.. B^ '■8P^^ ■■h' ■ -^-■.1 ^? •^n^ ./ ■fir— Ifcrf ■III MM iillfa' THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES GIFT OF Professor Frank V/. ;7adsworth I t < '^■: ^: dSet^ 9L f:i73^ .V 3 s <^yf.r DK. I-KIDTIOK \A\SKN THE "FRAM" EXPEDITION. KPM IN THE PROZEH CUORbD PRECEDED BY A BIOGRAPHY OF THE GREAT EXPLORER AND COPIOUS EXTRACTS FROM NANSEN'S 'FIRST CROSSING OF GREENLAND, ALSO AN ACCOUNT BY EIVIND ASTRUP, OF LIFE AMONG PEOPLE NEAR THE POLE, AND HIS JouMej Mm Rofthei'ii Greenland WITH Lieut. R. B. PBARY, U.S.N ARRANGED AND EDITED By S. L. BERENS, Cand. F'hil. FOLLOWED BY A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE PRINCIPAL earlier Hrctic explorations FROM THE NINTH CENTURY TO THE PEARY EXPEDITION, INCLUDING THOSE OF CABOT, FROBISHER, BERING, SIR JOHN FRANKLIN, KANE, HAYES, HALL, NORDENSKJOLD, NARES, SCHWATKA, DeLONG, GREELY, AND OTHERS. By JOHN E. READ, Assistant Editor of the "Columbian Cyclopedia." PROFUSELY ILLUSTRATED. PHILADELPHIA, PA.: A. J. HOLMAN & CO., Publishers. COPYRIOKT. 1897, BY A. J. HOLMAN & CO. PREFACE Among the subjects that are " old yet ever new," that of Arctic Exploration holds a prominent place. It interested the hardy Northmen a thousand years ago, and it has a still stronger fasci- nation for the people of the present day. It is natural that this should be the case. The human mind is so constituted that it is always seeking to learn about things that lie beyond the immedi- ate range of its knowledge. Among intelligent and progressive people there is always a desire to investigate and explore the unknown. This is followed by efforts to secure the knowledge for which a wish has been formed. In the case of Arctic Explo- ration, the desire to know whether there were islands or conti- nents beyond the narrow range of their vision led the pioneers in this great work to sail upon unknown seas. Probably a love of adventure also urged them on, but this could hardly have been the leading motive in their dangerous voyages. At an early period in the history of such enterprises the commercial spirit became a factor, and in later days the love of scientific investiga- tion was added to the other elements in the combination of forces which led men to brave the dangers and endure the hardships inseparable from the work of Arctic Exploration. The latest of the great Arctic explorers to reach his home is Dr. Fridtjof Nansen, a young Norwegian scientist, who went much farther north than man had ever been, farther even than the companion who accompanied him to latitude 86° 14'. In Europe and America he is the hero of the day. His accurate knowledge, wonderful foresight, marvellous skill, splendid execu- tive ability, magnificent courage, and unconquerable determina- tion carried him to a success far greater than any of his prede- cessors were able to secure. It is fitting that the record of his brilliant achievements should be given to the public in a handsome and a permanent form. With this end in view the present book has been prepared. It also seemed desirable that it should con- tain a biography of Dr. Nansen and an account of his work, much of which was valuable, previous to the great exploit which brought 850277 II PREFACE him world-wide fame. Thus the people could be brought to know the man as well as to learn of his deeds. In order to add still further to its interest and make it not only an entertaining but also a permanently valuable book, it was decided to add other features. The great journey across the inland ice of Greenland by Lieutenant Peary, of the United States Navy, and Kivind Astrup, is fully described, and a sketch is given of the Second I'eary K.xpedition. The concluding portion of the book is a connected sketch of the principal expeditions to the North from their earliest date down to the time of the ones just described. Thus the entire historical period of Arctic Exploration to the return of Nansen and the Fram in 1896 has been covered. The materials for this work have been obtained from the best sources, and their arrangement has received careful attention. The biography of Dr. Nansen and a description of the planning and executing of the great journey across Greenland were mainly written by two eminent Norwegian scholars. Professor W. C. Brogger and Professor Nordahl Rolfsen, bolh intimate friends of the great explorer. The story of the Crossing of the Inland Ice is related by Nansen himself, while several of the following chap- ters were prepared by his \(n wcgian friends. The description of the Voyage of the Fram, of the Great Sledge I'^xpedition and its wonderful success, and t)f the return of the explorers, is given in Nansen's own words. Across Northern Greenland, an account of the expedition of Lieutenant Peary, is by P2ivind Astrup, an entertaining writer and famous explorer who accompanied Peary in the perilous journey to the extreme northern ]")ortion of that desolate land. In the preparation of the history of the Earlier Arctic ICxplorations the works of the best writers upon the sub- ject were consulted. Where discrepancies were found, as they were in several instances, the evidence was carefully weighed and the statements which seemerl to have the strongest claim for accuracy were accepted. Of the more than one hundred illustra- tions, many of them full-page, which not only add to the beauty of the book but greatly increase its utility, a large number are from photographs taken upon the spot and are absolutely perfect representations of the scenes which they place before the eye. I-"or several (tf these illustrations we are under obligations to Mr. Alfrefl C. Harmsworth, patron of the Jackson-Harmsworth P2x- pcdition, and some were obtained from Nansen's " Fram Over PRE KICK iii Tolhavet," published in Norway. Messrs. Houf^hton, Mifflin & Company and The Lothrop Tuhlishing Company kindly furnished several portraits ; the publishers of McClure's Magazine allowed the use of a number of fine plates, and through the courtesy of Dr. Robert N. Keely, surgeon to Peary's First E.xpedition, and Dr. Gwilym G. Davis, member of the Archaeological Association of the University of Pennsylvania, many extremely beautiful sketches and photographs are given. The investigation of the cheerless region of the North has been attended by constant danger and has involved heavy losses of life and property. But the work has not been done in vain. It opened the way for the formation of colonies, for the develop- ment of commerce, for extensive and profitable whale and seal fisheries, and has greatly enlarged the bounds of human know- ledge. Not only has there been an enormous advance in the line of geographical information, but much has been learned regarding geology, meteorology, zoology, and kindred sciences. Work in this direction has also made known to civilized nations a most interesting race of people who not only live, but who appear to fully enjoy life, in a region of perpetual snow and ice. Then, too, the heroism, fortitude and fidelity of the noble men who, at the imminent risk of their lives, have gone to this inhospitable region antl in the face of appalling dangers, and while enduring most terrible sufferings, have struggled on in order that they might open to the civilized w^orld the vast domain which had so long remained unknown, have been object lessons of faith and hope to all the world. And as long as courage is admired, devotion to duty is respected, and self-sacrifice is revered, so long will the deeds of the heroes who have toiled amid the awful dreariness and desolation of the Frozen World be held in honored remem- brance. Further progress in Arctic Exploration will involve difficulty and danger, but the end is not yet. What has been accomplished will stimulate to renewed effort, and the knowledge that has been gained in the past will greatly aid in the future prosecution of the work. The genius and energy of man are pitted against the barriers of nature, and sooner or later nature will be compelled to reveal her secrets to his gaze. Those who are inclined to doubt the probability of carrying further an investigation of the Arctic region should be encouraged by the fact that many things which IV rREFACE were long deemed impossible have been accomplished and that the future may be expected to bring as great surprises as the past has given. A curious illustration of the uncertainty of predic- tions regarding the success of Arctic Exploration is found in the book of an able English writer. The preface of this work was dated March 25, 1850, a time at which interest in the fate of Sir John Eranklin was at its height. The last words of the book express a hope that " England will be careful of again risking the lives of her adventurous sons in further attempts to discover what cannot be looked upon in any other light than that of a geographical i pits fa tines, T\\q Northwest Passage." Yet from documents which were afterward found it was proved that the Franklin expedition had discovered this passage not less than three years before its non-existence was so emphatically affirmed. During the last half century great advances along the line of Arctic Exj)loration have been made and interest has waxed instead of waned. Each new discovery seems to stimulate to still stronger endeavor, and public interest in the subject was never as high as it is at the present time. Projects of various kinds are being considered and preparations for further efforts are under way. Which of the various plans proposed will lead to success, or whether one radically different from any that have been sug- gested will be required, cannot be afifirmed. But it is safe to say that, sooner or later, the great Arctic problem will be solved. The work will be carried on until the region at the North that is now unknown has been explored and a flag has been unfurled upon the precise spot which geographers designate as the Pole. CONTENTS PAGE Ancestry — Ciiii.niiooi) 9 Youth -4 NaNSKN's (iUEKNLANU EXPEDITION — I'UEPARATION — Plan — Kqiii'MENT 35 Across Greenland 54 Drifting in the Ice 7^ An EsKiiMO Encampment on the East Coast . . 86 The Ckossin(; of the Inland Ice — The First Sight OF Land and First Drink of Water . . . .113 The Descent to Ameralikfjord 13'J Arrival at Godthaab '45 With the Current 177 Nansen at Home and Abroad 188 On Board the •' Fram " 218 NANSEN'S STORY AS TOLD I'Y HIMSELF XIII. Introduction 249 XIY. The Voyage of the "Fram" 257 XV. The Great Sledge Expedition 271 XVI. Homeward Doini) 296 XVII. How THE " Fram ■■ FAKF.D — SvERDRUP's Stokv . . 302 CHAPTER I. II. III. IV. V. VI. VIL VIII. IX. X. XI. XII. PEARY'S JOURNEY ACROSS NORTHERN GREENLAND XVIII. Winter Quarters and 1 'reparations XIX. Across the Ice Cap XX. The Second Peary Expedition XXI. Natives at S.mith Sound XXII. Hunting X.XIIl. The North Greenland Dog . . . . .\.\I\'. Ho.ME Life, Habits and Character .\.\.\'. Intellkjence, Religious Ideas and Customs E.\RLII-.R ARCTIC EXPLORATIONS 339 357 3^j6 370 395 406 421 .\'X\'I. Pioneer \'ova(;es XXVII. Interest renewed XXVIII. Heroic Endeavors .X.XI.X. Great Disasters 441 456 477 S16 LIST OI- ILLUSTRATIONS Dr. Fridtjof Nansen Frontispiece Hans Nansen l;.iion Christian F. \'. Wedcl-Jarlsberg (Nansen's Grandfather) baroness C. K. \'. Wedel-Jarlsberg (Nansen's Grandmotlier) Fridtjof Nansen and his Father Nansen's Mother tireat Froen — Tlie Dwelling-house Nansen as a Child Nansen as a lioy ......... In the I'olar .Sea The Members of the Greenland Expedition .... •Sverdrup on Guard on the Ice Floe .... lacing poi^c Under Sail in the Moonlight — Crevasses ahead Nansen and Sverdrup in the Canvas Boat Nansen at Thirty-one Tailpiece: Head of Walrus The Eskimo Encampment at Cape Bille . Eskimo Beauty, from the East Coast, in her Old Age Eskimo Boy, from the Camp at Cape Bille Eskimos, from the Camp at Cape Bille '• An unusually sociable woman ''.... " Then the master came out of the tent " Canoes among the Floes ...... First Attempts at .Sailing " And there I lay gazing after the ship and its sail Sailing on the Inland Ice Sailing in Moonlight . Coasting down the Slopes ■ . An Awkward I'redicament Roughish Ice . Rest and Reflection Into Better Ice again Upon the Brow of an Ice-.slope The Boat and its Builder Shooting Gulls from the Boat By Ameralikfjord . Bolette — Greenland Woman of Mi.\ed Race Nan.scn in 1S93 .... Nan.sen on the Ice — Summer Dress Nansen on the Ice — Winter Dress PAGE ID •4 15 16 17 '9 20 21 32 54 56 69 71 76 85 86 97 98 lOI 105 107 1 10 117 119 121 125 129 137 139 140 141 •43 •45 •49 •53 165 179 181 •«3 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS vu Eva Nansen Facing pai^e Dr. Nansen Facing page Nanseii's Home Nanscn's Studv at Godthaab Facing page The Launch of the " Fram " Facing page Nansen and Mrs. Nan.sen on Snow-shoes The " Fram " in Bergen .... Lieutenant Joliansen .... Kitchen of the " Fram " . . . • Saloon on the " Fram " . Nansen's Study on the '• Fram " Colin Archer, the Builder of the " Fram " (From " Fram Over Polhavet.") The "Fram'' Icavinj,^ Bergen, Norway, for the Arctic Regions (From •• Fram Over Polliavet.'') Members of the Norwegian Polar Expedition, 1893-96 Facing page (From " Fram Over Polhavet.'') Outline Draught of the "Fram"' Facing page (From •• Fram Over I^ulhavct.") The -'Fram" in the Ice-pack (By courtesy of McClure's Magazine.) Playing Cards on Board the " Fram " .... Facing page (From " Fram Over Polhavet." ) Crew of the "Fram'" when Nansen and Johansen left the Ship Facingpage (From " Fram Over Polhavet.") Dr. Nansen and Lieutenant Johansen leaving the " Fram "... Hunting Walrus on the East Coast of Taimyr Peninsula Facingpage (From " Fram Over Polhavet.") Toward the South : Nansen and Johansen Homeward bound, May I, 1896 Facingpage (From " Fram Over Polliavet.'") Meeting of Dr. Nansen and Mr. Jackson in Franz Josef Land, June, 1896 (By permission of ISIr. Alfred C. Harmsworth.) Dr. Nansen in Franz Josef Land, June 1896 (By permission of Mr. Alfred C. Harmsworth.) Captain Otto Neumann Sverdrup .... Facingpage The " Fram " in the Harbor of Christiania after her Return . Nansen's Reception at Christiania, September 9, 1896 Facing page Lieutenant Robert E. Peary, U. S. N Eivind Astrup Our First Bear Facingpage Ice-pack in Melville Bay . The "Kite" at Melville Bay • Facingpage Peary's House and Tent Iceberg off Cape Cleveland, McCormick Bay Separation of Ice Floes . Pcarv and his Companions The Midnight Sun Facingpage A Specimen of Greenland Flora 188 190 197 198 202 211 219 224 230 233 237 244 246 249 2 IJ2 263 264 272 274 282 288 293 297 302 314 316 321 324 324 326 326 335 336 33S 340 340 346 VI II L/ST OF /LLrSTA\lT/OXS Musk Ox The Relief I'arty meeting I'eary and Astrup I' ' Astrup hoisting Flags on Navy Cliff . ^ : mo Girls and Native Hut at Godhavn The •* Falcon " among Icebergs Walrus taking a Sun Bath Sea-birds ..... Watching for Seal Sledge from Smith Sound Kskimo Fo.x-trap Hear attacking Seal Different Weapons and Implements Attacking a Walrus A Group of Seals Shooting Seals .... Reindeer Catching Auks witli a Net .•\ Favorite Dog Dog Harness Dogs of Northern Greenland A Group of I'ups . . ... Eskimo Boy .... An Eskimo House in Winter .Stone Huts or Igloos — taken at .Midniglit Cape York, Smitli Sound — Eskimo Sleds on the Ice Interior of Hut . Sir John Franklin .... Martin Frobishur Henrv Grinncll .... Dr. E. K. Kane .... Dr. Isaac I. Hayes C. F. Hall A. E. Norden.skjold Lieutenant G. W. Dc Long. L". .S. N. Com. George W. Mdville, U. S. N. Tailpiece : Polar Bear Facing pui^e Facing page Facing page J'acing page Facing page Facing page ] acivg page J'acing page 349 350 356 358 358 360 364 371 373 374 375 380 384 386 389 391 393 395 397 400 405 406 407 409 411 413 441 447 479 483 489 493 505 517 520 531 MAPS .Map of Greenland Facing page 146 .NLip of Projected and Actual Routes of the " Fram ' and Course of Sledge Expedition J'acing page 266 (By courtesy of McCluie's Ma^.i/'mc.) NANSEN IN THE EROZEN WORLD CHAPTER I ANCESTRY CHILDHOOD Hans Nansen, Fridtjof Nansen's ancestor, born No- vember 28, 1598, in Mensburg, had as a sixteen years old lad gone to the White Sea in his uncle's ship — in those days quite an adventurous enterprise. They had practically no charts, they were scantily supplied with instruments, and they had to keep cannon and cutlasses in readiness. In the course of the voyage, indeed, they had been twice overhauled and plundered by the Eng- lish. Now they were fast in the ice at Kola. Rut the intelligent boy, eager for knowledge, did not permit him- self to be depressed. He employed the time in learning Russian, and in the summer, when the uncle bent his course southward again, his nephew did not accompany him. He preferred to stay behind and learn more. He travelled alone ''through several districts of Russia to the town of Kuwantz." From Kuwantz he took ship in September for Copenhagen. His character came early to maturity, and his powers could not brook inaction. He had not completed his twenty-first year when King Christian I\\ placed him at the head of an exi^edition to the rich fur regions about 10 .\./.\.sa:\' y.v THE j-KOZKy world the Pctschora. But the ice was too much for him. He had to make up his mind to winter at Kola. Here he received a commission from the Czar of Russia, and undertook, by imperial order, an exploration of the coast HANS NANSEN of the White Sea. Not until he reached Archancrd did he rejoin his ship. After that he held a command for eighteen seasons in the .ser\'ice of the Iceland Company. He was by nature a keen observer and a born leader of men, full of alert prac- ticality, and yet with a strong literary bent. And he was eminently disposed to share with others the fruits of his NANSEN'S ANCESTRY AND ClflLDHOOD ii reading. " When 1 had nothini; else to do," he writes, " I copied out extracts from tlie Bible, and from various cosmographical and geographical works, to serve as an index and commonplace-book for future reference. . . . And when, a little while ago, I read it through again, 1 thought that perhaps there might be others who would be glad to know these things, but who, on account of other occupations and so forth, had neither tinie nor opportunity to study the great works on cosmography. For the benefit of such persons I have given to the press this brief digest." The title ran : " Compendium Cosmographicum ; being a short description of the en- tire earth, etc. Treating, furthermore, of the sea and of navigation, with certain serviceable directions thereto appertaining." The " Compendium Cosmographicum " became a pop- ular handbook, so much read by seafaring men and others, that four editions were exhausted in the author's lifetime. Indeed, we gather that up to a few years ago it had not quite gone out of use. The copy now in the possession of the Nansen family came, according to a well-authenticated tradition, direct from a skipper who sailed by it. Inside the old cover, the late owner of the book has inscribed the followincj testimonial: — " TJiis book is of great use to seafarmg folk. Ote Borgersen A as, 1841." Thus the handbook of the gallant old Arctic skipper may be said to have done service down to the very thresh- old of the time when his descendant was preparing to add new "courses" to those he had so diligently laid down — "courses" across Greenland and to the North Pole. ,2 .y^.VS/iA /\ TJIK JKOZEX WORLD At the aire of forty, Hans Nansen begins to rise in the world : and soon he exchanges the command of a ship's crew for that of tlie burghers of Copenhagen. He first became town councillor, then one of the fcnir burgo- masters, and in 1654 he held the chief place among the four. Shrewd, ready-witted, eloquent, accustomed to command, and endowed with a firm will and invincible energy, he seemed specially created to take part, and a leading part, in the critical times which followed. In 1658 the Swedish king, Karl Gustav, declared war and invaded Zealand. The Estates met at the Palace, the royal messao:e was read, and the kins: addressed them in person. It fell to the lot of Hans Nansen to answer that the buri>hers " would stand bv the kino- through thick and thin," and the populace behind him shouted their assent. Not only was the inteority of their native land at stake, but civic freedom and independence as well. On the following day, the 10th of August 1658, the Privy Council was obliged to issue a proclamation " which was as good as a patent of nobility to all the mer- chants and handicraftsmen of Copenhagen." Karl Gustav understood its siLrnificance. " Since the burohers have obtained such j^rivileges," he exclaimed, "no doubt they'll stand a tussle." Ar.d duriner district in Stortliinsret, He was divorced from his first wife and married again, 18 10, a daughter of court-printer Mbller of Copenhagen. They were I'^ridtjof Hansen's grandfather and grandmotlier. ^' ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^B '^l^^l ^^II ar'^^^ i^H BWfci ^jS' m BARONESS C. F. V. WKDEL-JAKI.sr.EKC; (nanskn's ( ;kam)motiii:k) Fridtjof's father, Baldur Fridtjof Nansen, was born in Egersund in 181 7. After the dcatli of his father in the twenties, Baldur Nansen's motlier removed from h'gersund to Stavansrer, for the sake of her son's education. Here ,6 a:l\saA' jx the frozen world >he lived till 1835, when he matriculated at the University of Christiania. "Ho was industrious." says an intimate friend of the Nansen familv in a letter, " well - behaved and exemplary in every respect. His abilities were not bril- liant, but, being strict- ly and plainly brought up, and stimulated by ' the influence of his clever mother, he passed all his exami- nations with a certain distinction, and be- came an accomplished jurist. He had none of his parents' wit and fancy ; but he was noted for his thor- oucrhly refined, amiable, and courteous manners and dis- position." He became Re])<)rter to the Suj)reme Court; but he was j)rincipally employed in fmance and conveyancing. He enjoyed unbounded confidence. I^»aldur Nansen's first wife was the daughter of Major- General .Sorensen, and sister to the wife of the poet Jorgen Moc. liis second wife (Fridtjof's mother) was Adelaide Johanna Isidora, 7iec W'edel-Jarlsberg, who also had been married before. Mrs. Adelaide Nansen is described as a tall and stately lady, ca])able and resolute, even-tempered HKinrjUF .NANSKN AND HIS KATHKR NANSEN'S ANCESTRY AXD (7///.D/fOOn n and straightforward, without any pretension on tlie score of birth and ancestry. She had a mascuhne will. It was greatly against the wishes of her strict and aristocratic father that she married a baker's son for her first hus- band. However, she carried her point, and her mother appears to have sided with her in this affair of the heart. The parents were not at the marriage, although they had given their consent. As a young girl she had defied opinion and cultivated that sport which her son was afterwards to render world- famous. She was devoted to snow-shoeing, which was at that time thought unwomanly and even improper. As a housewife she was one of those who know every nook and corner of the house from attic to cellar — ac- tive, managing, ready with her hands and not afraid of the coarsest work. If the servant had blistered her fingers, the lady of the house would herself take hold and wring out the wet linen. She worked in the gar- den, and she made her boys' clothes. They had no other tailor until they were eighteen years old. Nevertheless, she found time to acquire the knowledge she had not stored up in early youth. Her will power and love of activity, her intrepidity, her j^ractical and reso- lute nature, have descended to her son. nansen's mother ,s A\Lvsj:.v y.y THE fko/.en world Mr. and Mrs. Nanscn, after their marriage, settled down uix)n a small property belonging to her at Great Froen in West Aker. Here Fridtjof was born on October lo. iS6i. In the choice of his Ijirthplace, his lucky star, as we have said before, had ordered things for tlie best. Here was countr)' life, here were cows and horses, geese and hens, hills for snow-shoeing on every side, great forests close at hand, and, only some two miles and a half away, an excellent school, one of the best in Christiania. These two miles and a half were reckoned a mere nothinif in the Xansen household. First to school in the morning, and back again, then, on summer afternoons, down to the fortress to learn to swim — that makes a good ten miles of a hot summer's day, to say nothing of minor wanderings. And there were invariably fights by the wa)- — systematic training, be it observed, from the very first. Froen farmyard was the scene of the boy's earliest cxjK'ditions, and it was not Arctic cold, but torrid heat that first imperilled his life. One day wlien he was three years old, and still in frocks, he stood hammering away at a wheelbarrow, no doubt trying to mend it, when, to the consternation of those in the kitchen, a column of smoke was seen to be rising from his person, " He's on fire!" was the cry. Out rushed llic housekeeper, and tore his clothes fjff his back. In the course of his wanderings, he had visited the brew-house, where some sparks from the fire had lodged in his j^etticoats ; and behold! he was within an ace of being burnt to death in blissful uncon- sciousness that anything was amiss. The I'Vogner River flowed right past the front door at NANSEN'S ANCESTRY AND Clf/LDIfOOD '9 GREAT I'KOEN — THE l)\VELl,IN(;-HOUSE Froen, and here Fridtjof and his younger brotlicr would bathe in the fresh of the evening, in the coldest pool they could find. Indeed, the younger of the two would some- times nearly perish with the cold, so that after coming out of the water he had to be dragged about at a brisk trot, m the costume which preceded all fashions and modes of dress, in order to keep life nnd warmth in his body. Into this same river they fell through the ice in the winter, and when their mother appeared on the scene she found Fridtjof in the act of fishing his brother out. And it was in the Frogner River that Fridtjof himself came near losing: hi^ life- But it also presented a peaceful means of livelihood. XAXSEN IX 7 HE FROZEN WORLD Tlicy selected from among the pea-sticks those made of juniper, rolled their trousers well up, and went digging among the decayed leaves in the garden for bait, which they stored in tlie turned-uj) jDortion of their breeches. Then they went and fished for trout or minnows. Now and then the hook would 120 astray and stick fast in Fridt- jof's under lip ; whereupon Mrs. Nan sen would have re- course to father's razor, make a resolute incision and extract the foreign body. No fuss or pother on either side. Not so much as a sound. Here at Frben he first ran his liead against the ice — the rough ice in the yard. When the little five-year-old rushed into the kitchen, there was scarcelv a white spot left on his face, for the blood that trickled down it. He would not shed a tear, and was only afraid of being scolded. But from that day to this he wears liis first ice-medal in the shajDC of a scar. They hunted sc|uirrL'ls with dog and bow. "Storm," the dog, would chase the squirrels up trees, where the little creatures found a tolerably secure asylum ; for the arrows never hit them, h'inally, I<"ridtjof, inspired by Indian tales, hit upon a devilish device which he thought must })rove fatal. 