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AND AHOUT EIGHT HUNDRED ILLUSTRATIONS In Two Voi.fMKs VOL. I. XEW YORK FREDERICK A. STOKES COMPANY MDCCCXCVIII I' I I ■ «-: b Copyright, 1898, Bv FREDKKICK A. STORKS COMPAN" A// rig/Ks reserved. Prrsswork nv THK Univkrsity Press, Camhrii)(;k, U.S.A. \ 1%^ TO rnK rwo WHO link MK WIIH iHK i>Asr AND FurrKK MV MOTIIKR AND MV DAUCMIIEK THIS HOOK IS HEOICAIKD 4 4 *« CONTENTS OF VOL. I. PREFACE INTRODUCTION |'A(;b xxv xxvii PART I. RECONNAISSANCE OF THE GREENLAND INLAND ICE I ooO . , _ ' OBJECTS AND RESULTS OF 1886 RECONNAISSANCE. PART II. NORTH-GREENLAND EXPEDITION OF i8qI-i8q2 CHAPTER " VJy*. I.— Brooklyn to McCormick Bay II.-Preparing our North-Greexlaxd Home III.-BOAT Voyage to the Islands IV.~BoAT AND Sledge Trips v.— Through the C.reat Xight VI.-Through the Great Night (Gv///w./) Vir.— Imprisoned on the Ice-Cap. VIII.-Pkeparing for the Ice-Cap Campaign I-X.-Around Inglefield Gulf ry Sledge. X.-EQUIPMENT. Routine, and Beginning of the White March I 39 ■ 41 ■ 71 • 95 • '25 157 • i79 • 197 • 219 • 245 VOL. I. XV 75 * XVI Contents of Vol. I CHAPIKK Xl.-OVER THK •< Great Ice" to the Nokthekn Kn„ OF (jkEENLANI) XII.— Northernmost Greenland . XIII.-EiGHT Thousand Feet a.h.ve the Sea XIV.-IJoAT Voyage into Inglkkiki.d Gvlv . XV.-Search for Verhoefk. and Ho.mkuard Vovagk XVI.-Meteoroi.ogical Notes-Vkkhoeff OBJECTS AND RESULTS OF 189I-I892 EXPEDITION APPENDIX I.— AN ARCTIC OASIS APPENDIX II.-TIIE SMITH-SOUNI) ESKIMOS, WITH COM^ PLETE CENSUS OF THE TRIBE I'AGR 355 409 427 43« 441 INDEX OF VOL. I. 477 515 hfl J9 '■1 15 '3 9 7 S I ILLUSTRATIONS. MAPS. AND DIAGRAMS IN VOL. I. ICE EAST OF GODI KOHERT E. PEARY THE ARCTIC PACK HEADPIECE TO INTRODUCTION AN(JEiA) IIEII.PRIN ISAAC ]. WISTAR . " " ' HENRY (i HRVANT MORRIS K. lESUP CIIAS. P. DAI.Y EMU, DiEin rscH . * ■ ■ CIIAS. A. MooRE 'I'All.i'IECE ON THE "(iREAT headpiece inspec:tor neils andersex ■ frederick KI.AESE DALE CATARACT DANISH ESKIMO WOMAN GREENLAND SMALL IU)V SOUTH COAST OF DISCO ISLAND BIVOUAC ON THE ICE-CAP COASTING . ICE-CAP EQUIPMENT PROFILE OF INLAND FJORD, EASTWARD . LAR(;E PURPLE HLOSSOMS ' ' ' ' " ESKIMO KAVAKERS EFFECTING" A i"aNDINc" ESKIMO KAVAKERS TRAVEIJJNG OVER VNn PANORAMA OF THE INLAND ICE mis uA^^^^^ AND GLACIER, AND DISCO HAV GRFKVI ivn HARHOJR OF ATANEKERDI UK ' ^^^^'^'AND ATANEKERDLUK FOSSIL-HFDS ' " ' • CLIFF VIEW AT ATANEKERDLUK • " ■ cr-.^-^.'.V'^^-'' •^''' ATANEKERDLUK ' " ' ' SCOICH WHALER OFF ITIE WEST COAST CAPTAIN ARTHUR [ACKM AN ( F Till • F V( ■, r ■: CUMr?ERLANI) SOUND NATIVES ^''^ rPrrvr^^v-;'^'^'^'^''-'^ VOYAGE, ';886 '. GREENLAND ROUTE MAP PORTRAITS OF GIHSON. VERHOEFf" DR AND HENSON ' Frontispiece I'ACiR ICE, FROM HEAD OF I lAVN t'ticcs KITSOK FJORD vol.. I. COOK, ASTRUP xvii xxviii . xxix icxxviii xl xliv xlvi xlviii I liv l.xxx 2 3 4 6 8 9 II 12 '3 15 i6 ly 21 22 23 25 26 27 29 31 33 34 35 37 40 42 (f will Illustrations I* i IlKADI'lECK ( AITAIN KICIIAkI) J'IKK OF THK "KITF." . CIIIKF KNdlNFFR JAUDINF, 2I) ENcilNFFR McKINLKV AM) " HO'SUN" DUM'IIV IIM COD-FISIIINd IN STKAFI" OF |;FI,FF ISLK I)F( K SCFNF AFTKK IIFAVV WFAIIIFK MRS. I'FARV ANDGROLI' UF DANISH ESKIMO WOMEN A (.ODIIAVN . . (I.IMIIINd IHF (lODIIAVN CLIFFS rilK I'ARTV AT rilF CAIRN A CRI'ISFR OF IMF ARCIIC WIIITK SQUADRON SANDERSON'S IIOI'E ROUTE OF NORrH-(;RFENEANi» EXPEDITION. 1891-2, TO AND FROM MtCORMICK HAV UI'ERNAVIK THE I'ARTV AT THE DUCK ISLANDS .... HESET IN THE MEl.Vl LLE-liAV PACK .... MELVILLE MAV, lULV 4. 1891 POLAR HEAR PANORAM.X OF COAST FROM CAPE YORK TO CONICAI ROCK. HV ElVIND ASTRUP IKWAH AND WALRUS HEADIMECE SI IE OF RED CLIFF HOUSE THE RED CLIFFS . RED CLIFF HOUSE LOW TIDE "THE DAVS WERE VERV LONC" ..... HENSON WriII RAVEN AND BLUE FOX VICTIM AM) VICTORS WEIGH IN(i UP A WALRUS UNTOLD WEALTH CRIPPLE REACH ARCTIC IIOUSE-HUILDING REST AFTER LABOUR HARPOON PRACTICE UNDER DIFFICULTIES ANNADOR GREENLAND FALCON THE " FAITH" HEADPIECE HAKLUVT ISLAND, WITH NORTHUMBERLAND IN THE DISTANCE WALRUS IN MURCHISON SOUND THE FIRST NATIVE ESKIMO FAMILY AND TENT, NORTHUMBERLAND ISLAM ESKIMO IGLOO, NORTHUMBERLAND ISLAND, FRONT VIEW ESKIMO IGLOO, NORTHUMBERLAND ISLAND, REAR VIEW PLAN AND SECTION OF NORTHUMBERLAND ISLAND IGLOOS ESKIMOS ON NORTHUMBERLAND ISLAND . . . . NATIVES AND FOREIGNERS I'AGR 43 44 46 47 4Q 51 52 54 55 57 58 59 61 62 64 66 67 69 72 73 74 75 76 77 79 80 81 83 85 86 87 89 91 92 94 96 97 99 101 102 103 105 106 loS no 112 Illr Uions XIX ESKIMO VILLAGE OK KEAIK. NoKTIirMMKKI.AND ISI ri:\i \ 1 1. 1. ACE, NokriiiMiii.Ki.AM) island JOSKI'IIINK (il.ACIEK. NOU I IHMI'.KKI.AMi 1^1, AMt WKSIKKN (il.AflEK. NOR 11 1 T M lU'.RI.AM » ISI. AND \V1 I'll rilK WALRUS AT CAI'K CI.E\ KLAND IKWAII CKTTINd IP TIIK WALRIS. \V\\IN(; ()l rilK SUMMER l»A\' 111; ADI'IECI". " IIIE EAST our Ol WIND WAS WIIIsrLIN( Ld'.IAL OLAUIERS . . PANORAMA OL McCORMK K HAY LIRST IIANOINO CLACIER . I'ACKINC. sri'l'l.ILS TO TIIL ICL-CAl' DASIIINO UPON IIIE WALRUS . MRS. PEAR\ .... WALRUS WALRUS iii;ai» A.MPIll'rilLAI RE HERO IHL i;o.\r I .\Mi'-E.\rERIOR THE l!0.\r CAMP— INTERIOR OLAriER OF HIE SC.\RI.Er HEART THE i I\E-(iLA(TER-VALI.EV 1'ART^■ STARTINO THE LI\ E-(;i.A(IER-\ AELEV PARTY RETURNING OCT NOWDINOVAH ••HOR.\UE (iREELEY"ANI) "SAIREV GAMP AHNGODOHLAHO HEADPIECE RED CLILL IN THE WINTER NIGHT IKW.MI'S .MANSION MEGIPSU KVOAHPADU . . .... THE TIDE GAUGE VERIIOELL REAI)IN(; TIDE GAUCIE . "RED CLIFF WAS SINKING INTO A HUGE DRIl- THE SMILER AHNINGAHNAH .... TOOKUMINGWAH .... " SAIREV GAMP" .... ADULT MAN ADULT WOMAN .... HOV GIRL CHILI) .... TAILPIECE ANN AH WEE HEADPIECE CHRISTMAS MENUS KUDLAII (MISFORTUNE) MYAH (THE WHITE MAN) THE VILLAIN . INALOO . . OOTUNIAH THE LIBRARY . THE 15 W" .\ N D 8'TH I'AI.K 03 IK) II.S I JI I-'.? Ijf. 127 l-J.S IV) I u I3J 134 •37 13') 141) M3 M5 140 14S I4'» «5> 152 '54 158 '5') Kio Kil I ''3 165 166 i(.7 i()(^ 170 171 171 '73 174 174 ■75 I7f) 17(1 160 181 182 1S4 185 185 186 187 188 •Il XX Illustrations \ \> I i< THE WRITING-IJKSK TIIK HEI) THE WASHSTAM) . NH'SANdWAH TAHWANA .... TAn.l'H'.CE .... KOMONAHl'IK .... HEADIMECE .... THE I'ATH TO THE ICE-CAP DICCINC; OUT .... SUNRISE CAM!' MOONI.KJHT ON THE ICE-CAP SUNRISE ON THE "(IREAT ICE" THE DENUDED CLIFFS " EVERV liOULDER CASED IN ICE JOSEPHINE HEADLAND SWIMMINCi IN PURI RED c;LIFF HOUSE AFTER THE STORM A.MONG THE RUINS EFFECTINCi REPAIRS . TAILPIECE .... WOMAN AND CHILD HEADPIECE .... JACK siiOEiNc. A sled(;e with ice SHOEINC A SLED(;E WITH ICE MATT AND ANNOWKAH RETURNING F HUNT . . SECTION OF ICIvSHOE .... ESKIMO BITCH AND PUPPIES . ICE-CAP HEVOND FOUR-MILE VALLEY KOKO THE WTDOW^ NUIKINGWAH THE WIDOW'S MITE .... EASTERN END OF HERBERT ISLAND THE FIRST LOAD FOR THE ICE-CAP TALAKOTEAH AND HIS FAMILY FRANK. ITIE RETURNIN(i PRODIGAL MY ESKIMO MAIL-CARRIER SOME OF MY DOGS .... ESKIMO NAMES OF PARHELIA . ESKIMO SLEIXiE- TRAVELLER AND DOGS i • vDPIECE lA.M;. PA AND ins FAMHA' ' .' '. AT .T. SNOW VILLAGE MAi ul SLEDGE JOURNEY. APRIL 18-24, 1NF\HITANTS OF THE SNOW VILLAGE ::iriL .'MI K! Ai'E PEOPLE .... : HE I'OPULATION OF NETIULUMI MERKTOSHAR PANIKPA'S KJLOO .... KIRSIRVIARSU MY SLEEPING TEAM . ROM THE DEER 1892 LE ,IGHT PAGE 190 191 194 i')5 196 198 199 200 202 203 205 20f) 208 210 21 I 213 215 217 218 220 221 222 223 22il 227 228 229 230 231 232 235 23f) 237 239 240 241 243 246 247 248 249 250 252 253 255 256 257 259 260 261 r 1 Illustrations XXI ER B VC LION ISL VNDS ROCK STRATIKICATIOX FACE OF IIEILI'KIN GLACIER " TAIIWANA AND HIS FAMILY " FACE OF HURLHUT GLACIER " GORGE OF HURLHUT GLACIER* BACK TO RED CLIFF TAILPIECE DOGS . ■ '■ • HEADPIECE . ■ THE START FROM REl)" CLIFF " THE CAMP ON THE BLUFFS " PACKING . UP THE RAVINE ' ' ' " FIRST KiLOOON THE ICE-CAP ' THE CARAVAN IN LINE A HALT FOR LUNCH SUPPER IN CAMl- (ilPSON, TEAM AND SLEDGF DR. COOK. TEAM AND SLEDGE ' ASTRUP, TEAM AND SLEIHIF O^IMK march'' ''"•^'''"'■''•'•<^'^^^' 1 A I IJ'IhC, r, THE HOUR BEFORE SUPPER HEADPIECE ^VnH THE GUIDON ASTRUP AND MV DOGS " LIKE A GREAT BED OF WHITE LAVA CREVASSE OF THE "(iREVT ICF" ICE-MOUND. PETERMANN BASIN A TYPICAL CAMP NAI.E(JAKSOAH A BREAK-DOWN HARD TIMES . " ' " IN THE DEEP-SNOW REGION BETTER GOING SETTING THE COURSE ■ THE NORTHERN LAND THE NORTHERN MORAINE ' MUSK-OX RENDEZVOUS ' ^ ' MY PADDED KAMIKS TAILPIECE NAVY (LIFE • • . . HEADPIECE . ■ ■ ■ ■ DOWN OVER THE ROCKS " EXHAUSTED WITH THE He"vT ' SOURCE OF THE ACADEM\- GLACIER ^v"^^.^ THE ACADEMY GLACIER WANE-MARKED SANDSTONE MY FIRST MUSK-OXEN " ' MUSK-OX SHEDDING WINTER COAT K PAGE 263 264 2f)5 267 2f)8 270 0-0 276 - 1 I 278 279 28l 2S2 283 286 288 289 2gr 292 293 294 296 297 300 301 302 304 305 3"7 30S 309 311 313 314 315 3J7 318 319 321 -^22 324 325 328 329 33" 331 333 334 335 337 339 !il XXll Illustrations ROVAl, HAN(,)UET OF MV DOCIS . CAMP MUSK-OX .... VIEW FROM NAVV CLIFF . ACADEMY GLACIER AND INDEI'ENDENCE BAY THE STARS AND STRIFES AT NAVV CLIFF PANORAMA NORTH-NORTHWEST FROM NAVV CLIFF, BESIDE A BABBLING BROOK MAP OF INDEPENDENCE BAY TAILPIECE SAILING ON THE "GREAT ICE" HEADPIECE PACKING FOR THE RETURN STOR.M CAMP PANIKPA THE KITCHEN .... POLLUX SAILING FOKE-AND-AFTER'S SOLITUDE CROSSING PRUDHOE LAND. A HEAD-WIND ON THE HOME STRETCH . ON THE SUMMIT OF DOME .MOUNTAIN PROF. HEILPRIN AND PARTY A BEACON DOWN THE LAST SLOPE THE "KITE" FLOATING SNUGLY AT ANCHOR TAILPIECE FACE OF BOWDOIN GLACIER HEADPIECE MAP OF BOAT VOYAGE INGLEFIELD GULF "WE MET MY BOYS" . CAPE CLEVELAND .... FAN GLACIER KARNAH (iLACIER .... KARNAII A TITAN WA'ICH TOWER . SOUTH GLACIER .... WEST OR GNOME GLACIER VIEW AT HEAD OF BOWDOIN BAY EAST c;lacier ... CASTLE CLIFFS .... FACE OF HUBBARD GLACIER MOUNT ADAMS .... MOUNT PUTNAM .... THE BRONZE SPHINX . HART OR LIZARD GLACIER ICE-WAVES OF THE MELVILLE GLACIEI TRACY GLACIER ORIENT CLIFFS OF TOSEPHINE-PEARY ISLAND ERRATICS ON SUMM'IT OF lOSEPHINE-PEARY ISLAN MRS. PEARY AND HER KAHLILLOWAH LOOKING OUT OF ACADEMY BAY . faces D PAGE 343 344 34(> 348 348 351 353 354 356 357 358 359 361 3f>3 3f'5 367 368 369 371 372 373 375 377 378 3S0 3S1 382 3S4 3S5 386 387 3S8 389 389 390 391 392 393 394 395 395 39C> 397 398 399 400 401 402 403 404 405 406 V*t Illustrations XXIll MIDNIGHT SUN PKICEl.ESS TREASURES H o m',V'"LD UTENSILS , THE ^f^:;rMSK^^ ^"^ ATAXEKKRDLUK- GODHAAB ■ ■ • ■ CHAI'EI. AT GoijHAAIJ ' ' ' MORAVIAN MISSION ' ' " SOMERSAULT IN KVV \k SOUTHWARD WITH BFILYIKr ^att'c TAILPIECE ECLIPSE OF HEADPIECE CAPE YORK THE CRIMSON CLIFFS CONICAL ROCK AKPANI CLIFFS DALRVMPLE ROCK " SAUNDERS ISLAND OOMUNUI . HAKLUVT ISLAND " "'-".^''xDs''"'^'^"' -^O'^THUMbERLAND AND HAK ";iT"[-. '^^" GLACIERS OF HF SOUTH GLACIER ' MT. RARTLETT ^'.^NTINEL NUNATAK . iRCTSFSwF',^^^^°^'^°^^''^O^N-BAV ARCTIC FLOWERS KAHKOKTAH (J LACIER GLACIER MARGIN cTi"'^LEx':i'N\Ti;7'^^"°^'^-^'''"^ JUNE IN BOWDOIN R-Vy' COAST WEST OF IIUniiARD GLACIER AND ISLAND HERT H . SLAND U' T lAGE 407 408 411 412 414 415 416 417 418 419 420 421 421 422 423 424 425 426 428 429 437 442 443 444 445 445 446 447 448 449 450 451 452 453 454 455 456 457 458 459 460 461 462 463 464 465 4f)6 467 403 469 XX1\^ Illustrations V ' IRL CHARACTERISTIC GLACIER SNOUT .... CLIFFS OK KANGERDLOOKSOAII .... NUNATAKS LIT TLETO.X ISLAND FRO.M SITE OF POLARIS HOUSE NOR TH SHORE, LITTLETON AND McGARY ISLANDS CAIRN POINT .... A SMITH-SOUND ESKIMO . HEADPIECE .... ATUPIK AHSAYOO MALE ETHNOLOGICAL SERIES WIFE OF SOKER EATING RAW WALRUS MEAT TUNGWINGWAH AND HER I5AHY FEMALE ETHNOLOGICAL SERIES "MISS15ILL" .... FIGURE OF EIGHT- YEAR-OLD G NUPSAH NUPSAH GROUP OF ESKIMO WOMEN . WRESTLING .... BO.XING ARM PULL COSTU.ME OF AN ESKIMO WOM. WRIST PULI 'I'U(; OF WAR .... ESKIMOS IN THEIR KAYAKS POOADLOONAH MOTHER OF SEALS PRAIhINc; A BOWSTRING . STRETCHING A SEALSKIN TO I^RY MAKING A HARl'OON LINE STRETCHING A HARPOON LINE GRAVE OF A HI NTER . FACE CARVED FROM VERTEBRA KOODLOOKTOO \N OF NARWHAL PAGE 470 473 474 475 478 479 480 481 4S2 483 484 4S5 486 487 4S8 489 490 491 492 4';3 494 495 4()f) 4')7 49S 499 501 502 503 504 505 506 507 iH I i ! PREFACE. THIS narrative has hccn written to supply a com- plete authentic record of my Arctic work.— a record which I owed it to mv family, my friends, and myself to put in permanent form. It is my first and only book, and it co\ers all m\- Arctic work. It contains the cream of my Arctic material, liter- ary and pictorial. The reader will hnd no paddin«r. ivly constant aim has been condensation. The reader wdl find neither resumes of prexious work, nor con- stant reference to other explorers. This is not be- cause I do not appreciate their maLrnificent achieve- ments, and have not profited b\- the experieilce of Kane, Hayes, Hall, Greely, Melville, and the Ion- list of my crallant countrymen, as well as those of othe7- countries, my predecessors, but because I have no room or riirht to rehash their experiences and results. 1 he mterested reader can go to their oriL^inal narra- tives, and there learn, in their own words,' as much or as little of their work as he pleases. As to constant comparisons with the work of others, the curs()r\- reader will not care for these. The specialist can make them himself. The constant incentive in my work has been an ineradicable feeling that I saw soiiK^thing before me worthy and possible of accomplishment," and that I could never have content until it was done, or that I had satisfied myself that I was not the one to do it. \iii.. I. XXVI Preface n 1! h 1! ■: 1 "While it is lK)[)(jd the narrative itself will not be lackin^L^ in attractiveness, yet I feel, outside of this, that it and the accurate and profuse illustrations, most of which are not only " pictures," but typical studies of the features and objects which they represent, will prove of pronounced educational value in showing what the Arctic regions, with their inhabitants and the phases of life there, are reall)' like. While I have endeavoured in these pages to care- fully sum up the general aspects and results of my work, I desire it to be clearly understood that I have made no attempt to have the data I accumulated set forth with scientific fulness and detail. It has been my aim to make this book worthy of and adapted for the most general reading, yet at the same time to give it a character that may, I trust, secure for it the attention of Arctic students and scien- tific specialists. My Expeditions have gathered valuable scientific material in ethnology, meteorology, geography, and natural history. This material has not as yet been digested and collated ])y experts. When it has it will be presented in monograph form. Dependent upon the results of my coming Expe- dition, this book will clear the field for something further, or will form the complete record of my Arctic work. R. E. PEARY, Civil Engineer, United States Navy. New York, May, 1898. V h, INTRODUCTION. ( > li i l' :^y-.^ 4 .1 •■.,^ /^%«;^--. < a. H U < X ! I; \l INTRODUCTION. < 0. o X M Y Arctic work com- p. isL'S : /s/. A summer voyao^c and reconnais- sance of the Greenland Inland Ice, 1886. 2(il. A thirteen-months' sojourn in Northern Greenland, including a t \v e 1 y e -h u n d r e d - m i 1 e sledi^e journey across the ice-cap, and the determin- ation of the insularity of Greenland, 1891-92. j{/. A twenty-five-months' stay in North Greenland, including a second twelve-hundred-mile sledge jour- ney across the ice-cap, the completion of the study of the Whale-Sound natives, a detail survey of that region, and the discovery of the great Cape- York meteorites, 1893-95. ^///. Summer voyages in 1896 and 1897, including the securing of the last and the largest of the great Cape-York meteorites, the 90-ton mass. Before taking up these expeditions in their order, I will attempt to bring home to the reader a realistic conception of what the land which has been the scene of action is actually like. Stretchin^r southward over the swelling bosom of the earth, Greenland is the pendent brooch in the In ] XXIX XXX Introduction I ■ 'I ^litterlny^ necklace of snow and ice which circles the North I'olc. It is an Arctic island-continent, the most interesting^ of Arctic lands ; a lantl of startliiv' contrasts ; a land of mitlnii^ht suns and noonday nii^hts ; of tropical skies and et<.:rnal ice ; of mountains with sides still tini^ed with the dee|) warm jj^low of ancient volcanic ires. and summits huUlen beneath caps ot e\ erlastm ith )f "rlasti IP' snow, I fancy most of my readers will be surprised to learn that (irt!(Miland has a history accented b)- events as strange as its own midnight sunliirht and far-stretch- iuij^ snow-tields. Nine hundrt'd )ears a^o. lu'ik, an Iceland outlaw, discovered the country and named it Greenland, " be- cause," he said, " people would sooner be induced to iro thither in case it had a ii^ood name." Shrewd old land ai^ent ! I'Vom the colony founded by him, his son Lief and other restk;ss spirits sallied forth to the discovery of the New World. Centuries after, from these icebero-haunted seas, went forth, it is said, a gleaminsj^ pile of walrus tusks, tribute for the Crusades. Then a hostile tleet descended upon the colonies, and ravished away many of the inhal)itants, to replace those carried off by the plai^ue, or " black death," in Europe. Straui^e anomaly — Greenland repopulatin^^ Europe ! Finally, the last of the shipmasters who knt;w the route to Greenland were assassinated by German merchants to whom they refused to sell their cargoes, and Greenland in the fifteenth century dropped out of the world and was absolutely forgotten before the voyages of Columbus. A century or more later, Davis rediscovered the " Land of Desolation," but the colonists had disap- peared, and to-day, though the Danes occupy nearly all the inhabitable land in Greenland, only scattered ICS, ace in tten the Introduction XWl ruins of houses and churclu's have been found, and these are mute as to the mysterious fate uf their former inhabitants. CnioL^rapiiicall)' and topoi^rapliically, Grcenhmd ha^ been, since- tht; tiay its black chits U)ometl throu^li tl\e Arctic f()<4- u[)()n the eyes of Mrik, a land of mystery, antl a source of constantly increasing interest and speculation. It has be-en traced farther into the tcj-ra inco<^iiita that encompasses the Pole than any other land on the globe, antl there are reasons for thinkinj^^ that its northern headlantl may be one abutment of a britlLje of islands, over which, throui^h years of Arctic summer day and \vinte»- ni^rht, a portion of the human race slowly migrated from Siberia, via the Pole, to this hemis[)here. Its interior is the last of those jrlacial conditions which for aij^es submerged northern Europe, and northern North America, in its icy flood. Its northern shores are famous with the namt^s of Americans who have drajj^s^ed its sable headlands and icy bays out of the Arctic foi,^ and night. From Cape Farewell, its southern extremity, in the same latitude as Christiania, St. Petersburg, and Mount St. Elias, to Cape Washington, its northern- most known limit, in latitude 83° 38' N., the distance is fifty miles greater than the extreme width of the United States, from the mouth of the Rio Grande to the 49th parallel. It is probable, however, that its northern limit is near or within the 85th parallel, in which case its extreme length is some 1 739 statute miles, about the same as the air-line distance from Washington to the City of Mexico. From Cape Hatherton, its most westerly, to Cape Bismarck, its most easterly, known limit, is six hundred and ninety miles. f V ■I t ) n '^ XXXIl Introduction Its ar(!a is from 740,000 to 750,000 scjuarc miles, al)oiit the same as tiiat of Mexico, and four times the area of the New Iiiii^land and Middle States. No less than four-fifths of this area, or 600,000 scjuare miles, equivahMit to three times the area of France or th(? Cierman Fmpire, and thirteen times the area of Pennsylvania, is covered by the Inland Ice. The population of the country is about t(,'n thousand. Two or three hundred of this number are Danes lo- cated south of yTf^ N. Lat., and the Danish Crown has a fleet of six or eii^dit ships, for transportiui^^ the blubber, eiderdown, ivory, and furs obtained in the southern part of the country. The coast is bold and mountainous, cut by numerous de(,'p fjords, and protected by an advance _t(uard of out- lyiui^ rocky islands. Some of these fjords e'Xtend inland a distance of sixty to eij^hty miles, and many of th(Mn are the outlets of great glacier streams from the Inland Ice. Hut it is in the character of its interior that the chief interest centres. We all have a g(.'neral idea of Green- land, and know that its interior is covered with snow and ice, yet the actual facts art; so different from any- thing existing in lower latitudes, so entirely dissimilar from anything with which we are personally acquainted, and which we might use as a fountlation from which to start our conception, that I doubt if one in ten, even of the best-read, has a true conception of the actuality of this gr'^at glacial continent. All '.here is of land, as we understand the term, in Greenland, is a ril)l)on five to twenty-five (and in one or two places sixty to eighty) miles in width, along the coast, made up of mountains and valleys and deep branching fjords ; surroundc^d by the Arctic Sea, play- ground of the iceberg and the pack ice, and itself in turn surrounding and supporting, like aTitan dam, the great I 'I I Introtluction XXXUl wliitt! ice-cap benciitli which the intt-'rior of the- coun- try is buricil. Wlicn I say this, I am sure most of us immediately tliink of soiik,* particularly