tales of bears and all their wile,

Kvirre virre vip, bom, bom.

II. — /.■A\J.l/-FELLOWS ON THE WARPATH : DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE
SVERDRUP AND THE LAPP FOOT-GEAR.

THE

and so on.

The Winter Nicrht.

" Now suddenly a l)ear they see,

Kvirre vine vip, bom, bom.
Before whom all the dogs do flee,

Kvirre virre vip, bom, bom ;
Kennelman, like a deer, runs fast,

Kvirre virre vip, bom, bom,
Hari)ooner slow comes in the last,

Kvirre virre vip, bom, bom,"

227

HI. — FA- J. 1/- FELLOWS STH.L OX THE WARPATH.

Among the announcements are—

" Instruction in Fencing.

" In consequenctj of the indefmite postponement of our departure, a
limited number of pupils can be received for instruction in both fencing
and boxing.

" Majakoft,

" Teacher of Bo.xins:,

"Next door to the Doctor's."

Q 2

'Il

228

Chapter VI.

Again -

" On account of wapt of storage room, a quantity of old clotlies are
at present for sale, by private arrangement, at No, 2, I'um]) ],ane.*
Re])eatecl requests to remove them having been of n(j effect, I am
obliged to dispose of them in this way. Tlie clothes are (juite fresh,
having been in salt for a long time."

After the reading of the newspaper came instrumental music and
singing, and it was far on in the night before we sought our berths.

" Monday, December 25th. Christmas Day. Thermometer at — 36°
F. (— 38^ C.) oelow zero. I took a walk south in the beautiful light of
the full moon. At a newly made crack I went through the fresh ice
with one leg and got soaked ; but such an accident matters very little
in this frost. The water immediately stiffens into ice; it does not make
one very cold, and one feels dry again soon.

''They will be thinking much of us just now at home and giving
many a pitying sigh over all the hardships we are enduring in this cold,
cheerless, icy region. Hut I am afraid their compassion would cool if
they could look in upon us, hear the merriment that goes on, and see
all our comforts and good cheer. They can hardly be better off at
home. I myself have certainly never lived a more .sybaritic life, and
have never had more reason to fear the consequences it brings in its
train. Just listen to to-day's dinner menu : —

1. Ox-tail soup ;

2. Fish-pudding, with potatoes and melted butter;

3. Roast of reindeer, with peas, French beans, potatoes,

and crani)erry jam ;

4. Cloudberries with cream ;

5. Cake and marzii)an (a welcome i)resent from the baker

to t!ie expedition ; we blessed that man).

And along with all this that Ringnes bock-beer which is so famous in
our part of the world. AVas this the sort of dinner for men who are to
be hardened against the horrors of the Arctic night?

"''Every one had eaten so much that sup])er had to be skipped

'■• This was the nickname of tne suirhoard four-berth cabin.

US in
Ire to

■)ped

The Winter Nig. it.

229

altogether. Later in tlie evening coffee was served, with jiine-apple
preserve, gingerl)rea(l, viinilla-rakes, cocoanut macaroons, and various
other cakes, all the work of our excellent cook, Juell ; and we ended
up with figs, almonds, and raisins.

" Now let us have the breakfast, just to complete the day : coffee,
freshly baked bread, beautiful Danish butter, Christmas cake, Cheddar
cheese, clove-cheese, tongue, corned beef, and marmalade. And if any
one thinks that this is a specially good breakfast because it is Christmas
Day, he is wrong. It is just what we have always, with the addition of
the cake, which is not part of the every-day diet.

** Add now to this good cheer our strongly built, safe house, our
comfortable saloon, lighted up with the large petroleum lamp ana
several smaller ones (when we have no electric light), constant gaiety,
card-playing, and Ijooks in any quantity, with or without illustrations,
good and entertaining reading, and then a good sound sleep — what
more could one wish ?

". . . . But, O Arctic night, thou art like a woman, a marvellously
lovely woman. Thine are the noble, pure outlines of antique beauty,
with its marble coldness. On thy high, smooth brow, clear with the
clearness of ether, is no trace of compassion for the little sufferings or
despised humanity, on thy pale, beautiful cheek no blush of feeling.
Among thy raven locks, waving out into space, me hoar-frost has
s[)rinkled its glittering crystals. The proud lines of thy throat, tliy
shoulders' curves, are so noble, but, oh ! unbendingly cold ; thy
bosom's white chastity is feelingless as the snowy ice. Chaste,
beautiful, and proud, thou floatest through ether over the frozen
sea, tliy glittering garment, 'voven of aurora beams, covering the
vault of heaven. But sometimes I divine a twitch of pain on thy
lips, and endless sadness dreams in thy dark eye.

" Oh, how tired I am of thy cold beauty ! I long to return to life.
Let me get home again, as concjueror or as beggar ; wliat does that
matter? But let me get home to liegin life anew. Tiie years are
jiassing here, and what do they bring? Nothing but dust, dry dust,
which the first wind !)lows away ; new dust comes in its place, and the
next wind takes it too. Truth ? ^\'hy shouUl we always make so much
of trutli ? Life is more than cold trutli, and we live but once.

SI '

Itl

"t- .♦

* V

I'll

230

Chapter VI.

"Tuesday, December 26th. 36' F. below zero ( — 38' (!.). Tliis
(the same us yesterdays) is the fjreat <t cold we have had yet. I went

*' IT WAS STRANGE ONCE MORE TO SEE THE MOONLIGHT PLAYING ON

THE COAL-BLACK WAVES."
{From a rhotograph.)

a long way north to-day ; found a big lane covered with newly frozen
ice, with a quite open piece of water in the middle. The vc rocked up

The Winter Night.

-';>r

Tliis
went

ozen
(1 up

anil down under my steps, sending waves out into the opm pool. It
was strange once more to see the moonlight playing on the coal-hlack
waves, and awakened a remembrance of well-known sc enes. I followed
this lane far to the nortl;, seemed to see the outlines of high land m
the hazy light below the moon, and went on and on : but in tlu' eiul it
turned out to be a bank of clouds behind the moonlit wjiour rising
from the open water. 1 srw *'rom a high hummock that tliis o|)cnuig
stretched norta as far as the eye could reach.

"The same luxurious living as yesterday, a dinner of four (ourses.
Shooting with darts at a target for cigarettes has been the great
excitement of the day. Darts and target are Johansen's Christmas
present from Miss Fougner."

"Wednesday, December 27th. AVind began to blow this after-
noon, igi- to 26 feet per second; the windmill is going again, and
the arc-lam|) once more brightens our lives. Johansen gave notii e
of 'a shooting match by electric light, with free concert,' for the
evening. It was a pity for himself that he did, for he and several
others were shot into bankruptcy ami beggary, and had to retire one
after the other, leaving their cigarettes behind them."

'• Thursday, December 28th. A little forward of the I-'ram there
is a broad, newly formed open lane, in whiih she could lie crosswa\s.
It was covered with last night's ice, in whith slight pressure began
to-day. It is strange how indifferent we r re to this |)ressure, which
was the cause of such great trouble to many earlier Arctic navigators.
We have not so much as made the smallest preparation for ])(),:si!)le
accident, no provisions on deck, no tent, no ch^thing, in readiness.
This may seem like recklessness, but in reality there is not the
slightest jjrospect of the ])ressure harming us ; we know now what
the Fnim can bear. Proud of our splcnilitl, strong ship, we stand
on her deck watching the ice come hurtling against her sides, being
crushed and broken there and having to go down below her, while
new ice-masses tumble upon her out of the dark, to meet the same
fate. Here and there, amid deafening noise, some great mass rises
up and launches itself threateningly u])on the bulwarks, only to sink
down suddenly, dragged the same way as the others. But at times
when one hears the roaring of tremendous pressure in the night, as

332

ChaptcT \'I.

a ruk' so (k-athly slill, one cannut luit call to mind thr disastrrs tliat
llii^ uiu ()nlr()llal)li' jiowrr has wrou^^lu.

'• I aui ii'a(lin,if tliL' slow of KanL'"s lApcilition just now. rnfor-
tunatc man, his |irf|tarations wcir miscrahly ina(U'(|ualo ; it scrms to
nic to ha\(.' I)rrn a ix'ckk'ss, iinjustiliahk' prot i'i'(hn,:; to si't out \vitl»
sui h i-i|ui|imciUs. Ahno^l all the ili)<;s dird of had I'ood ; all [he
men had s( ur\y from liu' samr causf, with snow Mindnrss, iVost-hitrs,
and all kinds ol' misi'iics. lie k'ariK'd a whok'sonic awi' ol' the
.\irii( ninht. and out' (an hardly wondrr at it. \\v writes on
|iai,'<j ijj;: '1 \'vv\ that we are li^hlin^ the battle oi" life at disadvan-
ta.ui', and that an Ardie day and an Arc tic ni^dil aj,M-' a man mort;
ra|)idl\ and harshly than a year anywhere else in this weary world.'
In another placi' he writes that it is impossibk' lor ( i\ili>ed men not
to sulTer in sue h ( ire umstances. These were sad, hut hy no means
uniijue experiences. An i'.n^lish Arctic explorer, with whom I had
some conversation, also expressed himself very discouraj,nni,dy on
the sul)je(l of lile in the Polar regions, and (omhated my cheerful
faith in the possihiliiv of preventing scinxv. He was of opinion that
it was iiie\ ilnhle, and that no expedition yet had escaped it, though
some might have gi\-en it another narne ; rather a hmnilialing view to
take of the matter, I think. lUit I am fortunately in a position to
maintain that it is not justified ; and I wonder if they would not both
< hange tlu'ir opinions if they were here. I'or my own part, I can
say thai the Arc tic night has had no ageing, no weakening, influenc-e
of any kind upon me ; I seem, on the contrary, to grow younger.
This (|uiet, regular life suits me leniarkably well, and I cannot
remember a time when 1 was in better bodily health balance than I
am at present. 1 differ i'rom these other authorities to the extent
of feeling inclined to recommend this region as an excellent sana-
torium in cases of nervou.->ness and general breakdown. This is in
all ^iiueritw

•■ 1 am almost ashamed of the lile we lead, with none of those
darkly painted sufferings of the long winter night which are indispens-
able to a properly exciting Arctic ex|)editit)n. \\'e shall have
nothing to write about when we get home. I mav sav the same of mv
conirades as I ha\e said for myself: they all locjk health}', fat, in good

Tilt: Winter Xi'-ht.

1 "» ■>

-00

condition; noni' of the traditional ]iaU', liolldw faci-s ; no low spirits
--anv one licari:i;4- the lau,i,dilrr that ^'ois on in the saloon, • the Tail
oi" ^n'easy card^.' etc. (stv Juell's poem), would he in no douht about
tills. I'.ut how. indeed, should tlu're he any illness ? With the hest
ot" food of every kind, as much of it as we want, and constant variety,
so that e\c'n the most fastidious cannot tire of it, good shelter, good
(lothing, good ventilation, exercise in the open air n// lihititm, no
over-exertion in the way of work, instnic ti\e and amusing books of
every kind, relaxation in the shape of cards, chess, dominoes, halma.

4>.

^^^

^^^^B

^*..

•^ >*,.

A GAME OF HAI.MA.

music, and story-telling — liow should any (>ne he ill? Every now and
then I hear remarks expressive of perfect satisfaction with the life.
Truh- the whole secret lies in arranging things sensibly, and especially
in being (arel'id about he l\)od. A thing that I believe has a good
effect upon us is this li\ing together in the one saloon, with e\ery-
thing in common. So far as I know, it is the first time that such a
thing has been tried, but it is ;iuite to be recommeniled, I have
heard some of the men comfjlain of sleeplessness. This is generally

234

Chai)icr VI.

considered to ho one inevitable conseiiuenre of the Arctic darkness.
As far as I am personally concerned I can say that I have felt
nothing of it ; I sleep soundly at night. 1 have no great belief in
this sleeplessness, but then I do not take an after-dinner nap, which
most of the others are addicted to ; and if they sleep for several
hours during the day, they can hardly expect to sleej) all night as
well. ' One must be awake part of one's time,' as Svenlrup said."

"Sunday, l)e( ember 31st. .And now the last day of the year has
come, it has been a long year, and has brought nuu h both of gooti
and bad. It began with good, by bringing little I.iv, su( h a new,
strange happiness that at first I could hardly believe in it. lint hard,
unspeakably hard, was the parting that came later ; no year has
brought worse pain than that. .And the time since has ben one
great longing.

" ' Would'st thou be free from care and pain ?
'I'hou must love nothing here on earth.'

" Hut longing — Oh, there are worse things than that ! All that is
good and beautiful may flourish in its shelter, l^verything would be
over if we cease to long.

" But you fell off at the end, old year ; you hardly carried us so far
as you ought. Still you might have done worse ; you have not been
so bad after all. Have not all hopes and calculations been justified,
and are we not drifting away just where I wished and hoped we
should be ? Only one thing has been amiss — I did not think the
drift would have gone in quite so many zig-zags.

" One could not have a more beautiful New A'ear's Eve. The
aurora borealis is burning in wonderful colours and l)ands of light
over the whole sky, but particularly in the north. Thousands of stars
sparkle in the blue llrmament among the northern lights. On every
side the ice stretches endless and silent into the night. The rime-
covered rigging of the Fnvn stands out sharp and dark against the
shining sky."

The newspaper was read aloud; only verses this time; among
other poems the following: —

The Winter Xi^ht.

235

" TO THE NEW VliAK.

'* And you, my l)oy, must j^ive yourst-lf trouble
Ot your old latht-r to he tlie (IouI)Il' ;
\'our lineage honour, and fijiht hiird to merit
Our praise for the habits wc trust you inherit.
( )n we must go if you want to please us ;
To make us lie still is the way to tease us.
Ill the old year we sailed not so badly,
lie it so still, or jou'll hear us groan sadly.
When the time comes you must break up the ire for us ;
ANhen the time comes you must win the great prize for us ;
We fervently hope, having reached our great goal,
To eat next Christmas dinner beyond the North I'ole."

Duiing the evening we were regaled with pine-apple, figs, cakes, and
other sweets, and about midnight Hansen brought in toddy, and
Nordahl cigars and cigarettes. At the moment of the passing of the
year all stood up, and I had to make an ajjology for a sjjeech — to
the effect that the old year had been after all a good one, and I
hoi)ed the new would not be worse ; that I thanked them for good
comradeship, and was sure that our life together this year would be
as comfortable and pleasant as it had been during the last. Then they
sang the songs that had been written for the farewell entertainments
given to us at Christiania and at Bergen : —

1!?

t<.

" Our mother, weep not ! it was thou

Gave them the wish to wander ;
To leave our coasts and turn their prow

Towards night and perils yonder.
Thou pointed'st to the open sea.

The long cape was thy finger ;
The white sail wings they got from thee ;

Thou canst not bid them linger !

2.;6

Chapter VI.

" Yes, they are thine, O mother ohl !

And proud thou dost embrace them ;
Thou hear'st of dangers manifold,

But know'st thy sons can face them.
And tears of joy thine eyes will rain,

The day the Fram comes steering
Up fjord again to music strain,

And the roar of thousands cheerini;;.

" E. N."

Then I read aloud our last greeting, a telegram we received at
Tromso from Moltke Moe : —

" Luck on !he way,
Sun on the sea,
Sun on your minds,
Helj) from the winds ;
May the packed tloes
Part and unclose
^^'llere the ship goes.
Forward her ])rogress be.
E'en though the silunt sea

Then
After her freeze up again.

" Strength enough, meat enough,
Hope enough, heat enough ;
The Fram will go sure enough then
To the Pole and so back to the dwellings of men.

Luck on the way
To thee and thy band.
And welcome back to the fatherland I ■'

After this we read some of Vinje's poems, and then sang songs from
the Fnviis/ihi and others.

It seems strange that we should have seen the New Year in already,
and 'hat it will not begin at home for eight hours yet. It is almost

The Winter Nicrht.

'2Z1

4 a.m. now. I had thought of sitting uj) till it was New Year in
Norway too ; hut no, I will rather go to bed and sleep, and dream that
I am at home.

•' Monday, January ist, 1894. The year began well. I was
awakened by Juell's cheerful voice wishing me a Happy New Year.
He had come to give me a cup of coffee in bed — delicious Turkish
coffee, his Christmas present from Miss Fougner. It is beautiful
clear weather, with the thermometer at 36" below zero ( — 30^ C).
It almost seems to me as if the twilight in the south were beginning
to grow ; the ujjper edge of it to-day was 14° al)0ve the horizon."

An extra good dinner at 6 p.m.

1. Tomato soup.

2. Cod roe with meited butter and potatoes.

3. Roast reindeer, with green peas, potatoes, and cranberry jam.

4. Cloudberries with milk.

Ringnes beer.

I do not know if this begins to give any impression of great
sufferings and privations. I am lying in my berth, writing, reading,
and dreaming. It is always a curious feeling to write for the first time
the number of a New Year. Not till then does one gras]) the fact that
the old year is a thing of the past ; the new one is here, and one must
prepare to wrestle with it. Who knows what it is bringing ? Good
and evil, no doubt, but most good. It cannot but be that we shall go
forward towards our goal, and towards home.

" Life is rich and wreathed in roses ;
Gaze forth into a world of dreams."'

Yes, lead us, if not to our goal — that would be too early — at least
rewards it ; strengthen our hope ; but perhaps — no, no perhaps.
These brave boys of mine deserve to succeed. There is not a doubt
in their minds. Each one's whole heart is set on getting north : I can
read it in their faces — it shines from every eye. There is one sigh of
disappointment every time that we hear that we are drifting south, one
sigh of relief when we begin to go north again, to the unknown. And
it is in me and my theories that they trust. What if I have been
mistaken, and am leading them astray? Oh, I could not help myself!

238

Chapter VI.

^\ e are the tools of powers beyond us. We

are born unde

r lucky or

unlucky stars.

Till now I have lived under

a lucky one ; is

its light to

be darkened ?

I am superstitious, no doubt

, but I believe in my star.

And Norway, our fatherland, what has the

old year broug

It to thee,

and what is the

new year bringing ? Vain to think of that :

l)ut I look

at our pictures, the gifts of Werenskjold,

Munthe, Kitty

Kielland,

Skredsvig, Hansteen, Eilif Pettersen, and I am at home, at home I

"Wednesday, January 3rd. The old lane about 1,300 feet ahead of
the Fram has opened again — a large rift, with a coating of ice and
rime. As soon as ice is formed in this temperature, the frost forces it
to throw out its salinity on the surface, and this itself freezts into
pretty salt flowers, resembling hoar-frost. The temperature is between
38"^ F. ( — 39"^ C.) and 40" F. ( — 40" C.) below zero, but when there is
added to this a biting wind, with a velocity of from 9 to 16 feet per
second, it must be allowed that it is rather 'cool in the shade."'

" Sverdrup and I agreed to-day that the Christmas holidays had
better stop now, and the usual life begin again ; too much idleness is
not good for us. It cannot be called a lull nor a complicated one, this
life of ours, but it has one advantage, that we are all satisfied with it,
such as it is.''

"They are still working in the engine-room, but e\"|)ect to finish what
they are doing to the boiler in a few days, and then all is done there.
Then the turning lathe is to be set up in the hold, and tools for it have
to be forged. There is often a job for Smith Lars, and then the forge
flames forward by the forecastle, and sends its red glow on to the rime-
covered rigging, and farther up into the starry niglit, and out over the
waste of ice. From far off 30U can hear the strokes on the anvil ringing
through the silent night. Wlien one is wandering alone out there, and
the well known sound reaches one's ear, and one sees the red glow,
memory recalls less solitary scenes. Wliile one stands gazing, perhaps
a light moves along the deck, and slowly up the rigging. It is Johanscn,
on his way up to the crow's-nest to read the temperature. Blessing is
at present engaged in counting blood corpuscles again, and estimating
amounts of haemoglobin, l^'or this purpose he draws blood every month
from every mother's son of us, the bloodthirsty dog, with supreme con-
tempt for all the outcry against vivisection. Hansen and his assistant

The Winter NI*rht.

239

take observations. Tlie meteorological ones, which are taken every
four hours, are Johansen's special department. First he reads the
thermometer, hygrometer, and thermograph on deck (they were after-
wards kei)t on tlie ice); next the barometer, barograpli, and thermometer ■
in the saloon ; and then the minimum and maximum thermometers in
the crow's-nest (this to take the record of the temperature of a higher
air stratum). Then he goes to read the thermometers that are kept on
the ice. to measure the radiations from its surface, and perhaps down to
the hold, too, to see what the temperature is there. Every second day,
as a rule, astronomical observations are taken, to decide our where-
abouts, and keep us up to date in the crab's i)rogress we are making.
Taking these observations with the thermometer between 22° F. and
40^ y. below zero ( — 30° C. to — 40^" C.) is a very mixed pleasure.
Standing still on deck working with tliese fine instruments and screwing
in metal s( rews with one's bare fingers is not altogether agreeable. It
often happens that they must slap tlieir arms about and tramp hard up
and tlown tlie deck. T'hey are received with shouts of laugliter when
they reappear in the saloon after the performance of one of these
thundering nigger breakdowns above our heads, that has shaken the
whole slii|). We ask innocently if it was cold on deck? 'Not the
very least,' says Hansen ; ' just a pleasant temperature.' ' And your
feet are not culd now ? ' ' No, I can't say that they are, but one's
fingers get a little cold sometimes.' Two of his had just been frost-
bitten ; but he refused to wear one of the wolf-skin suits which I had
given out f(jr the meteorologists. ' It is too mild for tliat yet ; and it
does ncjt do t<j [)amper on.-;'s-self,' he says.

" I believe it was when the thermometer stood at 40 l)elow zero that
Hansen rushed up on deck one morning in shirt and drawers to take an
observation. He said he had not tune to get on his clothes.

"At certain intervals tliey also take magnetic observations on the ice,
these two. I watch them standing there with lanterns, bending over
their instruments; and presently 1 see thtm tearing away over the floe,
their arms swinging like the sails of the windmill when there is a wind
pressure of 32 to 39 feet — but ' it is not at all colil.' 1 cannot help
thinking of what I have read in the accounts of some of the earlier
expeditions, namelv, that at sucli temi)eratures it was imnossiljle to

Chapter VI,

■1 «

take observations. It would take worse than this to make tliese fellfjws
L;ive in. In the intervals hetv.een their observations and calculatiDns
I hear a murmurini^ in Hansen's cabin, which means that the princ ipal
is at ])resent occiiiiied in indietiny a dose c;!" astronomy or navigation
upon his assistant.

'■ It is something dreadful the amount of card-playing that goes on
in the saloon in the evenings now ; the gaming demon is abroad, far
into the night ; even our model Sverdrup is possessed by him. 'J'hey
have not yet played the shirts off their backs, buL some of them have
literally ])layed the bread out of their mouths ; two poor wretches
have had to go witiiout fresh bread for a whole month because they
had forfeited their rations of it to their op])onents. lUit all the same,
this car(l-])laying is a healthy, harmless recreation, gix'ing occasion fc^r
much laughter, fun, and pleasure.

'•An Irish proverb says: ' He ha])py ; and if you cannot be haj^jiy,
be careless ; and if you cannot be careless, be as careless as you can.'
This is got)d , hilosophy. which — no, what need of ])roverbs here,
where life is hai)py! It was in all sincerity that Amundsen burst out
yesterday with: 'Yes, isn't it just as I say, that we are the luckiest
men on earth that can live up here where we have no cares, get every-
thing given us without needing to trouble about it, and are well off
in every possible way!' Hansen agreed that it certainly was a life
without care. Juell saiil much the same a little ago ; what seems to
please him most is that there are no summonses here, no creditors, no
bills. And I? Yes, I am happy too. It is an easy life: nothing
that weighs heavy on one, no letters, no nevspapers, nothing dis-
turbing ; just that monastic, out-of-the-world existence that was my
dream when I was younger and \ earned for quietness in which to give
myself up to my studies. Longing, even when it is strong and sad, is
not unhappiness. A man has truly no right to be anything but hap])y
when fate permits him to follow up his ideals, exempting him from the
wearing strain of every-day cares, that he may with clearer vision strive
towards a lofty goal,

" ' Where there is work, success will follow,' said a poet of the land
of work. I am working as hard as I can, so I suppose success will pay
me a visit by-and-bye. I am lying on the sofa, reading about Kane's

t&iZ^ir ^2^/ >a^j^

'■■yu.- rff

Ai IHE COMING OF THE SPRING. MARCH, 1894
{From a Photograph.)

'Ai

;»!. 1

ill

■','1

242

Chapter VI.

misfortunes, drinking heer, smoking cigvirettes- -truth (hliges me to
confess that I have become addicted to tlie vice I condemn so
strongly — but flesh is grass ; so I blow the smoke clouds into the air
and dream sweet dreams. It is hard work, but I must do the best
I can."

"Thursday, January 4th. It seems as if the twilight were increasing
{[uite perceptibly now, but this is very possibly only imagination. I am
in good spirits in s])ite of the fact that we are drifting south again.
After all, what does it matter? Perhaps the gain to science will be as
great, and afcer all, I suppose this desire to reach the North Pole is
only a piece of vanity. I have now a very good idea of what it must
be like up there. ('I like that I' say you.) Our deep water here is
connected with, is a part of, the deei) water of the Atlantic Ocean— of
this there lan be no doubt. And have not I found that things go
exactly as I calculated they would whenever we get a favourable wind ?
Ha\-e not many before us had to wait for wind ? And as to vanity—
that is a child's disease, got over long ago. All calculations, with but
one exception, have proved correct. We made our way along the
coast of Asia, which many prophesied we should have great difriculty
in doing. ^Ve were able to sail farther north than I had dared to hope
for in my boldest moments, and in just the longitude I wished, ^\'e
are closed in by the ice, also as I wished. The jFriv/i has borne the
ice-pressure splendidly, and allows herself to be lifted by it without so
much as creaking, in spite of being more heavily loaded with coal, and
drawing more water than we reckoned on when we made our calcu-
lations ; and this after her certain destruction and ours was prophesied
by those most experienced in such matters. I have not found the ice
higher nor heavier than I expected it to be ; and the comfort, warmth,
and good ventilation on board are far beyond my expectations.
Nothing is wantintj in our ecjuipment, and the food is quite exception-
ally good. As Plessing and I agreed a few days ago, it is as good as
at home : there is not a thing we long for ; net even the thought of a
I)eefsteak a la Chateaubriand, or a pork cutlet with mushrooms, and a
bottle of Burgundy, can make our mouths water ; we simply don't care
aI)out such things. The preparations for the expedition cost me
several years of i)recious life; but now I do not grudge them, my

The Winter Nidit.

243

c bject is attained. On the diifting ice we live a winter Hie, not only
in every respect better than that of previous expeditions, hut actually as
if we had brought a bit of Norway, of Europe, with us. We are as
well off as if we were at home. All together in one saloon, with every-
thing in common, we are a little part of the fatherland, and daily wo
draw closer and closer together. In one point only have my calcula-
tions proved incorrect, but unfortunately in one of the most important.
1 pre-supposed a shallow Polar Sea, the greatest depth known in these
regions up till now being 80 fathoms, found by the Jeanneite. T
reasoned that all currents would have a strong influence in the shallow
Polar Sea, and that on the Asiatic side the current of the Siberian
rivers would be strong enough to drive the ice a good way north. But
here I already find a depth which we cannot measure with all our line,
a depth of certainly 1,000 fathoms, and possibly double that. This at
once upsets all faith in the operation of i cuient ; we find either none,
or an extremely slight one ; my only trust now is in the winds.
Columbus discovered America by means of a mistaken calculation,
and even that not his own ; heaven only knows where my mistake will
lead us. Only I repeat once more -the Siberian driftwood on the
coast of (Greenland cannot lie, and the way it went we nmst go.

" Monday, January 8th. Little Liv is a year old to-day ; it will lie
a fete day at home. As I was lying on the sofa reading after dinner,
I'eter put his head in at the door and asked me to come up and look at
a strange star which had just shown itself al)ove the horizon, shining
like a beacon flamy. 1 got cjuite a start when I came on deck and
saw a strong red light just above the edge of the ice in the soutli. It
twinkled and changeil colour; it looked as if some one were coming
carrying a lantern over the ice ; I actually believe that for a moment I
so far forgot our surroundings as to think that it really was some
l>erson approaching from the south. It was \'enus, which we :see to-
day for the first time, as it has till now been beneath the horizon. It
is beautiful v\ith its red light. Curioas that it should happen to come
to-day. It must be Liv's star, as Jupiter is the home star. And Liv's
birthday is a lucky day — we are on our way north again. According to
observations we are certainly nc.rth of 79*^ N lat. On the home day,
September C'th, the favourable wind began tj blow that carried us along

K 2

?44

Chapter VI.

the coast of Asia ; |)L'rlKi|)s Liv's ilay lias hroujiht us into a good
current, anl we are makin-f the real start for the north under her star.

" Friday, January ut'.i. Thijir was pressure about ten o'clock this
morning in the opening forwanl, but I could see no movement when I
was there a little later. I followed Mie op-ening some way to the m^rtli.
It is pretty cold work .-Ikip. 't'n he thermometer it 40° i". below
zero, and the '>inl i(',/niii!. < ilii a velocity of 16 feet per second
straight in your face j3m' '.v >e are certainly drifting fast to the
north under Liv's star. A.rer al, ' is not (juite indifferent to me
whether we are going nortli or south. When the drift is northwards
new life seems to come into me, and hope, the ever-young, springs
fresh and green from under t'le winter snow. I seci the way open
before me, and I see the home-coming in the distance — too great
happiness to believe in.''

"Sunday, January r4th. Sunday again. The time is passing
almost quickly, and there is more hght every day. Tliere was great
excitement to-day when yesterday evening's observations were being
calculated. All gues.sed that we had come a long way north again.
Several thought to 79'^ t8' or 20'. Others, I believe, insisted on 8o'\
The calculation places us in 79^ 19' N. lat. ; 137° 31' E. long. A
good step onwards. Yesterday the ice wa.*, quiet, but this morning
there was considerable pressure in several places, ("ioodness knows
what is causing it just now ; it is a whole week after new-moon. I
took a long walk to the south-west, and got right in among it.
Packing began where I stood, with roars and thunders below me and
on every side. I jumped, and ran like a hare, as if I had never heard
such a thing before ; it came so unexpectedly. The ice was curiously
flat there to the south ; the farther I went the flatter it grew, with
excellent sledging surfiice. Over such ice one could drive many miles
a day."'

" Monday, January 15th. There was pressure forward both this
morning and towards noon, but we heard the loudest sounds from "the
north. Sverdiup, ]\Iogstad, and Peter went in that direction and were
stopped by a large open channel. Peter and I afterwards walked a
long distance N.N.R., past a large opening that I had skirted before
Christmas. It was shining, flat ice, splendid for sledging on, always

The Winter Nit'ht.

245

better the farther north \vc went. 'I'lic lon<fer I wander about and sec
this -iort of ice in all (liretl'>ns, the more strongly does a plan take
hold of ii ! that I have long had in my mind. It would be possible to
get widi dogs and sledges over this ice to the Pole, if one left the shi|)
for ''ood and made one's way back in the direction of I'ranz Josef
Land, Spitzbeigen, or the v.est coast of Greenland. It might almost
be tailed an easy expedition for two men.

" Hut it would be too hasty to go off in spring. We must first see
■what kind •!' drift the summer brings. And as I think over it. I feel
doubtful if It would be right to go off and leave the oth( ■

'.>

la-

I came home and they did not ! Vet it was to cxpl' re dv iiknown
Polar regions that I came; it was for that tlie Norwc",. ■ people gave
their money ; and surely my lirst duty is to do tha' i I . m. 1 must
give the drift plan a longer trial yet, but if it taiies , -. iii a wrong
direction, then there is nothing for it but to try tb '^th;', come what
may.

" ruesday, January i6th. The ice is quiet to-day. Does longing
stupefy one, or does it wear itself out and turn at last into stolidity?
Oh, that burning longing night and day was happiness ! but now its
fire has turned to ice. Why iloes home seem so far away ? It is one's
all-life, without it is so empty, so empty — notl uig but dead emptiness.
Is it the restlessness of spring that is beginning to come over one, the
desire for action, for something different from this indolent, enervating
life? Is the soul of man nothing but a succession of moods and
feelings, shifting as incalculably as the changing winds? Perhaps my
brain is over-tired ; day and night my thoughts have turned on the one
l)oint, the possibility of reaching the Pole and getting home. Perhaps
it is rest I need, to sleep, sleep 1 Am I afraid of venturing my lite?
No, it cannot be that. Put what else then can be keejjing me back ?
Perhaps a secret doubt of the i)racticabi1ity of the plan ? My mind is
confused ; the whole thing has got into a tangle ; I am a riddle to
myself. I am worn out, and yet I do not feel any s|)ecial tiredness.
Is it perhaps because I sat up reading last nigh.t ? Everything around
is emptiness, and my brain is a blank. I look at the home pictures
and am moved by them in a curious, dull way : I look into the future,
and feel as if it does not much matter to me whether I get home in the

9 '

-' i!i

1 ■. /'

Chapter VI.

autumn of this year f^r luxt. So Um^ ;is I ^vt home in the cm], a year
oi two seem ahiiost notIlin^^ I June never thoiij;Iu tiiis before. I
have no inclination to read, nor to draw, nor to do anything,' else
wiiatever. I'oUy I Shall I try a few i)aj,'es of Sciiopenhaiier? No, I
will no to bed, thoujrh I am not sleepy. I'erliaps, if the triitii were
known, I am longing' now more than ever, 'i'he only thing that helps
nic is writing, trying to express myself on these ])ages, and then
looking at myself as it were from the outside. Yes, man's life is
nothing but a succession of moods, half memory and half hope."

"Thursday, January iSth. The wind that began yesterday has
gone on blowing all to-day with a velocity of i6 to 19 feet per second,
from S.S.l'^., S.I\., and K.S.I'.. It has no doubt helped us on a good
way north ; but it seems to be going down ; now, about midnight, it
lias sunk to i,^ feet ; and the barometer, which has been rising all the
lime, has suddenly begun to fall ; let us ho|)e that it is not a cyclone
jiassing over us, bringing northerly wind. It is curious that there is
almost always a rise of the thermometer with these stronger .vinds J
to-day it rose to 13'' F. below zero (— 25^ C). A south wind of less
velocity generally lowers the temperature, and a moderate north wind
raises it. Payer's explanation of this raising of the tempferauire by
strong winds is that tlie wind is warmed by passing over large
openings in the ice. This can hardly be correct, at any rate in our
case, i"or we have few or no openings. I am rather inclined to believe
tliat the rise is produced by air from higher str.ata being brought down
to tiie surface of the earth. It is certain that the higher air is warmer
than the lower, which comes into contact with snow and ice surfaces
cooled by radiation. Our observations go to prove that such is the
case. Add to this t!iat the air in its fall is heated by the rising
pressure. A strong wind, even if it does not come from the higher
strata of the I'tmosjjhcre, must necessarily make some confusion in the
mutual position of the various strata, mixing the higher with those
below them and rvVc 7rrs(r.

" I had a strange dream last night. T had got home. I can still feel
something of the trembling joy, mixed with fear, with which I nenred
land and the first tele!.;raph station, t had carried out my plan ; we
had reached the North Pole on sledges, and then got down to ]'"ranz

'Vhv. Winter Ni^ht.

'■47

Josof 1,111(1. I had seni iiotliin^ hut drift-ice ; and when pcfjplo asked
what it was like up there, and how we knew we had been to the I'ole,
I had no answer to give ; 1 had forgotten to take ac( urate ohservations,
nnd now began to feel that this had been stupid of me. It is very
curious that I had an exactly similar dream when we were drifting on
the ice (loes along the east coast of Cireenland, and thought that wc
were being carried farther and farther from our destination. Then I
dreamed that I had reached home after crossmg (Ireenland on the ice ;
but that 1 was ashamed because 1 could give no account of what I had
seen on the way 1 had forgotten everything. Is there not a lucky
omen in the resemblance between these two dreams? I attained my
aim the first lime, bad as things l(M)ked -shall I not do so this time,
too? If 1 were superstitious I shoull feel surer of it ; but even though
I am not at all superstitious, I have a fuiii conviction that our enter[)rise
must be successful. 'This belief is not merely the result of the two last
days' south wind; something within w.e says that we shall succeed; I
laugh now at myself for having been weak ent.u.di to doubt it. 1 (an
spend hours staring into the light, dreaming of how, when we land, I
shall grope my way to the first telegraph station, trembling witii
emotion and suspense. I write out telegram after telegram ; I ask the
(Itrk if he can give me any news from home.''

"Friday, January Kjth. Splendid wind with vekjcily of 13 to 29
feet per second ; we are going north at a grand rate. The red, glowing
twilight is now so bright about midday, that, if we were in more
southern latitudes, we should expect to see the sun rise bright and
glorious above the horizon in a few minutes, but we shall have to wait
a month yet for that."

" Saturday, January 20th. I had about 600 lbs. of pcmmican and
200 lbs. of bread brought up from the hold to-ilay, and stowed on the
forecastle. It is wrong not to have some provisions on deck against
any sudden emergency, such as fire.

"Sunday, January 2[st. We took a long excursion to the north-
west'; the ice in that direction, too, was tolerably flat. Svcrdruj) and I
got on tlie top of a high pressure mound at some distance tVom here,
it was in the centre of what lire! been very violent packing, but all the
same the wall at its highest was not over 17 feet, and lliis was one of

l»l|J

i.ii

f!^:^

248

Chapter \'I.

the highest and l>i;j;Ke.st iiltogcllicr that I have sji-ii wi. An altitude of
tlic iiKxm taken this evening showed iis to he in 71) ^55' N. iat. exu'tiy
what I had thought. We are so a( enstoined now to cahulating our
drill by tlic wind, liiat wc arc al)le to tell |)retty nearly where we are.
'This is a good step northwards, if we could take ninny more su( h. In

i" tl

>UK

irlhday

tc have a treat of figs, raisins, anc

lionour o
ahnonds.

"Tuesday, January 23rd. Wlien I came on deck this morning
'("aiaphas' was silting out on liic ice on the port (luarler, harking

incesvintlN' to the east.

;new tiure must he sonictliini; there, am

went off with a rex'olver, Sverdnip following with one also. \\'hen 1 got
near the dog he (ame to meet me, always wriggling his head round to
the east and harking ; then he ran on i)efore us in that direction; it
was plain that there was some animal there, and of course it could only
be a bear. The full moon stood low and red in the north, and sent its
fedble lig'iil ol)li(iuely across the broken ice-surface. I looked out
sharply in all directions over the hummocks, which cast long, many-
shaped shadows ; bul 1 < ouKl distinguish nothing in this confusion.
We went on, ' ( '.liaphas ' first, growling and barking and pricking his
cars, and 1 after him, e.\i)ecling every moment to see a bear loom up in
front of us. ( )ur (ourse was eastwards along tin; opening. The do;;
presently began to go more cautiously and straighter forward ; then he
,3topi)ed making any noise e,\ce|)t a low growl we were evidentl)' thaw-
ing near. I mounted a hummock to look about, and caught sight among
the blocks of ice of something dark, which seemed to be coming
towards us. ' There comes a black dog,' I called. ' No, it is a bear/
said Sverdrup, who was more to the side of it and (ould see belter. I
saw now, too, that it was a large animal, and that it had only been its
head that I had taken for a dog. It was not mdike a bear in its
movements, but it seemed to me remarkably dark in colour. 1 i)ulled
the revolver out of the holster and rushed forward to empty all its
barrels into the creature's head. When 1 was just a few paces from it.

prei

j.irint: to shoot, it raised its head and I saw that it w

as a

walrus, and tiiat same moment it threw itself sideways into the water.
There we stood. To shoot at such a fellow with a revolver would be
01" as much use as squirting water at a goose. The great black head

5 ^'

^^io

Chapteir IV.

showed again immediately in a strip of moonlight on the dark water.
The animal took a long lock at us, disappeared for a little, appeared
^gain nearer, bobbed up and down, blew, lay with its head under water,
shoved itself over towards us, raised its head again. It was enough to
drive one mad : if we had only had a harpoon 1 could easily have
stuck it into its back. Yes, if we had had — and back to the lu-am we
ran as fiist as our legs would carry us, to get harpoon and ride. But
the harpoon and line were stored away, and were not to be had at once;
who could have guessed that they would be needed here ? The
harpoon point had to be sharpened, and all this took time. And for all
our searching afterwards east and west along the opening, no walrus was
to be found, (loodness knows wiiere it had gone, as there are hardly
any openings in the ice for a long distance round. Sverdrup and I
vainly fiet over not having known at once what kind of animal it was,
for if we had only guessed we should have him now. But wlio expecls
to meet a walrus on close ice in the middle of a wild sea of a thousand
fathoms depth, and that in the heart of winter ? None of us ever
heard of such a thing before ; it is a perfe-, t mystery. As I thought we
might have come upon shoals or into the neighbourhood of land, I had
foundings taken in the afternoon with 130 fatlioms (. ;o metres) of line,
but no bottom was found.

'* Pjv yesterday's observations we are in 79° 41' N. lat., and 135° 29'
E. long. That is good progress north, and it does not much mattei
that we have been taken a little west. The clouds are driving this
evening belt re a strong south wind, so we shall likely be going before
it soon too ; in the meantime there is a breeze from the south, so
slight that you hardly feel it.

"The ojjcning on our stern lies almost east and west. \Ve could
see no end to it westwards when we went after t!ie walrus ; and
Mogstad and Beter had gone three miles east, and it was as In-oad as
ever there.

" Wednesday, January 24th. At supper t!iis evening Beter told
some of his remarkable S|)itzl)ergen stories -al)out his com/ade

t Dut( hman's Island,

Anilreas liel

Well,

VOU SL

1: w:

s up

IK)U

Amst'.'rdam Isiaiul, tliat Andreas liek and I were on shore and

got in among all tne grave;

^\'e thouyi

It we (1 like t') see w

hat

was

The Winter Nicrht.

in them, so we liroke up seme of the coffins, and tliere they hiy.
Some of them had still fl6sh on their jaws and noses, and some of
them still had their caps on their heads, Andreas, he was a devil of
a fellow, you see, and he broke uj) the coffins and j^ot hold of the
skulls, and rolled them about here and there. Some of them he set
up for targets and shot at. Then he wanted to see if there was
marrow left in their bones, so he took and broke a thigh-bone— and,
sure enough, there was marrow ; he took and picked it out with a
wooden pin.'

'" How could he do a thing like that?'

" ' Oh, it was only a Dutchman, you know. But he had a bad
dream that night, had Andreas. All the dead men came to fetch him,
and he ran from them and got right out on the bowsprit, and there he
sat and yelled, while the dead men stood en the forecastle. And the
one with his broken thigh-bone in his hand was foremost, and he came
crawling out, and wanted Andreas to put it together again. But just
then he wakened. We were lying in the same berth, you see, Andreas
and me, and I sat up in the berth and laughed, listening to him yelling.
I wouldn't waken him, not I. I thought it was fin to hear him getting
paid out a little.'

" ' It was bad of you, Peter, to have any part in that horrid plundering
of dead bodies.'

" ' Oh, I nei-er did anything to them, you know. Just once I
broke up a coffin to get wood to make a f.re for our coffee ; but
when we opened it the body just fell to pieces. IJut it was juicy
wood, that, better to burn than the best fir-roots- sucli a I'lre as
it made ! '

" One of the others now remarked, ' Wasn't it the devil that used a
skull for his coffee-cup?'

"'Well, he hadn't anything else, you see, and he just ha])pened to
find one. There was no harm in that, was there ? '

" Then Jacobsen began to hold forth : ' It"s not at all sue h an
uncommon thing to use skulls for shooting at. either because people
lancy them for targets, or because of soiue (jtlier reason ; tiiey shoot
in through the eyeholes.' eti-.. etc.

"I asked Peter about ' T()i)icsen's ' coffin — if it liad ever been dug

I I

■

252

Chapter Vi,

1 i.

up to find out if it was true that his men had killed him and
his son.

" ' No, that one has never been dujjf up.'

" ' I sailed past thL're last year,' he^^ins Jacobsen, a<i;ain ; ' I didn't go
ashore, Init it seems to me that I heard that it had been dug up.'

"'That's just rubbish ; it lias never been dug up.'

" ' Well,' said I, ' it seems to me that I've heard something about it
too ; I believe it was here on board, and I am very much mistaken if
it was not yourself th;:t said it. Peter.'

"' N'o, I U'c'vcr said that. All I said was that a man once struck a
walrus spear througli the coffin, and it's sticking there yet.'

"'What did h( do that for?'

" ' Oh I just because he wanted to know if there was anything in the
coffin ; and yet he didn't want to open it, you know. But let him lie
in peace now.'

" Friday, January 26th. Peter and I went eastwards along the
opening this morning for about seven miles, and we saw where it
ends, in some old pressure ridges ; its whole length is over seven
miles. Movement in the ice began on our way home ; indeed, there
was ])retty strong pressure all the time. As we were walking on the
new ice in the opening, it rose in furrows or cracked under our feet.
Then it raided itself up into two high walls, between which we walked
as if along a street, amidst unceasing noises, sometimes howling and
whming like a dog complaining of the cold, sometimes a roar like ihe
thunder of a great waterfall. \\'e were often obliged to take refuge on
the old ice, either because we came to open water with a confusion of
tloatmg blocks, or because the line of the packing had gone straight
across tlic opening, and there was a wall in front of us like a high
frozen wave. It seemed as if the ice <n tlie south side of the opening
where the /''m/// is Iving. were moving east, or else that on the north,
side was mo\ing west : for the fioes on tlie two sides slanted in towards
each other in these directions. \\'e saw tracks of a little bear which
had trotted along the o[jening the day l)efore. Unfortunately it had
gone off soutlvwest. and we had small hope, with this steady south
wind, ol its getting scent of the ship and coming to fetch a little of the
flesh on b ;avd.

feet.

.he

)n of

!j;lit
ii!j;h
ning

)rLh
irds
licli
had
outh
the

The Winter Night.

253

"Saturday, J-inuary 27th. The days are turning distinctly lighter
now. We can just see to read I'cniciis Ga;i,i^* ahowi midday. At tliat
time to-day Sverdrup thought he saw land far astern : it was dark and
irregular, in some i)laces high ; he fancied that it might be only an
appearance of clouds. When I returned from a walk, about one
o'clock, I went up to look, but saw only piled-u]) ice. Perhaps this
was the same as he saw, or jjossibly I was too late. (It turned out
next day to be only an optical illusion.) Severe pressure has been
going on this evening. It began at 7.30 astern in the opening, and
Avent on steadily for two hours. It sounded as if a roaring waterfall
were rushing down upon us with a force that nothing could resist.
One heard the big floes crashing and breaking against each other.
They were flung and pressed up into high walls, which must now
stretch along the whole opening east and west, for one hears the roar
the whole way. It is coming nearer just now ; the ship is getting
violent shocks ; it is like waves in the ice. They come on us from
behind, and move forward. We stare out into the night, but can see
nothing, for it is pitch-dark. Now I hear cracking and shifting in the
hummock on the starboard quarter ; it gets louder and stronger, and
extends steadily. At last the waterfall roar abates a little. It becomes
more unequal ; there is a longer interval between each shock I am
S3 cold that I creep below.

" But no sooner have I seated myself to write, than the ship begins
to heave and tremble again, and I hear through her sides the roar of
the ])acking. As the lear-trap may be in danger, three men go off to
see to it, but they find that there is a distance of 50 jjaces between the
new pressure-ridge and the wire by v.hich the trap is secured, so they
leave it as it is. The prcssure-ridge was an ugly sight, they say, but
they could distinguish nothing well in the dark.

" Most violent pressure is beginning again. I must go ,)n deck and
look at it. The loud roar meets cne as on.e opens the door. It is
coming from the bow now, as well as from the stern. It is clear that
])ressurc-ridges are being thrown up iii both openings, so if they reach
us we shall be taken by i)oth ends and lifted lightl; and gently out of

'' \ Xorvvcgian ncw^iwi^ir.

( ■'

11.

ii'.

j:H-

'54

Chapter VI.

the water. There is pressure near us on all sides, freaking has
begun in the old hummock on the port quarter ; it is getting louder,
antl, so far as I can see, tlie hanimock is slowly rising. A lane has
o[)ened right aiross the large floe on the port side ; you can see the
water, dark as it is. Now both pressure and noise get worse and
worse ; the ship shakes, and I feel as if I myself were being gently
lifted with the stern-rail, where 1 stand gazing out at the welter of
ice-masses, that resemble giant snakes writhing and twisting their
great bodies ou*^ there under the quiet, starry sky, whose peace is
only broken by one aurora serpent wavering and flickering restlessly
in the north-east. I once more think what a comfort it is to be
safe on board the Fram, and look out with a certain contempt at the
horrible hurly-burly nature is raising to no purj) )se whatever ; it will
not crush us in a hurry, nor even frighten us. Suddenly I remembc;
that mv fme thermometer is in a hole on a floe to port on the othe;-
side of the o])ening, and must certainly be in danger. I jumj) on to
die ice, find a place where I can leap across the opening, and grope
about in the dark until I find the piece of ice covering the hole ; I get
hold of the string, and the thermometer is saved. I hurry on board
again well pleased, and clown into my comfortable cabin to smoke
a pipe of peaie — alas I this vice grows upon me more and more — and
to listen with glee to the roar of tlie pressure outside and feel its
shakings, like so many earthquakes, as I sit and write my diary. Safe
and comfort;u)le. 1 cannot but think with deep pity of the many who
iiave had to stand bv on deck in readiness to leave their frail vessels
on the occurrence of any such i)ressure. The poor 7<',i,v///'^ fellows —
they had a bad time of it, and yet theirs was a good ship in comparison
with many of the others. It is now i 1.30, and the noise outiide seem;

to be sui)sidnu

It is remarkable that we should have tliis strong pressure just

now.

with the moon in its last quarter and nean tide. This does not agree

iHi

o'lr

qu
p'-evioiis experiences ; no

mor

e does the fact that the> prewun

t;ie

fc ri veiitenlay was from 12 a.m. tcj about 2 p.m., and t!

veil

a .'Mill at 2

jnu

.M.-i 1

,avt

lb 42

,111.

')'!:

and now we liave had it from 7.30 to 10.3c p.m. Can
to do ,itli it here after all? The temperature

riuu

hciow

zero (^ — 4 I "4 C.), l)ut there

;s no Willi!, and \\e

The Winter Moht.

255

have not had such pleasant weatlier for walkhig for a long time ; it
feels almost mild here when the air is still.

" No, that was not the end of the pressure. When I was on deck at
a quarter to twelve, roaring and trembling began again in the ice
forward on t!ie port quarter ; then suddenly came one loud boom after
another, sounding out in the distance, and the ship gave a start ; there
was again a little pressure, and after that (juietness. l-'aint aurora
borealis.

" Sunday, Janua -y 28th. Strange to say, there has l)een no pressure
since 12 o'clock last night ; the ice seems perfectly quiet. The pres-
sure-ridgi a.'ileri'' showed what violent packing yesterday's was ; in one
place it.> height was 18 or 19 feet above the surface of the water:
floe-ice 8 feet thick was broken, pressed u]) in stpiare blocks, and
crushed to pieces. At one point a huge monolith of such floe-ice
rose high into the air. l]eyord this pressure-wall there was no great
disturbance to be detected. There had been a little packing here and
there, and the floe to port had four or five large cracks across it, which
no doubt accounted for the explosions I heard last night. The ice to
starboard was also cracked in several places. The pressure had evi-
dently come from the north or N.X.K. The ridge behind us is one of
the highest I have seen yet. I believe that H' tha Fra/// had been lying
there she would have been lifted right cut of the water. 1 walked
for some distance in a north-easterly direction, but saw no signs of
pressure there.

" Another Sunday. It is wonderful that the time n pass so
quickly as it does. I'or one thing we are in better s| < .cs, knowing
that we are drifting steadily nortli. A rough estim of to-dayV
observation gives 79° 50' \. lat. That is not nuuh ice Monday ;
but then yesterday and to-day there has been alnn > wind at all,

and the other days it has been very light, only cnc or twice with as
much as 9 feet velocity, the rest of the time 3 and 6.

" A remarkable event happened yesterday aftcri )on : I got
Munthe's picture of the 'Three Princesses' fastened fu'mly on the
wall. It is a thing that we have been going to do ever since we left
Christiania, but we ha\e never been able to summon ;m) energy for
such a heavy undertaking — it meant knocking in four nails— and the

2 56

Chapt(,'r \'I,

[lictiire has nmiisfd itself by ronslantly falling and ifuillotinint,' wlm-
t'ver happened to he sittinjr on the sofa below it.

"Tuesday, January 30th. "nf 49' N. lat. 134" 57' !•>. lonl,^, is the
tale told by this aftern'ion's observations, while by Simday afternoon's
we were in 79^ 50' \. lat., and 133" 23' !■). lont^. This lall-otil" to the
south-east a,i;ain was not more than I had expected, as it has been
almost calm since Sunday. I explain the thinj^ to myself thus :
^^'hen the ice has been set adrift in a certain direction by the wind
blowin^f that wav f(M" some time, it gradually in process of drifting
becomes more compressed, and when that wind dies away, a reaction
ill the opposite direction takes i)lace. Such a reaction must, I
believe, have been the cause of Saturday's pressure, which stopped
entirely as suddenly as it began. .Since then there has not been the
slightLst appearance of movement in the ice. I'robably the ])ressure
indicates the time when the drift tiu'ned. A light breeze has sprung
up this afternoi;n from S.!.. ..nd i'LS.l-'., increasing gradually to
a i.iost 'mill wintl.' We are going north again; surely we shall get
the better of the Hoh degree this time.

" ^^'ednesday, January 31SI. The wind is whistling among the
luimmo(-ks ; the snow Hies rustling through the air; ice and sky are
melted into one. It is dark : ou.r skins are smarting with the cold :
but we are going north al full spcetl, antl are in the wildest of gay
s])ivits.

•• Thursdav, l-'cbruarv ist. 'I"he s;ime sort of weather as vesterdav.

except that it has turned quite mild

■/^

helow zero

C).

The snow is falling exactly as it does in winter weather at home.

The wind is more southerlv, .S.S.M. now. and rather lighter. It

may

be taken for granted that we nave passed the 80th degree, and we had
a small preliminary fete this evening — figs, raisins, and almonds - and
dart-shooting, which last resulted for me in a timely replenishment of
mv ciuarette case.

Fridav, February jiul. Hiuh festival to-d;

IV 111

lonour ol

the

8ot!i degree, beginning with fresh rye-l)rea(l and < ake for breakfast.
'l'ot)k a long walk to get an ap])etite for dinner. According to this
morning's observation, we are in So 10' X. lat. and 132" 10' ]•'.. long.

Hurrah: Well sailed! I luul offered to bet Ivavih

hat we had

•r

in
O •?

z "^

' - ' >
i i :

! IH

;!'

f :

iH'l:

'<^:i

'K"P i!

2^8

Chapter V\.

passed So . I)iit no one would take tlic l)tt. Dinner menu : — Ox-tail
SOU]), UnIi puddinjf, potntoes, rissoles, green |)Ca>, haricot beans, cloud-
berries with milk, and a whole bottle of beer to each man. Coffee

md a cigarette after dinner. Could one wish for more

r,. 2

In tlie

ixeninL; we had tinned pears and pea( lies, Liin^ferbread, dried bananas,
Wiis, raisins, and almonds. Complete holitiay all day. ^\'e read alou<l
the dis( ussions of this expedition published before we leit, and had
>ome L;ood laughs at the many objections raised. lUit our ])eople at
home, perhaps, do not laui^h if the\ read diem now.