1 1(j anointed the arrow-head with the juice of a poisonous mushroom, so that a wound from it meant NANSEN AS A CHILD NANSEN\S ANCKSTRY AND CJJILDJIOOD 2 1 certain dcatli. But the arrows somehow did no more ex- ecution, although lie also ti})ped them with melted lead to niake them carry better. After that he took to a new variety of weapon — cannons. He stuffed them to the muzzle with powder, but could not o-et it to iu:nite. Then he made a maroon, and poked it about so much that it exploded in his face. The cannon ultimately burst ; and it was again his mother's task to take him aside and pick out the powder grain by grain. He himself tells the story of his first snow-shoes, and his first great leap : — " I am not speaking of the very first pair of all — they were precious poor ones, cut down from cast-off snow- shoes which had belonged to my brothers and sisters. They were not e\'en of the same length. But Mr. Fabri- tius, the printer, took pity upon me ; ' I '11 give you a pair of snow-shoes,' he said. Then spring came and then sumnier, and with the best will in the world one could n't av I W'liat abi)ut tliosc snow-shoes?' •• • \'ou sliall have them right enougli," he said, and laughed. Hut I returned to the cliarge day after day: * What about those snow-slioes ? ' • '\\\ii\\ came winter. I can still see my sister standing in Ihe middle t)f the room with a long, long parcel which she said was for me. I thought she said, too, it was from Paris. But that was a mistake, for it was the snow^-shoes from Fabritius — a pair of red-lacquered ash snow-shoes with black stripes. And there was a long staff too, with .shining blue-lacquered shaft and knob. I used these snow-shoes for ten years. It was on them I made my first big jump on Iluscby Hill, where at that time the great snow-shoe races were held. We boys were not allowed to go there. We might ran^e all the other hills round about, but the Huseby Hill was forbidden. But we could .see it from Froen, and it lured us day after day till we could n't resist it any longer. At first I started frwm the middle of the hill, like most of the other boys, and all went well. l)Ut jjresently I saw there were one or two who started from the top; so of course I had to try it. Off I set. came at frantic speed to the jumjD, sailed for what seemed a long time in space, and ran my snow-shoes deep into a snow-drift. We did n't have our shoes fastened on in those days, so they remained sticking in the drift, while I, head fust, described a fine arc in the air. 1 had such way on, too, that when 1 came down again I bored into the snow up to my waist. There was a moment's hush on the hill. The boys thought I had broken my neck. But as .soon as they saw there was life in me, and that I was beofinnino' to scramble out, a shout of mocking laughter went u]) ; an NANSEN'S ANCESTRY AND CHILDHOOD 23 endless roar of derision over the entire hill from top to bottom. "After that, I took j)art in the Huseby Hill races and won a prize. But I didn't take it home; for I was put to shame on that oecasion as well. It was the hrsl time I had seen the Telemark peasants snow-shoeing, and I recoijnized at a glance that I was n't to be mentioned in the same breath with them. They used no staff; they simply w^ent ahead and made the leap without trusting to anything but the strength of their muscles and the firm, lithe carriage of their bodies, I saw that this was the only proper way. Until 1 had mastered it, I wouldn't have any prize." He was a terrible one for fallincf into brown studies. Betw^een putting on the first and the second stocking of a morning, there was ahvays a prolonged interval. Then his brothers and sisters would call out, " There 's the duffer at it again ! You '11 never come to any good, you 're such a dawdler." He was always bent on getting to the bottom of exer)- thing. He asked so many questions, says one of his older friends, that it made one absolutely ill. " Many a time have I given him a thundering scolding for this everlast- ing ' Why } — Why t — Why } ' " The arrival of a sewing- machine at Froen naturally aroused the demon of curios- ity in all his virulence. He m.ust find out what kind of animal this was. So he took it all to ])ieces, and when his mother came back from town, the machine was the most disjointed puzzle imaginable. If tradition is to be trusted, however, he did not give in until he had put it all together again. CHAPTER II YOUTH If, weary of the soft grace of the Christiania Valley, one turns and gazes northward from the tower on Try- vand HeigiU, one is confronted, as far as eye can see, witli blue-black forests — forests and nothing but forests, ridge behind ridge, un and on to the farthest verge of the horizon. This is Nordmarken, an unbroken stretch of Nor- wegian woodland, many sc|uare miles in extent, a lonely world of narrow valleys, abrupt heights, secluded glassy lakes, and foaming rivers. Into this solitude no murmur from the busy capital ever penetrates, not even the sound of a panting engine or the warning whistle of a steamboat cautiously thread- ing the intricacies of the fjord in the dense sea-fog. At the frontier of Nordmarken the comforts of civiliza- tion instantaneously stop short. When you have said good-bye to the great hotels on the slopes of the Frogner Sa.'ter, and plunged into these interminable forests, you may wander for days without coming across anything remotely resembling an hotel. Yes, here all is peaceful and still — breathlessly still — when summer spreads her light veil over the glassy lakes and dark green leas, when the black-grouse drowses in the heather, and even the thrush in the pine-tops hushes his song. NANS EN'S YOUTH 25 There is breathless stilhiess, too, of a clear autumn evening when the birch sees its yellow silk, and the aspen its fror^eous scarlet, reflected in the black mirror of the lake, framed in the delicate pale red of the heather. Again there is breathless stillness — perhaps even more complete — during the long night of winter, when the stars glitter over the snow-laden forest and the white- frozen surface o^ the lake, and no sound is heard save the soft trickle of the ice-bound river. In the shootino: and fishin*'- season it is no lono-cr the Great Pan who reigns. Fishing-rods by the score hang over the river like a bendin we were sitting- out on the stej)s, it came over us all of a sudden that we 26 NAXSEN IN THE FROZEN WORLD reallv ought to act upon this invitation. Wc had a notion that \vc ou'-ht to ask our parents' leave, and an equally clear notion that we should n't get it if we did. Father and mother were taking a siesta; we dared not disturb them, and if we waited till they awakened it would be too late to ta). So we took French leave and slipped off. The first part of the way was familiar to us. We knew where Engeland lay, and made our waytto Bogstad with- out much hesitation. After that we were rather at sea ; but we asked our way from point to point, first to the Sorkedal church, and after that to the farm where the boys lived. By the time we got there it was seven o'clock in the evening. Then we had to play with our friends and eo and see the barn, and afterwards to do a little fish- ine. But it was n't any real fun. Our consciences were so bad that we had no peace for so much as half an hour. Then the time came for us to go home, and our hearts .sank so dreadfully that the way back seemed ever so much wearier than the way out. The youngest soon became footsore, and it was a melancholy procession that slowly dra2> to llic heart of the country; and within a year of his return to Norway the idea of crossinpj Greenland on snow-shoes had taken hrni root in his mind. While Fridtjof Nansen was swimming across the rifts in the ice after Polar bears, the I)irector-in-Chief of the Bero-en Museum, Dr. Danielssen, was turning things over in his mind. He needed a new assistant. Before the bear-hunter had reached Christiania, Professor Robert Collett was applied to by telegraph for his advice. He thought instantly of Nansen, and asked him, the moment he set foot on shore, if he would care to become Curator [Konservator) of the Bergen Museum. He agreed at once. He was not yet twenty-one, and had done nothing what- ever to make his mark in science ; so it was certainly a very tempting offer. He held the position of Curator of the Bero-en Museum till 1 888, during which time he was ensaeed in carrvino; on zooloi^ical investigations. Few thines are more characteristic of Nansen than the way in which he passed from Polar bear-hunting to the work-room of the Bergen Museum. " I have become an absolute first-class stick-in-the-mud," he says in a letter to his father as early as October 17, 1882. He, the athlete and sportsman par excellence, has to " reassure " his father by informing him that he is a member of two gymnastic societies ! He throws himself into his scientific work as passionately as if it were the most thrilling of adventures. He pursues the paltriest insect revealed by the micro- scope no less impetuously than he pursued the bears over the Arctic wastes. In the course of his studies of the nervous system, Nansen became acquainted with the chro- mic silver method of staining the nerve fibres invented by Professor Golgi of Pavia. 3 >4 NJ.VSEX /X THE FROZRX ]VORI.D In order tliorouglily to familiarize himself with this im- portant auxiliary to the investigations which had now oc- cupied him for several years, he determined, in the spring of 1886, to go to Italy. Partly under Golgi's personal guidance, and partly at the Zoological Station in Naples, where he would find ample material, he hoped to be able to carry his researches somewhat farther than had been possible with the methods hitherto in vogue. The previ- ous vear, at the Bero-en Museum, he had won the Joachim F"riele irold medal for his work on the myzostoma. He had taken the medal in copper, and applied the value of the gold to his travelling expenses. After a short stay in Pavia, where he conferred with Professor Golgi and Dr. Fusari, he went on to Naples, where he spent the following months, from April till June, 1886, at the celebrated Zoological Station. The principal results of his studies he embodied in sev- eral biological works ; for " The Structure and Combina- tion of the Histoloo:ical Elements of the Central Nervous System " Nansen received his doctor s degree. By the great public, Fridtjof Nansen is known and ad- mired chiefly as the dauntless explorer of the unknown wastes of the North Pole. The above may help to im- press upon the jniblic, that Nansen is also an investigator of note in another domain, which, though it does not attract so much attention, perhaps deserves it no less. Voyages of discovery in the quiet study, in the labora- tory, in the world of the microscope, in Nature's secret workshop, — these too minister to the enlightenment of mankind and the progress of civilization. In this field P'ridtjof Nansen proved himself a born discoverer, and, at an unusually early age, developed an activity wdiich w^as rich in promise. CHAPTER III NANSEN's GREENLAND EXPEDITION PREPARATIONS PLAN — EQUIPMENT " One winter evening in '87," writes Dr. Grieg, " I sat in my den at 3A Parkveien, absorbed in my work. Sud- denly the door was flung wide open, and in stalked Nansen, witli liis long-haired, badly trained dog Jenny. Without pretending to be an authority on the subject, it is my opinion that Nansen is too absent-minded to be able to train good sporting dogs. The evening was cold, so that even Nansen had thrown his plaid over his shoul- ders. He sat down on the sofa just opposite me. '"Do you know what I'm going to set about now.-*' he said. ' I mean to have a try at crossing Greenland.' And he set forth his })lans with the aid of my old atlas, which I shall always associate with the memory of that evening. He was excited and wrought-up, and, at that stage, far from being certain, or even hopeful, of finding things go easily, I saw he wanted objections to discuss, and I sup})licd him with what occurred to mc, though I knew nothing of the subject. ' It would l.^e easiest to make the crossing lower down, you understand,' he said, ' but the real thinor will be to show the world that Green- land can be crossed so far north as this ' and he pointed out where he had at first planned to start. He little dreamed that this stretch of coast, which he treated so lightly that evening, would prove so hard a nut to 36 X.LVSJ^X IN THE FROZKX WORLD ci-ack. He said he was going to Stockholm. ' Wliat are vou lioinir to do there ? ' ' To look up Nordenskjbld, and ask him to give me his opinion of my scheme. I shall just wait to take my doctor's degree in the spring, and then off to Greenland. It will be a hard spring, old man, but pooh ! I shall manage it.' " .Another friend had meanwhile dropped in. We all three walked to Skarpsno, we two every-day people mak- ing feeble objections, he meeting them with increasing warmth and with youthful emphasis of conviction. He would stake his life on the plan, and we should see it would all cro smoothly. It was like a revelation, in these decadent days, to find a man of action ready to lay down his life for his idea. I was impressed and moved that evening when we parted." He went to Stockholm. It may be noted at this point that it was in 1886 that Peary and Maigaard, with their scanty equipment, had made a highly successful inroad upon the Greenland ice field, intended, as Peary had expressly stated in his brief narrative, merely as a prelim- inary reconnaissance. Nansen had no time to lose if he did not want to be anticipated. Moreover, his zoological and anatomical labors were in the mean time at a stand- still. His great essay on the histological elements of the central nervous system was finished, and could at any time be handed in as a thesis for his doctor's deii:ree. "When, on Thursday, November 3, 1887, I entered my work-room, in the MineraloGiical Institute of the Stock- holm High School," says Professor Brogger, " my janitor told me that there had been a Norwesfian askinor for me. He had not left a card, and did not say who he was. Compatriots without a name and without a visiting-card NANSEN'S GREENLAND EXPEDITJON 37 were no rarity. It was no doubt some one wanting nie to relieve him from a momentary eml^arrassment' 'What (lid he look like?' I said, with a toueh of annoyanee. " ' Tall and fair,' answered .Andersson. " ' Was he well dressed ? ' " ' He had n't any overcoat,' said Andersson, smiling confidentially ; ' he looked like a sailor, or something of that sort.' " Ah, yes — a sailor without an overcoat! No doubt the idea was that I should supply him with one. I saw it all. " An hour or two later in came Wille. ' I lave you seen Hansen 1 ' " ' Nansen ? Was that the name of the sailor? The man without an overcoat ? ' " ' Has he no overcoat ? At any rate he 's going to cross the Greenland ice sheet.' And Wille rushed off — he was in a hurry. " After that comes another of my colleagues. Professor Lecke, the zoologist. ' Have you seen Nansen ? Is n't he a splendid fellow ? He has been telling me of many interesting discoveries about the sex of the myxine — and about his investigations of the nervous system too. Charming things ! Splendid ! ' " After all these preliminaries, Nansen at last appeared in person — tall and erect, broad-shouldered and powerful, yet with the grace and sui:)pleness of youth. His rather roudi hair was brushed back from his massive forehead. He came straight up to me and gave me his hand with a peculiarly winning smile, while he introduced himself. " ' You are oroingr to cross Greenland ? ' " ' Well, I 'm thinking of it' J S A'A.VSE.y IN THE FROZEN WORLD " 1 looked him in the eyes. There he stood with the kindly smile on his strongly-cut, mahsive face, his com- plete self-confidence awakening confidence in others. Although his manner was just the same all the time, — calm, straightforward, perhaps even a little awkward, — yet it seemed as if he grew with e\'ery word. This plan, — this snow-shoe expedition from the east coast, — which a moment ago I had regarded as an utterly crazy idea, became, in the course of that one conversation, the most natural thing in the world. The conviction possessed me all of a sudden : he will do this thing, as surely as we are sittintr here and talking: about it. " This man whose name I had never so much as heard until a couple of hours before, had in these few minutes — quite naturally and inevitably as it seemed — made me feel as though I had known him all my days ; and with- out reflecting at all as to how it happened, I knew that I should be proud and happy to be his friend through life. " ' We '11 go straight to Nordenskjold,' I said ; and we went. With his singular dress — a tight-fitting, dark blue, jersey-like blouse or jacket, closely buttoned up — he did not fail to attract a certain amount of attention in Drott- ninggatan (Queen Street). Gustaf Retzius, as I heard afterwards, took him at first for an acrobat or rope- dancer. " Well, we hunted up Nordenskjold, crossing the quiet, cloistral quadrangle of the Academy of Science, which has always something awe-inspiring about it. " Nordenskjold was in his laboratory, as usual at that time in the morning. We went through the anterooms filled with mineralogical specimens and cases. ' These used to be Berzelius's quarters,' I remarked to Nansen in ArANSEN'S GREENLAND EXJ'EDJTIoy 39 })as.sing. Lindstrom, the Professor's assistant, presently a})peared, with both hands full of retorts and chemicals. " ' The old man is inside ; he s up to his eyes in work,' he whispered quietly to me. " There, in the work-room, 'old man Nor ' was wander- ing around amomj his minerals. I can never see his strong, broad back, without thinking of a story in connec- tion with his boat expedition up the Yenisei in 1875. At one point, where the seas repeatedly threatened to swamp the boat, Nordenskjold took his seat on the after gunwale, and let the ice-cold waves break on his broad back. There he sat for hours, doing duty, in a literal sense, as a breakwater. Of such stuff are Arctic explorers made. " I greeted Nordenskjold and performed the introduc- tion. ' Curator Nansen, of Bergen. He intends to cross the Greenland ice sheet ' " ' Good heavens ! ' " ' And he would like to consult you upon the matter.' " ' I 'm delighted to see him. So ! Mr. Nansen intends to cross Greenland t ' " The bombshell had fallen. The friendly, amiable, but somewhat absent expression he had worn an instant be- fore had vanished, and his liveliest interest was aroused. He seemed to be scanning the young man from head to foot, in order to see what sort of stuff he had in him. Then he burst out with a twinkle in his eye: 'I shall make Mr. Nansen a present of a pair of excellent boots ! Indeed, I 'm not joking; it's a very important and serious matter to have your foot-gear of the best quality.' " The ice is broken. Nansen expounds, Nordenskjold nods a little skeptically now and then, and throws in a question or two. He no doubt regarded the plan — at 40 A\iXS£X IX THE FROZEN WORLD least so it seemed to me — as foolhardy, but not absolutely impracticable. It was obvious that Nansen's personality had instantly made a strong impression on him. He was at once prepared, in the most cordial manner, to place the results of his own experience at the young man's service. " There were of course numbers of details to be gone into: the Laplanders, snow-shoes, sledges, and boats — and then the question whether the drift ice could be crossed as Nansen had planned. But ' the old man was up to his eyes in work,' and it was agreed that Nansen should come again. Meanwhile, we were to meet the same evening, at the Geological Society. As we were leaving I said aside to Nordenskjold, ' Well, wliat do you think } I back him to do it.' " ' I dare say )-ou 're right,' answered Nordenskjold. But the skeptical expression was again to the fore. " After the meeting at the Geological Societ}-, Nansen accompanied me home. It was pretty well on in tlie evening. While we were sitting talking, he genial and at his ease, I quite absorbed in all these new ideas, there came a ring at the door, and in walked Nordenskjold. I at once saw that he was seriously interested. " We sat there till the small hours, discussinor Arctic and Antarctic explorations in general, and the Greenland expedition in ]:)articular. It was only four years since Nordenskjold himself had made his last expedition on the Greenland ice sheet; and he was at this time, if I remem- ber rightlv. much interested in arrano^insf a combined Australian-Swedish Antarctic expedition, in which his promising son, G. Nordenskjold,' who unfortunately died so early, was to have taken part. * Three years later this young man undertook an expedition to .Spitzbergen. NAXSEN'S GRKEXLAND EXJ'KDJTION 41 " I was LioiiiLr the next day to the usual Fourth of November banquet at the house of the Norwegian Secre- tary of State, and I asked Nansen if he would care to have an invitation. No, he could n't well appear on such an occasion — he had only the clothes he was wearing. '" But Mr. Nansen can come and dine with me, just as he is,' suggested Nordenskjold with frank cordiality; and so it was arranu^ed. " I cannot say whether Nansen, when he returned to Christiania, a couple of days later, took with him the ' ex- cellent boots,' though I know that Nordenskjold after- wards sent him a pair of snow-spectacles. But, boots or no boots, he certainly took back with him many a x'aluable hint, and the assurance of complete sympathy on the part of the great explorer. When, nearly two years later, they again met in Stockholm, the foolhardy plan had been carried out, and the journey over the inland ice from coast to coast w'as an accomplished fact." Nansen's application to the " Collegium Academicum " for the means to carry out the expedition is dated Novem- ber II, 1887. The very first sentence goes straight to the heart of the matter: " It is my intention next sum- mer to undertake a journey across the inland ice of Greenland from the east to the west coast." The amount he asked for was 5,000 crowns (less than 300/.). It is so infinitesimally small in comparison with the magnitude and importance of the undertaking, that one cannot speak of it now without a smile. But as yet the project, was only a project, and the projector an untried man. The faculty and the council warmly recommended the scheme to the Government. But the Government could not see 4? A'JXSE.V AV THE FROZEN WORLD its way to sanctioning it. One of the official organs was unable to discover any reason wh)- the Norwegian people should pay so large a sum as 300/. in order that a private individual might treat himself to a pleasure-trip to Green- land. And undoubtedly the Government here repre- sented a ver)' large section of the people. Two widely different sides of the Norwegian character were in this case at odds. The love of adventure is represented in Nansen, the cautiousness, the " canniness," of the Norwe- gian peasant is represented in the Government. It is no mere chance that this 300/. should have come from abroad. For except in scientific circles, and among the young and ardent, the general opinion certainly was that Nansen's undertaking was only worthy of a madman — though no one actually v/ent so far as to have him locked up, like the man in the London madhouse whom Nansen is so fond of citing. A comic paper in Bergen inserted the followins: advertisement : — Notice. — In the month of June next, Curator Nansen will give a snow-shoe display, with long jumps, on the inland ice of Greenland. Reserved seats in the crevasses. Return ticket unnecessary. And in jDrivate conversation the affair was taken much in the same way, when it was not regarded from a more serious point of view, by people who thought it sinful to give open support to a suicide. Nor was it only the outside ])ublic that held these opinions. Previous explorers of Greenland, who might be supposed to know the local conditions, characterized the plan as absolutely \isionar)-. Nansen has himself reprinted in his book a short extract from a lecture delivered in Copenhagen by one of the younger Danish explorers of Greenland. He says: "Among the few of us who know NANSEN'S GREENJ.AM) EX/'EDfJ'/ON 43 sometliing of the nature of Danish East Greenland, there is no doubt that unless the ship reaches the coast and waits for him till he is forced to confess himself beaten, it is ten to one that either Nansen will throw away his own life, and perhaps the lives of others, to no purpose; or else he will be picked up by the Eskimos, and convoyed by them round Cape Farewell to the Danish stations on the west coast. But no one has any right needlessly to involve the East Greenlanders in a long journey, which must be in many respects injurious to them." It was, however, from Denmark that the requisite finan- cial assistance came. Professor Amund Helland, who had himself been in Greenland, had strongly advocated the plan in the " Dagblad " of November 24, 1887. "After the experiences of others on the inland ice," he says, " and after what I myself have seen of it, I cannot see why young and courageous snow-shoers, under an intelligent and cautious leader, should not have every prospect of reaching the other side, if only the equipment be care- fully adapted to the peculiar conditions. . . . All things carefully considered, I believe there is every likelihood that competent snow-shoers should be able to manage this journey without running any such extreme risks as should make the expedition inadvisable. Those who have travelled some distance on the inland ice of Green- land number, at present, about twenty men, and not a single life has been lost in these attempts." As a result of this article. Professor Helland was able to announce to the " Collegium Academicum," on Jan- uary 12, 1S88, that Mr. Augustin Gamel, of Copenhagen, had offered to pro\ide the 5,000 crowns. Nansen accepted the generous offer. Afterwards, when 44 A'A.VS£X IN THE FROZEX WORLD all was hapi)ily over, people criticised tliis action. He ought to have waited patiently till the money turned up somewhere in Norway. This wisdom after the event is foolish enough. It ignores the actual facts of the situ- ation. Xansen had made up his mind to pay for the whole enterprise out of his own pocket; no one in Norway showed the slightest eagerness to prevent his doing so. And, with all his self-reliance, he could not, at that time, regard the realization of liis idea as a privilege that must be reserved solely and exclusively for Norway. The situ- ation was quite different when, five years later, with the eyes of all the world upon him, he set out for the North Pole. Then, indeed, it was of the utmost importance that the money as well as the flag should be Norwegian. The criticism seems all the emptier when we remember that the Greenland Expedition did not cost 5,000 crowns, but more than three times that amount, and that Nansen him- self would have met this deficit out of his small private means, had not the Students' Society, after the successful return of the expedition, set on foot a subscription which brought in 10,000 crowns. It was, as Nansen had said to Dr. Grieg, a hard spring. The first six months of 1888 passed in one incessant rush. At the beginning of December, 1887, he is back in Bergen. At the end of January, he goes on snow-shoes from Eidfjord in Hardanger, by way of Numedal, to Kongsberg, and thence to Christiania. In March he is in Bergen again, lecturing on nature and life in Greenland. One day — or rather night — we find him camping on the top of Blaamanden, near Bergen, to test his sleeping- bag, and a week later he is on the rostrum in Chris- tiania giving his first trial lecture for his doctors degree, NANSEN\S GREENLAND EXJ'EJ)J'JJON 45 on the structure of the sexual organs in the niyxine. On April 2S he defends his doctoral thesis: "The Nerve h^lements: their structure and connection in the central nervous system" — and on May 2 he sets off for Coi)en- hagen, on his way to Greenland. " I would rather take a bad degree than have a bad outfit," he used to say to Dr. Grieg in those days. He succeeded in getting both good, but only by straining every nerve. On the one hand, he had his scientific reputation to look to; on the other, his own life and the lives of five brave men ; for he was fully convinced that, of all the dangers which were pointed out to him, the most serious by far was the danger of a defective outfit. On the outfit, more than on any- thing else, depended victory or defeat, life or death. It was in the January number of the periodical " Natu- ren " (1888) that he for the first time made a public state- ment of his plan. He explains that, by striking inland from the east coast, he will need to cross Greenland only once. It is true that by this course retreat is cut off. " The inhospitable coast, inhabited only by scattered tribes of heathen Eskimos, is by no means an enviable winter residence to fall back upon in the event of our encounterino^ unforeseen obstacles in the interior ; but the less tempting the line of retreat, the stronger will be the incentive to push on with all our might." This is one of the essential points of the plan — all bridges are to be broken. Here we see the irresistible self-confidence of genius — its triumphant faith in its power to reach the goal. The thing that presents itself to ordinary prudence as the first necessity, namely, a safe and eas}- line of re- treat, genius regards rather as a hindrance and a thing to be avoided. 46 jVAXS£^' IX the FROZEN WORLD '' Setzet Ihr nicht das Leben ein, Nie wird euch das Leben gewonnen sein." We will not here dwell upon the other features of the plan, because in all essentials it was carried out as pro- jected ; and the modifications which proved necessary are sufficiently well known through Nansen's own account of the expedition. It will be remembered how they were caught in the drift ice, carried down almost to the southern point of Greenland, and then had to fight their way laboriously north again. It will be remembered, too, that they did not strike inland, as they intended, north of Cape Dan, but a good way farther south, and that they reached the west coast, not, as contemplated, on Disco Bay near Christianshaab, but at the Ameralikfjord near Godthaab. These alterations are important enough in themselves, but inessential in relation to the main object. The plan itself having been .set forth, the article proceeds to enumerate the scientific problems which may be solved or brought nearer to a solution by a journey across the inland ice. Nansen concludes by quoting Nordenskjold s words in the preface to his book, "The Second Dickson Expedition to Greenland:" "The investigation of the un- known interior of (Greenland is fraught with such mo- mentous issues for science that at present one can hardly suggest a worthier task for the enterprise of the Arctic explorer." Nansen was himself fully conscious of the great scien- tific import of the journey he was about to take. hor the rest, this expedition required in its leader a quite unusual c()mbinati(jn of qualities : an adventurous imagination to conceive it, a Viking-like hardihood to carry it through, strenuous physical training throughout NANS EN'S GREENLAND EXPEDITION 47 cliildhood and youth to enable liini to face its fatigues, and self-sacrificini'- devotion to science in order to make the most of tlie opportunities it afforded. And even more was required. This young man, wliose fame as yet rested entirely upon an unfulfilled idea, had to take command of a little group of brave men who all risked their lives ex- actly as he did, and among whom were some who them- selves had held conimand. This was not a company of soldiers to be officered as a matter of course ; it required a special tact, a peculiar instinct, to bear one's self ■^'i> primus inter pares. With all his proud self-confidence, Nansen had just this instinct. It springs in }mrt, no doubt, from a strain of gentleness in his character, but may on the whole be regarded as simply another manifestation of his sino-ular knack of doing the right thing at preciselv the right moment. He had been too early intent on ends of his own to develop what one would call a specially social disposition. " He is something of a soloist," one of his friends writes to us, " steadfast towards those to whom he really attaches himself ; but they are not many." He is too absorbed in his work. He is not expansive, in the sense of feeling any inborn craving to make friends. But now, in the moment of need, the unaffected genialitv of his temperament comes out quite naturally in his relation to those who have had the courage and the insight to place their trust in him. Given another ]x^rsonality than his, the whole undertaking would not improbabl)- have gone to wreck, with the most disastrous consequences. If it had been simply a question of mechanical discipline, the spirit of revolt might easily have arisen in the course of these indescribable hardships, and ruined everything. As it was, all were agreed that, though discussion should 4S NAXSEN IN THE FROZEN WORLD of course be free, one must have the decisive voice. But that one was of no higher rank than the others when there was work to be done or hunger to be endured ; and it was this complete equahty that formed the strongest bond of union. Stories have been invented as to the rela- tions between the six Greenland explorers, some of them of a dark and almost tragic tenor. We are able to state on the best authority that all these legends, from first to last, are the product of popular imagination, which, after the tremendous enthusiasm over Nansen's return, neces- sarily underwent a reaction. The men who accompanied Nansen were Captain Otto Neumann Sverdrup, born October 31, 1855, in Bindalen ; Lieutenant Oluf Christian Dietrichson, born May 31, 1856, in Skogn, near Levanger ; Christian Christiansen Trana, born February 16, 1865, at the farm of Trana, near Stenkja^r ; besides the two Lapps, Samuel Johannesen Balto, aged 27, and Ola Nilsen Ravna, aged 45. All these names have become historical. To the two first- mentioned in ]Darticular a great share in the credit of the expedition is due. The whole civilized world is indebted to them, and Nansen most of all. " People are very ready," he says in the preface to " The First Crossing of Greenland," " to heap the whole blame of an unsuccessful expedition, but also the whole honor of a successful one, upon the shoulders of the leader. This is ])articularly unfair in the case of such an expedition as the present, where the result depends on absolutely no one falling short, on every one filling his place entirely and at every point." For the lives of all these men Nansen had now assumed the responsibility, so far as the planning and management NANSEN'S GREENLAND KXl'KDJTJON 49 t)f the journey was concerned ; and his responsibility be"-an with tlie outfit. With regard to this essential mat- ter, all the qualities we have been dwelling; ujjon would have been of no avail had he not possessed one other of the first importance. He was accustomed to see thinirs for himself. He was an observer not only in the domain of science, but also in that of practical life. As a boy, he pulled the sewing-machine to pieces to see how it was made, and as a young man he had gone deeply into the question of the nutritive value of the various food-stuffs. He had an eminently practical and mechanical talent; and he had been born with the instinct of the Youngest Son in the fairy tale, for picking up a magpie's wing whenever he came across it, smce you never could tell when it might come in useful. No doubt he had learned much in his brief consultations with Nordenskjbld, whose numerous expeditions had always been conspicuous for their careful and excellent equipment. But the expedition now^ in hand must be set about on an entirely original plan, since they were to have neither reindeer nor dogs, but were themselves to be their own beasts of burden and drag every crumb of food and e\er)- instrument. Now was the time to act up to the Nansen motto, " To require little." The thing was to ascertain what food-stuffs com- bine a maximum of nourishment with a minimum of weight ; and equally important was the consideration of the means of transport to be emj^loyed. The lightness of everything was the cardinal point which distinguished the Nansen expedition fron^ all others. Lightness became a study, an art. Nansen brooded on the problem by day, and dreamed of it at night. Like ^Lacbeth, he was haunted with visions of insubstantial tollcknivs (sheath knives). 