mountain- ous rcL^^ion with which we are familiar, as for instance the Rockies, the Sierras, the Alps, or the Tyrenees, covered scneral hundreil feet deep in snow and ice, yet still retainiuL; the orij^dnal irrei^ularities of the rci^ion. Such a mental picture, however, would in no way represent the conditions of interior (ireenland. There, the accumulated snow precipitation of cen- turies, in a latitude and altitude where it is practically correct to say that it never rains and the snow does not nu-.h even in the lon^r summer da)', has gradually filled all the valleys of the interior, until it has levelled them even with the mountain summits, anil still l>ilinjr hij^dier throui^h the centuries, has at last buried the hiij^hest of these mountain summits hundreds and even thousamls of feet deep in snow and ice. Tht; interior of Greenland to-day is simply an ele- vated unbroken plateau of snow, lifted from five thousand to eij^dit thousand and even ten thousand feet above tlu; level of the sea ; a hui^e white ^iisteninj^ shield some twc-lve hundred miles in leULTth and five hundrc;d miles in width, resting; on the supportinj^ mountains. It is an Arctic Sahara, in comparison with which the African Sahara is insi_L,niificant. lM)r on this frozen Sahara of inner Greenland occurs no f orm o f lif e, annual or veL''( tabl( no fra Limen t of rod no Lorain of sand is visible. The traveller across its frozen wastes, travellint!;- as I have week after week, sees, outside of himself and his own party, but three thinL;s in all the world, namely, the infinite expanse; of the frozen jjlain, the infinite dome of the cold blue sky, and the cold wliite sun, — nothintr but these. The travelh^r, too, across this frozen desert knows that at no time durinsj^ his journey are the hiu^h- I s: XXXIV Introduction est rocks of the mounlain summits l)elow him nearer than from one thousand to five thousand feet down throui^h the mighty hhmket of snow, vSuch is the in- terior of Greenhind, and it is upon the surface of this uphfted desolation, in nearly strais^^ht lines, at a constant elevation of from five thousand to eii^ht thousand feet above the level of the sea, that my sledsj^e journeys have been made, in widest contradistinction to the road of the usual Arctic sled^^e-party, the frozen sur- face of the polar sea at the sea-level, alonij;- and out- side of the rao^jj^ed periphery of an Arctic coast-line. In the fall of 1885, I had completed my work on the maps and plans of the Government Nicarasj^ua In- teroceanic Ship-Canal Survey, from which I had re- turned the previous summer, and affairs had taken on an aspect which made it seem as if the project would inevitably be postponed indefinitely. Somethinjj^ was necessary to occupy my leisure from Navy-Yard routine, and take the place of the subject to which I had devoted my surplus energ'y for the past six years. One evenini^, in one of my favourite haunts, an old book-store in Washino^ton, I came upon a fuo^itive paper on the Inland Ice of Greenland. A chord, which, as a boy, had vibrated intensely in me at the readinjj^ of Kane's wonderful book, was touched ai^^ain. I read all I could upon the subject, noted the conflict- injj^ experiences of Nordenskjold, Jensen, and the rest, and felt that I must see for myself what the truth was of this i^reat mysterious interior. My summer voyaj^e to Greenland in 1886 and re- connaissance of the Inland Ice (Part I. of this narra- tive) was the outcome. In a paper read before the National Academy of Sciences at Washington, April 23, 1886, occurs the following- : 4 A Introduction XXXV re- 'a- lof he " After a perusal of these attempts [to explore the Inland Ice|, the truth of the followinir statement will, I think, be apparent, viz. : Not one sini^de d(!termined effort having for its goal the east coast of Greenland has ever been made, and there is nothing to show that an intelligent and determined effort and the de- votion of an entire season to the work would not be crowned with success. The question that naturally arises then is, how can it be done ? " There are two ways : one is to start from, say, Auleitsivik Fjord, and travel south-easterly to the coast south of Cape Uan, then to follow the coast round Cape F"arewell to the settlements. This might take two seasons to accomplish, as, after reaching the coast, one would nece' .arily, to a large extent, be de- pendent on the movements of the natives. The dis- tance across at this point is, however, less than four hundred statute miles, and I have not the slightest doubt but that, by starting at the right season of a favourable year, the distance across and back could be accomplished in one summer. " The other, more arduous, but at the same time more attractive, route has for its origin Whale Sound or vicinity, and for its finish, a point on the unknown east coast near the 8oth parallel, and this route I believe to be the key to the solution of the Greenland prol^lem. This, I believe, is the way by which not only the crossing of Greenland but the delineation and closing of its coast-line will be accomplished." In an interview before starting, published in the New York Herald, May 8, 1886. appears the following : " For the accomplishment of the simple feat of crossing, he | Peary] believes a route from Nordensk- jold's base at Auleitsivik Fjord, in a south-easterly direction to the east coast near the Graah Islands, south of Cape Dan, offers facilities superior perhaps ii 1 (I «. \\ (1 I n ■I iii f ;. 1) t '' XXXVl Introduction to any oth(.T. The distance is less than four hundred miles, and though there is a possibility that the trip out and back miii^ht, with an early star, and under very favourable circumstances, be made in a season, the chances are that the return would be made along the coast to Cape Farewell. " A third route, in which the fact of crossing to the east coast would be of secondary importance, a step to somethiuLT more, has for its oriirin Whale Sound or vicinity, and for its finish a point on the unknown east coast near the 8oth parallel. This route, once shown to be practicable, would be the key to the solution of the Greenland problem, and would be the way by which the delineation and closing of the coast- line of Greenland will be accomplished, with the least risk and at the least expense." It will be observed that the route by which Nansen attempted to cross Greenland in 1888, is here pointed out, and that my own journey from Whale Sound to Independence Bay, accomplished in 1892, was already fully developed in my mind. Returnino; from mv reconnaissance, full of enthusi- astic plans for accomplishing the crossing of Green- land and then attacking the problem of its northern extension, I found the Nicaragua project infused with new life and blood, and the next two yearf> of my time were devoted to it, part of the time at home, part in command of the Locating Expedition in N icara<>:ua. Returning from this work, I was detailed to League Island, Philadelphia, in charge of the construction of the timber dry dock, about to be commenced at the Navy Yard there. A brief paper covering my sum- mer's work, noting my deductions, and formulating my comprehensive plan for the overland exploration of Greenland was published in the Bulletin of the Iwu Introduction XXXVll American GcoQ^raphica I Society for December, i S86. In 1888, Nansen effected the crossing- of Southern Greenhind, startinir on the shortest of m>' indicated routes, l)ut beiuij;- compelled Lo modify his plans and finally crossing on a route two hundred and eii^^hty miles lonj^'. This forestallinor of my work ' was a serious blow to me ; but my duty to the Service left me helpless, and I could only fall back upon the other northern route. Needless to say my project was always with me, and as soon as the dry dock neared completion I put my plan in formal shape, and presented it for the con- sideration and endorsement of prominent societies and individuals : Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences, American Geographical Society, National Geographical Society, and Brooklyn Institute. It was unanimously endorsed by all these, and the Navy Department having been sounded informally, I sent in an application for eighteen months' leave, accom- panied by a brief of my project and the strongest let- ters from Judge D 'ly, Professors Leidy, Putnam, Adams, and others. Aly object was to reach and determine the northern limit of Greenland overland, /. c, across the Inland Ice. The salient features of my plan were : First and foremost, the utilisation of the elevated surface of the great interior sea of ice lying within the coast-land ribbon, as a direct and imperial high- way to the point of destination. Second, a party of minimum size. Third, entire reliance upon the game of the region ! ', ' " Peary and Maigaard, with their scanty e(iuipnient, had made a highly suc- cessful inroad upon the (ireenland ice-tiehl, intended, as I'cary had exjiressly stated in his brief narrative, merely as a preliminary reconnaissance. A'ansfii had no time to lose if he did not 7oa>it to be anticipated." — Fridtiof Nansen, Longmans, CJreen, & Co., i.^()(>, p. 160. ^.'■f 'I II n 111 ll^^ ^^-r-- '^z- l( Introduction XXXIX about my base, or headquarters, for the meat-supply of my party. Fourth, extreme lio;'htness and compactness of sledi^es and equipment, rendered possible by the sur- face to l)e traversed. Fifth, the presence of the leader of the Expedition in the van of exploration. My application was favourably endorsed by the Commandant at LeaL(ue Island, Captain H. B. Seeley, U. S. N. ; by the Chief of the Bureau of Yards and Docks, Commodore Norman H. T'arquhar, U. S. N., hero of the Samoan disaster ; and was iinmediately i^ranted by the Secretary of the Navy, Hon. Benj. l\ Tracy. The American Geooraphical Society then appro- priated $1000; Professor Putnam assi^^ned $1000 for an ethnoloL^ical exhibit for the Columbian Expo- sition ; the New York S?in offered $1000 for letters; Verhoeff contributed $2000 ; and Professor Heilprin, of the Philadelphia Academy, organised an auxiliary expedition, the members of which contributed amounts which, toij^'ether with smaller amounts from various friends and a few thousand dollars of my own, per- mitted the fitting out of my North-Greenland Expe- dition of 1891-92, and the chartering of a ship to take it north. An explicit statement is necessary here to correct erroneous impressions. The Philadelphia Academy was the first institution to which my project was pre- sented, and the first to endorse and commend it, which it did in warm and unequivocal terms. As an institution, however, the Academy never appropriated or contributed a dollar to the Expedition. Members of the Academy, in their private capacity, did con- tribute powerfully, both in work and money, towards its success. I I :7 il ^l KJkM4.J^^''Uz^<2^^^:ziA 1 - lntro^.!uction xli To the personal interest, friendship, and intense en- ere,'^y and push of Prof. Anj^elo Heilprin, Curator of the Acadeni)', was I indebted, more than to any other one person, not only for the ofihcial action of the Academy, but for the unofficial interest and efforts of its members, which assured the balance of the funds necessary to make the affair a success. To the late distinj^uished President Leidy and the Council of the Academy of National Sciences of Philadelphia ; to Prof. F. \V. Putnam, of the Ameri- can Association for the Advancement of Science ; to Judi^e Charles P. Daly, President of the American GeoL^raphical Society ; to Prof. ¥. \V. Hooper, Di- rector of the Brooklyn Institute ; to President A.dams and the Executive Committee of the GeOLj^raphical Department of the Brooklyn Institute ; to Professors Lee and Young and the President and other mem- bers cf the faculty of Bowdoin College, my Alma Mater, I was indebted for cordial and most valuable endorsement of my project. To Secretary Tracy I was indebted for my leave, for his approv^al of my project, and for his kindly in- terest in my plans ; and to Commodore Farquhar and Chief-Engineer Melville, chiefs, respectively, of the Bureaus of Yards and Docks, and Steam Engi- neering, for kindly ofifices which no others were in a position to render so effectively. To the National Geographic Society I am under obligations for its interest in my work, and to the So- ciety and Miss Ulrica Dahlgren for a beautiful flag, to be carried to the " farthest." Though friends in the Portland Society of Natural History, and others, accompanied their wishes for success with tangible enclosures, it was to the Ameri- can Geographical Society, and particularly to the efforts of the active, enthusiastic members of the North- I (I, ' 4- Ml' V . V ^ imt lii Xlll Introduction Greenland Committee of the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences, Professors Leidy, Sharp, Heil- prin, and Brinton, Mr, Hart, and Drs. Ruschen- berirer and McCook, that I was indebted for the sinews of war necessary, in addition to my own re- sources, to fit out my I^xpedition. And when the unlooked-for point-blank refusal of the Dundee whalinj^ companies and the director of the Greenland trade to give my party transportation to Greenland in any of their vessels, on any terms, made it necessary to charter a vessel for the purpose, Professor Putnam, in behalf of his Department of Ethnology of the World's P^air, Mr. Yerhoeff, and the organisation by Professor Heilprin of a party of scientific men to make a summer scientific cruise, as- sured the additional funds necessary to meet the more than doubled expense. Thus the North-Greenland Expedition of 1891-92. (Part II,) After my return from this Expedition, on the K//c, which again, through the indefatigable en- ergy and efforts of Professor Heilprin and friends in the Academy had been sent for me, — though I felt my friends were right in saying that I had accomplished a brilliant feat in my long sledge journey, — I was far from satisfied. I felt that there was still further im- portant work to be done in the north, and 7W7a, while the iron was hot, and I armed with the experience already gained. An important factor in this connection was a prop- osition made by Major Jas. B. Pond, the widely known lecture impresario, in regard to a series of lectures. This proposition promised to yield me the funds for another expedition, which should be on a more pre- tentious scale than the first. But for this I needed an additional leave, which I had reason to believe would not be readily granted. t>- I I Introduction XllU n 1 I approached Dr. Nolan, Secretary of the Acad- emy. Mis advice was: " See the President, General Wistar. If he favours your scheme he can assist you in obtaininL^ your leave ; if not, the Academy will take no steps." My interview with General Wistar took place the same day. At its close he said : " I believe you should have the opportunity to carry out your project. On the understanding^ that the Acad- emy will not be calUxl upon for any money, its endow- ment not beiuLj lawfully available for this purpose, and will not be responsible for the risks to yourself and companions, I will use my best efforts to obtain your leave." With this powerful influence in my favour, I felt the thiuLi^ alri^ady done. Assisted by his friends, I)rs. Chapman and Dixon of the Academy, General Wistar presented the matter to the Navy Department in such a convincini^ lii^ht that the Secretary, Hon. B. F. Tracy, at once granted me three years' leave. This was November, 1892. I had six months in which to raise the funds, organise my party, and equip and fit my Expedition. It was too much work for the time, and though it was done, some of it was not care- fully done. This applies specially to the selection of my party. Carried away by enthusiasm, and with no time in the rapid whirl of effort for a calm considera- tion of the matter, I made the fatal mistake of taking, contrary to my expressed theory, a large party. I found, when too late, that I had very little suitable timber for Arctic work in it. From my lectures, of which I delivered one hundred and sixty-eight in ninety-six days, I raised $13,000; Mrs. Peary put in v.W the money received for her books ; the American Geographical Society again con- tributed $1000; the New York Si/// doubled its offer of the previous year, for letters ; and receipts from other sources amounted to two or three thousand. II-: [\ l^' m : I \ I' t I, • I j4i^y[^^ ^' f3nu^ yyuh^ -^ Introduction xlv Still the total was not siithciiMit, and just at this tiiiu- th(,' silver panic niatcrialis(;il, and it was im- possible to _L(et any society or indivitlual interested. I had already chartertxl my shi[), ordered my etpiip- ment ami suppli(.'s. enlisted my party, antl now had not sufficient funds to meet the demantls. What was to he (lone? At this crisis a friend sui^Li^ested put- tiuL;' m\- ship on exhibition, and raising- the balance needed in this manner. I hesitated some time. The idea was extremely distasteful to me, but there was no other alternative, and the people of Philadelphia, New York, iioston, and Portland wen; oiven an op- portunit\- to visit the ship on the i)ayment of a nom- inal admission. As a result, the quarters of the people made up the needed balance. The North Greenland Expedition of ICS93-94 ( Part III.) sailed in the Falcon, June, 1893. This time my ship, a much larjj^erone than the Kih\ was chartered for two voyages — to take me north and briuL^; me back. She returned for me in 1S94 with Mr. H(Miry G. P)r)ant, of Philadelphia, who had been Prof. Heilprin's second in command in 1S92, in command of an auxiliary expedition. I\Iy expenditures the previous year had been in excess of my ttstimates, and now the balance necessary to pa\' the exj)c;nses of the shii) was met bv \w\ mother, and the; (efforts of Prof. Heilprin in orLj^anisinjj;- the auxiliary party. M\- i^n;vious \ear's work not havintjf been success- ful. I remained, with Lee and Henson, while tlu- rest of the partv returned. Mrs. Pear\- ami our little L^irl also cauK; home. WHiile .iiJl'oinor from Phila(leli)hia to St. John's, after landinLT the part\-. the /ui/con, with all on hoard, was lost. All m\- own means and Mrs. Pcar\-'s as w(.'ll had now \)v('\\ cxlKUisletl, and it de\() Ived u[)on her. single- ll . ! I I,, Iiitroiluctiun .\ 1 \' i i « ^ handed, to raisf tin* nionc)- to send a ship tor me ami ni)' coiiipaiiioiis the follow ini:;" year. IliTinost c-ariifst cllorts im-t with i)iii ill siiccfss in raisiiiLi; iIk- total amoiiiu, alt!i()U;4h tin: Anicrifan Gcoi^iaphical Socict)' ai^ain canic forward with $I(hh), tht; American Museum of Natural llistor\' a|>|)roj)ri- atcd $1000, tlu; (ieoi^raphical Cluh of Philadelphia, through tlu: efforts of i'roit'ssor I li ilprin. its I*resident, raised $760 t( o scMid one ot lis memhers. the Nat lona Cicoj^raphical Society organised a lecture which netted Mrs. Peary $400, and sexcral friends, j udL;e I )al\', Miss 'Ihorn, Mrs. I»r\ant, Mr. P)arinL;. Mr. Pry.ml, and Mr. I'arrish, contributed \arious sums. At this juiutiu'e. the President of the American Museum, Morris K. |esup, in his private capacity, stepped in, with unexampled generosity, and i^uaran- te((l whate\-er hahuice mii^dit be necessar)' to complete th(! full amount, and the /vZ/i- aj^ain went noilh in 1S95, with Mr. Mmil Diehitsch — whose experience in I S94 especially htted him for the place, who had eiven his time and ener^)' unresiTvedly to aid Mrs. Peary, and who now unselt'ishly set aside his own affairs en- tirely—in command of the Plxpedition. Keturnini^ from this I'^xptnlition exhaust(;d l)\- the strain of my ic(!-cap journe\', and, as 1 now aj)preciate, not myself jjhysically or mentally, I felt as if my Arctic efforts were ended, and th(.' fact that there were two well-equipped exjx'ditions still in the field, itl witli a «'()Oil clKuice ot accomn .lisl imo tl leu' objects m iide me feel as if my life-work had been a failure ri lere were s till some untmished threat is of m work to be knotttxl, before I loosened nu' ,L;rasp upon it antl turned nncyes away from my dream, — threads which my strui^Lde for som(!thini^- more imf)ortant had ■ft me no tmu; to alterid to. Th le i)rmcu)al one o f these items of unfinished business was the securi nsj' . '!■ ) ■ u: h ! I I ' \ w I ■ i ^1 |^^HR:;2^^MBH ^H I ^^H B^l ■ ^^^I^DIflBi^lH ■■■■ -^ 'f¥W.'. "f ^^^fljj^l 1 1 ^filHj '^^^^HH 1 1 ^^^^^^^^^^^^B^ 1 1 a^- c^ I I ,.,i Introduction XllX of tho third, last, and largest of the ^reat Cape-York meteorites wliicli I had discovered in 1894, and to ac- coniphsh this I wi's anxious to make another summer voyage. There was very stroni;- (opposition to my obtaining t\\v. necessary leave for this, but President Jesup's powerful influence, assisted by the personal efforts of Hon. W'm. C. Whitney, overcame it, and the oi)i)ortunity was affordc;cl me of making the summer voyage of 1896. Returning from this voyage unaccomjjanied by the meteorite, owing to hostile conditions, I was met by the news of Nansen's return from his three years' drift through the joolar basin, and his attainment of an exceptionally high northing, and U'arned that during the long drift no land had been seen from the /v-anz Joseph Land to the Pole. This vetoed Jackson's hopes and eliminated the entire Siberian half of the ;.olar basin from any further serious con- sick'ration as a jjossible route for reaching the Pole. The summer's voyage and the Arctic atmosphere had brushed away the last vestige of the previous year's exhaustion and morbidness. I felt once more my old-time r/c?