•".Monday, l"'ebruary 5th. Last time we shall have Rin^nes beer
at dinner. Day of mourning.

•' Tuesday, I'ebruary 6tli. Calm, clear wi'ather. A strong sun-glow
above the hori/op. in the soudi : yellow, green and light blue above
that; all the rest of the sky deep ultrauiariiie. I stood looking at it,
trying to remember if the Italian sky was e\er bluer: 1 do not think
so. It is curious that this dee|) < olour sliould alwavs occur along
Willi cold. Is it perhajis that a < urrent I'loiii more northerly, clear
regions produces drier and more transparent air in the upper strata?
The colour was so remarkable to-day that iMie could ncjt help noticing
it. Striking coi trasts to it were formed by the /''ranis red deck-house
and the white 1 ow on roof and rigging. Ice and hummocks were
cpiite violet wherever they were turned from the da\light. This colour
Avas specially strong over the (ields of snow upon the floes. The
temperature has been 52 F. and 54' !•'. below zero (— 47" and — 48°
C.). There is a sudden c hani^e of 125 !•". when one comes u]) from
the saloon, where the thermometer is at 72 F. (+ 22" C.) ; but,
althougii thinly clad and bareheaded, one does not feel it cold, and
< an even with im])unitv take hold ol" the brass door-handle or the
steel cable (jf the rigging. The cold is \ isible. howe\er ; one's breath
is like cannon smoke before it is out of one's mouth ; and when a
man spits there is (|uite a little (loud of steam round the fallen
moisture. The I'raiii always gives off a nii-,t. \vhi< h is carried along
bv the wind, and a man or a dog can be detei led far oft" among the
humnioi k^ or ])ressure-ridges b\ ihe pillar of \apour that follows his
1 )rogrese.

'■'• Wednesday, February 7th. It is extraordinary what a frail thing

Tlu' Winter Nii-iu.

:!59

hope, or niilur the mind of man, is. There was a little breeze this
morning iVoin ihe N.N.l'"-., only <) leet per second, thermometer at
57' ]''. below zero(— 4(/Cj' ( '.), and immediately one's brow is ( loudcd
over, and it be'comes a matter of indilTerence bo\. we j^'et home, so
lonL^ as we only get homo s(j(jn. 1 immediately assume land to the
northward from whi( h < ome these ( '^Id winds, with (dear atmosphere
.)nd frost and l)ri.;ht blue ^kies, and cone' de that this extensive tract
of land mii^t form a ])oIe of (old wi'i. a (onstant maxiiiium of air
j)ressure, which will Icrc e us south \vilh north-east winds. About
midday the ;iir beL;aii to ^row more hazy, and my mood less gloomy.
No doubt there is a south wind cominij, but the temperature is still
tO(j low for it, Tlien the temi)erature, too, rises, and now we can rely
i»n the wind. And this evenini,^ it came, sinx' I'nough, from S.S.W.,
and now, 1 j ji.m., its veloc ity is 1 i feet, and the temperature has risen
to 4,V' '*■ below /ayo [ — 42" C). This promises well. We should
soon rea( h Si''. 'I"he land to the northward has now vanished froni
my mind's eye.

" We had Iiir.'?-iuice with sugar at dinner to-day instead of beer, and
it seemed a^ be api)roved (jf. We call it wine, and we agreed that it
was belter than cider. Weighing has gone on this evening, and the
in( rease in certain cases is still e!is(iuieting. Some ha\e gained as
mu( h as 4 |)ounds in the last month, for instam e, Sverdruj), I'lessing,
and Juell, who beats the record on board with 1,^ stone. ' I never
weighed so much as I do now," says IJlessing, and it is much the same
story with us all. \'es, this is a fatiguing expedition, but our menus
are always in due proportion to our labours. To-day's dinner : Knorrs
bean souj), toad-in-the-hole, potatoes, rice, and milk with cranberry
jam. Yesterday's dinner: V'l^h mi i:;raiiii (ha^hecl fi^h) with potatoes,
curried rabbit with potatoes and l''rench beans, slewed bilberries, an(J
( ranberries with milk. At oieakiast yesterdav we had freshly baked
wheat-bread, at breakl'i.^^,t to-day freshly baked rye-bre.id. These are
specimens of our (jrdinary bills of fare. It is as 1 e\])ected : I hear
the wind roaring in the rigging now ; it is going to be a regular sLorm,
according to our ideas of one here.

'"Saturday, February loih. Though thai wind the other day did
not come to uuk h alter all, we ;:till hoped ihal we had made g(jod way

y 2

iiji

26o

Chapter \'I,

noilh. and it wns conscciucnlls ;»ii iiinvclcoiiu' ^iirprisu wIkii vl^i kI.ivN
()l)Sfr\;ili()ii sliowL-d (Hir l.iliimlf lo Itc 7*) 37' N-« i.V l-nlli'f M)Uth
instead of f.irtlKr north. It is L'\tra(;r(linai\ iiow little inuivd 0:1c j^'fts
to (lisaii|t.)intincnts : iIk' lon.^in^' hci^ins aL^aiii : and a;4a:n :i;i hiiint-nt
si'L'nis so iar off, so doiihUul. .\nd lliis thou.uh 1 divain at ni.ulits jusl
now ofi^cttingout of the u l' wrst of h i.land. I lo|n' is a ,i( ki,t\ ( rail {.>
trnst oiKSL'lf to. 1 had a lonjj;. su( < i.s->fiil diivi' with the do,-> todav.

"Sunday, I'V-hruarv iilh. 'To-daN we droNc out \vidi two t^■anl^ of
do,:rs. Thing's went well : the sledi;e> -(«t on nuK h helter o\er thi>
i( c than I ihoir^ht they would. 'I'hev do not sink uuk h in tlie snow.
On tlat it e four do;4s < an draw two men.

'• 'I'uesday, February i^ith. .\ Ion- drive southwest yesterday with
white dogs. 'I'o-day still fardier in the s.une dire( ti,)U on snow-shoes.
It is good healthy exercise, with a ti'uiperature of 4.1 ■'• t^' -47° !'•
l.elow zero (- 42" and - 44 C) and a hilmg north wind. Nature is
so fair and i)ure, the ici' is so sjiotles^. and the lights and shadows of
the growing dav so beautiUiI on the ncw-lalleii snow. 'Che rhi///'.;
hoar-frost-covered rigging ri.^es str;ughi and white with rime towards
the sparkling blue sky. One'.s thoughts turn to the snow-shoeing days

at home.

" Tfiur.sday, February 15th. I went yesterday on snow-shoes farther
north-east than 1 have ever been before, but 1 could still see the ship's
rigging above the edge of the ice. I was able to go last, because the
ice was flat in diat direction. 'l"o-day 1 went the same wa> with dogs.
I am examining the ' lie of the land" all round, and thinking of plans
i'ur the future.

"What exaggerated reports of the .Arctic coUl are in circulation!
It was cold in Greenland, and it is not milder here : the general dav
temperature j'lst now is about 40" V. and 43 F. below zero. 1 was
clothed yesterday as usual as regards the leg> drawers, knu-ker-
bockers, stockings, frieze leggings, snow-socks, and moccasin^ : my
body covering consisted of an ordinary shirt, a wi)lf-skin < ape, and a
(sealskin jacket, and 1 sweated like a horse. To-day 1 sat still, drivin-
with oidy thin ducks above my ordinary leg wear, and on my body
woollen shirt, vest, Iceland woollen jersey, a frie/e c(;at, and a sealskm
one. I found the temperature (piile i)leasant, and even perspired a

Ihc W iiiKT Xitilu.

litllo ti)-(I.r; loo. Iloih \f>Urii,i\ .iml to-d.iv I I

201

I.M .1 \r

llanii

(I m.isi.

on m\ iM\\ liiil it ni:i(lc me too w.nin, .md 1 IkhI to l.iko il oil,

lioimii

thrri.' \v,is a iiitlcr

Hi'i'/.i' lioin the uoiili.

h.it I'oriji wind IS ->iil

TNiNtciit. soiiU'liiiiL'-; with a \c1ih ii\' ot'

• ) or i'\tn I : Uct, liiit \i l wt

1 1: 1 IK't >.rcm to \)C ilnltill;.

'llllll

\\r

iiL' ill .'•'o \. lal.

I r i'\c!) a I'lw

iniiuitcs laitlar north. What ( a'l lie iIk' na^oii of ll

IIS .-' I here h

little iin's^iirc e\er\' <

ia\' iii.-t now

(,'iirioiis thai it

slioiijil anain oi eiir

at the iiioon's ( haiiLTe ol i|iiar:er. The mooii st.iiuU hi^h in the >kv,

and there is dasiiLiht no,v, too. Soeai tin

-WW ui

II I

e inakii^L; his

pearanee. and w lun Me does wi-

liai

ild

liiL,h resti\-

.1.

ilcUn

ehrtiarv iMli.

urraii

.\ nil ridian ul)ser\,ition lo day
\vs So r N. lat., s) that we ha\c eonie a few ininiitis north siiK o

■t

■riua'

and

lh;,l I

n sjiite ol I oiistanl iiorti

ieri\

winds siiKc

Monday. 'I'here is someiliin;,^ very sini;;ular ahoui this. Is it, as I
liavc lh(ju,i;lu all aloni; liom the apiiearaiK c (jI the ( loiids and the
haziness of the air, that there has been south wind in the south,
1 reventinir the drift of llie i( e thai wa)', or have we at last <(jine iimler
the inlliiciK e of a ctirrent ? Thai
ihe face of soullielv winds

shove wi' L!ol to ilu' south laleJv in

was a leniarkah

Ic ll

wni

and

SI) Is our

leinainini,^ where we arc now in spite of the northerly ones. It would
seem that new powers of some kind must be at work.

To-day an(jther noteworthy ihinj,^
tl

naji

)ened, whii h was that ahout

■mid(ia\' we saw the sun, or, to l)e more correi I, an ima^^e ol the sun,
for it was (jiiiy a mira,L(e. A pec uliar impression was procUn ed by liie
sJLjht of that glowini,' fire lit just above the outermost ed^^e of the ice.

.\(

cortuni: to the enthusiastic descriptions 'Mven bv manv Arctic

travellers of the first apjiearani e of this <,ro(l of life after the loiii^ w inter
niyht. the impression oiiifht to be one of jubdant excitement ; but it

was not so m mv < ase.

e had not exiiec ted to see it for some davs

yet, so that r,iy I'eelin^ was rather oiie of pain, of disa|)pointment, that
we must have (hifted farther scnith than we thought. So it was with
pleasure 1 soon (Hscovered that it ( ouUl not be the sun itself. The

miraice was at fust like a

tlatte

ned-oiit 'dowm<r red streak ol tire (jn tiu'

iioriz(jn ; later there were two streaks, the one above the other, with a

ilark space hetween : and Irom the mam toj) 1 cou

tht

lid

see lour, or e\eii

/Jve .such hori/ontad 1

uv.'S directlv (jver (jne another, and ail ol ei|

ual

■ ^. '

i;:':!tii

IMAGE EVALUATION
TEST TARGET (MT-3)

r/.

1.0

I.I

U£ Uii 12.2
I!: ■«

2.0

lii

L25 IIILU |lj6

^\^ > .^ <^

Photographic

Sciences

Corporation

23 WEST MAIN STREET

WEBSTER, N.Y. 14590

(716) 873-4503

^.>\
°^^^

!62

Chapter \'I.

Ic'iifrtli ; as if one ( oiild only ini:ii,fin(.' a sciuarc dull-rod sun witi;
horizontal (hvrk strt-aks across it. An astronomical observation wr
took in the afternoon showed that the sun must in reality have heen
2° 22' below the horizon at noon ; we cannot expect to see its disc
above the i( e before Tuesday at the earliest : i*: depends on tlu'
refraction, whic h is very strong in this cold air. All the same, we had
a small sun-festival this evening, on the occasion of the appearanc e ol
its imajfe— a treat of figs, bananas, raisins, almonds, and ginger-bread.
"Sunday, February iSth. I went eastwards yesterday on snow
shoes, and found a good snow-shoeing and driving road out to
the flats that lie in that direction. 'I'here is a pretty bad bit
first, with hummocks and pressure-ridges, and then you come out
on these great wide plains, which seem to extend for miles anl
miles to the north, east, and south-east. ']o-da\ I droxe oUi
there with eight dogs ; the driving goes caititall)- now : some of the
others followed on snow-shoes. Still northerly wind. This is slow
work : but anyhow we are having clear, bright weather, \'es. it is all
very well — we snow-shoe, sledge, read both for instruction and amuse-
ment, write, take observations, play cards, chat, smoke, play ( hess, eat
and drink : but all the same it is an exec rable life in the long run.
this at least, so it seems to me at times. A\"hen I look at the picture
c»f our beautiful home in the evening light, with my wife standing in
the garden. T feel as if it were impossible that this could go on nun h
longer, Hut only the mere iless fates know when we shall staiul there
together again, ieeling all life's sweetness as we loo!; out o\er the

smiling fjord, and Taking ever\thing into c ale ulation, if I ;uii

to be perfectlv honest. I think this is a wretched state of matters, \\'e
are now in about 80" N, hit., in Sejitember we were in 7c/' . that i>. let
us say. one degree for five months. If we go on at this rate we .siiall
be at the Pole in forty-five, or say fifty, months, and in ninety or one
hundred months at 80' X. lat. on the other .^ide of it. with probabl\
some prospect of getting out of the ic e and home in a month or two
more. At best, if thing.s go on as the\ are doing now, we shall be
home in eight years. I remember lirogger writing before I lelt. when
I was i)lanting small bushes and trees in the garden for future genera-
tions, that no one kn;'W what h'ni,fth of shadow these trees would ca.^i

The Winter Nidit.

by the time I tanu' ha: k. Well, the are lyin;,' under the winter snow
now, hut in sprinj^ tlie;. will shoot and i^row aj^ain liow often ? Oh !
at times this inactivit / crushes one's very soul ; one's hfe seenis as
dark as the winter niuiu outside ; there is sunh,i,dil upon no part of it
except the past and the far. far (hstant future. I fee! as if I )iiii$t
break throuf^h this dea(hiess. this inertia, and fmd some outlet for in\-
enerjfies. Can't something happen? Could not a iuirri( ane come
and tear up this ice, and set it rolling in hi,i,di waves like the open sea?
Welcome dan<fer, if it only hrinj^s us the ihance of fijrhtmjf for our
lives — only lets us move onwards ! 'I'he miserable thin<f is to he
inactive onlookers, not to he able to lift a hand to help ourselves
forwards. It wa;its tt'n times more strength of mind to sit still and
trust in your theories and let nature work them out without your hcinj:
able so much as to lav one sti( k ai ross another to help, than it does
to trust in working them out by your own enerjjy— that is nothing-
when you have a pair of stronj^ arms. Here I sit. whinin<,f like an old
woman. Did I not know all tliis before 1 started? 'rhin;j;s have not
jfone worse than I expected, hut on the contrary, rather better.
Where is now the serene hopefulness that spread itself in the daylight
and the sun? Where are these proud ima<,nnin^rs now that mounted
like young eai,des towards the brighlness of the future? Like broken-
winged, wet crows thev lea\e the sun-lit sea. and jiide themsehes in
the misty marshes of despondenc \. Perhaps it will all < onu' hai k
again with the south wind ; hut no — I must go and rummage up one
of the old philosophers again.

"There is a little ])ressure tliis evening, and an observation jusL
taken seems to indicate a ilrift ol' ^V soutli.

" II p.m. Pressure in the o])ening astern. 'I'lie i( l 's < ra( king
and scpieezing against the ship, making it sliakc.

'• Monday, February 19th. On( e more it may.l)e saic! that 'lie lugiit
is darkest just before tiie dawn. \\'ind began to blow from the south
to-day, and has reached a veUx it\ of 13 feet jier second. We did
some ice-boring this morning, and found that tiie i( e to [lorl is 5 fttt
11;' indies (r875 nietres) thick, with a layer of about i^ in( lies of
snow over it. The ice iorward was 6 feet 7^ inches (j'oS metres)
thii k. but a ( ouple of inches of this, was snow. This c annot he ( ailed

1 i

26.

Chapter \'I.

nuK h i,n-()\vtli tor ijuitc ;i iiiniith. when oik- thinks that the tt.'ni])C'vatuie
h.i>. Ihtii down to 5S'' 1''. i)i'l()\v /.v\\).

" l)()th t<i-(la\ and xi'stcrdav wi' ha\r st't'ii tin- niiram' "' the sun
ai^ain : to (hiv it was lii,L;h ahove tlie liori.^on. and ahnost st'CMued lo
assume a rouml, (hs( dike lonn. Some of ihe others maintain tiiat
the\ iia\ese(.'n the upiier ed;,fe of the sun il.M'lf; IVter and llenlzen
that tlu'\ JKue seen at least iiah" ol' ihe (hsc, and jueli and Hanst n
(h'( kill' thai the whole of it was al)o\i' thi' horizon. I am afraid it is
so ion^n since they saw it that tht'V have rori,M)ttt'n wiiat it is like.

"Tuesday, I'i'hruary 2otii. (Irealsun festival to-day without an'-
sun. We fell ( ertain wi' should see it, hut there were clouds on the
hori/on. However \\i- were not ;j;oinLi t<> ''•■' cheated out of our
festival : we (an hold an( ther on the occasion oi' really seeinjf it for
the lirst timi. We he^an with a j,fraiid ritle prac tice in the morning,';
then there was a dinner ol' three or four courses and ' I'Yam wine,'
otherwise linu'-iui( e, (offei' afterwards with ' k'ram cake.' In the
evenini,' pine-apple, caki'. fi^s, bananas, and sweets. We j^o off to
bed feeliiiLj that we have over-eaten ourselves, while half a ^alc from
the S.K. is l)lowint( us northwards. The mill has been going to-day,
and though the real sun did not come U) the festival, our saloon sun
lii;hted up our table both at dinner and su])per. (Ireat face-washing
in honour of tiie day. The way we are laying on flesh is getting
serious. Several of us are like pri/.e pigs, and the bulge of cook
Juell's ( heeks, not to mention another part of his body, is (]uite
alarming. I saw him in profde to-day, and wondered how he would
ever manage to carry such a corporation over the ice if we should have
to turn out one of these line days. Must begin to think of a course of
short rations now.

" Wediiesdav, February 21st. The south wind continues. Took
up the bag-nets to-day which were put out the day before yesterday.
In the upper one, whi( h hung near the surface, there were chiefly
amjjhipodoi ; in Murray's net, which hung at about 50 fathoms depth,
there was a large variety of small crustacea: and other small animals
shining with su( h a strong phosphorescence that the contents of the net
looked like glowing embers as I emptied them out in the cook's
galley by lamplight. To my astonishment the net-line pointed north

*,<»•■ ;

-,■!".'**'

!-.<» -rf-

FIRST APPEARA.NCi; or I UK SUN.

— — ~4_ )--~Xl. I Jill ,.ii ii.i.i.i.i.'' '""' . .11. ..!_ J'^wwc^s,

-^g-md?:.'-—

ICE STRATiriCATlON.

266

Chaj)tc:r \'I.

west, thdiij^fli i'roin the wind tluTc oiiyiu to \k' ;i j^'ood nortlurly dril't.
To < Icar this matter ii|i I let tlie net down in the afternoon, and as
soon as it got a little way under the it e the line |»ointe<l north-west
aj^ain. and continued to do so the wliole afternoon. I low is this
phenomenon to he explained ? Can we after all he in a < urrent movinji
north-west? I,et us hope that the future will prose su( h to he the
rase. We can reckon on two points of sariation in the ( ompass. and
in that case the current would make due N.\.^^'. There seems to he
strong movement in the iie. It has opened and formed < hannels in
several jjlaces.'

"Thursday. I'ehruary 22nd. The ni't-line has pointed west all day
till now, afternoon, when it is ])ointing straij^ht up and down, and we
are presumahly Wuv^ still. The wind slackened to-day till it was
([uite calm in the afternoon. Then there < ame a faint hreeze from the
south-west and from the west, and this eveninjf the lon_i(-(lreaded north-
wester has ( ome at last. .\i 9 p.m. it is l)lowin<f prettv hard from
N.X.W. An ohservation of C'apella taken in the ai'ternoon would
seem lo siiow that we are in any case not farther north than So i 1'.
and this after almost foui days' south wind. Wha'.ever can he tiie
meanin;^ of this? Is theie (lead-w;iter under the ice keepinjjjit from
•roing either forwards or hackwarJ.s ? The ice to starhoard cracked
yesterday, away heyond the hear-trap. The thickness of the solid lloe
was 11-^ feet (3"45'' metres), hut heside this otlier ice was |)a( ked on
to it helow. Where it was hrokcn ai ross, the floe showed a marked
stratified formation, recalling the stratification of a gla< ier. ilven the
darker and dirtier strata were there, tf.e (clour in this < ase |)ioduced
hv th .' hrownish-red organisms tliat inhai)it tlK' water, spec imens of
which I found at an earlier date. In several pKn es the strata were
hent and hrokeii. exactly in the same manner as the geological strata
forming the earth's crust. This was evidently the result of the hori-
zontal ])ressure in the ice at the tii^ie of packing. It was especiall\
notiie..I)le at one place, near a h.uge mound formed during the last
pressure. Here the strata looked ver} much as they are reprc.>cnied
in annexed drawing.*

* In spile v( tills bcndiny; of the str.ila, the siunici' of the sr.oA- and ice renmined even.

Tlu' \\'inu.r Niuln.

'.hT

Tl was extraorilinary tdo to srt- how ihis Htn' ol omt tliiri' \ar(l> in
thi( kiK'ss was hfiit into iffcat waves without l)rt"ukinjf. 'Ihi^ was
( k-aily doni' l)y jiressurt' and was s|>c( iaily notii t-ahlc niort- |iarti( iihirly
lu-ar the |)rt'ssiiri'-ri(l;(cs. \\hi<h had forced tlic Hoc down so that its
iippfi' sur!a( (.' lay even witli thi- watiT-hnc. whilst at other |)Ia( I's it was
a ^ood hid'xard above it. in tiiese hist cases tliriist ii|i l>y i< e pressed
in IilIow. It all shows how extremely plastic these Hoes are. in spite
of the cold: the temperature of the ice near the suifact' must ha\e
been from 4" I', to 22"^ V. below zero ( — 20 to — ^^o C.) at the time of
these pressures. In many plac es the benclinjf liad been too violent,
and the Hoe had crac ktd. The < rac ks were (jften covered with loose
ic e. so that one could easily enough fall into them, just as in crossing,
a dangerous glai ier.

'• .Saturday, February 24th. Observations to-day show us to be in
7c/ 54' N'. hit.. i_^2' 57' v.. long. Strange that we should ha\e c onie
so far south when the north or north-west wiml onl) blew for twent\-
four hours.

"Sunday. I'ebruary 25th. It looks as if the ice were drifting east-
wards now. ( )h 1 I see pictures cjf summer and green trees ;ind
rip|)ling streams. I am reading of \alley and mountain life, and I
grow sick at heart and enervated. \\'h\ dwell on su< h things just
now? It will be man;.- a long da\' befcjre we can see all that again.
A\'e arc going at the miserable pac e of a snail, but iiot so sureh as it
goes, ^\'e c arry our house with us ; but what we do one day is undone
the next.

'• Mondax. I-'ebruary 26th. '\\'e ave drifting nortii-e.ist. A tremen-
dous snowstorm is going on. The wind has at tinus a \elo( ity of (i\er
35 feet per second : it is howling in the rigging, wiiislling o\er the ic e.
and the snow is drifting so badly that a man might bi' lost in it cpiiti'
near at hand. We are sitting here listening to the howlitig in the
ehimney, and in the ventilators, just as if we were sitting in a hoUse at
liome in \orwa\-. The wings of the windmill ha\e been going round
at such a rate that vou c < uld iiardly distinguish them : but we haxi.-
had to stt>p the mill this ivening because the ac c umulators are full,
and we fastened up the wings. ),() that the wind might not destro)
tliem. We have had elec trie liyiit for almost a week now.

20S

Chapur \'I.

'"This is til.' stinii^foi wiml \vi' Ii.uc luul tlu' wlioli' winter. If
.mytliiiiL; i ;in -li.ikr ii|» tlu- nv and drive lis r.dill). this mll^t do it.
Hut \\)r h.iiiimi ti T is r.iUiiii^f too t'.i>t : iIrtc will \)v north wind a.u.i'u
lirisi.'iill\'. iinijf li.is l)t I'll ih^.i|i]iointi'd too ofii'ii ; it is no longer
clastic ; and ilic j;alc makis no ;,Mcat iinpio^iiiii on mc. I look
forward to >|iriiiu and ^uinnicr. in susi,cn>L' as to what ( liaiij^c thcv will
li;jij,f. Hut the .\yi ii( nii^ht. the dreaded Arctic ni,i,dit. is o\er. and we
have da\lii;ht oiKc ai^Min. I must say that I see no a|)i)earani c of the
sunken. \va>ted lai es whiih ihis niyhl oiiuht to ha\e prodiu ed ; in
the ( leare^t dayliLjht and the hri^hti'-^t sunshine. I (an onlv dixover
|iluin|), ( DinlortahledookinL; ones. It is ( urious enough though about
llu' lii;ht. We u>r^\ to think it was like real day down here when tht
incandescent lamps were hiirnin,^, hut now. cominj^ down from th.e
da\li;,dit. thou;^h the\- may he all lit, it is like <()niin,ir into a cellar.
When tlu' arc lamp has been burning all day, as it has to-day, and is
then put out and its phu c supplied by the incandescent ones, the
effec t is niu( h the same."'

'• Tiiesilay, I'ebriiary 2'jth. Driftinjf K.S.E. >ry jicssimism is
justified. A stroii!; west wind has blown almost all <lay ; the barometer
is low, but has be,i,fun to rise unsteadily. Tlie temperature is the
hi«,diest we have had all winter; to-tlay"s maximum is 15'' F. above
zero (— 9"7 C). At 8 p.m. the thermometer stood at 7" V. below-
zero (— 2j'' ('.). The temperature rises and falls almost exactly
conversely with the barometer. This afternoon's observation places us
in about So 10' N. lat.'*

" Wednesday, February 28th. Beautiful weather to-day, almost
still, and temperature only about 15 ' F. to 22" F. below zero (— 26''
to — 30 5' C). There were clcnids in the south, so that not much
was to be seen of the sun ; but it is light wonderfully lonj? already.
Sverdru]) and I went snow-shoeing after dinner— the first time this year
that we have I)een able to do anything of the kind in the afternoon,
\\'e maile attem[)ts to pump yesterday and to-day ; there ought to be a
little water, but the ])ump woulil not suck, though we tried both warm
water and salt. I'ossibly there is water frozen round it, and possibly
there is no water at all. In the engine-room there has been no
appearance of water for more than a month, and none comes into the

TIk- W'iiUcr Xiglit.

269

forc'hoM. fsiifc i,ill\ now tluit llir Imu

•^ r;il>i'il ii|i lt\ tlu' |i.i( k-i( c

if there is ;in\ it (.111 onls he a httle 111 tlie ho
l)e atlrilmted ( hiell\ to the IVosl.

'rhi> ti:;hleniiii: iiKi\

Tlie wind has l)i\min to blow a^ain from the S.S.W. thi> e\inin;^\

and tlie haronuter is

f'alhni

:. wn

i(h

ou.yht to nu'an i,'ood wind < .-ininL.^

hut the haronutiT of hopi' does not ri^(.• aho\e it-» normal height. I
iiail a hath thi> exeninj^ in a tin tuh in the "alle\ ; trimme<I and ( K

an.

(jiie feels more of a human hein^.''

'• 'riuirsda\ . .\hu'( i) ist. We are lyinij ahnost still. I'.eautifid mild
weather, only 2], V. below zero (— k;' C. ). sky o\en a>t : liLjht fall of
snow, and H^dit wind. We made attempts to soutid t(vda\. havinir
leni^thened our iiemj) line with a single strand (tf stei'l. 'riii> broke off
with the lead. We put on a new lead and the whole line ran out.

about 2.000 fathoms, without toiK hinir bottom, so far a

out.

n process of hauling in. the steel line

broki

s we < ouhl
airain. '

make
o tin

re^lldts are : no bottom, and two sounding- leads, eai h of 100 lbs.
weight, making their way down. Cioodnes^. know: if they ha\e reac hed
the bottom vet. 1 deelare 1 feel inc lined to believe tliat lient/en i>

riuht, and thai it is the hole at tlu' earti

1 s axis we are trvmy to sound

( ould. unawmy

" Friday, March 2nd. 'l"he \)V\\)s have lived imtil now in the (hart-
room, and have done all the misc liief there that the\
the cases of Hansen's instrimients, the lo^^-lxtoks. et<
taken out on deck yestertkiy for the first time, and to-day tiiey have
been there all the mornin^r. They are of an enciuirint,^ turn oi' mind.

'I'hev

were

an(

1 examine ever^thinjf, bein.y s|)ecially interested in the interior.-^ ol
all the kennels in this new larije town."

" Sunday. March 4th. 'J"he drift is still stroni^ south. There is
north-westerly wind to-day ayain. but not (piite so nuK h of it. I
expected we had come a lonjf way s(nith. but \esterda\'s observation
still shows 79" 54' X. lat. \\\- must ha\e drifted a i^ood wa\ north
durin<f the last da\s before this wind ( auie. The \ve;ither xesterdav

1 to-dav has been bitter.

.So

anil

1'. below zero (— 37 and

— '^<S C). with sometimes as nuu h as ^s ft-'*-'! ol" wiiu

;er sec

St 1

must i)e ( a

lied

coo

I. It i

s ( urious

that

now tlie northerb winch brinif

cold, and the southerly warmth. luirlier in the winter it
oi)posite.

was

just tl

2 70

Chapter \'I.

" Miniil.iy, M;iit 1) :;tli. S\cT(lrii|) aiul I \uw hi'iii a lon^ w.iy noith-
tiisl oil siiow-shoi-s, Tlu- i( (.' w;i:-; in j^ootl i ondition lor it ; tlu' wind
liiis lossi'il ;il)oiit the snow liiu'ly, < ovL-rin^; omt the iircssurcridgc, as
r.ir as tin- s(anly supply of material has permitted.

iii'^(la\

irc h 0th.

() dnit at al

It 1

las heeli a liitter «lav

In-day. 47 I'", to 50' I-', lielow zero (— 44 to — 46 C.), and wind up
to H) tfit. This li.is hei'ii a j(oud occasion lor ^ettinj; hands and I'ai e
iVoi! I)itten. and one or two have taken ailvantajfe of it. Steady nordi-
west wind. I am Iie^'inninjf to i^et indifferent and stolid as far as die
wind is ( (iiK erned. 1 photo;(raphed Johansen to-day al the anemo-
meter, and durinj,' the pro* ess his nose was frost-l);t!en,

There has been a 'a-neral weiuhinu this eve

ninj( ajfain.

The

wei^ihin^'s are ( onsidered very interestinj,' performances, and we siand
watchin;,' in suspense to see whether ea( h man has ^^ained or lost.
Most of them have lost a little this dme. Can it he hecause we have
stopped drinkini,' beer, and hegun lime-juice? iJut Jiiell j;oes on
indefati},'al)ly — he has tjained nearly a pound this time. Our do( tor
ijeneially does very well in this line too, but to-day it is only 10 o/s.
In oilier ways he is bad'y off on board, poor fellow — not a soul will
turn ill. In despair he set up a headache yesterday himself, but he
( ould not make it last over the ni;,dit. Of late he has taken to studyin<i
the diseases (jf doi,'s ; perhaps he may lind a mure profitable prac tice
in this department.

" Thursday, M.irch Sth. Drifiin<,' south. Sverdrup and 1 had a
^odd snow-slujein;^ trip to-day, to the north and west. The snow was
in splendid condition alter the winds ; you fiy alon^ like thistledo
before a bree/e, and can get about everywhere, even over <he worst
pressure-mounds. The weather was beautiful, temperature only 38 I''.
i)elow zero (— 39^ C.) ; but this exening it is tpiite bitter again. 55 ' V.
( — 48-5^ C.) and from 16 to 26 feet of wind. It is by no

means

kork

thi

J fir

asant

sails ; it means a( hing nails, and sometimes frost-bitten cheeks : but it
has to be done, and it is done. There is plenty of 'mill-wind" in tlie
<laytime now this is the third week we have had electric light — but it
is wret< hed that it should be always this north and n(jrth-*est wind ;
goodness only knows when it is gojig to stop. Ou/ there be laud

The Winter Xi-'lit.

271

Tiorth of u-i? Wc arc (Iril'trnf,' l);ully soiilli. It is hard to kvv\i one's
l.iitli ali\t'. 'Ihcrt' is nothing,' lor it hut to wait and si-c what time will
<\u.

*• After .1 loMi; rest the ship j,'ot a shake this afternoon. I went on
ile( k. I'le-^iiri- was j,'oin,i; on in an oponinj; just in front of the how.
\\"o nii^'ht ahnnst liave expected it just now, as it is new moon ; only
ue have i,'ot out oi the way of thinkin;,' at all al)out the spring titles,
as they have had so little effe( I lately. 'I'hey should of roursc be
specially strong just now. as the e(|uinox is approac hini,'.

" Friday. .Mar(h ()tli. The net line pointed sli},duly south-west this
iiiornin<,' ; but the line atta< lu'd to a < heese whi( h was only hani^ing a
few fathoms below the ice to thaw faster, stemed tt) point in the
opposite diiecti(-n. llat! we got a soudierly ( urrent together with the
wind now ? li'm ! in that ( ase something must ( ome of it I Or was
it. perhaps, only the tide setting that way?

".Still the same northerly wind: we are sieadily bearing south.
This, then, is the < hange I hoped the jMar< h e(|uinox would bring!
\Ve have been having northerly winds for more than a fortnight. I
( annot coik eal from myself any longer that lam beginning to despond.
<juietly and slowly, but mercilessly, one hope after the other is being
< rushed and .... have 1 not a right to be a little despondent ? I
long iniutterably after home, perhaps I am drifting away farther from
it, i)erhaps nearer ; but anyluiw it is not < heering to see the realisation
of one's i)lans again and again delayed, if not annihilated altogether, in
this tedious and monotonously killing way. Nature goes her age-old
round impassively ; summer changes into winter ; spring vanishes away,
autumn comes, and finds us still a mere ( haotic whirl of daring pro-
jects and shattered hopes. .As the wheel revolves, now the one and
now the other comes to the tup — but memory betweenwhiles lightly
touches her ringing silver chords now loud like a roaring waterfall,
now low and soft like iar off sweet music. 1 stand and look out over
this desolate expanse of ice with its plains and heghts and v.dleys,
formed by the pressure arising from the shifting tidal currents ot
■winter. The sun is now shining over them with his <heering beams.
In the middle lies the /v\7///, hemmeJ in immovably. When, my proud
:ship, will you float free in the open water again?

Cli.ii)ttr \'I.

" I< li s< hau (lit h an, iiml \\\-liiniitii,
S( lilciiht mir in'i Ili'iv. Iiiiu in."

Over llicsc masses of i( c, (Irii'tiii;,' by patlis iiiikunwii, a Iminan IicIul,
|i()n(lt'ri.'d aiitl brooded so Ion;,' tluit he |nit a uliole iieople in motion
to enable him to lone lii-. way in anion;; tium a luoiile who had

•lent

V of other < laims iiiinn iheir enerLMe.

or w hal piirpoM' .ill ihis

to do ? ir onlv the ( .ih uialioiis wi'ri' < oi rei t, the-^e i( ( -;Ioj:i woLlId I)l

onous, na\- n"re,-.istil)le au\ili,nies.

lut il there has been an error in

«1

the calculation well, in ih.'l ( .ise theyare not -o pliMsant to di'al with.

And how often doc-, a ( .ih til.itioii ( oine out (orrei t ? lint wiri- 1 now
free? W'li), i should do it all over a;,'am, iVom the same starting-iioint.
One must piMsevcrc till one learns to i ah ulate t orret tly.

'• I lau;,di at the s( urvy ; no sanatorium better tiian oms.

" I laugh at ii>e i( e : we are li\ ing as it were in an imitregiiablc

::astle.

I laugh at th

e CO

It IS no

thiiii.

" Hut I do not l.uigh at the winds: tiiey are everything; they bend
to no man's will.

" lUit why always worry about the future ? Why distress yourselfV.s
to whether you are driiung iorwards or bat kwards ? A\h\' not
carelessly let the da\s glide by like a peacefully llowing river? every
now and tiien there will tome a rapid that will (|ui( ken the lazy
flow. Ah I what a wondrous (ontrivaiu e is life — one eternal hurrying
forwards, ever iorwards to what end? And then tomes death and
« uts all short belbre the goal is reat hed.

" I went a long snow-shoe tour to ila\'. A little way to the north
there were a gootl many newl\ -formed lanes anil iiressure-ridges whit h
were hard to cross, but patience overcomes everything, aiul I st)t)n
reached a level plain where it was ilelightiul going. It was, however,
rather cold, about 54 l". below zero (— 48^ (".) and 16 feet of wind

from N.N.K.. but 1 tliti not feel it

nuit

h. It

is w

ht)l

esome and

enjoyable ttj be out in sui h wfallur. I wtJie only ordinary clothes
such as I might wear at home with a sealskin jacket and linen outside
breeches, and a half-mask to protect the forehead, nose, and t heeks.
" There has been a good deal o\' it e-pressure in different diret tiuns.

C 0^

»5

X
H

O
u

c
rt

'iff

' ^ J i I

27.

Chapter VI.

to-day. Oddly enough, p meridian altitude of the sun gave 79° 45'.
We have therefore drifted only 8' southwards during the four days
since March 4th. This slow drift is remarkable in spite of the high
winds. If there should be land to the north ? I begin more and
more to speculate on this possibility. J, and to the north would
explain at once our not progressing northwards, and the slowness of
our southward drift. But it may also possibly arise from the fact of
the ice being so closely packed together, and frozen so thick and
massive. It seems strange to me that there is so much north-west
wind, and hardly any from the north-east, though the latter is what the
rotation of the earth would lead one to ex})ect. As a matter of fact,
the wind merely shifts between north-west and south-east, instead of
between south-wesc and north-east, as it ought to do. Unless there is
land I am at a loss to find a satisfactory explanation, at all events, of
this north-west direction. Does Franz Josef Land jut out eastwards
or northwards, or does a continuous line of islands extend from l*ranz
Josef Land in one or other of those directions ? It is by no means
impossil)le. Directly the Austrians got far enough to the north they
met with prevailing winds from the north-east, while we get north-
westerly winds. Does the central point of these masses of land lie
to the north, midway between our meridian and theirs ? I can
hardly believe that these remarkably cold winds from the north are
engendered by merely passing over an ice-covered sea. If, indeed,
there is land, and we get hold of it, then all our troubles would be
over. But no one can tell what the future may bring forth, and it is
better, perhaps, not to know.

" Saturday, March loth. The line shows a drift northwards ; now,
too, in the afternoon, a slight southerly breeze has sprung up. As
usual it has done me good to put my despondency on paper and get
rid of it. To-day I am in good spirits again, and can indulge in happy
dreams of a large and high land in the north, with mountains and
valleys, where we can sit under the mountain wall, roast ourselves in
the sun, and see the sjiring come. And over its inland ice we can
make our way to the very Pole.

"Sunday, March nth. A snow-shoe run northwards. Tempera-
ture, — 50° C. (58" F. below zero), and 10 feet wind from N.N.E.

The Winter Night.

/:)

We did not feel the cold very much, thoii<fh it was rather had lor tiie
stomach and thighs, as none of us had our wind trousers* on. We
wore our usual dress of a pair of ordinary trousers and woollen pants,
a shirt, and wolfs skin cloak, or a common wf)ollen suit with a li.uht
sealskin jacket over it. For the first time in my life I felt my tliighs
frozen, especially just over the knee, and on the kneecaj) ; my
companions also suffered in the same way. Tliis was after .^oing a
long while against the wind. We rubbed our legs a little, and they
soon got warm again, but had we kept on mu( h longer without
noticing it, we should probably have been severely frost l)itten. In
other respects we did not suffer the least inconvenience from the cold,
on the contrary found the temperature agreeable : and I am conviiued
that 10°, 20°, or even 30°, lower would not have been unendurable.
It is strange how one's sensations alter. When at home, I find it
unpleasant if I only go out of doors when there are some 20 degrees
of cold, even in calm weather. But here I don't lind it any colder
when I turn out in 50 degrees of cold with a wind into the bargain.
Sitting in a warm room at home one gets exaggerated ideas about the
terribleness of the cold. It is really not in the least terrible: we all
of us find ourselves very well in it, though sometimes one or another
of us does not take cpiite so long a walk as usual when a strong wind
is blowing, and will even turn back for the cold ; but that is v. hen he
is only lightly clad and has no wind clothes (jii. This evening it is
5i'2° F. below zero, and 14^- feet N,N.E. wind. IJrilliant northern
lights in the south. Already tii.„-e is a very marked twilight even at
midnight,

" Monday, March 12th. Slowly drifting southwards. Took a long
.snow-shoe run alone, towards the north ; to-day had on mv wind-
breeches, but found them almost too warm. This morning it was
5 1 "6° F, bel'iw zero, and about 13 feet N. wind ; at noon it was some
degrees warmer. Ugh I this north wind is iVesliening : the barometer
has risen again, and I had thought the wind would ha\e hangeil, but
it is and remains the same.

* So wu called some light tiousi-rs of thin close cotton, which wc used as a
l^rotcction ai^ainst the wind and snow.

r 2

-1 ij.
I

276

Chapter VI.

'• This IS what March hriiiffs us^the month on which my hopes
rchrd. Now I must wait for the summer. Soon tlie lialf year will l)e
pist, it will leave us about in the same place as when it began. Ugh !
I am weary— so weary — let me sleep, sleep! Come sleep I noiselessly
close the door of the soul, stay the flowing stream of thought I Come
(heams, and let the sun beam over the snowless strand of (lodthaab I

" Wednesday, March 14th. In the evening the dogs all at once
bjgiiu to br.rk, as we supposed on account of bears. Sverdru[) and I
took our guns, let ' Ulenka ' and ' Pan ' lo;)se, and set off. There was
twilight still, and the moon moreover bej,an to shine. No sooner were
the dogs on the ice than off they started westward like a couple of
rockets, we after them as cpiickly as we could. As I was jumping
over a lane I thrust one leg through the ice up to the knee. Oddly
enough, I did not get wet through to the skin, though I only
had l'"inn shoes and frie/e gaiters on; but in this temperature, 38 '
!•". below zero (— 39° C), the water freezes on the cold <-loth before
it can penetrate it. I felt nothing of it afterwards ; it became, as
it were, a plate of ice armour that almost helped to keep me warm.
At a channel some distanc ' 'iff we at last discovered that it was not
a bear the dogs had wi' ,(,;. b'-t either a walrus or a seal. We
saw holes in several pku •• ^n the fresh-formed ice where it had
stuck its liead through. What a wonderfully keen nose those dogs
must have : it was <|uite two-thirds of a mile from the ship, and the
creature had only had just a little bit of its snout above the ice. We
returned to the ship to gel a harpoon, but saw no more of the animal,
though we went several times up and down the channel. Meanwhile
' Pan,' in his zeal, got too near the edge of the lane and fell into the
water. The ice was so high that he could not get up on it again
without hel]), and if I had not been there to haul him up I am afraid
he would have been drowned. He is now lying in the saloon, and
making himself comfortable and drying himself; but he, too, did not
get wet through to the skin, though he was a good time in the water :
the inner hair of his close, coarse coat is (juite dry and warm. The
dogs look on il as a high treat to come in here, for they are not often
allowed to do so. They go round all the cabins and look out lor a
comiortable conu'r to lie down in.

The Winter Nioht.

2/7

" Lovely weather, almost ralm, sparklingly hri^'ht. i-id moonshine :
in the north the faint flush of evening,', and the aurora over the soutiiern
sky, now like a row of flaming spears, then changing into a silvery \l-\\,
undulating in wavy folds with the wind, every here and tiiere inter-
spersed with red sprays. These wonderful night effects are ever new.
and never fail to captivate the soul.

"Thursday, March 15th. This morning 417" and at 8 o'( Iix k p.m.
40'7° 1\ below zero, while the daytime was radier warmer. At noon it

TWO I'RIKNDS.
(Ay •■/. /iAv//, 'row (7 /'//i'A;;7-<?///.)

was 40-5^ and at 4 p.m. 39° 1'. below zero. It would almost seem as if
the sun began to haw power.

" The dogs are strange creatures. 'I'his evening they are [irobably
sweltering in their kennels again, for four or five of them are lying
outside or on the roof. \\ hen there is 50" of cold most of them
huddle together inside, and lie as close to one another as possible.

Chapter VI.

Then, too, they are very loth to go out for a walk, they prefer to lie in
the sun under the lee of the ship. But now they find it so mild and
such pleasant walkiny that to-day it was not difficult to get them to
follow.

"Friday, March i^th. Sverdrup has of late been occupied in
making sails for the ship's boats. To-day there was a light south-
westerly breeze, so we tried one of the sails on two hand-sledges lashed
together. It is (irst-rate sailing, and does not recpiire much wind to
make them glide along. This would be a great assistance if we had to
go home over the ice.

"Wednesday, March 21st. At length a re-action has set in: the
wind is S.E. and there is a strong drift northwards again. The equinox
is past, and we are not one degree further north since the last ecjuinox.
I wondei where the next will find us. Should it be more to the
south, then victory is uncertain ; if more to the north the battle is won,
though it may last long. I am looking forward to the summer ; it
must bring a change with it. The open water we sailed in up here
cannot possibly be produced by the melting of the ice alone ; it must
be also due to the winds and current. And if the ice in which we are
now, drifts so far to the north as to make room for all this open water,
we shall have covered a good bit on our way. It would seem, indeed,
as if sunmier inust bring northerly winds, with the cold Arctic Sea in
the north and warm Sil)eria in the south. This makes me somewhat
dubious — i)ut, on the other hand, we have warm seas in the west ; they
may be stronger ; and \\\q Jeaunette moreover drifted north-west.

" It is strange, that notwithstanding these westerly winds we do not
drift eastwards. The last longitude was only 135° E. long.

" Maundy Thursday, March 22nd. A strong south-easterly wind
still, and a good drift northwards. Our spirits are rising. The wind
whistles through the rigging overhead, and sounds like the sough of
victory through the air. In the forenoon one of the pui)pies had a
severe attack of convulsions ; it foamed at the mouth, and bit furiously
at everything round it. It ended with tetanus and we carried it out
and laid it down on the ice. It hopped about like a toad, its legs stiff
and extended, neck and head pointing upwards, while its back was
curved like a saddle. I was afraid it might be hydrophobia or some

The Winter Night.

2/9

other infectious sickness and shot it on the spot. Pcrhajjs I was rather
too hasty, we can scarcely have any infection among us now. But
what could it have been ? Was it an epileptic attack ? The other day
one of the other puppies alarmed me by running round and round in

from a\

EXPERIMENT IN SLEDGE PAIT.ING.

irhoUy^raph,

the chart-house as if it were mad, hiding itself after a time between a
chest and the wall. Some of the others, too, had seen it do the same
thing ; but after a while it got all right again, and for the last few days

there has been nothing amiss with it.

280

Chapter \'I.

"Good Friday, Mar( h 23rd. Noonday observation gives 80'' N. lat.
In four days and nights wo have drifted as far north as we drifted
southwards in three weeks. It is a comfort, at all events, to know
that :

*' It is remarkable how quickly the nights have grown light. Even
stars of the first magnitude can now barely manage to twinkle in the
pale sky at midnight.

" Saturday, March 24th. Easter Eve. To-day a notable event has
occurred. We have allowed the light of spring to enter the saloon.
Durmg the wliole of the winter the skylight was covered with snow to
keep the cold out, and the dogs' kennels, moreover, had been jilaced
round it. Now we have thrown out all the snow upon the ice, and the
panes of glass in the skylight have been duly cleared and cleaned.

" Monday, March 26th. We are lying motionless— no drift. How
long will this last? Last equinox how j)roud and triumphant I was;
the whole world looked bright ; but now I am i)roud no longer.

"The sun mounts up and bathes the ice-plain with its radiance.
Spring is coming, but brings no joys with it. Here it is as lonely and
cold as ever. One's soul freezes. Seven more years of such life — or
say only four — how will the soul ai)pear then ? And she. . . . ? If I
dared to let my longings loose — to let my soul thaw. Ah ! I long more
than I dare confess.

" I have not courage to think of the future. . . . And how will it be
at home, when year after year rolls by and no one comes ?

" I know this is all a morbid moocl , but still this inactive, lifeless
monotony, without any change, wrings one's very soul. No struggle,
no possibility of struggle I All is so still and dead, so stiff and shrunken
under the mantle of ice. Ah ! . . . . the very soul freezes. What
would I not give for a single day of struggle — for even a moment of
danger I

" Still I must wait, and watch the drift ; but, should it take a wrong
direction, then I will break all the bridges behind me, and stake every-
thing on a northward march over the ice. I know nothing better to do.
It will be a hazardous journey, a matter, may be, of life or death. But
have I any other choice ?

"It is unworthy of a man to set himself a task and then give in

On
'X)

C£

282

Cha[)tcr VI.

when the brunt of the battle is upon him. There is but one way, and
that is Ffixin — forwards.

"Tuesday, Marci jytli. We are again drifting southwards, and the
wind is northerly. The miilday observation showed 80^ 4' N. lat.
Hut why so dispirited ? I am staring myself blind at one single point
— am thinking solely of reaching the Pole and forcing our way through
to the Atlantic Ocean. And all the time our real task is to explore the
unknown polar regions. Are we doing nothing in the service of science ?
It will be a goodly collection of observations that we shall take home
with us from this region, with which we are now rather too well
ac(|uainted. The rest is, and remains, a mere matter of vanity. ' Love
truth more, and victory less.'

" I look at Eilif Teterssen's picture, a Norwegian pine forest, and I
am there in spirit. How marvellously lovely it is there now, in the
spring, in the dim, melancholy stillness that reigns among the stately
stems. I can feel the damp moss in which my foot sinks softly and
noiselessly ; the brook released from the winter bondage is murmuring
through the clefts and among the rocks, with its brownish-yellow water ;
the air is full of the scent of moss and pine needles, while overhead
against the light blue sky, the dark pine tops rock to and fro in the
spring breeze, ever uttering their murmuring wail, and beneath their
shelter the soul fearlessl) expands its wings and cools itself in the forest
dew.

" Oh, solemn pine forest, the only confidant of my childhood, it was
from you I learned nature's deepest tones, its wildness, its melancholy.
You coloured my soul for life.

" Alone — far in the forest — beside the glowing embers of my fire on
the shore of the silent, murky woodland tarn, with the gloom of night
overhead, how happy I used to be in the enjoyment of Nature's
harmony.

" Thursday, March 29th. It is wonderful what a change it makes to
have daylight once more in the saloon. On turning out for breakfast
and seeing the light gleaming in, one feels that it really is morning.

*' We are busy on board. Sails are being made for the boats and
hand-sledgfs. The windmill, too, is to have fresh sails, so that it can
go in any kind of weather. Ah ! if we could but give the Fnxm wings

The Winter Ni^ht.

^83

as well. Knives are heinj,' forj^ctl, bear spears which we never have
any use for, bear-traps in which we never caUh a bCar, axes and many
utiier things of like usefulness. For the moment there is a great manu-
facture of wooden shoes going on, and a newly started nail-making
industry. The only shareholders in this company are Sverdrup and
Smith Lars, called ' Storm King,' because he always comes upon us
like hard weather. The output is excellent and is in active demand,
as all our small nails \r the hand-sledge fittings have been used.
Moreover, we are very busy putting (lerman-silver plates under the
runners of the hand-sledges, and providing appliances for lashing
sledges together. There is, moreover, a workshop for snow-shoe
fastenings, and a tinsmith's shop busied for the moment with repairs
to the lamps. Our doc tor too for lack of patients has set up a book-
binding establishment which is greatly patronised by the Fiam's library,
whereof several books that are in constant circulation, such as (Jjest
Baardscns Liv og LiTiief, etc., etc., are in a very bad state. We have
also a saddlers' and sailmakers' workshop, a photographic studio, etc.,
etc. The manuHicture of diaries, however, is the most extensive— every
man on board works at that. In fine, there is no thing between heaven
and earth that we cannot turn out — excepting constant fixir winds.

" Our workshops can be highly recommended ; they turn out good
solid work. We have lately had a notable addition to our industries,
the firm ' Nansen and Amundsen ' having established a music factory.
The cardboard plates of the organ had suffered greatly from wear and
damp, so that we had been deplorably short of music during the winter.
But, yesterday, I set to work in earnest to manufacture a plate of zinc.
It answers admirably, and now we shall go ahead with music sacred
and profane, especially valses, and these halls shall once more resound
with the pealing tones of the organ, to our great comfort and edification.
AVhen a valse is struck up it breathes fresh life into many of the inmates
of the Fraiii.

" I complain of the wearing monotony of our surroundings ; but in
reality I am unjust. The last few days dazzling sunshine over the
snowhills; to-day, snowstorm and wind, the Fram enveloped in a whirl
of foaming white snow. Soon the sun appears again, and the waste
around gleams as before.

284

Chapter VI.

"Here, too, there is sentiment in Nature. Mow often when least
tliinking of it, do I find myself pause, spellljound hy tlie marvellous
hues which eveniii«,' wears, The ice-hilis steeped in bluish-violet
shadows, against the orange-tinted sky, illumined hy the glow of the
setting sun, form as it were a strange eolour-poem, imprinting an
ineffaceable picture on the soul. And these brigiit dieam-like nights,
how many associations they have for us Northmen ! One pictures to
oneself those mornings in spring when one went out into the forest after
blackcock, under the dim stars, and with the pale crescent moon peering
over the treetops. Dawn, with its glowing hues up here in tlie north,
is the breaking of a spring day over the forest wilds at home ; the hazy
blue vapour beneath the morning glow, turns to the fresh early mist
over the marshes ; the dark low clouds on a background of dim red,
seem like distant ranges of hills,

" Daylight here with its rigid, lifeless whiteness has no attractions ;
but the evening and night thaw the heart of this world of ice ; it dreams
mournful dreams, and you seem to hear in the hues of the evening,
sounds of its smothered wnil. Soon these will cease, and the sun will
circle round the everlasting light blue expanse of heaven, imparting one
uniform colour to day and night alike.

"Friday, April 6tli. A remarkable event was to take place to-day,
which naturally we all looked forward to with lively interest. It was an
eclipse of the sun. During the night Hansen had made a calculation
that the eclii)se would begin at 12.56 o'clock. It was important for ns
to be able to get a good observation, as we should thus be able to
regulate our chronometers to a nicety. In order to make everything
sure, we set up our instruments a couple of hours beforehand, and com-
menced to observe. ^Ve used the large telescope, and our large
theodolite. Hansen, Johansen, and myself took it by turns to sit
for five minutes each at the instruments, watching the rim of the sun,
as we expected a shadow would become visible on its lower western
edge, while another stood In with the watch. We remained thus full
two hours without anything occurring. The exciting moment was now
at hand, when, according to calculation, the shadow should first be
apparent. Hansen was sitting by the large telescope, when he thought
he could discern a (juivering in the sun's rim ; ;^^ seconds afterwards he

The Winter Ni'«'ht.