4 50 .V.LVS£A'' IN THE FROZEN WORLD Everything was minutely criticised, from the raw mate- rial up to the finislied product. Many of the most imi)or- tant articles Nansen designed for hiniself. From his detailed description of the outfit we reproduce in a few words tile essential points : 1' i\e specially constructed hand - sledges of ash, with broad steel-plated runners. These sledges were about 9 ft. 6 in. long by i ft. 8 in. broad, yet weighed, with the steel runners, only a little over 2S lbs. They were so excellently made that in spite of the tremendous wear and tear they were subjected to not one of them broke. Next came Norwegian snow- shoes [ski] of the iiiost careful make, as well as Canadian snow-shoes and Norwegian wickerwork triiger. The last were used particularly in ascending the outer slope of the inland ice, and on wet snow where ski were useless. The tent was furnished by Lieutenant Ryder, of Copen- hagen. It was just large enough to accommodate the two sleeping-bags side by side ujjon the floor. The dress of the party consisted of a thin woollen vest and woollen drawers; over the vest a thick Iceland jersey; and for outer garments, jacket, knickerbockers and tliick snow- socks on the legs, all made of Norwegian homespun. Vox windy and snowy weather they had an outer dress of thin sail-cloth. Their foot-gear consisted of boots with pitched seams and La])land lanparsko, a sort of moccasin. On their heads they wore w^oollen caps and hoods of home- spun, woollen gloves on their hands, and in extreme cold an extra jjair of dc^gskin gloves. For their eyes they had snow-spectacles, some of smoke-colored glass with baskets of steel-wire network, some of black wood with horizontal slits. The provisions consisted mainly of pemmican, meat- NANSEN\S GRF.F.Xr.AXn F.X ri-.DI'l'fOX 51 powder chocolate, calf-li\cr pate, a Swcdisli ])iscuit known as hiiikkcbrod, meat biscuits, butter, dried lialibut, a little cheese, pea-soup powder, chocolate, and condensed milk. They took two double-barrelled guns for replenishing their larder. The cooking apparatus was a s])irit-l)urning contrivance devised by Nansen and a chemist named Schmelck, upon which they expended much labor. No spirits for consumption ; some tea, a little coffee, a little tobacco. On the other hand, an abundance of scientific instruments. And, to complete the list, tarpaulins, which on the inland ice were sometimes used as sails ; bamboo poles; and a c[uantity of tools and small necessaries of various kinds from matches and a few candles down to darning-needles — everything of course As light as pos- sible. In only one single respect did this equipment prove inadequate. The pemmican, which should ha\e been the staple of their diet, had in the course of manufacture been deprived of all fat, and Nansen did not discover the fact until the last moment. The result was that they suf- fered after a while from "fat-hunger, of which no one who has not experienced it can form any idea." Kvcn during the last days, when they had as much dried meat as the\- wanted, they did not feel satisfied. I low^ easy it would have been in this terra incognita for the outfit to ha\-e fallen short in other respects!- Vox one thing, no one in the least foresaw that the exj^edition would, at this time of the year, be exposed to such severe cold as was found to prevail on the inland ice. It was a new and unknown meteorological phenomenon which the expedition encountered. If Nansen had chosen woollen slccping-bags instead of those of reindeer-skin, which he 52 NANSEX /-V THE FRO/. EN WORLD at last determined on, he and his comrades, as he himself admits, would scarcely have reached the west coast alive. Yes, a great deal might have happened ; but luck was on Nansen's side. His good genius was very active in all that concerned this, his first s^reat undertaking:. But in the last analysis, no doubt, the man who has " the luck on his side " is he who shows capacity, foresight, genius, and does not pit himself against forces which are in the nature of things unconquerable. We cannot conclude these lines on the preparations for the Greenland expedition without mentioning that Nan- sen was in constant communication with one of the most notable of the explorers of Greenland, Ur. H. Rink. One serv'ice that Rink certainly rendered him was to throw into strong relief the perils of the expedition, although there were moments when the enfeebled and nervously conscientious old man reproached himself witli not having dwelt on them sufficiently. " Rink at first regarded the ]:)lan," his wife writes to us, "as a mere romantic fancy. The more he pondered over it, and the more he became attached to the man who was to carry it out, the more perilous did it become in his eyes, until at last he blamed himself severely for not having, in the course of all their discussions, painted in strong enough colors the dangers t(j which he believed the expedition would be exposed. So, ex'jDressly on this account, we invited Nansen to pay us another visit. That evening we spent for the most part in looking at j^ictures of Greenland, in a cjuieter and more serious frame of mind, on the whole, than on pre- vious occasions, when there had been a vast amount of jesting over the chances (cannibalism not excepted) that might befall the expedition on the ice fields. On these NANSEN'S GREENLAND EXJ'EJ)J'JJON 53 occasions everybody used to kuiL;h very lieartily, except Rink. And 1 remember I liad to bear all the blame of this unseemly conduct after the party broke uj)." \\\ Rink's house, too, they used to take lessons in Eskimo, when time permitted. Sverdrup tried it first ; but he could not iret his tomrue rf)und the Greenland idiom. Dietrichson was good at it. " Curiously enough," writes Mrs, Rink, " I had pitched upon these two as the predestined spokesmen of the expedition, and did not offer to give Nanscn any lessons. Whereupon he said, as though a little hurt: 'Mayn't I try too.'*' — and he went at it w ith the earnestness and perseverance that are such charming traits in his character. How remarkably he succeeded in picking up the language, the Eskimos themselves bear witness." The last evcnin^j Nansen was at Rink's house, Mrs. Rink accompanied him to the door. " 1 said," she writes, "what had often occurred to me, ' You must ^o to the North Pole, too, some day.' He answered emphatically, as though he had long ago made up his mind on the point, ' I mean to.' " nAi.TO CHRISTIANSEN DIETRICHSON SVERDRUP THE MEMBERS OK THE GREENLAND EXPEDITION CHAPTER IV ACROSS GREENLAND On May 2, 1S88, Nansen started from Christiania, by way of Copenhagen and London, for Leith, where he was to meet the rest of tlie party, who had gone, with the whole outfit, from Christiansand direct to Scotland. I'rom Scotland they proceeded to Iceland by the Danish steamer Thyra. Not until June 4 did they join the sealer Jason (Captain M. Jacobsen), wliich was to carry them o\er to the east coast of Greenland — under the express stipulation, however, that the vessel should not be hindered in its sealing operations for the sake of landing the party. ACROSS GREENLAND 55 On Monday, June 11, they liad tlieir first glimpse of tlie east eoast of Greenland, sighting the higli rugged peaks nortli of Cape Dan at about the latitude where, in 1S83, Nordenskjold had succeeded in getting through the drift ice with the Sophia. The ice belt between the vessel and the roast prox'ed, however, to be still so wide (from nine to ten miles of rough ice) as to render any atteni})t to reach the land unad\'isable for the j)resent. They had to wait about a month for a favorable oj^jjortu- nity of leaving the yason, which was bound to remain in the region where the seal-hunting was likely to be good. Meanwhile, Nansen acted as "doctor" to the whole fleet of sealers, and had to possess his soul in patience until the sealing season was practically over. Finally, on the morning of July 17, the yason was so near land (about 2.', miles from the coast near Sermi- likfjord, at 65.]° N. lat.) that Nansen determined to force a passage tli rough the comparatively narrow belt of drift ice. The boat belonging to the expedition, and a smaller one which the captain of the yason had placed at their disposal, were therefore lowered, the baggage ]3acked and stowed in the boats, and every preparation j)romi)tly made. At 7 r. m. all was ready for a start. Nansen went uj) into the crow's-nest for a last survey of the course, and saw plainly, with the aid of the glass, a belt of open water between the drift ice and the shore. "We are taking to our boats with the firmest liope of a successful issue to our enterprise," Nansen wrote in a letter to the " Morgenblad " hastily scribbled at the last moment. It was soon apparent that their hopefulness was, at the 56 .V.LVSIwV J\ TIIK FROZEX WORLD \cry outset, to be put to a severe test. After they had tried the wliole night long, in storm and rain, to get through the th'ift ice opjxisite the mouth of the Sermilik- fjord, the ice became so packed l3y tlie current tliat, in the early morning, they had to drag their boats up on the Jioes. One of the boats was injured by the pressure of the ice, so that it had to be repaired in hot haste ; and during the short time lost in doing this they were caught in a strong southerly current, and swept seaward again at a great speed. At six o'clock on the 19th they found that they were already twice as far from land as when they had left the ship. There was nothing for it but to drift southward with the ice until an opportunity should offer of getting in under the land acrain. For ten days the expedition drifted along the east coast of Greenland as far down as the island of Kudtlek, 61° 40' N. lat., at an average rate of nearly six knots in the twenty-four hours. Quite apart from the very serious dangers to which Nansen and his comrades were exposed during this drift voyage, the expedition was carried a long way from its projected starting-point, and had lost a great deal of very precious time. It was not till July 29 that they succeeded in setting foot on dry land, and thus the best part of the summer was already gone. Nansen has given a vivid description of this interesting drift voyage, and of life on the ice floe, which, tossed about by the waves and breakers, and repeatedly cracked and broken, was yet the abiding-place of the expedition during all these days.' With the mountains of the coast so near that in bright weather they could clearly distinguish their ' For description, sec next chapter. < c 2 C c c c r PI C 53 AU.VSAW AY THE FROZEN WORLD outlines, they were steadily borne southward, farther and farther from their goal. The niglit of July 20 might easily have been their last. The ice floe on which they were drifting had come right out to the \erge of the open sea, which was running very high, so that the surf kept on washing over the fioe almost up tt) the tent. Had the Hoe been crushed, they might very likclv have found it impossible to launch the boats in such a furious sea, and among the clashing masses of ice. In any case they could not have saved more than one of the boats, and the most indispensable part of the provi- sions and equipment. One scarcely knows which to admire the most. — Sverdrup, who kept the night watch, pacing calm and composed, with his quid in his cheek, up and down the tloe, between the tent and the boats, many times on the point of loosening the hooks of the tent-fla}) to make them all turn out, but always staying his hand; or Nansen and Dietrichson, who lay c|uictly asleep in the tent, while the sui"f roared and rattled the ice-brash over the rocking floe, and swept ever nearer and nearer until it lapped the very {icS.'^ii of the tent. But just as the outlook was blackest, the floe suddenly changed its course, headed shoreward once more " as if guided by an unseen hand," and was soon in safer waters. Nansen and his companions had a hard time of it during these perilous, exciting da3'S on the ice floe. They did not so much mind their toil in the rain and surf, fruit- lessly striving to force a ])assage through openings in the ice i^ack ; they did not so much mind their scanty diet of raw horse-flesh, etc. (the cooking apjDaratus was only once lighted during their days of drifting); they did not so much mind the dangers that threatened them on every AC/WSS GREENLAND 59 hand; but tlicy dreaded the i)rospect of havini;- to u,i\e up for that season the journey aeross the inland iee. These wasted days were tryini;- days indeed. W'lien the news of tlie success of tlie e.\i)edition reached Stoekliohn, Nordcnskjold poiiited out, as the strongest proof of the achniraljle energy disj)hi)'ed (hiring the entire journey, tliat when at hist tliev had "'ot thion-h the belt of drift ice they instantly set to woik to row- northward again, in order to reach the ])roper jjoint for attacking the ice slieet. TJie)- had, in a wa\-, made an unh)rtunate and discouraging start. It was already well on in the summer, the supj^ly of provisions was not ox-er- abundant, and — cixilization was, moreover, within tc'm])t- ingly easy reacli. They were now onl)- 180 miles from the nearest colony, iM-ederiksdal, wliile the Sermilikfjord, the starting-point originally fixed u])()n, was nearly twice as distant. The mere fact of their resisting the tempta- tion to put off till the following 3^ear may be called trul\- heroic; not many would have shown such resolution. But for them the temptation was no temptation at all. It did not enter their thoughts that there was anything to be done except to head the boats northward as quickly as possible. And it was not with anxious fear, but with radiant joy, that they now saw a clear water-way before them. The first problem, that of getting through the drift ice with whole skins, was thus solved — with great labor, it is tree, and loss of precious time, but nexertheless solved. It had l^een prophesied that e\en this would j)ro\e im- l^racticable ; for a long series of vain attempts had shown that it was next thing to impossible to ]:)enctrate the ice belt south of the sixtv-sixth dccrree of latitude. Not until 6o A\^JVS£:X JX THE FROZEN WORLD 1883 liad Nordenskjold, with the steamer Sophia, suc- ceeded in reachini;- the coast near Cape Dan (King Oscar's Haven). So much the more daring- was it on Nansen's part to make the attempt. But now tlie thing was to make all speed northward. The best of the summer was gone. If the}' were to have any chance of reaching the west coast that year, they must go at it in earnest. .And they did go at it \\\ earnest. On the day of their landing at Kekertarsuak they had a lordly repast of hot chocolate and extra rations of oat cake, Swiss cheese, mysost (goat's milk cheese), and cran- berry jam, to celebrate their landing; but after that their meals consisted of cold water, biscuits, and dried beef — they could not waste time in cooking until they had in some measure made up wliat tliey had lost in the ice drift. It was a toilsome journey b\- boat northward along the coast. W)\ long distances they had to exert all their strength to force the ice floes apart in order to get the boats through the narrow channels between them ; and sometimes they had to drag the boats over the ice, skirt- incr the low barren coast, with s^laciers and snow-fields coming right down to the margin of the sea. They got safely past the dreaded glacier Puisortok (near it, at Cape Bille, they came upon an encampment of heathen Eski- mos, of which Nansen has given a highly interesting description),' and they forced their way with the greatest difficulty through a closely packed belt of drift ice south of Ingerkajarfik. At Mogens Hcinesens Fjord the appear- ance of the coast altered. From this ]:)oint northward there is a lontc stretch of bare coast land, with a view of ^ See chapter vi. .tC/WSS GREEXf.AND r,i high mountain ranges, " summit on summit, and rank be- hind rank." !))■ dint of constant battling with the drift ice and the current, the expedition reached Nunarsuak (62' 43' N. lat.) on August 3. From this ])oint tliey tried to sail, but the wind soon rose to a tempest which was near proving fatal, for the boats were on the point of being crushed between the ice fioes, got their oars and thole-pins smashed, and were separated into the bargain. It was a hard pinch, but by putting forth all their strength they got through it at last, and the tent was pitched on a patch of soft greensward on Griffenfeldt's Island, for the highly needful repose after an exhausting day. A feast of splendid hot caraway soup, " never to be forgotten," was the reward for their toils. On August 5 the boats narrowly escaped being crushed by the falling of a fragment of an iceberg, and " after almost incredible labor " they reached in the even- ing an islet at the mouth of the Inugsuarmiutfjord, where they intended to rest for the night. But from here thev perceix'cd that the water was open ahead, the fjord King smooth as a mirror; so their rest had to be adjourned. Forward again! They certainly did "go at it in earnest." At Singiartuarfik, on /Vugust 6, they again fell in with Eskimos. Then northward again, now in open water, now fighting with drift ice, always on cold drv diet which was served out, moreover, in very scanty rations. They were never really satisfied, not even directlv after eating ; but Nansen said " thev had had enoutrh, so enough it had to be," as Christiansen put it. To the Lapps, who natu- rally had no \-ery clear notion beforehand of what they had embarked upon, this perpetual fighting with drift 02 X.LVS£y AV THE FROZEN WORLD ice, and fasting on top of it, began to sccni rather de- pressing. The coast now became less precipitous again, and the mountain contours rounder, and the explorers began to think of landing and beginning their journey proper. On August 8 they reached Bernstorff's Fjord (Kangerd- lugsuak) at about 63!° N, lat. The fjord was brimful of ulacier ice, many of the huire iceberc^s risinir out of the water to a height of over two hundred feet (six or seven times as much being under water), and running to a mile or so in breadth, sometimes flat-topped, sometimes jutting forth into the most fantastic peaks, j^innacles, and crests. These colossal masses were so innumerable that they threatened to bar all advance, brom the top of one of them the eye ranged over an " Alpine world of floating ice. At last chinks were discovered even in this barrier — open channels "with a narrow strip t)f sky visible between high walls of ice." And "although hucre icebcros more than once collapsed, or capsized with a mighty crash, and set up a xiolent sea-way," here, too, they at last got out of their difficulties for the moment. That night they slept in the sleeping-bags only, upon a rock so small that there was not room to pitch the tent. In a more and more open water-way they pressed on northward, with masses of ice breakincr off from the glaciers and icebergs on every side. On /Vugust 9, while they were in the act of forcing asunder two floes, among a number of icebergs, a huge piece of an iceberg fell down with a mighty crash upon the floe they were stand- ing on, smashing it and violently churning up the sea. " i lad we gone to that side a few moments earlier, as we ACROSS GRKKXI.AXD 63 originally intended, we should almost certainly have Ijeen crushed to death. It was the third time such a thini^; had happened to us," Nansen says in his acccjunt of the e\])e- dition, characteristically describing it as " an odd occur- rence." Well may it be called " odd " ! How does it hap- pen that some men come safe and sound through all such adventures ; go voyages on ice floes and sleej) undisturbed while the surf is on the point of breaking uj) the fragile barrier between them and eternity; row in boats under toppling icebergs, and get clear of them two minutes be- fore they fall ; plump into fissures in the inland ice at the very points where their arms and their ali)enstocks can save them; row for days in dangerous waters in nutsliell boats improvised out of sail-cloth, and get in just in time to escape storms and certain destruction ; sleep on the ice in a temperature of —45° C. (—49° T-'^hr.) without freezing to death ; fall into the ice-cold water half a score of times not only without drowning, but without so much as taking cold ; lead a dog's life of toil and hunger for months at a stretch, and come out none the worse for it; while others — alas! one has no heart to insist on the contrast. But truly it may well be called "odd"! Let us admit that ninety-nine hundredths of this "devils own luck " is due to having- an eve on every finger, so to speak — is due to the sound mind in the sound body — to the alert capacity of genius — to the indomitable energy of the man with a vocation. Granted all this, how are we to account for the remainino^ hundredth 1 These Greenland explorers are in league with destiny ! When Njaal and his sons were hard bestead, Njaal would have had them give in ; and one of the sons agreed with Iiim that that was " the best thev could do." Whereupon 64 ^'.■LySE.V AY THK FROZEN WORLD Skarphcdin answered : " I am not so sure of that, for now he is fev." The Sasra-man would have us understand that he wlio is " fey," who is marked for death, has no longer complete control of his will and his intelligence. These young men were not "fey" in any sense of the word/ They now pressed forward in tolerably open water past the glacier-bound coast near Gyldenlove's Fjord and Col- berger Heide, and at last, at eight o'clock in the evening of August lo, in a thick fog, they made their final land- ing on the north side of Umiviksfjord. They were now done with the boats, and were overjoyed to haul them up on land, Nansen meanwhile making the coffee " for the second hot meal in twelve da^'s." After Nansen and Sverdrup had assured themselves, by a laborious reconnaissance on August ii, that it was j^os- sible to make the ascent of the inland ice from Umivik, the following days were devoted to all kinds of repairs of foot-gear, sledge-runners, etc., the final packing of the baggage, and, in short, the most careful preparation for the journey that lay before them. During all these days the weather was mild and calm, with a fjreat deal of rain — weather in which it would not in any case have been advisable to make a start. At last, at nine in the evening on August i6, every- thing was in order for the ascent. The ba2:o:a^2:e was stowed on four sledges, each carrying about 220 lbs., and a fifth, somewhat larger sledo;e, carrvino: about double that amount. This last was therefore drawn by two men, Nansen and Sverdrup. ' The word in the original is " feig," whic!i means not only " fey," but " cowardly." ACJWSS GREENLAND 65 The ascent of the ice was \'ery steej:), so that their pro- gress was slow, aiul, althougli they at first travelled by night, the surface was soft. The ice was full of crevasses, yet not so difficult but that they could manage to get across them. It rained a good deal, too, so that they were wet to the skin. For three days and niglits, from noon on the 17th till the morning of the 20th, the weather was so execrable, with torrents of rain and wind, that there was nothing for it but to keej) to the tent. They were not very agreeable days, especially as the supply of provi- sions was so small that Nansen decided that one meal a day must suffice while they were doing nothing. On the 20th they were able to start off again. It was frightfully slow going, over the steep surface, full f)f rents and fissures. On the 21st it cleared up, and there was frost enough to make the snow firmer. T^-om that day till they reached the west coast they found no drinking water anywhere, and consequently suffered from a burn- ing thirst. While on the march they got nothing to drink but just what they could melt by the warmth of their own bodies. They filled small flat pocket-flasks with snow and carried them in their breasts, often next the skin, until the snow was melted. In such intense cold as they encoun- tered later, these were hard-earned drops. When they turned out at two o'clock on the morning of the 2 2d, they found a frozen surface. They were now at a height of about 3,000 feet, and thought they had got over the w^orst of the ascent. But the ice was still very uneven, and the labor of dragging along the heavy sledges was terrible — " the strain on the up])er part of the body was very trying, and our shoulder^ f-'lt as if thev were burned by the ropes." 5 66 AI-1XS£X IN THE FROZEN WORLD From the 24th onward they travelled by day. The cold now began to increase raj^idly. Nevertheless, except for a single day, the surface was still, as a rule, extremely heavy, on account of the loose snow into which the sledges sank deep ; and on the 26th they had, in addition, a regular snow-storm. The ascent was still so steep (a gradient, sometimes, of i in 4) that it would often take three men to pull each sledge, so that they had to co\er the ground several times over. No wonder that Chris- tiansen, who, as a rule, never opened his mouth, should ha\-e said to Dietrichson after one of these return jour- neys : " Good Lord ! to think of people being so cruel to themselves as to go in for this sort of thing." The expedition had then reached a height of about 6,000 feet. This weather, with wind and snow-flurries, continued during the following days. Although they tried to make use of the wind by rigging up tarpaulin sails on the sledges, they nevertheless got on so slowly that it began to dawn on Nansen that, at this rate, there would be sniall prospect of reaching Christianshaab now that the season was so far advanced. On the 28th, therefore, he deter- mined to take a different direction, and steer due west, for Godthaab, or rather for the shores of the Ameralikfjord (64° 10'), directly south of Godthaab, a considerably nearer point on the west coast. This proposition was received with joy by every one, and they set off through the snow with the same unremitting toil, although in a slightly dif- ferent direction. The ])rojecting peaks (nunataks) which, up to this point, they had.])assed from time to time, now disappeared ; the last glimjxse of bare rock was seen on August 31. After that nothing but ice and snow met their view until they reached the west coast. AC/WSS GREENLAND 67 Still llicir course hiy steadily Lipuard. 