// and sanguineness. The fact that the WvAd was not only still open, but that the plan nest- ling fully developed in my mind before my return was now proven to be not merely the mos/ practicable but the o;i/y remaining practical one by which to reach the yet unsealed apex of the earth, filled me with new hopes and courage.'. Plans which, though fully developed before, it would have been entirely [)remature to have put forth previous to the finale of Nansen's and Jackson's work, were now ripe for promulgation, and at the annual meeting of the American Geographical So- il 1 < w k A ■J i r {QliAAAX.. /OIlXvU^it_ *; I Introduction li I ciety, January 12, 1897, on the occasion of thu Soci- ety's presentation to me of the first CuUum Medal, I broached my project for effectinarly spring should find the party and the bulk of its supplies lo- cated at the northern terminus of the North-Cireen- land Archipelago, probably not far from the 85th parallel, with caches behind it at each prominent headland. From this point, when the proper time ' I i ■'! '» m l\ 1 lii Introduction i ,' ^ii, came, with picked dojj^s, the Hsj^htest possible equip- ment, and two of the best of the TLskimos, the dash for the Pole would be attempted with stroni^ proba- l)ilities of a successful termination. Should the first season be unfavourable as regards ice conditions, it woukl be devoted to a detailed survey of the archipel- ai^o itself and a reconnaissance of the east coast as far south as possible, and the northern journey re- served for the followintj^ season, or the next. Each succeedinjj^ summer the ship would i'ttempt to estab- lish communication with the party's base, succeeding probably every other year at first, then, ..ith increas- in<^ experience, ever\' year, and keej) up its supply of food, doL;s, and Eskimos until the objects of the Ex- pedition were accomplished. Should the ship be un- successful in the passaLi'e of Rol)eson Channel the first year, the party would land at Hayes Sound, and devote the first year to explorations of that unknown reij^ion. Retreat from the colony at Sherard-Osborn Fjord would always be practicable across the Inland Ice to Whale Sound. " In a nutshell my project contemplates: " r irst : The raisiuLT of a sum sufficient to insure persistent, continued effort, so that if the attempt fails the first )'ear it can l)e repeated the next, and the next, and the next until it is done. " Second : The establishment of a party of picked Eskimo families, a sur^^eon, and an experienced leader at the hii^hest practicable point on the north-west coast of Greenland ; with ample supplies, means of communication, which would enable the colony to sus- tain itself until its work is accomplished, and with a prac- tical line of retreat entirely independent of the ship." The approval of the project was immediate and emphatic, and my friends bei^an steps to permit its beino- put into execution. The funds havin^^' been Introduction liii assured,' the only remainini^ thinq" was the necessary extended leave from the Navy Department. The opposition which had made itself felt in my previous work was now so determined, concentratetl, and bitter, that though the stronsj^est memorials were presented to the Navy Department by President Jesup of the American Museum of Natural History, President Daly of the American Geographical So- ciety, and uri^ed by the most prominent business and scientific men in the country, it took the splendid force, personal efforts, and persuasive eloqu(?nce of Charles A. Moore, in a direct appeal to his friend. President McKinley, to obtain from him an intimation that it would please the President if the necessary leave were granted me. «ved Ider 'est of iUS- •ac- ind its ;en ' Report ok the Committke appointed Feurtary 6, iSijy, to consider AND report upon A yCUEME FOR PoLAR EXPLORATION SUBMITTED BY R. E. Peary, U.S.N. To the Council if the American Geoi^rapliical Society. Gentlemen : Your Coiiiniittee. having examined and considered Mr. R. E. Peary's pro- ject of jioiar exploration, resjjectfully report that tliey tind it clearly stated and well reasoned, antl in their juds^nient (so far as men not pcr>onally familiar with the conditions of Arctic life can he sup-posed to form a judgment), prat:ti- cable and worthy of sujiport. In itself and keeping in view tiie o])jects sought to be attained — the added distinction to he won for .\merica, and the increase of knowledge among men — and the cliances of success, the attemjit is one that ouglit to he made. Considering Mr. Peary's rare experience and his remarkable (pialilications of energy, ]irudence, tenacity, and fitness for command, it must lie regarded as a singular advantage for his C(juntry that he stands ready to undertake the task for which his natural gifts and his acquirements have lilted him beyond other men. Your Committee submit, and recommend for adojition, the following reso- tion : A'esolTed, that the Council of the .\merican deographical Society heartily approves the project of ])olar exjiloration laid before it by Civil-Engineer K. E. Peary, L'. S. .\., and will gladly contribute towards the expense of the same, ]"irovidetl such contribution is needed and will be acceptable, and that otiier sub- scriptionb, buflicieat to warrant tlie umiertaking, are secured by Mr. Pear). Respectfully submiitetl. UaNCKOI- i ' "iIIEKAKDI, \ Charles 1'. Daly, |- Committee. Chandler Rcjhbins, ) New York, February 20, 1897. \K i I n n / ; I '1 i I J Introduction Iv The immediate outcome of that leave was tlie voy- a_L(e of hist summer the Sixth Peary Expedition (Part v.), in which thi- work of instructini^ my natives as to the com.inL( year, in accordance with my proj^ramme, was successfully accomplished, and the great meteor- ite also safely brouL^ht home. In conclusion, the men to whose personal interest, efforts, and inlluence has been due, more than to any- one else, my ability to untlertake my various voyaij^es, are in chronological order: Prof. Anij^elo lleilprin of PhilacU;l[)hia, President of the GeoL,^raphical Club of Philacleli)hia, formerly Curator of the Philadel[jhia Academy of Natural Sciences ; General I. J. W'istar of Philadelphia, President of the P. R. R. Coal & Canal Co., and late President of the; Philadelphia Acad- eni)' of Natural Sciences ; President Morris K. Jesup of the American Museum of Natural History, New York ; and Charles A. Moore, of Brooklyn. Aidinir and assistinu^ these were President H. W. Cannon, and X'^ice-President J as. G. Cannon of New York, lion. Prancis Wilson of Brooklyn, and others whose names 1 am not at libert)- to mention Iiere ; and standino- in solid line ready to use; the weij^ht of their influence in m)' favour, and to aid in every way, morally and financially, throughout the entire time, were Jud^e Daly. President of the Geo^raj^hical Society, antl his Council ; Chief-PLno'ineer Geo. W". Melville, U. S, N., Chief of the Bureau of Steam PLnoineerintr ; the New York Sun ; C)rus C. Adams, and H. L. Bridi^man. Never was a man more fortuna e in his friends than I. It is impossible to enumerate- them all. To the societies and friends who i^ave uk;, when I needed help, the moral and material support r(;quired to |)lace my enterprise on its feet, I owe a debt of gratitude which I may acknowledi^e here, but can never adec[uately dischar^^e. No one but myself knows how Ui (•, i I I i Ivi Introduction potent their aid was to me ; and it is with heartfelt l)leasure that I here exi)rt:ss, however feebly, my i^rate- ful stMise of their helpfulness. To the newspaper press, and to the public of my native; land, I am indebted for their kind interest in m\- work. Their uniform friendliness has been a source of much comfort to me. Such in brief is the secjuence and thread of events which led u\) to and connected my various Expe- ditions, and the part which my friends have played in the work. A few points, in my judL^ment, demand and are worthy of clear, definit(; presentation. The work, the narrative of which follows, has been accomplished entirely by private enterprise. I miij^ht perhaps claim, without in any way belittlino^ the as- sistance of those who have helped me with l)oth mon(;y and mtluence, tliat it is the result of my single- handed efforts. Thouoh a member of that Service which keeps the Stars and Stripes in all the seas of the i^lobe, none of my Expeditions — contrary to a quite u^eneral impression — has been under Govern- ment auspices. The Government has never appro- priated, nor been asked to appropriate, a dollar for any of my Expeditions, Nor has the Government had any responsibility in connection with my work. It has, however, kindly oiven me my time, z. c, al- lowed me the leave necessary to enable me to prose- cute my plans. Nor has any society or individual contributed the bulk of the funds. Fully two-thirds of the total amount expended by me in my Arctic work during^ the past twelve years have been my own personal earninors. SiuLii'le contributions to my work have never exceed- ed $1000, — except in one instance, when President Jesup of the American JMuseum of Natural History, ! I ¥ Introduction Ivii 1 with a kindnt'ss and m-ncrosity which have made mc L'tcrnalK' his cU-'btor. hftc;d a burden from Mrs. Peary's shoulders and ck-f rayed the hon's share of the exjjense of sendiuLj' a ship north in 1895. Durini^ seven years I liave strained every enertj^y, and devoted ever)' dollar I possessed to my Arctic efforts, and dur- inL,'' more than half that time I have kept the Stars and Strip(.'S waving; within the Arctic Circle. So unreservedly have the slender fortunes of Mrs. Peary and myself; my earninij^s from lectures, and letters to newspapers and magazines ; receipts from transportation of scientific parties to Greenland, etc., been devoted to the work in which I am interested, that I am to-day several thousand dollars in debt. I do not say this in a plaintive way, but as a simple state- ment of facts which it is only just should be known. My comprehensive scheme* for work in Gri.'enland, as first outlined by me in 1886, based upon the utili- sation of the Inlantl Ice for ovf;rland sledsj;"e journeys, and my subsequent development and execution, in actual practice, of methods, means, and details, just- ify me, I think, in claiminij;^ to have oriiji'inated a new departure in Arctic work. Since my origination of that departure, Nansen has crossed Greenland ; Con- way has crossed Spitzberj^en ; and if our present idea of conditions in the Antartic be correct, it is entirely within the possibilities, that the conqueror of the South Pole will achieve success by adoptini^ my methcKls and equipment. My lonj^ sled^'e journey across the ice-cap in 1892 was a typical illustration of my ideas. It presents my insistent features: the In- land Ice for a road, doi^s for traction, a party of two. I can claim to be the originator of the idea of utilis- ing the doo;-s themselves as doj^ food. In the 1891-92 Expedition, for the first time in Arctic work did a party start out with the carefully considered intention of I I I, i ■». 1 Vlll Introduction L:ti!isiiiL( i\ lartjj'c^ portion of the iIol^s for c1ol( food, thus enahhiiL;' the original load of provisions to hist for a nuich hjni/er time ()nl\- h\' sonic such device as this was the proposed march practicable, and results proved the utter soundness of the principle. Nansen, wluj, while preparini^ for his recent North Polar Expedition, was accpiainted with the details and methods of my ice-cap journ(;y of 1S91-92, through his countr)'man Astriip, my companion on that journey, was cjuick to sec; the advanta^^c.' of this, and by adojjt- inij^ it, was enabled, in his mai^nificent attack upon the Pole, to keep his doL(s in the field for three months on an orii^dnal one month's rations. The maximum value of this equation would be, that the two men would subsist durinu;^ the last four or five days of their return march upon the flesh of their last do^-, he previously having,'' eaten all his comrades. This maximum value was nearly reached in my 1895 journey. Previous to this the fundamcMital principle of Arctic slcdi^ino^ was, that overland travellino^ was impracticable, and that the sea ice alonii^ and outside of an Arctic coast offered the only possible highway. In my various Ivxpedilions I have introduced for the first time, and determined the feasibility of, sev- eral new features of pronounced value to the Arctic explorer, as the desii^m for winter quarters, the use of the odometer, baroorapji, and thermoLi^'raph, the discarding' of the hitherto suj)posedly indispensable sleepini4--l)aL;". The detailed knowledge of the Smith-.Sound re- o^ion obtained by me has enabled me to |)oint out to various scientists the localities most suitable for their specialties ; has permitted one of the first olacialists of the country (Prof, T. C. Chamberlin) to reap, in a single season, a harvest of information and original material in his special field, which, had he jj^one blindly H n K I Introduction lix to the country, he coukl not have obtained "'n two or thrct; years; and has more than douhletl tlie amount of scientific material and information from the Arctic rcLiions, in the museums of this country. There is also a phase of niy work which has a deei)ly human intc;rest, and that is, its connection with, and effect upon, the very small but extremely interestiuL,^ tribe, or perhaps I miL^ht more pro[)erly say family, of the human race, — the little; community of Eskimos, the most northerly known individuals of the human race, mmiberinn- but two hundred and fift)'-three, livins^ at, and north of, Capt- York, com- pk^tely isolated from all the rest of mankind by im- passable icy barriers. The effect of my Expeditions upon those children of the North has been to raise the entire tribe to a condition of aflluence. The difference between their condition five years a_no, and to-day, can perhaps be best illustrated by ima_L;inin_<4' the case of a community or village of farm- or day-labourers workiuL^- at a dollar and a (piarter a day, and possessinjj;' nothiui^ but their watj^es ; and then supjjose each member of this community to have ij^iven him a furnished house, and lot, and a ten-thousand-dollar bank account. Seven years a_oo, many a man in this tribe poss(.'ssed no knife, and many a woman no needle. Vcw of the men possessed kayaks, or skin canoes ; and h(; was indeed well off who had a spear- or harpoon-shaft made of a single piece; of wood. To-day, ukmi and women are ampK' supplied with knives and needles ; every adult man and half-^' Ix Iiitrocluction I h :ti i'l il I I uv^ from tlic L^^rcat iiicrcast; in tlic (tfTcctivciK^ss of tlu; hunters. The people arc better clolheil, they can sup- port a larL;"er number of do^s (their onl\- domestic animal), and, as a result of their more ami)lc! nourish- ment, and consecpient greater ahilit)' to withstand the constant hardshi|)s of their life, tlu; death-rat(-' has decreased, and the birth-rate perceptibl)- increased, within the i)ast six years. I feel also that I am justified in thinking- that I am largely, if not almost entirely, responsible for the pres- ent r(.'naissance of Arctic inten^st, which, started by my I'^xpedition of 1S91-92, is still increasin_(^ in vol- ume antl intensit)'. Other thiuLj^s which my work has established ar(; : that louLi' sled^-e journe)s may be undertaken with safet\' e\en in the Arctic ni^ht ; thiit whit(; men can remain in hi,n"h latitudes for lonjj^ periods without fear of that dread of Arctic explori.-rs, scurv)' ; that very small parties are the only ones suited for effective work in the Arctic rei^ions ; th^it the work of north- ern exploration can be ])rosecuted upon an econom- ical basis, and that it can bt; dont; without loss of life. The work, of which the followimj;' paij^es form the narrative,', has been from the first [)ersistently prose- cuted on definite and consistent lines ; and now that the capabilities of the overland mc;thod have been practically (;xhaust(;d as far as Northern Greenland is concerned, the invaluable experience orained in the past is to be concentrated upon an equally persistent effort, on equalh' definite and consistent lines, to solve a problem which, unsolved, and to chart a portion of the earth's surface which, uncharted, are a reproach to our civilisation and manhood. * * * -x- * * It seems an appropriate place here to devote a little space to the general subject of sledge equip- i:<^ iiUrotluction Ixi mt'nt. It is unnecessary to suy that no time spent in cU-'visinLi;' ways of perfecting- the e(|iiipiii(iit for an Arctic sledge jouriu;}', can I)(; re;^anleil as wasted, llis ('(luipinent is the <.'\plorer's niachiner\ and tools. l'|)on its etticiency depends the amount of work done, and upon its smooth fitness for its \aried |)urposes del)end tlie comfort and even safety of liimsell and his men. The hrst jj^reat desid(;ratum in each item is non-h"al)ihty to damage. Con(h'tions in the tieid are in\arial)l}' hostile to the work of re|)airs. and a part)- cannot load itself down with tools and materials for such repairs. The next desidciratum is lii^htness. The transporting: et"hcienc\- of any Liiven partN' will he a certain amount, made up of provisions antl ('(piip- irient ; and for (,'ver\' pound that the e(|uipment can he liL;htened, an additional pound of food can he carried, thus insuring an iidditional amount of travel. Faa7r pniii'('/>s in impoitance of all the items of equipme-nt stands the sledL^e. Upon it everythiiiL^ else (.lej)ends. It must comhine in the hii^hest deL,n"ee t\\v. (jualities of lightness, strenj^th, and easy traction. K\ery detail is of the utmost importance, and ai)par- entl\- slight chan^^rcjs ma)' affect the effectiveness of thi; sledij^e, as decisiv('ly as a chan^j^e in a ship's lines aftects her speed. The construction of a sled^t- tor any particular class of work, simj)le as it sc^ems, is somethiuL,^ that can he propc^rl)- done only after lono- experience, and the art of uettin^- the most out of the sledi^^e with the least expenditure of force after it is constructed, also requires much experi(;nce. The oeneral character of the Greenlantl Inland Ice is such as to permit a very decided i^ain in lii^-ht- ness of sled(i^es over those for sea-ice work, yet many portions of the ice-cap, where its surface has been carved into sharp-ed^^ed, marble-like sastruoi by the furious winds, try the strength and endurance of ( i \\ ■ i.iLf afc'rpr-nLTrTTi Ixii Introduction I li m m lii li I sledges to the utmost. The main feature in which sledges for use on the ice-cap must differ from those for use at sea-level, is the broad llat runner necessary to kee]) them from sinking- into the generally prevail- ing- deep, soft snow. My previous expc;rience in 1886, 1891, 1892, 1893, and 1 894, in the construction and use of sledjj^es, had left me with very clear and dt'fmite ideas as to what things were and what were not essential in a sledj^e, and when I l)(,"_L;an making- the drawings for the sledges for the; forlorn-hope journey of the spring of 1895, I felt that I knew what I wanted. Results justified this feeling. Next after the sledges, th(,' item of suitable clothing is one of the greatest importance to the Arctic ex- plorer, and !s one in regard to which there is great diversity of opinion among various Arctic authorities. Schwatka was in favour of reindeer clothing exclus- ively, while; (ireely is PiOt a believer in fur clothing. The latt(;r's exjjeri(;nce, however, seems to have l)t;en confmed to sealskin garments, which are not consitlered by the natives to possess any warmth. j\Iy own experience C()nvinc(,;s me that fur clothing is absolutely essential in Arctic work, and that the less woollen and more fur clothing one wears, as- suming that it is ])roperly made, and that the wa;arer knows how to W(;ar it, the more comfortable will tlu; wearer be. Particularly is this the case in Inland-Ice travel, where; the jjenetrating quality of the wind is far in excc;ss of what it is at sea-level. Nothing but fur and the impervious integument of animal skin will protect one from this wind, and the traveller who goes upon the ice-cap without fur clothing, does so either from ignorance or because he is reckless of draughts ui)on his vital force ; and he is likely seriously to regret his over-confidence. Introduction Xlll In our suits, — an evolution from my previous experi- ence, — we were comfortable in all temperatures between -60° F. antl -f-50" V., under all contlitions of activity, from slei'pinij- in a tent, to ^now-shoeing- in deep snow at the enil of a drao' rope. A tent has alwa}s been rei^arded as an essential item in the e([uipment of an Arctic sled_'«;■ Ixvi Introduction Refraction and atmospheric vibration are at all times excessive on the ice-cap, and the extreme bril- liancy of the sun, even through the special ula.jse;) of instruments for this kind of work, is so tryinL!