'85

cried out, ' Now 1 ' as did Johanscn simultaneously. The watch was
then at 12 hrs. 56 ni. 7*5 s. A darl< Ixxly advan('e<l over the border of
the sun 7^ srconds later than we had calculatt.'d on. It was an iuinienso
satisfaction for us all, especially fur Hansen, for it proved our ( hrono-
nietevs to he in excellent order. Little by little the sunlif,'ht sensibly
faded away, while we went below to dinner. At 2 o"( Ux k the eclipse
was at its heiyht, and we could notice even down in the saloon how the
daylight had diminished. After dinner we observed the moment when
the ecli[)se ended, and the moon's dark disc cleared th_' rim of the sun.
"Sunday, April 8th. I was lyin;,' awake yesterday morninjf thinking
about getting up, when all at on<e I heard the hurried fo()tsle|)S of
some one running over the half-deck above me, and then another
followed. There was something in those footsteps that involuntarily
made me think of bears, and I had a hazy sort of an idea that I ought
to jump up out of bed, but I lay still listening for the report of a gun.
I heard nothing, however, and soon fell a-dreaming again. Presently
Johansen came tearing down into the .saloon, crying out that a cou])le
of bears were lying half or (juite dead on the large ice hummock astern
of the shi]). He and Mogstad had shot at them, but they had no more
cartriilges left. Several of the men seized hold of their guns and hurried
up. I threw on my clothes and came U]) a little after, when I gathered
that the bears had taken to (light, as I could see the other fellows
following them over the ice. As I was putting on my snow-shoes they
returned, and said that the bears had made off. However, I started
after them as fast as my snow-shoes would take me across the floes and
the pressure-ridges. I soon got on their tracks, which at first were a
little bloodstained. It was a she-bear, with her cub, and, as I believed,
hard hit — the she-bear had fallen down several times after Johansen's first
bullet. I tiiought, therefore, it would be no difficult matter to overtake
them. Several of the dogs were on ahead of i^ie on their tracks. They
had taken a north-westerly course, and I toiled on, perspiring profusely
in the sun, while the siiip sank deeper and deeper down below the
horizon. The surface of the snow, sparkling with its eternal whiteness
all around me, tried my eyes severely, and I seemed to get no nearer
the bears. My prospects of coming u[) with them were ruined by the
dogs, who were keen enough to frighten the bears, but not so keen as

i: I

286

Chapter \'I.

to pri'ss on and brinjj them to bay. 1 would not, liowi'ver, give up,
I'rcsi'iUly a foj,' cami- on, and hid cvcrythin^f from vii-w oxcopt the hcar-
tra( ks, which steadily pointi-d forward ; then it lilU'd, and thf sini shont'
out ajj[ain ( lear and l)ri^'hl as hi'lorL'. I'ht! /-hiw's masts liad lon^
since! disappeared over the vil^c ol' the ici', hut still I kept on.
Presently, however, I hej^an to feel faint and huni^rv, for in my hurry I
had not even had my l)reakfast, and at last had to bite the sour apple
and turn hac k without any bears.

"On my way I < ame a< ross a remarkahU' hummo( k. It was over
20 feet in height (I could not manage to measure it (|uite to the top) ;
the middle part had fallen in, probably from pressun- of the ice,
while the remaining' part formed a ma^Miificfnt triumphal arc h of the

whitest marble, on which the sun ^dittered w'th all u hu y.

Was it erected to celebrate my defeat? I ^'ot up on it to i
for the /'hiw, but had to yo some distance yet before I could see lit.
rigginj^ ovi-r the horizon. It was not till half-past five in the al'ter-
noon that I foinid myself on board aj,'ain. worn out and famished
from this sudden and unexpec-ted excursion. After a clay's fastin,l,^
I heartily relished a jfood meal. During,' my absence son)e of tiie
others had started after nie with a sled^'e to draw home the dead
bears that I had shot ; but they had barely reached the spot where
the encounter had taken place, when Johansen and lllessin^f, who
were in advance of the others, saw two fresh bears s|)rin<4- up from
behind a hummock a little way off. but before they could j^et their
j,nms in readiness the bears were out of ranj^e ; so a new hunt beuan.
Johansen tore after them in his snow-shoes, but several of the doj^s
{^ot in front of him and kept the bears ao'm^, so that he could not
get within ranj^e, and his chase ended as fruitlessly as mine.

"Has j,'oo(l luck abandoned us? I had plumed myself on our
never having shot at a sini,de bear without bagging it, but to-day
. . . . I Odd that we should get a visit from four bears on one
clay, after having seen nothing of them for three months I Does it
signify something? Have we got near the land in the northwest
which I have so long expected? There seems to be change in the
air. An observation the day before yesterday gave 80'^ 15' N. lat.,
the most nurtherlv we have had vet.

The Winter Ni-vlu.

:S7

"Sunday. .\|iril 15th. So wr an- in tin- niiddk- of Apid 1 Wli.t a
rinj,' of joy in that word, a \vi'lls|)rin^' of ha|>|»int'ss ! \'ision> ol iprin;;
rise ii|i in tlu' soul at its very mention a tiuii- wlicn I'odrs and
windows an- tlirown wide opi'ii to tin- spring,' air and sun. and the dust
of winter is hlown away; a time wlien one < an no lonj,'er sit still, hut
must perlbrc e f,'o out of doors to inhale tlie [terfimie ot" wood ;inil
field and fresh-du^' earth, and heiiold the fjord, free from i< e, spark-
linj; in the sunli^dit. What an inexhaustible fund of tlu- awaki'nin;(
joys of nature does that word April contain I I'.ut lu-re here that is
not to he found. True, the sun shines Ion;,' and l»ri;,d)l, hut its heains
fall not on forest or mountain or nu-adow. hut only on the daz/lm^'
whiteness of the fresh-fallen snow. .S< .irc ely does it entice one out
from one's winter retreat. This is r,ot the time of revolutions here.
If they <ome at all, they will come mu( h later. The days roll on
unilbrndy and monotonously; here I sit, and feel no tou( h of the
restless longings of the spring, and shut myself up in the snail-shell
of my studies. Day after day I dive down into the world of the
microsco])e, forgetful of time and surroundings. Now and then,
indeed, I may make a little excursion from darkness to light — the
daylight beams around me, and my so-.d opens a tiny looph.ole for
light and courage to enter in--and then down, down into the dark-
ness, and to work once more, liefore turning in for the night I must
go on deck. A little while ago the daylight would by this time have
vanished, a few solitary stars would have been faintly twinkling, while
the pale moon shone over the ice. liut now even this has come to
an end. The sun no longer sinks beneath the i< y horizon ; it is
continual day. I gax.e into the far distance, for over the barren plain
of snow, a boundless, silent, and lifeless mass of ice in imperceptible
motion. No sound can be heard save the faint murmur of the aii
through the rigging, or perhaps far away the low rumble of pai king
ice. In the midst of this empty waste of white there is but one little
dark spot, and that is the Fram.

" But beneath this crust, hundreds of fathoms down, there teems a
world of cheijuered life in all its changing forms, a world of the same
composition as ours, with the same instincts, the same sorrows, and
also, no doubt, the same joys ; everywhere the same struggle for

288

Chai)ter \'I.

existence. So it ever is. If we penetrate within even the hardest
shell, we come upon tlie pulsations of life, however thi<k the crust
may he.

" I seem to he sittinj^ here in solitude listeninjf to the music of one
of nature's mi,<fhty harp-strinii;s. Her j^rand symphonies peal forth
thr()U<fh the endless ages of the universe, now in the tumultuous
whirl of busy life, now in the stiffenin<f coldness of death, as in
Chopin's Funeral March ; and we — -we are the minute, invisible
vibrations of the strings in this mighty music of the universe, ever
(hanging, yet ever the same. Its notes are worlds ; one vibrates for
a longer, another for a shorter period, and all in turn give way to new
ones

" The world that shall be I ... . Again and again this thought
conies back to my mind. I gaze lar on through the ages

" Slowly and imjjerceptibly the heat of the sun declines, and the
temperature of the earth sinks by equally sh^w degrees. Thousands,
hundreds of thousands, millions of years ])ass away, glarial e])Ochs
(ome and go ; but the heat still grows ever less ; little by little these
drifting masses of ice extend far and wide, ever towards more southern
shores, and no one notices it, but at last all the seas of earth become
one unbroken mass of ice. Life has vanished from its surface, and is
to be found in the ocean de|)ths alone.

•• Hut the temperature continues to fall, the ice grows thicker and
ever thicker; life's domain vanishes. Million:; of years roll on, and
the ice reaches the bottom. The last trace of life has disappeared ;
the earth is covered with snow. All that we lived for is no longer ; the
i'ruit of all our toil and sufferings has been blotted out millions and
millions of years ago. burietl beneath a pall of snow. A stiffened,
liieless mass of ice this earth rolls on in her patii through eternity.
Like a faintly glowing disc, tiie sun crosses the sky; the moon shines
no more, and is scarctlv visible. \'et still, perha])s, the northern
lights flicker over the desert, icy plain, and still the stars twinkle in
silence, peacefully as of yore. Some have burnt out, but new ones
usurp dieir place ; and round them revolve new spheres, teeming with
new life, new sufferings without any aim. Such is the infinite cycle of
eternitv ; sue h are nature's everlasting rhvthms.

A SUMMER EVKXIXr,. 14 JULY, 1S94.

(from a JVio/i\^rii/'k.)

, 8"

2CJO

Chapter VI.

•'Monday, Ajivil 30th. Driftinj^ northwards. Yesterday observa-
tions jrave So' 42', and to-day So° 44A'. The wind steady from tlie
scnith and south-east.

" It is lovely sprinjf weather. One feels that spring-time must have
< oiiie, th(ni<,di the thermometer denies it. 'Spring cleaning' has
begun on board ; the snow and ice along the Frain's sides are «learetl
away, and she stands out like the crags from their winter covering
decked with the flowers of spring. The snow lying on the deck is
little by little shovelled overboard ; her rigging rises wy against the
(dear sky clean and dark, and the gilt trucks at her mastheads sparkle
in the sun. We go and bathe ourselves in the broiling sun along her
warm sides, where the thermometer is actually above freezing point,
smoke a peaceful l^ipe. gazing at the white spring clouds that lightly
fleet across the blue expanse. Some of us perhaps think of sjjring-
time yonder at home, when the birch trees are bursting into leaf."

[ V-,--.-

a-.

i .

^£i.-

V ■ 4

■•*•

■^.

<inf

CHAPTER VII.

The Spuinc and Summer of 189^.

So came the season whic h we at home call spring, the season of joy
x.nd hiiddinir life, when nature awakens after her \ow^ winter sleej*.
I'ut there it hrouj(ht no chanire ; day after day we had to gaze over
t'le same white lifeless mass, tiie same white boundless ice-plains.
Still we wavered between despondency, idle longing, and eager energy,
shifting with the winds as "ve drift forwards to our goal or are ilriven
back from it. As before I continued to brood u])on the possi-
bilities of the future and of our drift. One day I would think that
everything was going on as we ho])ed and anticipated. Thus on
April 17th I was conxinced that tliere must be a current through the
unknown polar basin, as we were unmistakably drifting northwards.
The midday observation gave 80 20' N.E., that is 9' since the day
before yesterdav. Strange I A north wind of four whole days took
us to the south, while twenty-four hours of this scanty wind drifts us
9' northwards. This is remarkable : it looks as if we were done with
drifting southwards. And when, in addition to this, I take into con-
sideration the striking warmth (,f the water deep down, it seems to
me that tl.ings are really looking brighter. The reasoning runs ;is
follow :— The temperature of the water in the East Greenland current,
even on the surface, is nowhere o\er zero (the mean temperature for
the year), and appears generally to be — i C". (^o'^ ' ¥.), even in 70
N. l:'t. In this 1ati;ude the tcniperaUire steadil\- i^dls as you get below
the surface: nowhere at a greater depth than 100 fathoms i> it ahoxr
— i"^^ C. and generally from — i '5° (29-;,o" Iv) to — i^" C. (28-94' ]•'.)
right to ihe bottom, ^^oreover, the bottom temi)eratinx' of the wh(;lc
sea north oi" the C)oth degree of latitude is under — i^ C. a strij)
along the Norwegian coast and between Norway and .-^pit/bergeP.

u 2

292

Chapter VII.

alone excepted, but here the temperature is over — i" C, from 86
fathoms (160 metres) downward, and 135 fathoms (250 metres) the
temperature is ah'eady + o'55'' C. (s^vji/ F.), and that, too, be it
remarked, north of the 80th degree of latitude, and in a sea surround-
ing the pole of maximum cold.

'J'his warm water can hardly come from the Arctic Sea itself, while
the current issuing thence towards the south has a general temperature
of about — I "5" C. It can hardly be anything other than the (iulf
Stream that finds its way hither, and replaces the water which in its
upper layers flows towards the north, forming the sources of the East
(Ireenland polar current. All this seems to chime in with my pre-
vious assumptions, and supports the theory on which this expedition
was planned. And when, in addition to this, one l)ears in mind that
the winds seem, as anticipated, to be as a rule south-easterly, as was,
moreover, the case at the international station at Sagastyr (by the Lena
mouth), our prospects do not appear to be unfavourable.

Frecpienlly, moreover, I thouglit I could detect unmistakable
symptoms of a steadily flowing north-westerly current under th'' ice,
and then, of course, my si)irits rose; but at other times, when the
drift again bore southwards — and that was often — my doubts would
return, and it seemed as if there was no pros])ect of getting through
within any reasonable time. Truly such drifting in the ice is
extremely trying to the mind ; but there is one virtue it fosters, and
that is patience ; the whole expedition was in reality one long course
of training in this useful virtue.

Our progress as the spring advanced grew somewhat better than it
had been during the winter, but on the whole it was always the same
sort of crablike locomotion ; for each time we made a long stretch to
the nt)rth, a longer jieriod of reaction was sure to follow. It was, in
the opinion of one of our number, who was- somewhat of a politician,
a constant struggle between the Left and Right, between Progres-
sionists and Recessionists. After a jjcriod of Left wind and a glorious
drift northwards, as a matter of course the " Radical Right '' took the
helm, and we remained Ijing in dead water or drifted backwards,
thereby ])utting Amundsen into a ver\- bad temper. It was a remark-
able fact that du'-ing the whole time, the FraiiCs bow turned towards

The Spring and Summer of 1894.

293

the south, generally S. ;JW.,and shifted hut very little durin;^ the whole
drift. As I say on May 14th : " She went ixickwards towards her i^ual
in the north, with her nose ever turned to the south. It is as though
she shrank from increasing her distance from the world ; as though
she were longing for southern shores, while some inxisihlc |)()wcr is
drawing her on towards the unknown. Can it he an ill ou.in, this
backward advance towards the interior of the Polar Sea? I cannot
think it ; even the crab ultimately reaches its goal."

A statement of our latitude and longitude on different days will best
indicate the general course of our drift :—

May ist, 80' 46' N. lat. ; May 4th, 80° 50' ; Afay f)lh, 80 41/ ; May
8th, 80" 55' N. lat., 129' 58' E. long. ; May i:;h, 80 52' N. lat. ; May
15th, 129° 20' E. long.; May 21st, 81° 20' N. lat., 125' 45' E. long. ;
May 23rd, 81" 26' N. lat.; May 27th, 81 ' 31': June 2nd, 81 ' 31' N.
lat., 121 ' 47' E. long. ; June 13th, 81 ' 46'; June i8th, 81 5^'. L'p to
this we had made fairly satisfactory ])rogress towards the north, but
now came the reaction: June 24th, 81 42'; July ist, 81 33' ; July
loth, 81° 20' ; July 14th, 81" 32'; July i8th, 81" 26' ; July 31st, 8C 2'
N. lat., 126" 5' 5" E. long.; August 8th, 81 8'; August 14th, 81' 5'
N. lat., 127'' 38' E. long. ; August 26th, 81 ' 1' ; September 5th, 81 14'
N. lat., 123" 36' E. long.

After this we began once more to drift northwards, but not very
fast.

As before, we were constantly on the look out for land, and were
inclined first from one thing, then from another, to think wc saw si'^ns
of its proximity ; but they always turned out to be imaginary, and the
great depth of the sea, moreover, showed that at all events land coild
not be near.

Later on — on August 7th — when I had found over 2,085 fathoms
(3,850 metres) depth, I say in my diary : " I do not thmk we shall
talk any more about the shallow I'cjlar Sea, where land may be
expected anywhere. We may very possibly drift out into the Atlantic
Ocean without having seen a single mountain-top. An eventful series
of years to look forward to ! "

The plan already alluded to of travelling over the ice with dogs an(l
sledges occupied me a good deal, and during my daily expeditions

294

Chapter VII.

partly on snow-shoes, partly with do^'s, my attention was constantly
f,nven to the condition of the ice and our prospects of being able to
make our way over it. During .\i)ril it was specially well adapted for
using dogs. The surface was good, as the sum's ])ower had made it
smoother than the heavy drift-snow earlier in the winter ; besides, the
wind had covered the pressure-ridges pretty evenly, and there were not
many crevasses or channels in the uc, so that one could iiroceed for
miles without much trouble from them. In May, however, a change
set in. So early as May 8th the wind had broken up the ice a good
deal, and now there were lanes in all directions, which proved a great
obstacle when I went out driving with the dogs. The temperature,
however, was still so low that the channels were (juickly frozen over
again and became passable ; but later on in the month the temjKrature
rose, so that ice was no longer so readily f(jrmed on the water, and the
channels became ever more and more numerous.

On May 20th I write : " Went out on snow-shoes in the forenoon.
The ice has been very much broken up in various direction.s, owing to
the continual winds during the last week, 'i'lie lanes are difficult to
cross over, as they are full of small ])ieces of ice, that lie dispersed
about, and are partly covered with drift-snow. This is very deceptive,
for one niay seem to have firm ice under one at places where, on
sticking one's staff in, it goes right down without any sign of ice."' On
many occasions I nearly got into trouble in crossing over snow like thi.s
on snow-shoes. I would suddenly find that the snow was giving way
under me, and would manage with no little difficulty to get safely back
en to the firm ice.

On June 5th the ice and the snow surface were about as before. I
write : " Have just been out on a snow-shoe e.xcursion with Sverdrup
in a southerly direction, the first for a long while. The condition of
the ice has altered, but not for the better ; the surface, indeed, is hard
and good, but the i)ressure-ridges are very awkward, and there are
crevasses and hummocks in all directions. A sledge expedition would
make poor enough progress on such ice as this."

Hitherto, however, progress had always been possible, but now the
snow began to melt, and placed almost insuperable difficulties in the
\yay. On June 13th I write : " The ice gets softer and softer every day,

The .Spring- and vSunimcr of 1S94.

tind large pools of water are formed 011 the llees all aiouiul us. Tn
short, the surface is abominable. 'I'he snow-shoes bivak throuL;h into
the water everywhere. Truly one would not be able to t^ct far in a day
now should one be obli^^ed to set off towards the south or west. It is
as if every outlet were blocked, and here we stick - we sti< k. Some-
times it strikes me as rather remarkable that none of our fellows have
l)ecome alarmed, even when we are bearini,' farther and farther north-
wards, farther and farther into the unknown ; but there is no sij,Mi of
fear in any one of them. All look gloomy when we are bearing south
or too much to the west, and all are beaming with joy when we are
drifting to tl',e northward, the farther the l^etter. Vet none of them
ran be blind to the fact that it is a matter of life and death, if anything
of what nearly every one prophesied should now occur. Should the
ship be crushed in this ice and go to the l)ottoni, like the Jeannetie,
without our being able to save sutificient su])plies to continue our drift
on the ice, we should have to turn our course to tlie south, and then
ihere would lie litde doubt as to our fate. The Jcamtettc people fared
badly enough, but their ship went down in 77'' X. lat., while the
nearest land to us is many times more than double the distance it was
in their case, to say nothing of the nearest inhabited land. We are
now more than 70 miles from Cape Chelyuskin, while from there to
any inhabited region we are a long way farther. Uut the Fraiii will not
be crushed, and nobody believes in the possibility of such an event.
We are like the kayak-rower, who knows well enough that one Hiulty
stroke of his paddle is enough to cajisize him and send him into
•fteinity ; but none the less he goes on his way serenely, for he knows
that he will not make a faulty stroke. This is absolutely the most
comfortable way of undertaking a polar expedition ; what possit)le
journey, indeed, could be more comfortable? Not even a railway
journey, for then you have the bother of changing carriages. Still a
■change now and then would be no bad thing."

Later on — in July — the surface was even worse. The floes were
■everywhere covered with slush, with water underneath, and on the
pressure-ridges and between the hummocks where the snow-drifts were
•deep one would often sink in up to the middle, not even the snow-
•shoes bearing one up in this soft snow. Later on in July matters

5i»'1

296

Cha[)tcr \'II.

improved, the snow having gnuliially niLltcd away, so that iIktc was a
fiiniL'r surface of ice to go on.

lUit large pools of water now R)rnie(l on tlie ice-floes. Already on
the P)lh and 9th of June such a pool had begun to ai)pear round the
ship, so that slie lay in a little lake of fresh water, and we were obliged
to make use of a bridge in order to reach a dry spot on the ice. Some
of these fresh-water pools were of respectable dimensions and dei)th.
There was one of these on the starboard side of the shi[), so large that
in the middle of July we could row and sail on it with the boats. This
was a favourite evening amusement with some of us, and the boat was
fully officered with captain, mate, and second mate, but Iiad no
common sailors. They thought it an exccl'eiit opportunity of prac-
tising sailing with a square sail ; while ihe rest of our fellows standing
on the icy sliore, found it still more diverting to bombard the navigators
with snowballs and lumps of ice. It was in this same pool that we
trieil one day if one of our boats could carry all thirteen of us at once.
When the dogs saw us all leave the ship to go to the pool, they fol-
lowed us in utter bewilderment as to what this unusual movement
could mean : but when we got into the boat they, all of them, set to
work and howled in wild despair ; thinking, probably, that they would
never see us again. Some of them swam after us, while two cunning
ones, '• Pan " and " Kvik," conceived the brilliant idea of galloping
round the pool to the opposite side to meet us. A few days afterwards
I was dismayed to fmd the pool dried ui) ; a hole had been worn
through the ice at the bottom, and all the fresh water had drained out
into the sea. So that amusement came to an end.

In the summer when we wanted to make an excursion over the ice,
in addition to such pools we met with lanes in the ice in all directions,
but as a rule could easily cross them by jumping from one loose floe to
another, or leaping right across at narrow places.

These lanes never attained any great width, and there was con-
secjuently no question of getting the J''m/// afloat in any of them ; and
even could we have done so, it would have been cjf very little avail, as
none of them was large enough to have taken her more than a few
cable-lengths further north. Sometimes there were indications in the
sky that there must be large stretches of ojjcn water in our vicinity, and

The Sj)riiin- «i"<-l Summer (jf 1S94.

-97

wc coukl now and then sue from the < row's-ncst hiri;i' s; aces of drnr
water in the horizon ; but they could not Iiave been lari^c tnou^^h to he
of mucli use wlien it came to a (juest'on ot [uisliiiii; forward wMli a
shi[).

Sanguine folk on l)oar(l, however, attaclied more importance to sucli
open stretches. June 15th I wrote in my diary : — 'There are several

SAILING ON THi: FRESH-WATER POOI, (jUI.Y 1 2TH, I.S94).
{Fivni a riiotogral-h.)

I '•

lanes visible in different directions, but none of them is wide or of ar.y
great extent. The mate, however, is always insisting that we shall
certainly get open water before autumn, and be able to creep along
northwards, while, with the rest, Sverdrup excepted, it seems to be a
generally accepted belief, AVhere they are to get their open water
from I do not know. For the rest, this is the hrst ice-bound

2 9S

Chapter \'II.

expedition that h.is not spent the summor spying' after open water, and
s!ghiii^f and Ionising for the ice to (h'spcrse. I only wisli it may keep
to^'ether, and hurry up and drift northwards. l'',ver\ thinj; in tliis hfe
de|)ends on what one has made up one's mind t(j. One person sets
forth to sail in open water, perhaps to the very role, hut gets stuck in
the i< e and laments ; ant)lher is prepared to ^'el stuck in the it e, hut
will not <;ruinhle even should he luid open water. It is ever the
safest plan U) esi)ect the least of life, for then one often gels the
most."'

The open s])aces, the lanes, and the rifts in the ice are, of course,
l)roduced, like the pressure and packin<,s by the shiftin«; winds anil the
tidal currents that set the ice <Iriftin^f first in one direction, then in
another. .\nd they best prove, perhaps, how the surface of the I'olar
Sea must be considered as one coiUmuous mass of ice-tloes in constant
motion, now IVo/.en to<;ether, now torn apart, or crushed against each
(jther.

During,' the whole of our drift 1 i)aid great attention to this ice, not
only with respect to its motion, but to its formation and j,'ruwth as well.
In the I..lrodu( tion of this book I have pointed out that, even should
the ice i)ass year after year in the cold I'olar Sea, it could not by mere
freezing attain more than a certain thickness. From measurements
that were constantly being mac'e, it appeared that the ice which was
formed during the autumn in October or November continued to
increase in size during the whole of the winter and out into the si)ring,
but more slowly the thicker it became. On April icth it was about
'_>"3i metres ; April 21st, 2*4 1 metres; May 5, 2*45 metres; May 31,
2*52 metres ; June 9th, 2*58 metres. It was thus continually increasing
in bulk, notwithstanding that the snow now melted (juickly on the
surface, and large pools of fresla water were formed on the floes. On
June 20th the thickness was the same, although the melting on the
surface had now increased considerably. On June 4th the thickness
was 2"57 metres. On July loth I was amazed to find that the ice had
increased to 276 metres, notwithstandmg that it would now diminish
several centimetres daily from surface melting. I bored in many
places, but U und it everywhere the same— a thin, son.ewhat loose, ice
mass lay under ihe old floe. I first thought it was a thin ice-floe that

The Sprini^ ami Siiii'<nicr of i S94.

299

bad jjot imshed uiuUt, hut sul)se(iufntly disrovert'd that it was actii.illy
a lU'W formation of iVt'sli -water i< t* on the lower siile of the old ice, \\uk.'
to tlie layer of fresh water of ai)out () feet () im lies (\ nu'tres) in depth,
formed hy the meltinj; of the snow on the i( e. Owinj,' to its lijfhtness
this warm fresh water lloated on t!ie salt sea water, which was at a
temperature of about (— i*5" ('.) on its surl.it i'. 'I'lius hycontait with
the colder sea water the fresh w;iter hecr.me cooler, and so a thick
I lUst of ice was formed on the fresh water, where it came in (ontai t
with the salt water lyinj; underneath it. It was this i<e crust then that
augmented the thickness of the it e tm its untlcr sitle. Later on in the
summer, however, the ice diminishftl somewhat, owing to melting in
the surface. On July 23rd, the old it e was only 2*33 metres, and with
the newly-furmed layer 2'4() metres. On August loth the thickness of
the oltl ice had decreased to 1 •tj4 metres, anti together the aggregate
thickness to 3*17 metres. On August 2 2ntl the old ice was i'86
metres, and the aggregate thickness 3*06 metres. On September 3ril
ih.e aggregate thickness was 2*02 metres, and on .September 30th
I "98 metres. On October 3rtl it was the same ; the thickness of the
old ice was then r75 metres. On October i2i.h the aggregate thick-
ness was 2*o8 metres, while the t)ld ice wr.s i*8 metres, C)n
November loth it was still about the same, with only a. slight
tendency to increase, h'urther on in November rind in December it
increased quite slowly. On December iith the aggregate thickness
reached 2"it metres. On January 3rd, 1895, 2"32 metres; January
loth, 2-48 metres; February 6th, 2"59 metres. Hence it will be seen
that the ice does not attain any enormous thickness by direct freezing.
The packing caused by ])ressure can, however, produce blocks and
floes of a \ery different si/e. It often happens that the floes get
shoved in undvr each other in smeral layers, and are frozen together
so as to appear like one originally continuous mass of ice. Thus the
Fram had got a got)d bed under her.

Juell and Peter had often disputed together tluring the winter as to
the thickness of ice the Frain had under her. I'eter, who had seen a
good deal of the ice before, maintained that it must at least be 20 feet
thick, while Juell would not believe it, and betted 20 kroner that it
was not as thick as that. On April 19th this dispute again broke out,

ri^:!'

;oo

Chiipur \'[\.

and I s\y of it in my diary . " Jiuli has iii)(Ii.'rtak(.'n to nial<i' a horo, Imt
unfortuiiati'ly our l)ort'r readies no f.irilu'r th;m i6 feet duwii. I'licr.
howcviT, has imtk-rtaki-n to < lit away thi- 4 i'vd tliat an- Lk kiiij,'.
'I'hi-rr has hct'ii a lot of talk alxnit this wam'r (hirinj,' the wlioir winter.
I)iit thi'y coiiM lu'vcr a;,'rL'(.' al)oiit it. IV'ttT says that Jiicll slioulil
i)i'j,Mn to bore, whik' JiU'll maintains that VvWr oii^'ht to (lit tlic 4 I'itI
first. This cvTiiin'^f it cncU'd in IiU'li iiit aiitioiisiv offcriiif,' 10 kroner

to anvone wlio would

I )( )rt

r.ent

/en

took

hiin at his word

;in(l

immediately set to work at it with Amuiulsi'ii : he ihoii^ht oiu- did not
always have the < Iiam t- of earnin^f 10 kroner so easily, Amundsen
offered him a kroiuT an hour, or I'Ise |iavmeiit per loot ; and time
payment was finally a;(ree I to. They worki-il till late on into the
night, and when they had '^oi down \2 feet, the borer slipped a little
way, and water rose in the hole, but this did not conu' to imu h, and
presently the borer struck on ice again. They went on for some time,
i)Ut now the borer would rea( h no further, anil I'eter had to be (ailed

uj) to cut his 4 leet. He and .xnuindsen worked away at cutting till
they were dripping with perspiration. Amundsen, as usual, was very
eager and vowed he would not give in till he had got through it.evi'u if
it were 30 feet thi( k. Meanwhile Hent/en had turned in, but a message
was sent to him t(j say that the hole was cut, and that boring could now
begin again. When it was only an inch or an inch-and-a-half short of
20 fe(!t, the borer slijjped through, and the water spurted up and filled
the hole. They now sank a lead line down it, and at 30 feet it again
brought up against ice. Now they were obliged to give it up. A line
lump of ice we are lying on I Not taking into account a large, loose
ice-tloe that is lying packed up on the ice, it is 16 inches above the
water ; and adding to the 2 feet which the /vvfw is raised up above the
ice, there is no small distance between her and the water.

The temperature on the ice in summer is about thawing ])oint, but
gradually as the winter cold comes on, it, of course, falls rapidly on the
surfiice, whence the cold slowly penetrates deeper and dee[)er down
towards the lower surfiue, where it naturally keeps at an even temper-
ature with the underlying water. Observations of the temperature of
the ice in its different layers were constantly taken in order to ascertain
how quickly this cooling-down process of the ice took place during the

The Sprlii;,^ and Suiiimcr of [894.

!3I

wintiT, and iiKo how tin- tt.'m|»oratiire rose a^'ain towards sprinj;. The
lowest ti'initiTiitiirc of thr ice o( ( iirri'd in M;ir( h .iiul the iK-fjinniii;,' of
April, whfii ;il rj mclri's it was ahoiil y2 !•. ( — r'>' ('.). and at o'.S
nu'tri" alxdil jj I'. Iniow zero ( — 30 ('.). Alter the l)ej;iiiiiitix of
April it lx';,Mii to risf slowly.

At th

I'sr low ti'in|)L'ratiirL'S llu- k c hct ainc very hard and lirittU', a

Sll

as ri-adily ( rai ki'(.l or hroken up by a hiow or hy pa( kin^f. In tlu"
nniK'r. on iIk- other hand, whrn its ttMiiperatiiri' was ni'ar nii-ili

n<'

point, tlu' i( (.' l)i'( aniu ton^di and jilastic, and was not so roaiHIy i)rokc'n

up un(

k-r,

)a( KMit:.

This diffi'rL'ncc hi'twcfii the condition of the ice

in suniiiier and winter was apparent also to the ear, as the it e-pac kin<^
in winter was always accompanied by the rre(|iiently mentioned loud
noises, while die pat kin^'ol" the tou},di summer ice was almost noiseless,
so that the most violent < onvulsiuns might take plate (lose to us
without our notit inj,' them.

In llu' iuuucdiate xit inity of tin- /'/ii/// the it e remaiiu'il perfectly at
rest the whole year through, ami she was not at this time exposed to
any great amount of pressure ; she lay sale and set ure on the it e-iltje
tt) whit h she was lirndy frozen ; and gradually as the surfat e of the ice
thawetl untler the sununer sun she rt)se up higher antl higluT. In the
autumn she again began to sink a little, either bet ause the it e gave
way under her weight, or because it melteil st)mewhat on the under
surface, st) that it no longer had st) much buoy;uii y as before.

^feanwhile, life on board went on in its usual wa\-. Now that we
liatl tla\ light there was' of t tjurse mt)re wt)rk t)l" various tlestriptit)ns on
the it t" than hatl been the case during the wintt.'r. 1 have already
alludetl more tlian tun e tt) t)ur unsucci'ssful entlea\t)urs tt) reach tlie
bottom bv soinnling. L'lifortunately we were not preparetl for such
great ilepths, ami had not brought any tleejj-sea soimtling apparatus
with Us. We had, therefore, to dt) tlu; best we t t)id(l under the
circumstances: and that was It) sacrifite t)ne t)f the ship's steel cables
in t)rder to make a leaddine. It was nt)t ditTicidt to lind sufficient
space on the it e ft>r a rt)pe walk, and although a tem|)erature tjf frt)m
22" V. below zero (—30° C) U) 40' F. below zero ( — 40° C.) is not
the pleasantest in whit h to manipulate siu h things as steel-wire, yet
for all that the work went on well. The cable was unlaid into its

302

Chapter MI.

separate strands, and a fresh, pliant lead-line manufactured by twisting-
two of these strands together. In this way we made a line of between
4,000 to 5,cdo metres (2. [50 to 2,700 lathoms) long, and could now at
last reach the bottom. The depth proved to range between 3,300
and 3,900 metres (i,Soo to 2,100 fathoms).

This was a remarkable discovery, for. as I have frequently mentioned,
the unknown [jolar basin has always been supposed to be shallow, with

Scott-Ifansen,
'lAi;i\(; WAIKK TldMl'ERATL'RF,;

Toliansen.

numerous unknown Lnds and islam 1>. T. too. had ai.;umed it to l)e
shallow when I sketcied out ni\- plan (.w page 21). and had thought
it was traversed bv a deep (-hannel which might possibly be a
continuation of the dicp channel in the Xorth Atlantic {sir page 27).

From this assumpt on of a shallow I'olar Sea it was concluded t!iat
the re'Hons about the IVile had furmerlv been covered with an extensivj

The Sprint^ and Summer of 1894.

305

tract of land, of which the existing islands are simply the remains.
This extensive tract of polar land was furthermore assumed to have
been the nursery of many of our animal and p'lant forms, whence they
had found their way to lower latitudes. These conjectures now appear
to rest on a somewhat infirm basis.

This great depth indicates that here, at all events, there has not
been land in any very recent geological period ; and this depth is. no
doubt, as old as the depth of the Atlantic Ocean, of which it is
almost certainly a part.

Another task to which I attached great importance and to whit h I
have frequently alluded, was the observation of the tem|;erature (jf the
sea at different depths, from the surface down to the bcttom. These
observations we took as often as time permitted, and, as already
mentioned, they gave some surprising results, showing the existence
of warmer water below the cold surface stratum. This is not the place
to give the results of the different measurements, but as they are all
very similar I will instance one of them in order that an idea may be
formed how the temperature is distributed.

This series of temperatures, of which an extract is gi\en here, was
taken from the 13th to the 17th of August.

Tai;i.e of Temperatures.

I )ep

ths

I)e

Tcni

ratiu
Fai

•e.

Fathoms.

u;rees

irenheit.

Centigrade

Surf.

ice

I '02

-.-.•M-.
.•)-) "^.1

metres

—

1 • : 2

2i)'()2

.—

'\^Ji

296 1

1-50

29-3

'■50

^•9 "3

—

'■50

29 "3

100

—

1-40

29-4S

120

"'■4

2977

140

097

30254

160

—

058

30'9''»

180

o"3i

3 1 '44

304

Chapter VII.

'r.\l!IJ'. OF TlCMPKRATURKS — Confilllicd.

Depths.

Tempcrature.

Fathoms.

grees

I'ahrenheit.

Centigrade.

200

metres

z=: 109

—

0-03

3 ''95

2 JO

120

0-19

32-34

240

>3'

0"20

32-36

260

0-34

32-61

2S0

; »

j53

0-42

32-76

300

1 )

,64

0-34

32-61

350

191

0-44

3279

400

?»

218

f^35

3^(>i

450

246

0-36

32-66

500

■ .

273

0-34

32-61

600

32S

0"26

32-47

700

382

0-14

32-35

800

437

G-07

32-126

900

" )

492

—

o'04

31-928

l,ODO

1 *

546

—

O'lO

3182

1,200

656

—

0-28

3 i 496

1,400

765

—

034

3 '39

r,6oo

S74

—

©■46

3117

i.Soo

984

—

0-60

39-92

2, coo

1 '

1,093

—

0-66

30-8 r

2,600

■ ^

1,421

—

074

30-67

2,900

1 085

—

076

30'63

3,ooo

?•

1,640

—

o"73

30-69

3,400

^ »

1,850

—

©•69

30-76

3 "l'^^

2,023

—

©■65

30-83

3,.Soo

)»

2,077

—

o'64

30-85

325

177

0-49

32-88

o'85

076

33-37

0-78

33-40

0"62

33-12

These temperature-; of the water are in many respects remarkable.
In the first phice the temperature (alls, as will he seen, from the
surface downwards to a depth of So metres, after which it ri.^es to 280
metres, falls again at 300 metres, then rises again at 326 metres, where

a —
u

:^ \

?o6

Chapter \'II.

it wns + o*49'' ; then Halls to rise ;i.<r;iin nt 450 metres, tlien falls
steadily down to 2,000 metres, to rise once more slowly at the l)()ttom.
Similar risin<i;s and fallinf^s were to he found in almost all the series of
temperatures taken, and the variations from one month to another were
so small that at the respective dei)ths they often merely amounted to
the two-hundretlth part of a dej^ree. Occasionally the temjjerature of
the warm strata mounted even hij^hcr than mentioned here. Thus on
October 17th at 300 metres it was + 0*85, at 350 metres + 076^, at
400 metres -{- o'yS , and at 500 metres + o'62% after which it sank
evenly until, towards the bottom, it again rose as before.

We had not expected to meet with much bird life in these desolate
regions. Our surprise, therefore, was not small when on Whit Sunday,
May 13th, a gull paid us a visit. After that date we regularly saw
birds of different kinds in our vicinity, till at last it became a daily
occurrence, to which we did not pay any particular attention. For
the most part they were ice mews {/an/s i/'iir/wiis), kittiwakes {rissa
tridactyhi), fulmars {proccllaria i:;lacialis), and now and then a blue gull
(/, }:;/aiiciis), a herring gull (/, ari:;i'iitiitiis !), or a black guillemot {iiria
^n'//e) ; once or twice we also saw a skua (probai:)ly lestr is parasitica),
(for instance, on July 14th). On July 21st we had a visit from a snow
bunting.

On August 3rd a remarkable occurrence took place, we were visited
by the Arctic rose gull {rhodostctliia rosea^. I wrote as follows about it
in my diary : — " To-day my longing has at last been satisfied. I have
shot Ross's gull,"* three specimens in one day. This rare and
mysterious inhabitant of the unknown north, which is only occasion-
ally seen, and of which no one knows whence it cometh or whither it
goeth, which belongs exclusively to the world to which the imagina-
tion aspires, is what, from the first moment I saw these tracts, I had
always hoped to discover, as my eyes roamed over the lonely jjlains
of ice. And now it came when I was least thinking of it. I was cut
for a little walk on the ice by the ship, and as I was sitting down
by a hummock my eyes wandered northwards and lit on a bird

* This gull is often called by tliis name, after its first discoverer. It has acquired
its (j'.hcr nunic, " rose gull," frim its pink colour.

o ^

-C:

(/I

••i*

(/>

^•m

~<;

-r

-5

•a

•^

3o8

Chapter VII.

hovering over the great pressure-mound away to the north-west. At
first I took it to be a kittiwake, hut soon discovered it rather resembled
the skua by its swift flight, shar[) wings, and pointed tail. When I had
got my gun, there were two of them together flying round and round
the ship. I now got a closer view of them and discovered that they
were too light-coloured to be skuas. They were by no means shy, but
continued flying about close to the ship. On going after them on the
ice I soon shot one of them, and was not a little surprised on picking
it up to find it was a little bird about the size of a snipe ; the mottled
back, too, reminded me also of that bird. Soon after this I shot the
other. Later in the day there came another which was also shot. On
picking this one up I found it was not quite dead, and it vomited up a
couple of large shrimps, which it must have caught in some channel or
other. All three were young birds, about 12 inches in length, with
dark mottled grey plumage on the back and wings ; the breast and
under-side white, with a scarcely perceptible tinge of orange-red, and
round the neck a dark ring sprinkled with grey." .\t a somewhat later
age this mottled plumage disappears ; they then become blue on the
back, with a black ring round the neck, while the breast assumes a
delicate pink hue. Some few days afterwards (August 6th and 8th)
some more of these birds were shot, making eight specimens in all.

While time was passing on, the plan I had been revolvmg in my
mind during the winter was ever uppermost in my thoughts — the j>lan,
that is to say, of exploring the unknown sea apart from the track in
which the Fnxm was drifting. I kept an anxious eye upon the dogs,
for fear anything should happen to them, and also to see that they
continued in good condition, for all my hopes centered in them. Several
of them, indeed, had been bitten to death, and two had been killed by
bears ; but there were still twenty-six remaining, and as a set-off against
our losses we had the pu])pies, eight of which had i)een permitted to live.
As spring advanced, they were allowed to roam the deck, but on May
5th their world was considerably extended. I wrote thus : " In the
afternoon we let the puppies loose on the ice, and ' Kvik ' at once took
long expeditions with them to familiarise them with their surroundings.
First she introduced them to our meteorological apparatus, then to the
bear-trap, and after that to different pressure-mounds. They were very

RHODOSTETHTA ROSEA.
{From a Photograph.)

3IO

Chapter VII.

cautious at first, staiin<( timiiUy all around, and venturing' out very
slowly, a step at a time from the shii)'s side ; but soon they hej^an to
run riot in their newly-discovered world.

'•' Kvik ' was vers |)roud to conduct her litter out into the wOrld,
and r(janied ahout in the liiifhest of spirits, thouj,di she had only just
returned from a long drivinn expedition, in which, as usual, she had
done <f()(nl work in harness. In the afternoon, one of the black and white
pu])i)ies had an attack of madness. It ran round the ship, barkinic
furiously ; tlie others set on it, and it bit at everythinjr that came in its
way. At last we got it shut in on the deck forward, where it was
furious for a while, then (juieted down, and now seems to be all right
again. This makes the iourtli that has had a simila; attack. What
can it possibly be? It cannot be iiydrophobia, or it would have
appeared among the grown-up dogs. Can it be toothache, or here-
ditary epilepsy — or some other infernal thing ? '" Unf(;rtunately, several
of them died from these strange atta( ks. The puppies were such line,
nice animals, that we were all very sorry when a thing like this occurred

On June 3rd I write : — " Another of the pui)pies died in the fore-
noon from one of those mysterious attacks, and 1 cannot conceal iVom
mvself that I take it greatly to heart, and feel low-s])irited about it. I
have been so used to these small polar creatures living their sorrowless
liie on deck, romping and |)laying around us from morning to evening
and a little of the night as well. I can watch them with ])leasure by
the hour together, or play with them as with little children ; have a
game at hide and si'ck with them round the skylight, the while they
are beside themselves with glee. It is the largest and strongest of
the lot that has just died, a handsome J vg ^ 1 called him ' I.ova '
(I, ion). He was such a conliding, gentle animal, and so affectionate.
Only yesterday he was jumping and playing about and rubbing
himself against me. and to-day he is dead. Our ranks are thinning,
and the worst of it is we trv in \ain to make out what it is that ails
them. This one was apparently i|uite in his normal condition and as
( heerful as ever until his breakfast was gi\cn huii : then he began to
cry and tear round, yelping and barking as if distracted, just as the
others had done. After thi^ convulsions set m, and the froth poured
from his mouth. One of these convulsions no doubt carried him off.

The Spring- and Summer of i S94.

1 I

l)lessin<,' and I hM a. />(>s/ //lorfcm u\)OU liim in tho aricinooii, hut wc
coulil discover no si<,'ns of anytliinjf unusual. It does not seem to be
an infectious ailment. I cannot understand it.

" ' Ulenka,' too, tlie Iiandsomest dog in tiie whole |)a( k, our conso-
lation and our iiope, suddenly l)e<ame ill the other day. It was the
morninj,' of May 24th that we found it paralysed and quite helpless,
lying in its cask on dec k. It kept trying to get up hut couldn't, and
immediately fell down again — just like a man who has had a stroke
and has lost all power over his limhs. It was at once ])Ut to hed in a
box and nursed most carefully ; except for being unable to walk, it is
ai)parently ([uite well.'' It must have been a kind of ap(jplectic
seizure that attacked the spinal cord in some spot or other, and para-
lysed one side of the body. The dog recovered slowly, but never got
the compleie use of its legs again. It accomi)anied us, however, on
our subsequent sledge expedition.

The dogs did not seem to like the summer, it was so wet on the ice,
and so warm. On June iith I write : " To-day the [jooIs on the ice
all round us have increased wonderfully in size, and it is by no means
agreeable to go off the ship with shoes that are not water-tight ; it is
wetter and wetter for the dogs in the daytime, and they sweat m-re
and more from the heat, though it as yet only rarely rises above zero
(('.). A few days ago they were shifted on to the ice, where two long
kennels wire set up for them.''* They were made out of boxes, and
really consist of only a wall and a roof. Here they spend the greater
part of the twentv-four hours, and we are now rid of all un( leanliness
on board, except for the four pujiijies which still remain, and lead a
glorious life of it up there between slee]» and play. '• Ulenka ""
is still on deck, and is slowly •.VLOveiing. There is the same
daily routine for the dogs as in the winter. We let them loose in
the morning about half-i)ast eight, and as the time for their release
draws near thev begin to get ver} impatient. livery time anyijne
shows himself on deck a wild chorus of howls issues from twenty-six
throats, clamouring for food and freedom.

After being let loose they get their breakfast, consisting of half a

* Up lo now tlicy liatl ihcir kennels on deck.

312

Chapter \'II.

tliifd li^li, or ihi'Lic l)isi nits a-|)it'( l'. 'I'lu' ii'st of ihc Ioii'Ikioii i> spent
in rooting' ronnd iinion^' ;ill the refuse lieajis they < an timl ; and tliey
gnaw and ht k all the empty tin < ases \vhi( h they have ransacked
hinidreds of times hefore. IT tlu' < ook sends a I'resh tin dam in;,' alonj;
the it f a hattle immediately raj^es aroinid thi' \ni/.v. It often liappeiis
that one or another of them trying tu get at a tempting [)iei:e uf fat at

OUR KKXXEI.S (SEI'TEMI3ER 27TH, 1S94).
(/■'row a J'/n>/i\^)-a/'li.)

the bottom of a deep, narrow tin, sticks his head so far down into it
that the tin sits fast, and he cannot release himself again ; so with
this extinguisher on his head he sjirawls al)out blindly over the ice,
indulging in the .iiost wonderful antics in the effort iu get rid of it, to
the great amusement ol us, the si)ectators. When tired of their work
at the rubbish heaps they stretch out their round, sausage-like bodies,

TliL' Sprlii;^- and Summer of i S94.

3'3

liantiii!,' in \hr mim. if tlicri' i^ ;iii\, ;inil if it is too warm tlu-y ^i't into
tin- shade. 'I'lu'V air tied ii|) a,i,'ain lii'loic tliiiiur ; luit " Pan," and
others nkt-'-niin(K'd, Muak away a htlK- lict'orf tliat tinii-, and hi(k' up
la'liind a huninux k. so that onr ( an onlv si'i' a head or an ear stii kinL'
ii;i lure and llierr. Shouhl anyoni' ;,^o to rL't( Ii him in he will
|Mdi)alily ^Mowl, show his Wv[\\, or v\c\\ snap : alUr wliii li In- will
lie Hut down, and allow hinisclt' to be dragged off Uj jirison. The

Tin; DOGS DASKINi; IN TIIK SUN (jUNK 13TII, 1894).

[Ft out u l'holi\i;riif'/!.)

Ill

remainder of the twentv-four hours thev spend sleejjing, juiffing and
panting in the excessiw heat, wliic h. hv the way. is two degrees
of cold, I'lverv now and then thev set up a cliorus of howls tliat
certainly must he heard in Siberia, and ([uarrel amongst themselves
til! the fur flies in all directions. This removal of the dogs on to the
ice has imposed u])()n the watch the arduous duty of remainmg on
deck at nights, which was not the jjractice before. ]>ut a bear having

■''■I

ChapUT \'I I.

o;ii i- l)i'cii on h():)ii| an

1 tak.

n off iwi) of our iiri'cioiis aniiuaN, we

don't

want an\ luou' su< li M^itois.

"Onjiilv ,^isl * Isvik ' a,L;;nn in( rcasi-d our population hy l)rin;,nn,L(
i'li'\fn piippici inlo the worlil. one of \vlii( li was (k'iornu'd, and wa-. at

once

kdk-d

Iwo other diril latrr, hut most oi' tlu'iii <i\\'\\ u\t an

huraiiU' linr liand,-<onu; aniniaK.

H'V iU'L- S

till

li\ ini

•v\\ or

no incidents oi < urruil durin>j[ this tinic, cm I'pt naturall)
the dilVercnt reddetter days were celebrated with ;freat ceremony."

May 17th* we observed with spei lal pomp; the Ibllowing dt'scrip-
lion oi' wlii( h 1 lind in my journal ; —

"Friday. May 18th. May 17th was celebrated yesterday with all

possible festivity,

In t

le niormnLf we w

I're awakened with or''an nuisi(

- the enlivening' strains of the * ('olle;,a' ib)rnpii

After this a

splendid breakfast off smoked salmon, o\ ton-fues, etc., et( . The whole
shi|

ships c()m])any wore hows o! rihhon in

honour of tlie dav even

old ' SufT^^en ' hid one roun

1 his tail. 'I'lie wind whistled, and the

Norwei,Man (\:\<r floated on hii^h. iluttering bravely at the masthead.
About I 1 o'clock the c ompanv' assend)led with their banners on the
ice on the port side of the siiip, and the procession arranj^anl itself in
order. Mrst of all came the leader of the expeilition with the "pure'
Norwe<>ian fla,tf.t after him Sverdnip with the Frain's, pennant, which,
with its ' l'"RAM " on a red .ground. 3 fathoms lon^s looked splendid.
Next came a do.y-sled.ye. wit!i the band (Johansen with the accordion),
and Moj^stad, as ( oac hman : after them came the mate, with rifles and
harpoons, Henriksen ( arryiiii^- a loni; harpoon ; then Amimdsen and
Nordahl. willi a red banner. 'I'he doctor followed, with a demon-
stration fla,Ll in favour of a normal working' day. It consisted ol' a
woollen jersry, with the letters • X. A.'.]; embroidered on the breast,
and at the top ol' a \ery IoUl;- pole it looked most impressive. After
him followed our cluf, juell^ with ' peik's ';; saucepan on his back;
and then came the meteoroloi,Msts, with a curious ap|iaratus, consisting;
of a larw tin s(Utcheon. across which was fastened a red band, with

* TliL' aiiniv..'r>ai)- if ihc Xiiiwcgian CiMisliUitinii.

•I Wiihiiul iIk' mark of ilic "union" with Sweden.

:J: " Xoiinal ArliL-ids(la<;c " = ntmiKil wmkinL; ('a\-.

§ 'I'lic Jet name cif the cocking lange in ihe L;aili.y.

/'■ -^

Chapter VII.

the letters' ' Al. St., signifying ' almindelig stemmeret,' or * universal
suffrage.' "*

" At last the procession began to move on. The dogs marchedi|
dei.'.urdy. as if they had never done anything else in all their lives
than walk in procession, and the band played a magnificent festive
march, not composed for the occasion. The stately cortege marched
twice round the Fnim, after which with great solemnity it moved off in
the direction of the large hummock, and was photographed on the way
by the photographer of the expedition. At the hummock a hearty
cheer was given for the Fram, which had brought us hither so well,
and which would, doubtless, take us equally well home again. After
this the ])rocession turned back, cutting across the Frames bow. At
the port gangway a halt was called, and the photographer, mounting
the bridge, made a speech in honour of the day. This was succeedetl
by a thundering salute, consisting of six shots, the result of which was
that five or six of the dogs rushed off over hummocks and jjressure-
ridges, and hid themselves for several hours. Meanwhile we went
down into tl e cosy cabin, decorated with flags for the occasion in a
right festive manner, wb.ere we partook of a si)lendid dinner, preluded
by a lovely valse. The iiioiii was as follows : — Minced fish with curried
lobster, melted butter and potatoes ; music ; pork cutlets, with green
peaS; potatoes, mango chutney, and Worcester sauce ; music ; apricots
and custard, with cream ; much music. After this a siesta : then coffee,
currants, figs, cakes ; and the photographer stood cigars. Great enthu-
siasm, then more siesta. After supper the violinist, Mogstad, gave a
recital, when refieshments were served in the shape of figs, sweetmeats,
apricots, and gingerbread (honey cakes). On the whole a charming
and very successful Seventeenth of May, especially con«idering that we
had passed the Sist degree of int^itude.

" Monday, May 28th. Ugh, I am tired of these endless, white plains
— cannot even be bothered snow-shoeing over them, not to mention

* Up to this day I am not quite clear as to what these emlilems were intended to
signify. That the doctor, from want of practice, would have been glad of a normal
clay's work ("normal Arbeidsdage "') can readily be explained, but why the meteor-
ologists should cry oi-l f(ir universal suttVage jiasses my comprehension. Did they
want to overthrow despotism ?

The Spring and Summer of 1894.

that the lanes stop one on every hand. Day and night I pace up and
down the deck, along the ice by the shii)'s sides, revolving the most
elaborate scientific i)roblems. For the past few days it is especially the
shifting of the Pole that has fascinated me. I am beset by the idea
that the tidal wave, along with the unequal distribution of land and sea,,
must have a disturbing effect on the situation of the earth's axis. A\'hen
such an idea gets into one's head, it is no easy matter to get it out again.

THE 17TH OF MAY PROCESSION, 1 894.

{Fro III a Photo,^rap/i.)