'I'Ir- Miow-fRlcl rose in long, gentle waves, higher and higher toward the interior. I'dr weeks they fought their w-ay inland in this fashion. one day exactly resembling another, and full of eudKss toil from morninu; till nicrht. The surface of the snow was now smooth and even as a mirror, broken only by the tracks they themselves made with their feet or theii- sledges. The snow, frequently fresh-fallen, was, as a rule, fine and dry, and therefore exceptionally heax'y to drag the sledges through. The day's march under these con- ditions was not loner — not more than from five to ten miles, although they were now able to use snow-shoes. As they advanced the cold became more and more severe. When the weather was fine, indeed, the midday sun was often quite oppressive, and their feet would get wet in the slush ; but as soon as the sun went down, they felt the cold of the niohts so much the more keenl\- — and they were often in danger of having their wet feet frost-bitten. " It often happened, when we came to lake off our laupar-shoes of an evening, that we found them frozen fast in one solid piece with snow-sock and stock- ing." On Sej^tember 11, the temperature at night within the tent was under — 40° C. ( — 40° Fahr.), and outside the tent probably under —45° C. (—49° Fahr.). The difference be- tween the day and the night temperature was often more than 20° C. (36° I-\ahr.). Even inside the closed sleeping- bag, the cold was so severe that when they awakened they would often find their heads c()mi)letel\' surrounded with ice and hoar frost. " To be obliged to be out constantlv in such cold is not always ao-reeable," savs Nanscn in his 68 iV.-iNSE.V IX THE FROZEN WORLD book. " It often happened that so much ice formed about the face that the beard was absolutely frozen fast to the wrappings round the head, and it was difficult enough to open the mouth to speak." When in addition to the frost there came a snow-storm, we can readily understand that it was no joke for them to drag themselves, eacli with a heavy sledge, day after day across the interminable ice desert, at an altitude of 8,000 or 9,000 feet above the sea. From September 4 to 8 they encountered a furious snow- storm, with a temperature of —40° Fahr. On the 7th, in- deed, they dared not stir from their tent, which was care- fully hauled taut, lest the wind should blow it to shreds — in whicli case, no doubt, their saga would have been over. But when it was at all possible their daily life followed its regular course; and in spite of cold and snow-storm, thirst, " fat hunger," and other hardships, they toiled steadily on toward the west coast. On September 5 they passed the highest point on their route, 8,860 feet. On September 1 1 and 12 they were at a height of about 8,300 feet; and from liere began a perceptible, if not a very marked, clown gradient toward the west. On the 1 6th they came upon several pretty sharp declivities, and when the temperature at night " just failed to reach zero " they all felt that it was quite mild. On the 1 7th they saw a snow-bunting, and knew they must now be ncarinor " land." On the 19th they had a favorable wind, and hoisted sails on the sledges, which they lashed together, two and two. They were soon going at a spanking pace, and now at last they were distinctly upon the downward slope toward the coast. Late in the afternoon they saw " land " for the first time. They went on sailing in the moonlight, AC/WSS GREENLAND 69 1 1\\ and very nearly sailed llieir last voyage, fur the)' had n reaehed the fissured marginal zone of the inland iee, w ilh its yawning crevasses many hundred feet deep, Nansen himself had the fingers of both hands frost- bitten that evening, and suffered " almost intolerable pain" (it must have been bad indeed !). They liad little enough UNDKR SAIL IN TIIK MOnNl.IGIlT — CKHVASSES AllKAU to cat, too ; but for all this they cared not a whit, for they knew now that they were nearing the west coast. The next morning (September 20) when they looked out of the tent, and saw the whole country south of Godt- haabsfjord spread out before them, one can guess wliat were their feeliniis. " \\x^ were like children — a lump rose in our throats, while our eyes followed the valleys and sought in vain for a glimpse of the sea." 70 A.LVSAW IX THE FROZEN WORLD The next clay they advanced pretty briskly, although with the t intelligence. The two letters brought by the steamer, one from 74 JV.-1.VS£A^ IN THE FROZEN WORLD Nansen to Gamel, the other from Svcrdrup to liis fatlier, were soon telegraphed over the whole world, and, as will be remembered, were everywhere received with great rejoicing. Meanwhile Nansen and his comrades had to winter in Godthaab, w here 1 lerr i)i>lrups, the director of the colon)', Doctor Binzers, Pastor liilles, and the other Danish residents, showed them the greatest hospitality, and did everything to make their stay as pleasant as possible. Nansen himself turned his time to account in studying the Eskimos. 1 le shared their life with them in their huts, went thoroughly into their methods of hunting, their customs and occupations, and even got to know their language pretty well. He learned to manage the kaiak and wield their weapons; in short, he spared no possible pains in his study of this remarkable people, for whom he soon came to entertain a real affection. He also made several excursions with the Greenlanders, a hunting expedition to Ameralikfjord, and longer trips to Sardlok and Kancjek, durinor which he li\'ed for some weeks entirely with the Eskimos. On iVpril 15, 1889, while Nansen and his comrades sat chatting over their coffee with the colonial director and the doctor, the whole colon)' resounded with one unixersal cry, " Umiarsuit ! Umiarsuit ! " (The ship, the ship !) It was the longed-for vessel, Hvidbjornen, under the command of Lieutenant Garde. The hour of de])arture had come, and everything was soon in order. " It was not without sorrow," Nansen says, " that some of us turned our backs on tlie people wlio had been so good to us, and the ])lace where we had lived so happily." So far as Nansen himself is concerned, ACIiOSS GREENLAND 75 one may be sure tliat llicsc words arc tlie cxi^rcssinn nf sincere feeling-. A nature likr his, with it^ liealthy passion for open-air activity, iiui^l lia\c l)rcn in its ele- niciU anioni;- these kindly })riniiti\e people. 1 Ir relates a eharminLilv characteristic little incident of their leave- takinir. One of his Eskimo friends, whom he had often \'isited, said to him the day before his de])ai-ture : "Now you are troin<>- back to the <'-reat world whence \-ou came to us, and you will meet many j)eoj)le there, and hear many new things, and you will soon forget us; dit/ we wi/l never forget you!' Those wlio know Nansen know that he has not forgot- ten his Eskimo friends; and those who have read his book describing their life will understand how dear they liad become to him. On May 21, after a favorable passage, Hviddforfien an- chored in the harbor of Copenhagen. It was a little more than a year since Nansen, on his way to Greenland, had passed through Copenhagen, and put the hasty finishing touches to the j^reparations for the exiK'dition. A great deal had happened in the interval. In himself, indeed, he was just the same when he came back as when he went awa)' ; but in the eyes of the world he was a very differ- ent person. Then he had been a young dare-devil setting forth on a forlorn hope; now he was the world-renowned e\pk)rer who had successfully carried through a great un- dertaking. And then came the triumj^hs. Inrst a week's folivi- ties in Copenhagen, and then the home-coming— such a home-coming as has fallen to the lot of no other Norwe- gian. It was a lovely day as the triumphal jjrocession passed up Christiania Ejord — all the shi])s were in festal 76 NANSEN IN THE FROZEN WORLD array, the woods wore their first green leaves, there were flowers and flags and music on every hand, up the whole long fjord, to the city. It was as though a Hood of color and warmth had streamed forth to greet these vis- itants from the white wastes of tlie inland ice. First came the men-of-war, and the torpedo boats, skim- ming along beside the M. G. Melchior, and formin"- a o^uard of honor, right up to the capital ; then the great sc[uadron of steamships, then the sailino;-boat5 and cutters with their white sails, darting around Nansen's ship like a flock of sea-gulls, now astern, now abeam, now ahead. There he stood in his gray clothes which had turned to dirty brown in the Greenland turf huts. The honor done him was too overpowering for him to feel ])roud at that mo- ment. A softer and more subdued emotion must doubt- less have been in the ascendant. He must have felt how he passed over into his people, and became one with it. He had gone forth as an emissary, an interpreter of this people ; the courage which goes unknown and unrecorded to its fate in the dark nights on sea and fjord, it had been his happy lot to lead forward into sunshine and victory NANm.n ai iiiiivlV-ONE AC7WSS GREENLAND 77 before the eyes of the whole world. Among all the thou- sands who waved to him from the ramparts of Akcrhus, wlio burst the cordon of the police and swarmed round his carriage in the streets, how many at that moment had any thought of science ? It was the exploit that appealed to them — they saw in him the victorious chieftain, the con- necting link between the heroes of the Sagas and tlie heroes of every-day life, the fisherman clinging to his over- turned boat, the snow-shoer on the wintry uplands, the lumberman shooting the rapids on his raft. They saw in him the national type ; and they were right in a way. In that hour he must certainly have felt himself close-knit to the soil from which his deed had sprung, and memories of childhood must have rushed in upon him when his car- riage stopped at the house of the sisters Larsen, and he ran upstairs to greet the old housekeeper at Great Frocn, who had bandaged his blood-stained forehead the first time that he kissed the ice. CHAPTER V DRIITING IN THE ICE ' Next morning, July 20, I was roused by some violent shocks to the floe on which we were encamped, and thought the motion of the sea mu>t have increased very considerablv. When we sfet outside we discover that the floe has split in two not far from the tent. The Lapps, who had at once made for the highest points of our piece of ice, now shout that they can see the open sea. And so it is; far in the distance lies the sea sparkling in the mornins: sunshine. It is a siciht we have not had since we left the Jason. I may here reproduce the entries in my diary for this and the following day : — " The swell is growing heavier and heavier, and the water breakins: over our floe with ever-increasino: force. The blocks of ice and slush, which come from the ijrind- ing of the floes together, and are thrown up round the edges of our piece, do a good deal to break the violence of the waves. The worst of it all is that we are beino^ car- ried seaward with ominous rapidity. We load our sledges and try to drag them inward toward land, but soon see that the pace we are drifting at is too much for us. So we begin again to look around us for a safer floe to pitch our camp on, as our present one seems somewhat shaky. When we first took to it it was a good round flat piece ' From Nansen's Across Greenland. PRfl'TIXG IN 'Jlfl'l ICE 79 about seventy yards across, but it sj)lil once durin-j, the nieemed to my- self to see his sturd}- form as he paced calmly backward and forward, with his hands in his pockets and a slight stoop in his shoulders, or stood with his calm and thought- ful face gazing out to sea, his quid now and again turning in his cheek — I remember no more, as I dozed off to sleep again. 84 NANSEN IN THE EROZEX WORLD " I did not wake again till it was full morning. Then I started up in astonishment, for I could hear nothing of the breakers but a distant thunder. When I got outside the tent I saw that we were a long way off the open sea. Our floe, however, was a sight to remember. Fragments of ice, big and little, had been thrown upon it by the waves till they formed a rampart all around us, and the ridge on which our tent and one of the boats stood was the only part the sea had not washed. " Sverdrup now told us that several times in the course of the night he had stood by the tent-door prepared to turn us out. Once he actually undid one hook, then waited a bit, took another turn to the boats, and then another look at the surf, leaving the hook unfastened in case of accident. We were then right out at the extreme edge of the ice. A huge crag of ice was swaying in the sea close beside us, and threatening every moment to fall upon our floe. The surf was washing us on all sides, but the rampart that had been thrown up round us did us Q:ood service, and the tent and one of the boats still stood high and dry. The other boat, in which Balto was asleep, was washed so heavily that again and again Sverdrup had to hold it in its place. " Then matters got still worse. Sverdrup came to the tent-door again, undid another hook, but again hesitated and waited for the next sea. He undid no more hooks, however. Just as things looked worst, and our floe's turn had come to ride out into the middle of the breakers, she suddenly changed her course, and with astonishing speed we were once more sailing: in toward land. So marv^ellous was the chanire that it looked as if it were the work of an unseen hand. When I got out we were far inside and in DRIFTIXG IN THE JCE 85 a good liai-bor. though the roar of the breakers was still audible enough to remind us of the night. Thus fcr this time we were spared the expected trial of the seaworthi- ness of our boats and our own seamanship." THE ESKIMO ENCAMPMENT AT CAPE BILLE (By E. Nielsen, from a photografilt) CHAPTER VI AN ESKIMO ENCAMPMENT ON THE EAST COAST 1 As we drew near Cape Bille, the promontory which lies to the north of Puisortok, we heard strange sounds from shore — as it were, a mixture of human voices and the barking of dogs. As we gazed thither we now caught sight of some dark masses of moving objects, which, as we examined them more closely, we found to be groups of human beings. They were spread over the terrace of rock, were chattering in indistinguishable Babel, gesticu- lating, and pointing toward us as we worked our way quietly through the ice. They had evidently been watch- iniif us for some time. We now too discovered a number of skin-tents which were perched among the rocks, and at the same time became aware of a noteworthy smell of train-oil or some similar substance, which followed the off- shore breeze. Though it was still early, and though the water in front of us seemed open for some distance, we could not resist the temptation of visiting these strange and unknown beings. At the moment we turned our * P>om Nansen's Across Greenland. AX ESKIMO EXCAMJ'MJ.XT 87 boats toward shore the clamor increased tenfold. They shrieked and yelled, jjointed, and rushed, some down to the shore, others up on to higher rocks in order to see us better. If we were stopped by ice and took out our long boat-hooks and bamboo jDoles to force the floes apart and make ourselves a channel, the confusion on shore rose to an extraordinary pitch, the cries and laughter growing sim})l\- hysterical. As we got in toward land some men came darting out to us in tlieir " kaiaks," among them a native whom we had seen in the mornincf. Their faces one and all simply beamed with smiles, and in the most friendly way they swarmed around us in their active little craft, trying to point us out the way, which we could quite well find ourselves, and gazing in wonder at our strong boats as they glided on regardless of ice, which would have cut their fragile boats of skin in pieces. At last we passed the last floe and drew in to shore. It was now growing dusk, and the scene that met us was one of the most fantastic to which I have ever been witness. All about the ledsfcs of rock stood lone: rows of strangely wild and shaggy-looking creatures — men, women, and children all in much the same scanty dress — staring and pointing at us, and uttering the same bo- vine sound wliich had so much struck us in the morning. Now it was just as if wc had a whole herd of cows about us, lowing in chorus as th.e cowhouse door is opened in the morning to admit the expected fodder. Down by the water's edu:e were a number of men eajjerlv struir- gling and gesticulating to show us a good landing-place, which, toe:cther with other small services of the kind, is the acknowledged Eskimo welcome to strangers whom they are pleased to see. Up on the rocks were a number 8S NAXSEN IN THE FROZEN WORLD of vellowish-brown tents, and lower down canoes, skin- boats, and other implements, while more " kaiaks " swarmed round us in the water. Add to all this the neighboring glacier, the drifting fioes, and the glowing evening sky, and, lastly, our two boats and six unkempt- looking selves, and the whole formed a picture which we at least are not likely to forget. The life and movement were a welcome contrast indeed to the desolation and silence which we had so loncj endured. It was not long, of course, before our boats were safely moored, and we standing on shore surrounded by crowds of natives, who scanned us and our belongings with won- dering eyes. Beaming smiles and kindliness met us on all sides. A smiling face is the Eskimo's greeting to a stranger, as his language has no formula of welcome. Then we look around us for a bit. Here amid the ice and snow these people seemed to be comfortable enough, and we felt indeed that we would willingly prolong our stay among them. As we stopped in front of the largest tent, at the sight of the comfortable glow that shone out through its outer opening, we were at once invited in by signs. We accepted the invitation, and as soon as we had passed the outer doorway a curtain of thin membra- neous skin was pushed aside for us, and, bending our heads as we entered, we found ourselves in a cosey room. The sight and smell which now met us were, to put it mildly, at least unusual. I had certainly been given to understand that the Eskimos of the east coast of Green- land were in the habit of reducinor their indoor dress to the smallest possible dimensions, and that the atmosphere of their dwellings was the reverse of pleasant. But a sight so extraordinary, and a smell so remarkable, had AN ESKIMO ENCAMPMENT 89 never come within the nmsj^ of my imagination. The smell, which was a peculiar blending of several charac- teristic ingredients, was quite enough to occujoy one's attention at first entrance. The most prominent of the components was due to the numerous train-oil lamps which were burning, and this powerful odor was well tempered with human exhalations of every conceivable kind, as well as the pungent effluvia of a certain fetid liquid which was stored in vessels here and there about the room, and which, as I subsequently learned, is, from the various uses to which it is applied, one of the most important and valuable commodities of Eskimo domestic economy. Into further details I think it is scarcely ad- visable to go, and I must ask the reader to accept my assurance that the general effect was anything but at- tractive to the unaccustomed nose of the new-comer. However, familiarity soon has its wonted effect, and one's first abhorrence may even before long give way to a cer- tain degree of pleasure. But it is not the same with every one, and one or two of our party were even con- strained to retire incontinently. For my own part, I soon found myself sufficiently at ease to be able to use my eyes. INIy attention was first arrested h\ the number of naked forms which thronc:ed the tent in standing, sitting, and reclining positions. All the occupants were, in fact, attired in their so-called " natit " or indoor dress, the dimensions of which are so extremely small as to make it practically invisible to the stranger's inexperienced eye. The dress consists of a narrow band about the loins, which in the case of the women is reduced to the smallest possible dimensions. Of false modesty, of course, there was no sign, but it is 90 A^AXS£y AV T//E FROZEN WORLD not to be wondered at that the unaffected ingenuousness witli whicli all intercourse was carried on made a very strange impression upon us conventional Europeans in the first instance. Nor will the blushes which rose to the cheeks of some among us when we saw a party of young men and women who followed us into the tent at once proceed to attire themselves in their indoor dress, or, in other words, divest themselves of every particle of cloth- ing which they wore, be laid to our discredit, when it is remembered that we had been accustomed to male society exclusively during our voyage and adventures among the ice. The Lapps especially were much embarrassed at the unwonted sight. The natives now thronged in in numbers, and the tent was soon closely packed. W^e had been at once invited to sit down upon some chests which stood by the thin skin-curtain at the entrance. These are the seats which are always put at the disposal of visitors, while the occu- pants have their places upon the long bench or couch which fills the back part of the tent. This couch is made of planks, is deep enough to give room for a body re- clining at full length, and is as broad as the whole width of the tent. It is covered with several layers of seal-skin, and upon it the occupants spend their whole indoor life, men and women alike, sitting often cross-legged as they work, and taking their meals and rest and sleep. The tent itself is of a very peculiar construction. The framework consists of a sort of high trestle, upon which a number of poles are laid, forming a semicircle below, and converging more or less to a point at the top. Over these poles a double layer of skin is stretched, the inner coat with the hair turned inward, and the outer generally AN ESKIMO ENCAMPMENT 91 consisting of the old coverings of boats and " kaiaks." The entrance is under the above-mentioned trestle, which is covered by the thin curtain of which I ha\e already spoken. This particular tent housed four or five different fami- lies. Each of them had its own partition marked off upon the common couch, and in each of the stalls so formed man, wife, and children would be closely packed, a four-foot space thus having sometimes to accommodate husband, two wives, and six or more children. Before every family stall a train-oil lamp was burning with a broad flame. These lamps are flat, semicircular vessels of pot-stone, about a foot in length. The wick is made of dried moss, which is placed against one side of the lamp and continually fed with pieces of fresh blubber, which soon melts into oil. The lamps are in charge of the women, who have special sticks to manipulate the wicks with, to keep them both from smoking and from burning too low. Great pots of the same stone hang above, and in them the Eskimos cook all their food which they do not eat raw. Strange to say, they use neither peat nor wood for cooking purposes, though such fuel is not difficult to procure. The lamps are kept burning night and day ; they serve for both heating and lighting purposes, for the Eskimo does not sleep in the dark, like other people; and they also ser\'e to maintain a perma- nent odor of train-oil, which, as I have said, our Euro- pean senses at first found not altogether attractive, but which they soon learned not only to tolerate, but to take pleasure in. As we sat in a row on the chests, taking stock of our strange surroundings, our hosts began to try to enter- 92 AvlNS£2V IX THE FROZEX WORLD tain us. The use of every object we looked at was kindly explained to us, partly by means of words, of which we understood nothing, and partly by actions, which were somewhat more within reach of our comprehension. In this way we learned that certain wooden racks which hung from the roof were for drying clothes on, that the substance cooking in the pots was seal's-flesh, and so on. Then they showed us various things which they were evidently very proud of. Some old women opened a bag, for instance, and brought out a little bit of Dutch screw- tobacco, while a man displayed a knife with a long bone- handle. These two things were, no doubt, the most notable possessions in the tent, for they were regarded by all the company with especial veneration. Then they began to explain to us the mutual relations of the various occupants of the tent. A man embraced a fat woman, and thereupon the pair with extreme complacency pointed to some younger individuals, the whole pantomime giving us to understand that the party together formed a family of husband, wife, and children. The man then proceeded to stroke his wife down the back and pinch her here and there to show us how charming and delightful she was, and how fond he was of her, the process giving her, at the same time, evident satisfaction. Curiously enough, none of the men in this particular tent seemed to have more than one wife, though it is a common thing among the east coast Eskimos for a man to keep two if he can afford them, though never more than two. As a rule the men are good to their wives, and a couple may even be seen to kiss each other at times, though the process is not carried out on European lines, but by a mutual rubbing of noses. Domestic strife is, AN ESKIMO ENCAMPMENT 93 however, not unknown, and it sometimes leads to violent scenes, the end of which generally is that the woman receives either a vigorous castigation or the blade of a knife in her arm or leg, after which the relation between the two becomes as cordial as ever, especially if the woman has children. In our tent the best of understandings seem to prevail among the many occupants. Toward us they were especially friendly, and talked incessantly, though it had long been quite clear to them that all their efforts in this direction were absolutely thrown away. One of the elders of the party, who was c\'idcnt]y a prominent j^er- sonage among them, and probably an " angekok " or magician, an old fellow with a wily, cunning expression, and a more dignified air than the rest, managed to explain to us with a great deal of trouble that some of them had come from the north and were going south, while others had come from the south and were bound north ; that the two parties had met here by accident, that we had joined them, and that altogether they did not know when they had had such a orood time before. Then he wanted to know where we had come from, but this \\as not so easily managed. We pointed out to sea, and as well as we could tried to make them understand tliat we had forced our way through the ice, had reached land farther south, and then worked up northward. This information made our audience look very doubtful indeed, and anotiicr chorus of lowing followed, the conclusion evidently being that there was something supernatural about us. In this way the conversation went on, and. all things considered, we were thoroufjhlv well entertained, though to an out- side observer our j^antomimic efforts would, of course, have seemed extremely comical. 94 JV.-IXSEA' JN THE FROZEN WORLD I will not be rash enough to assert that all the faces that surrounded us were indisputably clean. Most of them were, no doubt, naturally of a yellowish or brownish hue, but how much of the color that we saw in these very swarthy countenances was really genuine we had no means of deciding. In some cases, and especially among the chil- dren, the dirt had accumulated to such an extent that it was already passing into the stage of a hard black crust, which here and there had begun to break away and to show the true skin beneath. Every face, too, with few exceptions, simply glistened with blubber. Among the women, especially the younger section, who here as in some other parts of the world are incontinently vain, wash- ing is said to be not uncommon, and Holm even accuses them of being very clean. But as to the exact nature of the process which leads to this result it will perhaps be better for me to say no more. It might be supposed that the surroundings and habits of these people, to which I have already referred, together with many other practices, which I have thought it better not to specify, would have an extremely repellent effect upon the stranger. But this is by no means the case when one has once overcome the first shock which the eccentricity of their ways is sure to cause, when one has ceased to notice such things as the irrepressible tendency of their hands to plunge into the jungle of their hair in hot pursuit, as their dirt-encrusted faces — a point on which, I may remark, we ourselves in our then condition had little right to speak — and as the strange atmosphere in which they live ; and if one is careful at first not to look too closely into their methods of preparing food, the gen- eral impression received is absolutely attractive. There AN ESKIMO ENCAMPMENT 95 is a frank and homely geniality in all their actions wliich is very winning, and can only make the stranger feel thor- oughly comfortable in their society. People's notions on the subject of good looks vary so much that it is difficult to come to a satisfactory determi- nation with regard to these Eskimos. If we bind ourselves down to any established ideal of beauty, such as, for in- stance, the Venus of Milo, the question is soon settled. The east coast of Greenland, it must be confessed, is not rich in types of this kind. But if we can only make an effort and free our critical faculty from a standard which has been forced upon it by the influences of superstition and heredity, and can only agree to allow that the thing which attracts us, and on which we look with delight, for these very reasons possesses the quality of beauty, then the problem becomes very much more difficult of solution. I ha\e no doubt that, were one to live with these people for a while and irrow accustomed to them, one would soon And many a pretty face and man)- an attractive feature amomr them. As it was, indeed, we saw more than one face which a European taste would allow to be pretty. There was one woman especially who reminded me vividly of an acknow- ledged beauty at home in Norway; and not only I, but one of my companions who happened to know the proto- type, was greatly struck by the likeness. The faces of these Eskimos are as a rule round, with broad, outstandirg jaws, and are, in the case of the women especially, very fat. the cheeks being particularly exuberant. The eyes are dark and often set a little obliquely, while the nose is flat, narrow above, and broad below. The whole face often looks as if it had been compressed from the front and 96 NAXSEN AV THE FROZEN- WORLD forced to make its growth from the sides. Among the women, and more especially the children, the face is so flat that one could almost lay a ruler across from cheek to cheek without touching the nose ; indeed, now and again one will see a child whose nose really forms a depression in the face rather than the reverse. It will be understood from this that many of these people show no signs of ap- proaching the European standard of good looks, but it is not exactly in this direction that the Eskimo's attractions, generally speaking, really lie. At the same time there is something kindly, genial, and complacent in his stubby, dumpy, oily features which is quite irresistible. Their hands and feet alike are unusually small and well- shaped. Their hair is absolutely black, and quite straight, resemblins: horse-hair. The men often tie it back from the forehead with a string of beads and leave it to fall down over the shoulders. Some who have no such band have it cut above the forehead or round the whole head with the jawbone of a shark, as their superstitions will not allow them on anv account to let iron come into contact with it, even when the doubtful course of having it cut at all has been resolved upon. But, curiously enough, a man who has begun to cut his hair in his youth must necessa- rily continue the practice all his life. The women gather their hair up from behind and tie it with a strip of seal- skin into a cone, which must stand as perpendicularly as possible. This convention is, of course, especially strin- gent in the case of the young unmarried women, who, to obtain the desired result, tie their hair l^ack from the fore- head and temples so tightly that by degrees it gradually gives way, and they become bald at a very early age. A head which has felt the effects of this treatment is no AN ESKIMO ENCAMPMENT 97 attractive sight, Init tlic \ictim in such cases has generally been a long time married and settled in life, and the dis- advantage is therefore not so keenly felt. After we had been sitting in the tent for a while, one of r ily^/^\ f !!