^ to eyes ah'eady strained to their utmost by the unceasinir _L,dare from sky and snow, day and nii^^ht, that the tak- ini;' of an observation was always dreaded by me, and usually resulted in someone else beinii; obli(• •/;■ 4{' ■}!" It seems desirable also in tliis Introduction to at- tempt the merest outline of some of the most strikinjj^ features of the .Sermiksoah, or " Great Ice," — the miiL^hty frozen boss of Cireenland, the Sahara of the North, the Hyperborean Hades. If I can succeed in conveyin^J' to the n,'ader even the crudest conception of the personality of this " Great Ice " I shall be content. The term " Inland Ice," by which this feature is generally known, suggests to the majority of persons erroneous ideas. The surface is not ice, but a com- pacted snow. Elevated as the entire interior is, to a heii^ht of from 4000 to 9000 feet above the sea-level, mountains of the coast which would be visible to the sailor at a distance of sixty to eighty miles, disappear beneath the landward convexity of the ice-cap by the time the traveller has penetrated fifteen or twenty miles into the interior, and then he may travel for days and weeks with no break whatever in the contin- uity of the sharp steel-blue line of the horizon. Questions as to the characteristics of this unique ' All my photographic work, from whicli the illustrations in this narrative are taken, was done with the Kaslman Kodaks, aT)d (witli very few exceptions) the Eastman films. The developing was done by Kau ot I'hiladelphia. t; ^'x J ■f i 1 , ' i 1 tl^ ! ■^ i 1 r TMi-r ■-. I ' ill 1 XVlll Introduction terrestrial feature, amonsj;' others, whether this enor- mous deposit of snow and ice is increasinj^ or decreas- iuL;, or remainins^ practically stationary, are of special interest to f'M ,1 ' ' n out, it is s\v('('i)in^' down, sometimes with jjjreatcr, somctiiViC's with less vclocitN', from the fro/cii heart of thi; "(ireat ke," l)earin_n' with it a burden of snow and following- the most chrect slope to the lantl, whicli once reacli(!d it j^oes rushing- over the mountain sum- mits, some of it sinking' in whirl[)ools and edches into the; valleys, hut much of it heiuLT carried on to the coast-rliHs, over which it s^oes swirlini^ into the sea or onto tlu; sea ice. Durint^" ^tj^entk; breezes this drift is of almost im|)ali),ibk; fineness, and extends but a foot or two above the surface. As tlu; wind increases in force, the particles c-f snow bec(jme coarser and the dt;i)th of the current of ll)inu^ snow increases until, in the savai^e bhz/ards of the frozen Sahara, this ilrift becomes a roarini^, hissinL,^ blindinc^, suffocating- Xia^-- ara of snow, rising' hundreds of feet into the air ; a drift which almost instantly buries any (juiescent ob- ject, and in which it is almost impossible for the traveller to breathe. This drifting' snow is as pene- i^'itino- as w^ater. When the depth of the drift is not m excc^ss of the heie hummocks mer<^e into h)n!^" llat swells, which in turn decrease: in height towards the interior, until at last a llat, n'cntly rising plain is reached, which becomes ultimately level. in passin_L( from the mari^in of the " ice-blink" to the remote interior, from one to five distinct zones ma) be notctl. the iiumber and width varying;' with the season, the 1 ititude, and the elevation. In win- ter the I'Utire surface is undoiibt-'dly covered with a deep unbroken la\er of tinv dry snow. Late in the s[)rin!L;', the warmth of the sun at mid-dht crust. C"irath"'dl\' this crust extends up the interi(»r, and with the; advance of the season, the snow iiloni;- the bor- ders of the " ice-blinl" becomes saturated with water. A little later, this zone of slusli follows the; zone of crust into the; interior, the snow alon^" the borders of the " ice-blink " melts entirely, forming- pools in the de|)ressions, anci streams which cut deep s^uUies in the ice ; water cavities form ; old crevasses open, and new onc;s ai)pear. This zone rapidly widens .did ex- tends into the interior in the footsteps of the others, and behind it the immediate border of the; ice i;ets rai;'!4t;d and soiled, pebbles, b(;i:lders, and moraines crop out of its ineltlnL; surface, an 1 by the end of the Arctic summer it is eaten and shattered by the heat, and eroded by the streams, into impassal)!e roughness. In my journey of iNi^ i, across the ice-cap of North- ern Cireenland, on the uj)ward march, in my effort not to make any more eastin^' than was absolutely necessarv, 1 was repeatedl\- turned from m\' course l)y the unexpected penetration of the glacier basins of the great fjords of the nortii-west coast into the Introduction Ixxiii interior, and in this way cxixjritmced mucii delay and ann()\anc(.'. On my rctmMi the same; )i'ar, I went well into the interior to avoid these; ()i)stacles. In tliis I succeeded. W'itii two routes iiaviuL,^ the; same starting' and objective i)oints, and enclosini^ hi:tween them an eU)nL;atc;d elliptical area, it was evident that an intermediate route on my next journey would not oidy he sonic:what shorter, hut would avoid tin; cre- vasses and steep slopes of the one route, and tin,' dee[) soft snow of the other. This I founil to be the fact, and after the experience; of the upward journey I was able to modif\' the return route still more, with a saviuLj;" of a few miles and an improvement in the travellinL!^. A comparison of the four profik;s between Whale .Sound ami Ind(;[)end(;nce Ha\' is very inte'rest- injj;-, and brings out the relief of the; " (ireat Ice" in a very clear mannc^r, showintj^ that it is really a ve ry much flattened mountain s)stem in ice, with its main backbone, its radiant spurs, and its int(;rmediate vall(;ys. The broad zone of wastai^t; which I found so pro- nounced at the; head of Disco P)a)' is very narrow, and even in places lacking;- entirely, alonn' the edi^e of the ice-cap hi Northern (ireenland. The nunataks also, so common in .South (ireenland, occur in North- ern Greenlantl, as far as my observations l^o, only in the actual current of the L,daciers and the low(;r por- tion of their basins, and never at any distance from the coastal land ribbon. ]My first jour ^y was near enoui^h to the cdin^v. of the ice to cross the "eat basins of exudation, if I may use the term, and ' .jir intermediate divides, and the i)ro- tile shows a succc sion of uj)s and downs like those of a railroad located alonj^ the foothills of a mountain system. The prohle of the return journey of the same year shows but one depression, and that in the v« (I'l , " t r f , XXIV Introduction Iliiinlj(jkll l^asiii. The profiles of tlu' two journeys of iSc)4 arc itlcal in that they show a rapid ascent from B()W(h)in Ua) to tht; surface of the central ice mass, and then a gradual i^HMdient rdoni; the western slope of tlu! continental divide till the summit is reached, near Independence liay, wlu-n the tlescent is rapid to the ed^x: of the ice. That the crest of tlu- (ireenland continental ice di- vide is east of the country's median line there can he no doubt. Where it is crossed on the way to Inde- pendence Hay, it is trendiiiL^- away to the north-west and rajjidly decreasing- in altitude to lose itself in the landward slopes of the "Great Ice" near tlu; con- vergence of \ ictoria Inl(.;t and the north-west coast. rVom this continental divide extend s'purs into the Ca])(! \'()rk Peninsula, Prudhoe Land, Washington Land, Hall Land, etc., anil betweiMi these divides are the enormous basins which fee'd the <^laciers of Melville Bay, Ini^lefield (iulf, Kane Basin, Petermann and Sherard-Osborne P'jords. The experienced navi^^ator of tlu- " Great Ice " has, like; his brother of the sea, tlu? means of avoidinij^ or overcomini^ adverse conditions. If he has come in too close proximity to the lantl, /.c, the vxVji^c of the ice, and fmds himself amonpr the rocks and breakers, i.e., crevasses and steep blue ice slopes, he must jjut to sea at once, i.e., swerve into the interior. If when well out to sea he encounters continuous adverse winds and currents and heavy sea, i.e., up j^^rade and deep soft snow, he can avoid them by veerinir toward the shore, when he will at once reduce the i^rade, and in a short time reach hard L!;oin(^. The rej^ularity of the winds of the " Great Ice " of Greenland, as I have found them duriuLi;^ an actual so- ourn of over seven moni visits to it of greater J ths upon the " Great Ice." and th ipon less duration in every s mon llUiocliictloll l.wv of llu: year, is phciioimiial. Mxccpt tlurinL; aliiio- s|)luric(listurl)aiu:(S of iiiuisual iiia,niiilii(l<'.\\ hich cause storms to swiH'i) across the country re^^ardless of ordi- nary rules, the chrc^ction of the wiiid of the "(ireat IcM' " of (iretMiland is invarial)Iy raihal from the centre outward, perpenchcular to the nearest part of the coast land ril)l)on. So steady is this wind and so closely does it adhere to this perpendicularity, that I can liken it only to the llow of a shei:t of water desceiuHn'' the slopes of the "(ireat Ice" from the central interior dome to the coast. The dirc^ction of the nearest land is always easil\- determinahle in this wa\ : the neiijh- hourhood of Ljreat fiords is alwa\s indicated by a chan<'e in tile wind's direction ; and ilu- crossine' of a di\ ide, hy an arc^a of calm or yarial)le winds, followed 1)\- wiiuls in the opposite direction, independent of any indica- tions of the barometer. The opinion was achanced by me immediately on m\' return in iS()2, that tht* transi)ortinL;' elfc'Ct of the wind upon tlu; snow of the ice-caj) must be; counted as one of the most potent factors in i)reyentin<^ the in- crease in heiL,d"it of the ice-cap ; a factor e(pial perhaps to the combint'd c:Hects (jf eyaporation, littoral and sub-u^lacial meltini^", and oiacia! discharge. This opin- ion has betMi corroborated and ^reath- strem^thened by my later obseryations. When it is remembered that the How of the atmosphere from tlu; cold heights of the interior ice-cap to the lower land of the coast is Lj^oini;- on throul^dlout the year with greater or less in- tensity, and that a fine sheet of snow is bein^" thus carried beyond the ice-cap to the ice-free land at eyery foot of the periphery of the ice-cap, there to melt, it ^yill perhaps h(j seen that the aboye assumption is not excessiye. I feel confident that an inyesti^ation of the actual amount of this transfer of snow by the; \yind is well W(jrth the attention of all iflacialists. 1. --'"" ■ •- - •— rffTi it II I U 1.1. Ixxvi Introduction The character of the " Cii eat Ice " is such as to make a powerful impression upon even the most prosaic minJ. When I think of it I rarely recall the hunj^er, the coM, the killino^ work, the disappointments I have experienced upon it. Rather do I think of it in its varying- phases, as one of the sublimest features that earth contains. 1 har])our malice at^ainst it for hut one thini;', the lives of ni)' doo;s. 4!- •>;- ■>^ -x- ^ •"- And finally a few words in regard to Arctic Ex- ploration, r'rom tlie earliest days, when men dreamed of the ever-sunny lulen of the Hyijerboreans far be- yond the land of the Antroj)ophaL;"i, till now, he reiil'ion within that mai^ic line which bounds the north- ern disk of midnight suns and noonday nights, — the Arctic Circle — has exercised a strange charm over men antl women of all intellects, all a^es, all conditions of life. In exploration, as in business, a.T in kitters, as in invention, conditions are entirely different now from \vhat they were years iv^o. It is no longer possible for the confines of the well-known to be attained by a dash either mental or physical. The da)s when a Cialileo or a Columbus could in a bound reach and pass be)ontl the narrow circumference of the world of mind or matter at any point are past. Arctic exj)lor- ation must, like any hino' else, be made a business and carried on from year to year, prohtin^' by each added item of experience, taking advantage of every occurring opportunity. The two great popular objections to Arctic explora- tions seem to be the waste of mone)' connected with it, and the supposedly excessive loss of life. It would seem from the emphatic utterances of sonu; who decry what they consider a waste of money on Arctic work, that they are under the impression that the money Introduction Ixxvii expended upon an Arctic expedition is taken north and buried in the snow, becoming- an absolute and total loss. It seems to be forgotten that the supplies and equipments of these expeditions are purchased and ])aid for at home, and that they contribute to the sup- port of a certain number of people for a certain time, as much as if those people were livinir at home. The other objection, that Arctic work means too great a sacrifice of life, loses its force in the li^ht of actual facts. To those familiar with the literature of Arctic explorations, it is a well-known fact that the loss of life in this held, even including- those c;xpetli- tions which have disappeared utterly and completeh' in the savai^e fastnesses of the "White North," amounts to but about two per cent, of the total numb(.;renoa<4'ed in the work, a percentage less than that of the annual loi^s of life among the Fishermen antl sailors of the British Isles. During my own work of the past eleven years but one life has been lost, and that was the result of an accident in no way connected with the work itself, an accident which would have been likely to occur in thv. Alps or in any )f our own wild mountainous districts. My experience has strongly accentuated my belief in small parties for Arctic work. The results obtained b\- Cjraah, Rae, Hall, Schwatka, Cireely, and otlu;rs, were obtained b) parties of two or three. Many of the sad disasters, which form a part of Arctic his- tory, would have been avoideil had the jjarties be'en small. It is a popular fallacy that there is safety in large parties. The entire animus of the Arctic regions is against such parties, and in the event of their being thrown, either temporarily or permanently, upon ihv, resources of the country for sustenance, an occurrence that is one of the most certain of Arctic possibilities, the members of such large parties will starve, where II y I I 4 :'il I i Ix: XVI 11 Introduction III II \i 1 - i '■ ^ 1 '■'i ■' 1^ V ■' i f h ■ a small party would have abundant rations. A cow- ard also, a weakling', or an insubordinate, has better opportunity to cause demoralisation in a lar^e than in a small part)-. In the Franklin expedition of one huntlred and thirt}-eiL;ht, not one lived to tell the story of their awful final days, and I have no doubt that the utter loss of that expedition was due directly to its size. As lono- as everything- o-0(;s well, a lar^e part)' may be all ris^ht, but in the hour of dis- aster or serious disappointment, the trouble begins. Nothini^ can be more terrible than the retreat and struu'Lile for life with a lar^-e party under the fearful stress of the Arctic. It is impossible for a leader, no matter how able he may be, to fill a lar^e party, as he can a small one, with his own courajj^-e and hopefulness. Every intli- vidual in the party represents a drain upon the vital ma_L;-netism and force of the leader, upon whom the safet)- of the part)' depends. Up to a certain point his exam|)le is conta^dous, and his cheerfulness, activ- ity, and courage are reflected in every member of the party ; but when day after day of arduous struo-^lc, of cold, of hunger, and of discouragement, has reduced the strength, both physical and mcMital, the infusion of fresh courai^e into a desjjontlino- one requires as tani^dble a transfer of the leader's stamina and nerve- force, as the fillinLr- of a vessel with water from a res- ervoir, and the reservoir in this case does not retill as raj)idly as untU^r normal conditions. To those who, in the absence of a dollar-for-dollar return for every eftort, ask, " Of what earthly use is Arctic exploration ? " I miLj-ht answer : " Wdiat is the use of yacht races, of athletic contests, of trials of en- i^ines, and war-ships, or any of the innumerable tests that have, since; the world was younjj^, been man's only means of determinino- the superiority of one man. ' Introduction Ix XXIX or oik; machine, or oik; method, or one nation, over an()thc;r?" Were I asked to enumerate all the [jos- sihle advantaL;es of Arctic explorations, 1 should say frankl)' I cannot do so, any more than I or anyone could have said, hfteen or t\vent\- years a_L;-o, that an insiL^nihcant i^rass L;ro\vii\L;" on the hanks of a tropical ri\er would make our incandescent electric liL^ht a possi- bilit)'. It would not he at all strange if, in a region of the stranj^est contrasts, \vlK;re active xolcanoes are found surrounded by eternal snow and ice, and where the poppy — sNinhol of warmth and sleep and luxury — blossoms at tlK; very foot of the craiii's of icy glaciers, some material were found which would make possible some \et unknown necessit\' of our future; civilisation. lUit suppose we admit that Arctic exploration is only a matter of sentiment, with no mone)- r<.;turn ; no in- cr(;asc; of commerce ; no fruit of colonisation ; no har- vest of i^reat i^ood for many men. L(;t it stand as a sentiment ; it has o'ood compan\-. Lo\e and patriot- ism and relis^ion are matters of sentinK;nt, and we ask no money return for them. Vet a question which claimed the lives of such men as Kane, Hall, I)e Loni;", Chipp, and Lockwood, of our own countrymen, and Franklin, I^ellot, Crozier, and many more from across the water, and has in- spired the pens of Markham, Petermann, Harrow, Mel- ville, and others, needs no apologies or defence. There are no pages of Knoland's history on which she prides herself more than those on which are in- scribed the work and the discoveries of her sons within the realm of noonday nights and midnight suns, and there is no American that is not proud of the records of I)e Haven, Kane, Hayes, Hall, I )e Long, Greely, Lockwood. and .Schley. Whatever may be saitl against Arctic exploration, it remains a definite fact, that no other portion of the 11 t' 6 :\ -i :i'i»s Ixx X Introduction L^lobti possesses such universal attraction for yount^ and old, illiterate and intellij^ent, weak and stronLr, as this. And one thing^ is as certain as that the North Star will continue to shine : re^^ardless of utility or non-utility, the inherent charm of Arctic work, and the irreprv,ssible restlessness of the human animal as louLi' as there rema; is a corner of the earth unknown to him, will keep up efforts in the " White North " till every square mile of s(,'a and land has been charted. !•• u I. PART I. RECOXXAISSAXCK OF THK (JRKKXLAXn IXLAXi) ICE, 1886. ST. John's to (h-ohavn on t„k Whalkk A-„;.^-(;„„havn to I-vk,tsok ^JU.U. ,N .NO,,M.VK-EASTU-.KnoVKKTn..:In.:.,..,._;.ooFK,.,T.,:oV,. THK S^.A-^A.K TO THK [,AN„-SAn.,N. ...UN THK In.:.S,.o..KS-FoKTV M U ,• S oJk^;.' '"'■","" ''■"^-'-•■■^- V>u.,-ArKoss THK Dask ok Xo,k- SOAK iKN.Nsn.A-lM.SS,,, B.„S oK A TANKKKK , „., K - A ,:oA . , . THK A.v. -:,r.;:': ^t^ "^"'^'^ i^^v-dkxtkkkkv hak,:o,.._<...k a,:. _ THK S.VVA„K WkST CoAST-A PkaVKK,. ^V„A^K-XA,,VKS-,!KU..-^N AkcTIC HlKRlrANE-CrMHKKKAM. SoKNO- F;. ;in I" Sr. F'Hin's. ^1 I f ^ i.Nt; lOK I.IIiKRTV — liACI' -»^--l»..i^-.-»,„-^ ii' !}: l' ■ i ON THE GREAT ICE. I, PART I. KKCONNAISSAXCH Ol' rilK ( .Kl'.l.M.AX 1) IM.AXD KK, I SS6. T for 111'. Navy Depart- ment haxiiii^- grant- ed iii\- ai)|)licati()n lea\'e, I made tlic necessar\- arraiiL^'ements and left Sydne\-. C. P)., on the steam whaler /:ao/i\ Cai)tain jaekman, Master, late in Ma}-, i g and storm, we would enter a rippling s.'a ol sapphi;'>' and gold, with an ex- (juisite mackerel sk\' al)o\c, and here and there a hei'g gl''am;ng hhr and rose In the level ra\s ol tlie mid- night sun. |une 0th, the /ui-^'/r left me at ("iodha\n and steamed awa\' tor the northern whaling grounds. Merc; 1 was obliged lo wail two weeks lor the ice to clear out of i ). U() \\[\\ . i )iii'ing' tlu'se iwo weeks the weather wa.~. sutticientlx' \cU*iegated to suit the most cai)ricious tanc\. Rain, snow, tog, w uid, calm, ti"opi- cal sunshine;, aiul freezing cold, all placed their j)arls in th(; shitting" hours. ['"lowers bloomed alongside beds of snow, snow-buntings sang on the rocks, the sea was ali\e with gulls and terns and ducks, and the air fidl of the miu-mur of running water, while tht; eternal ice-cai) ol the island looked down from the top of the clilfs. A wedding, a christening, \ isits to the "store" with its wealth of arctic treasures of tur and i\'or\', and long tramps up the cliffs and o\er the ice-caj) of the island, fully occupied m\- time until at last I could embark for Ritenbenk at the head of the ba\- in a roimd little tub ot a sail-boat manned b\' a crew of half-breeds : Xeils, black-beard(xl, gre)--eyed ; Peter, yellow-haired, blue-eyed ; Ikkias, Johann, and Daniel!, I J'' 1 ' J. I" ( . ( 1/. \ t y 6 Northward oxer the "(ircat Ice" witl; Ivskinio 1* rcdcrick, who had been one of tlic doi^^ drivers of tlu; l^nn'Hsh 1^75-70 l^xpcxUtion, as pilot and iiU(N-|jr('tcr. M\' plan, in outhnc, was to L^ain thi: border of the interior ice at some point as near the- noith-i-ast aiiL^le of I )isco lia) as pos- sible, m\' i)reference beini^" the base of Noiirsoak Peninsula, and then takeacourse towards Peterniann's Mountain on the east coast. But for various reasons 1 was obliged to niotlify my plans. My sledi^ini^'eciuip- ment was made in the lit^ditest and most thorough manner, under m\" own super- vision, and entirely without reference to the use of do^'s. Tlie principal items were; two nine-foot sledges, thirteen inches wide, made of hickory, st(;e], and hide, on a modified Hudson Bay pattern, and wei^'hinLj;^, complete, with dras^" ropes and lashings, twenty-three pounds each ; small jacketed alcohol stoves, nine- foot double-ended ash r.lpenstocks with steel point and chisel, rubber ice-creepers, snow-shoes, snow- skates. Rations consisted of tea, sui^ar, cond(,'nsetl milk, hard bread, pemmican, cranberry jam. baked beans, Liebig extract, and an experimental mixture- of meat, FREDERICK. Reconnaissance of 1886 ; biscuit, and desiccated potato, put up in t\vv)-pouiul cans hy Richard cS: Rohhins, of l)()\er. I )ela\vare. June 2}i.