After pondering over it for several days, I have finally discovered that
the influence of the moon on the sea must be sufficient to cause a
shifting of the Pole to the extent of one minute in 800,000 years. In
order to account for the F.uropean Glacial Age, which was my main
object, I must shift the Pole at least ten or twenty degrees. This
leaves an uncomfortably wide interval of time since that period, and
shows that the human race must have attained a respectable age. Of

Chapter VII.

course, it is all nonsense. lUit while I am indefatigaljly tramping the
deck in a brown study, imagining myself no end of a great thinker, I
suddenly discover that my thoughts are at home, where all is summer
and loveliness, and those I have left are busy building castles in the air
for the day when I shall return. Yes, yes. I si)end rather too much
time on this sort of thing; but the drift goes as slowly as ever, and the
wind, the all powerful wind, is still the same. The first thing my eyes
look for when I set foot on deck in the morning is the weathercock on
the mizentop, to see how the wind lies ; t1''!ther they are for ever
straying during the whole day, and there again they rest, the last thing
before I turn in. But it ever points in the same direction, west and
south-west, and we drift now quicker, now more slowly westwards, and
only a little to the north. I have no doubt now about the success of
the expedition, and my miscalculation was not so great after all; but I
scarcely think we shall drift higher than 85°, even if we do that. It
will depend on how far Franz Josef I<and extends to the north. In
that case it will be hard to give u]) reaching the Pole; it is in reality a
mere matter of vanity, merely child's play, in comj arison with what we
are doing and hoping to do ; and yet I must confess that I am foolish
enough to want to take in the Pole while I am about it, and shall
l)robably have a try at it if we get into its neighbourhood within any
reasonable time.

" This is a mild Ivlay ; the temperature has been about zero several
times of late, and one can walk up and down and almost imagine one's
self at home. There is seldom more than a few degrees of cold; but
the summer fogs are beginning, with occasional hoar frost. As a rule,
however, the sky with its light, fleeting clouds is almost like a spring
sky in the south.

" We notice, too, that it has become milder on board ; we no longer
need to light a fire in the stove to make ourselves warm and cosy ;
though, indeed, we have never indulged in much luxury in this respect.
In the store-room, the rime frost and ice that had settled on the ceiling
and walls are beginning to melt : and in the compartments astern of
the saloon, and in the hold, we have been obliged to set about a grand
cleaning-up, scrajjing off and sweeping away the ice and rime, to save
our provisions from taking harm, through the damp penetrating the

The Sprincr and Summer of 1894.

319

wrapi)ings, and rusting holes in the tin cases. We have, moreover, for
a long time kept the hatchways in the hold open, so that there has
been a thorough draught through it, and a good deal of the rime has
evaporated. It is remarkable how little damp we have on l)oard. No
doubt this is due to the FranCs solid construction, and to. the deck
over the hold being iKinelled on the underside. I am getting fonder
and fonder of this ship."

" Saturday, June 9th. Our jjolitician, Amundsen, is celebrating the
d'ly with a white shirt and collar.* To-day 1 have moved with my
work up into the deckhouse again, where I can sit and look out of the
window in the day-time, and feel that I am living in the world and not
in a cavern, wliere one must have lamplight night and day. I intend
remaining here as long as i)0ssible out into the winter : it is so cosy
and quiet, and the monotonous surroundings are not constantly forcing
themselves in upon me.

" I really have the feeling that summer has come. I can pace up
and down the deck by the hour together with the sur, or stand still
and roast myself in it, while I smoke a pi])e, and my eyes glide over
the confused masses of snow and ice. The snow is everywhere vel
now, and pools are beginning to form every here and there. The
ice too is getting more and more permeated wi'ih salt water ; if one
bores ever so small a hole in it, it is at once filled with water. The
reason, of course, is that owing to the rise in the temjjerature, the
particles of salt contained in the ice begin to melt their surroundings?
and more and more water is formed with a good admixture of salt in
it, so that its freezing point is lower than the temperature of the ice
around it. This, too, had risen materially ; at about 4 feet depth it is
only 25-2° F. (— 3*8° C), at 5 feet it is somewhat warmer again
26-5° F. (-3-1° C).

"Sunday, June loth. Oddly enough we have had no cases ot snow-
blindness on board, with the excei)tion of the doctor, who, a coupie
of days ago, after we had been playing at Ixill, got a tOMch of it in the
evening. The tears poured from his eyes for some time, but he soon
recovered. Rather a humiliating trick of fate that he should be the

* With reference to the resolution of the Storthing, on June gth, 1880.

320

Chapter VII.

first to suffer from this ailment." Siiljsetiuently we had a few isolated'
cases of slight snow-blindness, so that one or two of our men had to
go about with dark spectacles : but it was of little importance and was
due to their not thinking it worth while to take the necessary
precautions.

" Monday, June i ith. To-day I made a joyful discovery. I
thought I had begun my last bundle of cigars and calculated that by
smoking one a day they would last a month, but found quite unex-
pectedly a whole box in my locker. (Ireat rejoicing ! it will help to
while away a few more months, and where shall we be then ? Poor
fellow, you are really at a low ebb! 'To while away time' — that is
an idea that has scarcely ever entered your head before. It has
always been your great trouble that time flew away so fast, and now u
cannot go fast enough to please you. And then so addicted to tobacco
— you wrap yourself up in clouds of smoke to indulge in your ever-
lasting day dreams. Hark to tlie south wind, how it whistles in the
rigging ; it is (juite inspiriting to listen to it. On Midsummer Eve we
ought, of course, to have had a bonfire as usual, liut from my diary
it does not seem to have been tlie sort of weather for it.

"Saturday, June 23rd, 1894.

*' 'Mid the shady vales, and the leafy trees.
How sweet the approach of the summer breeze ;
When the mountain slopes in the sunlight gleam,
And the eve of St. John comes in like a dream.

The north wind continues with sleet. Gloomy weather. Drifting
south. 8r^ 43' N. lat., that is 9' southward since Monday.

" I have seen many midsummer eves under different skies, but
never such a one as this. So far, far from all that one associates with
this evening. I think of the merriment round the bonfires at home,
hear the scraping of the fiddle, the peals of laughter, and the salvoes of
the guns, with the echoes answering from the purple-tinted heights.
And then I look out over this boundless, white expanse into the fog
and sleet, and the driving wind. Here is truly no trace of midsummer
merriment. It is a gloomy look-out altogether ! Midsummer is past —

log.

►J -»
1-, -Jv

N ^••'

J5 «

« ^

iiili I

im!'

322

Chapter V'll.

and now the days are shortening again, and the long night ol winter
approaching, which, maybe, will find us as far ad\anced as it left us.

" I was busily engaged with my examination of the salinity of the
sea water this afterroon, when Mogstad stuck his head in at the door,
and said that a bea'- must be })rowling about in the neighbourhood.
On returning after dinner to their work at the great hummock, where
they were busy making an ice-cellar for fresh meat,* the men found
bear tracks which were not there before. I put on my snow-shoes
and went after it. But what terrible going it had been the last few
days ! Soft slush, in which the snow-shoes sink helplessly. The bear
had come from the west right up to the Fnim, had stopped and
inspected the work that was going on, had then retreated a little, made
a considerable detour, and set off eastwards at its easy, shambling gait,
without deigning to pay any further attention to such a trifle as a ship.
It had rununaged about in every hole and corner where there seemed
to be any chance of finding food, and had rooted in the snow after
anything the dogs had left, or whatever else it might be. It had then
gone to the lanes in the ice, and skirted them carefully, no doubt in
the hope of finding a seal or two, and after that it had gone off between
the hummocks and over floes, with a surface of nothing but slush
and water. Had the surface been good I should no doubt have
overtaken Master Bruin, but he had too long a start in the slushy
snow.

" A dismal, dispiriting landscape — nothing but white and grey. No
shadows — merely half obliterated forms melting into the fog and slush.
Everything is in a state of disintegration, and one's foothold gives way
at every step. It is hard work for the poor snow-shoer who stamps
along through the slush and fog after bear tracks that wind in and out
among the hummocks, or over them. The snow-shoes sink deep in,
and the water often reaches up to the ankles, so that it is hard work to

* It was seal, walrus, and bear's Iksh from last autumn, which was used fur the
dogs. During the winter it had heen hung u]i in the ship, and was still (|uite fresh.
But hencefortii it was stored on the iee until, before autumn set in, it was consumed.
It is remarkable how well meat keeps in these regions. On June zSih we had
reindeer steak for dinner that we hatl killed on the Siberian coast in SeptenibLr of
the [)revious year.

The Sprin<r and Summer of 1S94.

■^ -^ ^

get them up or to force them forward ; but \vith(;ut them one woulil he
still worse of.

" Every here and there this monotonous greyish-whiteness is broken
by the coal-black water, which winds, in narrower or broader lanes, in
between the high hummocks. White, snow-laden floes .n~d lumps of
ice float on the dark surface, looking 'ike white marbie on a black
ground. Occasionally there is a larger dark-coloured i)ool, where the
wind gets a hold of the water and forms small waves that riople and
]jlash against the edge of the ice, the only signs of life in this desert
tract.- It is like an old triend the sound of these playful wavelets I
And here, too, they eat away the floes and hollow out their edges.
•One could almost imagine one's self in more southern latitudes. lUit
all around is wreathed with ice, towering aloft in its ever-varying
fantastic forms, in striking contrast io the dark water on which a
moment before the eye had rested. Everlastingly is this shifting ice
modelling, as it were, in pure, grey marble, and, with nature's lavish
prodigality, strewing around the most glorious statuary which perishes,
without any eye having seen it. Wherefore ? To what end all this
shifting pageant of loveliness ? It is governed by the mere caprices of
nature, following out those everlasting laws, that pay no heed to what
we regard as aims and objects.

" In front ot me towers one jiressure-ridge after another, with lane
after lane betweL'i, It was in June uie Jcannctte was crushed and
sank; what if the Fram were to meet her fate here 1 No, the ice will
not get the better of her. Vet, if it should in spite of everything 1 As
I stood gazing around me I remembered it was Midsummer Eve. Ear
away yonder, her masts pointed aloft, half lost to view in the snowy
haze. I'hey must, indeed, have stout hearts those fellows on board that
craft. Stout heart.s, or else blind faith in a man's word.

" It is all very well that he who has hatched a plan, be it never so
wild, should go with it to carry it out ; he naturally does his best for
the child to which his thoughts have given birth. IJut they — they liad
no child to tend, and could, without feeling any yearning baulked, have
refrained from taking part in an expedition like this. Why should any
human being renounce life to be wiped out here ? "

"Sunday, June 24th. The anniversary of our departure from home.

Y 2

;

3^4

Chapter \'II.

iliil

Norllierly wind : still (liifting soiilli. Observations to-day gave .ST 41'
7 N. hit., NO \vc are not ^'oiiijf at a breakneck speed.

" It has been a long ye;ir— a gre, deal has been gone through in it — •
though we are (juite as far achanced as I had anticipated. I am sitting,
and look out of the window at the snow, whirling round in eddies as if
is swept alcng by the north wind. A strange Midsummer Day! One
n)ight think we had had enough of snow and ice ; I am not, however,
exaetly pinuig after green rields--at all everts, not always. On the
contrary, I fmd myself ..itting by the hour laying plans for other
voyages into tlv ice after (jur return from this one. . . . \'es, I
kn()\\\\hat 1 ha\e attained, and, more or less, what awaits me. It is
all very well for n^.e to sketi h plans for the future. ISut those at home.
. . No, I am not in a humour 'or vriting this evening ; I will
turn in."

"Wednesday, Jul- nth. l.at. Si' 18' 8". At last the southerly
wind has returned, so there is an end of drifting south for the present.

" Now I am almost longing for the polar night, for the everlasting-
wonderland of the stars with the spectral northern lights, and the moon
.sailing through the i)rofound silt nee. It is like a dream, like a glimpse
into the realms of fantasy. There are no forms, no cumbrous reality
— only a vision woven of silver and violet ether, rising up from earth
and lloating out into infmity. . . . I5ut this eteri-ial day, with its
oppressive actuality, interests me no longer— does not entice me out of
my lair. Life is one incessant hurrying from one task to another,
everything must be done and nothing neglected, day after day, week
after week ; and the working day is long, seldom ending till far over
midnight. Hut through it all runs the same sensation of longing and
emptiness, which must net be not'^^d. Ah, but at times there is no
holding it aloof, and the hands sink down without will or strenglii — so
weary, so unutterably wear)'.

'' Ah ! life's peace is said to be found by holy men in the desert.
Here, indeed, there is d serf enough ; but peace — of that I know
nothing. I suppose it is the holiness that is lacking.

"Wednesday, July iSth. Went on excursion v ilh Blessing in the
forenoon to collect specimens of the brown snow and ice, and gather
seaweed and diatoms in the water. The upper surface of the floes is

ity
rth

Its

/(.r

- so

tlic

iier

326

Chapter VII.

nearly everywhere of a dirty hiuwn colour, or, at least, this sort o\' ice
preponderates, while pure white floes, without any traces of a dirty
brown on their surface, are rare. I iniagine I this brown colour must
be due to the organisms I found in the newly-frozen, brownish-red ice
last autumn (October), but the sjjccimens I took to-day consist for the
most part of mineral dust mingled with diatoms and other ingredients
of organic origin.*

BLESSING GOES OFK I\ SKARCH OF AIJJ/E.
(From a r/tolOL;ra/'/i.)

" Blessing collected several specimens on the upper surface of the
ice earlier in the summer, and came to the same conclusions. I must
look farther into this, in order to see whether all this brown dust is of a

^ The same kind of dust that I found on tlie ice on the east coast of GreenlaacL
wliich is mentioned in the Introduction to this book, p, 32.

r. ^

C :?:

— «

5 •<.

^«J.

■■"V-

328

Chapter \I1.

mineral natiirt', aiul ronsaiuciuly urij,Mnatt.s from ilit.' laiul.* We
found in llic lanes (luanlities of al^>e like what we iiad often found
previously. 'I'lierc were lar^'i' a( ( unudations of ihem in nearly every
little channel. \\'e cuultl also see thai a brown surface layer .-^iiread
itself on the sides of the floes far down int(j tin: water. 'I'his i> due to
an al^a that grows on the ice. There were also lloaling in the water
a number ni' small viscid lumps, some white, some of a yellowish-red
colour ; and ot these I collected several. Under the microscope dicy
all appeared to consist of accumulations of diatoms, amoni; which,
moreover, were a mmdier of burner (ellular organisms of a very
( liaracterislic appearance.! .Ml of these diatomous a( eumidations
kept a* a ( ertain depth, about a yard below the surfate of the water;
in some of the small lanes they appeared in large masses. At the
.same depth the above-named alga seemed especially to liourish, while
parts of it rijse up to the surface. It was evident that these accmmda-
tions of diatoms and alga remainetl floating exactly at the depth where
the upjier stratum of fresh water rests on the sea water. 'J'he water on
the surface was entirely fresh, and the masses of diatoms sank in it, but
floated on reaching the sail water below.

"'rinnsday, July 19th. It is as I expected. I am beginning to
know the ways of the wind up here pretty well now. After having
blown a 'windmill bree/.e ' t(j-day it falls calm in the evening, and to-
morrow we shall jjrobably have wind from the west or north-west.

" Yesterday evening the last cigar out of the old box ! And now I
have smoked the fir.sl out of the last box I have got. We were to have
got so far by the time that box was llnished ; but are scarcely any
further advance 1 than \>hen I bj^an it, and "oodness knows if we shall

* 'riii< (lii-l, which i> Id In.' ^cL'ii in sunimcr mi the upper surface of almost all
polar ice ol any aL;e, is, no doubt, for llie most part, dust that Imvers in the earth's
atmosphere. It prohahly descends with the falling snow, and gradually accumulates
into a surface layer as ihe snow melts duriuL; the sunmier. Larger i|uantities of mud,
however, are aUn cfien In ho found fin the ice, which strongly reseniMe this dust in
colnur, hut arc diiuljikss nmre directly connected with land, heing formed on lloes that
have i)riL;ina!ly lain in close prosimity to it. (Tt iniiare U^is.<mst/i. EiXt'/nii.^.iC Ton
/>r. /•'. .Vaii.uiiy ilii;-clttntcniii:^ 7Vii (!><<iilaiii/. /i:\\iii:iiiir:/i,'Jt A'o. 105, -u Pear-
iiiaiiiis Mitlhci!iiiii;,n. )

t I ha\e nut yet had time to examine them closely.

The Spring and Sinnincr of 1S94,

329

U: thai when this, loo, has disipiicarcd. liiil enough of thai, Siuoko
away."

" Sunday, July .i-ind. The north-wt-Nt wind did nut (ohk- ([uitc up
to tinio : on I'Viday we had north-east instead, and diirin^f ihr ni^dit it
gradually went loiuid to N.N.IC, and yesterday forenoon it blew (hu*

i:F.KSsi\r. FisTTiNc. roR M.r.A:.
{/■'roin a Photo:^rapIi.)

north. To-day it has ended in the west, the c/ld well known (Uiarier,
of which we ha\e had more than enough. 'I'his e\enin,u the line*
s1k)ws about X.W. to X., and it is stronLj, so we are inoviiiL; south aL;ain.

* Wc always had a line, with a net at the einl, hanjjiiij^ out, in order to see the
direction \VL' were drifling in, or to ascertain whether tiiere was any ()cruci)tible
■cuiTcnt in the water.

330

Chapter VII,

" I pass the day at the microscope. I am now bu.sied with tl e
diatoms and algre of all kinds that grow on the ice in the uppermost
fresh stratum of the sea. These are undeniably most interesting things,
a whole new world of organisms that are carried off by the ice from
known shores across the unknown Polar Sea, there to awaken every
summer, and develop into life and bloom. Yes, it is very interesting
work, but yet there is not that same burning interest as of old, although
the scent of oil of cloves, Canada balsam, and wood-oil, awakens many
dear reminiscences of that cjuiet laboratory at home, and every morn-
ing as I come in here the microscope and glasses and colours on the
table invite me lo work. But though I work indefatigably day after
day till kite in the night, it is mostly duty work, and I am not sorry
when it is finished, to go and lie for some few hours in my berth
reading a novel and smoking a cigar. With what exultation would I
not throw the wliole aside, spring up, and lay hold of real life, fighting
my way over ice and sea with sledges, boats, or kayaks. It is more
than true that it is ' easy to live a life of battle ' ; but here there is
neither storm nor battle, and I thirst after them. I long to enlist
titanic forces and fight my way forward — that would be living ! But
what pleasure is there in strength when there is nothing for it to do ?
Here we drift forward, and here we drift back, and now we have been
two months on the same spot.

" Everything, however, is being got ready for a possible expedition,
or for the contingency of its becoming necessary to abandon the ship.
All the hand-sledges are lashed together, and the iron fittings carefully
seen to. Six dog-sledges are also being made, and to-morrow we shall
begin building ' kayaks' ready for the men. They are easy to draw on
hand-sledges in case of a retreat over the ice without the ship. For a
beginning we are making 'kayaks ' to hold two men each. I intend to
have them about 12 feet long, 3 feet wide, and 18 inches in depth. Six
of these are to be made. They are to be covered with sealskin or sail-
cloth, and to be decked all over, except for two holes— one for each man.

" 1 feel that we have, or rather shall have, everything needful for a
brilliant retreat. Sometimes I seem almost to be longing for a defeat
— a decisive one — so that we might have a chance of showing what is
in us, and putting an end to this irksome inactivity.

The Spring and Summer of 1894.

33r

" Monday, July 30th. Westerly wind, with north-westerly by way of
a pleasant variety ; such is our daily fare week after week. On coming
up in tne morning, I no longer care to look at the weather-cock on the
masthead, or at the line in the water , for I know beforehand that the
former points east or south-east, and the line in the contrary direction.

PRESSURE-RIDGE OX THE PORT QUARTER OF THE /'A'.f.V (jULV 1ST,

1894).

(From a JVio/oi^rat'/i.)

and that we are ever licarinij^ to the smilh-east. ^'cstcrd^\• it was
Sr 7' N. lat., the day before 81'' n', and last Mondav, July 23rd,
81 26'.

" But it occupies my thoughts no lon.o-er. I know well enough there
will be a change some time or other, and the way to the stars leads

ifi

332

Chapter VII.

through adversity. I have found a new world ; and that is the world
of animal and plant life that exists in almost every fresh-water pool en
the ice-floes. From morning till evening and till late in the night I am
absorbed with the microscope, and see nothing around me ; I live with
these tiny beings in their sepaKite universe, where they are born and
die, generation after generation, where they pursue each other in the
struggle for life, and .carry on their love affairs with the same feelings,
the same sufferings, and the same joys that permeate every living being,
from these microscopic animalcules up to man — self-[)reservation and
propagation, that is the whole story. Fiercely, as we hinnan beings
struggle to push our way on through the labyrinth of life, their struggles
are assuredly no less fierce than ours — one mcessant, restless hurrying
to and fro, pushing all others aside, to burrow out for thenrjclves what
is needful to them. And as to love, only mark with what passion
they seek each other out. With all our brain-cells we do not feel more
strongly than they, never live so entirely for a sensation. But what is \
life? What matters the individual's suffering so long as the struggle
goes on. ■

" And these are small, one-celled lumps of viscous matter, teeming
in thousands and millions, on nearly every single floe over the whole of
this boundless sea, which we are apt to regard as the realm of death.
Mother Nature has a remarkable power of producing life everywhere —
even this ice is a fruitful soil for her.

" In the evening a little variety occurred in our uneventful existence,
Johansen having discovered a bear to the south-east of the ship, but
out of range. It had, no doubt, been prowling about for some time
while we were below at supper, and had been quite near us ; but being
alarmed by some sound or other, had gone off" eastwards. Sverdrup
and I set out after it, but to no purpose ; the lanes hindered us too
much, and moreover a fog came on, so that we had to return after
having gone a good distance."

The world of organisms I above alluded to was the subject of
special research through the short summer, and in many respects was
quite remarkable. When the; sun's rays had gained power on the
surface of the ice, and melted t"he snow, so that poolr: were formed,
there was soon to be seen at the bottom of these pools small yellowish-

The Spring and Summer of 1894.

t '> -y

brown spots, so small that at first one hardly noticed ihem. Day by
day they increased in size, and absorbing, like all dark substances, the
heat of the sun's rays, they gradually melted the underlying ice and
formed round cavities, often several inches deep. These brown
spots were the above-mentioned algre and diatoms. They developed
speedily in the summer light, and would fill the bottoms of the cavities
with a thick layer. But there were not plants only, the water also
teemed with swarms of animalcules, mostly infusoria an<\ flagellata,
which subsisted on the plants. I actually found bacteria — even these
regions are not free from them !

But I could not always remain chained by the microscope. Some-
times when the fine weather tempted me irresistibly, I had to go out
and bake myself in the sun, and imagine myself in Norway.

" Saturday, August 4th. Lovely weather yesterday and to-day.
Light, fleecy clouds sailing high aloft through the sparkling, azure
sky — filling one's soul with longings to soar as high and as free as-
they. I have just been out on deck this evening ; one could almost
imagine oneself at home by the fjord. Saturday evening's peace
seemed to rest on the scene and on one's soul. . "

" Our sailmakers, Sverdrup and Amundsen, have to-day finished,
covering the first double kayak with sail-cloth. Fully equipped, it
weighs 30*5 kilos (60 lbs.). I think it will prove a first-rate con-
trivance. Sverdrup and I tried it on a pool. It carried us splendidly,
and was so stiff that even sitting on the deck we could handle it quite
comfortably. It will easily carry two men with full ecjuipment for
100 days. A handier or more practical craft for regions like this I
cannot well imagine.''

" Sunday, August 5th. 81° 7-3' N. lat.

" I can't forget the sparkling fjord
When the church boat rows in the morning."

" Brilliant summer weather. I bathe in the sun and dream I am at
home either on the high mountains or — heaven knows why — on the
fjords of the west coast. The same white fleecy clouds in the clear
blue summer sky ; heaven arches itself overhead like a perfect dome,
there is nothing to bar one's way, and the soul rises up unfetteied

334

Chapter VII.

beneath it. What matters it that the world below is different, the ice
no longer single glitteri.:g glaciers, but spread out on every hand? Is
it not these same fleecy clouds far away in the blue expanse that the
eye looks for at home on a bright summer day ? Sailing on these,
fancy steers its course to the land of wistful longing. And it is just at
these glittering glaciers in the distance that we direct our longing gaze.
Why should not a summer day be as lovely here ? Ah, yes ! it is
lovely, pure as a dream, without desire, without sin, a i)oem of clear
white sunbeams refracted in the cool crj..:al blue of the ice. How
unutterably delightful does not this world appear to us on some stifling
summer day at home ?

" Have rested and ' kept Sunday.' I could not remain in the whole
day, so took a long trip over the ice. Progress is easy except for the
lanes.

" Hansen practised kayak-paddling this afternoon on the pool
around the ship, from which several channels diverge over the ice,
but ht uas not content with paddling round in them, but must, of
course, make an experiment in capsizing and recovering himself as the
Eskimos do. It ended by his not coming up again, losing his paddle,
remaining head downwards in the water, and beating about with his
hands till the ' kayak ' filled, and he got a cold bath from lop to toe.
Nordahl, who was standing by on the ice to help him, at last found it
necessary to go in after him and raise him up on an even keel again,
to the great amusement of us others.

" One can notice that it is summer. This evening a game ot cards
is being played on deck, with ' Peik's '* big pot for a care! table. One
could almost think it was an August evening at home ; only the toddy
is wanting, but the pipes and { igars we. have."

"Sunday, August 12th. We had a shooting competition in the
forenoon.

" A glorious evening. I took a stroll over the ice among the lanes
and hummocks. It was so wonderfully calm and still. Not a sound
to be heard but the drip, drip of water from a block of ice, and the
dull sound of a snow-slip from some hummock in tne distance. The

The name given to the cooking-stove.

The Sprin(( and Summer of 1894.

oj:)

]

sun is low clown in the north, and overhead is the pale blue dome of
heaven, with gold-edged clouds. The profound peace of the Arctic
solitudes. My thoughts fly free and far. If one could only give
utterance to all that stirs one's soul on such an evening as this I What
an incomjirehensihle i)ower one's surroundings have over one !

"Why is it that at times I complain of the loneliness? \\"\t\\
Nature around one, with one's books and studies, one can never be
quite alone."

"Thursday, August i6th. Yesterday evening, as I was lying in my
berth reading, and all exct ' the watch had turned in, I l.^.^rd the
report of a gun on deck »^\er my head. Thinking it was a bear, I
hurriedly put on my sea boots and sprang on deck. There I saw
Johansen l)are-headed, rifle in hand. ' Was it you that fired the shot ? '
' Yes. I shot at the big hummock yonder — I thought something was
stirring there, and I wanted to see what it was, but it seems to have
been nothing.' I went to the railings, and looked out. * I fancied it
Avas a bear that was after our mv°at — but it was nothing.' As we stood
there one of the dogs came jogging along from the big hummock.
' Then you see what you have shot at,' I said, laughing. ' I'm bothered
if it wasn't a dog ! ' he replied. ' Ice-bear ' it was, true enough, for so
we called this dog. It had seemed so large in the fog, scratching at
the meat-hummock. ' Did you aim at the dog and miss ? That was a
lucky chance ! ' ' No ! I simply fired at random in that direction, for
I svanted to see what it was.' I went below and turned in again. At
breakfast to-day he had, of course, to run the gauntlet of some
sarcastic questions about his ' harmless thunder-bolt,' but he parried
them adroitly enough.

"Tuesday, August 21st. North latitude, Si'^ 4-2'. Strange how
little alteration there is — we drift a little to the north, then a little to
the south, and keep almost to the same sjjot. But I believe, as I have
believed all along, since before we even set out, that we should be
away three years, or rather three winters and four summers, neither
more nor less, and that in abf)ut two years' time from this ])reseiit
autumn we shall reach liome.* The appr'')aching winter will drifl us

* It was two years later to a clay that tlie /•'raw put in at SUjervo, on tlie coast oi
>.'oiw,iy.

■ili.!|

ff \i

«\

1— >

•"^^

-5*

^rC

i5;

(/)

•^^

>',

t/j

/T,

>-)

1—1

< S
in 0^

-A
a

PETTERSKN AITKk TllK hXl'LU.-^lO.X.

Chapter \'l I,

further, however slowly, a.ul it begins ah'eady to announce itself, fur
there weri' four dcgrevs of cold last night."

"Sunday. August 2f)lh. It sLeiiis ahnost as if winter had ccinie, the
tuhl has kept on an a\erage between 24*S° !•'. (—4' C.) and jrj 1'".
(— ()" (".) since Thursday. There are only slight variations in the
temperature up !. ire, so so i ay expect it to fall regularly iron, li :■.
tMiK' fo'h, hcnf, '■ i' ; .».'■ J irly for winter t' ■ set in. All the pools
and lanes are <ov > ;ei! v.r ice, thick enough to bear a nian, even
without snow-siioes.

" I went (Hit on my snow-sru.^c:.- both nioming and afternoon. The
surface was beautiful everywhere. Some of the lanes had opened
(jut, or been compressed a little, so that the new ice was thin, and
bent unpleasantly under the snow-shoes ; but it bore me, though two
iA' the dogs fell through. A good deal of snow had fallen, so there
was line, soft new snow to travel' over. If it keeps on as it is now,
there will be excellent snow-shoeing in the winter ; for it is fresh water
that now free-ces on the surface, so that there is no salt that the wind
can carry from the new i( e to spoil the snow all around, as was the
case last winter. Such snow with salt in it makes as heavy a suriace
as sand.

" Monday, August 27th. Just as T51essing was going below after his
watch to-night, and was standing by the rail looking out, he saw a white
torm that lay rolling in the snow a little way off to the south-east.
Afterwards it remained for a while lying ([uite still. Johansen, who
was to relieve Blessing, now joined him, and they bjth stood watching
the animal intently. Presently it got up, so there was no longer any
doubt as t(j what it was. lu'.ch got hold of a rifle and crept stealthily
towards the forecastle, where they waited quietly while the l)ear
cautiouslv a])proa( lied the ship, making long tacks against the wind.
A fresh breeze was blowing, and the windmill going round at full
speed : but this did ncjt alarm him at all ; very likely it was this very
thing he wanted to examine. At last he reached the lane in front.
when they both fired and he fell down dead on the spot. It was nice
to get fresh meat again, 'i'his was the first bear we had shot this vear,
and of course we had roast bear for dinner to-day. Regular winter
with snowstorms.

The Sprintr and Suinnifr of 1S94.

339

ny
ny
ily
av
ul.
ull
cry
jnt,
ice
I'ar,

'MVudncsday, Alienist s^tli. Afresh wind: it rattles and |,i|)cs in
die ri,^<,Hnf,' aloft. ^ n cnlivcnin^^ ( han.i^c and iio mistake! 'I'he ^now
('•ifts as il' it wer mid-winter, r'ine .\nin,st weather! Hut we are
l)caring norili a.uain. and we have nei'd to ! \'esti'rdav our latitude
was So' :,3"5'. This evenin<f I was standin,:^^ in the liold at work on
my i,"w liamhoo ka\ak, whicli will he the very a( 'lie of lightness.
Pcttersen happened to come down and ,L,'ave me a hand with some
lashings that I was busy with. A\'e chatted a little about thini^s in
s^'eneral ; anil he was of opinicjn ' that we had a good crib of it on

board the Fraiii, because here we had evervthing we wanted, and she
was a devil of a ship — and any oilu.'r ship would have been (rushed
flat long ago.' I'.ut for all that lie wf)idd not be al'raid, he said, to
leave her, when he saw all the ( ontrivances. su< h as thesi; new kavaks,
we had been getting reail\. lie was sure no former expedition lia<l
ever had such contrivances, or been so equipped against all jiossible
emergencies as we. But, after all, he would jirefer to return home on
the Fraiiir Then we talked about what we should do when we did
get home.

Oh, for your part, no doubt youdi be off to the South Pole,' he
said.

7 2

340 ChapKT \'II.

'• ' And you?' I replied. M\'ill you tu< k u[) your s!ci.'vcs and IicgiiT
a^^'aiii at the old work?'

'•*0h, very likely; but on my word I ought to have a week's
holiday first. After such a trip I should want it, before buckling to-
at t'le sledge hammer again.' "

CHAPTER VIII.

SiiCDNi) Altumn in nil. lllC.

So sunimer was over, and our second autiinin and winter were he^nn-
niniC. I'Ut we were now more inured to the trials of jjatieiice attendant
on this li!'e, and time passed (|uickly. llesides, I myself was imw
taken up with new plans and preparations. Allusion has several limes
been made to the fact that we had, during the course of the summer,
got everything into readine.s.s for the possibility of having to make our
way home across the ice. Six double kayaks had been built, the han<l-
sledL;es were in good order, and careful calculation had bcjii made of
the amount of food, clothing, fuel, etc., that it would be necessary to
carrv. iSut 1 had also (piietly begun to make pre])arations for my own
medilati'd e.\pedition n^rth. In August, as already mentioned, I had
begun to work at o single kayak, the framework made of bamboo. I
had said nothing about my jilan yet, exc-ept a few words to Sverdru]) ;
it was im[)ossible to tell how far north the drift would take us, and so
many things might happen before spring.

In the meantime life on board went on as usual. There were the
regular observations and all sorts of occu[)ations, and I mysilf was not
so absorbed in m\ plans that I did not lind time for (Jther things tod.
Thus 1 see from mv diary that in the end of August and in September
I must have been very ])roud of a new invention that I made for the
galley. All last year we had cooked on a particular kind of cop];rr
range, heated by petroleum lamps. It was cjuite satisfactorv, except
that it J)urned several quarts of petroleum a day. I could not help
fearing sometimes that our lighting supply might run short, if the
expedition lasted longer than was expected, and always wondered if it
would not b^ possible to construct an apparatus that would burn coal-
oil — " bla':k oil," as we call it on board — of which we had 20 tons.

54'

('hai)tcr VIII.

ori'inallv iiitoinlcd for the cnu'iiir

All 1 1 succ('c(1lm1 in nKikiiiLr such

an apjjar.itiis. On Atii^iist ;,oili I writr : ''Ila\x' tric(I my tu'wlv-
invcntcd (oal dil apiiaialus for hcatin^; llir ran;;*., and it ii hiAmul
cvpi.* t.itiiin siicccssfiil. It is spli'ndid lliat wc siiall i'o ahie to luirn
coal nil in tliL' ^mIIl'v. Now tlicre is no fear of uir liaviiiL; to cry < im'-
svl\(.'s lilind lor huk ot' lii;lu hyc-and-byc. 'I'lii^ adds mort' thin .■j.ooo
L'allons to our stoii< of oil ; and \\v cm ki.H'|) all our line petroleum
now for lij,'liling pur|)0ics, and Invc lamps lor many a Mar, even if we
arj a little cxtrava'^ant. 'I'lie :o tons of coal oil oii^lil to keep iho
rai\L;e Lioin;,^ for 4 years, I think.

''The contrivau-e is as simplj as ])ossi!)Ie. Imohi a nservoir of f)il
a pipe leads down and m to the I'lreplaco ; the oil drips down from the
end of tliis pi[ie into an iron l)owl, and ibi here sncki'd up by a sheet of
ashesto.i, or by coal ash..'s. The How of oil from the pipe is rej^iilated
by a line valve c )ek. To eiisure a L^ood drauL^ht, I briiiL; a ventilating
pi|)e I'lom outside right b" the range df)or. Air is pressed through this
bv a lar.;e wind-sail <<'i dck, and blows straij;ht on to the iron bowl,
where the oil burns brisklv with a clear, white llame. Whoever lights
tl-,e fire in the morning has only to go on dec k and see that the wind-
sail is ^el to the wind, U) opci the ventilator, to turn the cock so that
the oil runs properly, and then set it burning with a scrap of pa[ier. It
looks after i'.self, and the water is boiling in twenty minutes or half-
an hour. One could not liave anything much easier than this it
sejms to me. but of course in our as in other communities, it is
(.liflicuk to introduce reforms ; ever\ thiiig new is looked upon with
susjiicion.''

Somewhat later T write of the same apparatus: ''Wo are now using
the galley again, with the coal-oil fire ; the mo\ing down took place
tlie day bjfore yesterday,* and the fire was used yesterday. It works
capitally : a yUmt wind is enough to give a splendid draught. 'I'lu;

IV III

fore vesterdav, when I was sitting with some of the others in the

saloon in the atternoon.

I heard a dull rep irt out

;allev, and

l)uring lliL- >iiniiiuT wi.' Ii.ul ukuK' a kiichen (if ilu' charl-rmmi mi iK'c'Vc, bccaiisi'

cf !!,.•
i).iiiitiil

.a d:i

11 the

(1 lioitlcs the galk'y proper wa> to he cleaned and

usmi;

place-

works

'I'lu-

in llic

,-, ami

SccuikI AiiUmin iii ihu Kv-

o4.>

said at oMcc that it soiiiulcd likr an cxitloiimi. I'|•c^l•lltl) IVtliTM'ii*
sUh k a head in at the door as Idark as a sweep's, great lliinps nt' sodl
all (ivir ii, and said thai tiic *".(»\t' had ixplodrd ri;;ht into his lace : ho
was only goinj; to look if it was hiirninj; rightly, and the whole fiendish
ihinj^ lluw out nt him. A stream of words not unmingled witii oaths
llowed like peas out of a sack, while the rest of us )elled with laughter.
In the galley it was easy to see that something had happened ; the walls
were covered with soot in lumps and stripes pointing towards the lire-
plat e. The explanation of the ac < idenl was simple enough, 'i'he
draught hail been insiif'ticient, and a i|uantity of gas had formed whiih
had not l)cen ahle to hum until air was let in l)\' I'ettersen opening the
door.

"This is a good beginning. I told Pettersen in the I'vening that I
would do the cooking myself next day, when the real trial was to be
made. Hut he would not hear of such a thing ; he said • I was not to
think that he minded a iritle like that ; 1 uiight trust to its being all
right' — and it 7i'(is i\\\ right. I'Vom that day 1 heard nothing but praise
of the new apparatirs, and it was used until the /■/(//// was out in the
open sea again.

" 'J'hursday, September 6th. Si" i^;' X. lat. Have I been
married live years to-day? Last year this was a day of viitory when
the ice-fetters burst at 'I'aimur Island- but there is no thought ( f
victory now ; we are not so far north as I had expected ; tlu' north
west wind litis come again, aiid we are drifting south. And yvl the
future does not seem to me so long and so dark as it sometimes h.is
ilone. Next September (Uh, .... can it be possible that then everv
fetter will have burst, and we shall be silting together talking of this
'ime in the far north and of all the longing, as of something that once
•.. IS and that will never be again. The long, long night is pa>t ; the
morning is just breaking, and a glorious new day liis before us. And
wh.'u is there against this happening next year? Why siiould not this
winter carry the /vv?/// west to some place north of Im-.i'v, Io.^lI Land?
. . and then mv time has come, and off I l;o with 'Ii'l;-; and ^!ed'res -

f Pi'lterscn had been lulvancevl froiii >iiiit!i tj cool;, ami Ik \.\h\ Jucl! t'i,,l, turits of
a foitnit^ht each in the !:alljy.

;i;

344

ChiinUT \III.

to the nortli. My heart bcii'is wiili joy at thu vrry t«h()iic;ht of it. 'I'hc
winter shall i)c spent in making every preparation for that exjiediiion
and it will [)ass quirkly.

'• I ha\e already s[)ent nuich lime on these preparations. 1 think of
cverydiinLi; that must be tal-eii, and how it is to be arran^e<l, and the
more 1 look at die thiuL; from all points ol' \iew, the more llrmly con-
vinec'd (\i' I lic((;me that the attem[)t will be surcessful, if onl_\ the
/■'nn/.' can ^el noith in rc.sonable time, not too late in the sprini^. \\
she could ju^t reach .S4 or 85 , then I should be off in th.e vnd of
l''el)ruarv or the fust davs of ?\hirch, as s;)on as the daylight comes,
after the loni;- winter ni^ht, and the whole would go like a dance.
Onlv foin" or live months and the time for action will have come again.
W hat joy ! When I look out over the ice nov. , it is as if my muscles
<|ui\ered widi longing to be striding off over it in real earnest — fatigue
and |)rivalicin will then l)e a delight. It may seem foolish that I should
be determined to go off on this e\])edition, when, ])erba[)S, I might do
more im|)ortant work ipiietly h.e e on bo.u^d. Jiut tlie daily observa-
tions will be canied. on exaclh' the jame.

" I have celeb''ated the day by arrangiiig my work-room for the
winter. I ha\e put in a jietroleum stovi. and expect that this will
make it warm cnmigh e\en in the coldest weather, with the snow walls
that I intend to build round the outside of it, and a good roof covering
of snow. .At least, double the amount of work, will be done if this
cabin can be used in winter, and I can sit up here instead oi" in th.e
midst of the racket l)el.)w. I have such ((unfortable times of it
now, in peace and tjuietiiess, letting my thoughts take their way
'.mcliecked.

".Sundax, September i;th. Si' 4' X. lat. 'I'he miiinight sun dis-
appeared some da\s ago, and already tlie sun sets in the north-west : it
is gone by 10 o'c loi k in llu' evening', and there is om e more a glow
o\(.'r the eternal white. Winter is (oming fast.

".\ni idler jieaceful .Sunday, with rest ;'')m work, and a little reading.
Out snow siiDcing to day 1 crossed several froxen-o\er kmes. and \ery
slight p,i( king has b(.'gun here and llu're. I was stoppe'd at last by a
broadi open l.mi' l_\ing prettv nearly north and .south ; at I'hues it was
40c to 500 _>,ird> acrcNS, and I ^aw n>) <jni\ to it cilliei norih or south.

it
av

A .SU.MMl.K lAKMNi;. 14 Jl I.V, KS94.

ill I'M

I ■

346

Chapter \'III

The surt'.K f was good ; one got along (juickly, with no exertion at all
when it was in the direction of the wind.

" 'i'his is undeniably a monotonous life. Sometimes it feels to me
like a long dark night, my life's ' Kagnarok,"* dividing it into two. . . .
'The sun is darkened, the summers with it, all weather is weighty with
woe" ; snow covers the earth, the wind whistles over the endless plains,
and for three years this winter lasts, till comes the time for the great
Lattle, and ' men tramp Ilel's way.' There is a hard struggle between
life and deatli ■ but after that comes the reign of peace. The ear'.h
rises from tiie sea again, and decks itself anew with verdure.
'Torrents roar eagles hover (ner them watching fur fish among
the rocks,' and then '^'alhalla,' fairer than the sun and long length
of happy da}s.

•' I'etterseii, who is cook this week, came in here this evening, as
Uiual, to get the bill of fare for next day. When his business. was done,
he stood for a minute, and then said that he had had such a strange
drt^mi last night : he had wanted to be taken as cook with a new
expedition, but Dr. Xanseii woaldn't ha\e liim,

'• ' And why not ? '

" ' \\ ell, this was how it was. I dreamed that Dr. Xansen was going
off across the ice to the Pole with four men, and I askecfto be taken,
but you said that you didn't need a cook on tids expedition, and I
thought tliat was (|ueer enough, for you would surely want food on this
triji as Well. It seemed to me that you had ordered the shij) to meet
yon at some other place : an\how' you were no', roming back here, but
to some other land. It's strange that one can lie and rake up such a
lot of nonsense in one's slee[).'

'• •That was perhaps not such very great nonsense, I'ettersen ; it is
(|inte possible that we might ha^"^■ to make such an ex|)edition, but if we
did, we should ( ertainly not come back to the Fraini

•''Well, if that hapifcned, I would ask to go. sure enough : for it's
lust what I shouM like. I'm no great snow-shoer, but 1 woidd manage
to keep u[) someh.ow.'

Tuilit'ht uf the 'M A-.

Second Autumn in the Ice.

j4/

"'That's all very well : bill there's a great deal of weary hard work
on a journey like that : you needn't think it's all pleasure.'

" ' No, no one would expect that ; but it would be all rii,dit if I niitjit
only go.'

" ' l!ut there might be worse than hardships, I'ettersen. It wou'ld
more than likely mean risking your life.'

" ■ I don't cari' for that either. A man has got to die some tinic.'

" • \'es, but yo;; don't want to shorten your life ? '

"'Oh, I would lake my c!iance of that. Vou can hjse yc-ur life at
home, loo, though, perliap;, ncjt cpiite so easily as here. lUu if a man
was always to be thinking about that he would ne\er do anything.'

'■ ' That's true. Anyhow he would not need to come on an expetli-
tion like this. But rLmember that a journey northward over the ice
would be no child's play."

'• ' No, I know that well enough, but if it was with you 1 shouldn't be
afraid. It would never do if we had to manage alone. \\'e"d be sure
to go wrong : but it's (juite a different thing, you see, when there is one
to lead that ycju know has been through it all before."

" It is extraordinary the blind faith such men have in their leader I
I ijelieve they would set off without a moment's rcllection if thev were
asked to join in an expedition to the I'ole now, with black winter at the
door. It is grand as long as the faith lasts, l)Ut Ciod be merciful to him
on tlie day that it fails '. ''

" Saturday, September i5tli. ''his evening we have seen the moon
again for the first time —beautiful full moon, and a few stars wtre al^o
visible in the r.ight sky, which is still ([uite light.

"Notices were posted up to-day m several [/laces. They ran as
follows ; —

It s

aue

" .\s fwc here on board might be foil ) wed by the most terrible
conseciuences, too great precaution cai.not he taken, k'or this reason
everv man is recpiested to obier\e the following rule^ ;//fo7 a'.'/
sciciif/i>i.'s/v : —

iiii

1. No one is to carrv matches.

2. The o;iIy places where matches may bt' kept are : —

348 Chapter VIII.

(t) 'I'he galley, where the coc'k P r the time being is responsible
for them.

(2) 'I'he four single cabins, where the inmate of each is res[)()n-

sible for his box.

(3) 'I'lie work-cabin, wlien work i.^- going on.

(4) On the mast in the saloon, from which neither box i-,or

single matches must be taken away under any circum-
stances.

3. Matches must not be struck anywliere ex-cpt in the places above

named.

4. The one exception to the above rules is made when the Ibrge has

to be hVhtfcd.

5. All the ship's holds are to be insported every evening at S o'clock

by the fire-insjiector, who will give in his re[)()rt to the under-
signed. After that time no one may, without special permission,
take a light into the holds or into the engine-room.

6. Smoking is only allowed in the living-rooms and on deck.

Lighied pipes or cigars must on no account be sjcMi elsewhere.

Fkidtjof N.\xsr:\.

Fram, September 15th. 1S94.

" Some of these regulations miy seem to infringe on the jirin'-iplc of
C(]uality which I have been so anxious to maintain : but these seem to
me the best arrangements I can make to ensure the good of ;dl- -and
that must come before everythin;.'; else.'"

" Friday, Sejjtember 2 1st. \\'e have iiad tr-iucndously st^-r^-ig wi'id
from the north-west and north for some days, v>ith a v( locity at times
of 39 and 42 feet. During this time we must have drifie 1 a good w.iy
south. ' The Radical Right ' had got hold of the helm, said Amund-
sen; but th.eir time in power was short ; for it fell calm yesterday, and
nov we a-e going north again, and it looks as if the ' I-eft ' vrcrc to
hr.ve n r-jic'll at the helm, to repair the wrongs done by the ' Right.'

'* K',ni;^'ls Tor th.r dog- iiave been built this week — a row of splendid
■'co-h'ii>r-. aii>i,g the i-crt side of i\\v shi-p : four ilogs in each house;

-:\;i .

Scconci Autumn In the Ice.

349

good warm winter ([uartcis In the meantime our eight Httle pu])s are
thriving on boaril ; thiey have a grand world to wander round the
wliole fore-deck, with an awning over it. Voii can hear their httle
harks and yelps as they rush about among slia\ings, hand-sledges, tiie,
steani-win( h, mill axle, and other odds and ends. They play a little,
and they fight ; little, and forward under the forecastle they have their
bed among the sliavings, a very cosy corner, where ' Kvik' lies stretched
out like a lioness in all her majesty. There they tumble over each
o'.her in a heap round her, sleep, yawn, cat, and pull each other's tails.
It is a picture of Ivmie and peace here near the Pole, wiiich one (ould
watch b\' th.e hour.

'■|,ifeg)es its regular, even, uneventful way, (|uiet as the ice itsell':
and xet it is wonderful how (juickly the time passjs. The equinox
has come, the nights are beginning to turn dark, and at noon the sun
is onlv >) degrees above the hori/on. I pass the da}' busily here in the
Work cabin, and often feel as if 1 were sitting in my study at home,
with all the comforts of civilisation round me. If it were noi for the
separation, one could be as well off here as there. Sometimts I forget
where lam. Not infretpiently in ihe evening, when I have been sitting
absorbed in work, I have jum[)ed up to listen when the dogs barked,
thinking to mvself: who can be coming? Then 1 remember that 1
am not at home, but drifting out on the middle i:f the frozen I'olar ."-ea,
at the connnencement of the second long .\rctic night.

lelow zero ( -— r

(~.)

'• The temperature has been down to x'4°
to-dav ; winter is ct)ming on fast. Th.ere is
yet v.e are m good spirits. It was the same
how many disappointments we have had sin
was in tha^dater autumn when every call
we drifted farther and farther south ! X
hori/on ! lint such a tin;e will never c .p
be great relapses : there may be slow progre--- for a time; but tluie is
no doubt as to the future; we see it tlawning bright ni the west,
beyond the .Vrctic night."

"Sunday, September 23rd. It was a xe.-r yesterday since we made
fast for the first time to the great hummock in tlu' ice. Hansen
improNed the occasion by making a chart oi ' \r drift for the _\ear. It

!e drift just ikjw, and

: autumn eiiuinox : but

dien I How terrible it

tion seemed to fail, as

one bright spot on our

aufain. There ria\ still

350

Chapter VIII.

(loL's not look so very had, thoui^h the distance is not urciit, the
direction is ahiiost exactly what 1 had expected. liut r.Tore of this
to-morrow : it is sj late that I cannot write about it now. 'i'he nights
are turninj.? darker and darker ; winter is settling down upon us.''

" 'I'uesday, September 25th. I liave been looking more carefully at
the calculation of our last year's drift. If we reckon from the place
where we were shut in on the 22nd of September last year, to our
l)osition on the 22nd of September this year, the distance we have
drifted is 1S9 miles, eijual to 3" 9' lat. Reckoning from the same
place, but to the farthest north point we reached in summer (July
i6t!i), niakes the drift -'25 miles, or 3^ 46'. Hut if we reckon from our
most southern point in the autumn of last )ear (November yth), to
our nu>-;t northern point this summer, then the drift is 305 miles, or
.S 5- ^^'"^' fe"l '^'"y 4 north, from 77' 43' to iSi" 53'. To gi\e the
course of the drift is a difficult task in these latitudes, as there is a
percjititile deviation of the compass with every degree of longitude as
one passes east or west ; the change, of course, given in degrees will
be almost exactly the same as the nimiber of degrees of longitude that
have been pi-sed. Our average cotu-se will be about N. 36 W. The
direction of our drift is consecjuently a much more northerly one than
the /civuu'ttc's was, and this is just what we expected ; ours ( uts hers
at an angle of 5;/. The line of this year's drift continiu'd will cu". the
north-east islantl "f Spit/bjrgen, and lake us as far north as 84° 7', in
75 ]'>. Ion;,'., somewhere N'.X.l*!. of I'ran/. Josef Land. The distance
b\' this course to th.' North l''.asi Island is 827 miles. Should we
continue to progress only at the rate of 189 miles a year, it would take
us 4 '4 ye.irs to do this distance. But assuming our ])r(vj;ress to be a'
the rate of 305 mill's a year, we shall do it in 2*7 yi'ars. That we
should drift at least as (piick'y as this seems probable, because we cm
hardly now be driven ba(-k as we were in October last year, when we
had the ojjen water to the south, and the great mass of ice to the north
of us.

i"he pa^t sunuuer seems to me to have proved tliat while the ice is
very unwilling to go back soutli. it is most ready to go north-west as
soon as there is ever so litde easterlv, not to mention soulhcrlv wind.
I therefore bt'lieve, as I alwavs have believed, that the drift will become

Second Autumn in tlu,' Ice.

351

faster ns we j^i-'t faitluT iV)ith-\VL'st, and tlie proh.ihilitx' is that llu' I'rtvn
will icacli Norway in two xcars, tlu' cxpe lition JKixin:; la^tl■^i i's full
tlni'c yt'ars, as 1 soniuhow had a feeling that it would. .\> our drill i->
59 more northrrly than tlie Jcanncttc s, and as I'raii/ jo^ef I.ind must
ft)r( c the ice north (taking for granted tint all tint ( omes from this
great basin goes round to the north of f'ran/ jo^ef I.nid), it is
probahle that our course will bet ome more northerly the i'.irther on we
go, until we are past franz Josef l/.ind, and that we sliall eoii^e'i'ien'lv
reach a higher latitude than our drift ;-o far would indicate I h( i)e
85 ' at least, Everything has come right so far: th.' direction of our
drift is exactly parallel with the course which I i onjecturel to ha\e
been taken by the floe with the Jcan)U'tlc relics, and which I pri( ked
out on the chart i)rei)ared for my London Address.* This cou'-se
totiched about 87A N. lat. I ha\e no right to e\[)e;t a more nortlierh-
drift than parallel to this, and have no right to be ■uivthing but happv
if I get as far, Our aim, as I have so often tried to make clear, is nut
so much to reach the point ' in whicl; 'iv- e irth's axis terun'natjs," as t.)
traverse and explore the unknown I'olai Sja : and yet I shou'.d like to
get to the Pole, too, and hope tint it will be possible to do so, if only
we can reach 84 or 85^ by March — and why should we not ? ''

"Thursday, Sejitember 27th. Mave determined that, beginn'ng
from to-morrow, every man is to go out snow-shoeing two horns dailv,
from 1 1 to I, so long as the daylight lasts. It is necessary, if an\-
thing hai)pened that obliged us to make our way home over the i( e.
I am afraid some of the company would be a terrible hindrance to
us, unpractised as they are now. Several of them are first-rate snow-
shoers, but fixe or six of them would soon be feeling the pleasures of
leartaiing ; if the;, had to go out on a long course, and withoat snow-
shoes, it would be all over with us.

" .\fier this we used to go out regtdarly in a body, liesides Iteing
good exercise, it was also a great pleasure : every one seemed to thri\e
on it. and they all became accustomed to the use of the shoes on this
ground, e\en thiough tlu y often git tb.em broken in the une\enneHse-; of

" Sl-i.; Cni\^rapliiial JoitniitU Lmidon, iS-)^. So.' also the wwy, in XjUtnii, I iyo,
and tliu Xo.w.'j^iun ( ic igrajjliicil S 'cicly's ]\iu- />\>oi\ I., 1S90.

I! I-

It. I .

lii

J.->'

Ch;i|)tc'r \'III.

the prcssurc-iidgL's ; \vc just |)atclK'(l and riveted ihcin logcthcr to
break them ayain."

" Moiidav, ()(l()l)er ist. We tiiid a liand-skd^e to-day widi a load
(if 250 lbs. It went along easily, and )el was iiard to draw, beiaiise the
snow-shorN Were apt to slip to the side on the sort ol' surface we bad.
I alinost belie\e that Indian snow-shoes would be better on this groinid,
where there are so inan\ knobs and smooth hilloi ks to draw the sledges
over. When Ammulsen began to i)iill the sledgi', lie thought it was

s\()\v-sii()i; i'R.\( 'iiri'. (sKi'ri:Mi;iR 2.Si'ii, 1894).