/■ f ESKIMO BEAUTY, FROM THE EAST COAST, IN HER OLD AGE (By E. Nielsen, from a /i/iotogra/'/t taken by tlie Danish " Konebiuxd^' exf edition) the elders of the company, the old man with the unat- tractive expression, of whom I have already spoken, rose and went out. Presently he came in again with a long line of seal-skin, which, as he sat on the bench, he began to un- roll. I regarded this performance with some wonder, as I could not imagine what was going to haj^pen. I hen he brought out a knife, cut off a long piece, and, rising, gave it to one of us. Then he cut off another piece of equal 98 X.IXSEX IN THE FROZEN WORLD <**"=-- lenglli and ga\c it to another, and the process was re- peated till we all six were alike provided. When he had finished his distribution he smiled and beamed at us, in his abundant satisfaction with himself and the woild at larire. Then another of them went out, came back with a similar line, and dis- tributed it in like manner ; whereupon a third followed his example, and so the game was kept going till we were each of us provided with four or five pieces of seal-skin line. Poor things ! they gave us what they could, and what they thought would be useful to us. It was the kind of line they use, when seal-catching, to connect the ])oint of the harpoon to the bladder which })re- -'—^'' vents the seal from escaping, and it ESKIMO l?OY, FROM THE J^ aStOuisIl iuQrly StrOUOr. CAMP AT FORT BILLE ^ -' ^5 After this exhibition of liberality we sat for a time looking at one another, and I expected that our hosts would show by signs their desire for something in return. After a while, too, the old man did get up and produce something which he evidently kept as a possession of great price and rarity. It was nothing else than a clumsy, rusty old rifle, with the strangest contrivance in the way of a hammer that it has ever been my good luck to see. It consisted of a huge, unwieldy piece of iron, in which there was a finger-hole to enable the user to cock it. As I afterwards found, this is the ordinary form of rifle on the west coast of Greenland, and it is specially constructed for use in the " kaiak." After the old man had shown us this curiosity, and we had duly displayed our admiration, AN ESKIMO ENCAxMPMKNT 99 he made us understand 1)y some vei}' uiiiiii>lakable ges- tures tliat he had nothiiii;" to put in it. ,\l Hrst I ])re- tended not to grasj) his ineanint;, but, this insincerity being of no avail, I was obliged to make it i)lain to him that we had nothing to give him in the way of ammuni- tion. This intimation he received with a very disapjiointed and dejected air, and he went at once and put liib rifle away. None of the others showed by the slightest token that they expected anything in return for their presents. 'I'hey were all friendliness and hospitality, though no doubt there was a notion hnkinir somewhere in the backirround that their liberality would not prove unproductive, and, of course, we did not fail to fulfil our share of the transac- tion next day. The hospitality, indeed, of this desolate coast is quite unbounded. A man will receive his wor.st enemy, treat him well, and entertain him for months, if circumstances throw him in his wav. The nature of their surroundinufs and the wanderin''" life which thev lead have forced them to offer and accept universal hospitality, and the habit has gradually become a law among them. After we considered we had been long enough in the tent we went out into the fresh air again, and chose as our camping-ground for the night a flat ledge of rock close to the landing-place. We then began to bring our things ashore, but at once a crowd of natixes rushed for our boats, and were soon busy moving our boxes and bags u|) .)n to the rocks. Hvery object caused an admiring outburst, and our willing helpers laughed and shouted in their glee, and altogether enjoyed themselves amazingly. The delight and admiration that Lrreeted the big tin boxes in which much of our provender was packed were espe- loo A\LyS£iV IX THE FROZEN WORLD cially unmanageable, and the tins were each passed round from hand to hand, and every edge and corner carefully and minutely examined. ■J As soon as the boats were empty we proposed to drag them up, but here again all insisted on giving their help. The painter was brought ashore, manned by a long line stretching far up the rocks, and the boats hauled up each by the united efforts of twenty or thirty men. This was splendid sport, and when one of us started the usual sailor's chorus to get them to work together, the enthusi- asm reached its heis^ht. They joined in, grown folk and children alike, and laughed till they could scarcely pull. They plainly thought us the most amusing lot of people they had ever seen. When the boats were safe ashore we proceeded to pitch our tent, an operation which engaged all their atten- tion, for nothing can interest an Eskimo so much as any performance which belongs to his own mode of life, such as the manasiement of tents and boats and such things. Here their astonishment does not overcome them, for they can fully understand what is going on. In this case they could thus admire to the full the speedy way in which we managed to pitch our little tent, which was so much simpler a contrivance than their great compli- cated wigwams, though at the same time it was not so warm. Our clothes, too, and, above all, the Lapps' dress, came in for their share of admiration. The tall, square caps, with their four horns, and the tunics with their long, wide skirts and edoiinfr of red and vellow, struck them as most remarkable, but still more astonished were they, of course, in the evening, when the two Lapps made their appear- AN ESKIMO ENCAMPMENT lOI ance in their rciiulccr-skin pelisses. All must needs go and feel them and examine them, and stroke the hair of tliis wonderful skin, nothino- like which the)' had e\-er seen before. It was not seal-skin, it was not bear-skin, nor was it fox-skin. " Could it be dog-skin ? " they asked, pointing to their canine companions. When we explained that it was nothing of that kind they could (j-et no further, for their powers of imagination had reached ESKIMOS, FROM THE CAMP AT CAPE BILLE (From a pliotograph') their limit. Balto now beuan to oibber and make some very significant movements with his hands about his head, with the idea of representing reindeer horns, but this awoke no response. Evidentlv they had ne\er seen reindeer, which do not occur on that part of the east coast which they frequent. I02 NANSEN IN THE FROZEN WORLD Then we distributed the evening rations, and ate our supper sitting at the tent-door, and surrounded by specta- tors. Men, women, and cliildren stood there in a ring many ranks deep, closely watching the passage of every morsel of biscuit to our lips and its subsequent consump- tion. ThouLih tliL'ir mouths watered to overflowinor at the siiiht of these luxuries, we were constrained to take no notice, We had no more in the way of bread than we actually needed, and, had we made a distribution through- out all this hungry crowd, our store would have been much reduced. But to sit there and devour one's biscuits under the fire of all their eyes was not pleasant. Our meal over, we went and had a look round the encampment. Down b)- the water were a number of " kaiaks " and a few specimens of the " umiak " or large skin-boat, which especially interested me. One of the men was particularly anxious to show me everything. Whatever caught my eye, he at once proceeded to ex- plain the use of by signs and gestures. Above all, he insisted on my examining his own " kaiak," which was handsomely ornamented with bone, and all his weapons, which were in excellent condition and profusely deco- rated. His great pride was his harpoon, which, as he showed me triumphantly, had a long point of narwhal tusk. He explained to me, too, very clearly the use of the th rowing-stick, and how much additional force could be given to the harpoon h\- its help. Every Eskimo is especially proud of his weapons and " kaiak," and expends a large amount of work on their adornment. By this time the sun had set and the night fallen, and consequently the elements of weirdness and unreality which had all the time pervaded this scene, with its sur- AN ESKIMO EKCAMJ'MENT 103 roun(liiiL;s of snow and ice and curious human adjuncts, were now still more predominant and strikini;'. Dark forms llitted backward and forward amoni; tlie rocks, and the outlines of the women with their l)al)ies on their backs were especially picturesque. I'rom every tent-door throuLih the transparent curtain shone a red lilow of liijlit, which with its suiiiicstions of warmth and comfort led the fancy to very different scenes. The resemblance to colored lamps and Chinese lanterns brought to one's mind the illuminated gardens and summer festivities away at home, but behind these curtains there li\ed a happy and contented race, (juite as happy, perhaps, as any to which our thoughts turned across the sea. Then bed-time drew near, and the rest we sorely needed after the scanty sleep of the last few da3's. So we spread our sleeping-bags upon the tent-floor and be- gan the usual preparations. But here again our move- ments aroused the keenest interest, and a deep ring of onlookers soon oathered round the door. The removal of our garnients was watched with attention by men and women alike, and with no sign of embarrassment, except on our part. Our disappearance one by one into the bao-s caused the most amusement, and when at last the O expedition had no more to show than six heads, the door of the tent was drawn to and the final " Good-night " said. That night we could sleep free from care and without keeping watch, and it was a good night's rest we had, in spite of barking dogs and other disturbances. It was late when we woke and heard the I^skimos nio\ing busily about outside. Peei:)ing through the chinks of the door, we could see them impaticntU' jxacing up and down, and I04 A'ANSEN IN THE FROZEN WORLD waiting for the tent to be thrown open again that they mio-ht once more feast their eyes on all the marvels hid- den inside. We noticed to-day, and we supposed it was in our honor, that they were all arrayed in their best clothes. Their clean white frocks, made of the same thin membraneous skin as the tent curtains, shone as brilliantly as clean linen in the distance, as their wearers walked up and down and admired their own magnificence. Down by our boats, too, we saw a whole congregation, some sitting inside and others standing around. Every imple- ment and every fitting was handled and carefully scru- tinized, but nothing disturbed or injured. Then came the opening of the door, and forthwith a closely packed ring of spectators gathered around, head appearing above head, and row behind rows to see us lying in our bags, our exit thence, and gradual reinstate- ment in our clothes. Of all our apparel, that which excited most wonder and astonishment was a colored belt of Christiansen's, a belt resplendent with beads and huge brass buckle. This must needs be handled and examined by each and all in turn, and of course produced the usual concerted bellow. Then our breakfast of biscuits and water was consumed in the same silence and amid the same breathless interest as our supper of the night before. After breakfast we walked about the place, for we had determined to enjoy life for this one morning and see what we could of these people before we left them. I had tried, unnoticed, to take a photograph of the ring which thronged our tent-door, but as I brought the camera to bear upon the crowd some of them saw my manceuvre, and a stampede began, as if they feared a AN ESKIMO ENCAMPMENT •05 discharge of missiles or otlier sorcery from the ajDparatus, I now tried to catch a group who were sitting on the rocks, but again with the same result. So the only expe- dient was to tiii-n WW face away, and by ])retendin<'' to be '"'N. ^< ■OiK;"i%^-^ \ \"^i^^:> /.,} ■ M "OUTSIDE ONE LITTLE TENT I FOUND AN UN USUALLY SOCIAHLE WOMAN" {By E. Nielsen, from a photograph) otherwise enorao-ed to distract the attention of m\- yictims and meanwhile secure some pictures. Then I took a tour round the camping-ground with my camera. Outside one little tent, which stood somewhat isolated, I found an unusually sociable woman, apparently the mistress of the establishment. She was relatively young, of an attractive appearance altogether, with a smil- ing face and a pair of soft, oblicjuely set eyes, which she made use of in a particularly arch and engaging wa\-. Her dress was certainly not elegant, but this defect was, no doubt, due to her established position as a married io6 NAKSEN IN THE FROZEN WORLD woman, and nuist not be judged too harshly. In hcr " amaut," a garment wliich forms a kind of hood or bag behind, she had a swarthy baby, which she seemed very fond of, and which, Hke many of the mothers, she did lier best to induce to open its black eyes and contemplate my insignificance. This was partly, no doubt, the Hattery of the coquette ; on the whole we got on very well together, and unperceived I secured sewral photographs. Then the master came out of the tent, and showed no sign of surprise at finding his wife in so close converse with a strano:er. He had evidentlv been asleep, for he could hardly keep his eyes open in the light, and had to resort to a shade, or rather some big snow-spectacles of wood. He was a strongly-built man, witli an honest, straightfor- ward look, was very friendly, and showed me a number of his things. He was especially proud of his " kaiak " hat, which he insisted on my putting on my head, while he meantime unceremoniously arrayed himself in my cap. This performance was little to my taste, as it was quite uncertain what would be the result of the exchange to me. Then he took me to see his bio: boat or " umiak," as well as other of his possessions, and we parted. I went on, and looked into some other tents. In one of them I found two girls who had just taken a big gull out of a cooking-pot, and were beginning to devour it, each at work with her teeth on one end of the body, and b(jth beamino- with deli"ht and self-satisfaction. The bird still had most of its feathers on, but that did not seem to trouble them much. Perhaps, after the manner of the owl, they subsequently ejected them. Some of the women had noticed that the Lapps used the peculiar grass known as " sennegra.'s," which the Eski- AJV ESKIMO ENCAMPMENT 107 nios also use, in llicir boots, and \W-\ now hrouiijht cacli of us a luii;c supply of the commodity, smiling most co- qucttishly as they made their offerini;-. We expressed our thanks, of course, by an equally lavish disj)la)- of smiles. Then they began to inquire, by means of signs, whether we had no needles to give them in return. 1 could have gratified them, certain)}-, since I had brouglit a number of these articles of barter, which are much prized on the east coast. But my real ol^ject was to keep them in case we had to spend the winter in these parts, in which case they would have proved invaluable. So I told them that we could not let them have any needles in exchange for their irrass, and Q:ave them instead a tin w hich had had preserved nieat in. This made them simply wild with delight, and with s]:)arkling eyes they went off to show the others their new acquisition. The grass came in \'ery handy for the two Lapps, whose store was run- ning short, and without this (jrass in his shoes a Lapp is never thor- oughly comfortable. They had a deal to say, too, about this I^skimo " sennegra^s." The fact that these people had sense enough to use the grass impressed Ra\na and Halto to a certain extent, but they declared it had been gathered at the wrong time of year, being winter grass taken with the frost on it, instead of being cut fresh and then dried, THEN THK MASTKR CAME (JUT OV THK TKNT " (From a pholograf-h ) loS lYAXSEN AV 2HE FROZEN WORLD in accordance with the practice of rational beings. It was of httle use to ix)int out to them that it was not the habit of the Eskimo to lay up greater stores of such things than he actually needed to keep him going. But the time of our departure drew near, and we began by degrees to make our preparations. A man now came up to us and asked whether we were going northward. At our answer in the affirmative his face brightened amazingly, and it proved that he was bound in the same direction with his party, to whom he went at once and announced the news. The camp was now a scene of lively confusion, and, while we and the Eskimos vied with one another in our haste to strike our tents, launch our boats, and stow our goods, the dogs, who well knew what was in progress, expended their energy in a howling com- petition. As the tent we had spent the preceding evening in w^as going southward, it was necessar)- that we should go and make sonie return for the presents we had received. So with a number of empty meat-tins I went in and found a party of half-naked men taking a meal. I gave them one each, which delighted them hugely, and some of them at once showed their intention of using them as drinking- vessels. Outside I found llie possessor of the rifle, who again urged upon me the fact that he had no ammunition for it. But when I presented him with a large tin instead he expressed perfect contentment and gratification. The great skin-tents were soon down and packed away in the boats. It was indeed quite astonishing to see the speed with which these Eskimos made ready for a journey with all their household goods and worldly possessions, though, of course, there were a great number of helping AN ESKIMO ENCAMPMENT 109 hands. Wc had almost finislicd our preparations too, when a salt-box was j)leased to discharge its contents in the middle of one of the provision-bags. This had to be seen to at once, and the Eskimos consequently started before us. Two of the boats set off on their southward journey, and two more presently disappeared behind the first point of rock to the north. The company of " kai- akers," however, were still left, as they stayed behind to bid each other a more tender farewell, before they parted, perhaps, for a separation of some years. This leave-tak- \wz G:ave rise to one of the most comical scenes I have ever witnessed. There were altogether a dozen or more of their little canoes, and they all now ranged up side by side, dressed as evenly as a squad of soldiers. This ex- traordinary manoeuvre roused my attention, of course, and I could not imagine what it purported. I was not left long in ignorance, however, for the snuff-horns were pres- ently produced, and the most extravagant excesses fol- lowed. Their horns were opened and thrust up their noses ao-ain and ao-ain, till every nostril must ha\-e been absolutely filled with snuff. Several horns were in circu- lation, and each came at least twice to every man, so that the quantity consumed may well be imagined. I wanted to photograph them, but lost time and could not bring my camera to hear upon them before the line was broken, and some of the canoes already speeding away southward amonor the floes. This genera] treating with snuff is the mode in which the Eskimos take leave of one another, and is a very similar performance to the ceremonious dram-drinking among our peasants at home. In this i^articular case only those who had come from the south had anything to I lO XA.VSEA' lAT THE FROZEN WORLD stand treat with. They were evidently fresh from the Danish colonies beyond Cape h'arewell, as their abundant suppl}' of snuff proved, while the others were probably bound south on a similar errand. These pilgrimages occur unfortunately too often, though their emijorium lies at no trilling distance — a couple of years' journey, in fact, for those who live farthest up the coast. One would almost expect that so long a journey would "THE Ll.NE WAS liKOKK.N, AND SOME OF THE CANOES ALREADY SPEEDING AWAY SOUTHWARD AMONG THE FLOES " {From a phoiograpfi) be followed by a long stay at the place of business. But this is not the case, and the Eskimo, in fact, spends little more time over his periodical shopping than a lady of the world over a similar, but daily, visit. In half an hour, or an hour perhaps, he has often finished, and then disap- pears again on his long journey home. A shopping expedition of this kind will therefore often take four years AN ESKIMO ENCAMP.\rEXT 1 1 1 at lL\ist, and consequently a man's ojjportunitics in this way in the course of a hfetinie are \-er\- limited. I'hese are cjuite enough, ho\\e\er, to i)r()duce a mischievous effect. One is apt to sui)})ose that it is the want of cer- tain uselul lhinL>s, otherwise unattainable, tliat urees them to these lont; journeys; but this is scarcely so, for the real incentive is without doubt a cravin*- for tobacco. As a matter of laet the\ do ])u\' some useful thinors, like iron, which the)' get chiell)- in the form of old hoops, but they really ha\e a good supply of such things already, they do not use them much, and they are not absolutely necessary. Most of their purchases are things which are either alto- gether valueless or else actually injurious. Among the latter must especially be reckoned tobacco, which is the commodity of all others most desired, and which the\' take in the form of snuff. Smoking and chewing are unknown on this coast, but their absence is made up for by all the greater excess in snuff-taking, the indulgence in which is quite phenomenal. They buy their tol^acco in the form of twist, and jirepare it them- selves, by drying it well, breaking it up, and grinding it fine on stone. Powdered calcspar or quartz or other rock is often added to the snuff to make it go further, and to increase, it is said, the irritating effect upon the mucous membrane. In addition to tobacco they buy other things which certainly have an injurious effect upon them, such as, for instance, tea. Coffee, curiously enough, these i)eople have not learned to like, though this drink is bliss celes- tial to the west-coast Eskimos. It is truly fortunate that they have no opportunity of getting spirits, as the sale is absolutely prohibited by the 112 NAXSEX ly THE FROZEN WORLD Danish Government. Of other European products, they buy biscuits, flour, peas, which they are particularly fond of, and similar things. Articles of clothing, too, are in great demand, such as thick jerseys from the Faroe Islands, cotton stuffs for outer tunics, and material out of which they can make hats; old European clothes are highly valued, and they have an idea that when they can dress themselves out in these worn-out rubbishy garments they cut a far finer figure than when they content them- selves with their own warm and becoming dress of seal- skin. In exchanofe for such thinQ^s, ^^•hich are of little value to us and of still less real worth to them, they give fine large bear-skins, fox-skins, and seal-skins, which they ought to keep for their own clothes and the other nu- merous purposes for which they can be used. It is, of course, unnecessary to remark how much better it would be if these poor Eskimos, instead of decking themselves out in European rags, w^ould keep their skins for them- selves, and confine themselves to those regions where they have their homes, instead of straying to the outskirts of European luxury and civilization. When the Eskimos have at length consumed their pur- chases and must needs return to the old manner of life, the net result is that they have lost a number of useful possessions and have acquired a feeling of want and long- ing for a number of unnecessary things. This is, in fact, the usual way that the blessings of civilization first make themselves felt upon the uncivilized. CHAPTER VII ' THE CROSSING OK TIIK INLAND ICE THE FIRST SIGHT OF LAND AND FIRST DRINK OF WATER As the middle of September approached, we hoped every day to arrive at the beL;iiininc;- of the western slope. To judge from our reckoning it could not be far off, though I had a suspicion that this reckoning was some way ahead of our observations. These, however, I pur- posely omitted to work out, as the announcement that we had not advanced as far as we supposed woukl have been a bitter disappointment to most of the party. Their ex- pectations of soon getting the first sight of land on the western side were at their height, and they pushed on confidently, while I kept my doubts to myself and left the reckoning as it was. On September 1 1 the fall of the ground was just appre- ciable, the theodolite showin": it to be about a third of a degree. On September 12 I entered in niy diary that " we are all in capital spirits, and hope for a speedy change for the better, Balto and Dietrichson being even confident that we shall see land to-day. Thev will nei'd some patience, howe\'er, as we are still 9,000 feet above the sea " (we were really about 8,250 feet that day), " but they will not ha\e to wait \ery long. This morning our reckoning made us out to be about seventy-five miles from bare land, and the oround is fallinij well and con- ^ From Nansen's Across Greenland. 