\ I left Riteiiheiik w itli nu' friend Christian Mai^aard, assistant ( loxcrnor of Rilenhenk, eiL;lu nati\('s, an ooniiak, and two atteiKhuit kayaks. At niichii-'ht we rounded th(; southern e\treniit\' of Arve- l)rins Iskuiik in I )isco iia\', and headed across the mouth of Ikaresak .Sound for th(! entrance of I'akitsok I'jorck Above us the clouds were hea\y and leaky, and aheatl ever\' depression of the dark mountains and the un- derside of the black cloud can()j)y aboxi- them was lit with the i)ale, cold L;lare of the " iced)link."' I'^nterini;' the narrow-mouthed, bluff-walK^d fjord, we camped. The next da\' we proceciled up the fjord through the narrow canon which separates th(.' ui)per from the lowe'- fjord, said by the nali\'es to be impass- able e\cei)t at certain stages of the tide. ( )ne wall of the canon was ^lowin^" in tin; brilliant yellow sunlight which poured in a level tlood through the western entrance ; the other lay in deep purple- shadow ; l)e- tween them flowed the stroma" deep-sn-c-en current, and throui^h the cafion the upjx-r fiord, known to the natives as lUartlek, irleamed blue, and the summits of the inner mountains wc;re soft with yellow li^ht. I^e- yond the cailon the fjord expanded into a broatl lake. contractuiL^ as^ain se\eral miles fartl th ler uj) Al )Ove lis point th(; water was |)ale L^reen, rapulh" ^towuil,^ shallow, whiter, and freshe'r. At SIX A.M. O f the 2Sth we landed at the head of the fjord, and twenty-four hours later I had reconnoitred the entire extent of the mountain dam. some; twenty- five hundred feet in hc.'iij^ht. which keeps the Inland I ce in c heck in thi IS vicinit}', and touncl a practicable bl( route to the surface of tlu,- ice-caj). l{arK- on tlu; 2(Sth ' Tlic Danisli colonist^- almost always refer to the Inland Ice as the "ice- blink," and I follow their custom. (: i i il mf* ¥ Northwiird nwv the " ( ircat Ice" i' J\ If ■\ r r I' ^l^r*"*'^^ \v had ('\(T\lhiii'' up In ihc icc-looi, i i SS 'f<'t ahovt; the sea, and oil the uioruinL;' of the j()lh our two slt'(l_o('s. the .SVi'y this time the wind Iiad he- coni • a .L^ale. and tin: sleet, changed to snow, was drixin^- in a continu- ous sheet o\-er the tops of till' sledL^cs. We la\- hehind our sledi^'es. whic-h with oui- 1. sei\'es Were soon juried in the drift, until lat tl le ift itternoon ol e in the second daw when the steach' roar of the storm DANISH ESKIMO WOMAN. Sliowin-; (ireciilaiiil ^tylc^ in ScaNkiii laiktts, .and C'har:u tii istic I'.skiiuu Mcthixl ol C!arr\inL; ( 'liildii'n. broke into intermittent scpialls. and crawling- out we i^-ot momentar>- glimpses, behind and helow us. )eneath and ar ot a d(;nse mass of clouds, black 1 dull lead colour above, hun-yin^- northward just aboxc the summits of the land. The land itself, hoary in its elevated portions with the new]\- fallen snow. la\' everywhere else as black as .nidnii^ht. and the fjord hatl become a i)ool of ink. Ahead of us. a |)ale super- natural ('iare rose nearl\- to the zenith, and in eve ry direction the " ice-blink." swept by furious snow ii ( ' I' I I \o Northward over the "Great Ice" ',' I s([iiiills, and il.s inc([iialilic'S ohlitcratcd in the sliadow- Icss H^ht, strc;tched dead and silent. At six I'.M., the clouds i^n'owin^- blacker and blacker (;very moment, ami every indication pointing' to a protracted storm, I decidc;d to take the instruments and l;'o back to the tent and await more faxourable weather. At the lexcl of the brink of the ice-ton^aie overlooking" tlu: raL;L;'ed descent through th(.' crevasses and gulches to tb.e ice-foot, rain had fallen, instead of snow, and the ed^es of tlu^ cre\ass(.,'s, the sides of the L'ullies. and the hard blue pinnacles were like oili'd steel, utterl\- impracticable. W'e could do nothini; buL climb over the crest of the mountain dam and down the clills to the valley. 1 1 ere we forded the l^lacier river, and at midnij^ht r(;ached the tent, th(^ rain falliuL;' in sheets, the wind dashing' th'st \\\) and then down the valley, threatening- every monuMit to level the tent, and the glacier river a roaring;- torrent. Trulw the Inlantl Ict^ had Liiven us a savaire welcome, but wc; were not yet done with it. ()n the. afternoon of the fourth da)-. July 5th, ])its of blue sk\- wcn'e visible, and we climbed the ict'-clifts once more, reached the sledi'^es, duo" them out, and started due east a^ain. North and east of us tlie surface of the ice was hioh- er, and the swc;lls ai)parently longer and llatter than those? alreach" i)assed. .South-east lav the <'r(.'at feeder basin of the jacobshavn Glacier stretchin<^ eastward into the " ice-blink," like a L;rc;at bay, and up throu^^^h iis centre, like a tide rip in a smooth sea, glistened the ra_L;"L;"ed j)oints of the o-hicier itself. fust previous to startini;", while walking" near the sledges without snow- shoes or aljx'nstock, 1 broke into a narrow crevasse, and as I Iuuil;' for an instant supj)()rted by my out- stretched arms, before scrambling;" out, the fragments of the treacherous snow arch went rattlin^r down the t' v Reconnaissance of 1886 1 1 a/urc depths nil Ihc rchcx-s they awoke were like the cliiiiies of siK'er hells. Our snow-shoes j)re\cnt(Hl a repetition ol the oc:cur- rence in crossing' the net- work ol crexasses which extendetl east from our camp. As we adxanceil thes(; (.lisappearetl. and in thic cold of the early mornini^" the entire sur- face hecamc! one tlrm unhroken crust, afford- IiIl;" excellent walking". 'I wo or three small ponds which we mtit were froz- en just hard enoui^h to support us as we half slid, half skated rapidly across on our " ski (s!io\v-skates). W h i 1 e crossuiLi' another M II- j^aartl closch' il foil tl owed me too le ice, crac ked md weakenet 1 1 )\- mv passino', the Pn broke ant 1 let GREENLAND SMALL BOY. wate uccss riixra throu^'h in some five feet of 1 it was onlv with the utmost difhciltN' that anc )t 1 we o'ot her out and to tl "le hank a- 'am. X nis misr.cU) o.'i 00 feet al)o\-e tlu! hroui^ht us to a halt in a hollow sea, and we turned in in the lee of the; sk^tl^es for a few hours' sleep, after which we sjx'nt the (.lay dr\'inL;' ;'ear and Mai^aard's sleepin^-^-ear. saturated our foot-'. 1)\' the accident and froz(,;n stiff. A s soon as the sun l; th '•()t around to the north-west and the snow had hardened sutticientl\- to sui)port our ded U'es, we strapi )ed our snow-shoes (;n anc d m :'a \ M i. 1 li' •',;! 1 /! I? 1 •I t i ?i r . i f ' I I* I 12 Northward Over the "(ireat Ice" started a^ain. W'r soon reached a Ioiil;-, narrow lake, str(.'tcldn_L;- across our patli to the left, and not yet frozen hard enfui^li to suppoit us. To tlank this lake cost us a detour of two miles, and even then we were compelled to wade through the morass of saturated snow which surroundetl it and extended far on either sid(,'. SOUTH COAST OF DISCO ISLAND, EAST OF GODHAVN. I'al Hilar l!i*r<; in l''nrey;r()uiul. Soon after midnight th(' snow surface became firm and coarsely L^ranular with (occasional small patches of snow ot marhledike fmeness and whiteness, sou- \enirs of the last storm. Later we encountered areas of oiazed snow, of such hardness that excn the hrads in our sandals and the steel shoes of th( sledges scarcely le'ft a trace. 'Idle fierce morniuL;' .^ale brought us to a standstill 4100 teet above the sea. the entire surface of the " ice- blink," as far as we could see, okized and shining- Reconnaissance of 1886 13 beneath llu; niorniiiL;" sun, with a lihiKhiiL;- hrilHancy impossihlL' to tlcscribc. Taught !))• oui 'jxpiM'icncc- at prcxious camps, that it was imp()ssibh_; to sleep exposed to the i)o\verlul <^dare of the sun and the searching sweep ot the w ind, and ha\in*^^ at this camp suiiahlc material, we built a rouL;h hut, cuttini;" blocks of snow with a lon^". nar- rowd)laded saw, and building- a low wall around three sides of a rectani^'le, over which we spread a rubber blanket and weiL!ht(xl it down with the skidLies, BIVOUAC ON IHE ICE-CAP. During' the next nine days we pushed on throuL,di various experience's. usuall\- in the tec-th o{ a head- wind. .Sometimes far up the most delicate cirrus clouds hung motionless in the; blue, again black bcUiks of cumuli would swee}) up abo\c the hori/on. ( )ncc or twice we were (,niv<"loped in dense fog. which coated e\'erything with tiny, milk-white crystals of ice, and in one march a brilliant pcU'helion tilled the north- < •■ .^ - \ ,) i 14 Northward cncr the "(ircat Ice ,", 1 (eastern sk\- wiih rainbow hues antl clicilcd answcnno- Hashes of colour Iro'V the ^iilUMani:,' siiow-ticld. Atlcr ^eUiiiL;- al)o\c an altitude of six tlioiisand feet, the temperature ch-opped to lo" and (S.5" 1\ ;th, the wind W hen we resumed our marc h on the i had settled tlown t o a sout h-easteri\- (jah loaded with snow d [iLjamst this we advanced with '.>'()[ les on. hoods i)ulle(i u]),and heads dow n. IseepiiiL;' our course h\- the wind, until the sinking- ol tin; sled^'es in the soft 1 the contimud cloL'i'inL'' of our snow-sh,)es, snow mc compeUed us to stop and wait the cessation ol the storm at an ele\ ;ition ol 7525 Ivcl. Too tiretl and si 'ep\' from our struL:i;le wit^"' the storm to huild a hut. e\en had the loose snow rendered it possible, we la\' down be- hind our sled^-es and fell asleep. \\ hen I ;iwoke we were C()mpletei\' snowed unde.", and here we la\' fca* fortj-t^i'j^'ht hours, with the wind and snow drixiuL;' in one incessant, sulK n roar across the drift al)o\c; us. Theif ^jvc crawled out durini^- a lull in the storm and duj^ -a^-shallow j)it, co\erc;d i' with a rubber blanket, exca\'at'od our Sie(.l_^es and ba^s. weio'hted the blankest down with the sledot;s, thrc;w our hair's underneath, and crawled after them. About lix'e A.M., Monda\' the igth, a narrow ribbon of cr)stallint; blue appeared beneath the clou'l " in tin south-east, and widened and L;rew until it reached the sun. Then followed a perf(;ct day, warm, cU:ar, al- most calm, enabling" me to L;"et a i^ood observation, and permittino- us to dry all our o'ear. Our camj), 7525 feet above the sea, and within a fraction of one hundred miles from the margin of th<' " ice-blink," lay in a shallow basin, the snow, previous to th(; last storm, of the consistencN' of hne granulated sui^ar as far down as I could fore > my alpenstock (some six feet). We had six dav.. ; »;"e\'i ,i'Mis left, and beiuL:' uncer- tain as to the chanL;^(,:s ii the lOwer })ortion of the V ': /' Reconnaissance of 1886 15 "icc-hlink" durin<^ our absence, I tlccidcil to rL'turn. We lashed tlie Sz^'ccfkcari and the J^r/nccss 77/vra to- gether, makinij- as strong- and llexiljle a httle catania- ran as (jne could wish to see; the black sail, jcllow spars and hulls, red sailing pennant, and the tlashin^' tins of the load, forming- a vivitl contrast to the un- broken white expanse of the " ice-blink." COASTING. Late on the iQtb. we slart<.'d on our return l)cncalh a cloudless sk\'. A peculiar phciionicnou noticed thuiuL;- this march w:is the upparcnt sinking- ot lari_;e areas of siiow at intervals as we passed aion^', ac- companied l)\' peculiar muttled reports whicli rum- bled awa\' beneath the crust in e\-er\- dii-ection until the\' died a\va\" ; just as happens v.hen one is skating- upon a freshl\- fro/en lake in early w inter. 'l"he sky abo\e was tlawless blue, the crimson sun in one direc- tion, the x'ellow moon opposite, and the [)lain on which we travelled spreatl with diamoiul (.lust. At ^ t>M»t#» 'M-ilmUFr'mMV . '-MiriB k i6 Northward over the "Great Ice" i ■ if ST 11: ^i?;- * .' K midnight tlic northern sky was a sea of crimson li,L^iu, anil the snow la\' hathctl in delicate shades of rose. All the next day an east wind blew, and the sle(.l_L;es went merrily alonLT hefori; it, r(,'(|uirin''" no exertion on our [)art other than to ^iiide and restrain them. During' this march sk\' and snow were a^ain hrill- iant with indescribable splendour. Xot a cloud was visible except, at a ^reat altitude, two or three deli- cate, motionless " mare's-tails," the baniiv-rs of the wind. The snow-tlust raised by our snow-shoes went hurrying" alon^;' ix^forc; us in two lon^", sinuous lines of pale rose-tinted smoke, twistini;' and wa\ ini;' like spirits of th(t ice at plaw When we halted, the wind was howling;- like a de- mon ])ast th(.' sledLi'". After ri^^iuL; a rudder (a hatchet lashed to the eiid of a snow-skate) to th(; catamar.m, w<; turned in upon tht? sUnli^'es. As tlu- yellow sun stooped to the northern horizon aj^ain, Maii^aard and I turnial out, took our ])laces uj^on the sledges, and bt,'L;an a bit of travelling' wh.ich, as far as 1 know, has no j)arallel in arctic work, krom midnight till i'lvc a.m. we sped aloiii^'. takinj^ lexcls at the spc!ed ot a last walk, and dashing' rapidh' down the inclines, the hatchet rudder woi'kini;' adnurabl\-. 'rhf.:ii a L^roup of enormous snow-coxcr; d crexasses sprang' across our path, and the land, Noursoak and Disco, dark and half shrouded in haze, leaped uj) from behind the white expanse below us with a sud- denness that wa-. absolutel)- startlini;'. The crexasses, th(! most magnificent ones w(? had seen, were many of them lift)' feet wide, and the ^roup was about half a mile; across. As a rule, the\' were co\'ered 1)\' snow arcluts, though in several places the^;e had fallen in. \\\v. snow arches beini;' ai)i)arentl\- strong', we rushed the sledges over, taking' llvinu' steps, and half sup- portiui^ ourselves on tht: \ard of the catamaran, as 1^ H, I.. 1 ICE-CAP EQUIPMENT. ^■,1 i I I I • .11 J< : ji 'I ^ r 1 ! if i-- / I I fcu, ■ I I fF'f' \4. I I Reconnaissance of 1886 17 the wind and the; iniiK'tus (f our run hurried us across. The eil^a-s of all the openini^s into these hu_L(e chasms luul an (jverhani^inn" lij) of snow, niak- ini^'' it impossiijh.' to ajjproach them to sound or look down. \\\'. could (jnl\- L;('t hast)- glimpses into them as we i)assed over the snow arches, and these showed that their ra^'^'ed hhu,- walls, hunij;' with L;iant icicles and frostwork of fantastic patterns, descended into de])ths of l)lue-l)lack nlL^ht. lieyond the crc;\asses the descent was \("r\' rapid, and. jumping' on the sledges aL;"ain. we he^an an ex- citing- run. The wind, straining- tlu; sail till it threat- ened to tear it from the mast, and the rai)id descent to!L^eth<'r. drove; us down tlu; Irozen slope with a l)r(;athless rush which only those who have i)een on a tol)o^-i4-an can understand, oiu* sup|)le catamaran i^'lidin^' o\-er the snow and risiiiL;- and falling- to every ii-ie(|ualit\- with sinew\- ease and L^race. There are two who will not sooii for^-et that glori- ous dash down tin; slope of the eternal ice in tlu; crisp air and rosy li^'ht of that arctic summer n-iornin^^. At the end of an hour we reached a reo-ion w-lu;re c;\-ery depression was occupied 1)\' a l)lu(; pond. oft(;n hidden 1)\- the hunimocks till we were almost into it, and we were con-ipell(;d to lower our sail, L^et off the catamaran, and walk until we were st()pp(;d by a broad morass of slush and water, extending- rij^ht and left as far as we could see. The total descent during- this march was 2125 feet. The snow where we haltc;(l was a mass of heavy slush, and the wind threatened to pick us up bodily and hurl us into the swam}) ah(;ad. Mere we remained until midnight, waiting- for the surface of the morass to freeze sufficienth' to support us. Scarcely fifty yards from camp, howe\-er. we sank to our kn<;es. our snow-shoes coniin^' up load(;d with slush, at a temperature that needed but a touch of the ^ 1' ' i8 Northward over the "Great Ice" ; ill Pl ! '< 3 air to inakt; it coiiL^cal. I'orliiiiaU'l) , ihc clc|)th of this shish and water now here exceeded three feet, and ford- ing the stre-ani, which ran throiiLih the centre of the morass, wc at hist emerged iijion (h\\- ice. and, clearino- the sledj^cs of their load of skish, started on a run to re- store sensation to our feet. I'or several hours these half-frozen morasses alternateil with hard blue ice, hone^'combetl with water ca\ ities. Then the character of the ice changed completely, the slush and water cavitic^s disappeared, and the entire surface consisted of a white granular snow-ice scored in e\ery direction with furrows one to four feet deep, and two to eiL^ht and ten feet wide, with a littK; rill at the bottom of each. Vhv. toj)s of all the hummocks were traversed l)y more or less numerous cre\asses. and one of the? cre- vassi^s, coveri'd b\- a li.^ht snow arch, came near robbing;; me of my friend. We had pushed the catamaran across, as was our custom, till it rested at each end on the opposite ed^x^s of the chasm, and I had leaped across to pull at the sanu; instant that Mai^aartl pushed. Unfortunatcd)'. hc^ trippcxl as hv. spran^j^ after, stepped heavil)- upon the snow arch, it ^ave way be- ncjath him, and clin^inL;" to the stern of the catamaran he sank into the crcivasse, while the bow shot into the air with a jerk that nearly tore it from my orasj). r\)r a moment the sledij^es hun_u^ tilted on the lip of the chasm, with a man's life hanuino- on their quiver- ini;" forms ; then my weight concjuered, and IMaii^aard's head came up to the surface levt'l ; the sledges crept farther on to the ice till the lono- arm of the k;ver was in my favour, and IMai^aard, pale but smiling-, swunn^ himself up on the ice. A little farther on. I cauK^in for a disaij^reeable though harmless experience. Hav- ini^ stepped down mid-thioh-dcep in a s^lacier stream to lift the Szocethcaj't and the Princess TJiyra across, ij \ 'm'^ M' II f.: '> ■•! I 1 ,."^„.. IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) // ,^ Photographic Sciences Corporation '()inl of Xiakornak for tlie swiftly drifting- hcr^s and icopans to < OQ Q Q Z < Oi u o Q Z < a Qi O < D f/j O H a" (J n c •a u O (iT i> j:: 11 T3 _ c O <0 00 £ W d < 8 n 2 Q o 2 .ti < £ 2 3 O u. < ' S < Oi o 2 < a. 26 Northward over the "Great Ice" i. J cni^TaviiiLj^ ; Ioiil;-, slender jjarallcl-vfinctl k-aNcs and (jx(|iiisit(-: feathery ferns. To one who appreciates the stran_L(e story of these leaf impressions, )et has not the circumscribed microscopic vision of the specialist, these fossils i^^ive stran^^e sensations. Ont; holds in his hand the new-cut tj;rev paLTes of a hook < t \ if HARBOUR OF ATANEKERDLUK. that went to press countless aL^es a^o, with fresh careen leaves scattered throuii^h it, leaves that seem familiar to us, that remind us of the beech, the ma_L,molia, and the oak, leaves such as may be fcund in tht! sun-llecked aisles of any of our June forests ; \et looking' over the top of the pas^e we see below a lleet of hu^'e ice- ber^i^s, and beyond the narrow channel the eternal ice-dome of Disco Island, cresting' the cliffs antl reachiuLT ijendent i^Jacier arms down then- sides. I Reconnaissance of i836 27 cIl'scciuKxI the slope witli astraiiL^n'. unreiil ft't'liiiL;. half L'xpL'ctini,^ that if I turned and looked up the Liorije I should see a L(reen. leaf-carpt'tecl forest, rustling and shimmeriuL,^ in the sunliL,du. Vet it is all a part of this land of startliiiL^ contrasts, this land of midnis^du sun and noonday nii^ht, of tropical skies and p(.'rennial snow, of mountains half hitlden beneath the eternal ice-caps, yet still tinged with che deej) L,d()w of ancient volcanic tires. I ! ATANEKERDLUK FOSSIL BEDS. P'rom Atanekerdluk hack to Kekertak, thence to Ritenhenk, thence a^ij^ain in a sluLi^ij^ish tub of a sail- boat to Godhavn, where the Jiaoic came for me on the 6th of September. rVom Ciodhavn the /uro/r steamed directly west across Baffin's Hay, through the scattered streams of the " middle ice," and dropped anchor near Aij^nes Monument, just north of the river Clyde. The low shore here and the mountains back of it were covered m* I • 38 Northward over the "(ircat Ice" ply \\'\ th snow, an un broken ice-foot hicl tlie l)('acli, antl new ice was ra[)i(ll)' formini,^ In the morninj^ the ice drove us out, and tlie Juii^/c steamed north and dropped anchor in I)ext(Tity Harbour of the whalers, an uncharted iidet, l>in,i( just north of Cape CarLienholni, in a j^roup of entirely unex- plorinl ishuids an.l deep fjords. 'I'he surroundings of tlie harliour, as seen throu_L,di the deep snow and drift- ini"- c loud s. wc-re wild \\\ \\\v. extrenK .Sh lari). rauij'et mountains enclose its head, the black, vertical clilis at their summits standin_L,^ out in startling- relief aL;ainst the white shroud which covered ever\thinLr else. Nine k di most continuous snow-storm. Then at (kuli^ht of the 20th Jackman drove the lujo/i' out in the teeth of a north-east snow-storm, and scjuared away for I'^^linton k'jord. As the; da\' ad- vanced, the land came n'railuaiK' out from the clouds on our starboard bow, and ^ave a view of the bold headland (jf Cape Adair, in tlu; rear of which is a hii^h conical {)eak very conspicuous to the north. 