(A'l' //. /\i;idiit>, from a l'luili\^rapii.)

nothing at all : but when he had gone on for a time, he fell into a fit
of deep and e\ideni!y sad thought, and went ^;ilently home. When he
got on board, he confided to the others that ,'f a man had to draw a
load like that, he might just a.s well lie down al once dt would come
lo the same thing in the end. That is how ])ractice is apt to go. In
the at'ternooii I y(jked three dogs to the same little sledge with the
250 lbs. load, and the)' drew it along as if it were nothing at all."'

a fit
Icn he
[raw a

coiv.c
|). In

h the

Second Aiiiuiiin in the Ice.

.n't J

"Tiiesdav, ()i tiilicr jml. Dcautiful weather, but colih^h ; 41) 1' of
frost ( — 27 (".) (hiring the night, wliicli is ti good :ieal for ( )( lohcr, surely.
It will he a cold winter if it goes on at the same rale. Hut what do
we care whether there are 90" of frost or i?o ' ? A good siiow-shoeing
excursion lo-(hiy. 'I'iiey are all becoming uiost expert now ; but d.irk-
ness will be on us presently, and then there will be no more of it. It

''Pt»

WfH-

KETLKN l-KO.M A SNOW-SHOK RUN' (SKI'TEMIJER 28TII, 1 894).

(/■'roiii a riwtoi^raph.)

is a pity : this exercise is so good lor us -we must tliink of something
t(,> take its place.

•• I have a ieeling now as if this were to be my last winter on board
A\'ill it really come to my going off north in spring? The experiment
in drawing a loaded hand-sleilge over this ice was certainl; anything
but prom'sing ; and if the djgs should not hold out, or should be of

2 A

154

i;il)tcr

\III.

less Use than wf c\|il'( I : and il uc slidiild i oine to worse ice iiixleaii of
better well, we Niioiil.l onl\ lia\ e ourseUes t > trii>t to, ISiit if we ( an
just gel so far on with the I'lmii tiial the tiistanee left to he < oNercd is
at all a reasoiial)le one, 1 lielieve that it is my diil\ to mike the
venture, and I cannot iniai^nne any ditliculty that will no! I;e o\er(ome
when our ( hoice lie.s between death and onward and home ! "

" 'I'luirstlav. October 4M1. d'he ice i> r.illur impausahle in places,
hut there ari; partu ular lanes or tracts : takin;^ il allo^ctlur, it is in
l^ood condition lor sled^aii; and snow-shot'in^. thoai'Ji th.' suriare is
rather sofi. so thai the do^s sink m a little I'his i> jirohaMs- ( hielly
owin^ to there lia\in^ been no stron^ wnids ol late, ^o thai the snow
has not been well i;a( ked loi;ether.

" lale uoc-- on in the regular routine': there is al\va\s sonic little
piece of work turning u|» to he done. \'e'sierda\' the breakiii'^ in of the
youni^ do.;s ln'L;.ni.''' Il was jn-,1 the three ' Uarbara.' ' i'lvia," and
' Susine.' ' ( lulahramr is such a miserable, thin wretch, that he is
escapinL; lor the present. d'lu'\' are utnnana;.;e'aliU' at lirst, and rislied
about in all (hredion.^ : but in a little while' they drew like (Id doi^s,
and were alloi^elher better than we expei ted. ' K\ik." of (lairst', st'l
them a noble example, li fell to Mo^siads lot tfx be^in llie tr:unin,L,^
as it was his wc ek for lookin;,^ afli r the do;4s. d'his duty is taken m
turns now. ea( h man has Ids week ofallendin^' lo ihem h'oth nMJrnin^
and afternoon.

" It seems to me that a very satisfactory stale of feeling pre\ails on
hoard at jjiesent, when we are just t'ntering on our second .\rctic night,
whic l"i we ho[)e is lo be a longer, and probably also a colder one. than
any ])eople bel'ore us ha\-e e\[)erienced. There is apprec iably less light

every day : soou there will

)e n

one : but llu' good sjiirils do not wane

th tl

le liLih

I. It seems to me that we are n ore uniforndv cheerfal

)an we

lave e

\i'r been. What the reason o

f l!

us is I cannot te

perhaps just (ust;
as the saving is.

nn.
W

r.ul certainly, too, we are well off in clover
e are drifting gently, but il is to be hoped surely.

on throu

ih tl

(lari

unknown

Xivll

leim. w

here terrified fanc\ has

: 1

" These weic the puiipies Ikuu un Decemher 131I), iSoj ; ciily fuiir of iheiu were
now .ilivc.

s on

than

wani-

■cifiil

Ic'U :

■lovci

has

Second Aulumii in llic Ire.

.•• .'' .■)

pi( turcd all |i(i-oililc h(iniii>. \ r[ \\r air liMMu' a IiIl' nl' liiviiry and
jjltntv, sniroumlcd li\- all Mu- (dnildits oi ( i\ ili/alimi. 1 llinik \\c
hhall 1)0 l)(Ui.r iiH" tin-, winter than la^t.

" The riiini; a|i|iaialii-> in thr i^allcv is working ^plciididlv . and the
cook hinib'jlt IS now ol opiiaon that it i> an in\cntain \vlii( li a|i|iiiiachcs

lU.ocK OK IC1-; (si,i'ri:M!;i.k j8iii, iSi;4).
( /•;•,'/« ,1 /V/ii/i'-Vi//'//.)

perfection. So wr ^haIl iiurn no^hill^■ l,iit coal-oil there now ; it warms
the l)lace well, and a ^ood deal of the luat romes u|i here into the
work-room, where I sometimes >it and per-pire nntil I have to take
off oiH- i,rarment after aiu)ther, althoUL;h the window is open and there
are 30 odd degrees of cold outside. J have ( al( idateil that the pelro-
leimi which this enables us to keep i'or lighting jjiuposi's onl_\, will

2 A 2

IMAGE EVALUATION
TEST TARGET (MT-3)

1.0

I.I

b^ ETA |2j.
1^ 122 12.2

i-^ IE

1.8

L25 i^ 11^

rf-i

.'^

-iV

.'^

Photographic

Sciences
Corporation

23 WEST MAIN STREET

WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580

(716) 872-4503

.^^--'^^

u..

35^

Chapter VIII.

!;ist at least lo years, tlinu^h we burn it freely 300 days in tlic year.
At present we are not iisin^^ petroleimi lamps at the rate assumed in
my calculation, ijecause we fre(iuently have electiic light; and then
even here sunnner comes once a year, or, at any rate, sometliing which
we must call summer. l"-ven allowing for accidents, such as the possi-
bility of a tank sprin<,Mn,<,' a leak and the oil runninjf out, there is still
no reason whatever for being sjjaring of light, and every man can have
as nnich as he wants. What tiiis means can best be apiireciated by
one who, for a whole year, has felt the stings of conscience every time
he went to work or read alone in his cabin, and burned a lamj) that was
not absolutely necessary, because he could have used the general one
in the saloon.

"As yet the coals are not being touched, except for the stove in the
saloon, where they are to be allowed to burn as much as they like this
winter. The (|uantity thus "consumed will be a trifle in co:iipari>oii
with our store of about 100 tons, for which we cannot well have any
otlier use until the Fraiii once more forces her way out of the ice on
the other side. Another thing that is of no little help in keeping us
warm and comfortable, is the awning that is now stretched over the
ship.* The only part I have left open is the stern, abaft the bridge, so
as to be able to see round over the ice from there.

" Personally, 1 must .say that things are going well with me ; much
better than I could have e.\])ected. Time is a good teacher: that
<lev()uring longing does not gnaw so hard as it did. Is it apathy
beginning? Shall I feel nothing at all by the time ten years have
passed ? Oh I sometimes it comes on with all its old strength -as if it
would tear me in jjieces I But this is a splendid school of patience.
Much good it does to sit wondering whether they arc ali\e or dead at
hoiue : it only almost drives one mad.

"All the same, 1 never grow (juite reconciled to this life. It i.s
really neither life nor death, but a state between the two. It means
never 'King at rest about anything or in any place — a constant waiting

• Wo h.id nn cdvirinj,' civcr the ship the first winter, :is we ihouiiht it would make
it so (lark, and mai<e it difticidt to find one's way about on deck. But when we put
in one liie sjcond winter, we found that it was an improvement.

»,|

Second Autumn in the Ice.

for what is coming ; a waiting in which, perhaps, the best years of one's
manhood will pass. It is like what a young hoy sometimes feels when
he goes on his first voyage. The life on hoard is hateful to him ; he
suffers cruelly from all the torments of seasickness ; and being nIuiI i-i
within the narrow walls of the ship is worse than prison ; hut it is
something that has to be gone through, lieyond it all lies tiie south,

ill

tul: waninc. day (otroiu-.i-'., 1894).

{/loiii a P^io/i'^iitp/t.)

the land of his youthful dreams, tempting with its sunny smile. In
time he arises, half dead. Does he find his south? J low often it is
but a barren desert he is rast ashore on I "

" Sunday, October 7th. It has cleared uj) this evening, and there is
a starry sky and auroia borealis. It is a little change from tlie ( (jUNian,

-.-Q

o:)'^

Chapter VIII.

cloudy weather, with frequent snow-showers, which we liave had these
last days.

" Thou .jilts (oino and thoiigiils ^o. 1 cannot forget, and I cannot
slfcp. l'-\(.Tytliin^f is still ; all arc asleep. 1 only hear the ([uict .step
of the wat< li on de( k ; the wind rustliii,<,f in the rii^ging and the canvas,
and the (lock gently hackiiig the lime in pieces there on the wall. If I
go on di'i k there is black night, stars sparkling high overhead, and
faint aurora Ilic kering across the gloomy vault, and out in the darkness
I can see the glimmer of the great monotonous plain of the ice, it is all
so inexjiressihly fcrlorn, so far, far removed from the noise and unrest
of men and all their striving. Wlrit is life thus isolated? A strange,
aimless process ; and man a mac hine wh!( h eats, sleeps, awakes ; eats
and slee])s again, dreams dreams, but never lives. Or is life really
nothing else ? And is it just one more phase of the eternal martyrdom,
a new mi^take of the erring human soul, this banishing of one's self to
the hopeless wilderness, only to long there Ibr what one has left behind?
Am I a coward? Am I afraitl of death? Oh, no! but in these nights
such longing cm come over one for all beauty, for that which is
contained in a single word, and the soul (lees (rom this interminable
and rigid work! of ice. A\"hen one thinks how short life is, and that
one came away from it all of one's own free will, and remembers, too,
that another is suffering the pain of constant anxiety, 'true, true till
death." ' Oh, mankind, thy ways are passing strange I We arc but as
Hakes of foam, helplessly driven over the tossing sea.'

"Wednesday. October icth. Jv:artly 3; years old, then. There is
nothing to be said to ijiat, except that life is moving on, and will never
turn back. They have all been touchingly nice to n;e to-day, and we
have held fete. TJK'y surprised me in the mornirg by l'.a\irg the
saloon ornameiUed with flags. They had hung the ' Union ' above
Sverdrup's p'ace.* ^\'e at cused Amundsen of having done this, but he
would not confess to it. Above my df)or and over Han.sen's they had
the pennant with Ffaiii in big letters. It lookeil most festive when I
came into the salo )n, and they all stood ui) and wished me ' Many
hajjpy returns." When I went on deck the tlag w.is waving from the
nil/en masthead

* An ,Ulu-.iun, ikj duiihi, to lii.-. pulilical opinions {'fruits.).

Second Aiitunin in the Ice.

359

" Wo took a snow-shooing excursion south in the niotninj,'. It was
windy, bitter weather ; I have not felt so cold for Unv^. The tlier-
nujnietcr is down to 24 1-". below zero ( —31 C) this e\ening: this is
certainly the coldest birthday I have had yet. A sumptuous dinner :
I. I'ish-pudding. 2. SausaL;is and ton^'ue, with polaloes, haricot
beans, and ))eas. 3. I'reHTveil strawberries, with ri( e and cream.

A SNOW-SH(JE EXCURSION (OCTOHKR, 1S94).

(/■'iv/// a ]Vtoto;^>a['li.)

Crown extract of malt. Then, to everyone's surprise, our doctor began
to lake out of the jjocket of the overcoat he always wears, remarkable-
looking little glasses — medicine glasses, measuring glasses, test glasses
— or.e for each man, and lastly a whol-^ bottle of I.ysholmer li<]ueur,
real native Lysholmer, which awakened general enthusiasm. Two
drams of that per man was not so bad, besides a quarter of a bottle of
extract of malt. Coffee after dinner, with a surprise in the shape of

ill

360

Chapter VIII.

ai)p!e cnke, baked Uy our cxrdlctit ( nok, I'cttcis'jn, formerly smith and
eniiinoer. 'I'licn I had to prodiu e my ( ij,'ais wliich were also imich
(-•iijoyed ; and of < oiirse we ke])t hoh'day all the ai'ternoon. At supper
there was another suiprir^e, ;i lar.ue hirtlida) ( ake, IVoni the same baker,
with i!ie inscriplion : ''I'. I„ M. D.' (Til l\kke med oa^en, the
Norwcj^iaii eipiivalent for: Wishing a happy birthday) ' lo.io.iH. In
the evenin;4 <ame jjiiieapples, ri:;s, and saee'.s. Many a worse birthday
Jiii^,ht be spent in lower latitudes than Si . 'I'he e\eriing is passing
with all kinds of merriment, every one is in g(jod spirits ; the saloon
resounds with laughter --how many a merry meeting it has been the
scene of !

" lUit when one has said good-night and sits here alone, siidiKSS
comes ; anil if one goes on de( k, there are the stais high overhead in
the < lear sky. In the south is a smouldeiing aurora ar( h, whi( h from
time to time sends up streamers ; a ( (Jiistant restless IJicktruig.

" We have been talking a little about this expeditio::, Sverdrup and
I. When we were out t)n the ice in the afternoon he -suddenly saitl :
' \'es, next October you wiU, perhajjs, not be on board the Fiwn.' To
whii h I had to answer that, unless liie winter tiwned oiU badly, I
probably should not. lUit still I cannot believe in this lightly myself.

" ]'Aery night I am at home in my dreams, but when the morning
breaks 1 nuist again, like Helge, gallo[) back on the pale horse by the
way of the reddening dawn, not to the joys of \'alhalla, but to the
realm of eternal ice : —

** For the alone Sigrun,
Of the Sneva Mountain,
Must Helge swim
In the dew of sorrow."

" FruLiy, October 1 2th. A regular storm has been blowing from the
E.S.M. since yesterday evening. Last night the mill went to bits ; the
teeth broke off one of the toothed wheels, which has been considerably
worn by a year's use. The velocity of the wind was over 40 feet this
morning, and it is long since I have heard it blow at it is doing this
evening. \\'e must be making good progress north just now. I'erhaps
October is noi to be such a bad month as 1 expected f.om our ex[)eri-

Second Aiiluiiin in llic lixv

'A^

iMK'i's of hist year. W'.is out sivnv slioi'in^ hcforc dinner. The snow
was whistling' al)oiit my L.irs. 1 iiad not iniK li troiiMi' in j^cttin^ hack;
thf wind saw to that. A tie'nii'ndous snow si|uall is l)lowin^f just now.
'I'iie moon stands low in tlic southern sky, st^ndini,' a <lull ^'low throui;li
the drivin;,' masses. One has to hokl on to one's (a]). 'This is a real
(hsmal polar night, su( h as oik' imaj^ines ii to oneself sittini; at home
I'ai' away in the south. Hut it niakfs me (hcerlul to come on deck, for
I li'il thai we are nio\in^f onward.

" Saturday, ()(tol)cr i,?th. Same wind to dav ; xx'loiitvuii to ,V) ''-'•■'f
and higher, hut llan>en has taki'ii .m ohscrvation this evenini,^ in spite
oi' it. lie i^, as ahva\s, ;i {'\m\ indel'ali),fal)le I'cllow. Wr an- i^oinjf
north-west (Si ' ^^j' 8" \. lal., i iS jS' ]■;. lon^.).

'•Sunday, October i tth. Still the same siorni !4"i'VU -~'i- ' ;"i'
reading,' of the (ontinual sutii lin.'s whii h the carlii r Arc lie t.\|)lorers
had to contend with for I'very dci^ree, even lor every minute, of their
northward course. It j,nves me almost a kdiii^ of (onlempi lor us,
KiuL; hen. on solas, warm and comfortahle, pa^sini,' the time reading,
and wrilin;,^ and smoking, ami thcaming, wliih' the storm is tugging and
te.iring at llu' rigging al)i>\e us, ;md the wli(,le sr,i is out' mas-, of driving
snow, throiigii whi( h we are carried degree l>y degree northwards U) the
goal <air i)rede( essors slrug^lijd towards, spending their strength in vain.
And Vet ....

■I

' N(jw sinks tin- ^,un. now coires the niglit.'

'• Monda\', October 15th. A\'ent snow-shoeing eastwards this
morriing, still against llu' same wind and ih.e s;une snowfall. \'ou
have to pay cuehil attention to your course these days, as the ship
is not visible ;iny great distam e, and, if you <lid not find your way

back, well . iUit the tracks remain jiretty distmct, as the snow-

< rust is blown bare in most ])laces, and the drifting snow does not
fasten u[)on it. We are moving northwards, and meanwhik' the .Arctic
night is making its slow and majestic enlranc e. The sun was low
to-day ; I did not see it because of banks of c loud in the south, but it
still sent its light up over the ])ale sky. There the full moon is now
reigning, bathing the great ice jilain and the drifting snow in its bright
light. How a night such as this raises one's thoughts I It does r.ot

564

Chapter X'HI.

matter if one lias seen the* like a tlioiisaiid linn-s l)j(?)rc: it makes tlie
same solemn impression wlun it ( (jmes again : one < annol iric one's
mind from its powvr. It is like unit riiii,' a slill, liolv tcinplf, wlaie
the spirit of nature hovers tiiroiijjh the place on g'lilterini; mKit
beams, and the soul must fall down and adore .ulorc the inlinity of
the universe.

" \\'ednesday, October ijlh. W'v are employed in takinj^ djep \v;.tiT
temperatures. It is a doubtful pleasure at this tinii' of year. Sometimes
the water-lifter gets coated with i( e, so that it will not ( lo>e down below
in the water, and has therefore to hang tor ever so long each time ; and
sometimes it freezes tight during the observation alter it is brought up,
so that the water will not run out of it into the s.impie bottles, not l(»
mention all the bother there is getting llie apparatus ready to lower.
\\'c are lucky if we ilo not re(iuire to take the whole thing into the
galley every time to thaw it. ll is Nk>w work : the temperatures have
sometimes to be read by lantern light. The water samples ;ue not so
reliable, because they freeze in the lilte". but the tiling <:an be done,
and we must just go on doing it. The same easterly wind is blowing,
and we are drifting onward^'. Our latitude this evening is about
81° 47' N.

" Tliursday, October iSih. I continue taking the temperatures of
the water, rather a ( ool amusement with the thermometer down to
— 29° C. (20'2 V. below zero) and a wind blowing. Voiir fmgers are
apt to get a little stiff and numb when you have to manipulate the wet
or ice-covered metal ■- lews with b.ire haiuis and have to read off the
thermometer with a magnifying^ yk''*^ i" order to ensure acruracy to tiie
hundredth part of a degree, and then to bottle the samples of water,
which you have to keep close against ycnir breast, to i)revent th.e water
from freezing. It is a nice business 1

" There was a lovelv aurora borealis at 8 o'clock this evening. It
wound itself like a fiery serpent in a double coil across the sky. The
tail was about 10° above the horizon in the north. Thence it turivid
off with many winding;s in an easterly direction, then round again, and
westwards in the form of an arch from 30° to 40^ above the horizon,
sinking down again to the west and rolling itself up ir.to a ball, from
which several branches spread out over the sky. The arches were in

Sc'CoikI Autumn in the Ice.

305

active motion, whik- pencils of strcanu-rs shot out swiftly from tin* west
towards the cast, and tlie whole stTpcnt kept incessantly undulating into
fresh curves. Ciradually it niountid up over the sky nearly to the
zenith, while at the same liuH- the uppermost hend or arch separated
into several fainter undulations, the hall in the northeast glowed
inien.M'ly, and hrilhant streamers shot upwards to the zenith from
sevi-ral plaies in the arches, es|)e(:ially from the hall and from the hend
farthest away in the north east. The illumination was now at its
highest, t!ie colour heing i»rin<i|i.dly a strong yellow, though at some
s])i)ts it verged towards a yellowish-red, while at other places it was a
greenish-while. W'hjn the upper wave reached the zenith, the pheno-
menon Inst something of its brilliancy, dispersing little hy little, leaving
merely a f.iint indication of an aurora in the southern sky. On coming
up again on deck later in the evenin.', I found nearly the whole of the
aurora collected in the southern hilf of the sky. A low arch, 5" in
height, could he seen fir down in the south over the dark segment of
the liKrizon. iletween this and the zenith were four other vague, wavy
arches, the topmost of which passed right across it ; here and there
vivid streamers shot llaming upwards, esi)ecially from the undermost
;>rch in the south. No arch was to he seen in the northern part of the
sky, only streamers every here and there. To-night, as usual, there are
traces of aurora to he seen over the whole sky : light mists or streamers
are often plainly visihie, and the sky seems to he constantly covered
with a luminous veil,* in whit h every here and there are dark holes.

There is scarcely any night, or rather I may safely say there is no
night, on v.hich no trace of aurora can he discerned as soon as the
sky becomes clear, or even when there is simply a rift in the clouds
large enough for it to he seen ; and as a rule we have strong light
iyhenomena dancing in ceaseless unrest over the firmament. They
mainly appear, however, in the southern part of the sky.

■"' This lumiiu)us veil, which was always s])rL'a(l nvir the sky, was less dislinct on
the tlnnaineiit immediately ( verheail, l)Ut becanio more anil more conspicuous near
the hiiri/on, thouijh il never actually reached down to it ; indeed in the north and
south il generally terminated in a low, faintly outlined arch over a kind of dark
segmenl. The luminosity of this veil was so strong thai through il I could never
with any certainty distinguish the Milky Way.

;/)6

Chapter \'I1I.

*' I'Vulny, ()it(.l)(.r mjiIi. A frt'^li l,m/c finm IvS.lC. Drifting
northwards at a i;()(i(l |(a(r. Soon wc shall prohaiil) ha\e' |ias>>i(l llif
I<»nj,'-l(.)()kcd-r<)r Sj .and that will not he lar tn>m Sj j;', when the
//•fi/zMvill l)c the- vessel that will have penetiatod fartliest to the north
on this jjloliL'. r.iil the baronutcr is falling'; the wind prohalily will
not remain in thai quarter lunj^, hut will shili round to the west. I

ON THE AFTER-DECK OK THE /A'.f.V (ocTOI!!;K, 1894).
(/•'loiii a P/io/O'^Tii/'/i.)

only hope for this once the haronieter may prove a false prophet. I
have become rather sanguine ; things have been going j)rctty well for
so long; and October, a month which last year's experience had made
me dread, has been a month of marked advance, if only it doesn't
end badly.

" The wind to day, howe\ er, was to cost a life. The mill, which had

Second Autuiuii in llic Ice.

:/^7

!)ci'M repaired after the misli.ip {o the cogwlKrl the other diy, was fct
Hoiii;,' aj^aiii In the' aflcrncim a couple of the puppies lu'nan fii^litiii,:;
DVer a l)()iie, when oiu- of thiiu Icll undcnuath one of the (on-wheel*
on tlu' axil- of the null, and was dragged in lutwi-jn it ami the die k.
Its poor little hody marly niadi' the whole ihin;^ < oim to a siaiidslil! •
and, unfortunately, no one was on the >-pot to stop ii in time I heard
the noise, and rushed on deik ; the puppv had ju>t been drawn out
nearly dead; the whoU' of its stoniach w.l^ torn open. It ,L;.i\r a I. mil
whine, ami wa> at one i- put out of ii> niisei\'. I'oor litl'e frolic some
creature I ()nl\ a lillk' while a,:;o \ou wv.r i;aml)olling around, enjos-
ing an innocein rom|> with your brothers and sisters ; then ( ame llu'
thijih IxMie of a hiar trundhni; alonn the deck from the i^alley : you
and the others made a heaillon;^ rush lor it, and now there \ou lie,
cruelly lacerated ami dead as a herring. I'ale is inesorahlc !

"Sunday, ()( toiler 31st. N. lat. S2 0-2' ; M. lonii, 114 i)'. It is
late in the evening, and my hi ad i-> bewildered, as if i li.id been
indulgin<f in a regular debauch, but it was a deljaui h of a very
innocent nature.

" A grand bancpiet to-da\ to celebrate the eighty-si-ccjiid ile;^ree ol
latitude. The observation L'a\e Sj ' o'j' last night, and wi' havi; now
certainly tlrifted a little farther norli). Honey-cakes (gingerbread) were
baked for the occasion, lirst-class honey-caki's, too, \oi'. may take my
word for it ; and then, after a refreshing snow shoe run, ( ame a festal
ban([uet. Notiix's were .stuck up in the .saloon reipiesting tlie guests to
be punctual at dinner-time, for the coek had exerted himself to the
utmost of hi.s i)ower. The following deeply felt lines by an anonymous
poet also appeared on a placard : —

ill'

iiill

in't
lad

When dinner is punctually served at the time,
No fear that the milk soui) will surely be prime ;
IJut the viands are s|){)ilt if you come to it late,
The fish-pudding will lie on your (best a dead weight ;
What's preserved in tin cases, there can be no doubt,
If you wait long enough will force its way out,
Kven meat of the ox, of the sheep, or of swine,
\'ery different in this from the juice of the vine !

;68

Chapter VIII.

Ramornic, and Armour, and Thorne, and Horr Tliiis,
("ioo:l meats have preserved, and they taste not amiss ;
So ril just add a word, friends, of warning to you :
If you want a good dinner, come at one, not at two.'

The lyric melancholy which here finds utterance must have been the
outcome of many hitter disappointments, and furnishes a valuable
internal evidence as to the anonymous authors profession. Meanwhile
tile guests assembled with tolerable punctuality, the only exception
being your humble servant, who was obliged to take some photographs
in the rapidly waning daylight. 'J'he menu was s])lend:d : (i) ox-tail
soup, (2) fish-pudding with melted butter and potatoes; (3) turtle
with marrowfat peas, etc., etc. ; (4) rice with multer (cloudberries) and
cream. Crown malt extract. After dinner, colTee and honey-cak^;.
After suppjr, which also was excellent, there was a (all for music,
which was liberally sujjplied throughout the v '.lole evening by various
accomplished performers on the organ, among whom IJent/en sjjecially
distinguished himself, his late experiences on the ice with the crank.
handle* having ])ut him in first-rate training. I'.very now and then
the music dragged a bit, as though it were being hauled up from an
abyss some i,ooo or 1,500 fathoms deep ; then it would (juicken and
get more lively, as it came nearer to the surface. At last the excitement
rose to such a pitch, that Petter.sen and I had to get up and have a
dance, a waltz, and a polka or two j and we really executed some
very tasteful />(rs dc deux on the limited floor of the saloon. Then
Amundsen also was swept into the mazes of the dance, while the
others played cards. Meanwhile refreshments were served in the
form of preserved peaches, dried bananas, figs, honey-cakes, etc., etc.
In short, we made a jovial evening of it, and why should we not?
We are progressing merrily towards our goal, we are already half-way
between the New Siberian Islands and Franz Josef Land, and there is
not a soul on board who doubts that we shall accomplish what we came
out to do ; so long live merriment.

" But the endless stillness of the polar night holds its sway aloft
the moon, half full, shines over the ice. and the stars .sparkle brilliantly

Used in hoisting up the lead-line.

2 B

Second Autumn In the Ice.

v-)/

overhead ; there are no restless northern ]h^hts, and the south wind
s..i,H,s mournfully throu-di the ri.^-Mni,. A deep, peaceful stillness
I.rcxails everywhere. It is the infinite loveliness of death --A^ir\-,n'i "

•'Monday, October 22nd. It is l.-innin- to 1,.; roM now "the
thermometer was - 34-6- C. (30-2 F. below zero) last n>,lu, and this
evening it is - 36 ' C. (32-8 l". below zero).

" .V lovely aurora this evening (n.30). A brilliant corona encircled
the zenith with a wreath of streamers in several lav r;. on. outside the
other; then larger an.l smaller sheaves of streamers spreul over the
sky, especially low down towards S.W. and I'lS.K. Ml of them
however, tended upwards :v.,:rds tli. corona wliich shone like a
halo. I stool wa.clH.g it . long while l^verv now and then I
could discern a eark pu,h i„ ,t, mid.lle, at the point where all the
rays converged. Jt lay a httle south of the I'ole Star, and approached
(.ass.oi)eia in the position it then occupied. Hut the halo kept
smouldenng and shifting just as if a gale in the upper strata of the
atmosphere were playing tiie bellows to it. Presently fresh streamers
shot out of the darkness outsi.le the inner halo, followe<l bv other
bright shafts of light in a still wider circle, and meanwhile the dark
space m the middle was clearly visible; at other times it was entirely
covered with masses of light. Then it appeared as if the storm
abated, and the whole turned pale, and glowed wid, a faint whitish
hue for a little while, only to shoot wildly up once more and to be-Mn
the same dance over again. Then the entire mass of light arotmd
the corona began to rock to and fro in large waves oNer the zeni-h
and the dark central point, whereupon the gale seemed to increase
and whid the streamers into an inextricable tangle, till thev mer-ed
•nto a luminous vapour, that en\eloped the corona and drowned it in
a deluge of light, so that neither it, nor the streamers, nor the <lark
centre could be seen-niothing, in fact, but a chaos of shining mist
Again It became paler, and I went below. At midnight theTe was
hardly anything of the aurora to be seen.

•' J-riday, October 26ih. Yesterday evening we were in 82' V \ 1 U
To-day t!-.e 7v-,,;« is two years old. The sky has Ixen overcast durin-r
the kLst two days, and it has been so dark at middav that I thou-ht we
.houhl soon have to stop our snow-shoe expeditions, hui this mornin^^

1; 2

Chapter VIII.

lii

brouLiht us clear, still weather, nnd I went nut on a (lelii;luful trip to tl.c
westward, where there had Ijeen a gocxl deal of fre->h pac kin.,', hut
nothin:; of any importance. In Iionour of tlie occasion we Iiad a
pariieularly good dinner, with fried hahhut, turtle, pork chops wilh
haricot beans and green peas, plum-pudding (real burning plum-
l)udding for the first time) with custard sauce, and wf)und up with
strawberries. As usual, th.e beverages consisted of wine (that is to
say. lime juice, with water and sugar) and Crown malt extract. I fear
tlu re w;'s a general (n'ertaxing of the digestive a[)paratus. After dinner,
coffee and honey-cakes, with which Nordahl stood cigarettes, (leneral
holiday.

"This evening it has begun to blow from the north, but probabA'
this does not mean much ; I mus*. hope so, at all events, and trust tiiat
we shall soon get a south wind again. Dut it is not the mild /.e])hyr we
yearn for, not the breath of the blushing dawn. Xo, a cold, biting south
wind roaring with all the force of the Polar Sea, so that •:ne Fraiii, the
two-year-old F/-tvii, may be buried in the snowstorm, and ;.ll around her
be but a recking frost -it is this we are waiting for. this that will drift
us onwards to our goal. To-day. tlien, l''r,yui, thou art two years old.
I said at the dinner-table that if a year ago we were unanimous in
believing that the Fraiii was a goo^l ship, we had much better grouiuls
for that belief to-day. tor safel\ and surely she is carrying us onwards,
cvjii if the speed be not excessive; and so we drank the FraiiCs good
health and good progress. I did not say too much. Had I said all
that was in my heart, my words would not have been so measured ; for,
to .say the truth, we all of us dearly love the ship, as much as it is

jiossible to love any nnpersona

I th

Ul'.

And

whv should we not love

her ■* No n,t)dier (an ^ive her voung more warmth and safet

\- under her

Ljs th.iii she' affords to us. She is indeed like a home to us.

all rejoice to return to her from out m the ic\ plains, and when I ha\e
been far away and liave seen her masts rising o\er the everlasting
mantle of snow, how often has my heart glowed with warmth towards
her. To the builder of this hou^.e grateful thoughts often travel during
the still nights. He, 1 feel (-ertain. sits vonder at home often thinking

f us ; but he knows not where liis thounhis can seek the I''raiii in tl

iifreat while tract around the I'ole. but he knows his c

hild

Second Autumn in the Ice.

-V v5

ill )U-h all els ■ lose hvtli in her. lie will believe that she will hold ui.t.
\ es, C!oliii Ar( her, (ould you see us now, you would know that your
fciilh in her is not misplaced.

'• 1 am silling alone in my h.rtli. and m_\- ihouLchts !.^!ide hack over
the t\io years that have passed. What demon is it that weaves the
tlireads of our lives, that makes us deceive ourselves, and ever sends rs
forth on paths we have not ourselves laid out, paths on which we have
no desire to walk? \\"as it a mere feeling of duty that impelled me?
On, ntj : I was simply a child yearning for a great adventure out in
the unknown, who had dreamed of it so long that at last I believed it
really awaited me ; and it has, indeed, fallen to my lot, the great
atlvenf.ire of the ice, deep and pure as infinity, the silent, starlit polar
night, nature icself in its profundity, the mystery of life, the ceasele. s
(in ling of the universe, the feast of death, without suffering, without
regret, eternal in itself. Here in the great night thou standest in all
th\- naked pettiness, face to face with nature ; and thou sittest devoutly
at the feet of eternity, intently listening ; and thou knowest (iod the
all-ruiing, tiie centre of the universe. All the riddles of life seem to
grow clear to tliee, and thou laughest at thyself that thou couldst be
I'onsunied by l;ro(KHng. it is all so little, so unutterably little. . . .
' Whoso sees lehovah dies.'

" Sund;'y. X -Aember 4th. At noon 1 had gone out on a snow-shoe
exMcdition, and had taken some of the dog^ with nie. I'resentlv I
noticed tl';al those tiiat ha-;! been left behind at the ship began to bark,
'i'hose with me pricked u[) their ears, and several cf them staricil < ff
back, with ' L lenka ' at tlicir h.ead. Most cf them so(;n s;(;|iped,
li.venii^.g and looking behind them to see if I were follv)wirg. 1
won.leied for a little while wh.ether it could be a bear, and then
continued on my way ; but at length I could, stand it no longer, and

ser off homeward.^, with the

(.10:

;s dashing wildlv on in front. On

,i]);rrc;achn\g the ship I saw sc^me ci' tli;' wc'.\ netting ( iT w;tli guns;
they were .^wrdrup, johansfii, .Mogstad, and I !ei'.rik-i'n. 'The)- had
got a good start of me i'l tl.e direction in which tlie dogs were barking
before I, too, get h( Id of a '^i.n and K-t off afur them. All at once I
saw tlirough the darkness the Hash of a xolley from those in front,
followed by another sno^, then several more, until at last it .'^ounded

374

Chapter VIII.

liI<L' rerjular ])latoon fl^il1t,^ \\h:\t the ik'iu t- (oiild il he? Tliey were
standiiv^ on the saiiu- spot, and kt-pi liriiig incessantly. W'liy on cMrtli
did they not advance lu-arei? I luuTicd on,thinkinij it was hi^fh time I
canic u|) with my snow-shoes to follow thej^Mnic, which must cvidcntl) Ir-
in full lliglit. Meanwhile tliey advanced a little, and then there was
anotlier flash to he seen through the darkness, and so they went on two
or three times. One of the nund)er at last dashed forward over the ice
and fired straij^Iit down in front of him, while another knelt down and
fired towards the east. Were they trying their guns? |>ut surely it was
a strange time for doing so, and there were so many shots. Mean-
while the dogs tore around over the ice, and gathered in chnnps^
barking furiously. At length ! overtook them, and saw three hears
scattered over the ice, a she-hear and (wo cuhs, while the dogs lay
over them woirying them like iviad and tearing away at paws,
throat, and tail. LMenka especially wa«i beside herself. She had
gripped one of the cuhs hy the throat,, and worried it like a mad
thing, so that it was ditificult to get her away. 'I'he bears had
gone very leisurely awa\- from the dogs, which glared not come to
sufticiently (lose (piarters to use their teeth till tlit! (jid she-bear had
been wounded and had fallen down. 'l"he bears, indeed, had acted in
II very suspicious manner. It seemed just as if tho she hear batl some
deep design, some evil intent, in her mind, if she could only have lured
the dogs near enough to her. Suddenly she halted, let the cubs go on
in front, sniffed a little, and then came hack to meet the dogs, who at
the same time, as if at a word of command, all turned tail, and set off
towards the west. It was then that the first shot was fired, and the old
hear tottered and fell headlong, when immediately some of the dogs
■iet to and tackled her. One of the cuhs then got its ([uietus, while the
otiier one was fired at and made off over the ice, with three dogs after
il. Tliey soon overtook it and pulled it down, so that when Mogstad
came u\) he was obliged first of all to get the dogs off before he could
venliux' to shoot. It was a glorious slaughter, and hy no means
unwelcome, for we had that very day eaten the last remains of our 1 ist
bear in the shape of meat cakes for dinner. The two cubs made lovely
(Ihnstmas pork.

" In all probability these were the same bears whose tracks we had

Second Autumn in tlic Ice.

6/:>

had

seen before. Sverdnip and I had followed on the lia( ks of three such
animals on the last day of October, and had lost them to N.N.\\'. of
the ship. Api)arently they had come from that (juarter now.

" When they wanted to shoot, IVter's min, as usual, would not go off;
it had a^ain been drenched with vaseline, and lie kept callinj^ out :
' .Shoot ! shoot ! Mine won't j^o off.' Afterwards, on examinin<f the
gun I had taken with me to the fray, I found there were no cartri('},^s
in it. A nice account I should have given of myself had I come on
the bears alone with that weaj)on I

" Monday, November 5th. As I was sitting at work last night I
heard a dog on the deck howling fearfully. I sprang up and found it
was one of the puppies, that had touched an iron bolt with its tongue
and was frozen fast to it. There the poor beast was, straining to get
free, with its tongue stretched out so far that it looked like a tliin rope
proceeding out of its throat ; antl it was howling piteously. i'ent/en,
whose watch it was, had come up, but scarcely knew what to do. 1 le took
liold of it, however, by the n :, and held it close to the bolt, so that
its tongue was less extended. After having warmed the bolt somewhat
with his hand, he managed to get the tongue free. The poor litlle
])upi)y seemed overjoyed at its release, and to show its gratitude, licked
lientzen's hand with its bloody tongue, and seemed as if it could not
be grateful enough to its deliverer. It is to be hoped that it will be
some time before this pujjpy, at any rate, gets fast again in this way ;
but such things happen every noA- and then.

" Sunday, November nth. I am jjursuing my studies as usual day
after day ; and they lure me, too, deeper and deejjer into the insoluble
mystery that lies behind all these incpiiries. Nay ! why keep revob iiig
in this fruitless circle of thought ? better go out into the winter c.ighl.
The moon is up, great and yellow and placid : the stars are twinkling
overhead through the tlrifli:ig snow-dust. . . . Why not rock yourseli
into a winter night's dream, filled widi memories o'" summer?

"Ugh, no I The wind is howling too shrilly over the barren ice-
plains, there are 33 degrees cf coKl, and summer, with its flowers, is
far, far away. I would give a year of my life- to hold them in my
embrace: they loom lar away in the ilistance, as if 1 hhotilil never come
back to them.

: ;

•)/

()

Chapter \'III.

" I'>u; llir II )rtl;c:n li-;lU'-. with their ctcninlly shiftinu lovrlim-ss,
d.iin,' (A'.r the hi'.iM'iis I'.n h (la\- ami i.a( h ni,t,'ht. I.dnk at thfin ;
ihink (il)h\i(in ami (h'iiik hi)|ii' fniiii thriii : tlu'y an.' r\cn a^ the
a'|)irim,f >()iil of man. Rotlos as it, tluv will uivatlu' llu' wlidk' vault
(if lu-avfii with their tilittt'riii;,^, Ikctin.!; li.^lit. Mirpassiiij^ all f'^e in their
wild loveliness, fairer than even the lilush of dawn ; hut, whirling
i lly thidu^ii emiilx s|)a< e, they hear no inessaLte of a ( oininL^ day.
The sailor sieer> I-.is course hv a star. (■(luM you hut (()n<entrate
\()Ur->elve->. vou. too. oh. nortliern liuht-, inii_;'it lend your aid to yuide
t'le wildi'ri'd w.mderer. I'.ut dance on, and le' me enjoy you : stre'ch ;i
lirid^e acro-^s the uulf hetween the pn'sent aral the time to come, and
kt me dream far. far ahea.d inio tlie futiu'e.

" Oil, thou m\>ti'rio;iN r.idiance, what arc thou, aiid whence roniest
thou? \'et win' a>k ? I^ il nol enough to admire thy heauty and
|iause tlu're ? ("an we at l)l.■^l L;ct h.'yciid the outward show ot thin^^s ?
\\'li;;t W(>ukl it ijrdit eve i if we coul I say tiiat it is an electric discharji'e
or ( urreiits of e'ectrii ity ihrouyh the upper ret,do:is i,!' the air, and were
ablet ) de<cril)e in minutest detail how it all came to he? It woid I he
nwe w«ird>. \\"e know rio more what an ek'( trie current rea.ily is. than
what the aur:na horealis is. Happy is the (hild. . . , We, with all our
\ iew- i'ud tluories, are not in the la-'. ;inal\-.>i- a iiair's-hreadth nearer
the trudi tiian it.

•• 'I'uesday, November i^lh. 'rnevmi>meter ^S" ( '. ( p/y'4' 1'".).
'Idle ici' i> packing- in se\er;d iiu.ir;ers duiii\^ the dav, and the roar is
pretrvloud. now that tlie ice has become cidder. It can be heard iVoni
afar- a slranij;e ro.;r. wiiicli would sound iuk anny to any one who did
not know wiiat it was.

•■ A delightful snow-,sIi;)'_ run in the lij,dit of the full moon. Is life a
\ale of tears? Is it such a deplorable fate to dash off like the wind,
with all t'.ie d,o<;s skipping around one. ()\er the boumlless expanse of
ice thro'.ij.;'! a niL;ht like this in the fre-ih. cracklini,^ frost, while the
siviw-sh.)es glide over tlie smootli surhue. so that vou scarcelv know
you are toucliing the earth, and the stars hang high in the blue vault
;d)ove? This is more, indeed, than one has any right to expect of
life ; it rs a fairv-tale from anothi-'r world, from a life to come.

"And tlien t.i return Iiome to one'.-> cosv study-cabin, kindle the

l!ic

z -^

Sccoiul /viiUiinii in lln.: Ice.

■<>

stove, lijfht the lamp, fill a i)i[>i.', slrLtc ii oncscH' on the sol'.i, and m ;iil
dreams out into the world with tlu- < urlin^ ( loiid.s of smoke is thai a
dire inilittiun? 'I'lnis I eatcli myself sitlin^^ starinj^ at the lire \\<r
hours toj^etlu'r. (hx'amiiiLC myself away a useful way of iiii|iioyiii!,' ihv
time, lint at least it makes it slip unnoticed l;y, until the dreams ate
swe| I awa\ in .in ice-blast of re.Uity, and I sit here in the nudst of
tlesolation, and nervously set to work aj^ain.

"Wednesday, November 14th. How marxellous arc these snuw
shoe runs throUjj;h this silent nature I 'I'he i(i' fields stret( h all amund
bathed in the silver moonlij,dit : here and there dark, (did shadow >,
project from the hummocks, whose sides faintly retlec t t!ie twilii;!it.
Far, f.u' out a dark line marks the horizon, formed by the pac kedup
ice, over it a shinmier of silvery vapour anil above all the boundless
deep blue, starry sky, where the full moon sails throuj^h the ether.
Iiut in the south is a faint i^linuner of day low down of a dark, <,dowip;,'-
red hue, and higher u[) a clear yellow and jiale green arch, that li)^,(.'s
itself in the blue above. The whole melts into a pure iKninony. oni-
and indescribable. At times one longs to be able to transk.te sue h
scenes into nnisic. \\'hat mighty chords one would re(|uire to inter-
pret them 1

".Silent, oh, so sdent I \'ou can hear the vibrations f)f your own
nerves. I seem as if 1 were gliding over and (jver these plains into
infinite space, is this not an image of what is to come? ICternit)
and peace are here. Nirvana nuist be cold and bright as such an
eternal star-night. What are all our research and unilerstanding in
the midst of this infinity ?

*' I'riday, November 16th. Tn the forenoon I went out with
Sverdrup on snow-shoes in the moonlight, and we talked seriously ot
the prospects of our drift and of the proposed e\i)editi<)n northwar U
over the ice in the s[)riiig. In the evening we went into the matte;-
more thoroughly in his < abin. I stated my views, in which he etilire'y
coincided. I have of late been meditating a great deal on what is tlie
proper course to |)ursue, supjiosing the drift does not take us so far
north by the montli of March as I had anticipated. lUu tp.e more 1
think of i^, the more firmly am I persuaded that it is tiie thing to d).
l''or if il be rijht to set out at 85", it must be no less right to set out at

;,S> ,

Cliapur \ III.

Sj nr S;/. In litlur cim' wl' ^Imiil 1 piiu tr.itc ir.tn incrf iinrtluily
.'•(.'^iioiis t'l III \\c >li(iiil,l (iiluTwix.' ir.ii li. ;iiii! t!ii> licci)ii;i'> .ill tin.' iikmx-
• li'.ir.ilili' il' tlir li\{'it IuimH' (Iocs not j;i'l >o |,ir iK.rlli ;is we IkhI
iH.iu'd. ir uc < .iimol .i< 'ii.illv UM( Il the I'ol", \\li\. \»i' iiiii>t Hi in li k k
lii'lori' n'a( Inn;; it. I lie 111.1111 ( on^hkTiiUitn, .is I niiisl (onst.iiiily
Il ;<r.it. Is not to ic.!< li tluil lA.u I iiKillifiiiatii .il iioml.liiil lo i vploio
t'h' unknown |i.ii;> of the I'olar Sim, wlu'tluT llu'sr lir iK.ir lo or inori'
Il iiiotc iVoin the Poll'. I said this lu'l'oii' si'MJiil; out, and I inil>t kci-j)
i; ( onlimi.ill} in iiiiikI. CiTtainlv tlu'ii' arc inimy iin|ioiiaiil oIisitv.i-
lioiis to lie in.ic'n,' on Ito.inl (liiiiii;,^ tin.' ruitlKr iliil't of ilir skip, many
uiiii h I wdulil (k'.irly like lo <any on inysilf ; luil .ill llu' niort.' iniiior-
t.iiU of tlivsi' will 1)1- iiiadi- f'lu.illy well here, even thon^^li two of our
luiinher lea\t' i!ie slii|) : aiul there can scarcely be any th-uhl th.it the
observations we sh.ill make farther north will not many times outweigh
in \.ilue those I (oiild have 111. ide iluriii}.; the remainder of the time o\\
boaid. So f.ir, then, // /a a!>soliihly i/csiniNt' lliat wc si/ out,

'• 'riicn ( (lines t'.ie (|mstion : What is the best time to start ? 'i'hat
tile siirin,:.;, .M.ir( li at tlu' l.itest. is the only season for siu li a venture,
thi're (an be no ('oubt at all. ilul shall it be ne\l s|iring? Supjiose,
It the worst. \v(.' have not adwiiued farther than to .S3' \. kit, and
I 10" 1'.. loni;. ; then somethin,i,f might be said for waiting till the
spring of i.S(yf): but I (.mnot but think that we should thus in all
prcbability let slip the propitious moment, 'i'he drifting could not
be so wearingly slow but that after another year had el.ijised we
should be far beyoiul the point from whi( h t!u' sledge expedition
ought to set out. If I n.(.'asure the dislaiK e we have drifted from
\o\ember of last _\ear with the compasses and mark off the same
(list. nice ahe.id. by next Xoxi'iidier we should be iiordi of i'r.in/ |osef
I..ind. and a little beyond it. It is coiu eivable. of (durse. that we
were no f.irlher a.dvaiKed in r'ebruary, i.S{j6, either : but it is more
likely from all I can make out. that the drift will iiu rease r.ither tlian
diminish as we work westwards, and coiiseiiuently in I'ebni.irv, 1S96,
we sliould ha\o got too lar ; while, even if one (oiild imagine a Iietter
startiiig-|ioint than that wide h the Irani will jirobably offer us by
Mar( h ist. 1S95.it wiil. at all e\ents. be a possible cue. Il must
« onsefjr.eiit'.} be the safest plan not to 7<'ait Jar anotlur s/n'n^;

Sccoiul Auiiiinr. in ilu: Ice.

3'^

*'Sii(li tlicM ;irr tlif |ir()s|.c( ts lifrnic ii> of |ius')iiiir thr<ni;,'h. The
(list.tm f iViMii thi-^ |irii|)()si',l .st.ii'tin;,'iiiiiiit to ('.i|it.' l''li;;i'l\ . wliit li i>
t'lc iitMrot known l.iml, I srt ilnwn ;it ;il)(ii;l ^^70 niilt"^.* 1 on-M'iiiu'ntK
imt nuK li niiiir t!i;iii tlu- distant f we toviTi'il in (liiH'nlanil. ami that
\v(tnlil l)c i'.!>v umk I'tKtu;;!! (i\t'r tlii^ i< i-. I'Vi-n il it ilid lii-conif Minn -
what liail towaiiU land. If uut v a 1 oa^t is iva( lirl. any iiMxinalili'
I'lini,' (an miitIv niana;^i' to suhsi^t liyhnntinn. wlu'tlicr lai';;t' nr ^lnlll
;,'anu', ulu'tlicr hrars or sandh()lt|n.'rs, '^lnl^ wr lan al'.va\-> make Ini
('a|n' l'"li,ucl\ or iVtcrniann's Land, wliic '1 lirs noitli of it. if our
situation lR'((init's untcnaliU'. Tlu' dist.UHi' will, of < (uusc, he
in( ivasi'd tlu- farther we advance northwards, hut at no point what-
I'ver between here and the Pole is il ^^reater than we (an an 1 will
manage, with the help of our do^^s. ' A line of retreat ' i-> tlierclorc
secinx-il, th()U,i,di there are those doubtless who hold tliat a barren
coast, where yon must llrst scrapi' your fooil tonrther before \nu (an
eat il. is a poor retreat i'or hungry men ; bait that i> n ally tin advaii
ta,i,H'. for such a retreat would not be too alUnMn;,'; A wreti he 1 in'/eii-
tion, forsooth, for peojile who wi^h to push fui. is a ' line of retreat."
an everlaslin.u inducement to look bi'iiind. when they 'hou' ' ha\c
enou^fh to do in lookin^^ ahead.

'■ I'ut now for the expedition itself. It will (onsist of jS do^s. two
men. and 2.100 lbs. of provisions and e(iuipnients. The distance to
the I'ole from S^V' '••' 4^.3 mi'*-'^- I^ 't t<'<' I'Uic h to cakukite that \\r
mav be able to accomplish that distance in 50 days? 1 do not o'
course know what the stnyini,' powers of the do,L(s may \)v : but thai,
with two men to help, they should be able to do i)\ miles a day with
75 lbs. each for the fust few clays, sounds sufficiently reasonable, e\ en
if tlu'V are not verv t,rc)()d ones. 'I'his. then, can scarcely be called a
wild calculation, always, of course, supposin,i( the ice to be as it i>
here, and tliere is no reason why it should not be. Il, indeed,
steadily im])ro\es t!ie l.iither north we ,i,a't ; and il also improws witli
the approach of spring. In 50 days, then, we sj-.o'ild reach I'le Pole
(in 65 days we went 345 miles over the inland ice of (ireeiilan 1 at an

* Thcic must l.c an cnor Iiero, as ilie distancX' to Ca\)<.- V\\'j;v\y from t'le ]> 'ini
])r(']M)S(.Mi, S^' X. lat. and no E. Imii;., is ijuitc 4O0 miles ; I iuul [iilaiiiy lakoa
the Kngi'.ii le as ico' in.Nicad of iio'.

^"1,

Chapter V'lil.

ekn-ation of w.uxv tliaii S.coo iVft without ('(>;:> ;in(i witli ('.cfcctive
provisions, ami could ccvtainh' have p)iK' (onsidfiahly tarthcr). In
50 (lays we sliall have consuined a pound ol" |>emnii( an a day for each
<1<!.U,''' tliat is 1.400 llis. alloyelher : and 2 Ihs. of provisions for each
i^i.ui daily is 200 lbs. As soir.e iuel also will have been consiniied
d'j.riiii^f tliis linie, the rreii,du on the sled,<,a'S will have diminished to
less than 500 ll;s., hut a burden like this is nothini,^ for 2<S doi^^s to
draw, so that they oiij^ht to ^o ahead like a ,uale of wind din'in^' tlie
latter part of the time, and thus do it in less than tlie 50 days.
However, let us suppose that it takes this tin-.e. If all has ijone well,
we shall now direct our course for the .Seven Islands, north of Spit/.-
ber,i,ren. Tb.at is 9', or 620 miles, lint if we are not in lirst-rate
condition, it will be safer to iv.ake for Cape Idiyely or the land to the
north oi' it. Let us suppose we decide on tliis route.- We set out
Irom tlu' I')(U/i on Marc h 1st (if circ imislances are favourable, we
should start sooner), and therefore arrive at the Pole .April ^cth. We
shall have about 500 lbs. of our jirovisions left, enor.gli for anoiher 50
• lays : but we can spare none for the dogs. We must, theretcre,
i.eL'in killini,' some of tliem. either for I'ood for the others, or for our-
selves, uiviny our provisions to them. I'Lven if my lij^ures are somewhat
too low, I m.ay assume that by the time twenty-tliree dc.us have been
kil'ed we shall have travelled 41 days, and still liave five doi,rs left.
How far south shall we have advanced in this time? The weight of
baggage was. to begin with, less than 500 lbs., that is to say less than
! S lbs. for each dog to draw. After 41 days this will at least have
1 een reduced to 280 lbs. (bv the consimiption of jnovisions and fuel
and by dis];ensing with sundry articles of our ecpiipment. such ;;s
slet ping-bags, terits. etc., etc., which will ha\e become superlluous).
'i liere remain, tb.en, 56 lbs. lor e;x-h of the five dogs, it we draw
ni. thing ourselves ; and should it be di'sirable. cur e(iui|imcnt migiit
be still further diminished. With a burden ol" from 1 S t(j 56 l!;s.
apiece (tb.: latter wcnild only be towards the end), the dogs would on
an average be able to do 13^ miles a day, even if the snow surface

* nu;in;4 ihc :'.ctiKil c\]UMlitic.ii the c1'>l;> IkkI In lie roiitent wiili a imicli .smaller
''..ily i.Tii'/i), (;ii an axorage scarci ly mnic tlian 9 or 10 n,>.

',-1 :;]:^:w%!^,

I ^^■.. ^■.■, -^^ (; ■

!'■:

^ l^f

VV,- V. '

%■■

' wH..

I.'