114 ^'A^'SJr:Ar jn the frozen world tinuoiisly." The next clay or two the slope grew more and more distinct, but the incline was not regular, as the 'eround fell in (jreat undulations, like those we had had to climb in the course of our ascent. On September 14 the reckoning showed that it was only about thirty-five miles to land. But even now we could sec nothing, wliicli tlie Lapps thouglit was very suspicious. Ravna s face began to get longer and longer, and one evening al^out this time he said, '' I am an old Lapp, and a silly old fool, too ; I don't believe we shall ever get to the coast." I only answ'ered, " That 's quite true, Ravna; you are a silly old fool." Whereupon lie burst out laughing: "So it's quite true, is it — Ravna is a silly old fool ? " and he evidently felt quite consoled by this doubtful compliment. These expressions of anxiety on Ravna's part were very common. Another day Balto suddenly broke out: "But how on earth can any one tell how far it is from one side to the other, when no one has been across .f* " It was, of course, difficult to make him understand the mode of calculation ; but, with his usual intelligence, he seemed to form some idea of the truth one day when I showed him the process on the map. The best consolation we could give Balto and Ravna was to laus^h at them well for their cowardice. The very pronounced fall of the ground on September 17 certainly was a comfort to us all, and when the ther- mometer that evening just failed to reach zero we found the temperature Cjuite mild, and felt that we had entered the abodes of summer again. It was now only nine miles or so to land by our reckoning. It was this very day two months that we had left the yason. This happened to be one of our butter-mornings, THE CROSSING OF THK INLAND ICE 1,5 the very gladdest mornings of our existence al ihe time, and Ijreakfast in bed with a L;ood eii]) of tea brou'dit llie whole party into an excellent hunior. it was the first time, too, for a loni;- while that the walls of our tent had not been decorated with fringes of hoar-frost. As we were at breakfast we were no little astonished to hear, as we thought, the twittering of a bird outside ; but the sound soon stopped, and we were not at all certain of its real it)'. Ikit as we were starting again after our one o'clock dinner that day we suddenly became aware of twitterings in the air, and, as we stopped, sure enough we saw a snow-bunting come flying after us. It wan- dered round us two or three times, and i)lainly showed signs of a wish to sit upon one of our sledges. But the necessary audacity was not forthcoming, and it finally settled on the snow in front for a few moments, before it fiew away for good with another encouraging little twitter. Welcome, indeed, this little bird was. It eave us a friendly greeting from the land we were sure must now be near. The believers in 2:ood anu^els and their doincr.s must inevitably have seen such in the forms of these two snow-lnmtings, the one which bade us farewell on the eastern side, and that which offered us a welcome to the western coast. We blessed it for its cheerinor soncr, and with warmer hearts and renewed strength we confidently went on our way, in spite of the uncomfortable knowledge that the ground was not falling b)- any means so rapidlv as it should ha\-e done. In this wav, however. ihinLis were much better next day, September iS; the cold con- sistently decreased, and life grew brighter and brighter. In the evening, too, the wind sprang up from the south- ii6 NANSEiV IN THE FROZEN WORLD east, and I liopcd \vc should really get a fair sailing breeze at last. W'c had waited for it long enough, and sighed for it, too, in spite of Balto's assurances that this sailing on tlie snow would never come to anything. In the course of the night the wind freshened, and in the morning there was a full breeze blowing. Though, as usual, there was no great keenness to undertake the ri<>-o-inn: and lashins: tocjether of the sledo'es in the cold wind, we determined, of course, to set about the business at once. Christiansen joined Sverdrup and me with his sledt^c, and we rioxred the two with the tent-floor, while the other three put their two sledges together. All this work, especially the lashing, was anything but delightful, but the cruellest part of it all was that while we were in the middle of it the wind showed signs of drop}Ding. It did not carry out its threat, however, and at last both vessels were ready to start. I was immensely excited to see how our boat would turn out, and whether the one sail was enous^h to move both the sledjies. It was duly hoisted and made fast, and there followed a violent wrenchincr of the whole machine, but durins: the operations it had got somewhat buried in the snow and proved immovable. There was enouHi wrenchino: and straining of the mast and tackle to pull the whole to pieces, so we harnessed ourselves in front with all speed. We tuu:u;ed with a will and ""ot our boat off, but no sooner had she bei^un to move than the wind broufjht her riofht on to us, and over we all went into the snow. We were soon up again for another trial, but with the same result ; no sooner were we on our legs than we were carried off them again by the shock from behind. This process having been gone through a certain num- TJ/E CROSSJJS/G OJ' TNI'. JNLANJ) JCE »'7 her of tiiiK'N, \\(j saw ])]ain]y that all was not rit^lu. So \vc arranged that one of us should stand in front on his ski and steer by means of a staff fixed between the two sledges, like the pole of a carriage, leaving himself to be pushed along by his vessel, and only keeping it at a FIRST ATTEMPTS AT SAILING respectful distance fn^m liis heels. The otlier two mem- bers of the crew were to come behind on tlieir ski. either holding on to the sledges or following as best they could. We now finally got under way, and Sverdrup, who was to take the first turn at steering, had no sooner got the pole under his arm than our vessel rushed furiously ofY before the wind. I attached myself behind at the side, ridin^: on my ski and holdino; on by the back of one of the sledges as well as I could. Christiansen thought this looked like too risky work, and came dragging along behind on his ski alone. Our ship flew over the waves and drifts of snow with a speed that almost took one's breath away. The sledges iiS NAiXSEN IX THE FROZEN WORLD Struggled and groaned, and were strained in every joint as they were whirled over the rough surface, and often indeed they simply jumped from the crest of one wave on to another. I had quite enough to do to liang on behind and keep myself upright on the ski. Then the ground be^an to fall at a sharj^er angle than any we had had yet. The pace grew hotter and hotter, and the sledges scarcely seemed to touch the snow. Right in front of me was stickinof out the end of a ski, which was lashed fast across the two sledges for the purpose of keeping them together. I could not do anything to get this ski end out of the way, and it caused me a great deal of trouble, as it stuck out across the points of my own ski, and was always comino; into collision with them. It was worst of all when we ran along the edge of a drift, for my ski would then get completely jammed, and I lost all control over them. For a long time I went on thus in a continual struggle with this hopeless ski end, while Sverdrup stood in front gayly steering and thinking we were both sitting comfort- ably on behind. Our ship rushed on faster and faster; the snow flew around us and behind us in a cloud, which gradually hid the others from our \-iew. Then an ice-axe which lay on the top of our cargo began to get loose and promised to fall off. So I worked myself carefully forward, and was just engaged in making the axe fast when we rode on to a nasty drift. This brought the projecting ski end just across my legs, and there I lay at once gazing after the shi]D and its sail, which were flying on down tlie slope, and already show- msi dimly throut-h the driftiivj: snow. It made one quite uncomfortable to see how quickly they diminished in size. 1 felt very foolish to be left lying there, but at last I recov- Tl/K CROSSING OP' 'III/-: /NI.ANJ) /(■/•; I KJ crcd myself and set off bravely in the wake of the vessel, which was by this time all but out of sight. 'J'o my great delight I found that, thanks to the wind, I could get on at a very decent pace alone. I had not gone far before I found tJie ice-axe, in trvin'r to secure which I had come to grief. A little way farther on I caught sight of another dark object, this time some- thing square, lying in the snow. 'I'his was a box which contained some of our j^recious meat-chocolate, and which of course was not to be abandoned in this way. After this I strode gayly on for a long time in the sledge-track, with the chocolate-box under one arm and the ice-axe and my "and there I LAY GAZING AITKK THE SHU' AND ITS SAIL " staff under the other. Then I came upon several more dark objects lying straight in my path. These proved to be a fur jacket belonging to me, and no less than three pemmican boxes. I had now much more than I could carry, so the onlv thintj to be done was to sit down and wait for succor from the others who were following be- hind. All that could now be seen of our proud shij) and its sail was a little square patch far away across the snow- field. She was soincr ahead in the same direction as I20 NANS EN IN THE FROZEN WORLD before, but as I watched 1 suddenly saw her brought up to the wind, the tin boxes of her cargo gHtter in the sun, and her sail fall. Just then Christiansen came up with me, followed not long after by the other vessel. To them we handed over some of our loose boxes, but just as we were stowine them awav Balto discovered that thev had lost no less than three pemmican tins. These were much too val- uable to be left behind, so the crew had to go back and look for them. Meanwhile Christiansen and I started off again, each with a tin box under his arm, and soon overtook Sverdrup. We now sat down to wait for the others, which was not an agreeable job in this bitter wind. Sverdrup told us that he had sailed merrily off from the very start, had found the whole thing go admirably, and thought all the time that we two were sitting comfortably on behind. He could not see behind him for the sail, but after a long wliile he began to wonder why there was not more noise among the passengers in the stern. So he made an approach to a conversation, but got no answer. A little farther on he tried again and louder, but with the same result. Then he called louder still, and lastly began to shout at the top of his voice, but still there was no response. This state of things needed further investiga- tion ; so he brought his boat up to the wind, went round behind the sail to see what was the matter, and was not a little concerned to find that both his ])assengers had disappeared. He tried to look back along his course through the drifting snow, and he thought he could see a black spot far away behind. This must have been my insignificant figure sitting upon the lost tin boxes. Then he lowered his sail, which was not an easy matter in THE CROSSING OF T/fK JNJ.AND JCE 121 tlic wind that was blowini;-, and contented hinihcll to wait fur us. We had to sit a lono^ time before the otliers caucrlit us up again. We could just see the vessel through the snow, but her sail was evidently not up, and of her crew there was not a sign. At last we caught sight of three small specks far away up the slope and the glitter of the sun L__ ^i SAILING ON THK INLAND ICE on tlic tins they were carrying. Presently tlie sail was hoisted, and it was not long before they joined us. We now lashed the sled2:es better together and made the cargo thoroughly fast, in order to escape a repetition of this jDcrformance. Then we rigged up some ropes be- hind, to which the crew could hold or tie themselves, and thus be towed comfortably along. In this way we got on splendidly, and never in my life have I had a more glo- rious run on ski. 122 NAXSEN IN THE FROZEN WORLD A while later Sverdrup declared that he had had enough of steering, and 1 therefore took his place. WY' had now one good slope after another and a strong wind behind us. We travelled as we should on the best of ski hills at home, and tliis for hour after hour. 'i'he steering is exciting work. One has to keep one's tongue straight in one's mouth, as we say at home, and, whatever one does, take care not to fall. If one did, ihc whole conveyance would be upon one, and once under the run- ners and driven along by the impetus, one would fare badly indeed, and be lucky to get off without a com])lete smash-up. This was not to be thought of, so it was necessary to keep one's wits about one, to hold the ski well together, grip the pole tight, watch the ground in- cessantly, so as to steer clear of the worst drifts, and for the rest take things as they came, while one's ski flew on from the crest of one snow-wave to another. Our meals were not pleasant intervals that day, and we therefore got through them as quicklv as we could. We stopped and crept under shelter of the sails, which were only half lowered on purpose. The snow drifted over us as we sat there, but the wind at least was not so piercing as in the open. We scarcely halted for the usual choco- late distributions, and took our refreshment as we went alon'^. In the middle of the afternoon — this notable da}' by the way was SejDtember 19 — just as we were sailing our best and fastest, we heard a cry of joy from the party be- hind, Balto's voice being prominent as he shouted '' Land ahead ! " And so there was; through the mist of snow, which was just now a little less dense, we could see away to the THE CROSSING OF THE INLAND ICE 123 west a lono-, dark mountain ridg-e, and to tlic soiitli of it a smaller peak. Rejoieings were loud and general, for the <{oal toward which we had so loni; ^li iiLiolcd was at last in si*>ht. Balto's own account of the occurrence runs as follows: "While we were sailing that afternoon I caught sight of a, black spot a long way olT to the west. I stared and stared at it till 1 saw that it reall)- was bare ground. Then I called to Dietrichson, ' I can see land!' I)ie- trichson at once shouted to the others that P>alto could see land away to the west. And then we rejoiced to see this sight, which we had so often longed to see, and new courage came into our hearts, and hope that we should now happily and without disaster cross over this ice- mountain, which is the greatest of all ice-mountains. If we had spent many more days upon the ice, I fear that some of us would ha\e fared badly. As soon as Nansen heard this he stopped and gave us two pieces of meat- chocolate each. It was always our custom, when we reached a spot which we had long wished to reach, to treat ourselves to the best food we had. So when we came to land after drifting in the ice, when we reached Umivik, when we had climbed to the highest point of Greenland, when we now first saw land on the west side, and lastly, when we first set foot upon bare ground again, we were treated to our very best — which was jam, American biscuits, and butter." Though this first land we saw lay a little to the north of the line we had hitherto been following. I steered for it nevertheless, because the ice in this direction seemed to fall away more rapidly. However, the point was soon hidden in the snow again, and we went on with the w ind 124 NAA^SEN AV THE FROZEN WORLD straight behind us for tlic rest of the afternoon without getting any further sight of land. The wind grew stronger and stronger, we liew down slope after slope, and everything went famously. A while later both the sj^radient and the wind slackened off for a time, but as evening began the breeze freshened and the slope grew steeper, and we rushed along through the dense driving snow more furiously than ever. It was already growing dusk, when I suddenly saw in the gen- eral obscurity something dark lying right in our path. I took it for some ordinary irregularity in the snow, and unconcernedly steered straight ahead. The next mo- ment, when I was witliin no more than a few yards, I found it to be something very different, and in an instant swung round sharp and brouglit the vessel up to the wind. It was high time, too, for we were on the \'ery edge of a chasm broad enough to swallow comfortably sledges, steersman, and passengers. Another second and we should have disappeared for good and all. We now shouted with all our might to the others, who were com- ing gayly on behind, and they managed to luff in time. Here also Balto has something to say : " The same evening while we were still sailing along — it may have been about half-past seven and it w^as rather dark — we saw Nansen, who was in front on his ski, signalling wildly to us, while he shouted, ' Don't come here ; it is dangerous ! ' A\^e, who were tearing along at full speed, found it difficult to stop, and had to swing around and throw ourselves on our sides. At the same time we saw in front of us an awful crack in the ice, which was many hundred feet deep." As to the rest of the day's sail my diary says : " This 'I'/fl', CROSSING OF 'J I Hi INLAND ICE '-5 SAU.INc; IN MOONLICirr. "WHEN THK bNUW LOOKED TREALHEKOUS 1 HAD 1 GO CAUTIOUSLY AND USE MY STAFF" was tlic first crevasse, but was not likely to be the only one, and we must now oo warilv. It was siis^sjested that it was hardly ad\'isable to sail any farther that evening, but I thought it too early to stop 3^et, as we must take advantaw of the wind. So I left the slede^es and went O «^ on in front to reconnoitre, while Svcrdrup undertook the steerinor of our boat, and the sails of both of them were O ' taken in a bit. The wind was strong enough even to blow me along, and I could run long stretches without movinq- a muscle, and so covered the sfround fast. O ' o " When the snow looked treacherous I had to go cautiously and use my staff to sec whetlier I had solid ground under foot, and, if not, to signal to the otliers to wait till I had found a safer route. In spite of all ])recau- tions, Svcrdrup and Christiansen all Init came to grief once, as the snow fell in behind theni just as they had passed over an unsuspected crevasse. Meantime the 126 NAiYSEN IN THE FROZEN WORLD wind was steadily increasing, and the sails had to be taken in more and more to prevent the sledges overrun- ning me. As we were all getting hungr)-, bisciiits were served out, but no halt was made to eat them. " It was rapidly getting dark, but the full moon was ncnv rising, and she gave us light enough to see and avoid the worst crevasses. It was a curious sight for me to see the two vessels coming rushing along behind me, with their square viking-like sails showing dark against the white snow-field and the big round disc of the moon behind. " Faster and faster I go flying on, while the ice gets more and more difficult. There is worse still ahead, I can see, and in another moment I am into it. The ground is here seamed with crevasses, but they are full of snow and not dangerous. Every now and then I feel my staff go through into space, but the cracks are narrow and the sledges glide easily over. Presently I cross a broader one, and see just in front of me a huge black abyss. I creejD cautiously to its edge on the slippery ice, which here is covered by scarcely any snows and look down into the deep, dark chasm. Beyond it I can see crevasse after cre- vasse, running -parallel with one another, and showing dark blue in the moonlight. I now tell the others to stop, as this is no orround to traverse in the dark, and we must halt for the night. " In the west we could now see land again against the evening sky, which still shows a faint trace of day. They were the same mountains we had first seen, but they now tower hicih above the horizon, and to the south of these peaks again there is a long ridge of rock protruding from the snow. " It was a difficult business to get the tent up in this 77/A CA^OSS/AG OF 'Jill': JALAM) JCIi 127 stront;- wind, and on the hard, sHp])L'ry ice, which gave no hokl for our L^uy-ropes, and we had to cut deej) lioles before we could niake our staffs do duty as pegs. At last, after haxinu: fared worse than usual with the cold, we trot the tent up and were able tt) crawl into a partial shelter. No one was inclined to do any cooking that evening, as e\'en inside the tent the wind was much too airiircssivc, and the little feast which was to do honor to the day, and which we had much looked forward to, was ])ut off till next morning. So we were content to divide our last piece of Gruyere cheese, and then, well j)leased with our- selves and our day's work, creep into our sleeping-bags. I now- discovered for the first time that I had got the fin- gers of both my hands frozen during the afternoon's sail. It was too late now to rub them w ith snow, as they had be2:un to thaw on their own account, but that nitiht the pain they gave me was almost unendurable, till I fell asleep in s})ite of it." Early next morning, September 20, I started uj) with the consciousness that I had forgotten to wind mv watch up over-night. Unluckih' Sverdrup had done exactly the same, and though we wound them both up at once it was now too late. This was, of course, rather unfortunate for our longitude observations, but we were now^ so near land that we could reckon our position with tolerable exacti- tude nevertheless. When we looked out of the tent we could see the whole country to the south of Godthaabsfjord lying spread out before us, a rough mountainous tract with many dec]:) val- leys and loftv peaks. Those who remember their first sight of a mountain landscape in their childhood, with its sunlit peaks and stretches of glittering snow; who can 128 NANS EN IN THE FROZEN WORLD remember how this new mysterious world fascinated and alhired them — they will understand what our feelings were this morning. We were just like children, as we sat and gazed, and followed the lines of the valleys down- ward in the vain search for a glimpse of the sea. It was a fine country that lay before us, wild and grand as the western coast of Norway. Fresh snow lay sprinkled about the mountain tops, between which were deep black gorges. At the bottom of these were the fjords, which we could fancy, but could not see. A journey to Godthaab in this kind of country looked anything but a simple matter. We enjoyed our grand breakfast at our ease and leisure this morning, made tea unlimited, and simply revelled in cheese and oatmeal biscuits. It was sflorious to have a treat like this once in a wav. The morninor was well sfone before we got finally on the move. In the darkness of the evening: before we had sailed into some very rouc^h fis- sured ice, and we now had to bear away to the south to avoid the worst crevasses and reach smoother jr-round. The snow throughout this day's march was partly blown into drifts, especially where there was any unevenness in the ice to catch it, and partly swept away by the wind, leaving the surface slippery and bare. Presently w^e reached the top of a long, steep slope which had to be descended. Sverdrup and I started down on our ski and had a fine run. But our sledcfe was dif- ficult to steer, and we had huire crevasses on each side, so at last we were constrained to take our ski off for safety's sake. We then went on, standing each on a runner of the sledge, and scraping and breaking with our feet in order tr) keep clear of the crevasses. The Lapps during this run were especially reckless, and let their sledge rush THE CROSS! XG OF Tllli J XL AND ICE i2.j ahead nuicli as it pleased. A little farther down we came upon a tlat piece of ice, which was so slippery that it was quite difficult to cross. It looked like the frozen surface of a lake or pool. Beyond this we found ourselves in some nasty ice again, and after I had fallen through the snow several times I thought it best to put the ski on again. With tliem one is of course much safer, as when one slides across the narrower crevasses their ereat leneth COASTING DOWN THE SLOPES will eenerallv hold one uix At this time we had a nastv experience, as our sledge came lengthways upon a cre- vasse, the snow-cornice of which gave way under one of the runners, and we only managed to drag it on to firm ground just as the whole mass of snow was falling in be- neath it. Ravna and Balto nearly got into a worse scrape once, when they tried to take a short cut instead of follow- ing our course. They slid down on to a huge wide fissure, whereupon one of the runners cut straight through the snow and all but upset the sledge, and it was only by the skin of their teeth that they escaped. I was furiously I30 A\1XS£X /X THE FROZEN WORLD angry with tlicm, of course, and rated them well for not beinir content to let us who went in front run such risks as were necessary. Christiansen, too, was once on the point of losing his sledge in nuich the same way. In the afternoon we had a hailstorm from the south and southeast. The hail stung our faces and the wind contin- ually blew the sledges around, so that hauling became hard and difficult work. In this respect Sverdrup and I were worst off, as our load was very bulky and lay high 011 the sledge, which therefore exposed a large surface to tlie wind. The steel bars or keels under the runners would here have been an advantage, but they had long ago given way on the rough ice of the east coast. We sto})ped for the day on a little flat, on which there was just enough drifted snow to hold our staffs, and the pitching of the tent was thus a simple matter. We had flattered ourselves that we should come within very easy distance of land, if not reach it altogether, this evening, and we were considerably disappointed when it seemed to us at the end of the day that we were almost as far off as ever. Next day, September 21, snow was falling, and we could see nothing either of the land or the ice around us. We had to grope our way as best we could, and there was no possibility of choosing the most advantageous course. Toward noon we stopped in order to get an observa- tion, if it were possible, as the sun now and again showed through the clouds. It was most im]3()rtant that we should know where we were, and the day before I had been too late for the })urpose, having made a mistake about the time owing to my omission to wind my watch THE CROSSIXG OF '11 1 h. I.\LA.\D /( /•, 131 up. Liickil)' llii.s time the sun \v;is \i.siblc for a while, and I was able to i;et the altitude, my ret kouiuL; ])uttint; us at about lat. 64° 13' N. This position was a little luore northerlv than I should ha\e liked, the reason beinij; that 1 had, as I ha\e said, steered too much to the north as we were sailing; after we caiue within sit^ht of kuid. As it will a])peai-, we now had to jxay some days' penalty ft)!' the mistake. If we had kept our oriL;inal more south- erly course, we should proba])l\- ha\e been able to sail riii'ht dt)wn on to the land itself. We now, therefore, turned more to the south when we set olT au;ain. in the course of the afternoon S\erdru|) and I had a disagreement a.s to our l^est route — .1 tiling; which raiel}' haj)pened. lie wanted to take us more to the riuht ui) t)n to a ridire, as he had throuLrh the snow seen crevasses down below in front of us. I had seen nothing' of the kind, and ])referrcd to keep away to the left ; but after some discussion SverdrujD ])revailed, and we climbed the ridu^e, Init only to find ourselves in the middle of some terrible crevasses. They were worse than an\' we had hitherto had to deal with, and we were vcrv clad to clear out aiiain and bear awav more to the south. 1 1 ere we found a tolerably smooth stretch of ice forming the bottom of a valley between two ridges, which were both cpiite a network of fissures. This allev or fur- row narrowed in front of us, and ended in a defile, where the two ridges ahuost met. i lere there was an abrupt fall in the ground, and the ice was uncomfortably rough. The place looked .dl but imj)racticable, and it was clearlv no use trying to |)u>h on anv farther while the weather was so thick. It seemed very likely that we had come too far already. ,3a \.I.\S£A AV JJ/^ IKOZEX WORLD So it u-a*: sf'ttlcH thai Dictrichson, Ravna, and Balto should pitci. i '^ile Sverdrup, Christiansen, and I should i: ' -- whether this broken ice would allow of a jja^ Halto in his quality of under-cook was told ipjjaratus going, and have everything came back — some good pea-soup and plenty of hot water in the upper vessel, so that we lemon-grog after supper. \\«' three soon had the Alpine rope round our waists an- off downward. The ice was unusually rough and hard to pass, a simple chaos of sharp edges with fis- su! '^'-tween; but it was not dangerous, as the clefts wci^ ..> .. . .'" "'4 deep. \Vc had nuL i^une far IxliHu, in niv astonishment, I saw a little dark spot down below us between some ridges covered with snow. It looked amazingly like water, but it was quite possible that it was only ice, so I said nothing to the otht-. luit when I reached it and, putting my staff in, met with no resistance, our suriDrise and delieht were quite unbounded. We threw ourselves down, ]xit our lips to the surface, and sucked up the water like horses. After a month of incessant thirst and limited ration.s, the pleasure of having abundance of drink was indescribable. llM-vmany quarts we swallowed I should not like to .say. out we i)lainly felt ourselves swell within and without during the o|)eration. We then went on ref ' !. but before we had gone far we heard some one shduliiij; iK-hind. and saw little Ravna runnincr after us a.s fast xs his short legs would carry him. We waited, fearing that there was something wrong in the camp, and I was much relieved to hear, when he came up, that all he wanted was the wicks for the spirit-lamp, which I usu- THE CROSSING OF TJJJi INLAND ICE 133 ally carried in my pocket to keep tlieni clr\'. I was anx- ious to know whether he had seen the water, for Ravna was the worst of all of us to drink when he had the chance, and I was half afraid that he w^ould go at it till he made himself ill. He had seen the water, he told us, but had not had time to attend to it as he came down, though he meant to make up for the omission on the way back. So we sent him off again and went on with our explora- tion. We presently found ourselves among the roughest ice I had ever seen, and all that I knew of from Captain Jensen's descriptions was nothing compared to this. Absolutely impassable it was not, but ridge upon ridge, each sharper and more impracticable than its neighbor, lay in all directions, while betw^een them were deep clefts, often half full of water, which was covered with a thin skin of ice not strong enough to bear. Darkness was already coming on when we finally turned homeward. We were wretchedly done uj) bv havino: to toil over this rou^h oround, on \\hich the soft snow lay deep in places, and were much comforted when we at last cauirht siirht of the tent in the distance. As we passed the pool again we must needs have another drink. We lay down and let the water fairly flow down our throats. Our foreheads o-rew^ numb and cold, but that did not stop us. It was a truly di\ine pleasure to be able once more to drink to the very end of one's thirst. A cheering smell of good ])ea-sou]i met us as wc entered our little tent, where we found the others squatting around the cookingr machine. Balto had evervthinor hot and ready for us, and was very proud of having carried out his orders to the letter. ,34 .\UyS£X /.V THE FROZEX WORLD lii:» description, too, will serve to tell us what the rest • f ^'i'' party did whilr we were away. «1>.-.- »' t off with a roi)e round their U.UM- -. while we — that is, Ravna, Die- tilt hsiJij. aiui 1 >ia)cil behind to jnit up the tent. I had to make sonic pea-soup, too, for I was cook. So I mil the machine out, but then found that there were no \vi - Nansen had them in his pocket. So 1 sent Kavna d: ^ct them, and when he came back he said he had found water and drunk his stomach full. When I heard this I caught up a tin box and ran as hard as I could go till I reached the jjool. 'Dk'h 1 llirew myself outs very well, and it was quite plain that we had come down (<"'»• ...- f,ve miles farther to the north than we had meant. We found breakfast ready when we got back to the tent, and afterward it was settled that Sverdrup and I should go out again and explore the ice to the west, keep- ing to the north of the part we examined the previous • From Nansen's /Uross Greenland. TIIK DESCENT TO AM ERALIKFTORD '37 "*-5ti.,s AN AWKWARD PREDICAMENT eveninor. Xhe others meanwhile must follow us with the four sledges as far as they could in the same direction, and, if they could get so far, stop at the last ridge we could see from here. As thev had a fair wind behind them, I thouHit thev would be able to nianaii;e a sledije each without much difficulty. So Sverdrup and I started off, and with the wind be- ,58 y^VSEX I.y THE FROZEN WORLD hind us ran fast down on our slippery oak ski. The ground was fairly easy till we came far enough to see down into the fjord, which was full of floating glacier-ice. Then the crevasses began, but at first they ran parallel, and we pushed a good way farther on. But jDresently things became utterly hoi^cless, a simple network of inter- lacing fissures, the ice protruding in small square islands from the midst of the blue abysses. Even the fancy could form no idea of the depth of these chasms, and the sight of the riven and chaotic mass was unearthly in the ex- treme. Not a step farther could we go ; there was nothing for us to do but eat our dinner and go back to look for the others. We found shelter in a little crevice, where the sun did its best to comfort us and temper the keen- ness of the bitinir wind. (Jn the way back I liad the ill-luck to fall into a cre- vas.si-. 