'Ihe j)eaks north-west of this have also a tendency to the conical form. Later, Scott Inlet showed out in sharp relief a^ains*; a i^hastK- backi^round, its vertical black walls reachiuLi' far inland amoiiL;- the mountains. Scott Iskunl, at the entrance, is a L;iant fortress, \\h\\ vertical walls i 300 feet hi^h, smooth and true as if laid b\- masons. R(,'achinL;' I\L;iinton, we heacU'd across for Ra\ens- craiLi' llarbour on the south side. The shore here is solid rock, with not a boulder, pebble, or^rain of sand aloui^^ its entire wave-worn extent. In thi' harbour were threi' whalers, the Jisqiiiiuait.w Active, antl Nova Zcnibla, and as nioht descendetl the; Jiao/c dr()j)ped her anchor amon^- them. Ravenscraij;' Harbour is one of the finest on this whole coast, a narrow deep-water inlet, makinj^ south Reconnaissance of 1886 29 several miles into the land. The next clay the Iirra A'iK'ii came in, and here the lleet made its rendezvous f(3r th(.' next ten days, sendinsj^ boats out dail)' to cruise for whales. With thirtv boats dartinir hack and forth over its surface, the fjord presented an anun ated il)l)(;aranc<,' If th U' wmci was iavourai)li fi d)l( tile ships themselves stood out under canvas (whal- ers never usmj^ their pro|)ellers wlien 1 n th e vicinity of whales), and rt'ached back and forth off the mouth of the fjord. While here ten bears were killed by th d e various snips, ant one da)' the /ur^/rs boats came in with the skins of two which they had har- pooned in the water. It had th( CLIFF VIEW AT ATANEKERDLUK. t had taken tne united efforts of three boats' crews to keep one of these power- ful brutes from climb- in. 30 Northuaicl ()\cr the "(ircat Ice old ice, made calm water. ( )n(' forenoon the harom- eter (ln)|)|)e(l rapidU'. and in llu! afternoon the snow- ceased, the clouds lifted, .and a tremendous swell came rolIiiiL^ in from the south-east. Not a breath of wind disturhed the surface as the Ioul;", la/\' swells, smoothed by the pre-ssuri: of tlu: ice through which they hail passed, came slippiuL;" noiselessl)' in, lift- \\v^ and dro|)J)in^" the' hu_L;i' heri^s as if they were hut corks, anti then, with clouds of dark smoke streaming from their crests and with oreat cakt's of hlue ice home upon their shoulders, dasheil up the loni( shoal south-west; of Kater lleail, and fell upon the rocks in vihratiniL^ thunders of foam and shattered ic(,'. A*, sunset th(! wi-stern mountains stood intense hlue steel i)etween llaminnr skv and sea, anil thc-n the stars came forth likt,' llashinjj^ brilliants, the Milky Way ri- valled tlu; Aurora in brii^htness, and the wind howled like mad devils through the ris4L;injj;'. Just the out- skirts of an arctic hurricane sweepiniT throuLrh the straits had reached us. ()ctol)er 8th 1 saw my tu'st whali', — in fact it was the first siHMi from the /unoic for the s(,'ason. The: bi^- black brute was phuiuL^ in a little opcMiimj^ in the pack close to a ber^', antl as he stootl on his head with his tail and nearly half his body thrown into the air against the white; background of the berL;", the hu}4'e tail thrashimj^ the water into columns of sj)ray, it looked as if it would reach the /uio/cs main-\ard. After a few minutes' play, he came out and started south, and though each shij) in turn made for him as he passed, he was too knowing" or had too pressing- l)usi- ness, for he <;ave none of them a chance. At Kater Head a number of the natives of this coast came on board. One family, consisting" of a wmcIow with one ijfrown and one vounijfer son and one married chiuijhter with her baby, were comparatively clean and intelli- Reconnaissance of 1886 I 31 ^a'in-l()<)kin_n. The oKl lady was tattoocil with liiu-s ciir\in_L( from the hridmc of tlir nose upward o\cr tlu.- (•yes, and also thn-c lines on each side from th(! nos- trils across the checks hack to tlu: cars. 'I'lic daiii^lucr had a pleasant and even pretty face, with dark-hrown (•\i's, and a ruddy l;Iow to her cheeks. She had on the peculiar "cummiiiL^s" ( loni^^-le^^cd sealskin hoots) wilh huL^c pouches on the outside, worn 1)\- the women of this tribe. The han,i^- i>f these about the knees re- minded me of trousers worn !)}• I'urkish wo- men. 'I he baby was complete- ly cased in mot- tled fawn-skin e\cej)t its face antl hands, and when removed from thedi'i)ths of his mother's hood for re- freshments, re- mintled me of n t h i n ijf s o m u c h as a c h i c k e n just out of the ei^ii^shell. The boys were both faced, intellij^ent-lookinjj;' fellows. On the morniuL;' )f the 10th, all the sliips had a heavy belt of ice at ami above the water-line, and tlu: thickness of youn!:i^ ice everywhere i)r(.;cluded further stay in that locality. In the afternoon the Iiao/c headed south ai,^'iin. At midnight we ran into the ice-pack north of Cape Hooper, and the next da\' in this ice three bears were shot by Jackuian and myself THE GORGE AT ATANEKERDLUK. Showing; tlic Stratitication. < hw of the Kicli l-'ds^il Heds i> just at tlic Left of tlic I'lacc ^ln)\^■M in tlic ricluic. I)i<^ open- ' ft 32 Northward over the "Great Ice" i k "s from the sliip. There; is hut little of the excitement of clatiLii'er in this sport, i)ut there is an excitement in heinj^- driven throui^h the ice, and kept in rani^e of the hU^ L^ame, hy such a ([uiverinu;", jjowerful steed as one of tht;se whalers. The ice was heavy enough so that the Jiaolc at her hest could harely keej) up with the bears, and w^hat with the constant jumpinij^ and trcMii- blin^. 44 Northward over the "(ireat Ice" Im'Iovv deck was tilled, and the deck itself hidden under my e(|ui|)ineiu. was left to its(df at last. Sixteen persons coniprisiHl the i)assenLjer list of th(; little AV/6'. Se\(n of them were members of my CAPTAIN RICHARD PIKE OF THE "KITE." Nortl'. Greenland Expedition, while nine formed the scientific party sent out by the Academy of Natural Sciences, Philad(;li)hia, to accompany me to my d(,'sti- nation, and then make such investio;ations in their scientific specialties as time permitted before the A7/<: i! I . r, Brooklyn to McConnick Bay 45 returned home IS party was known as the West Th Greenlaiul I'-xpedition. I had limited m\- own parly to the niimher of men al)S()lutely re(|uired for the work I proposed to do. I'he (la\' of lar^c expechtions in successful arctic ex- ploration I l)elie\cd had L;(»ne hy. The L^real Woi'k of the future, like nuich of that of the i)asi. will l)e done i)\' \(r\- smal man i)e\<)iu 1 ih parties, il Vn\ le\ilVJ that Kr numher ahsohilelv essen tial e\ er\- is an element of danger and failure, 1 had selected from the hundreds of applicants, whose letters had been pouring' in for months, onl)' ti\-e men to share mv fort- un(,'s. Tl \rv were all n'ouul:', and 1 addition to i)os- sessin^' lii'st-class physicpu; and perlecl health, were men o f education and attainments. I 1 )eiieve this to i)e the t\pe of mail hest fitted to eiidup' with mini- mum unfavourable elfect the ordeal of the arctic inter, and to elfectivelv execute a two or three w months dash on sledijes, where in Itell i''cnt wil power, \()uthful elasticit}'. and enthusiasm rise su- pc.Tior to tlu; s f i)\' N'ears ot work tolid •k f M eiKliirance ot muscles \' assistants were : hard elled l''rederick A. Cook, M.l)., the sur-'con and eth no- loj^ist of the expedition, a nouiil;' physician and sur- geon, a native of X(;w York State, a graduate; of the College; of Physicians antl Surgeons, and of the I'ni- versit)' of the; Cit\' of Xew N'ork. lie had been practising;' his [)rofession in Xew \'ork Cit\' for sev- eral \-ears. \\v was twenty-six \-ears old. Lam^^don Ciibson, of blushiiiL;-, L. I., m\- ornitho- loL^ist and chief hunter, a stalwart \(>un!4" hunter of ' ScliwatkaV threat sIc-iIl^c joiiriu'V was iiiaclc witii fnur uliito incii and an I'!>kini(). ('aptaiii 1 lolni's parly tn lla'-t l Ireciiland nunilicit-d fmir. I'ayer. in 1 ran/ (osif Land, st.irtuii uitli >c\fn, but, liiidini; tlii^ nuniher cunilircais. lie loft fmir and puslicd alicad with tuo. I'lio c\iil' raiioiis of tiii' ( irn-lv i'.xpe- loiis am tlitiiiii wire made liy parlies of three men. 11 all's earlier exjilKrat Clraaii's jnurney alon;^ tiie ea^t coast of (ireenland are striking; examples ol the success that may attend the efforts of ('//(• resolute man in arctic exploration. 1' ,Ki 46 Northward over the "(ircat Ice" 1 ■ I m I I) it' t\v('nt)-si.\. a nicnihcr of the American ()rnith()]()ij;-ists' Union. \{(i was one of th(,' Hmwn-Stanton party in the Colorado Canon survey of iScSq-qo. CHIEF ENGINEER JARDINE, 2d ENGINEER McKINLEY, AND "BOSUN" DUNPHY. iMvind Astrii]) of Christiania, Norway, twenty \'ears old, was a stalwart \()un<'" f',llow who hail hut recently come to the I'nited States. The son of the Com- mander of the Royal Civil Cuard of Christiania, he was a hrst-class tj;-raduate of the Christiania Commer- cial Collet^e, and a winnc-r of numerous prizes in ath- letic sj){)rts, especialh" ski-runnino-. John M. X'erhoeff, of Louisville, Ky., my mineral- ogist and meteoroloirist, was twent\-h\e \-ears old, and educated in an Eastern uni\ersit)'. Mr. X'erhoeff contrihuted j^enerously to the exi)enses of the expe- dition. IVIatthew Henson, my hody-servant, a hardy col- ouretl man, was a native of X'^iririnia, twenty-three years (; ,. I:,' Brooklyn to McCormick Hay 47 old. 1 lis intclliL^cMici: ami faithfulness, combined with more than avera_L(e pluck and endurance, as shown during- several years that lu; had been with me through varying' exi)eriences, part of the time in XicarajL^i^uan iuiiLrles, led me to reirard him as a \aluable membt'r of the party. Mrs. Peary accompanied the party. ]\)ssessed of health, youth, energy, and e-nthusiastic interest in the work, she saw no reason why she couKl not endure conditions and (Mixironment similar to those in wliich Hanisli wives in (ireenland pass years of llieir life. I concurred in this opinion, and belie\'ed tliat in many ways her prc^sence and assistance would contribute to the valuable results of the expedition, as the\' were i' .aluable to me in the prej)aration. I^xcnts pro\-ed the entin; correctness of this l)elief. TIM. Both the North Greenland and West Oreenland Expeditions were under my command until the for- fill ( 5 i i ilr V \(\ 4S Northward over the "Great Ice" nicr was landed at its winter quarters in McCormick l^)ay. The West CirctMiland Expedition then began its distinctive work under command of Prof. Ani^elo Ilcilprin, I'^xecutor Curator of the Academy of Nat- ural Sciences. Philadelphia, and a n'coloj^ist of in- ternational reputcition Associated with Professor Heilprin, were: Prof, lienjamin Sharj), zo(')loL(ist in charge; Prof. J, \\ Holt, zoologist; Dr. William \i. lluijhes, ornitholoL'^ist ; Mr, Le\i \\\ iMenL''cl, ento- m oloLHst ; Dr. Willi; Ull H, Purk. Ijotanist ; Mr. Alexander C. Kenealy, a reporter for tlu,' New York K eelv. Jr., surj^eon and Herald ; Dr. Robert N. Mr. P'razer Ashhurst. The master of tlu; Kite, a steam sealer of 2S0 tons, was the late Captain Richard Pike, a famous arctic ski|)per and one of the best of ice naviL^ators. Mis death, in the sj)rinnr of 1S93, was widel\- rej^retted. As conimander of the Proteus, he took Lieutenant (ireely's P^xpedition, in i(SSi, to Lad)- P'ranklin Hay. ()n that occasion. Captain i'ike made a phenomenally raj)id run up Smith Sound to the site of Lieutenant Greely's camp. Two years later. Captain I'ike was in command of the Profens when Lieutenant Carlin^ton attempted to relieve Creely ; and after the vessel was crushed in the ice near Capt: Sabine, he retreated with his crew in open whale-boats acrcjss Melville Hay to I'ljernavik. Cai)tain Pik(,' and his crew numbered fifteen per- sons, making- a total of thirty-one souls who had to be packed away in the very snuoyest of (juarters in the cabin berths, deck-house, and forecastle. The Kite was a staunch, strong' vessel well adapted for the vovaij'e, with a steamimj' i)ower of sc;ven knots. .She had been thoroughly overhauled and additional cal)in accommodations put into her for my party. The question of my food supplies, clothing', and Brooklyn to McConnick Bay 49 other equipment, and scientific outfit, had been the suhiect of lonii' study and careful digestion of the experience of ni)' predecessors. COD-FISHING IN STRAIT OF BELLE ISLE. My ecjuipinent was one of th(; most modest and in- expensive ever taken to the "White North." \'et nothinij;' was omitted that was essential to our comfort or success. The food su[)pl)- tliffered little from that of the later arctic expeditions, I had a )ear and a half's sup- plies ; with tea, coffee, su^ar, and milk in sufficient (juantity to last two and a half years. I took little meat except pemmican for the ice-cap journey, as I exp(,'Cted to secure an abundance of reiiuleer and I- t /; 50 Northward over the " Great lee ?*• .: ! I&.f (H. other frcsli meat at my winter cam|). Iuaj)()ratecl vej^ctables in hirije variet\-, antl Ix-ef-meal, pcmmican, and cocoa taljlets had been prepared expressly for the expedition. I carried kimber for a i 2 x 20 feet liouse. I liad two whale-boats, Mai'v Pcavy and Faith,^ built exjjressly for the expedition. The former was named Mary I\ar\\ after the mother to whom I owe so much ; the latter, Faith, after the sturdy boat which thirty years a^o brought Dr. Kane and his brave companions back to friends and civilisation, past the same cliffs and ba\ s that were to know this new Faith. I took the two sledges used by me in my recon- naissance of the Inland Ice in 1SS6, antl an amjjle sujj- ply of timber for makiuLi^ new ones. Other important items were Indian snow-shoes, Norwesj;^ian ski, moccasins and rubber ice-creepers, al- cohol stoves, and an abundance of woollen clothing;'. Vor my fur clothino-, as for ni)- meat sujjply, I de- pended upon the rei^ion about my headquarters. My firearms consisted of Winchester 44-calil)rt; re- peating- carbines. 45-calibre repeating- ritles, Winches- ter repeatini^- shot-^uns 10 ^aui^e, a I)aly 3-barrel L;un, shot barrels 10 Li'au^e, rille barrel 45 calil)re. Am- munition consisted of one size shells and two sizes riile cartridi^es. My surveyino' outfit comprised one; small theodolite, arranjL^ed expressly by I'auth (S: Co., of Washington, with prismatic eyepiece and coloured glasses ; oih^ 7- inch sextant with artificial horizon and extra mercur\- ; a pocket sextant ; three pocket chronometc ''s, made expressly for me by the Howard Watch Co.. of llos- ' One of tlieni, l)iiilt by S. II. Mitcliell, nf New HfdfciKl. was 28 ft-el I'Hil,'. 6 feet heam, and 28 inclies deej) aiiiidslii|)s, \veiyliiii<; alxnit 1000 ])i.iiiid'- and carrying one sprit-sail and a larj^e jil). 'I'he otlier, built by Reeves i\: ("mnstdck, of New London, Conn., was 28 feet long, 6 feet beam, and 24 inclies deep, weighing (lOO pounds. It had twD masts (sliding (liinter rig). 'S \ lilt Hrooklyn to McCorniick Uiiy 51 ton ; scxcral c()nii)ass('s of ditTcrcnt \arictics ; tixc aneroid barometers ; a hoilino-poiiu ai)i)aratiis ; steel tapes, odometers, and field-i^lasses. I'or meteor()loL;ical work 1 had a nicrnirial baro- meter. h)-dr()meter. and sc\-cral sets maximum aii9 ^ V <*,. ' i fl M^^ ^W^{fi H i ifc»^ WmM M ■■*•. . -* '.»i.\^ MRS. PEARY AND GROUP OF DANISH-ESKIMO WOMEN AT GODHAVN. day in civilisation. By TViday cvcnino;, the 12th inst.. 180 tons of coal from the Cape Breton min-^s had been taken aboard, irivini'- us over three hunderd tons 1. ^ Brooklyn to McComiick H:iy D.-) in the hunkers and liokl antl on (U'ck. Then, with a kist Liiance at the; hills around the hay, onl\- recently reclad with verdure h\' the av akeiiiuLi' touch of sprini;', we put to sea, anil headed northward across the ("lulf of St. Lawrence; for th(; Strait of i5iHe Isle. It was li^htnin^' sharply astern, and 1)\- noon next day the L^rowiuL;" wind had risen to a ^ale, aiul lifi hecanie a hurden to the poor sailors in our i)arty. The littk- KiU\ however, proved herself a i^ood sea hoat. lier waist and a part of her ([uarter-deck were tilled to the rail with coal, and th(; rest of the deck was jjacked full of trunks, hoxes, and harrels. Hut in sj)it(.; of lu;r heav\- load she rode much (easier than was to he i-x- pectc.'d. I)urinj4' Saturda)' nii^ht the si-a went down, and Sunda\' was comi)aratively pleasant. Steaniini; alono" th(; west coast of Xewfoundland, wi- coukl see now and then, through rifts in the fo^". the snow- streaked mountain sides. \x. Sydne\-, the .Strait of Belle Isle was reported to he free of ice, hut early jMonday morning', just within the Strait, we ran into pack-ice, and the memhers of ni)' part)' had their first exjjerience of this common phase oi arctic navi^aticjn. This occurrence of heavy arctic ice in the Strait of Belle Isle, chokinj^- it from cw^X to cMid, was unpreced- ented for this time of year. The ice-pans rose and fell with the undulations of the sea, and the rhythmic roar of th(; white pack's heavinLC edi^e was grander than any surf upon the shore. The; cakes were from li\c to one hundred feet in diameter, and from one to ei^ht feet thick, some tin\' pinnacles rising' from ei^ht to ten feet. As we moved hack and forth alonLi' the ice edire, vainh' seeking- a lead that would take us north, we secured fine views of the L;rim shores of New- foundland and Lahrador. Some Xewfoundland fish- ermen put off to us in hoats to tell us of their sore straits, for many were ill in their settlement. They \l:\ < A 54 Northward over the "Great lee" l> H I S' liad IK) nicdicincs. and no ship had xisitcd ihcm for man\- months. W'c L;a\c thcni nicthcines, and letters for our fritMiils, Impatient of delay as I was, I still enjoyt'd the no\-el situation. When the A'/Zr, tired of huntiuL;- for a lead, anchored now antl then to a tloe, we fished and photoL^raphed. or L,^()t out our ski and snow-shoes and had a lit- tle i)ractice. We caught four huntlred [K)unds of fine codfish, and saltetl down a barrel for our North-( Greenland larder. Myriads of looms, kitti- wakes, herrinij;- l,^u11s, and seals o'ave life and move- ment to the scene. Scen- ic splendours were not wantiuLT. On Mondav ni^'ht we enjoyed an ex- quisite sunset. A mir- ror-like sea reflected the rosy glories of the west- ern sk\-, and the Labra- dor coast was purpkt as amethyst. Ice. fantastic- ally carved, floated all around us, and the still- ness was broken by cries of ^ulls and puffin<^ ot whales. DuriuLi;' five days we struo's^led with the ice, forcins^ ahead a few miles, onh' to be caught and drifted back a^j^ain. At last, Triday afternoon, we felt the swell of the open sea aij^ain. and crowding- on all steam and sail, were soon free, and bowliuL;- alonj^ at an eight-knot pace. CLIMBING THE GODHAVN CLIFFS. Brooklyn to McCormick Hay .•>.■> As we j)assc(l IW-llc-Islc lights, the keepers ran up the I)ritish lla^ to shtnv that the\' saw us, and |)er- haps ill ^reetini;' to the first \-essel they hail seen that year. We came; out of Uelle Isle Strait, our faces burned as with tropical suns hy the I'iniliiiL;- L^hire from snow-covered ice-fields, TIk; next five days wv.w, a time of stress and storm for the litth; A'//r. On Tuesday morniuL,^ she had to lay-to several hours, after twice dipping her bows un- THE PARTY AT THE CAIRN. der, and risini:^ heavily from the weight of tj^reen seas forward and in her waist, ( )ur jxjorest sailors. howev(!r, foi'L^ot their misery at eleven p.m. on Tuesday. Juna\ clinihcd u|)\varil till lost in golden splendour hcncath the west- ern sun. ( )\cr the icc-ta|) to our left. I )isco l>a\ hore upon its |)Iac'id hosoni hundreds of ieelxr^s, the out- put of the uiiL^hlN |acol)sha\n ( daeier. whose i^leain- in;^' front was seen hreakin^ the dark round o( the mountains on ihe eastern hori/on. Uehind us was the <'ternal. unhroken ice-cap. smooth as marble and with a i^cnlly undulating surface. We huilt a cairn ei;^ht leel hiL;h in memor\ of our \isii. depositin:^' in it. in a tin hov, the date, the names of the part)', and a lew .\meriian coins. Ihen we returned to the AV/r, tired and hiniL^rN , hut enthusiastic o\ cr our lirst ( "irecn- land outint'. SANDERSON'S HOPE. The next da\- was dcvotctl to excursions in the neighbourhood. In the evenini;-, Professor Hcili)rin, Mr. iAstriip, Mr. Kenealy, Mrs. Pcar\-. and I dined with Inspector Andersen. After dinner, we looked on for a while at a native dance in one of the j^overn- \t'> . y S r. ^•- "^t'i^" \ >r^ ■iS, , N. is!>i-!»-i, Tu mill Iruiii .M< ( OlfAJK K I!AV I'invurtI Voyuicf ol' KIti', IMJtl lii'tiirii VeyiiKV of Kite, IS!fJ s. N so A^ ?'i :«' ()5 It ' .^^ >!i ^ H w '■f r ! i I /; I 60 Northward over the "Great lee nicnt buildings, and tlicn passed a pleasant cvcninL,f at the Inspector's liouse. I h: M. niornin; ul nitenckul to i^ct under way (-'arl\' on .Monday l)ut a sonth-wester, acconipanieil l)y a dense foL;-, held lis in the harbour until two i'. m., when we steamed out with lla^s dippin;^" ami a salute from the ship's cannon. Shanin'j" our cours(^ north, we went al()n<>' th(; shore o f 1) isco Isl; uicl, and thirt\'-six hours hit er, cast anchor m the harbour o f I |)ernavik. 