I'! I

i ;

;84

Chapter VIII.

should hcToniL' somewliat more (lit"ti( iilt. Tlint is to sny, \vc sliall
li;nx' 'fH)Uv 565 niilr-. to tin; sotitli. or \vr s'lall hi- iSj; miles past CaMe
l'"li^L'ly, oil June 1st, with five doi;'^ aii:l nine days" ])ro\ision.-> left..
I'ut it is ]irol)a!)'L . in t'.e first jilace. tliat we >liall loni;- liefore this
have reached iaii 1 ; and, st'condly, so early as the ilrst half of April
the Austrians loiind open water by Cape T'li^ely and abundanre of
l)ir,ls. Coiiseijuently in May and June we .should have no difficult)
as regards food, not to mention that it would be strange indeed if we
had not before that tiiivj met witli a bear, ur a seal, or some stray
birds.

"That we should now bi' ])rettv safe T consider as certain, and we
can choose whichever route we please: either alont,' the north-west
coast of l''ran/ Josef Land by (lillis Land towards XorthdCast Island
and S|;itzberi,a'n (and should circunistan< es prove fivourable, this
would decidedlv he m\' choice), or we can i,m soutli thro.>-,!i Austria
Sound towards the south ( oast of franz ]:^c\' Land, and thence to
Novava Z'jndva or Spit/berij[en, the latter bv preference. We maw
of CO. use. find LiiLjIishmen on Vvav./. Josef land, but that we must
not reckon on.

'•Such, ihen, is my calculation. Have T made it recklessly ? Xo,
1 think not. 'I"he only difficulty would be if duriiiij; the latter [)art of
the journey, in May, we >hould find the siirfice like that we had here
last s])rin,n-, at the end of ^fay, and should be considerablv delaved bv
it. liut this woulil only be towards the very end of our time, and at
worst it could not be entirely impa^sab'e. ISesides, it would be strange
if we could not manage to a\erage 1 i j, mdes a-day during the whole
of the journey, with an average load for each dog of from 30 to 40 lb;.
— it would not be more. However, if our calculations should pro\e
f::;uUy, we can ahvays. as aforesaid, turn back at any moment.

" JlVidi uiiforcsc:!! ol'stack's vmy cnifroiit us !

" I. The ice ma\- bt' more iirp-acticable than was supijoseil.
" 2. ^^'e mav meet with land.

" 3. The dogs may fail us, may sicken or freeze to death.
"4. ^\'e ourselvo may suffer \\\,m scnrv_\-.

" I ar.d 2. That the ice may be more im[i:-.ic'dcable fu'/dier iKirin

this

IIOI'IU

- ^ ;."

03 ci

■ <

2 c

Second Autumn in the Ice.

3^7

is certarnly possible, Init liardly probaljlc. 1 laii see no reason why it
should he, unless we have unknown lands to the north, liut should
this he so- very well, wc rmist take what ehanc t- we lind. The ire
tan scarcely he altcif'jther inipass;il)!e. l'",\rii ]\larkham was ahlc to
advance with his scurvy-smitten [)eople. And the coasts of this land
may possibly he advantai^eous for an advanc t- ; it: simply depends on
iheir direction and extent. It is difficuil to say anylhint,' beforehand,
except that I think the depth of water we ha\e here, and the drift of
the ice render it improbable that we ( an have land of any extent at
all (lose at hand. In any case there must, s(nnewhere or other, he a
jiassaj^a' for the ice, and at the worst we can lollow that passage,

"3. There is always a possibility that the doi;s may fail us, hut, as
may he seen, I have not laid out any scheme of I'xcessive work for
them. And, even if one or two of ihem should jirove failures, that
could not be the case with all. A\'ilh the food they have hitherto had
they have g(Jt through the winter and the cold without mishap, and the
food they will gel on the journey will be heller. In my calculations,
moreover, I have taken no account of what wi' shall draw ourselves.
And, even supposing all the dogs l(; fail us, we ( ould manage to get
along by ourselves pretty well.

"4. The worst event would undeniably he that we ourselves should

he attacked by scurvy ; and, nolwithstanding our excellent health, such

a contingency is ([uite ((jnceivable, when it is borne in mind how in

the I'aiglish North Pole Ivxpedilion all the men, with the exception of

the officers, suffered fiom scurvy when the spring and the sledge

journeys began, although as long as ihey were on h(xird ship they

had not the remotest susi)icif)n thai anything of ihe kind was lying in

wait for them. As far. however, as we are concerned, 1 consider this

contingency very remote. In the fust jilace, the Knglish I'.xpedition

was remarkably unfortunate, and hardly any others can show a similar

experience, although they may ha\e unckrlaken sledge journeys of

e(iual length for example. M( 'linlock's. During the retreal of ih :

Jeaitnctte party, so far as is known, no one was attacked with scurvy.

I'eary and Astrup did not suffer from scurvy either. Moieover our

sup])ly of provisions has been more carefully selected, and offers greater

.ariety than has been the ease in former expeditions, not one of which

2 c 2

j88

Chapter VIII.

has enjoyed such [)erfL-(;t licahli as <nirs. I scarcel)- think, thfiefme,
that \Vf shoiihl take witli us fr(jm tlie h'rivu any j^crnis of scurvy, ami a^
regards llic provisions for the sledge journey itself, I have taken care
that they shall consist of good all-round, nutritious arti. les of food, so
duit I can scarcely hjjieve th;il the\- would he the means o( dcNcloping
an attack of this di^t-asc. Of course, one must run some risk ; hut in
my (j|)inion all possible precautions have been taken, and, when that i>
done, it is one's duty to go ahead.

" 'There is yd another question that must he taken intf) considera-
tion. Have I the right to de[iri\i' the ship and those who remain
behind of the resources such an expedition entails? Thi- fact that
there will !).• two men less is oi' little imjjortnnc e. for the l''ia)ii (an he
handled (juite as well with eleven men. .\ more important p')iiit is
that we shall have to take with us .dl the dogs exct'iit the sevi'U
puppies ; but they are am[)ly supplied with sledge provisions and
first-class sledge ecjuipments on board, and it is incont eivalile that
in case anything happened to the h'raiii they should be unable to
reach l-ranz Josef Land or Sjjitx.herge!!. It is scarcely likely that in
case they hail to abandon her, it would bj fuither north than CS5 :
|)robably not e\en so far north. lUil sup[)ose thev wi-re obugeii to
,d)an(lon her at <S5 , it would piobably be about north of Fran/ Josef
Land, when they would be 207 miles from Cape i''ligel\- : or if further
to the east it would be some 2;6 miles from the Sc\en Island- ; and it
is hard to behove that they could not manage a distance like that with
our equipments. N(.)w, as before. I am of opinion that the /vviw will
in all probability drift right across the polar i)a;Mn and out on the other
side without being stopped, and withoiu being destroyed : but even if
any accident should occur, I do not see why the crew should net be
able to make their way home in safety, ]iny\ided due measures of
precaution are observed. Conseiiuenllx, T think there is no re.ison
whv a sledge expedition should not leave the l-'rani .- and 1 feel lh.it
as it [)ruuiises such good results it ought cerlaiidy to be attem[ited.."

CHAPTER IX.

V.'r: Pkki'ake rok thic Slkdoi: Kxpkditiov.

Who arc to he the two members of the e\i)edition ? Svtrdrii]) uiid I
have tested each other before at tlus sort of work, and we could manage
very \\c'.\ ; but we cannot botli leave the J'raw ; that is perfectly clear
without further argument. One of us must re-nain behind to take on
himself the responsibility of bringing the others home in safety ; but it
is e(iually clear that one of us two must conduct the sledge expedition,
as it is we who have the necessary experience. Sverdrup has a great
desire to go ; but I cannot think otherwise than that there is more risk
in leaving the J'hi/// than in remainmg on board her. Consequently, if
I were to let him go, I should be transferring to him the more danger-
ous? task, while keeping the easier one to myself. If he i)erished, should
I ever be able to forgive myself for letting him go, even if it was at his
own desire ? He is r ine years older than I am ; I should certainly
feel it to be a very uncomfortable responsibility. .-\nd, as regards our
comrades, which of us would it be most to their interest to keep on
board ? I think they have confidence in both of us, and I think either
of us would be able U) take them home in safety, whether with or with-
out the /->■(////. Hut the ship is his espec;ial charge, while on me rests
the conduct of the whole, and especially of the scientific investigations ;
so that I ought to undertake the task in which important discoveries are
to be made. Those who remain with the ship will be able, as afore-
said, to carry on the observations which arc to be made on board. It
is my duty, therefore, to go, and his to remain behind He, too, thinks
this reasonable.

1 have chosen Johansen to be my companion, and he is in all respects
well qualified for that work. He is an accomplished snow-shoer, and
few can ecjual his powers of endurance—a fine fellow, physically and

f
flfl

;' I

390

Chapter IX.

mt'iitally. T have nut yt't asl<t.(l Iiim, hut think of doing so soon, in
ovclrr tliat lie may hr picparecl hi'tinu'S. lik-ssing and Hansen also
would certainly be all eagerness to accompany me : hut Hansen must
remain beliintl to take <hargc of the observations, and lilessing ( annot
desert his post as doctor. Several of the others, too, v.oiild do ([iiitc
well, and woukl, I doubt not, be willing enough.

This espedition to the north, then, is p'rovisionally derided on. I
shall see what the winter will bring us. bight permitting, I should
prefer to start in l"'ebruary.

"Sunday, November iSth. It seems as if I (ould not pni])erly
realise the idea that I am really to set out, and tliat in three months'
time. .S(Miietimes 1 delude myself with charming dreams of my return
home after toil and victory, and then ah is clear and bright. Then
these are succeeded by thoughts of the uncertainty and deceptiveness
o4" the future and wlial mav be lurking in it, and niv dreams faile
away like the northern lights, pale and cohnuless.

" ' Ihr naht eu( h wieder, schwankeiide ( ie^talteii.'

" Ugh ! These everlasting cold fits of doubt ! before every di'-
cisive resolution the dice of death must \)v thrown. Is there too
much to venture, and too little to gain? There is more to be gaineil,
at all events, than there is here. Then is it not my duty ? besides,

there is only one to whom I am responsihle, and she ? I

shall come back, I know it. I have strength enough for the task.
'lie thou faithful unto death, and thou shalt inherit the crown of lile.'

" We are oddly constructed machines. .\t one moment all resolu-
tion, at the next all doubt. . . 'I'o-day our intellec t, oiu' science, all
our'i.eben und Treiben " seem but a pitiful Philistinism, not worth a
pipe of tobacco ; to-morrow we throw ourselves heart and soul into
these very re.searches, consumed with a burning thirst to absorb
everything into ourselves, longing to s])y out fresh paths, and fretting
impatiently at our inal 'litx- to solve the problem fully and completely.
Then down we sink again in disgust at the worthlessness of it all.

" ' As a grain of dust in the balance is the whole world : as a drop
of morning dew that falb on the ground.' If man has two souls,
which then is the right one?

\Vc Prepare for the Sledge I^xpedition.

391

" It is nothing new to suffer from tiu' f.u t tli;it oiir kiiowk'd^L' ( ;im
hv i)ut fra.mncntary, that wv can ni-vcr fathom wiiat lies l)C'hiii(i, Hut
suppose, now, that we couhl reckon it out. tiiat tiie inmost se( ri't of it
all l:iy as dear and plain to us as a rule-of-three sum. sliould we he
any the hajjpier? l*ossibl\' just tiie rexerse. Is it not in llie stru^^le
to attain knowledge that happiness consists? I am very ignorant,
eonseciuently the conditions of happiness are mine.

" Let me fill a soothing pipe and he happy.

" No, the ])i])e is not a success. Twist tohac co is not delicate
enough for airy dreams, i.et me get a c-igar. Oh : if one had a real
Ilavanna !

" H'm ! as if (hssatisfac tion. longing, suffering, were not the verv
basis of life. Without ])rivation tiiere would he no struggle, and
without struggle no lile that is as certain as that two and two make
four. And now the struggle is to begin, it is looming yonder in the
north. Oil ! to drink delight of battle, in long, deep draughts.
Battle means life, and behind it victory beckons us on.

" I close my eyes. I hear a voic e singing to me :

'• ' In amongst the fragrant birc Ii,

In amongst the Howers" perfume,
Deep into the pinewood's church.' "

"Monday, November u;th. Confounded affectation, all this
Weltschmerz ; you liave no right to be anything but a hap[)y man.
.\nd if you feel out of spirits, it ought to cheer you up simplv to
go on deck and look at these seven pupjjies tlial come frisking and
springing about you, and are read} to tear you to pieces in sheer
enjoyment of life. Life is sunshine to them, though the sun has
long since gone, and they live on deck bcncrith a tent, so thai 'hev
cannot even see the stars. There is • Kvik," llie mother of tiie family,
among them, looking so plump and contented as slu' wags her tail.
Have you not as much reason to be happv as ihev ? \'et thev loo
have their misfortunes. The afteriioon of the day before vesterday,
as I was sitting at work, I heard the mill going rotuid and round,
and Peter taking food to the puppies, which as usual had a bit
of a fight over the meat i)an : and it struck me that the axle of

■I .

■f i

392

Chapur IX.

tlu' iiiiM. \vhiiliii:j, t;n<,'\i,ii(liil mi ilic (lc( l<. \v.i> ;in tAtri'iiiclv il.in_L,'cn)iis
ilTiiir lor llu'in. '\\\\ ininuic^ l.iitr I hranl a iIol; liowliiif,'. a move
Diij^-diaw 11. iiiK niiilurialilc kind n|' howl than was usual wluii lIu'V
weri' li^fjuini; ; and at tlic -.ainr nidinvnl the mill slowi-d down. I
ruslu'd 'out. 'I'luTf 1 s.iw .1 pnpiiv li.nht in ihf a\lt.', wliirlin^f round
Willi it and liowliiiLT jJiiL-oush. so that it < i:t one to the soul. Hcnt/rn
was han;>,nn,i,' on to the brake rope, liaulin},' at it with all his miyht and
main ; hut still the mill wi'iit round. My lirsl idea was to sii/e ai,
axe that was lyinj,' there to put the dog out of its misorv. its cries
were so liearlrendiiii; : hut on second thoughts 1 hurried on to hel|i
nent/eii, and we got the mill stopped, .\t the same momi'iit .\Iogstad
also eame up, and while ",e held tin- mill he managed to set the
puppy (w'v. .\pparently there was still some lite in it, and he set to
tvork to ruh it gently and eoa\ it. The hair ot its loat had sonielunv
or other got frozen on to the smooth steel axle, and the poor l)east
had heen swung round and hum]ied on the de( k at every re\()lution
of tin- wlu-el. At last it actually rai: vd its head, and looked round in
a da/ed wa\-. It had made a good many revolutions, so that it is no
wonder if it tound some diftic ulty in getting its hearings at lirst.
Then it raised itself on its fore-paws, and I took it aft to the half-
ileck and stroked and patted it. .Soon it got on all four legs again,
and began shambling about, without knowing where it was going.

••'It is a good thing it was caught Iiy the hair,' said lient/en,
'I thought it was hanging fast by its tongue, as the otiier one did.'
Only think of being !i\ed by t!ie tongue to a revolving axle the
mere notion makes one shudder ! I took the jioor thing down into
the saloon and did all I could for it. It soon got all right again,
and began playing with its companions as before. A strange life,
to rummage about on deck m the dark and (old : but whenever one
goes up with a lantern they come tearing round, stare at the light, and
begin hounding and dancing and gambolling with each other round it.
like ( hildren round a Christmas tree. This goes on day alter dav.
and they have never seen anything else but this deck with a tarpaulin
over it, not even the cUar blue sky ; and we men have never seen
anything other tha i this earth !

'•The last step o\er the bridge of resolution has now been taken.

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In the fdriMnoti I i'X[)laitic{l the uliolc m;ittfr to (oIkiiiscii in |iiiitv
nuu li the s.mu' terms ;is I li;ivc iisi-d above ; and lluii 1 cspati.iteil
on the <lit'(ieiiltics lliat niij,'lit OOair, and laid strong eni|iluisis on liic
danj;ers one nmst he prepareil to encoimter. It w.is a serious m.itier

a matter ol htc or death this one must not (onccal IVoui omselt'.
He must tiiink thi- tliint^ wi-li over before determinitiL: whether he
wonhl a((()m|)any ine or not. If lie was willing to (onie I should be
j^iad to ha\c him with me; but I would rather. I >aid. he should take
a day or two to think it well user belore he L;;i\e me his answer. He
dill not iK'ed any time for rellection. lu' said : hi' was ijuite willm.; to
go. Sverdru]! had long ago mentioned the possibility of sui h an
e\|)eilition, and he had thought it wi-ll over, and made u\) his min<l
that if my choice should fall on him he would take it as a great favour
to be pi-rmitted to accompany me. ' I don't know whether ycaill be
satisfied with this answer, or whether you would like me still to think
it over : but I should certainly never < hangi' my mind." * No, if you
have already thought seriousl)- about it thought what risks you expose
yourself to the chance, for instanc e, that neither of us may ever see
the face of man again — and if you have rcllected that even if wc get
through safe and sound we must necessarily fac c a great deal of hard-
ship on an expedition like this -if you have made up your mind to all
this. I don't insist on your reflecting any longer about it.' ' N'es, that
I have.' ' Well, then, that is settled. 'I'c-morrow we shall begin our
preparation*! for the trip. Hansen must see about appointing another
meteorological assistant.'"

" 'I'uesday, November 20th. This evening I delivered an address
to the whole ship's company, in which I announced thic determination
that hail been arrived at, and explained to them the projri ted ex-
pedition. First of all I briefly went through the whole theory of our
undertaking, and its history from the beginning, laying stress on the
idea on which my plans had been built up, namely that a vessel which
got frozen in north of Siberia must drift across the I'olar Sea and out
into the Atlantic, and must pass somewhere or other north ol' I'ranz
Josef Land, and between it and the Pole. The objei t of the expedi-
tion was to accom])lish this drift across the unknown sea, and to
pursue investigations there. I pointed out to them that these invcsii-

Ill'

196

Chapter IX.

r'l

i ill

k v.

gallons wouM l;e of vi\\\a\ importance wlicilier llie cNpcdition actually
passed a( ross the Pole iisclf or at sonic distance from it. Judging
from our experiences hitherto, we could not entertain any doubt that
the e\|)edilion would solve the i)rol)lem it had set before it ; evcrythin<:
liad up to the jjresent i^'one according to our anticipations, and it was
to he hoped and exi)ected that this would continue to he the ease
for tlie remainder of the voyage. W'c had, therefore, every prospec t
of accomplishing the princifud part of our task ; but then the tjuestion
arose wlu. aer more could not bo accomplishetl ; and thereupon I
])roceeded to explain, in much the same terms as I have used above,
how this might be effected by an expedition northwards.

'■ 1 had the impression that everyone was deeply interested in the
projected expedition, and that they all thought it most desirable that
it should be attempted. The greatest objection, I thii^k, they would
have urged against it, had they been asked, wouhl have been that
they themselves could not take i)art in it. 1 impressed on them,
however, tliat while it was unquestionably a fuie thing to push on as
far as possible towards the north, it was no whit less honourable an
undertaking to bring the /'ram safe and sound right through the
Polar Sea, and out on the other side — or if not the Fraiii, at all events
themselves, without any loss of life. This done, we might say, without
fear of contradiction, that it was well done. I think they all saw the
force o( tliis and were satisfied. So now the die is cast, and 1 must
believe that this expedition will really take place."

So we set about our preparations for it in downright earnest. I
have already mentioned that at the end of the summer I had begun
to make a kayak ibr a single man, the frame of which was of bamboo
carefidly lashed together. It was rather slow w(>rk, and took several
weeks, but it turned out both light and strong. WJien completed the
frame-work weighed i6 ibs. It was afterwards covered with sail-cloth
by Sverdrup and Blessing, wlien the whole boat weighed 30 .l,s. After
finishing tliis, I had entrusted Mogstad with the task of building a
similar one. Johansen and I now set to work to make a cover for
it. These kayaks wen' Xl'^ metres (12 feet) long, about o'7 metre
(28 inches) wide in the nuddle, and one was 30 centims. (12 inches)
and the other 38 centims. (15 inches) deep. This is considerably

Wit Prepare for the Sledge I'lxi^L'ditioii. 397

shorter and wider than an ordinary I'lskinio ka\ak. and <(inse.]uentlv
these boats were not so iit,dit to projjel tiirou,uh the atcr. lUil a^
they were chiefly intended lor crossiiii^ over cliannels and open s[)a( es
in the ice, and coastinij alon<r possible land, si)eeil was not of nun h
importance. The great thinij; was that the boats shtuiid be stronu
and light, and siiould be al)le to carry, in additioii to ourselves, pro-
visions and e(iuipnients for a considerable time. If we had made
them longer and narrower, besides being heavier they would haw been
more exposed to injury in the course of transport over the uneven ice.
As they were built, they proved admirably adapted for our purpose.
When we loaded them with care, we could stow away in them pro-
visions and e(pii])ment for three months at lea.st for ourselves, besides
a good deal of food for tlie dogs ; and v.e could, moreover, carry a
(log or two on the deck. In other respects they were essentially like
the I'.skimo kayaks, full-decked, save for an a])erture in the middle for
a man to sit in. This aperture was encircled by a wooden ring, after
the Eskimo fashion, over whic h we could slip the lower |)art of our
sealskin jackets, specially adjusted for this i)uri)ose, so that the juni lion
between boat and cape was watertight. When these jac kets were
drawn tight round the wrists and face the sea might sweej) right (iver
us without a drop of water coming into the kayak. We had to [)rovi(le
our.dves v/ith such boats in case of having to cro^^s cp.-n stretc hes
of sea on cur way to Spit/bergen, or, if we chose the other route,
between Franz Josef J, and and Novaya /emlja. l>esides this aperture
in the middle, there were :>inall trap-doors fore and aft in the dec k.
to enable us to put our hand-^ in and stow the provisions, r.nd also get
things out more readily, without ha\:iig to take- out all the freig'.t
through the middle j\<' rlure. ii; case what we wanted lav at « itiuT
extremity, 'i'hese trap-('oor:-. ho.vewr, could be closed so as to be
quite watertight. 'I'o make iheianvas fjuite ini])e!\ ions ; > water the
best plan would have bi'cn to have sized i!, and tlien pai:;ie>! '' exter^
nally with ordinary oil paint : but on the one hand il was \im\ diriicull
to do this work in the extreme < oil (ii\ tin- hold the tciiiMcr.itUie \va>
— 20" C. (— 4' h.) ), and on llv- other hand 1 was alVaid liu' paint
might render tb.e canva> too h.ard and brittle, and apt to ha^eholfs
knocked in it during tr;:;>por*. c'\c: the ice. Therefore 1 preterrcd

398

Chapter IX.

1 i

to steep it in a mixture of jjaraffin and tallow, which added somewhat
to the wei«riit of the kayaks, s(j that altogether they came to weigh
about ,36 lbs. apiece.

1 had, moreover, some hand sledges made especially for this
ex]jedilion : they were supple and strong, designed to withstand the
severe tests to whi( h an expedition with dogs and heavy freights over
the imeven drift-ice would nec;essarily expose them. Two of these
sledges were about the s'ame length as the kayaks, that is, 12 fet-t. 1
also made several experiments with respect to the clothes we should
wear, and was especially anxious to ascertain whether it would do to
go in our thick wolfskin garments, but always came to the conclusion
that they were too warm. Thus, on November 29th, I write: "Took
another walk northwards in my wolf-skin thx's. : but it is still too mild,
— 35'2" 1'". (— 37'6^ C). I sweated like a horse, though I went
fasting, and quite gently. It is rather Iieavy going now in the dark,
when one cannot use snow-shoes. 1 wonder when it will be cold
enough to use this dress."'

On December 9th again we went out on snow-shoes. *'* It was —
41° ('. (— 4i\S' I'".). Went in wolf-skin dress, but the i>erspiration
|)oured down our backs, enough to t'arn a mill. Too warm yet; good-
ne.ss knows if it ever will be cold enough.''

Of course, we made some experiments with die tent and with the
cooking appaiatus. On December 7th I write: '" I pitched the silk
tent we are going to take, and used our cooking api)aratus in it.
IrcMn rejieated trials it ajjpeared that from ice of — 35° C. (—31° F.)
we boiled 3 litres of water (57} pints), and at the same time melted
5 litres (8^^ pints) in an hour and a half, with a consum])tion of about
120 grammes oi" snowflake petroleum. Xexl day we boiled 2^ litres
of water (over 4 pints), and melted 2^ litres, in one hour, with 100
grammes of snovvHake petroleum, ^'esterday we made about 2 litres
of excellent oatmeal porridge, and at the same time got some half-
melted ice and a little water in little over halfan-hour, with 50
grammes of snowtlake petroleum. Thus there will be no very great
C()nsum])lion (.f fuel in the day."

Then I made all kinds of calcidations and < ompvitations in order
to find out what would be the most advantageous kind of provisions

\Vc Prepare tor tlic Sledge Expedition. 399

for our expedition, it hcinir of the (greatest momeiii that tlie food both
for dogs and men should be nutritious, and yet should not \veiij;h
more than was absolutely necx-ssary. J,ater on, in the list of our
e(iuii)ments, 1 shall gi\e the final result of my delil)erations on this
maiter. Besides all this, we had of co u'se to consider and test the
instruments to he taken with us, and to ,i;<) into many other matters,
which, thou,:f]i perhaps triiles in themselves, were yet absolutely
necessary. It is on the felicitous combination of all tiicse triiles that
ultimatv! success depends.

We two passed llv ,neater ])ortion of our time in these pre|)arations,
whi'h also kept many of the others pretty busy during the winter.
Mogstad, for instanc e, found steady employment in making sledges and
litting them with runners, etc Sverdrup busied himself in making
sleeping-bags and many other things. Juell was appointed dog tailor,
and when he was not busy in the galley, his time was devoted to
taking the measurements of the dogs, making harness for them and
testing it. lilessing, too, fitted up for us a small, light medicine chest,
containing selected drug-;, bandages, and such other things as might
be of use. One man was :onstantly employed in copying out all our
journals am' scientific ob. crvations, etc., etc., on thin paper, in a
contracted Ibrm, as I wanted, by way of making doubly sure of their
preservati(jn, to take a (opy of them along with me. Hansen \.-as
occupied in preparing tabular forms necessary for our observations,
curves of ihe movement oi our ( hronometers, and other such things.
15esides this, he was to make a complete chart of our voyage and
drifting u\) to the present lime.

I could i.ot, howe\er, make too great a claim im his valuable time,
as it was necessary that he should continue his scientific observations
without interruption. During this autumn he had greatly increased
the comfort of his work, by building, along with Tohansen, an observa-
tion-hut of snow, not unlike an Ivskimo cabin. He found himself very
much at his ease in it, with a i)etroleum lamp hanging from the roof,
the hght of which, being reflected by the white snow walls, made (juite
a brilliant show. Here he could manipulate his instruments (juietly
antl comfortably, undisturbed by the biting wind outside. He thought
it quite warm there, too, when he could get the temperature up to

■j' I

(

.jOO

Chapter IX.

s()nK'lliii\n' likr 20 hclow rrcc/.iny-poiiU, so tliat he was able without
imicli inconveniciK e to adjust liis instruments with haiv hands. Here
he worked away indei'ati^rably at liis ol)servalions day after day, watching
the often mysterious niovenieiUs of the ina,uiu'li( needle, wliich wouhl
soinctiniLS give him no end of trouhlc. One day — it was November
24th he (ante in to su[)i)ur n httle after () o"( lock, (|uite alarmed, and
said, "Ihcre has just been a singular inclination oi' th.' needle to 24°,
and. remarkably enough, ii.. northern extremity pointed to the east. I
cannot reniember ever having heard of such an inclination." He also
had se\L'ral others of aljout 15'. At the same time, through the open-
ing into his observatory, he noticed that it was unusuall)' light out of
doors, and that not only the ship but the ice in the distance was as
plainly visible as if it had been lull moonliglu. No aurora, however,
could be dis( erned through the thick ( louds that covered the sky. It
would appear, then, that this unusual inclination wa- m some way
connected with the northern lights, though it was to the east and not
to the west as usual. There could be no (piestion of an\ movement
of the floe on whi( h we were lying ; for everything had been perfectly
still and ijuiet, and it is inconceivable Ifiat a disturbance "hidi could
cause siuh a remarkable oscillation of two p'>ints and back again in
so short a sjjace of time should not have been noticed and heard
on board. This theory, therefore, is entirely excluded, and the
whole matter seems to me. for the present, to be incomprehensible.
Ulessing and I at once went on dec k to look at the sk\. Certainly
It was so light that we could see the lanes in the ice astern (juite
plainly ; but there was nothing remarkable in that, it happened often
enough."

" Friday, November 30th. I found a beiirV track on the ice in
front of our bow. The bear had come from the cast, trotting very
gently along the lane, on the 'lewly frozen u e. but I'e must have been
scared bv sometiiir.g or olhei- alieail of the vessrl. a^ he had gone cjff
again with long strides in the diiection from which he had ccme.
Strange that living creatures should be n.'anu'ng al)onl in liiis desert.
What can they ha\e to dn luie ? If only one had su< h ;i stomach, ore
(ouldat least stand a journc} to tlie Pole ;md back without a meal.
W'c shall jirobably have him back again soon. i!ki; is if ] understand

2 D

■ < A

We Prc|)arc for the Sled^^e Expedition. 40^^

his naluiv anVlu, and then iH-rhaps he will come a little ( loser so that
we may have a good look at him.*

" I i)a<ed the lane in front of the port bow. It was 348 par es a( ross
and maintained the same width for a considerahle distance eastward,
nor (an it he mucli narrower for a ^^real distance to the west. Xow,
when one hears in mind thai the lane behind us is also of considerable
width, it is ra'her consoling, alter all, to think that the ice docs pi'rmit
of such large openings, 'i'here must be room en(iu,i:;h to drift, if we
only get wind wind which will never come. On the whole, Xo\ember
has been an unconnn<;nly wretched month. l)ri\en back instead of
forward -and yet this inonlh was so good last )eai. Hut (jiiecan nevt'r
rely on the seasons in this dreadful sea ; taking all in all. prrhajjs, the
winter will not be a bit better than the summer. Vet it surely must
improve — I cannot believe otherwise.

" The skies are clouded with a thick veil, through which the stars
barely glisten. It is darker than usual ; and in this eternal night we
drift about, lonely and forsaken. • I^'or the whole world was fil'ed with
a shining light and undisturbed activity. .'\l)o\e those i:. ;i alone
brooded nought but depressing night -an image of that gloom which
was soon to swallow them u]).'

"This dark, dee]), silent void is like the m\'sterious unfathomable
well, into which \-ou look for that something whic h you think nmst be
there, (jnly to meet the reflection of your own eves. L'gh ! the worn-
out thoughts you can never get rid of become in the end \ ery weari-
some company. is there no means of llceing from oneself, to gra.sp
one single tlujught, only a single one, which lies outside oneself — is
lliere no way e\cei)t death ? l!ut death is certain : one dav it will come,
client and majestic, it will open Nirvana's mighty | ortal, and we shall
be swept away into the sea <jf eternity,"'

■• Sunday, December 2ud. i-'verdrui) has now been ill for some davs :
during the last day f)r two he has been laitl up in his iv.Tih. aiid is still
there. I trust it is nothing serious : he himself thinks nothing .'f it,
nevertheless it is very dis(piieting. Poor fellow, he lives entirely on
oatmeal gruel. It is an intestinal catarrh, which he probably con-

IIc did not teUirn after all.

2 I) 2

^04

Ch.iptcr IX.

ir.Kh'il tliioii^ii (;iti hinii cnlil on tin- i^ c T am aftaid ho lias l)L't'n
lallici cari'lc^s in tlii> rLs|)C( I. 1 lowcvfr, he is now improving, so thai
jiroliahlv It will muhi |i.i>> off: hut it is a warniiiLr noi to l)r o\ri-
(onl'uKnt. I \\v\n lor a lon^ walk tliis niorninn- along tin- lane; il is
(|iiitc a laiL;r one. rstnidini^ a ^ood way to liic l'a^t. and heing of
( on->idiTal)lc !)n.adtli at sonir jioints. Jl is only after walking for a
uliik' on llif ncwK iro/rn ii i', wlnav walking is as oasy and conilortahlc
a^ on a well trodden |ialh. and dicn coming u[) to the snow-covL'red
suiiai t' of the old ici' again, that one thoroughly a|i|)rt'ciates for llu>
fir^t tunc what it means to go without snow-shoes ; the difference is
something marvellous. lA'en if 1 havi' not felt warm hiTore, 1 hreak
out mto a [jcrspiration after going a short distance over th" rough ice.
lint what can i-ne do? One cannot use snow-shoes ; it is so dark that
it IS difli( ult enough to grope one's way about with ortlinary boots, and
even then one stumbles about, or slips down between great blocks of
ice.

'■ 1 am now reading tlie various I'.nglish stories of the i)()lar expedi-
tions (luring the i'lanklin ])eriod. and the search for him and I must
admit I am lilled with .idmiration for these men and the amount of
labour they expentled. 'I'he IJiglish nation, truly, has cause to be
proud of them. I remember reading these stories as a lad, and all my
boyish fancies were strangely thrilled with longing for the scenery and
the scenes which were displayed before me. I am reading them now
as a man, after having had a little experience myself, and now, when
mv mind is uninHr.enced by romance, I bow in admiration. 'I'here
was grit in men like I'arry, l-'ranklin, James Ross. Richardson, and

last, but not least, in M'Clintock and, indeed, in all the rest, liow

wi'll was their equipment thought out and arranged, with the means
they had at their dispo^M. Truly, there is nothing new under the sun.
Most of what 1 jirided myself upon, and what I thought to ')e new, 1
(Ind thev had anticipated. M'C'lintock used the same thing forty years
auo. It w.i> i^.ol their fault that they were born in a country where the
Use of siuiw shoes is unknown, and v.here snow is •carcely to be found
throughout liu- whole wintt'r. Nevertheless, despue the fact that they
had to gain their exiierii

)journ up iu

■nee of snow and sncw travel during their
re - des[iile the fact that they were without snow-shoes

Wc lV{j[)arc lor iIk; SI(h1l;(: Ivxpciliiio

405

aiid had to lull on ns best tlicy ( (niM with ^KmI^'s with nfirrnw niiiiu.TS
over II iiL' veil Mi(>\\-(i)\iiV(l (hitti(c what (hstaiici's (hil tht'y not covci,
what fati<,ai(.'-> and irials did thry iicil liuhiir ! \
and scafirly anyoiu' appiJoacht'd thi'in. uiili

I) iiiii' lias ^iir|i,i>-M(i

iH'ihaii-

the I\ii-'.>iaiis

i>n the Sihrriaii coast ; hut iIk'II they ha\e the ni'eal adwmta^e of I
natives of a countrv wliere snow is not uik i;innion."

)einn

I'liday. I )e(einher 14th. Yesterday we held a L;teat festivity

111

honour of llie I'lam as be

ill" the vessel wli

lich

iias allaiiied the highest

latituilc (the' day before yesterday we reached S2 ^50' \. lat.).

'I'h

le hill of fare at dinner was boik'd mackerel, with

liar

.sley butter

sauce ; pork i ullets and I-'icik h jieas ; Norwej,Man wild strawberries,

with rici' and

nil

( rown mall extrac t

alterwards co

{{i:^

'or

supper :--Xew bread and currant ( ake, etc., etc Later in the evellill^^
a grand concert. Sweets and ])reser\i'il pears were handed round.
The culniinatiiig point of the enlertaininent was reached when a steaiii-
ing hot anil fragrant bowl of cherry-piinc h v,as carried in ami served
round among general hilarity. Our spirits were already very high, but
lis gave colour to the whole proceedings

le greatest pu/zle to most

of them was where the ingredients for the pun< h, and more particularly

the alcohol, luid come from.*

/■;

Then followed the toasts. First, a 1(
d

iiu

a IK

1 f(

e^tive one to ' 'I'he

rtiDi, wliK h had now shown what she was capai)!e (

if. It

ran

somewhat to this effe( t

lere were manv wise men who shoo!'

leir

heads when we starte<1, and sent us ominous farewell greetings. 15ut

their head^sliakings would have been less \ igorou>

and

U'lr evi

forebodings milder, if tliev c(nild havi' seen

us a

t th

IS moment, drift iiiij

etiy and at our ease acre

(lUI

attaiiKM

he most norlherly latitudes ever

by any vessel, an

-til

I'urlher n(..tiiward. And the I'raiii

now not only the most iivirtherly \essel on the globe, but has already
pass(.'d over a large expanse of hitherto unknown regions, manv

degrees further north than ha\
this side Of the Pole. lUit

jhind

he mi>l of the

flit

e ever heeii rt'ached in this oeean on
Iio])e she will not stoji lure; coniiMlfd
ure there are many triumjihs in store for u-^.

WL'

\Vc had used for this purpfisc our pure grape

;iinl.

4o6

Chalkier IX.

triumphs uliic h will dawn iiuon us one by ^mv when their liiue has
come. lint we will not speak ol' tliis now, wc will he content with
what lias a( tually been achieved : and I believe that the premise
implied in Ujornson's greelinj,' to us ami to the /'hi/// when she
was launched, has already beiMi rulfilled, and with him we can
e\( hiiin : —

'* Hunah ("or the -hip and her voyage dread !
W'liert' never bel'ore a keel has spoil,
Where never befori' a name was spoken,
]'>\ Norway's name is 'he siK'Ik e brok-n.'*

"' We <()uld not helj) a peculiar iVeliniX, almost akin to sname, when
comparin,i( the toil and jirivation, and iVeipiently in( vedible sufferings.
inider<,fone by our jiredecessors in earlier expeditions, with the easy
manni'r in whi( h wi- are driftiny across unknown expanses of our
fflobe, lar^'er than il lia^ been the lot oi most, ii' not all, of the former
])olar e\|)lorers to travel over at a slri'ti h. \'cs, truly, I think we Iiavt'
every reason to be satisiied with our voxa^e so far, aiid with the /•hu//,
and 1 trust we shall be able to briui^ something back to Norway
in return for the trust, the sympathy and the money whi( h she has
expended on us. liut let us not on this acrount foru'et oiu' ])re-'
decessors ; K't us admire them for the way in which they struggled and
endured, let us remember that it is only through their labom-s and
achieviMiienls that the way has been pre]iared for the jireseut voyage.
It is thanks to iheir collective experieiu e, that mankind has now got
so far as to be able to cope, to some extent, with what has hitherto
been hi^ most dangerous anil obstinate iMiemv in the Arctic regions,
viz., the (//■//'/-/((•. and to do so \)\ the \erv simiile expedient of <fi)in<r
with it, and not against it. and allowing one>elf to be lu'inmed in by it,
not in\olunt:irily but intentionaII\-. and preparing for it beforehand.
( )n board this vessel we try to < ull the friiit> of all our predecessors'
experiences : it has taken jcars to coliei i them ; !)iit I felt that with
these I should be enabled to face any \iris^itude of fate in unknown
waters. I think we ha\e been Ibrtunate. I think we are all of the
opinion that there is no imaginable difficulty or obstacle before us that
we ought not to be able to overi-onii: with the means and resources we

\Vc Prepare for the Sl(;(Io(; F.Npcclitioii. 407

|)ossess on board, and Ik- thus iiiahlt'd to return ;ii last to Norway
salV and sound, with a rit h liar\t'st. 'rhcret'oru Irt us chink a bumper
to I 111- l-'i\vii ."

" Next tlierc followed some nuisi( al items and a |ieiT(irnian< f by
I.ars the smith, who dance(l a /.m -w/// to the j^Mcat anuisemeiit of ihi'
< ompany. I.ars assured u> that il he ever reached home a),Min and
were present at a i,ratherin<,' sinular to those luld at ( !hri.>tiania and
Uerjfen on our di'parturi', his leys sliould be laved to their uttermost.
This was followed by a toast to those at heme who were waitinjf for us
year after year, not knowing wln'ic to pi( tine us in tlion^lit, who were
vaiidy yearning for tidinj^s of us. but whose faith in us and our voyaue
was ssliii fiini to liiose who (ousiMUed to oiu departure and who ma)
well be said to have made the i,f|eate't sacrifice.

'' 'I'he festi\itv continued with nuisic and merriment throughout the
evelunf,^ and our good humour was certaiidy not spoilt when c)ur
excellent doctor came forward with cigars, a conunodity which is
gettiiiLj highly valued up here, as unfortunately it is becoming very
scarce. The oidy c loud in our existenc c is that S\i'rdrup has not yet
quite recovered from his catarrh, lie mu'.t keep strict diet, and this
does not al all suit him. poor fillow ; hr is only allowed wheaten
bread, milk, raw bear's flesh, and oatmeal porriclgc, wheii'as if he had
his own way he would I'al ever\ thing, including cake, jireservi's. and
fruil. lUU he has returned to dulv now, and has alread\- been out for
a turn on the ice.

'• It was late at night when 1 relirecl to iwy ciabin. but 1 was not yet
in a lit mood to go to shtji. 1 felt I nuist go out and saunter in the
wonderful moonlight. Arciund the moon there wa-^, as usual, a large-
ring, aiul above it there wax an are wliu h just touclK-d it at the upper
edge, but the two ends oi' whii h c•ul^ed downwards instead of ujiwards.
It looked as if it were- pari of a c iic le whoH' c cnlre was situated far
below the moon. At the lowi-r edge of the ring there was a large
mock moon, or rather a lar^^i- luminous ])alch, which was most
lironounced at the uj^iier piart where il touched ihe ring, and had a
yellow ujiper edge from which it spreacl downwards in the form of a
triangle. Il looked as if it nu'ght be an arc of a c in le on the lower
side of, and in contac t with the ring. Right across the moon there

4oS

Cliapur IX.

I In w hull' |jr<)i!iii 111 .1

\\v\v (Irirtin;^ m'vit.iI limiiiuius < inlui-> ^tri.ik-,.
I'.iiiliislii: v\]\t t,'

•• S,iiiii(|,i\ . I )rcfml)t'r 2_mh1. I'Iu; ^.inie south (MNtorlv winil lias
liiriiL'il into . I rcmil.ii ^loiiii, liowlin:; .iml r.itlliiij; iIh.tiiI\ iliidiinh tin-

ii;;;^iii;^, and we .iif doiiiitlrss diifiiii;; iioriliward' at a l; I rate. Il' I

go outside liic lent on dn k. tlu- wind whistles louml in\ tars, and the
snow l)i'at^ into my laic, and i am soon (oscri'd uiili ii. I khu tlu-
snow hut olisiTvaloiy, or r\t>n at a k'ssi'r distaiK i'. ihr /■/■,i/// is
invisihli'. and it is almost impossihk' to ki'f|i one's eyes oiien. owIiil; to
the hlindin^f snow. I wonder whither wr have not |ias>cd S^ ? Hut

n iMMiiiMij^ .->inn>. 1 \Miinui wiuuiti \\r ii,i\i inn |i,ii>»ii o^

I am alVaid this joy will not hi' .i Lislini; one, the h.iroineter h.is lalleii
al.irniinf,dy, and the wind luis j^enerally heeii u|i to 15 or 14 metre
(44 or 50 ieet) per second. Aliout h.dr-|iasl twelve List iiiyht the
vessel suddenly received a stroller picssure, rallliiiij e\erylhin<,f on
hoard. I could leel the vihratiun under me lor a lonj,' time alterwards
while lyiiiLC in my ln'rlh. Finally, I could hear the roarinjf .nid ijr.itm^
taused hy the ice pressure, I told the wat( h to listen ( arefull), and
asiertain wheic the jiressure was, and to iiotue whether the lloe on

ll'lllf-M ll'l > tl-ii1-.> K-IMil- \f1iJ lll-..>l\- t/\ ^^t^■^l•\' '-II1.1 If K . .1 II. .•• >-iii>. •....•» ..i' ......

the jiressure ol yesterday imii last niylu, we had pressure on Thursday
moinini; .it hall' past nine, :\]m\ a,i;.uii at li.iir-[).i.u eleven. It was so
strung that I'eler. who w.is at the sounding-hole, juiupcd up repeatedh',
thiid-cing'lhat the ice would hurst underiiealli hmi. h is \Lry sinnular,
we li.ue been (piiet lor so Iouli; now that we li^el ,ilmo>t i;er\ous when
the /■'/■(/»/ reieivcs these shock* ; everything seem^ to Iremhle as it' in a
violent eaillKpuike.''

II I

We Prepare for the Sledge Kxpedition. 4(1

"Sunday. Decembei 23rd. Wind still unchanged, and blowing
equally fresh, up to 13 or 14 metres (44 or 47 feet). The snow is
drifting and sweeping so tiiat nothing ran be distinguished ; the
darkness is intense. Abaft on the dock, there are deep moulds of snow
lying round the wheel and the rails, so that when we go up on deck we
get a genuine sample of an Arctic winter. 'I'lie outlook is enough to
make you shudder, and feel grateful that instead of having to turn out
in such weather, you may dive back again into the tent, and down the
coiiipanionway iiuo y(nir warm l)unk ; but soon, no doubt, Johansen
and I will ha\e to face it out. day and night, even in such weather as
this, wiiether we like it or not. This morning, Tetterscn, wlu; has had
charge of the dogs this week, came down to the saloon and asked
whether someone would come out with him on the ice witii a rifle, as
he was sinx" there was a bcav. Peter and I went, but we could not iind
anything. The <logs left off barking when we arrived on the scene,
and commenced to p!;iy with each other. lUit Pettersen was right in
saying that it was ' horrid weather," it was almost enough to take away
one's brtfath to face the wind, and the drifting snow forced its way into
tlie mouth and nostrils. The vessel could not be distinguished beyond
a few paces, so that it was not advisable to go any distance away from
her. and it was \ery difficult to walk, for what with snow-drifts and ice-
mounds al one moment xou stumbled against the frozen edge of a
snow-drift, at another von tumbled into a hole. It was pitch-dark all
round. The barometer had been falling steadily and ra])i(lly, but
at last it has connnenced to rise slightly. It now registers ai)out
726 mm. {2^^() inches). The thermometer, as usual, is describing
the in\erse cur\e. In the al'ternoon it rose steadily until it registered
— 21' 3' C. (— 6'^ 1''.). Now it appears to be falling again a little,
but the wind still keeps e\a( tly in the same ([uarter. It ha-< surely
shiftetl us bv now a good w;)\ to the north, well ln'Nond the S^rd
degree. It is (juile pleasant to hear the wind whittling and rattling
in the rigging o\erheatl, .Mas ! we knov/ that all terrestrial bliss ii
short-li\ed.

'■ .About midnight the mate, who has the watch, comes down and
reports that the ice has (aa( ked just beyond the thermometer house,
between it ard the soundinu, hole. This is the same ( ra( k that we

;

Chapter IX.

had ill till' siiinnu'r. ami il has now hurst ojhmi a^.iiii, and prohahly
lIiL- whole floi' in which wi' arc lyiii.n is sjilii h-oni [hv lane ahead
to the lane astern ol

.1 us.

The iheiinogr.iiiii and other instruinents
are heiiiL,' l)roiiL;hl on hoard, so that we uia\- run no ri>k ol" lo.sinf,^
ihcm in the e\ent of pressure ol' ice. lUit otherwise there is s( ar(■,ely
anything that could he en(lani;ered. The soundinjj,' apparatus is at
some distance IVom tlu- ()])en channel, on the other side. 'I'he only
thing left there is die shears with the iron i)iock standing ovt'r the
hole."

"Thursday, Dci ember 27th. Christmas has come round again, and
we are still so far from home. llow dismal it all is ! Nevertheless I
am not melancholy. 1 miglil rather sav 1 am glad ; I feel as if
awaiting someUiing great \\hich lies hidden in the future. After long
hours of uiK ertainty I can now discern the end of this dark night ; 1
have no doubt all will turn out successlully, that the voyage is not in
vain aiid the time not wasted, and that our hopes will be realised. An
explorer's lot is, perhaps, hard and his life full of di ipiiointmenls, as
they all say : but it is also full of beautiful moments, moments when he
beholds the triumphs of human faith and human will, when he catches
siglu of the haven of success and peace.

" 1 am in a singular frame of mind just now, in a state of sheer
unrest. I haven ot felt inclined for v,'iting during the last few days ;
thoughts come and go, and carrv me iru'sistihly ahead. I can scarcely
make my.self out : but who <an fathom the depths of the human mind?
The brain is a ])uz/ling piece of mechanisii

\\^

are su

ch stuff as

dreams are made 01.

is It so

almost l)ehe\e it — a microcosm ol

eternity s inlini

te • stuff that dreams

:ire made ol

This is th.e second Christmas spent (iw awav

111

the solitude of

night, in the re. dm of death, farther north and deeper into the midst of
it than any one has been before. T

lere is somelhini: strar.tie m the

feel

int

uid tl

len this, too, IS our la^t ( ristmaN on lioard

/•

m//!.

makes one almo^>t sad to think of il.

\-essel

i. lit

a SL'iiiiul

home, and has become dear to us. Pediaiis our comrades iiiav

an(jt]ier (Jhristm;

IS here

llO.s^ll)

-ever.

withoui u> who wil

lelid

ro lortli

from tluan into tlie mid>t of the solitude

This (

"hristinas passed ol

(juietly

and I'le.is.m

tly, and everyone ^eems to be

well CO

ntent. I

Wc Prepare; for the Siedoc-. Expedition. 413

means tlu- least <irci,iiistanre lliat added to our enjoyment was that
tlie wind hrounlit us llie S^rd dei,n-ee as a (!hristmas box. Our luck
was, this linie, more lastini,^ than I had anticipated ; the wind con-
tinued fresh oil Monday and Tuesday, hut little by little it lulled down
and \xered round to tlu' north and north-east. N'oterday and to-day
it has been in the ncidi-west. Weil, we must put up with it; tnu
caiTnot help having a little ctmtrary wind al times, and probably it will
not last long.

"Christmas l'",ve was, of course, celebrated with great feasting. The
table presented a truly imposing array of (Christmas confectionery :
' I'oor man's" ]Kistry, ' Staghorn ' |)astr\-. honey-cakes, macaroons,
'Sister ' cake, and what not, besiiles sweets, and the hke ; many may
have fared worse. Moreover, IJIessing and I had worked during the
day in the sweat of our brow and produced a ' I'olar Champagne S3rd
Degree.' which made a sensation, and which we two, at least, believed
we had every reason to be proud of, being a product derived from
the noble grape of the polar regions, viz., the < loudberry {i/iulfcr).
The others seemed to enjoy it too, and, of course, many toasts were
drunk in this nol)ie beverage. (^)uantities of illustrated books were
then brought forth ; there was music, and stories, and songs, and
general metiiment.

"On Christmas Day, of course, we had a special dinner. After
dinner coffee and curacao made here on board, and Nordahl then
came forward with Russian cigarettes. At night a bowl of cdoudberrv
punch was served out, which chil not seem by any means unwidcome.
Mogstac' plaved the violin, and I'ettersen was electrit'ied therebv to
such a degree that he sang anti danced to us. He really e\lul)ils
considerable talent as a comedian, and has a ck-cided bent toward;: tli(^
ballet, it is astonishing what versatility he displays : engineer, black"
smith, tinsmith, cook, master of ceremonies, c( median, dancer, and,
last of all, he has come out in the capacity ol a fir.st-class barber and
hairdresser, 'i'here was a grand 'ball " at night ; Mogstad had to play
till the perspiration poured from him : llansen and I had to ligure as
ladies. IV'ttersen was indefatigable. He faithfullv and solemnlv \owed
that if he has a pair of boots to his feel when he gel-> home he will
dance as Ioult as the soles hold touelher.

414

Chanter IX.

i a

" Day after day, as wc i)r()j,n-c'ssc'(l with a rattlin<j[ wind, fust from
S.lv, ami later on lvS.l'>. and IC, wc frit more anxious to know how

tar wr had tiol, but iuvvv had alwavs hrcn a snowstorm or a (

loud\

sk)', so that wc (ould not make any observations. We weri' all eon-
lideiU that we must liave L;ot a lontj; way u[) north, but how far beyond
the S_:;rd dei;ree no one < ould tell. Sud<lenly Hansen was called on
de( k this afternoon bvthe news that the stars were visible o\erhead.

All

were on the tip toe ol expei tatmn. out when he came down he

had onlv observe(.l one star, which, however, was so near the meridian
that he could cah ulate that, at an\' rate, we were north of 83' 20' X.
lat., and this comnumii ation was ri'( lived with shouts of joy. If we
were not vet in the most northerlv la

ititud

e ever reaclie

d 1

)v man, we

were,

e\eiUs, no

t r

ir from U.

'i'his was moie than we had

e\pe<ted, and we were in

llliill s

pints.

N'esterdaN', 1

)■, i)ein,i,r 'I he St'iond

Christmas Day," of course, bodi on. this account and because it was
juell's bnthda\-, we had a special dmner, with oxtail soup, pork cutlets,

tlowers, fri( andean, potatoes, preserved

r\ e, cauli

rea whortleberry prese

I lu'rants, also pastr\ and a wonderful icecl-.ilmond cake, with the words

Clae

del

(.\ Merrv ('hristma-^) on it,

n"on

1 Hansen, baker.

Christiania, anil 'hen malt e\tia< t. We cannot (om[)lain that we are
.\bout 4 ()'cl(i( k this morning; the vessel received a

fariuL

)a(llv tiere.

violent shock wlm li madi' e\er\lhmu tremble, but no noise 01 ice-

liacl'iinir was

to be heard. .\t about h.ilf pa.^t live I heard, at intervab

the crackniiL;' and crunclui"!

nai'

-ice which was sur^iUL;' m the

lane ahead. .\t niglu similar noises were also heard ; otherwise the
ice was tjuiet, and the i rai k on the port side has closed uj) tiyht
a^aiii."

" Friday. December ^Sih. 1 went out in the morning to have a look
at the (rack on the port >ide. wiiii h ha> no/; widened out so as to fonn
an open I. me. ( )l' course, all the i\oi'^:^ tollowi'd me, and J had not ij;(Jt
far when I saw a dark lorm disap'nar. 'This was • I'aii,' who rolled
down the hi^h siee|) vi\iir of the ice and \'c\\ into the water, in vain
he stri:«(gled to gel out again : all around hiui there was nolhing but
snow slush which atlbrdcd no I'oot-hold. I could scarcely hear a sound
of him, (;nly just a faint whining now and then. I leant down over the
edge in order to get near him, but it w.is too high, and I very nearly

We Prepare for the Sledge Expedition. 415

went after liim head-first ; all that I cniild ;et liold of was loose
fragments of ice and lumps of snow. I called for a .^eal-hook. but
before it was brought to me ' i'an ' had scrambled out himself, and was
leaping to and fro on the floe with all his miglit to keep himself warm,
followed by the other dogs, who loudly barked and gamb^illed about
with him, as though they wished to demonstrate their joy at his rescue.
When he fell in they all rushed forward, looking at nie and whining :
they evidentiv felt sorrv for him and wished me to help him. 'I'hey
said nothing, but just ran up and down along the edge until he got
out. At another moment, j)erhaps, they may all unite in tearing him
to pieces; such is canine and human nature. ' I'an ' was idlowi'd to
dry himself in the saloon all the afternoon.