1 was left hanging by my arms, and the position was neither easy nor pleasant. The fissure was narrow^ indeed, but it was very difficult to get a footing with my ski on the slippery edges. I was alone, too, as Sverdrup had taken a different line, and, being a long way on in front, saw nothing of my disaster. However, after struggling for a while, I at last managed to scramble out by my.self. .Strangely enough, none of us ever w^ent far- ther into these crevasses than to the armpits. We had not gone far before we caught sight of the tent, wldch lay a little way to the north of us and on the very ridge where the party had been ordered to halt. They had reached this i)oint about half an hour before, and the coffee was already under way. 1 must explain that we were now so near the coast that the coffee pro- hibition was not so stringently observed. It was not 7'?IE DESCENT TO AMERALIKFJORD 139 UN THE MORNING OK SKl'TEMIJER 23: ROUGHISH ICE quite ready, and a short rest after our little ski excursion did us good. After we had finished our coffee the tent was struck, and we set off in a southerly direction in order to skirt the ice-stream which flowed down to th(^ fjord, and in the middle of which we had just been. At first the ground was easy and we made good progress, though the wind did its best to hinder us by blowing tlie sledges around. In the evening, when it was already growing dusk, we reached a ridge of nasty, broken ice, which we had seen in the distance that morning, and which there seemed to be no way of avoiding. It was necessary to explore the ground here before moving any farther, and so there was nothing to be done but encamp and wait for daylight. While supper was preparing two of us went out again. The ice was undeniably awkward, but with enterprise we could no doubt get through. The Uo A.-iAS/^JV IN THE FROZE A WORLD \ ' -c waii luckily not broad, aiul the best route was evi- ........ the straightest and shortest. Next morning, September 2^, S\erdrup went out upon another prospecting expedition, and came back with com- jximtively rea.ssuring intelHgence. The ice was not so bad as it had seemed to be at first sight, and it would be !e, if we put three men to each sledge, to get them )g without carrying them. I'hen we broke up camp and set out upon the heaviest AND RKKLECnuN (SKl'TEMIlEK 23) {By the A utlior,/rom a pliotograpti) bit of ice-travelling which we had yet had. In many |)Iaccs we had to carry each sledge bodily up the steep slojjcs of the ridges ue had to cross, while as we de- d the other side the unfortunate man who went behind had tr, hold it back with all his might. If he THE DESCENl- TO AMEKAUKEyORD 141 slipped, down went he and the sledge on to tlie heels of the others in front, and the whole group slid on together Often, however, we were lucky enough to hit upon the' course of a frozen river, which gave us an easy thou-h somewhat winding passage among the hummocks and ON THE AFTERNOON OF SEPTEMBER 23: INTO BETTER ICE AGAIN ridges of ice, which often formed cliffs with nearl)- per- pendicular walls. In one case we had to pass through a narrow cleft which only just gave us room, and at'^the bottom held a little stream only partially frozen, the nater of which stood well above our ankles. In the afternoon we at last passed out of the worst of the ice, and could again take the sledges singly. The surface was now tolerably good, and it grew still better, but the wind was awkward, as it was always blowing the sledges around. A good way farther on 1 discovered a moraine running across the ice in an easterlv direction ,4? NJNSEN IN THE FRO/.EN WORLD fmm the land. I iinairincd that this moraine must mark the limit between the streams of ice, more especially be- cause it lay in a depression, and as I could not see any jjood in getting into the full current of anotlier ice-stream, 1 detcmiined to work down toward land on the north side of the moraine We now halted, and the tent having been pitched and Halto sent out to look for water for the coffee, Sverdrup and I set off downward toward the land to see whether the ice were practicable here. We had not gone far before we saw that our opportunity had come. W'c seemed to liave crossed to the south side of the stream of ice whieli fell into Godthaabsfjord, for the surface seemed to fall away to the south, or more cor- rectly toward the land which lay straight before us. We went back with the- encouraijinor news, and the whole party drank their coffee in the highest spirits. The prospect of once more feeling dry land beneath our feet was now not far off, and this was enough to fill us with delight. .\s soon as we could we went on again, and with the wind behind us made good progress, the ice Ix'ing relatively smooth and yet often falling rapidly. We were disajjpointed, however, in our hope of reaching land that evening, as, owing to the gathering darkness, we presently had to stojx Hut on the whole we were more than satisfied with the day's work, as we had advanced a gfKKj deal farther than we had had any reason to hope in the morning. Next day, St-picmber 24, we Innu'd out earl)- and set off with the determination to reach land that day. This time. to. vere not disappcjinted. We pushed on fast, as the gradient was often tolerably steep and gave us much help. The wind was fair, too, the ice easy, and THE DESCENT TO AMEKA LJKEJORD 143 everything promising. Some way clown a reconnaissance proved necessary, as the ice here got ratlier rouglier. I went on in front and soon found m)SL'lf u])()n the brow of an ice-slope which overlooked a beautiful mountain tarn, the surface of which was covered with a sheet of ice. Beyond was a gorge through which a ri\cr from the tarn •'UPON THE BROW OF AN ICE-SLOPE WHICH OVERLOOKED A liEAUIlFUL MOUN- TAIN TARN " (By A. Block, from a photograph) ran downward, while to the right the great glacier sloped evenly down to its end moraine, and would have formed the most magnificent coasting-hill imaginable, but for the stones that lay scattered over its surface. Here was an easy descent for us, and no obstacles to separate us from our goal. I soon had the whole part)' by mc and wc stood enjoying the sight of the land below. After I had 144 yA.VSJCy IN TIIF FROZEN WORLD taken a couple of photogi-aphs, we set off down the last ice->lo|x-. h uas steep, steeper perliaps than any \\e liad run ''"un hpfnrc. nnd we had to use our brakes ; but the ;»ltxi ^...... and soon we were safe and well upon •I Ik'Iow the Gflacier, with the inland ice ■nmu. i)ushed across tlie tarn toward the river on other sitle. The ice was not everywhere quite safe, . )vinir carefullv we reached the rocks beyond without mishap, took off the " crampoons " which we had been using the last few days, and, like schoolboys released, ran wildly alx)ut the shore. Words cannot describe what it w.T^ fnr us only to have the earth and stones again be- \w L. or the thrill that went throui^h us as we CD felt th< tic heather on which we trod, and smelled the fragiaiiL bcent of grass and moss. Behind us lay the inland ice, its cold, gray slope sinking slowly toward the lake ; before us lay the genial land. Away down the valley we could see headland beyond headland, covering and overlaj^ping each other as far as the eye could reach. Here lay our course, the way down to the fjord. .V^"-"'! im THE BOAT AND ITS BUILDER CHAPTER IX ARRIVAL AT GODTHAAB Next morning, September 29, we carried the boat down to the water. It was desperate work plodding along with it through this sticky sand, in which our feet sank deep, and fixed themselves, and wheezed like the piston of an air-]3umi3 as we palled them out again at each step. But at last we reached the water's edge, and set the boat down, to go back and get the rest of our things. There were any number of gulls down here, and we had looked forward to the prospect of a supply of fresh meat ; but, unfortunately, they kept at a respectful distance, and we had no chance of a shot. When we got back to our camping-place, we came to the conclusion that we had had quite enough of the sands, and determined to carry ^ From Xansen's Across Gidcnianti. 10 ,^6 X.I.VS£N IX THE FROZEN WORLD the other things over the liiglier ground, rough and diffi- cult though it was. When we got down to the sliore again, we saw that the bc»at was now afloat a long way out in the water, as, wliile we had been away, the fjord liad risen to sucli an extent as to flood all the outer part of the sands. Luckily Sverd- rup had been thoughtful enough to moor Iier fast by driving a stake into the ground, though we had left her so far from the edge of the water that we thought she was quite safe. He now waded out to her, and rowed her in lo a i)oint of land close by, while I moved the baggage to meet him at the >ame spot. Tims, at last, after a day's labor, we had overcome one more obstacle, and were ready to embark on a «^ood sea-wav. After we had had our dinner we set out upon our first voyage, our destination being the farther side of the fjord, along which we meant to coast on our way outward. We discovered at once that our boat travelled much better than we had expected. She did not prove to be a fast craft, certainlv, but we could ii^et alons: in her, and reached the other side of the fjord after what we considered to be a remarkably quick passage. Nor was water-tightness one t)f our boat's virtues, for we had to take to baling with one of the soup-bowls about every ten minutes. Just here, the head of the fjord formed a little bay or inlet, which seemed to us, in our present state of mind, an unusually attractive s]X)t. It ended in a peaceful, gentle valley — a valley of long, brown slopes and stretches of moss and stones, and skirted by low, round hills ; just the ground that is most welcome to the reindeer and his pur- suer. Our interests still centred in ail that we could con- nect with food and the pursuit of game, and the more ,4S X.^XS/^.V IX 7 HE FROZEX WORLD jXK-iic reader must forgive us. To us, at this time, this was the most beautiful side of Nature ; and for her true IxMutv the lofty peaks, the snow-clad mountains, the |)recii)itous cliffs, and all the glories of barrenness, glories of which Ameralikfjord has enough and to spare — we ha. - i' appreciation. Such delights are for that true lover of Nature, the tourist, as he wanders among them on his comfortable steamer, with abundance of warm clothing and good food. Then we worked along the stupendous cliffs which form the northern shore of Ameragdla, as the inmost branch of Ameralikfjord is called, and stopped for the night at a spot where we could land our boat and find flat ground enough to sleep upon — accommodation not to be procured everywhere. We had not advanced much that day, but we were quite satisfied, and very pleased to be on the sea once more. Our chief delight, however, was the prospect of eating our fill of good fresh meat after nearly seven weeks of the driest of food. Durino; our row I had shot six big blue gulls. .At first I missed several times, as the birds kept out of range, but at last one ventured nearer, and then I had no further trouble. Gulls, as most people know, are inquisitive birds ; so when I had throw^n one dead body out to float, the others must needs come to look at it, and I brought down one after the other, and stocked our larder for the time. These gulls arc big birds, and we determined to have two apiece for (jur evening meal. They were skinned, put »"M -it n time into boiling water, and cooked as little as j/'o-'iuiL-. .Sverdru|) was afterward asked whether he took care to clean them properly. " Oli, I don't know," he answered ; " I saw Nansen jnill something out of them, AA'A'/rAJ. AT (;OJ)JJ/.l.l/^ 149 and I supi)C)sc it was j^arl ol the inside ; and some more came out in the put while they were cooking. All 1 can say is, 1 never tasted better birds in my life." And he SHOOTINC; GULLS FROM THE BOAT (Z.> A. Block, after f>hotograf>h and sketch) was quite riglit : we both thought we had never liad any- thing which could be compared with those gulls ; the ten- derest of chickens could not have been better. \\ hether the cause lay in our appetites, or the peculiar method of preparation, I will not attempt to decide. W'c looked for no reason at the time, but tore our birds in j:)ieces as fast as teeth and finLrers would allow. It was not long before ,5o X.LVS£.V JN THE FROZEX WORLD the first two had disappeared, and then we set to work upon the second with greater deliberation and more pro- longed enjoyment. We finished with the broth in wliich they had all been boiled. This had a very characteristic, gamey taste, which added much to its pecuHarity, though we were not quite certain to uliat we should attribute its ongin. Language, in fact, has no words which can adequately describe the satisfaction of the two savages who sat that evening on the northern shore of Ameragdla, and dipped each his hands into the pot, fished out the body of a gull, and conveyed it, j^iece by piece, head, feet, and all, into the dejjths of his hungry stomach. The light of the fire nieanwiiile was almost dimmed by the brighter glory of the northern lights. The whole heaven blazed, both north and south ; the lights swept onward, and then returned again : and suddenly a whirlwind seemed to pass across the sky, driving the fiames before it, and gathering them together at the zenith, where there was a sparkling and a cracklini^ as of burnina: fire, which almost dazzled the eves of the onlooker. Then the storm seemed to cease, the light died slowly away, there was nothing left but a few hazy flecks, which sailed across the starlit sky as we stocxl there still gazing. Such a display of northern lights I have never seen, either before or since. And there, be- low us, lay the fjord, cold and impassi\c, dark and deep, and girt round about by stee]) walls of rock and towering monntains, the familiar fjord landscape of the west of Norway. Ne.\t day things did not go quite so well with us, as in the course of the morning a head-wind sprang ujd, which blew so hard that, instead of making progress, we were AKKJVAL AT GODTIIAAB 151 almost driven backward, and our little cockle-shell danced up and down upon the waves to such an extent that there seemed every chance of our capsizing. She proved a good sea-boat, however, and never ship})ed a drop of water, except that which ran in unceasing streams through her bottom. Against the breeze, though, she travelled very heavily, and there was nothing to ha done but land, rest meanwhile, and hope that the wind would drop toward evening. This it eventually did, and we embarked again. It was not long before we reached Nua, as the point is called which lies at the mouth of Itivdlek Fjord, the north- ern branch of Ameralik. Here the country was less wild and broken, and, with its low ridges covered with moss and heather, promised excellent reindeer-ground. It was a fine, still evening, and we now set about to cross the fjord. This was the longest sea-passage we had as yet attempted ; but all went well, and we were soon across to the opposite shore. It was dark by this time, and we put to land to get some supper. Here, however, we found nei- ther fuel nor water, and had to eat our food cold and with- out drink, a state of things to which we were, nevertheless, well used. We had thought of pushing on farther during the night, but we now saw some ominous storm-clouds coming up from the west, and gathering about the sharp, wild peaks on the north side of the fjord. The night, too, was so dark that it would have been difficult to cross the fjord again, as we wished ; and so we determined to bring the boat ashore, and get a little sleep, in the hope that the moon might come to our help later. During the oper- ation of beaching the boat, Sverdrup was unlucky enough to fall into the water, which is not very pleasant just be- fore bedtime, and when one has so little in the way of a change of clothes. .ja X.-iyS£N JX THE FROZEN WORLD There was no improvement in the weather, and we slept till the morning of Oetober i. It was a splendid sunny day, and tliere was a gentle wind blowing to help us. In the course of the morning we crossed the fjord again, and went ashore to get ready a substantial dinner of two g„...~ .v,..L> L and a soup of unsurpassed excellence. To »K.. Kroth in which tlie birds had been cooked we added pva- and bread, and the compound was so invigorating that we literally felt the strength grow in us as we took down one basin after another. Unluckily, at this spot where we had landed there was a great abundance of crowberries, and as a matter of course we added them to our bill of fare. It was long since w^e had had access to fresh, wholesome, vegetable food, and we actually indulged ourselves beyond the bounds of rea- son. l"'irst we ate the berries standing ; and then, when we could stand no Ioniser, we ate them sitting ; and when this posture became at last too wearisome, we lay prone at our ease, and j^rolonged the debauch to incredible lengths. When we landed there had been no wind, but now a stiff northerly breeze sjDrang uj:), which blew up the fjord, and made any attempt at further progress on our part quite out of the question. All we could do, therefore, was to lie here, and go on with our crowberries. At last we grew so torpid that we had not the energy to pick the berries any longer with our hands, and so we turned on our faces, and went on gathering them with our lij^s till we fell asleep. We slept till evening, and when we woke, there hung the great black, luscious berries still before our very lips, and on we went eating them till we dozed off aorain. If what |>fople .say is true, that gluttony is one of the deadly sins, then may Heaven's mercy save us from the dire punish- ARRIVAL AT GODTIIAAB '^l ment that must await us for what wc ch'cl that day in Auic- ralikfjord. It has al\\a}s been a cause for wonder to me that wc did not pay the penaUy then and there ; but, as a matter of fact, we suffered no ill-effects from our excesses. At midnight the wind dropped, and 1 turned the crew out. In si}ite of the crowberries, Sverdrup had had suffi- ,/(^;. '«b^ BY AMEKAI.IKI-JORD ON THK MUKNING OK OCTOBER I {From a filiotograpli) cient energy in the course of the evening to collect some wood and fetch water in the e\ent of our needing a meal in the night. We now, therefore, fortified ourscKes for work, and by one o'clock we were afloat, ready to push on with renewed energy. We made our way quickly along the shore in intense darkness. The phosphorescence of the water was almost as brilliant as anything that troj^ical seas can show. The blades of our oars gleamed like molten silver, and as they stirred the surface the effect was ,54 AJXSEuV /X rilE FROZEN WORLD seen in the glittering radiance that stretched far below. The whole scene was very grand as we passed along under the beetling cliffs, where we could see scarcely anything but the tia-shes of phosphorescence which flitted upon the water round about us, and danced and played far away in the ccidie- -f •• " wake. V; SCC1111.U lu have luck with us just now — a state of mi ' ' which wc were not much accustomed. The wealWcr wa.s fine, and there was no w ind ; so, to make the best use of our oj^jiortunities, and keep the steam up, we had recourse to frequent stimulants in the way of meat- rhocolate. Rations were served out often and liberally, and with apparent effect, for we made rapid progress. At dawn, while we were resting at a certain spot, we heard numbers of ptarmigan calling in the scrub close by us. It would ha\-e been easy to bag some, and I was tempted to try ; but we thought we had no time to waste f)n land for such a ])ur])ose, so we showed an heroic deter- mination by rowing away from the enticing spot. We rowed on all the morning without stopping, except for chocolate. .Mom^ the whole stretch of shore the rocks fell so abruj)tly into the water that there were but two or three places where a landing was possible. About noon, to our great astonishment, we found ourselves approach- ing the mouth of the fjord. 1 1 ere we came upon a point with a nice flat stretch of beach, and pulled in to land. The .spot seemed a favorite cam]:)ing-i)lace, for there were several rings of stones marking the sites of l^skimo tents, and masses of seals' bones and similar refuse strewn about the place. The consciousness of having got so far made us unus- ually reckless. We felt that we should soon be in Godt- ARRIl'AL AT GODTJIAAB ^55 liaab now, and in honor of tlic occasion we contrived a dinner which, in magnificence, surpassed even that of tlie day before. We had now no need for parsimony or self-restraint, and no meal lhroiiL;hout the course of the- expedition came up to this in extravagance. We began with sea-urchins, or sea-ego-s, which I collected in nu '&& m- bers on the beach close by. The oxaries of these are especially good, and little inferior to oysters, and of this delicacy we consumed huge quantities. We then went on to gulls and guillemots, which were followed b\- the usual excellent soup. Biscuit and butter we had in abundance, and there were plenty of crowberries for him that had recovered from the surfeit of the preceding da\-. It was, indeed, a dinner worthy of the name, as Sverdrup said. It was no easy matter for us to con\ey ourseh'es into the boat again, and bend over the oars to do our jDroper work. If at any time afterward I w ished to bring Sverdrup into a thoroughly good humor, I had only to call to mind our notable dinner at the great camping-place in Ameralikfjord. Fortune was strangely kind to us that day: we now had a fair wind behind us, and, in sj^ite of our torpor and laziness, we made rapid progress during the afternoon. Everything was rosy to us now, and we pulled awa\' in sheer fulness of heart. There was one thorn in the side of our ha])piness, nevertheless. This came from the absurdly thin little rails on which we had to sit instead of thwarts. I suffered so much that I felt I could well do without a certain part of the body altogether. We shifted, and shifted again, but with little relief to our sore- ness and discomfort. The ha]3j)iness of this world is, indeed, seldom pure and unalloyed. ,.i. A-/A-vrv /V TirF. FROZEX WORLD Thus we passed out of tlie fjord, and saw the sea, i.slands. and .scattered rocks spread out before us, and lighted bv the most glorious of sunsets. The wliole ex- p-iT - ,'mrd to be susj^ended in an atmosphere of light. The vision stopped us, barbarians .uid dejDrived us of speech and power of ac- uon. A iceiing of home and familiar scenes came over for just so lie the weather-beaten islands of the Nor- wegian coast, caressed by Hying spray and summer haze, the out.skirts of the fjords and valleys that lie behind. I lot to be wondered at that our forefathers were drawn to this land of Greenland. \\ c- had set ourselves the task of passing the mouth of Kobbefjord. an inlet which lies just to the south of Godt- haab, that evening, so that, in the event of bad weather next day, we could, nevertheless, easily reach our destina- tion overland. We now came to a little fjord which is not marked sutiiciently clearly on the map we had, and which we therefore wrongly assumed to be Kobbefjord, though I thought at the time that it lay suspiciously near to the mouth of Ameralik. Consequently, we thought we might as well land there and then, as we sat simply in torture, and our legs were stiff with the ])ain and discomfort of the position. But then it struck us that we had better keep on till we could see the Hghts of Godthaab, for, in our innocence, we sup- posed them to be visible from the south. We saw, how- ever, nothing at all, and, as the current now ran hard againsi wc were at last obliged to desist and go ashore, liiis was at a jjoint which lies at the foot of a high mountain, which we afterward found to be Hjorte- takken. it was now about nine o'clock, and, with the ARRIVAL AT GODTJ/AAB 157 exception of sliort intervals for breakfast and dinner, we had been fixed to those seats of afHiction for a 'rood twenty hours. It was indeed a welcome change to ha\e a broad surface to stretch ourselx'es upon. Phenomenal as our dinner had been, the supper which now followed was not much less so. For the first time since we left the Jason ne could go to work upon bread, butter, and liver "pate" without restraint and stingy weigh- ing out of rations. We drank lemonade to our heart's desire, and did our very best to prevent any of that jjrov- ender which we had been economizintr so lono; from remaining over, to be carried to people among whom it would have no value. This thought it was that harassed us, and urged us to further effort; but in the end we were obliged to desist, with our task as yet undone. This was the last of these wonderful nights which we had a chance of enjoying before our reentrance into civili- zation. We felt that it was our farewell to Nature and to the life which had now grown so familiar and so dear to us. The southern sky was as usual radiant with the northern lights, streamer after streamer shooting up to the zenith, each more brilliant tlian the last; while the stars glittered in their usual impassive way, their brightness more or less eclipsed as the rival lights waxed or waned in intensity. We were both of us in a strange mood : our wander- ings were all but ended ; we had met w ith manv mishaps and many unforeseen obstacles, but we had succeeded in spite of all. We had passed through the drifting ice, and pushed our way uj) along the coast ; we harl crossed over the snow-fields of the continent, and made our way out of the fjord in our miserable little boat, in defiance of ,3S rtVSFV /.V THE FROZEN WORLD adverse winds; we had worked hard, and undeniably gone t ^h a deal of tribulation to reach the goal which now lay so near to us. And what were our feelings now? Were they feelings of triumph t)r exultation ? For ni\- own Tinrt ! must confess that mine were not of this loft}' <,rd« ..-■ wiher feeling could 1 attain than a sense of gross iLj'ietion. It was a feeling grateful enough tome; but as for our goal we had been ke]:)t waiting too long — there was too little surprise about its exenlual attainment for us to ufivc much thouirht to it. We curled ourselves up in our fur pelisses, chose each a stretch of heather among the rocks, and slept our last night under the open sky as well as we had seldom slept before. It was late before we woke next morning, October 3, and when we at last shook off our sleep, the wind had long been blowing freshly up the channel leading to Godt- haab. and calling us to work. Hut we felt that for once we need not hurr)' — we could sleep to the end, and yet reach our destination in TOod time. We beijan breakfast airain with the worthiest intentions of consuming to the last morsel the j^rovisions which remained ; but though we attacked them manfully, we had to j)ut to sea once more with this end still unattained. With the wind behind us we made rapid progress north- ward, and when we j^assed the spit of land on which we had camped for the night, we found that we had been all ihe time on the .south side (if Kobbefjord. This fjord now lay before us set in a ( ircle of wild, lofty mountains, among which Hjortetakken was most conspicuous, with its sides s|)rinkled with fresh snow, and its peak from time to time wra|)pcd in light, drifting mist. ARRIVAL AT G()/)'J//AA/i 159 Wc now set about to cross tlic fjord to the soutli side of tlie promontory on which (iodthaab itself hes. As we reached the middle we heard, for the first time for many weeks, the sound of unfamiliar voices. They were evi- dently Mskimo women and children from whom the sounds came. They were screaming and shouting; but, thouLih wc listened, we could make out nothinir, and thouirh we looked, there was no one to be seen. Some time afterward we learned that these voices must have come from a party of folk who had gone over to " Store Malene," a mountain lying to the east of Godthaab, to gather berries. They had caught sight of us, and were shouting to one another that they could see two men in half a boat, and were much exercised to know what new- sorcery this could be. Such a vessel they had ne\er seen before, and they did not at all like the look of it. This Eskimo description of our little craft as half a boat was really very happy, as it did much resemble the forepart of an ordinary boat. Some way farther on we saw in the distance the figure of a man sitting, as it were, in the water. This was the first " kaiaker " we came across on the west coast. Presently we cauirht si''ht of two more ; they were out after seal, and took no notice of us. This was either because they preferred their own business, or because they thought there was something wroncr about us. There is no doubt that thev saw us long before we saw them, for the Eskimo has the keenest of eyes, and never fails to use them. As we rounded the next point, Sverdrup. who was row- ins: bow, cauirht sioht of some houses which he thouirht must be Godthaab. I turned m\ head in astonishment, and saw some Eskimo huts, but could not think them to ,6o VtVSF.V /X THE FKOZEX WORLD be ' lab, as, according to the map, the settlement did not lie just there. Sverdrup then said : " But those big hoi. .