1) ur- iuL"" all these hours, we stt;ameil throu'jh a sea ( tn which hartlK' a rippK,' coukl be seen. Sa\e for the icebergs that dotted the sea here and there, theri; as no ice. 1 lu' Waiiiat, Xuiisuak Peninsula, broad- w m outhed ( ) men ;ik biord with the <>-reat Inland I cc; visible far up at its head. Hlack Hook of the old Dutch navigators, and sublime Sanderson's Hoj)e, all stood out m then' grandest, uiost brilliant aspects. I found it impossible to obtain from (Governor l)e\cr. ith 01 L perna\ik, either a ka\ak or a natuc int(;rpreter to l;"() aloni;' with us, and so, after returning' his otti cial call, accompanied by Professor Ileilprinand Mrs \ ear\- 1 'Ot undtu" wa\', lea\im>' l)ehiml tl le most northerly town on the o-h)l)t ^t tl ' sumuKM' seas, past the numerous red-hrown islands 'Idle /vV/r St eamed oxer that *'uai -d tl "US arctic coast. Tl irou^h e\'ery deprt's- sion in the; mountains and from ever\- fjord head, the marble surface of the Inland Ice looked down upon us, the crexasses in the lower portions xisible at tiiiK;s ked eve. Past man\- ^iant mile-stones th' with the na 1; ■h tl )\' which the whalers measure thcnr adxance in their annual '.attics with the ice-tloes. we steamed without seeiuL!' a bit of ice, and at six o'clock in the morni n< \-l xiiown rendezvous reached the Duck Islands, a we and lookout for the whalers while waiting' for the ict? barriers of Melville Bay to 0})en for them. At these islands we stopped till afternoon, la)'inL;' in a sujjply Brooklyn to McCormick Bay 6i of eider-ducks which brectl here in thousands. Un- fortunately we were too kite to Liet eLZLTs, they heiuLT too far adyanced to be edible. UPERNAVIK. Leayino;- the islands, we shaped our course direct for Cape York, with the most sanguine expectation of makino- a speedy passa_L,re across MeKille Bay, and per- haps r(;achino- \Vhale Sound on the 4th of July, the day on which famous old Ikiffin cast anchor in the Sound oyer 27s \'ears ai-o. ( )ur expectations, howeyer, wvvc doomed to speetly disappointment. Sixt(;('n miles north of the Duck Islands, we met the dreaded Mel- yille-Hay i)ack, and after runiiin^- alon^- its chI^c close to the Deyil's Thumb, and then back a^ain to the westward, in search of a l^-cmxI opcniiiL;-, the /\//r, at 7:30 i'.M., on July 2d. stuck her sturdy little nose; into the i)ack and be^an a loni^- strui^'i^le. ^1 N I' r i: I .'I ^ I If i m 62 Northward over the "(ircat Ice" The Greenland ice-cap, which we could discern above the coast mountains, seemed verv rouirh antl broken by crevasses. I had no doubt, howe . er, that farther inland it off(;red tlu; favourable conditions for sledi^ing- that I expected to find on the inner ice of North THE PARTY AT THE DUCK ISLANDS. Greenland. Baffled by the ice of Melville Ray, I encountered at the outset of my arctic work one of the common vicissitudes of polar exploration in ships ; while not manv miles east of us was the sj;"reat interior N, Brooklyn to McCorniick Bay 63 ice-plateau, offerin*^ an imperial highway to the far North. The ice of the pack, where we first encount- ered it, was only six to hft(;en inches thick, antl rotten. The ice-pans, as sailors call very small and somewhat rounded tloes, averaged perhaps twenty-five feet across, and numerous iceherirs were scattered throuLfh the pack. As we i^ot farther into the pack, some of the pans were six or seven feet thick. We manaired to keeij under wav bv fits and starts into the nii(ht of July 4th, hut the next morning- the ice tig'htened, and after that we drifted, utterly help- less in its i^rip, for one lonij^ week. The '* r^ourth " was ushered in by firing,'' the ship's cannon, and the flails that had l)een run up were dipped and iji^reeted wit;i a volley of small-arms. We joined in a toast to the Stars and Stripes, antl the exjjeditions posed for their picture on the ice, with the Kite as a backij^round. At dinner we had a special spread of roast eider-duck, plum-duff, and Melville-Bay Roman punch, consistins^ of snow, milk, rum. lime-juice, and suoar. Our celebration of the national holidav was rejj^arded as a threat success, w'di the exception of the punch, the rum in this beini^' none of the best, and a little too much in evidence. The crow's-nest was sent up soon after we entc^red the ice, and the chief business of life for da)s was scanning": the ice-fields from thisloftv point of vantage for some sign of a change. The white, unrelieved ex- panse of the pack soon ceased to be a novelty, and became very monotonous, while snow and foL;- con- tributed their part to the unpleasant situauon. On the ninth I secured an observation which L^^ave our position as 74° 51' N. Lat, and an appioximate loncritude of 60° W. Pools were formin;^ on the surface of th< Hoes and the ice was meltini^^ rapidly and growino; more 1; ' .-. 'I R J v- '" ff'^' U r f ' W'^ :m j : 64 Northward over the "Great Ice" ^'11 rotten. The temperature avera 69 a. a H 0) u o Oi < u 2 O u O H m Di O >• u a. < (J o Oi Ct. H M < o O b. O <( < on. o z < a, I • ill! !N I ' I n ■ t i .■;l • ■■ I ■ ■ 1^ :i !1 i\ !. ! I , in ■•'i;''' I i^y h CHAPTliR II. ^li i M Jl iH I'KKI'ARINH; our XOUril-C.UKKNLAXl) IIOMK. The Work hefork is — Simmkk Scknk on an Arctic Shore — SEi.EcriNc THE Site eor ouk lIursK. — Lamum; itie Stores — Ai.i. mv Voim; Mkn TlRN CaKI'ENIKKS — Dl.SCKIITloN OK IHE Hol'SE — AN Alii )I)E I II A T I!aI)E DkKIANCK to KlNd WlMKK — ( li )ol)-i;YE To THK A'///-: — I.oVIT.Y AliUST Wkaiiiek — Millions of Hiuds and MANiroi.D Phases oe Animal Lile —We Name our Home Red Ci iee IIoise— Red-Letter Days — Fiust Eskimo (U'ests — Ikwa and his Interesting Family — Kili.ini; I )eer AND WaLKIS — Kec iNNOITKINO THE INLAND ICK. ' A I S J ^ 71 I 'li D < >i i, w i- ♦ V CIlAl'lllR 11. I'RI i'.\i;i\(; oiK \(ikiii-(;kKr.\i,A\i> iio.mk M N' struL^Lilc with the M.ivi'llc-I'.ay ic-c hail hccii more sc- \(:rc than that of most of my predecessors in North (in-enhiiid e.\|)loration. (hie |)artl\- to th*- com- parativel)- small size of m\' shij). partK to the earl)' date at wliirh 1 at- tacked it. The three \vet;ks' lont;- conllict with the lloe ice had cost me just that amount of time which 1 had hojxxl to cU;vote to the larL;(; amount of work preliminary to carrNinsj' out the main j)ur|)oses of m\- ( xpedition. Ahout three months, howtjver, \-et remained to us for outdoor work, before settlini;" down to th(! comparatixe in- activity of the lonij' winter niL^ht. 'Vhv. first thin^" to do. of course, was to select a suitable site for our camp, put up tlu; buildini;', and settle my arctic househokl to riL^hts as soon as pos- sible. TIkmi, unless th.e li^skimos cduw. to my head- ([uarters. it was essential to communicate with them. I had reason to believe that one or more of their hunters would be of ijreat advanlaL''*' to us. More- -/ .( 'if i- I 'r' i i'' I I I i < Vli 74 Northward over the " C^reat Ice" over, I wanted thciii liviiiLr near us. I wished to be- come well accjuainted with these most isolated and northerly of all jx^oples, and. for purposes of studyini^ this interestinL; trilx,'. I ho|)ed to induce not a few of them to spentl the winter months at or near our camj). ■ ■ ■pi P^^" ■• * • • ' I' 4 "^ y ■ ^ 1 * ■ ■ri' ■\-^. '-l -^' -.,...,. , ,..^^ * * • " « >• V ■ - • HE ~ ' 1 SITE OF RED CLIFF HOUSE. On tlic South S]iore of McCoiniiL-k llav. Then the next twelve weeks would l)e a busy time for my hunters, for we liad the winter supph' of fresh meat, and also the deer- and sealskins needed for a part of m\' arctic outfit, to procure. 1 hoped, too, that we should fmd some of the nati\e women useful in sewini^ our skin o^arments. I wished also, if possil)le, to send a sledge party on the Inland Ice across Prudhoe Land to the north, to establish one or more caches of supj)lies for the' use of the party to the north coast in the foUowin;^ sprins^. Handicapi)ed as my little party was by my temporar)- disability for all \\ .f'ij fi Preparing Our North-Greenland Home /D ( physical activity, I fc^lt that th',- duties before us would demand the best e-nergy of all. The eaLj'er desire to ij^et about our work possessed my mind as I lay helpless in the cabin ; but my party was prepared to enjo)- with the keenest zest the beau- tiful arctic sum- mer day and the jj^lorious scene as we steamed into McCormick Hay. The sun was just rising- from the lowest part of its nearly horizontal course alx)ve the ice-capped cliffs that line; the north shore of the inlet. All was warmth and light and ex- ul)erant life. A deer o r t w o browsetl leisureK' on the slopes, cov- ered with moss and llowers, that stretched alone the south shore between the water's edge; antl the dark brown antl red-brown cliffs that frame the inlet and uphold the; Inland Ice. Down th(: valleys, worn by wat(;r out of tlu; sandstone and ba- saltic walls that bound the bax', l(;ai)ed brooks look- ing in the distance like; siKcr ril)l)ons. I'docks of snow-buntings twittered and chirped, and millions of little auks kept the air alive with (juerulous cries and the rapid beat of their whirring wings. The ice still THE RED CLIFFS. ' J ^J^^ ' ( % I d f ll ( f 76 Northward over the "Great Ice" filled the L^rcatcr portion of the bay. A broad river of i^leaniioL!;' water ran close to the shore. Every i^listeninLj^ iceberg- floated in an open lake in which sported seals, narwhals, and schools of white whales, and narrow lanes of water ran in every dire:tion through ihv. rottcin ice, cutting- it into ij^reat Hoes which lloated slowly back and forth with the tide. ife^n^, . mSl%^ 1 i t - "TXMIk k ^ .^ .^^i^^^^^^^H Wi, '•1» 'si*,*-- • ■•: -'^a \i'-. ^^::'^\ >■%■• '^3;i,-- J** . . i^^^kflP^^^B^^P* 0^ ■ •-* RED CLIFF HOUSE. The bay was found to be about nine miles wide at its mouth and some fifteen miles lomr. Like most of this coast line, it was incorrectly charted. Its shores, according- to the chart, mi^ht be called the east and west, while, in fact, they are more nearly the north and south boundaries of the bay. It narrows verv j^radually towards its head, where it is about four miles wide. At the head of the bay a lar^'e glacier was i)lainly seen, and from it came iceberi^s that were sprinkled over the surface of the inlet. i f Preparing Our Xorth-C Greenland Home / / I imnicdiatclv sent in\- party ashore, first on the south and then on the north side of the bay, to recon- noitre for a site for the house. It was not an entirely easy matter to select a suitable location, because many things wen; to be con- sidered, and he upon w h o m th(; decision rested was obliLi^ed to see witii the eyes of others. The house must not be too far from the shore, it must be where no landslide or falling' rocks from the cliffs could crush it, where the tornMits from the meltinL;' snow of earh' s u m m e r could not sweep it away, and yet it should l)e sheltered from the furious blasts of winter, and be so placed as to • 5. Prcpariiv^- Our Xorth-Cjrccnland Home 79 On the outsitlc of thcs(; frames w.is attaclictl the out(;r air-tii^ht shell, composed of a shc^athini^- of closely fittinu;- hoards and two thicknesses of tarred paper. To the inside of th(!se frames was fastt^ned the inner shell, composcnl of thick trunk hoards, and made air- tight hy jxistini!^ all the joint • with heav\' hrown pai)er. This inner shell was lined throughout with heavy red Indian blankets. THE DAYS WERE VERY LONG." This macU; the interior as warm <'ind coscy in appear- ance as could be desired, ampl)' comfortable for sum- mer and early-fall weather. it was still, however, not in a condition Lo ijr(Hect us from the indescribable fury of the storms of the arctic winter ni'>lu, and temperatures of half a hundnnl de^'rees below zero. To rentier it impr<,;^'nal)U; to these, a wall was built (.Mitirely around the house, about four feet distant from it. dd"K.' foundation of this wall was stones, turf. ('m|)ty barrels; its upper portion built of the wooden boxes 11 fl i. , ' ,^ 1 I. il ^! I ; 8o Northward over the "Great Ice" ,■ t containiiiL;- in\- tinned supplies, jjiled in rcj^ular courses like blocks of stone. The boxes liad intentionally been made of the same width and tKq)th, though of xaryiuL,^ lenL,fths, to tit them tor this use This corridor was roof.d with can\as, ex- tendiiiL;- from the sitle of th:- house to the lop of the wall, and later, when the snow came, it. ;:s well as the roof of the house itself, was coV': red in with snow and the outside of the walls thickly banked with the same ma- t(M-ial. P)y this a r - ran^ement of the box- es I avoid- ed the ne- cessity of usiiiL;- any portion of th(? house for storai^e ; th(,' contents of every box was immediateh' anil conveniently accessible, as if on the shelves of a Clipboard, anil the rampart thus formed protected the house in a surprising- decree from thie stress of the winter's cold. While m\" part)- was :it work on tlve house, the ship'.s HENSON WITH RAVEN AND BLUE FOX. ■^Vi\ Prcpariiv^ Our \()rth-( ircciikiiul Home Si crew was l)iis\- hrin^inL;- ott in\' stores and coal. This task tillcxl four (la\s with hard work. The chMftiiii^ lines made it iinpossihle for the Kile to anchor, and she sttianied slowl\- iij) and down the shore, while the stores and materials were landed in my whale-boats. \ li 'r. X ft L K v^ -. : ^ 1 -iV- ■• 1 r '"' f -.-*x4*^tK't^.^ _ ^ ^ 1 'liiiiirift^ J ' m".' ^ J" iP^|;|P^- m #;"'*■■ M^'' \, /■r^\^:|gl "C' .jQ Jf - ^ IS^ ^?>a^^l F*'^ ■' «^fc #^-' ^^ '^■^^■'^''WK^- r/^' 'W •^■ ^^■(^ I-^^^HK-'-'; ■( - A^\ ' '' ' ■ ,:■ J|J|«^P^ > \\ I i VICTIM AND VICTORS. On Monday afternoon. Jul\- 27th, I was taken ashore. strai)i)ed to a ]'lank, and stowed in m\' little tent, which had keen put up just hack of the r.ouse, where I could supervise the work. M\- men kept at their task, in whicli the\- wer^- kindU' assisted 1)\- Mr. Ashhurst of Professor Pleilprin's party, till nearl\- mid- f It i k 8i' Northwartl over the "(ircat Ice" •II, 111 rl > i V' J' niL,^ht, wluMi th(,- frames were: all up. 'Ihcn they went hack to the A'//i\ lca\inL^ Mrs. !^•ar\■ and m\self in the tent. A school of \vhit(! whales came putfinL; and irruntinL^' close to the beach in front of the tent, hut tlu^y and snow-huntini^^s wen^ our onl\' visitors. ( )ur camp was two and one third miles a little north of east alon^^ the heach from Cape Cleveland, the seaward terminus of the southern shore of the hay. ( )ur position was jj" 40 \. Lat. and 70" 40 W . I^oul^'. We were oxer thirt\' mile-N north of the latitude in which the unfortunate ycainicftc fountl- <.Ted. Within a de_nrc:e of latitude north of us had l)een t-nacted much of tht; histor\- of the Smith .Sound c!.\i)editions. Two or thre(; days 1)\- hoat or sled^X', acc()rdin<4- to the season, would take "^ to the winter camp of Kane, 1 la\'(,'s, and !)udilinL;lon, or to hleak Cape Sabine, where most ol (ireely's pa:'t\' j)erished. I'rom our beach \\v. could look out upon islands whose names had been matle famous in tlu; annals of exploration. lust past the wstern vW(\ of Xorth- umbe-rland Island, rose sharp an! clear in pleasant wtTither the cliffs of " 1 lakluyt'^^^ Isle," which had shel- tered br;i\(' I^)afrin in his tiny ship rdmost three cen- turies beiort.'. We were to sj)end the winter ni^ht withiii 740 ^'X^O'^rapriical miles of the Xorlh Pole. Mrs. Peary and I said ^ocxbbyc,- to our fri(Mids of the West-(ireenland I{xj)edition and the Kite on the e\-enins4' of |ul\- 2()th, for it was ex[)ect(Hl th.at the Kite would sail during- the ni^ht or earl\- n. xt morning'. M\' party remained on the Kite writing letters to be sent home. All ni<;ht tlu' wind antl rain beat in htful Ljusts ui)on our little white tent on the desolate Cirecm- land shore. Towards morning- wc; fell asleep, but I was awakenecl about ^\\o o'clock bv the Kites whistle. I heard chcerini^, the slow I)eat of the Kites propjl- Prc{)arin;^' Our Xorth-( irccnland Home S3 Il'I'. and then the soiiiul of oars in ilic rowlocks. M\- party were comiiiL;- ashore and the Kite was nioxin^ awa\' from us to suniu' southern huids. Mrs. I'eai'v. tired with her loni;- watchini;', was fast asleej) and I had not the heart to wake her, particuhirly as the WEIGHING UP A WALRUS. siolit of the Httle craft that had been her home so lon^-, xanishiuL;- anions; the icebergs, was not hkel\- to he cheering'. The whale-boat soon reached the beach, and almost immediately I heard the livel\- tattoo of hammers upon the rafters and sides of our )et roolless home. 1 knew \ !:S, "W.Tiai i^ .••■ffmwra 84 Nortlnvaid over the "(/i-cat Ice" M I' !^ tlic nvrry racket iiij.skcd more.' than one siohci- thought that followed flu; Kite. Ihc boys lai)oure(l earnestly and well, hnt the work was nev; to Lhein all, and the storm)' weather interferetl serunisly, so dial two nii^hts more wenr |)assed in the tent, tho;iL;h each ni'Liht we thouL-ht it would he carri -d awa\' hodiK' 1)\- the furi- ous scjualls that fell upon it from tlie cliffs. lucrN' tlay th(.' hoys pilc;d more and mld e(|uipment requiretl more careful con^ideration than our stove, but b\- sinkiiiL:' it in a pit in the lloor so that the tirej)Ot was Ixdow the floor level and carr\inL;- the stox'epipe through a double window, two of the i)an( s ol ^lass in which hatl bcMii replaced by slieets ot tin. thus keei);n:^" the pijje throuL;houL its entire exl- nt entire!)' awii\' irom contiict with anv woodwork, the two Li'rc^at desiderata were a.cc()mplished : of warming' the air in tlv' room clear down. L(/ tile floor h'X'el, aiul of obviating" an\' possibilit)' of ai. accidental fire. Tl'ie next mutter of \ital importance in our house- I'lOld econoniN' was that of sufficient and ecjuable \en- tilation. This was 5 bunks were constructed for "\-er\on'.', ;uul these, with a nunilx.T of chairs, tal)l", ;iii(l s( \'eral boxes of l)ooks, coniplc^tcnl the furnishinL; of the house. Our hl)rary inchided a larL^e number of works on Arctic e.\|)lora- tion. novels, and other reaihiiL;' matter, and also an Italian dictionary which some kiiul friend hid sent us without accompany Iul;- it with an)' liteTa- ture in that lan^iuiL^e. W'luMi the snow c a m (; , tin,' wall all around was h ea v i 1 y banktnl with snow, and a foot of snow was j)iled on the can\as roof of the corridor or passaij^e-way between th(; house and the wall around it. Then, with blocks and slabs of hard snow, a thick wall was built to protect the Liable, and with more blocks and slabs a lon;^, narrow, low snow entrance to the corridor was built. Our fortress was thc-n complet(;l\- fortified against the severest assaults of the arctic winter. On tlu; whole, with the exception of the tlrst ten days, w'v. had ver\- bt'autiful weatlier for ;i month after the A'i/c \v.h us. Day after da\-. the sun shone bri^'htK'. The watc:r of the ba\' was blue and spark- ling^ and the iceberg's gleamed in the j^'enial sunlight like marble, while the wind blew soft and warm. I think the wc^ather we enjo)ed during August must UNTOLD WEALTH Sc'c I\nifi.'aii(l MiiT r in tlit Wniiiiiii's IlaiK in 86 Northward over the " Circat Ice" 'I I- If : i bi- cxci'piiDiial ill ihiil far norlhcni rcL;i()ii ; or perhaps it was the Indian suinnicr of the arctic lands. I'Orc- warninL^s of approachini^' vvint{M* came to us, liowcxcr. l)('ton' the end of the nioiilh. In the latter part of Aii^ust we had considerable foi; and threatening^ weather. ( )n August 2Sth, it bcL^an snowing- and th(-' snow fell ra|)idl\' for an hoar or two. Next day th(.' momUains on both sides of the bay were coxcred with snow to within about 4(^0 feet of tlu^ sea level. Kain alternated with snow and the day was very CRIPPLE BEACH. My I'lDiiK-nadc. disaj^reeable. We spent it overhaulinL,^ one of the sled^'es lor the approachint;' sledj^inL;' season. On AuLi'ust 2gth, it snowed ai^f'ain, and at midnight the oToinul for the first tinK; was white down to the water's ed^e. It melted, h()wt;v(.,T, next day, and no snow was se(;n at a lower (devation than 300 to 400 feet above the sea. On the last day of August, it \i. i Preparing; Our North-C irccnlaiul Home ^7 Wiis i'\ idciU that smnnuT was .it an ciul. 1 lu: liltlti brook near tin- house hail ah'tady \)vcn frozen over for two or three chiys. Soon after the /\'/7r left us. 1 was able to i^ct around on crutches, and one of the deh^hts of hie was to sit in front of the house, taUini; sund)aths ami enjo\in,L,^ the inviuoratinLr air. Before the middle of the month, ARCTIC HOUSE BUILDING. the ice was almost entireh' out of the hay, hut nume'r- ous small her^s from the glacier at its head were scatterc'd over its surface, antl fre(|uentl\' W(; heard the loud reports as they broke to i)ieces. On August 15th, I observed that the snow on the ice-caps sur- rounding- McCormick i)a\' was melting- (juite rapidly, and the ice coukl be plainl\- seen bluish-i^reen in colour. Most of the days were very deliLihtful as I sat in frcjnt ,'1 <• f t I < i. 88 Northward over tiic "Great Ice" of the house; ci'^faiiist the. whaloboat Mary Peary, enjoying; my sun-hath. The." \\\.\.