"A little before half-past nine to-night the vessel recei\ed a
tremendous sho( k. I went out, but no noise of ice-pa< kit\g c.uild be
heard. However, the wind howled so in the rigging that it was not
easy to distinguish any other sound. At liali"-past ten anollua- >I)oi k
lollowed ; later on, from time to time, \ibr;'.ti )ns were felt in the xe-^el,
and towards half-iiasl ele\'en the shocks became stronger. It was clear
that the ice was packing at sonn.' place or other about us, and 1 was
just on the point of going out when. Mcgstad came to announce tiiat
there was a \ery ugly [)ressure-ri(lge ahead. We went out with lanterns.
J'"ifty-si.\ i)aces from the bow there extended a ])erpendi( ular ridge
stretching along the course of the lane, and there was a terrible pressure
goinu on at the moment. It roared and crunched and crackled all
along; then it abated a little and recurred at inter\als, as though in a
regular rhvthm ; tinallv it passed over into a continuous roar. It
seemed to be mostly newly-frozen ice from the c hannels whic h h.ad
lormed this ridge; but theie were al-^o some ])onclcrous l)l(ick> c'l
ice to be seen among it. It pressed slowlv but surelv forward
towaicis the ve>sel ; the ice had given way belore it to a consider.ible
distance, and was stdl being borne down little bv H'.tle. The lloe
around us has cracked, so that the bloi k of ic e in whic:h the \cssel i-.
embedded is smaller than it was. I should not like to have that
[)ressure-ridge come in right under the nose of the /'rain, as it might
soon do some damage. Although thei-e is hardly any prospect of it.s
getting so far, nevertheless 1 have given orders to the watch to keep a

' I

4i6

Chapter IX.

.•iliaii) ''">l< <Hit. and if ii coiiicn very near, or if tin ire should crack
under us. he ;« ;,, ,-:ill nie. I'rohahly ihc prcssuie will soon abate, as
It has now kept up foi sfwnil hours. At this niouient (12.45 -i-m.)
there haw juM been s:>nu' \iokiu sluxks, ami above the howling of the
wuid m the ri-^in,L; I c: 11 hear the roar of the ice-pressure as I lie in
nu berth."

.m.)

ir 111

On
CO

. -l;^'

CHAPTER X.

The New \e.\k, 1895.

" Wedni.sd.w, Jnnuary 2n(l, 1895. Never hcloiv hnve I liad such
stranjfe feelings at the (■oinmencement of the New W'ar. It (annot
fail to i)riii<r some momentous events, and will jjossibly l)e<()nie one of
the most remarkable years in ni\' life, whether it leads me to success or
to destruction. Years come and <,fo unnoticed in this world of ice, and
we have no more knowled<,a' here of what these years have hroui^dit to
humanity, than we know of what the future ones have in store, in
tids silent nature no events ever happen ; all is shrouded in darkness ;
there is nothing in view save the twinkling stars, inuneasurahly lar away
in the freezing night, and the tlickering sheen of the aurora horeatis.
I can just discern close hy the vague outline of the J'hrw, dimly stand-
ing out in the desolate gloom, with her rigging showing dark against
the host of stars. l,ike an infmitesimal speck, the vessel seems lost
amidst the boundless e.\))anse of this realm of death. Nevertheless
under her deck there is a snug antl cherisl ed home for thirteen men,
undaunted by the majesty of this realm. In there, life is freely
pulsating, while far away outside in the night there is nothing save
death and silence, only broken now and then, at long intervals, by the
violent pressure of the ice as it surges along in gigantic masses. It
sounds most ominous in the great stillness, and one cannot help an
uncanny feeling as if supernatural powers were at hand, the Jotuns and
Rimturser (frost-giants) of the Arctic regions, with whom we may have
to engage in deauly combat at any moment : but we are nf)t afraid of
them.

" I often think of Shakes] )eare"s Viola who sat • like patience on a
monument.' Could we not pass as representatives of this marble
patience, imprisoned here on the ice while the years roll by, awaiting
our time ? I should like to design such a monument. It should be

2 K 2

!i I

4 JO

Chajilcr X.

a loiiclv ni;iii ill s!Kij,f,ify woll' sUiii ( lolliiii.u. all (hmtimI with luiai fmst,
sillin;,' on a iiiouiut of icr. ami j,M/in^ t)iit into tlir darkiir-'N at n»^-> tlu'sc
houndios, iioiiili loiis lna^s(.■s oj'itf, awailiii:; tlir H'turii of dayliulit and
s|)|•ill^^

" 'I'lu' ict.' piONiiR' was not nnti(fal)K' alter i o'tlixkon I'lida) ni.ylit.

until it suddmly n'cnninuMu cd hiNi niL;iit.

■ir>t

luard a runihliny;

oiitsidr, and some snow frll down Inmi ihr rijfLMn<f iipdn tlic tent rnof

sal rca(

lii\U : I iIkhi^Iu it soinidrd like pat kin^ in tlu' ice. and just

tlirn tlu- h'rain \\\v\\v(\ a \ inlcnt sIkk k sU( li as slu- had not ir( rivnl
sinci' last wmUlt. I was rot hrd bac k-.v^ird^ and loi \\ard> on tlir ( licst

on w ni( n

contnuK'd

wa-.

sitting. Mndin^ that the trrnihlnii;- and ruinbhnti;

wiMil out.

hrrc w

as a loud roar ol ic

a( kniii to the

wrst and noitli wot, whi( h ( (inlinui'd unirormly for a roupk' of hours

or so.

I-

llu' Xc'W W'ar's iirri'linij- iVoni thr ici'

r sprnt .New

car

'.\c cosiJN, uUh a ( louill)t-'rr\ i)tuuh how

piprs, and (■i^an,■tt^-■s ; nfcdli'>s to sa\, tlu'rc was an ahundaiue ol caki's

and tlu' likr, and we spoke of the Old and tin

Ni'w \

ear, and ila\s

to (onie. Siaiie si'leetions wi're

a\ed on the oruan and violin.

hus midnight arru'ed

lessiiii

.rodueed Irom his aiiiiarentlN' iii-

exhausiihle >loie a liollle of j,fenuine ' linje akkevit" (Line eau de \ie),
and 111 thi> Norwegian lidiujr we drank the Old Near out ind the New

ear 111.

(ourse there was mam' a ihouuhl that would ohtrudi-

Itself, at the < liann'e ol the \ear, heini'- the setond wiiich wi' had seen

on hoard

/■

ram. and also, in all iirohabilitv'. the last that we shoiih

all spend to^i'ther. Naturally t-'nough, one thanked one's (onir.ides

in(UMduall\ and

.lle.t

i\'el\' lor al

mdness and i'(iodiellowsliiii.

liardlv one ol us had thounht. perhap>, that llic time woulil pass so
well up here. .Swrdrup expressed tlu' wish that the j- uriiey which
lohansen and I were ahout to niaki' in the ( emiiiL; year mii^ht he
lortunale and lirin^' siK ( ess in all respects. And then we drank to the
healtli and well-l)ein,L;' in tlie (omin^ \ear of those who were' to temain
behind on Ix-ard the /■);i;!i. It so happened that just now at the turn

)("

he \ear w*

!ood on the \cr'^e of an eiitiri'K' new world

he wind

\vhi( h whis'ikil up in the iih^iul;' oxeiiiead was not omK waitiiiL;' us on
to unknown rei^ioiis. but al.Mi up imo hi-her laiiuidis than ,'.nv human

loot li.id e\er t:

e lelt that lhi> Near, wiiicii was just ( ouimeiu in

'1 he Xcw S'car, KS95.

421

wniilil liiin^ tlu' ( iilininalin^;' |i lint of tlir iA|ic(litii ni, w hen it would
lifir its ii( lir-,1 I'riiit^. Wdulil ill. It this yi'ar iiiiL;lit | iidsc a i^ond ycai
tor l!i(iM' on liiiard tlu' I'ttiiii, that the /■'nrin iiii'^lu ^() ahead, tuh'illiiiL;
her task as ^hv has hithiTio doiu', and in that ( asc iKinr nf ii-^ coidd
d(ud)t that th()>i' on hnard would also [jvovc i'i|ual to tli'- work I'Utiustcd
ti) llu'in.

'• N'rw N'rai's day was u^lirrcd in with the same wind, the same stars
and the same darkness as hefofe. I'.ven at noon oiicianiiot >(■<• the
slif^litest tjinnnier of twilight in the south. N'estcvday I thoiii^ht I (ould
trace sonuthini; of the kind : it lAtemled like a faint Ljleam ol' li'dii

over tile

d<v,

hut It was veliowish while, aiK

1 >tret(

lieiK e

am rather inclined to think that it

1 too Inn!) ii|i
was an aurora horealis

ALrain to-dav the skv looks li'diter near the I'djie, hut th

is (an s( are(

he anylhiiiLj excejit the ,i,deam oftiie aurora horealis, whi( h extends all
round the sky, a little al)o\e the l()Lfd)anks on the liori/on, ami which
is stron^test at the ed<,fe. I'Aaetly similar liLfhts may he observed, at
other times, in other ])arts of the horizon, 'i'he air was partii ularly

clear v

esterdav, but the horizcMi

IS alwavs somewhat loi.

or na/,\

l)min,i,r the nii^dit we had an uncommonlv strom; aurora boreal

streamers were dartiiii,^ in rapid twists over the sout
rea( hini,f to the zenith, and beyond it there was t

wavy

lern s

ky.t

leir ravs

o be seen lor a time a

band m the lorm ol a <for^a'ous corona, castinir a ret1e( t

ion like moon-

shine across

e ice.

le sky liad lit up its torch in I

lonour o

f tl

New \'ear a fairy dance of dartini^ streamers in tl

le depth ol ni'dit.

is contrast mi<dit be taken as

1 cannot help often thinkint^ that th

typical of the Northman's character and destiny. In llie midst of

gloom

V, silenc nature, witli a

Its luimbum cold

we have a I

this

lese

Shooting, glittering, (iuiverin,g ravs of light. Do tl

U'V IK

our wild mountain mi

surgin<r, siiiritual

impetuous ' spring-dancer

gleams in our souls, the rushini

mantle <jf ice? There is dawning life in t

could only reach bevond the icy desert, out over tl

■lod

les.

)t typify our
the auroi'al

lore es hehind the

le slumbering night, if i;

le woi

Id.

nils

I ^95 comes in : —

Turn, Fortune, turn thv wheel and I

ower the proud

'lurn thy wild wheel thro' sunshine, storm, and cloud
Tliy wheel ^mX thee we neither love nor hale.

422

Chapter X.

Smile ;in(l uc siiiilc, llir lunU dl mans lands ;
lidwn ami wi- smile, ilu' lonU dl' 'lur own liaiuN
I'of man i> man and masUT <>( ln\ fate."

" 'I'liursday. January ,^rd, A da\ o!" iinrt'st.a clian.m.Tiil life notwith-
slandiny; all iN moiiutoin. l!nt \i'sti',da\ \vr wcii' lull of iilans for the

ruluri', and t:)dav how easily minhl we !ia\i' hern left on ilu' ice

with

out a roof o\er our lieac
nisii of ici' si't in in llie I

Al hair past lour in the niorninjf a iVesh

aiK

all. and al q it ((Mumenccd in

the

ane on

our port sule

(OUl S o ( lo(

iwoki', ami JK'ard tlu' i riUK hin^

aiu

<ra( kimi:; ot the ici'. as il k I'-pressure were settini

in. A sli'dit

*rtMul)lin,L( was le!l throu^lioiil the /■hrw, and I heard tlu' roar outside,

len

(aine o

i;l I \va^ not a lillK' ^nr|lri^^ed to find a lai;ue pressure

d^c

all aloiiL; llu' ( Iianuel on the port side, scarcely thirty pa( cs I

htet

rom

le /'/(^w ; the ( ra( Isn on this ^ide esU'iided to (luite ci^diteeii pacos

I'rom us.

All 1

oose arlii li's

that

were Kimj on the i( e on this side were

stowed awa\ on hoard ; tlu; hoards and

auks, wliich durin<: tl

sunnner had NUpporteil the meteorological hut and the screen for the
\H'(\ up, as we coulil not afford to lose any n^aterials,

same, wen- (ho

hut the line, which had been lel't out in the soundiiiff hole with the
hajf-net atiai hed to it, was caught in tlu' pressure, just after I had
come on hoard aLiain shortly hefore noon, the ice suddenly hej^an to

press on aiiam.

went out to \\:\\r a loo

It was auain in

the I;

ressure, and the ridi^e

was

on tlu' port side ; there was a slroui; pi
jfiadually approac Iimilt. A little later on .S\erdrup went up on deck,
but scjon alter came Ik'Iow and told us that the rid^^e was (luickly
l)oaring down on us, and a few hands were re(|uired to come up and
help to load the sledye with the sounding apparatus, and bring it round
to tlu' sUirhoanl side (jf the h'raiii. as the i< e had cracked > lose by it.
The ridye lic^an to ( ome alarminuly near, and, should it be upon us
before the l''raiii had broken loose from the ice, matters might become

ater list to the port side

\er\ uni)leasant.

he \esse

had how a ijre

lan e\er.

During tlie afternoon various preparations were made to leave the

All the sledges were placed ready on

ship it the wor

.t si

louid happen.

ilecK,

and the

ivaks were also made ( lear,

15 cases of dog-biscuit*;

The New Year, 1S95.

*> ?

wcri' (lc'|)()sitt'<l on the icv on the starljoard sitlr. and kj cases of bread
were Itroii^'lit up and place;! forward ; also four drums holding; altoj,'eti)er
22 gallons of petroleum were put on dec k. Ten smaller-sized tins had
previously been fillei! with i oo litres of snowtlake oil, and various

vessels contauunj^ gasoline we-

re also standing on dei k

,.-. we were

sitting at su[iper we again heard the same crutu hing and (Tackling
noise in the i« i- as usual, coming nearer and ni-arer, aud fmally we
heard a (rash proceeding from right underni-ath where we sat. I
rushed up. There was a pressure of i( c in the lane a little wav nl\\

1 beam. I went down again, and < i)ntnuii'(l
ll

almost on our starhoari

my meal

eti'r. who had <rone out on the ice, soon alter came down

and said, laughing as usual, that it was no wond >r we lu-ard some
crackling, for thf i( c had ( ra( ked not a sledge-length away from the
dog-biscuit cases, and the crack was extending abaft of the I'laiit. \
went out and found the crac k was a very considerable one. The dog-
biscuit cases were now shifted a little more forward for greater safety.
We also foimd several minor cracks in the ico nround the vessel. I
then went down and had a pipe and a pleasant chat with Sverdrup in
his cal)in. After we had been sitting a good while the ice again began
to crack and jam. I did not think that the noise was greater than
usual, nevertheless I asked those in the saloon, who sat ph-.ying halma,
whether there was aiivone on deck : if not, would one of them be kind
enough to go and see where the i< e was packing. I heard hurried
steps above ; Xordahl i ame down and re[)orted that it was on the port
side, and that it would be best for us to be on dec k. Peter ami I

/ed. As I went down the ladder I'eter

f(i

jumped up and several loilow

called out lo me from above: ' We must get the dogs out ; see, there

IS water on the u c

It was high time that we came ; the water

was

rushmir \w am

the water ui) to his kne

1 alreadv stood hiirh in the kennel. I'eter waded intc

es and pushed the door open ; most of the,
dogs rushed out and jum|ied about splashing in the water, but some,
being frightened, had crept back into the innermost corner and had
to be ch'agged out. althougli they stood in water reac hiiig high up
their le^s. Poor b'utes, it must have been miseral>le enough in all

conscience to be shut \\\) in such a place while the water was steadi
rising about them, yet they are not more noisy than usual.

424

Chapter X.

11 'ii

" 'Vhv tlo^s lia.iny \)vvn ;)Ut in siifcty, I walked round the /•hv/i to
see wliiit cNe iiad liaj)[)ened. The ice had cracked along her, to the
fore. nt.'ar the starboard how ; rnjni this crack the water Iiad poured
alt aloni,^ the port ■ ide, \\hi( h was weighed down by the weight of the
ridge steadil} {iiessing on towards us. 'l"he crack has just passed
imder the niichlle lA' the portable forge, which was thus endangered,
and it was therefore put on a sledge and removed to the great
luunniock on the .^larboard iiuarter. The ])eniniican, altogether
eleven cases, the cases of dog-biscuits, anil nineteen <-ases of bread,
were conveyed to the same place. Thus we have now a complete
de])6t lying over there, and, I trust, in entire safety, the ice being so
thick that it is not likely to gi\e way. This lias brought life into tlie
lads; they havt.' all turned out. We took out four more tin cans of
petroleum to the luunniock, and then ])roceeded to bring up from the
hold and place on dei k ready I'or removal, twenty-one cases of bread,
and a supply of ])enimican, chocolate, butter, 'vril-food,' soup, etc.,
calculated to last us 200 days. Also tents, cooking apparatus, and the
like were got ready, so that now all is clear u[) there, and we may sleep
securely ; but it was past midnight before we had done. I still trust
that it is all a false alarm, and that we shall have no occasion for these
3U])plies now at any rale ; nevertheless it is our duty to keep every-
thing ready in case the unthinkable should ha])pen. Moreover the
ivatch has been enjoined to mind the dogs on the ice and to keep a
sharp look-out in case the ice should crack underneath our cases or
the icepresbure should recommence; if anything should ha])pen we
are to be called out at oik e. too early rather than too late. \Vhile I
sit here and write 1 hear the crunching and crackling beginning again
outside, so that there n\ust still be a steady pressure on the ice. All
are in the best spirits : it almost ap|)ears as if they looked u])on this as
a pleasant break in the monotony of our existence. Well, it is half-
past one; 1 had better turn into my bunk; I am tired, and goodness
knows how soon I may be ( alletl U[)."'

'* Friday, January 4th. The ice kept quiet during the night, but all
day with some intervals it has been c;rackling and settling; and this
evening there have been se\eral fits of pressure, from 9 o'clock onwards.
For a lime it came on, soir.elimes rather lightly, at regular inter\als,

The New Year, 1895.

4^7

sometimes with a rush and a regular roar, then it sulisided somewhat,
and then it roared anew. Meanwhile the pressure-ridge towers higlier
and higher and hears right down upon us slowly, while the pressure
comes on at intervals only, and more ciuiekly when the onset continues
l"or a time. One can actually see it creeping nearer and nearer, and
now at one o'clock at night it is not many feet — scarcely live -awny
from the edge of the snowdrift on the port side near the gangway, and
thence to the vessel is scarcely more than 10 feet, so that it will not be
long now before it is upon us. Meanwhile the ice continues to split,
and the solid mass in which we are embedded grows less and less both
to port and starboard. Several fissures extend right up to the Fraiii.
As the ice sinks down under the weight of the ridge on the port side
and the Frain lists more that way, more water rushes up over the new
ice which has frozen on the water that rose yesterday. This is like
dying by inches. Slowly but surely the baleful ridge advances, and it
looks as if it meant going right over the rail ; but if ,tlie Fravi will only
oblige by getting free of the ice, she will, I feel confident, extricate
herself yet, even though matters look rather awkward at present. We
shall probably have a hard time of it, however, before she can break
loose, if she does not do so at once. I have been out and had a look
at the ridge, and seen how surely it is advancing ; I have looked at the
fissures in the ice, and noted how they are forming and expanding
round the vessel; I have listened to the ice crackling and cruncliing
under foot ; and I do not feel much disposed to turn into my berth
before I see the Fram quite released. As I sit here now I hear the ice
making a fresh assault, ai'd roaring and packing outside, and I can
tell that the ridge is coming nearer. This is an ice-pressure with a
vengeance, and it seems as if it Aould never cease. J do not think
there is anything more that we can do now. All is in readiness
for leaving the vessel, if need be. 'i'o-day the clotiiing, etc, was
taken out and placed ready for removal, in separate bags for each
man.

" It is very strange ; there is certainly a possibility that ail our plans
may be crossed by unforeseen events, although it is not ver\ probable
that this will happen. As yet, I feel no anxiet\- in that dire( tion. only
I should like to know whether we are really la lake everything on

4i'S

ChapU'r X.

to the ici' i)v not. 1 lowcvcr. il is ija>l i o'clock, and I think the
most si.ii^ii)lc tiling to do would !)c to turn in and slcc|). I'he watch
has ordiTs to call inc whi'n the lunnnio:!; riMi lies the l-'raiii. It is
hickv it is Moonlight now. so that wc arc able to sec sci^r-'ihinL,^ of all
this ahominalion.

'• The day heloie yesterday we saw the moon lor the Inst time just
al)o\e the horizon, yesterday it was shining a little, and now we have it
l)olh (lav and niuht. A most la\oural)le state of things. .I!ut it is
nearlx :; ()'<lo( k. and 1 nni>t l;o to sleep now. The pressure of the ice,
i can hear, is stronger a^ain."

•' Sutiu'dav. Januarv 5th. To-night everybody sleeps fully dressed,
and with the most indispensable necessaries either by his side or
se<ured to his bodw ready to juni]) on the ice at the lirst warning.
All other rei|uisitcs such as pro\isions, clothing, sleeping-bags, etc.,
etc., have been !)rought out on the ice. We ha\e been at work at this
all day, and \\a\\\ got everything into i)erfect order, anil are now (]uite
ready to leave if necessary, which. howe\cr, I do not believe will be the
case, though the ice-pressin-c ha> been as bad as it could be.

'■ I slept soundlv. woke up only once and listened to the crunching
and jamming and grinding till 1 lell asleep again. I was called at 5.30
in the morning by S\erdrup. who told me that the hummock had now
reached the J^'raiii, and was bearing down on us violentiv, reaching as
high as the rail : 1 was not left in doubt very long, as, hardlv had 1
ojjened my eyes, when 1 heard a thundering and crashing outside in
the ice. as if Doomsday had < ome. I jumped up. There was nothing
le-ft for it but to call all hands, to put all the remaining ])rovisions on
the ice, and then put all our fur> and other eiiuipment on deck, so
that they could be thrown overboard at a moment's notice if neces-
sary. Thus tlu' da\- passed, biU the ii e kept (piiet. Last of all, the
petroleum laimch. which was hangmg in the da\ils on the ]);)rt-si(le,
■was lowered, and was draggi-d tow.u-<ls the great hummock. .\t about
S o'( lock in the eVL'ning. when wc thought the i( e-pressure had sub-
sided, it started thundering and ( ri->hiiig .igaiii worse than ever. I
hiU'ried u|). Masses of snow and ice rushed on us, high al)o\e the
rail amidships and o\er the ttait. I'elrr. who al>o came u]). sei/etl a
rpade and rushed forward outride the awning as far as the forejjart of

The New Year, 1S95.

429

lliL- luilfdi'i k, and stood in the niidst of liiL' i( i-, diyt^nnj^ a\v;iy, and I
followt'd to see liow matters stood, I saw more llian I (a red to see ;
it was ho|)eless to rif,dit that enemy with a spade. 1 called out to i'eter
to come l)a( k. and said : ' We had b.etter see to i;ettin.<f evervthin<i' out
on to the ice." Hardly had I spoken, when it pressed on a<(ain with
renewed strength, and thundered and crashed, and, as Peter said,
lauechinif till he shook again : ' Nearly sent both me and the s])ndo a»
tlie deuce.' i rushed buck le the main-deck ; on the way 1 met

I '

" AM, HANDS ON DIXK."

I\Ic>gstad, wlio hurried up. spade in hand, and st'iit him bacls. Run-
ning forward under the tent toward.-, the ladder. I -aw that the tent-
roof was ben: down under the weight of tlie nlas^;es of i( e, whi(h
were ru>hiiig cxer it and cra-^hing in ovcv the rail and bu.warks to .such
an extent that I expected e\iTy moment to .see the ice fo'< e its way
tlTrougli and block up the passr.ge. W'Uvn I got below, i ( al'ed all
hands on deck ; but told ihetn when going up not to go oui dn'ougli
the door on the port-side, but through the ( hait-room and oiit on the
starbeanl-side. In the luvst place, all the bag. \>ere to be bniught up

•!!;

r ■' i!

430

Chapter X.

from thr saloon, and then \\v woro to take those lying on deck. I was
afraid that il' the door on the port-side were not kept closed, tlie ice
niiglit, il' it suddenly hurst tliroii^di the bulwarks .iiid tent, rush over

the (

aiK

leek,

and in throii.i,di the door, liil the passage, and rush down tl

ler, and thus imprison us like mice in a traj). True, the passage up
from the (.'ni^inc room had been ck-ared for this einergencv, hut this
was a \erv n;;rr(iW ho'e to get through the heavy hags, and no one
<t)idd tell how long this hole would keep open, when the ice once
attacked us in earnest. I ran u[) again to set free the dogs, which
were shut u\) in ' Castle darden ' — an enclosure on the deck along the
port bulwark. They whined and howled most dolefully under the
tent, as the snow masses threatened at anv moment to crush il and

hurv tiiem ahve.

cut away the lastenmg with a knile, pulled tne

knife

door open, and out rushed most of them by the starboard gangway at

lull sjieea."

"Meantiiiu' the han<ls started bringing up the bags. It was (jliite
unnecessary to ask tliem to hurry up — the ice did that, thundering
against the ship's siik's in a way that seemed irresistible. It was a
fearful hurlv-burly m the darkness; for, to cap all, the mate had, in
the hurry, let the lanterns go out. I had to go down again to get
something on my feet : my Finland shoes were hanging up to dry in
the galley. When I got there the ice was at its worst, and the half-
deck beams were creaking overhead, so that I really thought they were
all coming down.

" The saloon and the berths were soon cleared of hags and the deck
as well, and we started taking them along the ice. The ice roared and
crashed against the ship's side, so that we could hardly hear ourselves
speak ; but all went (luickly and well, and before long everything w; s
in safety.

'• While wf were dragging the bags along, the pressure and jamming

)f the ice had at last stopped, and

as (|uiet again as before

But what a sight ! The /•ram's port-side was ([iHte buried under

"■' 'I'lio wuril .vr'(?/'(v7L7//, whicli luis thiDii^'himt been tr.insiatecl " i^iin^way," means
lallur a suit of port-hole. As the f7'alkilc)ii, liowever, was the means of exit from
ami entia;u-i' to the .-,lii[>, "gangway '' sucukmI the most convenient exjiression for it.

The New Year, 180=?.

431

the snow ; all ihat ccnild he seen was the to]) of the tent jjrojectinj,'.
Had the ])etroleuni launch been hanging in the davits, as it was a few
hours previously, it would hardly have escaped destruction. The
davits were (juite buried in ice and snow. It is curious that both fire
and water ha\e been |>uwerless against that boat, and it his now come
outscathed from the ice, and lies there bottom upwards on the floe.
She has had a stormy existence and continual mishaps ; I wonder what
is next in store for her ?

'• It was, I must admit, a most exciting scene, when it was at its
worst, and we thou^dit it was imperative to get the bags up from the
saloon with all possible speed. Sverdrup now tells me that he was
just about to have a bath, and was as naked as when he was born,
when he heard me call all hands (jn deck. As this had not hajipened
before, he understood there was something serious the matter, and he
jumpeil into his -lothes anyhow. Amundsen, apparently, also realised
that something was amiss. He says he wr ; tl "^ first who came up with
his l)ag : he had not understood, or hatl forgotten in the confusion,
the order about going out through the starboard door ; he groped his
way out on the port-side and fell in the dark over the edge of the half-
deck. ' Well, that did not matter,' he sai<l, 'he was quite used to that
kind of thing:' but having ])ulle(l himself together after the fall, and
as he was lying there on his back, he dared not move, for it seemed to
him as if tent and all were coming down on him, and it thundered and
crashed against the gimwale and the hull as if the last hour had come.
It hnally dawned on him why he ought to have gone out on the star-
board and not on the port side.

'' All that could [)ossil)ly be thought to be of any use was taken out.
The mate was seen dragging along a bij^ bag of clothes, with a heavy
bundle cf cups fastened outside it. Later, he was stalki '^ about with
all sort;; of things such as mittens, knives, cujis, etc., fastened to his
clothes and dangling about him, so that the rattling noise could be
heard afiir off. He is himself to the last.

" In the evening the men all started eating their stock of cakes,
sweetmeats, and such-like, smoked tobacco, and enjoyed themselves in
the most animated fashion. They evidently thought it was uncertain
when they should next have su( h a time on bourd the /''raw, and there

Chapter X.

foR' they thouf^ht it was hist lo avail thciii^rlxcs of the opportunity

We are now living in niarcliing order on an eni|ii)- s

By way of precaution we ha\(

now

hurst o|)en a^ani the passage
hl)rar\- and had tlierefore

as a

on the starboard side which was use
been closed ; and all doors are now ke[)l always open, so that we can
he sure of getting c; ', even i an thing sho'ild give way. We do not
vant the i'- picssnr- i-) .,, .ic 'l.c doors again t us, hy januning the
doorposts together J!;!' Au: 'rtainly is a strong ship. It is a might)-

ridtie that we have in

l)()i '

ale,

,ld tl

le masses ol ice are tre-

n-iendous. 'I'lie shi[) is listing n>oi\ than ever, nearly 7 ; hut since
the last ])ressure she has righted herself a little again, so that she
must surely have broken away from the i( e, and begun to rise, and
all danger is doubtless over. So. alter all. it has lu'cn a ( ase ol"
' Much ado about notliing.'"

"Sunday, January 6th. .\ (|uiet day : no junnning since last night.
Most of the fellows slept well on into llu- morning. 'I'his afternoon
all liave been very busy digging the /'hrw out of tlu' ice again, and wi"
have now got the rail clear right aft to the half-de( k ; hut .1 tremendous
mass had fallen over the tent. It was ahoxe t
fore-shrouds, and fullv 6 !"eet over the rail. It

le second rathne m tne

IS a m:

rvel that the teiil

stood it ; hut it was a very good tl:ing that it did do so, tor otlierwise
it is hard to say what might ha\e become

)f many of the doi.

lis

afternoon Hansen took a mtridian observation, which yave

?4' N.

lat. Hurrah

e are uettini'; on well, norihwan

thirt

een minutes

since Mondav, and the most nortiiern latituc

e is now reacne(

'foes

without saying that the occasion was duly celebrated with a bowl (jf
punch, preserved fruits, cakes, and tlie tloctor's ( igars.

Last nii^ht we were rum

ur,

with llie bays for our lives : to-nii>li'

we are drinking punch and le:i- ing ; sue h are. indeed, the \ u issi
tudes of fate. All this roaring and crashing for the last few (';;\s has
been, perhaps, a cannonade to < debrate our reaching siu h a liigl^
latitude. If that be so it must Ir' admitted that the ice has done I'uli

Honour

to til

e occasion.

ne\er mind, let it crash on

loiu

we only <ret north war

rd. The /•

r<h7/ w 1

no doui)t. stand it now

haa lifted fully one foot forward and full\ six iiu lies aft

ail!

sli;

lias

bli

ppe

A a little a-stern. Moreoxer, we ianiiol find so nun

iS a siiiiile

!li

!,'i

X'.:

The New Year, 1X95.

'I J 5

stnnrhi'on in the bulwarks that has starti'd ; yet lo-ni^'ht fvciy iiiaii
will siffp liilly prepared to make lor the ice."'

"Monday, January jtli. 'riurc was a little jamming' of the i< e
oc« a.-.ionaIly during the day, hut only of slight (huation ; then all
was (juiet again. I'Aidently the i( e lias not yet settled, and wc ha\t'
perhaps more to expeit from our friend to |)ort, whom I would
willingly e\( hange lor a better neighbour.

" It seems, however, as if the ii e pressure liad altered its dire( tion
sin* e the wind has ciianged to S.E. It is now eonlined to the ridges
fore and aft, athwart the wind ; while our friend to jiort, lying almost
in the line of the wind, has kei)t somewhat cjuieter.

" Everytliing has an end, as the boy said when lie was in for a
bir( lung. Perhaps the growth of tliis ridge has come to an end now,
[lerhaps not ; the one thing is just as likely as the other,

** To-day the work of extricating the I'raiii is proieeding ; we will at
all events get the rails clear of the ice. It presents a most imposing
sight by the light of the nicon, and however conscious of one's own
strength, one cannot help respecting an antagonist who commands
such ])owers, and who, in a few monrcnts, is capable of putting mighty
machinery into a* lion. It is rather an awkward battering-ram to la* e.
The J'hini is ecpial to it, but no other ship could 'have resisted sucii an
onslaught. In less than an liour this ice can build uj) a wall alongside
us and over us, whit.h it might take us a month to get out of, and
possibly longer than that. 'J'here is something gigantic about it ; it is
like a struggle between dwarfs and an ogre, in which the i)igmies have
to resort lo cunning and trickery to gel t>ut of the clutches of one who
seldom relaxes his grip. The J''m//i is the shi|) whi( h the i)igmies
have built with all their cunning in order to fight the oyre. and on
board this ship they work as busily .is ants, wliile the ogre only thinks
it worth while to roll over and IwiM his body about n<:w and tlien, but
every time he turns o\er it seems as though the luiislu'll would be
snwshcd and buried, and woidd disappear; but the ])iL;uiies have
built their nutshell so cleverly that it always keejjs alloat, and wriggles
itself free from the deadly embrace. The old traditions and legends
about giants, about Thor's battles in the Jotunheiui, when roi ks were
split and crags were hurled about, and the valleys were filled with

2 K 2

43'^

Cli.iptrr X.

f.illinu l)Miil.K'rs, aii <i>inr IkkU to inc. w lini I look :il \\h'sc iiui.;Iily
ri(lm> ol i( (.' wiiulinj; tli> ir \\.i\

l.ir (jIV III ilic iiiodiili^lit ; .iiiil ulirii I
Sfc llu- UK 11 sl;in<liii; on ilu- ue licip. ' utlin-; .uid cli^'King to icmovi' a
liai lioii ol 11. l!un llu'v m-ciii lo me mimIIcv ihaii pi^iiiiu'^. mikiIIit than

t-,. r.iil altlioiiLili fi'li ant (anK'> only a single lir ncrdU'. yd in

(diiiM' ol Hint'
al»l\. slu'itcnil

Ik' ants hull

an aiulnll, wlicrr lluA <.in li\f ( oiiiloit-

Ironi stoini and wiutcr,

,1(1 tills ail.K

on the

niw ucfM planiu'd

l)V tin- aid ol all lIu-

w u

kc'diicss in the wo

llcif, 7 Uv[ tliir

u|i on tlu'

/■hi»i was i'orcfd down wi

lid, It could not have liccn a worse one. 'The
has borne down on us on lIu- poii side. Tort in;; itself
re King, and ( rushing it down. 'I'hus the
Ui the i( e, while the other Hoc, jp.k ked up on

i( e m which we a

the ice heiiea

th.

hole (low

n on her. and took liev amidship while she

was sill

liozeii

As far a^

(an UK

had a tighter s(iuee/c

it wa-. no woiu

she could lianllv have

ler llial she uroaned under it ;

)iit she withstood 1

I. I.I

oke loo -e

and eased

ho shall sav alter this

that a vessel s sliaiie

i^ ol little conseiUK.

hern desiLined as s

tu- W.lS. V.l'

Not a di

oil ol

wat r Is to he

lice ? 1 lad the /''jd/// not
dioiild not lia\e been sitting here iKnv.
found in her anywhere. Strangely

enough, the ice h.is

not uiven us anodicr such s(|uee/c since

len

perhap-^ it was its eNpiiiiiL; g'ip we felt on Saturday

Sverdniji an

hard to tell, hat it was terriiic enough,
ilk

1(1 I went for a walk on the ice, but when we got a little

his morning
ttk

way from the shij). we
sniootli and uiibrokei

found no sign of any new pa(

■king,

he K e was

1 as before. The packing has been limited to a
certain slret( h from ea■^t to west, and the /'hi/// has been lying at the
very worst point ot it.

" 'I'his afternoon Hansen has worked out vcsterdav's observation,

le res

ult

beiiiLT

X. lat.

and lo:

;i' 1".. loll'.

\\'

nave

therefore drilled norti

1 and \\(.'sl\var(l

I ; nines w

est, indeed, and

only 1,VS iiorlli, s

nice

(.'W

^■eal■'s I'

while the wind has been

lak

en a more

ni -sd\' from tlu' soiilh-west. Ft seems as if the ice has
de( ide 1 course towards ihe north-west than ever, and therefore it is
not lo be woiuU'fed at thai there is some pressure when the wind blows
;'.th'.virt the course of the ice. IIowe\er. I liardlv think we m-.'d anv

nailK.'

explanation of the pressure, as we have evidently again got

The \c\v ^'(•;l^, iSc.;;,

437

into;! |);i( kiiii;-! cntio wiili cr.K !<>, l.iiu'--. .iml ridi^rs, wlii'ic tlic |iri'ssiire
is m.iiiii.iinctl t"i- ^dinc tiiiir. sik h ,is we wi ic in (liiiiii;^ llu' fust wmtiT.
\\'c li.ivc ( (iii>l,iiitl\' lint will) si'vcr.il hiiiiil.ir >lrci( lirs ow the >iii-
ri)iinilin,u ii c, cvi'ii wIkii it lias licm iiiosl (|iiift.

"I'liis I'vrniii}; tluTf was a iiKist n'niaik.iMf liri^fliliicss ri;^ht iindcr
llu' moon. Ii was like an iinmiiisi' luminous lKiy<()rk, which msi' iVum
till' hori/.nn, and t()iu:hi.'il the Ljrcat linj; rouiul llic iiioon. At the ii[)])t'r

,j^jr^»»e'pis;ifm'*T

..'^,\.,'r^p^\

,S-»jiii«*. .•

■» .,»»■ •■*■.,

>i#^v»i||ki

,,. >-m

"A .MOST KICMAUKAIME .MOON.'

side ol lis rin;;- tluMc was a scLiincnt of the uswal invorted arc (>r lipht.
Tiic lu a (lav, Januaiy Nth, the ice hcgnn grinding oci asionallv. and
while ]\l()g 'ad and 1 stood in the hold working on handslcdges we
heard creakings in the ship both above and be.low us. 'I'hi> \\.is
repeated severa' times : but in the interval.^ ii was (juiet. T w.is uiien
on the ii-e listening to the grinding and watching how it >Mnt on. but
it did not go beyond crackling and creaking beneath our tee', and in
the ridge at our side. Perhaps it is to warn us not to be t(< conlidenl '

43S

Chapter X.

ii-i

ill

I am not so sure that it is not nc( t'ssary. It is in reality like living on
a sniokinj; volcano. Tlie eiu|)tion that will seal our fate may occur
at any moment. It will either force the ship up or swallow lier down.
And what are the stakes? Either the J'hiiii will get home and tlie
exjieditiuii he fully successful, or we shall lose her and have to 1)^
( ontent with what we have dine, and jUKSsihly on our way home we
may explore i)arts of I'ranz josef Land. 'I'hat is all ; hut most of us
feel that it wt)ul(l he !\ird to lose the ship, and it would be a ver)- .sad
sight to see her di-ai-i])ear.

''Some of the hamls under Sverdrup are working, trying to out away
the hummock-ice on the port side, and they have alread)- made good
headway. Mogstad and I are bu.sy getting the sledges in order, and
preparing them for use as I want them, whether we go north or south.

" Li\ is two years old to-day.

"She is a big girl now. I wonder if I should be able to recognise
her ; I suppose I should hardly find a single familiar feature. They
are sure to celebrate the day, and she will get ail kinds of presents.
Many a thought will be sent northwards, but they know not where to
look for us : are not aware that we are drifting here embedded in the
ice in the highest northern latitudes ever reached, in the deepest polar-
night ever penetrated."

During the following days the ice became steadily quieter. In the
course of the night of the gtli of January the ice was still slightly
tracking and grinding : then it quite subsided, and on the loth of
January the rei)ort is " ice perfectly quiet, and if it were not for the
ridge on the port side, one would never have thought there had ever
been any breach in the eternal stillness, so calm and peaceful is it."
Some men went on cutting away the ice, and little by little v/e could
see it is getting less. Mogstad and I were busily engaged in the hold
with the new sledges, and during this time I also made an attempt to
photograph the Fnvii by moonlight from different points. '1 he results
surpassed my expectations : but as the top of the pressure-ridge had
now been cut away, these photos do not give an exact impression of
the pack-ice, and of how it came hurtling down upon the Ftain. AV\-
then put in order our dejjot on the great hummock on the starboartl
quarter, and all sleejiing bags, I,a[>land boots, Finn-shoes, wolf-skin

The New Year, 1895.

439

clothing, etc,, were \vra[)[)C'(! in the foresail and placed to the cxtrcnu-
west, the provisions were colluc led into six dititcrcnt hL'n|)s, and tlu'
rifles and fiuns were distributed among three of the iieaps and wrapi)e(l
up in boat-sails. Next, Hansen's instrument-case and my own, together
with a bucket full of riflc-cartritlges, were placed untler a boat-sail.
Then the forge and the smith's tools were arranged separately : and
u]) on the top of the great hummock we laid a heap of sledges and
snow-shoes. All the kayaks were laid side by side bottom upwards,
the ( ookuig apparatus and lam[)s, etc., being placed under them.
They were spread out in this way, so that in the imjjrobable event of
the thick floe splitting sudtlenly, our loss would not be so great. We
knew where to find everything, and it might blow and drift to its
heart's content, without our losing anything.

On the evening of January 14th, I wrote in my diary : "Two sharj)
reports were heard in the ship, like shots from a cannon, and then
followed a noise, as of something splitting — presumably this must be
the cracking of the ice, on account of the frost. It appeared to me
that the list on the ship increased at that moment, but perhaps it was
only imagination."

As time passed on we all gradually got bu-;y again preparing for the
sledge-expedition. On Tuesday, January 15th, I say: "This evening
the doctor gave a lesson to Johansen and myself in bandaging and
repairing broken limbs. J lay on the table and had a plaster of f'aris
bantlage put round the calf of my leg, while all the crew were looking
on. The very sight of this operation cannot fail to suggest unpleasant
thoughts. An accident of this nature out in the Polar night with 40°
to 50° of cohl, would be anything but pleasant, to say nothing of how
easily it might mean death to both of us. Hut who knows ?— ^wc might
manage somehow. However, such things nmst not be allowed to
happen, and what is more they shall not .'^

As January went on, we could by noon just see the faint dawn of
day — that day at whose sunrise we were to start. On January iSth,
I say : '• By 9 o'clock in the morning 1 could already distinguish the
first indications of dawn, and by noon, it seemed to be getting bright ;
but it seem^; hardly credible that in a month's time there -will be light
enough to travel b). Vet it must bi. so. True, February is a nionth

440

Chapter X.

which all 'experienced' people consider far too early and much too
cold for travelling ; hardly anyone would do so in the month of March.
But it cannot be lielped, we have no time to waste in waiting for
adilitional comfort, if we are to make any progress before the summer,
when travelling will he impossible. 1 am not afraid of the cold, we
can always protect ourselves against that.

" Meantime all i)reparations are proceeding, and I am now getting
everything in order connected with copying of diaries, observation
books, photographs, etc., that we are to take with us. Mogstad is
working in the hold, making maple guard-runners to i)ut under the
sleilges. Jacobse i has commenced to put a new sledge together.
Pettersen is in th ; engine-room, making nails for the sledge fittings,
which Mogstad is to put on. In the meantime some of the others
have built a large forge out on the ice with blocks of ice and snow,
and to-morrow Svcrdrui) and I will heat and bend the runners in tar
and stearine at such a heat as we can produce in the forge. We trust
we shall be able to get a suHicient temperature to do this important
work thoroughly, in sjjite of the 40 degrees of frost. Amundsen is now
repairing the mill, as tb.ere is something wrong with it again, the cog-
wheels being worn. He thinks he will be able to get it all right again.
Rather chilly work to be lying up there in the wind on the top of the
mill, boring in the hard steel and cast-iron by lantern light, and at such
a temperature as we are having now, I stood and watched the lantern-
liL;ht up there to-day, and I soon heard the drill working; one could
tell the steel was hard ; then I could hear clapping of hands. ' Ah,'
thought I, ' you may well clap your hands together, it is not a particu-
larly warm job to he lying up there in the wind.' The worst of it is
one cannot wear mittens for such work, but has to use the bare hands
if one is to make any progress, and i*^ would not take long to ireeze
them off: but it has to he done, he says ^nd he will not give in. H'i
is a splendid fellow in all lie undertakes, and I console him by saying
that there are not many helbre hun who have worked on the top of a
mill in such frost north of 83. On many expeditions they have
avoided out-of-door work when the temperature got so low. 'Indeed,'
he says, ' 1 thought that other expeditions were in advance of us in
that respect. 1 imagined we had kept indoors too much.' I had no

^ --/:

A u.

J^ --^

■<.

^ 9 '<

The New Year, 1895.

443

hesitation in enlightening him on this point. I know lie will du hi^
best in any case.

" This is, indeed, a strange time Hjr me : I feel as if I were [)re]xiring
for a summer trip, and the s[)ring was already here ; yet it is still mid-
winter, and the conditions of the summer trip may be somewhat
ambiguous. The ice keeps quiet, the cracking in it and in the l-'ram
is due only to the cold. I have during the last few days again read
Payer's account C)f his sledge expedition northwards through Austria
Sounil. It is not very encouraging. The very land he describes as
the realm of Death, where he thinks he and his companions would
inevitably have perished bad they not recovered the vessel, is the
place to which we look for salvation ; that is the region we hope to
reach when our provisions have come to an end. It may seem
reckless, but nevertheless I cannot imagine that it is so. I cannot
help believing that a land, which even in April teems with bears, auks,
and black guillemots, and where seals r,re basking on the ice, must be
a 'Canaan, flowing with milk and honey,' for two men who have good
rifles and good eyes : it must surely yield food enough not only for the
needs of the moment, but also provisions for the journey onwards to
Spitzbergen. Sometimes, however, the thought will jjresent itself that
it may be very difficult to get the food when it is most soiely needed :
but these are only passing moments. We must remembc Carlyle's
words : ' A man shall and must be valiant, he must march forward,
and quit himself like a man — trusting imperturbably in the lointment
and choice of the Upper Powers.' I liave not, it is true y 'Upper
Powers'; it would probably be well to ha\e them in su( case; but
we nevertheless are starting, and the time approaches r.u illy. Four
weeks or a little more soon pass by, and then farewell to > snug nest,
which has been our home for eighteen months, and we out into the-
darkness and cold, out into the still more unknown :
"Out yonder 'tis dark.

But onward we nuist.

Over the dewy wct mountains,

Ride through the land of the ice-tr(»ll :

We shall both be sa\ed,

Or the ice-troir.i hand

Shall clutch us hotli."

414

Chapter X.

liji

I !

J ''

On JaniMry ^_^r(i 1 writ^ : "The dawn has yrown so miK h ihat iIv.mc
was a visible liuht from it en the ice, and for the first time tliis year I
saw the crimson glow of the sun low down in the dawn." W'e now
took soundings with the lead, before I was to leave the vessel ; we
found i,S76 lathoms (,^.450 metres). I tiien made some snowshoes
down in the hold ; it was important to have them smooth, tough and
light, on which one could make good headway ; ''they shall be well
nibbed with tar, stearine, and tallow, and there shall be .-peed in
them : then it is only a ([uestion of using one's legs, and I have no
doubt that can be managed."

''Tuesday, January 2cth. J.atitude yesterday 83° 30'. Some days

ago we liad been so fai nordi as M3' 40', but had again drifted

southwards. 'J'he light keeps on steadily increasing, and by noon it

almost seems to be broad daylight. I l)elieve I could read the

title of a l)0()k out in the open if the print were large and clear. I

take a str'^^11 every morning, greeting the dawning day, before I go

down into the hold to my work at the t;nowshoes and equipment. My

mind is filled with a ])eculiar sensation, which 1 cannot clearly define ;

tiiere is certainly an exulting feeling of triumph deej) in the soul, a

feeling that all one's dreams are about to be realised with the rising

sun, whi( h steers northwards across the icebound waters. But while 1

am busy in these familiar suiioundings, a wave of sadness sometimes

comes over me ; it i : like bidding farewell to a dear friend and to a

home, which has long afforded me a sheltering roof; at one blow all

this and my dear comrades are to be left t)ehind for ever ; never again

shall I tread this snow-clad deck, never again creep under this tent,

never hear the laughter ring in this familiar saloon, never again sii in

this friendly circle.

" .Xnd then I remember that '.lien the F/(7m at last bursts from her
lionds of ice. and turns her prow towards Norway, I shall not l)e with
her. A farewell inip.irts to everything in life its own tinge of sadness,
like the crimson rays of the sun, when the day, good or bad, sinks in
tears below the hon/on.

" Hundreds of times my eye wanders to the map hanging there on
the wall, and cadi time a (hill creeps over me. The distance before
us seems so long, and the obstacles in our path may be many ; but

The New Year, 1S95.

445

then again the fcehng comes, lliat we an> hound to pull thioutrh ; it
cannot he otherwise : everything is too ( arrlullv prepared to lail now :,
and nieanwlule the soutli-east wind is whi:tling ;d)(i\e us and we are
continually drifting northwards nearer our goal. Wlu.ii 1 go up 01;
deck and step out into the night, with its glilterimj; starry \aull and the
flaring aurora horcahs, then all these th()Ui;hts recede and 1 must a^
ever pause on the liiresjiold of this sanctuary, this <lark. deep, sdent
space, this inlinitc temjilc of nature, in wlii( li the soul .suks to fuid its
origin. Toiling ant, what niatlers it, whether you vea( li yoin- goal with
your fir-needle or not I l^verything disapper.rs none the les> in tlu'
ocean of eternity, in tlie groat Nirvana. ' And :!s time rolls on our
names are forgotten, our deeds pass into ol)li\ion and om- li\es Hit 1)\-
like the traces of a cloud and \anish like die mist, disjielled l)\- the
warm rays of the sun. Our time is hut a lleeting shadow, hurrying us
on to the end, so it is ordained ; and lia\ ing reac hetl that entl noi^.e
ever retraced his steps.'

"Two of us will soon he journeying fmther tli.wMigh this innnen-e
waste, into greater soliti.des and deeper stillness."'

"Wednesday, January .30th. 'I'o-day the great event has ha])])ened.
that the windmill is again at work for the lir^t time after its long r'st.
In spite of tlie cold and the darknes.^, Amund.icn had got the
cogwheels into order, and now it is rimmng as smoothly and steadily as
guttapercha."

We have now constant north-east winds, and we a^ain hore north-
wards. On Simday, February 3rd, we were at 83" 43'. The time for
our departure approached, and the ])re[)arations were carried (jn with
great activity. The sledges were coinpletetl, .uid I tried them under
various condition-. I have alluded to the iai t that we made ma[)le
guards to put under the fixed nickel-plated runners. The idea of this
was to strengthen both the sledges and the runners, so that they would
at the beginning oi' the journey, when tiie loads were hea\y. be less
liable to breakage from the jolting 10 whieli they would |)rol)alily be
ex|)osed. Later on, when the load got lighter, we might, if we thoiinht
fit, casilv remove them. Tliese guards wen; also to serve another
purpose. I had an idea that, in view of the low lemperatuie we had
durino' the winter, and on the dry drift-sno\i', whii h ihen covered the

446

Chapter X.

ire-floes, nutal would glide less easily than smooth wood, especially if
the latter were well ruhhed with rich tar and stearine. By February
.Sth one of the sledges with wooden guard runners was finished, so that
we could make experiments in this direction, and we then found that
it was considerably easier to haul than a similar sledge running on the
nickel-plate, though tlie load on ca( h was exactly the same. The
differen( e was so great that we found that it was at Last half as hard
;igain to draw a sledge on the nickel runners as on the tarred maple
runnt rs.

Our new ash sledges were now nearly fmished and weighed j;o lb?,
without the guard-runners. " Everybody is hard at work. Sxcnlru]) is
sewing bags or bolsters to put on the sledges as beds for the kayaks to
rest on. 'Jo this end the bags are to be made up to fit the bottoms of
the boats. Johansen and one or two other men are stuffing the bags
with pemmican, which has to be warmed, beaten, and kneaded in order
to give it the right form for making a good bed for our j)recious boats.
AVhen these scjuare, flat bags are carried out into the cold they freeze
as hard as stone, and keej) their form well. Blessing is sitting u\) in
the work-room, (opving the ])hotographs of wlii( h I have no i)rints.
llaiisi-n is working out a map of our route so far, and co]ning out his
ol)ser\atioi s for us, etc., etc. In short, there is hardly a man on
board who (io"s not feel that the moment for de^jarture approaches ;
perhaps the galley is the only place where everything goes on in the
usual way under the management of I.ars. ()ur jjosition yesterday
was S3' 3-'i' N. lat., and 102' 2S' I'l. long., so we are southwards
again : but never mind, what do a dozen miles more or less matter
to us.^"'

"Sunday, February lolh. Todav there was so much daylight tliat
at 1 o'( lo( k I could fairly well read the I'lri/fz/x (tci//^^, v.hen 1 held the
l>aper up towards the light ; l)ut wluii I held it towards the moon,
wiii( h was low in the north, it was no go. Before dir.ner I went for a
short drive with 'dulen' and ' Susine ' (two of the young dogs) and
' Kaifa^.' • (liden ' had never been in harness before, but yet she went
quite -A ell : she was certainly a little awkward at first, but that soon
disappeared, and I think she will make a good dog when she is well
'lainetl. ' Susine,' who was driven a little last autumn, conducted

'1 he New Year, ICS95.

447

herself (juitc like ,111 old sled^fc-do^f. The surface is haril, and easy for
the do^'s to haul on. 'I'liey ^'el a good foothold, and the snow is not
particularly stKirp for their feet ; iiowever, it is not over smooth ; this
ilrift-snow makes heavy j^oin^'. The ice is smooth, ard easy to run
on, and I trust we shall he able to make good day-journeys ; after all,
we siiall reach our destination sooner than we had e\i)ecte(l. I cannot
ileny that it is a long journey, and scarcely anyone has ever more
effectually burnt his boats behind him. If ■ wished to turn ba( k we
have absolutely nothing to return to, not e < 1 a bare coast. It will be
impossible to llnd the ship, and before us lies tlie gnat unknown. lUit
there is only one road, and that lies straight ahead, right through, be it
land or sea, be it smooth or rough, be it mere ice or ice and water.
And I cannot but believe that we must get through, even if we should
meet with the worst, viz., land and pat k ice.

'• Wednesday, February 13th. The pemmican bolsters and dried
liver pie are now ready ; the kayaks will get an excellent beilding, and

1 venture to say that such meat bolsters are an absolute novelty.
Under each kayak there are three of them, they are made to fit the
sledge, and as already stated, are moulded to the shape of the kayak.
They v/eigh 100 to 120 lbs. each. The empty sacks weigh 2 or 3 lbs.
each, so that altogether the meat (pemmican and liver pie) m
these three bags will weigh about 320 ll)S. We each liad our liglit
sleeping-bags of reindeer's-skin, and we tried t(j sleep out in them last
night, but both Johansen and I found it rather < old, although it was
only 37^ F. of frost. We were, perhaps, tt)o lightly clad under the
wolf's-skin clothing : we are making another experiment with a little
more on to-night."

"Saturday, February i6th. The outfitting is sull progresising ; but
there are various small things yet to do which take time, and I do not
know whether we shall be reitdy to start on Wcdnesdax', l'"ebriiary 20th,
as I originally intended. The day is ikjw so light that as far as that is
concerned we might ipiite well start then, but, i)erhaps, we had better
wait a day or two longer. Three sledge-sails (for single sledges) are
now finished ; they are made of very light calico, and are about 7 feet

2 inches broad by 4 feet 4 inches long; they are made so that two of
them may be laced together and used as one sail lor a double sledge,

l-i

Cliiiptcr X.