\v. brook beside the house i)abbled iiK^rrilv, tlic; llocks of httle auks tlcw past just off the beach, utteriiiLj;' their (garrulous cries, and every few minutes I coultl hear the crash and thunder of a sundering" bersj" rolhuLT across the bav. '\\\v. mosses and scant ves^^'tation of the rock slopes alont;' the shore were taking" on a i)urph'sh hue as if it were the autumn f()hai,re. On Aui^ust iith, when I assit^ned the various meml)ers of the part\' to their bunks in the house, I settled upon the name of our lowly home, callinL^ it Reil Cliff House, aft(M' the ed cliffs behind it, which \V('r(; l\\v. most j)rominent object in view as our steamer had brought us into the bay. Red Cliff i louse beiii'an earlv to hav<; its LJi'ala occasions. To vary th(; routine of life;, we proposed to esi)eciall\- distinguish anni- vtM-sari(.;s that were of |)articular interc;st to the members of our i)arty. The hrst of the fetes in our new home: was on August Sth. which was the birth- day of m\- cokuu'ed bo\-. Matt. After the boys had hatl coffee in the morning', the\- went off on a hunt and came back early in the afternoon with our lirst deer, which had been shot 1)\- Astriip on the plateau above the cliffs back ol the house. Tlu'ir exercise <4'ave them sj)lendid appetites for the birthday dinner. Matt had made out the bill ot fare, taking- anything' he chose from the stores, and he had a more thcUi usually tine s])read. The third anniversary of the weddiuLi" of Mrs. Pear\' and nnself occurrticl on August iith, and while the b()\-s were off in the boat after seals, Mrs. Pear\- j^ot uj) a litcle extra tlinner. Tl'ie luxurious feast was served on a bare-board tab!'' in tin mess-|)ans. It consisted of little-auk ste-w. hot biscuit, ajiple-pie, pears, and coffee, with a cocktail to start with and a ^iass of Haut Sauterne all around. I' %. a Prcparini;- Our Xorth-Grccnland Home ^9 Th(j bill of fare was (.Icclar.-d 1)\- our piirt)- to tciul to make weddiiiij;^ anniviTsarios })oi)ul;ir. Diiriiiij^ the hours I sj)(,'in in the sunliL^iu in front of tlu' hous(; or on the sl()j)cs hotwccn the house and th(,' cliffs ])ack of it. I was ^rcatl)' entertained hy watching the m;inifold phases of animal life that were to he seen ;it all times. l^'locks of kittiwakes hshed aloiiij;' the shore, and white whales sportetl in the waters, .1 , .. > / r REST AFTER LABOUR. their antics ^ivin^- us much amusement. fa^cr and burgomaster ^ulls passed oxer the camp in small num- bers. On August 14th, I saw a blue I ox j)assinL;" alon^" the beach in tront of the house. Wdien he saw me he stopped, but before Mrs. Pear\' could brin^- m\- rifle he had trotted slowly awa\- up the beach. 1 whistled to him and he st()i)ped a^ain, and, callini;- Matt, I iiaxe him th(i rilli- and told him to ijo after i!-. fi '"■ (e :iU 'A 90 Northward over the "Great Ice th(.; animal. ^hltt found that whistlin!^^ would make him st()[j and look around, and so walking' and whist- lin;^ he i^ot within ran^c and shot him. The fox had haz(;l c;ycs, was in poor condition, and WL'i_!:j;"hcd just seven pounds. His teeth were badly worn, and as he lo[)ed alon^' th<; beach he had a vcr)- spidery, lonL^deiroecl appearance. As Matt was brini^in^' his prize back to the house, a raviMi circled over and I dropped him with my three-barrelled Ljun. He weighed three jjounds and was also in very p.ior |)lumaLi■l^ Little auks were to Ix; seen 1)\- the million, and I spent hours watching" them tl\' over our camj). ( )ne afternoon about the middle of the month, there was a continued succession of llocks nundx-riuL;' from a half-dozen to two hundred or three hundred birds, Tlu')' were passing' steadiK' down the ba}'. ( )ne series of llocks woultl lly onK' three; or four feet abo\-e the wat(!r, from one hundred to two hundred \ar(ls from the shore. Another dixision would pass hi^h in the air over the house, and still other tleeks were hi^luM' )'et and scarcely visible. Most of the ni llew in morc^ or less regular trian!_;les or crescents, the ;ip;\ or con- vexity always in front. i)\- .Xui^ust 2gth. the little auks h;id practicalU' left us. though an occasional stra^^'ler was to be seen. The i^uillemots had also tlisappeared, but the bur^omaslers had been more numerous for a few da\'s, twent\' or more passing' at a time. ( )n August 28^11. I saw a dreenland falcon at Cape Cleveland. ' Mv broken leij- was meiKlin->- nicelw On Au''ust I i :| ' ) * I' I ' I'roni the I 'Jtli t' > tlic i>ilii>f Aiii;usi, Mr>. I'eary. Matt, ami m\>L-lf were alniif at the hiju--e, the re^l nf ihe pait}' liein;^ awav in tlie l-'ciitli, on a vdxa^e to tile i>ian(l>. An aceoimi of this tiip is coiitaineii in the next eliapter. Duiiiisj; their absence. Mrs. I'caiy ami I sIm.kI the ni^iil watch ; Mis. I'earv took chai;^e of the eulinai' • ile|>ailM)ent, while I read the instrnnients at the rej.;ular hoi;is. Malt stood the .-rt^"J'*\TXS3I3 !f CHAPTER III. lioAT V()VA(;h to the islands. iNSTKrCTI.iNS TO (ill'.SON, Dk. CooK VeKHOKIK, AM, A STRIP— ( WUs, ).n's Kei'okt—Du. (.•()., k's Rki'okt--I)ksikiitk).\ of HAKi.fvr Isiand hv Vkk- Hor.M-. i-' 'i I}, f, : i i 'I, ( I r I iit I THE FAITH. '€ I ■I I h M if CHAPTER III. BOAT VOVACiK TO TIIK ISLANDS. O V( X he iftcrnoon of .\".. ust I 2th, ( iih- so Dr. Cook, crl ' ';i; 'Mul Astriip, Ciih- son m iPinand and I )r. Coo^' second, left in the wha ''oat haith, provi- sioncMJ for fourteen (hi\s, for Herbert. Xorthuniher- land,and Hakhiyt Ishmds, to obtain birds from some of the loomeri(,'s, to make plans of Eskimo houses and villa_L(es, to communicate with the natives, obtain from tlu'm furs and clothino-, inform them of the location of our house, and. if pos- sible, induce a famiU' to come and settle near us. The Faith was thoroughly equi[)jjed with oars, sails, anchor, and so on, and the boys were supjjlied with compass, chart, oil-stove, rilles, shot-L^un, and some five; hundred rounds of ammunition. All the forenoon was occupied in packing" tea, coffee, sui^ar, and other articles, and personal outfits for the journey, and the start was made with a liii^ht favourin;^ l)reeze and with the cliffs of Northumberland Island showini^ clearly. The followinuf instructions to Cdbson. the com- 97 ('m'I ! r A> v^,. IP .' f 98 Northward onlt the "(ircat Ice" maiidcr of the expedition, to^'cther with a narrative of the vo\a!L;'e in his own lan^uaL^e. and extracts from the rej)orts of other niemhers of the party, cover the incidents and resiihs of the trip. Rki) Ci.iH' llmsi:. North (Ikkkni. and, Aug. 12, iS()i. Sir :— \'()u are hereby phiced in command of the l;oat expedition to I Iakhi)'t. NorthumhcM'hmd. and Herbert Ishinds, and possibly tlie south si(U' of Whale Sound. On lea\in^- luTe you will proceed to Hakluyt Island, aiid endeavour to locate the; loomery of guille- mots sui)posetl to exist there. If succ(.'ssful in so doinu;', you will obtain as many of the birds as possible, and then ])roceed to the; settUmient at the south side of Herlx.'rt Island \isit(;d 1)\- the Kite on her wa\' here, and at that time unoccupied. Should \()U at any point cii route to Ilakhut Island discover a loomery, it will not be necessar)' to continue to Hakluyt. \'ou will remain at the IlerlxM't Island villaii^e lono^ enough to permit complete; plans and sketches of the; village to be maele b\' Astruj). and, in case the inhabit- ants of the village ha\e returned, to enable Dr. Cook to complete the ne'i^otiations in rejj^ard to which he has instructions. This work completed, you will examine as much of the shores of Northumberlanel and Herbert Islands as {practicable without pre)lonL(intj;' your absence from camp beyond ten ekus. anel then return to camp. In case no natives are found on Herbert or North- umberlanel Islanels. vou will exercise your own iuehj- ment as to proceedins^- to Ittibloo. While it is desirable to communicate with the natives and obtain furs and clothing- fre^m them, your trip must under no circum- -*<«».. * I ■., * u 2 < V. X H Z < o: DO S D X H OS o s O 2 < 01 H >• D »j < X '( loo Northward over the "(ircat Ice" stances l)(j proloiiL^n^cl Ix'vond a period of two weeks, nor are you to take an\' risks wliatevcr in crossinjj^ the Sound. W'hiU; sailin,L{ sou will avoid iceherLjs. and when at anchor or canipt-d on shore you will never fail to have a man continuousK- on watch. When in tlu; neiij^hhourhood of natives you will always leave one man to s^uard tlu; boat and its contents. N'ou will keep a full journal durini^^ your absence, and on xour return submit it to me. In conclusion, I will call \()ur attention to the neces- sity for the utmost care and attention to e\ery detail of e(|uii)nient and methotls, as upon this will depend N'our success and the comfort of )()ur part)-. \'ery respectfulK'. (>S>.'/Av/) R. \\. Pkakv, I'. S. \.. C 'oiiiDiaiii/iiij^ Iixpcdi(io)i. Mr. L.wciioN ("iii'.si )N. /'! kill Cl II 1 llol'^r. NdKIII C.KI-KM.ANn. Aiij^'. 12, 1 891. .Siu: — \'()u will be second in command of the boat ex|)edition to Herbert. Northumberland, and Hakluyt Islands, and. in the event of serious accident to Mr. Ciibson, will assume the command. HuriuL;' the absence of the expedition you will note carefulK' the location of all l^skimo houses and villages on the shores \isited. and will take full ilescriptive notes of them, mode ol construction, size, material, etc. Should \()u tmd nati\('s you will endeavour to obtain from them reindeer, and bear, and blue-fox skins, and especiall)' kamiks. \'()u will endea\()ur to make th(' nativ(;s understand f\ ^i Hoat \'()va<'c to the Islands *.^ lOI th«' location of the house aiul iht tacl ihal tlicy can find tlicrc (Icsirahle articlL's in (j.\chan*,a: for their furs anil iniplcnicnts. If practicahlc. induce a man and woman ( possessors of a kayak and acci.'ssorics) to return with you and settle for the winter near the house. i- 1 iL ^'•4-:-ri.:.. ,^ . .-' Vi M': ■ -, ,_ "»*.«,,B»^ ■^w^^^ ij^,.^ ?^ ^^ m WALRUS IN MURCHISON SOUND. if \()U do not succeed in this vou may be abh- to brinj^^ a man with his ka\ak back with xou. As an induceuKMU xou can perhaps con\-e\- to him the idea of his having a ^un to use. {S/oynW) R. !•:. Pi Akv, r. .s. X.. ( 'o))n)iandi)io' /i.xpfdilion. Dr. F. A. C....K. Sui'ocoii at id lithuoloirist. /■'» /il •i-j^ir- I02 Northwcird o\'cr the " ( ji'cat Ice Ri:i) Ci.ii r IlmsK, NOuni (Ikii.ni.and, Aug. 12, iS()i. Sir: — DuririL; the ahscncc of the boat (^xiK'dition you will nicikc as complete a mincralouical ami topo- l^Taphical examination of localitic!S visited as j)ossil)le, and wiicnt-'ver ])ractical)k; obtain with compass and aneroid a careful vertical cross-section normal to the THE FIRST NATIVE. rhoti). l)y Dr. Cook. shore, extending- from the water level to the crest of the cliffs. You will also keep a L;eneral record of the weather. Very respecifully, (Sio-ncd) R. E. ^l;.\K^ . U. S. X., Coniuiaudincr Expedition . Jxo. M. YkriiokI'-f, Miucralooi^^t. Astriip was requested orally to make sketches and ])lans of the I^skimo dwellinos and villages. ■■*»». Boat Vovasjc to the Ishiiids 103 KKl'Okr ttl- l.A.\(,l)( )N (;ii;.Mi.\, I\ (OMMANK of Wn.W .•///;'VAs7 ]2//l — ilaxiiiLi' received our sailing" instruc- tions, and all hein^" in readiness for starting, with a boat's cr(AV of three hesidc's nnself. coinprisiuL;' I )r. F. A. Cook. I^^i\ind Astriip, and j. M. X'erhoell. we set sail from Red Cliff i louse this afternoon at 4:10. ESKIMO FAMILY AND l ENT, NORTHUMBERLAND ISLAND. riioto. by Dr. Cook. We proceeded as far as Cape Cleveland, aided by a liij^ht wind from the east, which was also accompanied by a lii^ht rain. When abreast of the cape, the wind failed us altoij^ether, and we were com|jelletl to use the oars. At seven o'clock, we all rested and had supper, consisting' of baked beans, corned beef, crackers, and coffee. Ahead of us we could see, in the direction 'l| f !} 'I »r ' ' it i- 4 -ii ! f i M; I r 104 Northward over the "(ircat Ice" of Herbert Island, consitk-raljle ice, which seemed, thoiiL^h^ to he much l)roken up. At eii^ht o'clock, a lijL^ht breeze from the south-east helped us aloiiL^, ancl we were enabled to lay our course north by west (mai'- ) for the northern i)oint of Herb(;rt Island. \\'( soon came up with the ice, which seemed to be cover(!tl with innumerable tlark objects, and which, on closer inspection, proxctl to be a lari^e herd of walrus, Takintj^ in our sails, not carinij^ to be botbered with them in so lii_;ht a wind, and placing" our oars in posi- tion, we rowed cautiously to within about fifty feet of a cake of ice which, by actual count, contained four- teen of the brutes, I lere we j)aused lon^- enoui^h for the Doctor to obtain some sna|)s at tlumi with the kodak, and then, at the word, we all bred ; our bulK.'ts seemed to hav(! but little ellect on their touL;h hidi'S, for, with sull(,'n roars, thev one 1)\" one rolled into tlie water, and the tloe on which the\- were, relie\t'd of the j^Teat weiiji'ht to which it had l)een subjected, arose at least a foot more out of water. W e then stood read\- to row or shoot as circumstances mi^ht recpiire. I he\- soon came to the surface some distance away, and after trxiuL;" a few more shots, which 1 found to l>e a useless waste of ammunition, we proceeded once more on our journcw 1)\" tiiis time the wind had in- creased to a whole-Scdl i)reeze, and setting- sail once more we went alonj^' at a i^ood speed antl founil no trouble in passing- through the ice, which, on tn*st in- sjx'ction, seemed to be a barrier of no little import- ance. At ten o'clock, we jxissed the: sound dixidin^' Herbert and Xorthimiberland Islands and soon foimd ourselves sailing- alon^' ( at ^ocxl speed 1 the coast of the latter island, whose shore presented a most deso- late appearance, bein^' utterK' dexoid of Nci^etation. At elexH-n o'clock, I turned in with I )r. Cook, lea\inL,r Astriip at the helm, and X'erhoett to tend sheet. 'i 1 ■* Boat \V)\acrc to the Inlands \^ 105 .lni^iis/ 13///. — At ihrcf o'clock this inorniiiL;-. wj changed watches. Hakhi\t Island now appeared very plainly ahead of us, and ahout six inilcs distant. 1 he wind iiad increased to almost a L;ale. and there was a heavy sea runninL^-, in which the /'\u'/// behaved most admirably. Guillemots were seen lUinL;- in the direction of the island, each carryinpr somethini^ in its beak. This 1 took to be fair evidence that we would fmd their ESKIMO IGLOO, NORTHUMBERLAND ISLAND. I'roiit \'icu, r'lotu. by Dr. Conk. loomerx'. At \\\v o'clock, we reached the island and found tile waves breakini;- so hii;h on its steep and rocky shore that it was impossible to land the /-ailli with"an\- decree of safety to her. So sailin:^- around a point we canv upon some perix-ndicular clitts which in some ])laces seemed to o\ erhaUL;. I hcse clitts facc'd the west, and it was in \\v clefts here (with which th(; walls were well fui'rowed) that we tound the guillemots resting- in lar^e numbers. \\'estop|)ed here lon-^' enough to prot~ure a tew birds, but tound much diihcult\- in picking- up the birds, which would '^ I h): m '■h\ i .'. ' '/i ;i! ;/ % r 'I I I i' io6 Northward over the "(ircat Ice" fall at th(,' f(i(U of the cliffs, on which the waves w(;re l)r('akiii!j^ with much force. So I decided to look for a suital)le cami)in,L,^ sj)Ot, when I could liL^hteii the boat, and then return for more birds. We found such a i)lace around the point where the cliffs termin- ated, and on a smooth, shelving- rock facing" the south-west. We unloaded the Faith and proceerled to cook breakfast, after which we returned to theloom- ESKIMO IGLOO. NORTii: ■ !>: BEPT AND ISLAND. Kuar \"ic\v. I'lidto. b;, i 'i'. ' >> k. ery. By eight o'clock, we had gathered about forty birds, avera^'ino" more than one bird to the cartridi^e, in spite of the fact that we were unable to ij^et much over seventy per cent, of the birds killed, as they would fall on the little projections of rock on the cliffs and there lod^^e. Our method of jjicking- the birds up after they had fallen in the water was as follows : after havins^ droi)ped as many as we could keep track of, the i^un was put down, and two men would then back the boat up to the cliffs, while another would stand bv to fend off with a boat-hook, and the fourth Boat Voya<4C to the Islands 107 would pick up th(j birds. In doino- this, wc (several times) came nearly strikin^r the rocks, as the waves were still runnini: vv.vy hitjh. We returned to camp and had an early lunch, after which Mr. X'erhoeff started to takc^ a cross-section of the island, while Dr. Cook and Mr. Astriij) took a walk alon^ji'shore in search of si^ns of natives. It rained in the afternoon, and by four o'clock the Doctor and Astriip returned, having- seen nolhiuij^, except a few fox-tr;ips. The wind having- moderated considerabh', we ni.'ide one more trip to the loonier)', and returnetl to camp two hours later with sixt)-t\vo birds. \\'(; waited supper for Mr. Verhoeff, who did nc '. r(;turn until cm l: I it o'clock, he having- Ix.-en to the hi^licst point on the island, whence he obtained a I'ood \icw of Smith's Sound, comparatively free oi ice, and ("irinnell Land appearing- in plain siLj^ht on tlie otln-r side. ()n his return, he saw two youn^" foxes of a dirty-i^a^ey colour, who came ([iiite close to him, evidentl)' attracted In' a piece of seal blubber which he had taken from a io\- trajj and was carryiuL^ in his hands. This trap, whicii seemed to be of recent construction, he found at i.n altitude of eleven hundred feet. After suppe-r, we turned in under the lee of an ov(]rhan<^n^• rock, Mr. Verhoeff and I taking' the watches for the niij^liL Aiio^Ksl ij^th. — This mornino-, ii-^ a drenching;- r.;in, we made our final attempt at turntid to camp at nine o'clock w makiuL,^ our entire catch one lui On this last trip I observe-d a evidently had their nest alou' Other birds whicli we havc! s raven, eider-duck, black i^uilleinot, and little auk, kittiwake i;ull. and burs^omaster. The ravens were very tame, as well as numerous, some of them ven- turing within the limits of camp to obtain the bones loomery, and re- thirt) more birds, reil and thirty-two. >ir of puffins whicli with the ^Cuillemots. while; here arc; the I M 9 £^ III ■Ik i ,/ io8 Northward over the "Great Ice" of birds that wc hatl (hscarded. W'c. had another early lunch, and by eleven o'clock started for North- umlx.'rland Island. st(/|)|)inij;' for a few minutes at the eastern (Mid of the island to examine a small loomery of little auks. We soon crossed the Sound which TH^ WAULS Sf SUPPOWTIM&TME. ROOf --^ C (\ o a i t p. c T 1 o r< ,s-i n. - c^ PLAN AND SECTION OF NORTHUMBERLAND ISLAND IGLOOS. I )r:i\\n by liisind A^triip. separated tiie two islands, in which we found a stron^' current settling- to the wt^stwartl. The tide was there a!M)ut halt hi^h and rising-. Thi-re was no wind, and rowing- alon^' slowly we came upon some l^skimo huts (at seven o'clock). 'l"he\- pnncd to be deserted and mucli dilapidated. lUit here we camped for the niL(ht. Boat Voyagrc to the Islands 109 Supper over, we turned in after a stroll on the beach. Dr. Cook and Astriip liavini;" tlu; nin'ht watch, ^ives theni ample time to take tlrawinL;s, photographs, antl measurements. .hicust 1 s//a — At cML-ht o'clock this mornin*'. we once more started on our cruise, keepini;' close to the shore. We were compelletl to row, losiiiL;' what litth- wind there was, as it came from the land. We saw three foxe^ at different times, running" and (lod^iuL;- al(MiL'; the Ix-ach, makiti^" ineltectual attciupls to catch the l)urL;()masi:er l^uIIs, who would v)nl\- ll\- when th(; foxes s(;emed almost upon them. At ahout tweh'e o'ch)t'k, we came to three more stone i^ioos, and as \\v. were about to land \\v. were surprisi-d at hearini;" a shout. l.(H)kin^' farther up the hill, we perceixcd a nali\ e- comiiiL^ towards us. He was soon followed b\" his wife and two children, the younger ol which she c;u"ried in her lioed. ' v'e had lunch, which we shared witli them. 1 hev liked coffee and crackers, hut did not sc-em to fancy baked beans or tomatoes. In the afternoon the woman made us a pair of kamiks, and lat(-r on we tried as well as we could, b\ mak- ing' sii^ns, to show that We wanted tliem to accompany us back. Ikwa, for such is the man's name, schmus to untlerstand, but we do not (|uite make out his an- swer. Mr. X'erhoeft and 1 take the ni^ht watch. It he's stopped rainiuL,^, and looks as though it were t^oin^- to clear. .■///;'//.v/ 16//'. — This morning-, aft(M" breakfast, it bein^' Sunda\, we had a xote as to whether W(; should tra\''' or rest, and as all the boN's seemed anx- ious to return to \\v(\ Cliff House; to enjoy the lux- uries of home life, I decicU.'d to mo\'e aloiiL^. After the boat had been reloaded and readw we made one more attempt to induce; Ikwa and Mane, his wife, to come with us, which they decided cpiite suddeidy to nl I iM ! i ; ( \l i 1 II I K t I h ' I if. ir ; I' .!1 iio Northward over the "Great Ice" do, and wiih apparent!)' no pi"t;parations whatrvcT. V\v. hrouL,du his doL,^ a female, also his kayak, which we towed Ix-hind us. Shortly aftcn* leaving, we came into si^ht of a discharL^inL,^ o-lacier, whose surface was discoloured a deep hriek-red. Tht; colouring' matter was onl\' su])erticial. however, for ict^her^s only re- centl\- detached seemed to contain nothin«'' hut clear ESKIMOS ON NORTHUMBERLAND ISLAND. I'holo. liy Dr. Cook. ice. A little farther on, we found lloatino^ a seal spear, which we pickt^d up, and soon after this we came around a point antl found ourstdves ([uite near an Eskimo settlement. We could see natives run- ning- from one tent to anotlu'r, and one took a kavak and came to meet us. There was considerable hea\y ice at this point, and hapjx'nin^- to strike the rii^ht kme of water, we were soon landed, and the boat was I i f Boat \\)yai^c to the Islands 1 1 1 I f !l surrounded l)y natives, who would have JLj^ot in it hatl we allowed them to. Mere we decided to spend the remainder of the tlay. Dr. Cook started in. and soon had trailed for man)' valuable ethnological specimens. We also obtained two mon; pairs of kamii