;m(l 1 hrlii'xc ilicv will ml \v<'ll : lIu'V \vt

lull ;i Iitlli' over I 11). (Mcli.

Drt'ovcr, \v(j Ikuu now ino^l ol Lir |ii(;vi>i<iiis iwul) slowcil aw a) iii

Dai

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IMAGE EVALUATION
TEST TARGET (MT-3)

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Photographic

Sciences

Corporation

23 WiST MAIN STRiET

WEftSTER.N.Y. USM

(716) S73-4503

CHAPTER XI.

We MAKF. a SlART.

"TUKSDAY, February 26th. At last tlie clay has arrived, tin- {jrcat
(lay, when the journey is to commence. 'I'he week lias passed in
untiring; work to get everything ready. We should have started on
tlie 20th, but it has been postponed from day to day; there was always
something still to do. My head has been full night and day, with all
that was to be done and that must not be forgotten. Oh, this un-
ceasing mental strain, which does not allow a minute's respite in
which to throw off the responsibility, to give loose rein to the thoughts
and let the dreams have full sway ; the nerves arc in a state of tension
from the moment of awaking in the morning till the eyes close late nt
night. Ah ! how well I know this state, whic h I have exuerieiiced
each time I have been about to set out, and retreat was to be cut off
— never, I believe, more effectually than now. The last few nights
I did not get to bed before half-past three or half-past four o'doc k
in the morning. It is not only what we ought to take with us that
has to be taken care of, but we have to leave the vessel ; its (onmiand
and responsibility have to be placed in other hands, and < are must
be taken that nothing is forgotten in the way of instructions to the
men who remain ; for the s( ientific observations will have to be < on-
tinued on the same lines as they have been carried on hitherto, and
other observations of all kinds will have to be made, etc., etc.''

The last niglu we were to spend on board tlie Frani eventually
arrived, and we had a farewell party. In a strange, sad way, reuu-
niscences were revived of all that had befallen us here on hoard,
mingled with hope and trust in what the future would bring. I
remained up till far into the night: letters and remembrances had to he
sent to those at home, in case the unforeseen should happen. AMi()nL,^>t

45-"

Chapter XI.

tin- I.I -t lliiii!,' I WMU' WLif the followinu instnictioiis to SNcidnip, in
\vhi( Ii 1 IkiikIlhI ovir lo liiin the ( omm.iiid of tin.- (.'xijudition : —

*• Cap IAIN Olio S\ i:ui)iui'.

" Coniniandrr of the h'raiii.

'• .\s I am iiDW leaving tlu' h'laiiK accompanied by Joliansfii, to
nniKilakc a jomni'V noitinvards ii' possible to tlic I'olc and from
tliLTf to Sjit/.bLTLjfn. most liki'ly rvi^ I'raiiz Josef Land, I make ovc-r
to you tilt- (ommand of tiic lemaininji part of tlic e\pediti<.n. I'rom
till' day i li'ave the l-'raiii, all iIk- autiioiily wliich hitlierto was vested
m me siiall devolve upon you to an e(|ual extent, and tin- others will
li.ni' to render absolute obedieme to you, or to whomsoever you nia\
ilepute as their k'ader. I consider it superfluous to <,nve anv orders
about what is to be done under various contint^encies. even if it were
possible to ,i,n've any. 1 am certain you will know best yourself what
ounlit to be done in any enieri^ency, and I therefore consider that 1
ma\- with ( onlideiK e leave the /■'rain.

•■ 'llu' (hiei'aim of the expedition is to i)ush through the unknown
Polar Sea from the region around the New Siberian Islands, north of
l'"ranz losef Land, and onward to the Atlantic Ocean near Spit/bergen
or ( ireenland. The most essential ])art of this task, I consider, we
have already accomplished ; the remainder will be ac hieved as the
I'xpedition ,L;els farther west. In order to make tkic expedition still
more fruitiul of results, I am making an attempt to push further up
north with the ilcgs. \'oiir task will then be to convey home, in the
sat'est manner [)ossible, the human lives now confided to your care,
and not to expose them to any unnecessary danger, either out of
regard for tl j ship or cargo, or for the scientific outcome of the
expedition. No one can tell how long it may take before the J-hiiii
drifts out into open water. You have jirovisions for several years to
come •. if for any unknown reason it should take too long, or if the
crew should begin to suffer in health, or if from other reasons you
should liiink it liest to abandon the vessel, it should un(]uestionabIy
be done. As to the time of the year when this should be done,
and the route to be chosen, you yourself will be best able to judge.

\Vc make a Start.

45.

If it should he nercssary, I considi-r I'r.inz JosiT Land and Spitz-
l)erj(t'n favoiiraljle lands to make for. If scait ii i-< made lor tlie
f\|R'diti<)ii aitiT tlu- arrival home of Johan^en and myself, it will he
made there first. Wherever you come to land, you should, as often

as you can. ere( t conspicuous heacons on promontories

uul

prcM'Cting

hea<llands, and place within the he.u uns a short report of wliat l;ns
occurred, and whither you are goini,'. In < rder to di>linj,'uish these

)eacons from others, a sma

aeon should he ere( led i ; feet from

the larger one in the direction of tl;e maL;netic Xorth Pole. 'I'lif
([ueNtion as to what outfit would he mo>t adv.intajjenus. in case tlu'
/■'nu// should have to he ahandoned, is one wlii< h we ha\i' so
freiiuently discussed, that I consider it superlluous to dwi'll on it lu're.
I know that vou will take care that tiie reMuisite luimher of kavak> for

dl th

e men, slediies, snow-shoes.

truirer,' and (.ther artii les oi" outfit

are put in complete order as soon as possihle

aiK

1 kt'i)l in riadiiu'ss

so that such a journey home over the i( e could he undertaken will
t'le i,neatest possihle ease. l''dsewlieie I

MVi- \()u dirc( lions as to tJie

provisions whic h I consider most suitable for ^ik h a jouriu'y, and the
(juantity necessary for each man.

" I also know that you Vt'ill hold everythim,' in readiness to ahandon
the /-hr/// in the shortest possihle time in the e\cnl of tier suffer

inu

(Id

sudden damaLa

diether throuifh fire or ice pressurt,-. If the uv
permits it, I {'onsider it advisaljle that a dei)ol, with sufficient pre-

visions, etc

should be established at a safe pku e on the u\', sik I

1 as

we have lately had. All necessaries whic h cannot be kt'pt on tlu- i( c
<<u<^ht to be so placed on board that they are easy to gel at under anv
U vou are aware, all the iMovi^ions now in tiie ilei)ot

* 1 .

circumstances.

are concenlrateil foods for sledging journeys only : but as it nuy
Iiap[)en that you will ha\e to remain inac live for a time before going
further, it would be highlv desirable to sa\e as nuich tinned meat,
iish, and vegetables as possible ; shouUl troubled times come then, I
should consider it ad\isable to have a supply of these artic li's ready
on the ice.

'• Should the /vv/;// while drifting be carried far to the north of
Spit/bergen, and get over into the current under the east coast oF
Greenland, many possibilities may be imagineil which it is not ea--y

454

Chapter XI.

to foriii an ojjiiiion on now ; hut shouhl you l)c obliged to abandon
the I'ram and make for the land, it would be best for you to erect
beacons there as stated above (with particulars as to whither you are
goin^f. etc.), as search ini<,du possibly be made there for the expedition.
Whether in that case you ouj,dit to make for Iceland (which is the
nearest land, and where you should be able to get in the early part of
summer, if following the edge of the ice), or for the Danish colonies
west of Cape Farewell, you will be best able to judge on considering
all the circumstances.

" As regards what you ought to take with you in the event of
abandoning the Fnivi, besides the necessary provisions, I may men-
tion weapons, ammunition, and ccpiipment, all sckntific and other
jdiininls and ohcnvfioiis, ai! scicntijic collections that arc not too heavVy
or if too heavy small sam[)les thereof; photographs, jnx'ferably the
urii^inal plates (or films), or should these prove too heavy, then
prints taken from them; also the 'Aderman' aerometer, with which
most of the observations on the specific gravity of sea-water are
taken ; as well as, of (ourse, all journals and memoranda which are of
any interest. I leave behind some diaries and letters, which I would
reipiest you to take special care of, and deliver to Eva, if I should not
return home, or if, contrary to all expectation, you should return home
before us.

"Hansen and Klessing will, as you know, attend to the various
scientific ex|)editions and to the collecting of specimens. Vou
yourself will attend to the soundings, and see that tluy are taken as
freipiently as ])os^ible and as the condition of the line permits. I
should consider at least once in every 60 miles covered to hii extremely
.'csirahlc : if it can be done oftener so much the better. Should the
depth become less than now and more variable, it goes without saying
that soundings sho'dd be taken more frecjuentlv.

"As the crew was small before, and will now be still further reduced
by two men, more work will probably fall to each man's lot : but I
know that, whenever you can, you will s])are men to assist in the
scientific observations, and make them as complete as possible.
Please also see that e\ery tenth day (the fh'st, tenth, and twentieth of
every month) the ice is bored through, and the thickness measured, in

\V(j make n Start.

4.->D

the same wny as has been done hitherto. Henriksen has for tlie
most part made these borings, and is a trustworthy man for tliis
work.

" In conchision, I wish all possible success to you. and to those for
whom you are now responsible, and may wc meet again in Norway,
whether it be on board of this vessel, or without her.

Yours afle( tionately,
" Fkidtjof Nansln.

On board the From,
" February 25, 1895."

" Now at last the brain was to get some rest, and the work for the
legs and arms was to commence. Everything was got ready for the
start this njorning. Five of our comrades, Sverdrup, Hansen, Blessing,
Henriksen, and Mogstad were to see us off on our way, bringing a
sledge and a tent with them. The four sledges were got ready, the
dogs harnessed to them, lunch with a bottle of malt extract per man,
was taken just before starting, and then we bade the last hearty farewell
to those left behind. We were off into the drifting snow. I myself
took the lead with ' Kvik' as leading dog, in the first sledge, and then
sledge after sledge followed amid cheers, accompanied by the cracking
of whips and the barking of dogs. At the same time a salute was
fired from the (piarter-deck, shot after shot, into the whirling drift.
The sledges moved heavily forward ; it was slow travelling ujihill, and
thev came to a dead stop where the asc ent was too steep, and we all
had to help them along, one man alone could not do it : but over level
ground we flew along like a whirlwind, and thohe on snow-shoes found
it difficult enough to keep pace with the sledges. I had to strike out
as best I could when they came up to me to avoid getting my legs
entangled in the line. A man is beckoning with his staff far in the
rear. Tt is Mogstad, who comes tearing along and shouting that three
' floitstokker '* (cross-bars) had been torn ofi" a sledge in driving. Tiie
sledge, with its heavy load, had lurched forward over an upright jiiereof

* The crossbars on the sledge that conned the pLrpLndicular supiimis of tlic
runners with t.ich otlitr.

45^^

Chapter XI.

ice, which >liii( k tlu'cro^s h.irs, l)ri';ikiii^'all three of llu-in. oiu' alirr the
olluT ; (MU' ov two of ihi' iiiTpcmlicular siipiiorts of tin- ruiiiuTs wvrc
also smashid. TIrii' \va> iiotliin^ tor ii hut to return li thi- ship to
^c't it ri'pairi'd and have the slfd^fLS made stron|;er. Su( h a tiling
ouj,'hl not to hai)|»en a;,Miii. During tlie return one of the sledf,'es
lunhe 1 u]) a^'ainsl another, and a (ane in tlie l)osv snajip^d. The
hows would, thereloii', also have to he made stroni^er.*

" 'I'lu' .sled;,a'S have a;,Min Itei'ii unloaded and hrmij^ht on hoard, in
order that this may he done, and here wi- are aj,Min to iii|;ht. I am,
f^kul, however, that this ha])|)eiied wlu'ii it did ; it wouiil iiuve iu'eii
worse to have had sut h an e\perien( e a tew days later. I will now take
six sledf^es instead ol" I'lnir, so that the load on ea( li may he less, and
so that it will he easier to lift them over the irrej,ud.iritii's ol" the
ground. 1 ^hall also have a hroad hoard fitted lenj^thwise to the sk-djfe,
underneath the ( ro.is hars, so as to protect them a^Minst proje( ting
|)ieces of ice. As a j^reat <k'al of time is saved in th*- end hy doiii;;
su( h thin,ii> thorouyhly helore starting, we shall not he ready to start
hefure the day after to-morrow. It seemed strange to he on hoard
again after having said good-hye, as 1 thought, for ever, to these
surroundings. W hen I < ame up on the after-deck, 1 found the guns
lying there in the snow, one of them turned over on its ha( k, the other
had recoileil a long way aft. when saluting us; from tlic miz/en-top the
red and hhu k flag was still w.iving.

" 1 am in wonderfully high spirits, and feel confident of su<-ccss ;
the sledges seemed to glide so easily, although carrying 2co Ihs. more
than was originally intended (ahout 2,200 Ihs. altogether), and every-
thing looks \ery promising, ^\■e shall have to wait a couple of days,
but as we are having a south-easterly wind all day long, we are no douht
getting on towards the north, aU the samj. Yesterday we were
S;^' 47', to-day I suppose we are at least 83' 50'.

"At last, on Thursday. I'ehruary 28th, we started again with our
six sledges. .Sverdrup, Hansen, Blessing, Henriksen, and Mogstad
saw us off. When we started most of the others also accompanied us

Tlic .-.Icili^f luiincis \\\\r C(innix't(.(l in front liy .i bdw, cuiisi.-iint,' ><{ iliroo or four
pieces of lattan c.inc lasheil loyetlicr ; ii is to lliis bow llic haiiliiiL' lines aie fastened.

W'c make a Start.

459

some (listanc:-. We snon found that the (loj,'s did not draw as wtll as
I had cxpct tL'd, and I (\unc to tlic condusion that with this huid we
should ^t't on too slowly. We had not proceeded far from the shij)
IjL'forc I de( idc'd to leave hehind sonic of tin: sat ks with provisions for
the dogs, and these were later on taken hack on hoard l)y the otlu-rs.

"At 4 o'(Io( k in the afternoon, when we stopped, our odonuler*
showed that we had ^'one about 4 miles from the Jhiin. We had a
pleasant evening; in the lent together with our friends who were f,'oinjj
l)a( k the next day. To my surprise a puni h-howl was prepared, and
toasts were proposed for those who were starting and thosr who
remained behind. It was not until 11 o'elock that we (r«.']>t into our
sleeping hags.''

'I'liL-re were ilhnninations in f)ur honour that night on hoard tin-
/''mill. The ele( trie are lamp was hoisted on the main top, and the
fleetric light for the first time shone forth over the ice masses of the
I'olar Sea. Tcjrches had also been lit, and bonfires of oakum-ends and
other combustibles were burning on several floes around the /htm and
making a brilliant show. Sverdrup had, by the way, given orders tluit
the electric light or a lantern should be hoisted on the main-tcp e\ery
night until he and the others had returned, for fear they might lose
their way if the tracks should be obliterated by bad weather. It would
then be very difficult to find the ship : but such a light can be seen a
lor.g distance over these plains, wliere by merely standing on a hummo( k
one can easily get a view for many miles round.

I was afraid that the dogs, ii" they got loose, would go bat k to the
Frai/i, and I therefore got two steel-lines made to which short leashes
were fastene<l, a little distance apart, so that tlie dcgs could be secured
to these lines between two sticks or sledges. In spite of t!iis se\eral of
dogs got loose, but strange to say, they did not leave us, hut remained
with their comrades and us. 'i'liere was of course a dolelul howling
round the tents the first night, and they disturbed our sleep to s( iiie
extent.

* This odometer had Ic^n made < 11 board, shortly liefore staitini;, out i>r diL-
Works of an old anemometer. The odometer was fa-tened behind the hi.-.t >le(li;e,
and indicated fairly correetly the distarce covered by us.

4'''

('h;i|)t(r XI,

In \\r\\ 111 MiimLj (rnd.iv, M.inli i-,!) i( lonk on

e t : our i (miniuo

IImi (• lintllN 111 III ikc the ( nlTcc, liclll;; im.li i ll^t«)^lt■(l to lllf .1 1 i|l.ll;lHlS.

(' \\.\>\ tllt'l. ,1

\cr\ UK r lt|■t■.lkl■l^t ti LUiIicr. Not

li loir M .

.111.

(Inl uc L;it iiMMci u.iv . ( Mir li\ !• ( iiiiir,i(lc.

( r two ,ll|i| lllill tllll'.cil |<i i;,.l l,,ii k III t

,i( t oiii;iaiiif;| ii-, lor im hour

II' l-iiiDi tlic ^.lUlf ^■\l•uill^.

(•( rt.lillK ,1 llio^l ( llrclilll iinoil |i\c

s; \ > lllf (li,ii\

hut It !>

;il\\.i\ > li.iril lo |Mri r\(ii .it S j . .iml ui,i\ he tin rr \\.l^ .i tc .iiiiil eve or

\v l.i>l tltiiiL; S\(rilni|) ;l^k(■tl iiic wlicii sitiiiii,' oii lii>i >!(■(

jll^t ,i-< wr Uii.

Ml lo [l.lVt. W.l-^. if I lIlollL^llt I sIloIlM L[o to tl

South i'nlc wIlcIl I ;;i,( |iO||lf, |ii| ll •'O lie I|ii]i,m| | WiU'l,! w.ilt t
I If ,ini\fil ; Jill I then hf ;l>kf(l lUc lo ^ivr !,|^ li.\c to lll> wife ,111(1 1 III!

111 so \\f

proMfdcil. |nh;i|lsfU ;|liil |. Iml it W.I

S >lo\V

woik liir u.

aloiif Willi M\ sifilifos, Willi ll wf!f iiii|ii.iir(| oil thfir w.i\ 1)\ all sorts d
ol)>t.ii lf> ami iii.i|ii.ilitif^. r.fiiilf-, tlii>, tJichc hiM.mif roiinlifr. aiiil
it w.l^ (liHii nil t(i ^'fi oil (liiiiii^ thf afifrii'iiii on ai i oiiut ol tlif d.irk-
iifss thf il.i\> Iiciiil; still \fr\ slioit. loi the suu \\.i> not \ft abo\f tlic
)ion/oii. W (• llu'i"f iDif (.iiiiiii'l r.iilur f.irh .

lllf

irc h (itli.

arr

.ILI.I

ill oil bo.ivd lllf h'raiii to

iii.ikf .1 lif^li start lor thf third tiiiif. and tlifii. 1 ^upposf, it

wil

hf III

f.iriHsi. ( )ii .'-i.iturd.iN . March Ji

1(1. Wl' |ild( ff i|f(l W !(

h I

If M\ Sif (i'M S

'ro-

:i:tfr T h.id Ikcii a tup to llif iiorthw,ir(l. and louiid it |),is>.il)lf.
^ri'-s was sliiw. and wf had to do iicirlv si\ turns f.u h, as the slcduts
-to|i|ifd fViiywlifre and h,id to hr hfl|if(l aloi'U. I s.iw now too

a I liani^c would

( If.nly 111. It Wf should iif\fr m'l on in this iiianiifr
l..i\f to lif lu.idf, and I Civi idfd to ( .iiiiii in ordrr to li.i\(

a tool'

Iff noilliw.ird and (oiisidfr thf ni.iltfr.

i\ini,f tn.(l up tin

at the
loUS. 1

s>t (111. while jiiliaiisfii w.is to Iffd thf d( .u^ .ind put up tlu- IliU.
'I hf\ wcrf Ifd oiicf ill f\fry z^, lioiirs, al niL;lit. wlifii the dav's mar( li

was (loiif

h.id

11(4

lllf

ir w hf 11 I c.inif upon t.\( I'lknt spa( ious ]>Iaiii:

d |iri\urf.s ( oiild lie madf, and so far cvcrvthiiin w,

IS at

ri'Mii ; hut

till' lo.id li.id to 1h' dinunislifd and the nunihfr of slfd^H's rfducfd.
Undoul)U'dl\. llifrflorf, it \vuul(J hf hfst to rfturn to thf h'raiii to
ui.ikf thf nf( f-s,iry altfi.itioiis on hoard, and uct tlif slfd^fs wf wfie
to l.iki' with Us lurilur str(.'nytlifnfd, so as i(j ha\f i)frrf( t (onlidciice
in tlif'r (liiiahihl\.

W'c make a Siart.

401

"Wi- iniglit nf course h.ivc (lr,iL,':,a'il altin.u'. sfinuhow. tnwnnl' lln*
north for a wliili-, aiul llu- lu.itl would ^radii.ill\ li.ivc <li'i i( .immI ; luit it
wuuKl li.ivi- l)i.ri-. slow work, .iml In lure llir lu.nl umiM !).■ ^iUIk uiuly
linliti'iK'd tlv (Im;4> wmilil |Krhai»s b.- worn out. It \\.i> mid lor tluin
at ni:;Iit : Vf licud iii;m\ of ilnin liowliii;; mo^t ot' the ni^;lit. If,
liowcMT. wf (liMiinishctl tin- load, and (i)nM'(HU'iitly .illowrd a slioii.r
tinif for the iournry. il woiiM he iirrrcraliK- to wait, .md \\n< ^t nt till .1
litilc later ill ihc monlli, wlicn wi- i ould iiuikf more out ot ilic iim •,

".SUNDAY AITI.RNOON 0\ IIOAKD."

as the days would he li,t,diter and not so cold, and the snow surface
l)etter. Having spent anolb.er night in the tent -into whu h it wa> a
hard job to j;et, dressed in a fur that was stiff with fro;>t. and then int >
a ba;^ that was also Jiard frozen —I decided next niornini,' (Sunday,
March 3rd) to return to the l-'miii. I harnessed a double team of doi,'s
to one of the sledges, and off they went over ])ressure ridges and all
other obstacles so ra[)idly that I coidd hartUy keep ui) with them. In

462

Chapter XI.

a few hours I covered the same distance which had taken us three
(lays wlicn we started out. The advantage of a hghter load was only
too apparent.

'* As I apj)r()ached the Fram I saw to my surprise the upjier edge of
the sun above the ice in the south. It was the first time this year, hut
I had not expected it as yet. It was the refraction caused by the low
temperature which made it visible so soon. The first news I heard
from those who came to meet me was that Hansen had the previous
afternoon taken an observation, which gave 84° 4' N. lat.

" It was undoubtedly very pleasant once more to stretch my limbs
on the sofa in the Fmiii's saloon, to quench my thirst in delicious
lime-juice with sugar, and again to dine in a civilised manner. In the
afternoon Hansen and Nordahl went l)a( k to Johanscn with my team
of dogs, to keep him comi)any overnight. When I left him it was
understood that he was to start on the return journey as best he could
until I came with others to help him. The dogs lost no time, and the
two men reached Johansen's tent in an hour and twenty minutes. At
night both they and we had rejoicings in honour of the sun and the
84th degree.

" The next morning three of us went off and fetched the sledges
back. Now, when we made for the ship, the dogs dragged much
better, and in a short time we should have been on beard had it not
been Cor a long lane in the ice which we could see no end to, and
which stopi)ed us. Finally we left the sledges and together with the
dogs managed to cross over on some loose pieces of ice and got on
board. Yesterday we twice tried to fetch the sledges, but there had
evidently been some movement in the lane, and the new ice was still
so thin that we dared not trust it. We have, however, to-day got the
sledges on board, and we will now for the last time, it is to be ho])ed,
prepare ourselves for the journey. I will now jilan out the journey so
as to take the shortest possible time, using light sledges and tearing
along as fast and legs and snow-shoes will carry us. ^\'e shall be none
the worse for this delay, j^rovided we do not meet too much pack-ice
or too many openings in the ice.

" I have weighed all the dogs, and have come to the conclusion that
we can feed them on each other and keep going for about fifty days ;

We make a Start.

having, in addition to this, dog provisions for about thirty days, we
ought to l)e able to travel with dogs for eighty days, and in that time it
seems to me we should have arrived somewhere. And besides we
have provisions for ourselves for one hundred days. This will be
about 440 lbs. on each sledge if we take three, and with nine dogs per
sledge we ought to manage it."

So here we were again, busy with preparations and improvements.
In the meantime the ice moved a little, broke up, and lanes were
formed in various directions. On March Sth I say : — "The crack in
the large floe to starboard, formed while we were away, opened yester-
day into a broad lane, which we can see stretching with newly-frozen
ice towards the horizon both north and south. It is odd how that
petroleum launch is always in ' hot water ' wherever it is. This crack
formed underneath it, so it was hanging with the stern over llie water,
when they found it in the morning. We have now decided to cut it up
and use the elm boards for the sledge runners. That will be the end
of it."

"Wednesday, March 13th, 84'' N. lat , loi' 55' E. long. The
days have passed, working again at the equipment. Everything is now
in order. Three sledges are standing ready out on the ice, properly
strengthened in every way, with iron fastenings between uprights and
cross-bars. These last-mentioned are securely strengthened with extra
top-pieces of ash, and protected underneath by boards. This afternoon
we tried the dogs with sledges loaded, and il.cy went as easily as could
be, and to-morrow we start again for the last time full of courage ami
confidence, and with the sun up, in the assurance that we are going
towards ever brighter days.

" To-night there has been a great farewell feast, with many hearty
speeches, and early to-moi "ow we tlepart as early as possible, provided
our dissipation has not delayed us. I have to-night added the follow-
ing postscript to Sverdrup's instructions : —

" p.S. — In the foregoing instructions, which I wrote ratlier hurriedly
on the night of February 25th, I omitted to mention things that should
have been alluded to. I will restrict myself here to stating further that
should you sight unknown land, everything ought, of course, to be

454

Chapter XI.

clone in orrlcr to asrcrtiiin and esaminc it, as far as circiinistanas will
l)crniit. Should thu J''i\ii)i drift so near that you tliink it can he
reached without j^reat risk, everything that can l)e done to e.\i)lore the
land would l)e of the greatest interest. I'.very stone, every blade of
grass, lichen, or moss, every animal, fnjm the largest to the smallest,
would he of great importance ; piiotographs, and an exact description
should not he neglected, at the same time it should be traversed to the
greatest possible extent, in order to ascertain its coast-line, si/e, etc.
All such things should, however, only he done, jirovided they can he
accomplished without danger. If the Fram is adrift in the ice, it is
clear that only short excursions should l)e made from her, as the mem-
bers of such expeditions might encounter great difficulties in reaching
the vessel again. Should the Frain remain stationary for any time,
such expeditions should still he undertaken only with great discretion,
and not he extended over any great length of lime, as no one can
foresee when she may commence to drift again, and it would be very
undesirable for all concerned if the crew of the Fnxm were to he still
further reduced.

" We have so often spoken tcgether ;:' ■ tho scientific researches,
that I do not consider it necessary to gi\ ;:'• fi-rther suggestions here.
I am certain that you will do everything ui your power to make them
as i)erfect as i)ossible, so that the expedition may return with as good
results as the circumstances will permit. And now once again, my
wishes for all possible success, and may we meet again before long.

" Your affectionate,

" The Fram, March 13th, 1895. "FridtjoI'- Nansen."

Piefore leaving the Fnwi for good, T ought, perhaps, to give a short
account of the cHjuipment we finally decided on as the most likely to
suit our purposes.

I have already mentioned the two kayaks that had been made
during the course of the winter, and t^hat we recpiired to have with us
in order to cross possible channels and pools, and also for use when
we should come to open sea. Instead of these kayaks, I had at
first thought of taking ready-made canvas boat-covers, and of using
the sledges as frames to stretch them over. By this means a craft

We make a Start.

465

perfectly capable of carrying us owr lanes and sliort bits of open sea
could have hcen rigc,'e(l up in a very short space of time. I sub-
sequently gave uj) this idea, however, and decided on the kavak, a
craft with which I was familiar, and which I could rely on to rmdir
valual)le assistance in several resp'^cts. Even if we had been able to
<ontrive a cover for the sledj^es in such a manner that a bent could
have been got ready in a short space of time, it would not haw been
such (piick work as simply launchin;^' a ready-made kayak. Added to
this the craft would, necessarily, have been heavy to row, and, when it
was a question of lonj,' distances in open water, such as aloni,' the
coasts of Franz Josef hand, or across thence to Spitsbergen, mu( h
time would have been lost. One consideration indeed, and that of
some moment, was the saving in weight if the sledges were made use
of; but even this was not of so much importance as it seemed, as the
covers of both kinds of craft would have weighed about the same, and
what would have been saved in the weight of the frames was not
much, if one remembers that a whole kayak-frame only weighs about
16 lbs. Moreover, if kayaks were used, some weight would be saveil
by being able to carry our provisions and other iinpaiiohiita in bags
of thin material, which could be stowed away in the kayaks, and the
latter lashed to the sledges. Our provisions would thus be protected
against all risk of attack by dogs, or of being cut by sharp pieces 01
ice. The other alternative— the canvas cover— which would have
required fitting on and folding u]) again after being in the water,
would necessarily, in the low tem])eratures we had to ex|)ect, have
become spoiled and leaky. Last, i)ut not least, the kayak with its
tightly-covered deck, is a most efticient sea-boat, in which one can get
along in any kind of weather, and is also an admirable craft for
shooting and fishing i)uri)oses. The boat which one could have
contrived by the other expedient, could with difficulty line been
made at all satisfactory in this respe( t.

I have also mentioned the shd^^es which I had made for this expedi-
tion. They were of the same i)attern as those built for the ( Jretnlanrl
one : somewhat resembling in shape the Norwegian '■ skikjeike,""*

* They were 12 feet long, i foot ^\ Indies l)roa(l, and rode .ibout 5 inches al.ove
the snow.

466

Chapter XI.

which is a low hand-sludge on broad runners, similar to our ordinary
snow-shoes. lUit instead of the broad, flat runners we used in
(Ireenland, I had the runners made in this case about the same in
width (3jV indies), but somewhat convex underneath, as those to be
found on the " skikjelke " of ( )sterdalen and elsewhere. These convex
runners proved to move very easily on the kind of country which we
had to travel over, and they enabled the long sledges to be turned
with ease, which was particularly convenient in the driit-ice, where
the many irregularities often necessitated a very zig-zag route. Tiie
runners were covered with a thin plate of German silver, which, as
it always keeps bright and smooth, and does not rust, answereil its
purpose well. As I mentioned before, there were thin, loose, well
tarred, guard-runners of a kind of maple {Acer platanoides) underneath
the German silver ones. The sledges were also prepared in various
other ways which have been treated of before, for the heavy loads tlie>-
were to carry at the beginning. The result of this was that they were
somewhat heavier than I had intended at first ; but in return I had
the satisfaction of their being fit for use during the whole journey, and
not once were we stopped or delayed by their breaking down, 'i'iiis
has hardly been the case with former sledge journeys.

I lia\e referred several times to our clothes, and our trial-trips in
them. Although we had come to the conclusion that our wolf-skin
garments were too warm for travelling in, we took them with us all the
same on our first trip, and wore them too, to a certain extent ; but we
soon discovered that they were always too warm, and caused undue
perspiration. By absorbing all the moisture of the body tiiey became
so heavy that they made an appreciable difference in the weight of our
loads, and on our return from our three days' absence from the vessel,
were so wet that they had to be hung for a long time over tiie saloon
stove to dry. To this was added the experience that when we took
them off in the coUl, after having worn them for a time, they froze so
stiff that it was difficult to get them on again. Tlie result of all this
was that I was not very favourably disposed towards them, and eventu-
ally made up my mind to keep to my woollen clothes, which I thought
would give free outlet to the perspiration. Johansen followed my
example. Our clothes then came to consist of about the following :

We make a Start.

467

on the upper part of the body two woollen shirts (Jaeger's) ; outside
these I had a camel's-hair coat, and last of all a thi( k rough jersey.
Instead of the jersey, Johansen wore what is ralk-tl on hoard shi|) an
"anorak,"' of thick homespun, provided with a hood, which he could
pull forward 'r.\ front of his face, and made after an Eskimo i)attern.
On our legs we had, next our skin, woollen drawers, and over these
knickerbockers and loose gaiters ol close Norwegian homespun. 'I'o
protect us from wind and fine-driven snow, which, being of the nature
of dust, forces itself into every pore of a woollen fabric, we wore a suit
which has been mentioned before, made of a thin, close kind of cotton
canvas, and consisting of an upjjcr garment to pull over the head,
provided with a hood in Eskimo fashion, and a lower one in the shape
of a pair of wide overalls.

An important item in an outfit is the font-}:^car. Instead of wearing
long stockings, I preferred to use loose stocking-legs and socks, as
these are easy to dry on one's chest when asleep at night. On a
journey of this kind, where one is continually travelling over snow and
in a low temperature, whether it be on snowshoes or not, my experience
is that Finn-shoes are, without doubt, the most satisfactory covering
for the feet in every way, but they must be made of the skin of the
hind-legs of the reindeer buck. They are warm and strong, are always
flexil)le, and very easy to put on and take oft". They require careful
management, however, if they are not to be spoiled at the outset, and
one must try as well r.s one can to dry them when asleep at night. If
it be sunny and good drying weather outside, the best plan is to hang
them on a couple of snowshoe staffs, or something of the kind, in the
wind outside the tent, preferably turned inside out, so that the skin
itself can dry quickly. If one does not take this precaution the haii
will soon begin to fall out. In severe cold, such as we had on the
first part of the journey, it was impossible to dry them in this way, and
our only resource was then to dry them on the feet at night, after
having carefully brushed and scraped them free from snow and
moisture. Then the next process is to turn them inside out, fill
them with " sennegraes '' or sedge, if one have it, thrust one's feet
in, and creep into the sleeping bag with them on.* For milder

* Ciiiiipare my <lcscri])tion nf " fiiiskd '" (Finn shoes) in "The First Crossing ol
Crcenland," pp. 47 and 48. 2 H 2

468

Chapter XI.

weather later on, we had provided ourselves with leather hoots, of the
"koniager"' type, such as the Lapps use in summer. In this case
they were made of under-tanned ox-hide, with soles of the skin of
the blue seal {Plijca barlnita) ; well rubbed in with a composition of
tar and tallow they make a wonderi'uliy strong and watertight boot,
csiiecially for use in wet wc ather. Inside the Finn shoes we used, at
the beginning of our journey, this " sennegraes " {Canw vcsicaria\ of
wiiich we had taken a supply. This is most effective in keeping the
feet dry and warm, and if used Lappwise, i.e., with bare feet, it draws
aU moisture to itself. At night the wet "sennegraes" must be removed
from the boots, well pulled out with the fingers so that it does not cling
together, and then dried during the night by being worn inside the
coat or trouser-leg. In the morning it will be about dry, and can be
pressed into the boots again. Little by little, however, it becomes
used up, and if it is to last out a long journey a good supply must be
taken.

We also had with us socks made of sheep's wool and human hair,
which were both warm and durable. Then, tOo, we took squares of
" vadmel " or Norwegian homespun, such as are used in our army,
which we wore (particularly myself) inside our "komager"' on the
latter i)art of the journey, when the snow was wet. They are comfort-
able to wear and easy to dry, as one can si)read theni out under one's
coat or trousers at night.

On our hands we wore large gloves of wolf-skin, in addition to
ordinary woollen mittens underneath, neither of them having separate
divisions for the fingers. Exactly the same drying process had to be
gone through with the gloves as with the foot-gear. Altogether the
warmth of one's unfortunate body, which is the only source of heat
one has for this sort of work, is chiefly exjjended in the effort to dry
one's various garments ; and we spent our nights in wet compresses, in
order that the morrow might pass in a little more comfort.

On our heads we wore felt hats, which shaded the eyes from the
dazzling light, and were less pervious to the wind than an ordinary
woollen cap. Outside the hat we generally had one or two hoods of
cloth. liy this means we could regulate the warmth of our heads to a
certain extent, and this is no unimportant thing.

We make a Start.

469

It had been my. original intention to use light one-man s/tr/>///,i;-/>(ixs,
made of the skin of the reindeer ralf. As these, liowxxcr, proved to Ir-
insiif;kiently warm, I had to resort to the same prim iplu we went on
in Greenland, />., a double bag of adult reindeer skin ; a considerable
increase of warmth is thus attained by the fact thai the occupants
warm each other. Furthermore, a bag for two men is not a little
lighter than two single bags. An objection has been raised to joint
bags on the score that one's night's rest is apt to be disturbed, but
this I have not found to be the case.

Something which in my opinion ought not to be omitted from a
sledge journey is a /enf. Even if thin and frail, it affords the mem-
bers of an expedition so much protet tion and comfort that the
inconsiderable increase in weight to the e(iuipment is more than com-
pensated for. The tents which 1 had had made for the expedition
were of strong undressed silk and \''v light. They were s(iuare at
the base and i)ointed at the top, and >>ere pitched by means only of
a tent pole in the middle, on the same princii)le as the four-man tents
used in our army. Most of them iiad canvas floors attac;he(l. On
our first start we took with us a tent of this kind, intended to hold
four men and weighing a little over 7 lbs. The lloor is a certain
advantage, as it makes the whole tent compact and (\u'uk to put up.
besides i)eing more impervious to wind. The whole tent is sewn in
one piece, walls and floor together, and the only opening is a little
slit through which to crawl. One drawback, however, to it is, that
it is almost impossible not to carry in with one a certain amount of
snow on the feet. This melts during tiie night from the heat of one's
body lying on it and the floor absor!).s the nicisture. thereby causing
the tent to be always a good deal heavier t!>;in the figures given
here.

I accordingly relinquished all idea of a tent of tl.is kinii, and took
with me one of about the same dimensions. an-,i of the same silk
material as tlie other, but without a floor. It took a little lon-er to
put up, but the difference was not great. Tiie walls were kejit down
by pegs, and when all was finished we would bank it carefully round
with snow to exclude wind and draughts. Then came the actual
pitching of the tent, which was accomplished by crawling in through

470

Chapter XI.

the entrance and poking it uj) with a snowshoe-staff, which also scrvctl
as tent-pole. It weighed a traction over 3 lbs., including sixteen pegs,
lasted the whole journey through— that is to say, until the autumn—
and was ulwavs a cherished ulace of refuge.

THE COOKING APPARATUS.

The cooking apparatus we took with us had the advantage of
utilising to the utmost the fuel consumed. With it we were able, in
a very short space of time, to cook food and simultaneously to melt
an abundance of drinking water, so that both in the morning and in

We make a Start.

471

the evening we were able to drink as much as we wished, and even a
suii)his remained, 'i'he a])|)aralu.s consisted of two boilers and a
vessel for melting snow or ice in, and was constructed in the following
manner:- Inside a ring-shai)ed vessel was placed the boiler, while
underneath this again was the lamp. The entire c()mi)Ustion output
was tlnis for( ed to mount into the .Dace l)etween the i)()i!er and the
ring-shaped vessel. Over this was a tight-fitting lid with a hni-j in
the middle, through which the hot air was obliged to pass jjcfore it
could penetrate farther and reach the bottom of a Hat siiow-melter,
which was placed above it. Then, after having delivered some part
of its heat, the air was forced down again on the outside of the ring-
shaped vessel by the help (^f a mantle, or cap, which surrounded the
whole. Here it parted with its last remaining warmth to the outerside
of the ring-vessel, and finally escaped, almost entirely (ooled, from
the lo^vtr edge of the mantle.

I'or the heating was used a Swedish gas-])etroleum lamp, known as
" the Primus," in which the heat turns the petroleum into gas before
it is consumetl. By this means it renders the combustion unusually
complete. Numerous experiments made by Professor Torup at his
laboratory proved that the cooker in ordinary circumstances yielded
90 to 93 per cent, of the heat which the petroleum consumed should,
by combustion, theoretically evolve. A more satisfactory result, I
think, it would be difficult to obtain. The ves.sels in this cooker were
made of German silver, while the lid, outside cap, etc., were of
aluminium. Together with two tin mugs, two tin sjjoons, and
a tin ladle, it weighed exactly S lbs. 13 ozs., while the lamp, the
" Primus," weighed 4^ ozs.

As fuel, my choice this time fell on petroleum ("snow-flake"'.
Alcohol, which has generally been used before on Arctic expeditions,
has several advantages, and, in particular, is easy to burn. One
decided drawback to it, however, is the fiict that it does n.-t by any
means generate as much heat in comparison with its weight as
petroleum when the latter is entirely consumed, as was the case with
the lamp used by us. As I was afraid that petroleum might freeze,
I had a notion of employing gas-oil, but gave up I'ne idea, as it
escapes so easily that it is difficult to preserve, and is, moreover, very

Chapter XI.

explosive. W'r had no (liriicultii's uiili our " snow-ILikL- " pt'trok-um
on iu (dimt of ilu- cold. W'l' look with us latluT nion- than 4 ^mIIihis,
and lliis (|uantit\' lastfcl us ijo da\s, c'nal)lin,L( us lo (ook two hot
inuals a day and nu'lt an al)undan( e of water.

01' snow-sliocs we took several pairs, as we had to he prepared for
hreakai^es in the uneven drift-iee ; besides this they wouhl prohahl)'
j;et considerably worn in the sinnmertinie, when the snow became wit
and j,'ranular. Those we took with lis were particularly touj,di, and
slid readily. 'I'hey were, for the most part, of the same kind of maple
as the sledges, and of hire h and hickory. 'I'hey had all been well
rid)bed in with a coiu oction of tar, steariiu-, and talhnv.

As we t al( ulated to subsist, in a nieasure, on what we could shovit
ourselvr- it was necessary for us to have fire-arms. 'I'lie most iin-
portaiu . ;,'//// for this kind of work is, naturally, the rille ; but as, in
all likelihood, we should ha\e to ;^o across large expanses of snow,
where, probably, there would be little big game, and whereas, on the
other hand, birds might very likely come tl>ing over our heads, I
thought shot-guns would be the most serviceable to us. 'rherelVre
we decided on the same evpiipment in this respect as we had in
(Ireenland. We took with us two ilouble-barrelled guns (Hfu hsilints);
ea( h of them having a slu)t-barrel of 2od)ore and a barrel for ball
(Express) of about '360 calibre. Our supply of ammunition consisted
of about 180 rifle cartridges and 150 sihot cartridges.

Our instruments for determining our position and for working sights
were : a small light theodolite, specially constructed for the [)urpose,
which, with its case (this I had also had made to act as a stand) only
weighed a little over two jjounds. We had, furthermore, a poi ket
sextant and an artificial glass horizon, a light azimuth com])ass of
aluminium, and a couple of other comi)asses. For the meteoroK gic al
observations we had a couple of aneroid barometers, two minimum
spirit-thermometers, and three (piicksilver sling-thermometers. In
addition to these we had a good aluminium telescope, and also a
photographic camera.

The most difficult, but also, perhaps, the most important, point in
the e([uii)ment of a sledge-expetlition is thoroughly gooil and adeipuUe
viitinxllit)^^. I have already mentioned, in the Introduction to this

y <

y o

■u

Wc make a Start.

book, that thr first and foremost ()V)jt'( t is to protect oneself nKains'.
scurvy and other maladit's l)y tho • hoi(t' of loods, which, throuj,'h
(ari'ful preparation and sterilisation, are assured against de( (iin|»nsi-
tion. On a slcdj^e e\pe(hli()!i of this kind, where so nuuh atteiuinn
nuist be paid to the weiglit of tlie equipment, it is hardly possible to
take any kinds of provisions except those v.'hose weij,'ht has heen
reduced as muk !i as pos.ible by « areful and ciaiiplete dryinj^. As,
however, meat and fish an- n( t so easily di^'este-i wlicn dried, it is no
unimportant thing to have them in a pulverised form. The dried
food is, in this manner, so, finely distributed that it can, with ecjual
facility, be digested and received into the organism. 'I'his preparation
of meat and fish was, therefore, the only kind we took with us. 'i'he
meat was nniscular beef, taken from the ox, and freed from all fat,
gristle, etc. ; it was then dried as (piickly as possible, in a completely
fresh condition, and thereupon ground and nuxed with the same pro-
portion of beef suet as is used in the ordinary preparation of i)emmi-
can. This form of food, which has been used for a considerable time
on sledge expeditions, has gained for itself much esteem, and rightly ;
if well i)repared, as ours was, it is undeniably a nourishing and easily
digested food.* One ought not, however, to trust to its always being
harndess, for, if carelessly prepared, i.e., slowly or imperfectly dried, it
may also be very injurious to the health.

Another item of our provisions, by which we set great store, was
Vage's fish flour. It is well prepared and has admirable keeping
(jualities ; if boiled in water and mixed with flour and butter or dried
])otatoes, it turnishes a very appetising dish. Another point which
should be attended to is tliat the food be of such a kind that it can be
eaten without cooking. I'uel w, part of an ecjuipment, no doubt, but
if for some reason or other this be lost or used up, one would be in a
bad case indeed, had one not provided against such a contingency

* I had also had prepared a Ir.ri^c <iuanlity of pommican. ronsisiiny of equal parts
of mcat-po'.vder and vegetal )ie fat (from tlic cocoa-nut). This jjemniican, however,
]>rovcd to be rather an unfortunate invention ; even the lio^s wouUl noi ^'at it afier
they had tasted it once or twice. Perhaps this is accounted for by the fact that
vegetable fat is heavily digested, and contains acids which irritate the mucous
menibianes cf the stomach and throat.

A7^

Chapter XI.

1))' takin<('f()0(l wliich roiiUl he e;itcn in spito of that. In order to save
fuL'l, too, it is inii)()rtant t!uU lliu Ibod should not reciiiire cookiui::;, but
merely warming. 'l"lie llour that we took with us had therefore been
steamed and could, if necc ary, have been eaten as it was, without
further jjreparation. Merely brought to a boil it made a good hot
dish. A\'e alsc? took dried boiled potatoes, pea-soup, thccolate, vril-
food, etc. Our bread was p.ir.ly carefully-dried wheaten biscuits, and
partly aleuronate bread, which I had caused to be made of wheat-
flour mixed with about 30 per cent, of aleuronate flour (vegetable
albumen).

We also took with us a considerable (juantity of butter (86 lbs.)
which had been well worked on board in order to get out all superfluous
water. By this means not only was considerable weight saved, but the
butter did not become so hard in the cold. On the whole it must be
said that our menus included considerable variety, and we were never
subjected to that sameness of food which former sledge expeditions have
complained so much ot". Finally we always had ravenous appetites, and
always thought our meals as delicious as they could be.

Our iiiediciiie-chcsf consisted, on this occasion, of a liitle bag, con-
taining, naturally, only the most absolutely necessary drugs, etc. Some
splints and some ligatures, and plaster of Paris bandages, for possible
broken legs and arms ; aperient pills and laudanum for derangements
of the stomach, whi( h were never rec^uired ; chloroform in case of an
amputation, for example, from frost-bite ; a couple of small glasses of
cocaine in solution for snow-blindness (also unused) ; drops for
toothache, carbolic acid, iodoform gauze, a couple of curved needles, and
some silk for sewing uj) wounds: a scali)jl, two artery tweexers (also for
amputations), and a few other sundries. Happily our medicines were
hardly ever required, except that the ligatures and bandages came in
very handily the following winter as wicks for our train-oil lamps. Still
better for this jjurpose, however, is Nicolaysen's plaster, of which we
had taken a supply for possible broken collar-bones. The layer of wax
we scrajK'd carefully off, and found it most satisfactory for caulking out
leaky kayaks.

We make a Start.

477

LIST OF THE EQUIPMENT.

Sledge No. i (with Nansen's Kayak).

Ll)s. ozs.
41 2

Kayak .......

Pump(ror pumping kayaks in case of leakage)
Sail ......

Axe and geological hammer
Gun and case ....

Two small wooden rods belonging to cooker

Theodolite and case .

Three reserve cr' pieces for sledges

Some pieces of \» ood .

Harpoon line ....

Fur-gaiters

Five balls of cord

Cooker, with two mugs, ladle, and two .spoons

Petroleum lamp (Primus) .

Pocket-flask ....

Bag, with sundry articles ot clothing
Blanket .....

Jersey .....

Finn-shoes filled with grass.

Ca]) for fitting over opening in kayak

One pair '• komager "

Two pair ka\ak gloves and one harpoon

and line.

One waterproof sealskin kayak overcoat

Tool-bag . . . . . ,

Bag of sewing materials, including sail

maker's palm, sail needles, and other

sundries .....
Three Norwegian flags
Medicines, &c. ....
Photographic camera .
One cassette and one tin box of films
One wooden cup
One rope (for lashing kayak to sledge)
Pieces of reindeer-skin to prevent kayak

from chafing ....
Wooden shovel ....
Snowshoe-staff with disc at bottom
One bamboo staff
Two oak staffs ....
Seven reserve dog harnesses and two reserve

hauling ropes ....

I
I
I

7
o

4
2
o
o
I

8
c
o
8

4
2

2
I

2
o
4

-»

o
2

2
9
5
4
14

1 [

8-4

3
9

6
8
I

7
I

5
3 i

2 ID

15
10

3 IS

2 3

I 9

1 o

2 10
2 10

Kilos.
.8-7

o'5
0-7

0-4

2 • 2
09

^'3
o" 24

'55

•7

'7
o

2 'O
115

i'4

o' 2

o'95

i'4
I • 2

1 ■ 2
c I

2 25
2 • I

i'75
o'c8

1-8
I o

0-7

o'45
I ■ 2

1 • 2

4/8

Chapter XI.

Sledge No. i — cotiiim/cd.

One coil of rope .....

Four bamboo poles, for masts and for steer-
ing sledges . . ■ . . .
One bag of bread

,, whey-powder

M sugar

„ albuminous flour
„ lime-juice tablets
„ Frame-food stamina tablets
As boat's grips, upon the sledges, were : —
Three sacks of pemmican (together)
One sack " leverpostei " or " pite," made
of calfs liver .....

Lbs.
o

8
5

2
I
I

238

ozs.

13
15

3
12
10

Kilos.
018

4-0
2-7

1 o
08

o'7S
I • I

108 2

42-7

Sledge Nc. 2. On this was carried in strong sacks

Albuminous flour

Wheat flour

Whey-powder

Cornflour ....

Sugar . . . , .

Vril-food .....

Australian pemmican .

Chocolate .....

Oatmeal .....

Dried red whortleberries

Two sacks of white bread (together)

One sack of aleuronate bread

" Special food " (a mixture of pea-flour,

meat-powder, fat, &:c.) .

Butter

Fish-flour (Vage's)

Dried potatoes ....

One reindeer-skin sleeping bag .

Two steel-wire ropes, with couples for

twenty-eight dogs .
One pair hickory snow-shoes
Weight of sledge

Sledge No. 3 (with Johansen's Kayak)

Kayak ......

Two ])ieccs of reindeer-skin, to prevent

chafinL^ . I 12

Lbs.

ozs.

Kilos.

6-8

7-7

14-2

5-9

5-8

0-4

31S

21 2

(>i

290

390

»5-5

5-0

5"o

197

Kaya

k).

Lbs

ozs.

Kilos.

i8-8

\\^e make a Start.

479

Slkdge No. i~contimicd.

A supply of dog shoes
One Eskimo shooting-sledge with sail (in-
tended for possible seal-shooting on the

Two sledge sails

Pump , . ' ■ ■

Oar-blades (made of canvas st'retched on

frames, and intended to he lashed to the

snowshoe-stafts)

Gun ....'"

Flask . . , ' ■ ■ ■

Net (for catching Crustacea in the sea)

One pair " komager "

Waterproof kayak overcoat of sealskin'

Fur-gaiters ...

Two reserve pieces of wood

Two tins of petroleum (about 5 gallons)

Several reserve snow-shoe fastenings

Lantern for changing plates, i\:c. '"

Artificial glass horizon

Bag with cords and Nautical Almanack

Pocket sextant . . . _

Two packets of matches

One reserve sheet of German silver (for re-

pninng plates under sledge-runners)
Pitch . a • / .

• • •

Two minimum thermometers in cases!

Three quicksilver thermometers in cases

One compass ...

One aluminium compass . \
M telescope .

" Sennegraes " or sedge for Finn-shoes

J^ag with cartridges ...

Feather pouch with reserve shooting re-
quisites, parts for gun-locks, reserve
cocks, balls, powder, c\:c.

Feather pouch wilh glass bottle.' one 'spoon,

and five pencils ...
Bag with navigation tables,' Nautical

Almanack, cards, &c.
Tin box with diaries, letters, photographs',

observation-journals, &c.
^'^f^^^^'JP,/"'- covering hole in deck of

Fbs. ozs.

Kilos.

'J "55

o'73

I 2

o'S

2-7

326

017

5-2

o'^S

^5-7

I-Q

7 3

021

9-8

0-28

i8-2

151

o'43

I 2

049

IO'2

029

4-6

013

13-7

039

13-7

039

7-4

0-2I

o- I

7-4

021

O' 14

8-8

025

8-4

0-24

1 1

8-6

o'7

0-2

ir85

106

0-3

I r

3 1

,65

O' 22

480

Chapter XI.

Sledgk No.

3 — contiintcd.

Lbs.

OZS.

Kilos.

One sack of meat-chocolate

]

One hag

f Sf)UpS

()

cf)(oa

■35

fish-flour .

•70

»»

wheat-flour

■90

5 "

chocolate

■0

oatmeal .

vril-food .

■Q

As gri[)s u

pon the sledge

were : —

One sa(

k of oatmeal

■2

•9

penimican

• 115

■3

»t

liver " pate "

III

•8

A list of

our dogs and their

weights on

starting

may be of

interest : —

TJ)s.

Kilos.

Lbs.

Kilos.

Kvik .

35 7

Katta .

45^

20-7

Freia .

5°

22-7

Narrifas

210

Barbara

495

22-5

Livjajgeren .

38^

•75

Suggen

28-0

Potifar

26-0

Flint .

• • 59^

27"0

Storrreven

31-8

Barrabas

6lJr

28'0

Isbjon

6ii

28 'O

Ciulen .

6oi-

27-5

I -illeroeven

267

Haren .

6.1

28-0

Kvindfolket

26-0

Barnel

'77

Perpetuum

^'3

28 '6

Sultan

310

]5aro .

60^

27-5

Klapperslangen . 59^

27"0

Russen

58^

26-5

Blok .

267

Kaifas

31-5

Bjelki .

• ■ 38

173

Ulenka

26'0

.Sjoliget

i8'o

Pan .

29-5

:iND OF VOL. I.

11AK1;1S(IN AND SUNS, I'KINM'.KS IN ORUINAKY Hi HliU MAJI'STV, ST. MAKTIn's I.ANK,

.•)3
70

■90

be of

Kilos.
2o" 7
210

17-5

26 'O
31-8
28-0
26' 7
26 'O
28 '6

27-5
26-5

31-5

26'0

29'5

A-

.m^"' ^■\^^t

i^/ \

■A

'..V .X-.0 ;

■:§

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CHART OF NORTH

COMPILED FROM LATEST SOURCES

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REFERENCE NOTE

TRACK OF "the FRAM " IN OPEN WATER
RAM'S" DRIFT IN THE POLAR ICE
NANSENS &L JOHANSEN'S SLEDGE JOURNGY

S,'--

Limits of Pack Ice . ' -

Ocean Currents are shown by arrows

Glaciers & Land Ice . . . . , ^

Ocean Soundings in Fathoms .^

Soundings, no bottom reached --.

Points reached by Explorers, & Dates •

Sr.llc 111' i.alllllilf I I lIMIOIidll
,-.,, ,1 -,i, iiiu ir.'. -•"! -."■I' I'll

(.f-v

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