^n't belong to these wretched Eskimos." I tlien turned quite round, and could now see the slated roof of a long building, surmounted by a little tower, and was quite ready to agree that this could not be an Eskimo abode, though it struck me that it might very well be a warehouse. But as we ]:)assed another point, we found we had before us no warehouse, but a church and a num- ber of Eskimo huts lying by a little bay. We did not think it was any use landing here, and were for keeping straight on ; but suddenly a fresh breeze sprang up, and made it very heavy work to row, and we concluded that it would be better to go ashore at once, and proceed to Godthaab overland. So we turned our little tub shoreward, and found that a number ff Eskimos, chiefly old women, were already swarniin^i out of the houses, and cominfr down to the beach to receive us. Here they gathered, chattering, and bustling to and fro, and gesticulating in the same strange way as we had seen their fellows of the east coast often do. We could see little or no difference between the two branches of this people we had met ; here there was just the same outward asjDCct — the same ugliness, and the same beaming friendliness and good humor. When we landed they thronged around us, and helped us disembark our goods, and bring the boat ashore, all the while jabbering unceasingly, and laughing, in wonder and amusement, at us two poor strangers. While we w^ere standing there, mounting guard over our gun and the more valuable of our possessions, and ignoring the crowd of people around us, whom, of course, we could not under- ARRIVAL AT GODTHAAB i6i stand one wliit, Svcrdrup said : " I lure comes a Furo- pean ! " I looked iq), and saw a young man advancing toward us. He was clad in an attempt at a Greenland- er's dress, but had a Tam-o'-Shanter cap uj)on his head, and a fair, good-looking face, which was as little like an Eskimo's as could well be. There could be no mistake about him ; lie and his whole demeanor were, so to say, a direct importation from " the King's Copenhagen," as it is called here. He came up to us, we exchanged salutations ; then he asked, " Do you speak English } " The accent was distinctly Danish, and the question somewhat discom- fited me, as I thouo'ht it a little absurd for us to set to work at English instead of our own mother-toncrue. But before I could answer, he luckily inquired: "Are you Enirlishmen '^. " O To this I could safely answer, in good Norse: " No; we are Norwegians." " May I ask your name t " " My name is Nansen, and we have just come from the interior." " Oh, allow me to congratulate 3'ou on taking 3-our Doc- tor's degree." This came like a thunderbolt from a blue sky, and it was all I could do to keep myself from laughing outright. To put it very mildly, it struck me as comical that I should cross Greenland to receive concrratulations upon my Doctor's degree, which I happened to have taken just before I left home. Nothing, of course, could have been more remote from my thoughts at the moment. The stranf^er's name was Baumann. He was a jjood- natured, sociable native of Co]oenhagen, who was now in the Greenland Ser\ice, and acting as assistant, or, as they call it, "Volontor," to the Superintendent of the colony of Godthaab. We subsequently had a good deal of his soci- ety. The Superintendent, he told us, was just now away 11 ,6j XAXS/^JSr IX THE FROZEN WORLD fmm home, and in the name of his superior he offered us a hearty welcome to the colon)-. Godthaab itself was close by. and it was quite by chance that he had just walked out ti> Ny Hermhut, the spot where we landed, to see the mis- >it»nan'. This is one of the few stations established by the (.icrman Moravian Mission in Greenland. The first question I asked, as soon as I could get an opix)rtunity, was about communication with Denmark, and whether the last ship had sailed. From Godthaab I learned that the last ship iiad gone two months or more ago, and there was none now that we could catch. The only possible chance was the Fox, at higtut, but she was to leave in the middle of October, and the place was 300 miles away. These tidings were anything but welcome. It had been the thought of catching a ship to Europe which had spurred us on during our crossing of the ice ; the vision of a ship had haunted us unceasingly, and never allowed us the enjo)-ment of rest or ease. We had consoled our- selves with the thought that we could make up for lost time on board, during our voyage home; and now, when the time came, we found that our ship had sailed before ever we started upon our journey across the continent. It was a magnificent structure of hopes and longings that now sank into the sea before our e3^es. As far as I was concerned personally, this was not of much account, for, on the contrary, I was quite ready to spend a winter in Greenland ; but for the other poor fellows it was another matter. They had friends and relatives — one of them wife and children — away at home, whom they longed to see. and they had often talked of the joys of their return. And now they would have to wait through the long win- ARKIlAf, AT GODTHAAB 163 Icr here, while their j)e()i)le at home would think them loiijf since dead. This must never be; a messat^c must be sent off at once to the J^'ox, our last hope of relief. While we were talking the matter over, we were j(;ined by another luiropean — the Moravian missionary, Ilerr Vogcd. 1 le greeted us very kindly, gave us a hearty welcome, and would not hear of our going by his door un entertained. He lived in the building with the tower which had first cauirht our attention, and which served both as church and as a residence for him. We were received here, by the missionary and his wife, with unaffected heartiness, and it was with a stranire mixture of feelings that we set foot once more in a civili/ed dwelling, after four months of wild life on shipboard, in our tent, and in the open air. The room we were taken into will always remain vividly impressed upon my memory. Its dimensions were not grand, and its features were uniformity and simplicity; but for us, who were used to a cramped tent, and the still greater simplicity of the open air, the appointments of this house were nothing less than luxury itself. The mere sit- ting upon a chair was a thimi to be remembered, and the i-) ipo cigars to which we were tieated wt and hostess. When we got out of doors, we found, to our surprise, liiat it was raininir. Our luck was true to us this time, and we had reached the habitations of men none too soon, for the rain would ha\e been very unjDlcasant to us in our little boat. We were assured that our boat and things should be taken care of and sent on, and then we started off to walk in the rain over the hills to Godthaab. After a time our way brought us out upon a project- ing point of rock, and we saw the colony lying below us. There were not a ijreat number of buildino;s — four or five Eurojiean houses, a church perched upon an emi- nence, and a good manv Eskimo huts. The whole group lay in a small hollow between two hills, and by a pleasant little bay. The Danish flag was flying on its high mast, which stood on a mound down by the water. Crowds of people were swarming about. They had all come out to see the mysterious strangers from the interior w^ho had arrived in half a boat. Then we made our way down ; but we had hardly reached the houses before a gunshot rang out over the ARRIVAL AT GODTHAAB •65 water, and was followccl by one after another, in all a complete salute. We had parted from civil izati(jn amid the thunder of cannon, and with this same thunder we were received into the civilized world again, for to such the west coast of Greenland must certainly be reckoned. It might have been supposed that we were individuals of the most warlike tendencies. How many shots they fired liUl-KllK. liKEK.NLAMJ WOMAN Dl- MlXtl) KA( K in our honor I cannot say, but the salute was well sus- tained. The little natives had all their work to tK) around the guns under the flagstaff, as we were passing among the houses and between lonsj: rows of Greenlandcrs of both sexes, who crowded around and lined the wav. 'rhe\- ,6o X.ijVS^y JX THE FROZEX WORLD — and especially the women — were a striking sight in their picturesque attire. Smiles, good nature, and here and there, perhaps, a little unaffected wonder, beamed from all the faces about us, and added a new sunshine to the surroundings. Then our eyes fell upon a more familiar sight — the figures of the four Danish ladies of the colony, who were coming to meet us, and to whom we were duly presented. At the same time, it struck us somewhat curiously to see European petticoats again among all the skin jackets and trousers of the fair Eskimos. As we reached the Superintendent's house, the salute was brought to an end, and the native gunners, under the lead of one Erederiksen, gave us a ringing cheer. The Superintendent's wife now welcomed us, on her own part and that of lier husband. Here, again, we were tem- I^orariiy entertained, and also invited to dine with the doctor at four o'clock. We had still a lon^- time to s^et throuoli before then, however, thougli we had plenty to do in the way of wash- ing and decorating ourselves. We were shown up into our new friend Haumann's rcxjm, the aspect of which, again, was sufficiently unfamiliar to us to make a very vivid impression u]K)n our minds. Here a musical-box played to us "The Last Rose of Summer," an air which will hereafter never fade from my memory; and here we were, for the first time, horrified by the sioht in a dass of our sunburnt and weather-beaten faces. After our long neglect in the way of washing and dressing, we seemed to ourselves little fit for presentation in society, and. U)th in our faces and clothes, a considerable number of the hues of the rainbow were intrusively conspicuous. ARRIVAL AT GODTHAAB 167 It was an indcscn'bal3lc delight to plunge the head into a basin of water once more, and to iro throucrh the cere- mony of an lionest Saturday night's wash. Cleanness was not, however, to be obtained at the first attempt. Then we attired ourselves in the clean linen, so to say, which we had brought all the way across Greenland for the purpose ; and, thus reconstituted, we felt ourselves quite ready for the good things of the doctors well- provided dinner-table. By all the Danish inhal)itants of Godthaab we were entertained with unprecedented hospitality, and the lux- ury displayed on all sides was quite astonishing. We had expected to find that the Europeans exiled to this corner of the world would be so influenced by the na- ture of their surroundings, and the primitive section of humanity amid which they dwelt, that they would have inevitably forgotten a certain amount of their native etiquette. And therefore our surprise was great when we saw the ladies appear at social gatherings in the longest of trains and gloves, and the men in black coats and shirt-fronts of irreproachable stiffness, and even on occasions going to the extremity of the conventional swallow-tail. Surrounded, as we were, by the natives in their natural and picturesque attire, and thoroughly unaccustomed as we had grown to all these things, to us the absurdity of European taste in such matters seemed altos^ether incons^ruous. We two were now safe in port, and the next thing to be done was to send relief to our comrades in Ameralik- fjord with the least possible delay. They had no means of knowinc: whether we had reached our destination, or had gone to the bottom of the fjord, and left them to i68 NA.XSEN IN THE FROZEX WORLD stan-e to death out there. And after this was done, we must despatch a message to tlie Fox. In the course of the afternoon we tried, therefore, to arrange matters, but withuut success. No sooner had we arrived than a stomi from the south had sprung up, and the weather was so bad tliat the Eskimos, who are bad sailors in anything but their " kaiaks," woukl not venture upon the voyage into AmeraHkfjord. The letter to the Fox was to be sent b)- one or two " kaiakers," but we could find nu une in the colony who would undertake to start in this weather, and we were therefore obliged to wait till next day. When night came, and lodging had to be found for us, Sverdruj) was quartered upon the before-mentioned I-Vederiksen. the carpenter and boat-builder of the place, while Herr Haumann's room was put at my disposal. It was strange, too, to find myself in a real bed again after si.x months' absence. There can be few who have en- joyed a bed as completely as I did this one. Every limlj thrilled with delight as I stretched myself on the soft mattress. The sleej) which followed was not so sound as I could have expected. I had grown so used to the bag of skin, with the ice or rock beneath it, that I felt my present couch too soft, and I am not sure that, after a while, I did not feel a faint longing for the old order of things. On the morning of October 4 I was roused from my unquiet dreams by the gaze of the Eskimo maid-servant who had rome with the morning supply of tea and sand- wiches. After this early meal I got up, and went out to Ux)k around the jjlace. Down by the beach there was just now a deal of life ARRIVAL AT GODTHAAB 169 and movement, for a boat s load of seals, \vhi( h had been caught not far off, had just come in, and the so-called " flensing," or process of cuttini; the blubber out, was now in progress. I went down with Baumann to study this new phase of life. The Eskimo women, with their sleeves rolled up, knelt in numbers around the crashed and mangled seals. From some the blood was taken, and collected in i)ails, to be afterward used in the manufac- ture of black puddings, or analogous delicacies ; from others the intestines were being: drawn, or the blubber or flesh being cut. All parts were carefully set aside for future use. After having seen enough of the sanguinary spectacle, and duly admired the dexterity and grace displayed by the Eskimo women, as well as the good looks of some among them, we went across to see Sverdrup, and, if he Avere up, to ask him to come and have breakfast at the Superintendent's house. When we entered, however, we found him already at table with his host, Herr Frederiksen, and enfraired upon a breakfast of roast ptarmigan and other delicacies. I expressed my regret that this was the case, as I had hoped that we should breakfast together. But Sverdrup could see no reason why we should not do so still. He was now occupied with his first breakfast, certainly, but so good a thing would easily bear repetition, and he expressed himself ready at once to begin again. So he actually did ; and, as a matter of fact, he made at this time a regular practice of eating his meals twice over. For three davs he stood the strain ; but after this he suc- cumbed, and had to kee)) his bed for some hours in con- sequence. It was a long time, indeed, before any of us 17© X,^XS£N AV T//E FROZEN WORLD returned to decent ways again, and were content to take our food like civilized beings. In the course of the morning a man was found wlio V. -nsidered equal to the task of carrying our de- rhes southward, and was at the same time willing to undertake the journey. The man's name was David, and he wa- -ident of Ny Herrnhut. He was to go to I-'iskerna-- lall settlement some ninety miles to the south, and there to send the letters on by other " kai- akers." An errand of this kind is usually undertaken by two men in company, as risks of a fatality are thus much lessened. Hut as the same David was not afraid of the undertaking, and had exjDressed his readiness to start the same afternoon, 1, of course, had no objection to make, I promised him, as well as the others to whom he was tn hand the despatches, extra pay in case they caught the I 'OX. I then wrote a hurried letter to Herr Smith, the man- ager of the cr\()lite (|uarr\ al Ivioftut. The Fox beinor the j)roj)erly of the company who own this quarry, it lay really with the local manager to decide what course the vessel should take; but 1 also wrote to the captain of the ship. In both these letters I asked that the vessel should be allowed to come up to Godthaab to fetch us, if possi- ble. I did not projDose that she should wait at Ivigtut till we could join her there, because, in the present uncertain state of the weather, it was cjuite impossible to calculate h(»w long it would take us to get the rest of the party from Ameralikfjord, and cover the necessary 300 miles in o|)en boa I. As far as we could judge, we could not reckon upon reaching Ivigtut by the middle of the moii>^ — thr date al which the sliip was expected to sail ARRIl'AJ, AT (;ODTI/AAIl 7' — and \vc could not a.sk licr to wait an indcfinitL' time for us down there. On the other liand, it seemed to me that, if she thouglit of doing anything on our behalf, it wouM he to come and fetch us. By these means slie could save time, and it would be possible to reckon, with a fair amount of accuracy, how many days the vo)'age to Godt- haab and back would take her. Furthermore, in case my messengers should catch the Fox, but she could not see her way to fetching us, I hastily wrote a few lines to Herr Gamel, of Copenhagen. This letter, and one from Sverdrup to his father, brought to Europe the first news of our having reached the west coast of Greenland, and contained all that was known of our journey for six months. In one respect they hold, perhaps, a somewhat unusual position, for tlieir postage came to no less than eighty-five dollars. Our messenger promised me that he would start that very afternoon. He did make the attempt, but, as far as I could learn, was driven back l3y stress of weather. As things were just as bad in this respect when even- ing came, and it was the general opinion that no boat would be able to make the voyage into Ameralikfjord next day either, the pastor proposed that a couple of men should be despatched in "kaiaks" to take to our companions the news of our safe arrival,^ together w ith a temporary supply of provisions, with which the\- could console themselves until the boats could be sent to fetch them away. This jDroposal I accepted, of course, most gratefully; and while the pastor went to secure hi> " kaiakers," two plucky brothers, nametl Terkcl and Hoseas, who belonged to Sardlok, but haj)pened at this monient to be at Godthaab, the ladies of the colonv set ,7, ,VAXS£X IN THE FROZEN WORLD busily to work to collect a supply of the most unheard-of delicacies. These were stowed away in the two canoes, while I supplemented them with some simpler articles of f ' ~ ' IS butter, bacon, and bread, and last, but not Mjiiic pipes and tobacco. Among the latter was a bii; Danish porcelain pipe with a long stem, and a ]X)nnd of tobacco, for Halto's jjrivate delectation — a ])resent which I liad promised him up on the inland ice on some occasion when he had surpassed himself in handi- nes>. .\> ^oon as the "kaiaks" were ready packed, I gave Terkel, the elder of the two brothers, through the medium of the pastor, an exact description of the spot where the others were to be found, and pointed it out to him on the map. which he understood well. Next morning, therefore, October 5, three Eskimos left Ciodthaab — two bound for Ameralikfjord, and the third for iMskcrna'S. The first two, who were excellent hands at their work, made good use of their time, and found our companions on the morning of the following day. But the latter, who was an inferior " kaiaker," had to turn back, and was a long time before he finally got off. As far as I could make out, he was seen hanging about Ny Herrnhut, which was his home, some days later. This same morning, too, a boat for Ameralikfjord made an attempt to start, but only to come back a couple of hours afterward. As I have already said, these Green- landers are rio great i)erf()rmers with the oar. In the afternoon they had another try, and this time, strange to sa\ >aw no more of them ; but, as we subsequently learned, they got no farther than to an island a little way to the south, where they disembarked, and passed the nr\t f( u- rl i\^ in a tent instead of returning, though they ARKJIAL A J' GOD'J'//A.\r, ,73 WLM-e no more tliaii an hour's row distant all the while. There was a very good reason for tlii.s odd conchict, as it appeared, for had they come back tliey would have lost all the pay which they now managed to put to their credit; and, besides, they would liave had nothing like so good a time at home as in their tent on the island, and therefore they felt no call to move till the)- had consumed their whole supply of provisions. Next day the Superintendent of the colony, Herr Bistrup, returned, together with Herr 1 leincke, the German missionary from Umanak, a Moravian station up the fjord, some forty miles from Godthaab. The Suj)erin- tendent had been in Umanak, when a " kaiaker," who had been sent off from the colony, brought him the news of our arrival. He and the missionary had thereuj^on at once despatched a couple of men in canoes into Amera- hkfjord. They also carried a supply of provisions sent by the missionary and his wife, and were told to remain with our party, and help them in every possible way. On October 7, Terkel and Hoseas came back from Ameralikfjord with a letter from Dietrichson, telling us that they now felt quite comfortable in there, as they had an abundance of provisions, and now knew of our safe arrival at Godthaab. Two days later, or on October 9, the weather was suffi- ciently favorable to allow^ of my sending off an ordinary Eskimo b(xat, which I had borrowed of Herr \'oged, the German missionary whom we had first met. The crew- consisted as usual chiefly of women. The same dav. too, the first boat, commonly known as " the whaler," finally left the island on which its crew had hitherto been pic- nickinof. 174 -^v/-^•5/:iV ix the frozen world Several clays now passed, and as we had heard nothing of our companions, we began to expect tlicir arrival every i; The Greenlanders in particular were extremely anxious to see them. IJke all Hskimos, they have the liveliest imaginations, of the fruits of which wc had some noteworthy examples. T''- . .liter our arrival the strangest rumors were I; "iiong the natives of the colony as to our c.xpcnence^ upon the inland ice. Wc were said to have taken our meals in the company of the strange inhabi- tants of the interior, who are double the size of ordinary men. We had also come across the tiny race of dwarfs who inhabit the rocks in the recesses of the fjords. Of the feet of these little peojile we had seen numerous traces in the .sand, and we even had two specimens of the race in our comuanv. Un the other hand, it was reported that two of the mem- bers of the expedition had died on the way ; but of this sad occurrence we, as was quite natural, had no desire to speak. .At first, indeed, we were regarded as possessing certain almost supernatural attributes, and it was feared that we had achieved the heroic feat of crossing the dreaded inland ice by the aid of means not strictly orthodox. And, therefore, as soon as S\'erdrup or I showed ourselves in jjublir. the natives assembled in orreat numbers to sraze at us. 1, especially, on account of my size, was a favorite object of their regard. Wc received appropriate names at once: Sverdrup was called " Akortok " — that is to say, '^teers a shij) ; " while I was honored with two appellations —" Angisorsuak," or " the very big one," and "Umitormiut nalagak," which means "the leader of the ARRIVAL AT GODTHAAB 175 men witli the great beards," under which description the Norwegians are generally known. It had also come to the knowledge of these good people that we had two Lapps in our company — members of a race which they had never seen. The two " kaiakers " who had come back from Ameralikfjord had minutel)- de- scribed their meeting with the strangers. " There were two men," they said, "of the people who commonly wear great beards, and two who were like us, but were clad in a wonderful dress." They were thus quite acute enough to see that the Lapps, in spite of all distinctions, belonged to a race somewhat on a level with themselves, and were widely different from all Danes and Norwegians. At last, early on the morning of October 12, the two Eskimos who had been sent into the fjord from Umanak arrived with a note from Dietrichson, saying that the whole party were now on the way. The entire colony, Europeans as well as natives, now turned out, and awaited their arrival in great excitement. At last we could see, by a movement among the "kai- aks," which lay below us, that the boats must be in sight. Presently, too, " the whaler" appeared from behind a pro- jecting point. The " kaiaks " simply swarmed around her, and we soon caught sight of our four companions, seated in the stern, in front of the steersman, and already waving their caps in the air by way of salutation. It was a little strange to me to see them sitting there as passengers, instead of workinir at the oars. The boat came slowly on, with a long string of "kai- aks" tailing out behind, and soon put in to shore under the flagstaff mound, where the four strange beings from the interior landed, and were heartily welcomed by the ,76 AAys£y jy the frozen world hurop f the colony, a^ utll a:, by crowds of Eskimos, t.. whon course, they were a source of renewed .iid admiration. The Lapps came in for marked attention. The Greenlanders set them down as women, •.hev wore lonii tunics something Hke the cloaks l-Iuropean ladies, as well as trousers of reindeer skin, uhirh particular i^arments are only used by the women ..; I... Hskimos. lialto seemed to take the attention which f..ii i,. k;, share with the greatest complacency and non- ..anLc. He talked away, related his experiences, and 'on on an intimate footing with all the inhabitants '.lie place. Ravna, as usual, went his own silent way; he came up to me. ducked his head, gave me his hand, and. though he said very little, I could see his small eyes twinkle with joy and self-satisfaction. They were all glad enough to have reached their desti- nation, and the announcement that there was a very doubt- ful prospect of their getting home this year did not seem !., Imv.. much effect upon their good spirits. \- stated before in this work (see page 74), Nansen and Ins companions had to spend the winter at Godthaab. On -\j)ril 15 the ship IIvidbjornc7i arrived, and soon after the home journey began; on May 21 Copenhagen was reached, and on May 30 they entered Christiania Fjord, where they were received Ij)- hundreds of sailing boats and a whole fleet of steamers. CHAPTER X WITH THE CURRENT In tlic beginning of 1890, Nansen delivered a lecture before the Norwegian Geographical Society, and set forth his plan for a new Polar Expedition. " I believe," he said, after frivinir a short sketch of the history of polar investi- gation, " that if we study the forces of nature itself which are here ready to hand, and try to work with them instead of against them, we shall find the surest and easiest way of reaching the Pole. It is useless to work against the current, as previous expeditions have done ; we must see if there is not a current that will work with us. There are strong reasons for supposing that such a current exists." Nansen's plan was founded upon the assumption that from Berins: Strait and the north coast of Eastern Siberia a constant and comparatively strong sea-current sets in the direction of the North Pole, whence, again, it turns to the south or southwest, between Spitzbergen and Cireen- land, follows the east coast of Greenland, and then sweeps around Cape Farewell into Davis Strait. Three years after the sinking of the ycajiuctfc, north of the New Siberia Islands in June, iSSi, a number of arti- cles were found on the drift ice off the southwest coast of Greenland, which must undoubtedly ha\e belonged to the lost ship — anK)ng them, for example, a provision list with the signature of the captain, De Long, a list of the tjS X.^,yS£X /-\" 7//v^ FROZE ^\ WORLD JeanHftUs boats, and a pair of oil-skin trousers marked with ihc name of one of the sailors who were rescued. The news of this discover)- uj^on the drifting ice floe attracted much attention, and it was conjectured, witli a plausibility approaching to certainty, that the lloe must have been carried by the abo\e-mentioned current from the New Siberia Islands, across or near the Pole, to the place where it was found. It was calculated that the articles must have been conveyed at a speed of about two miles in the twenty-four hours, which corresi)onded with the rate at which the Jcauiicitc was borne along in the ice durinii the last four months of her existence. These relics of the ycanuctte are not, however, the only objects which have made the long journey with the current from Kast Siberia across the Pole, and have been swept southward along the east coast of Greenland. A so-called " throwing stick," used by the Eskimos for hurl- ing their bird-darts, was found by a Greenlander, and given to Dr. Rink at Godthaab, who afterwards presented it to the Christiania University. It has been shown that this instrument is quite different in form from that used by the Greenlanders, but exactly resembles the th rowing- sticks used by the Eskimos of Alaska, the northwestern extremity of North America, which borders on Bering Strait ; so that it too, in all probability, had traversed the Polar Sea. The drift wood which is washed ashore in Greenland in such large quantities, and is so indispensable to the I-iskimos in the absence of timber trees, has been shown to consist for the nifjst part of timber native to Siberia, so that it too must have been carried by the same current across the very })recincts of the Pole. WITH THE CURRENT '79 NAN SEN IN i8g3 In the course of his wanderinc^s alonij the shores ot Denmark Strait, Nansen found on the drift ice large quantities of mud. Of this he collected a number of specimens, wliich were examined by Professor P. Cleve, of Upsala, and A. H. Tornebohm, of Stockholm, and proved to consist of varieties of soil characteristic of Si- beria. Tims the probability is that this nuid, too, had made the long polar voyage. These facts of themselves sufficiently prove that there I So A'.tXSBJV AV THE FROZEN WORLD n,u>: i-racticable connection between the sea to the north ui Asia and the sea on the east of Greenland — not, ix^rhaps, an open water-way, which one could scarcely expect to find, but a practicable route in the sense that the current carries the ice floes (now frozen together, now piled one on the top of the other, and then again broken up and scattered), across the distance indicated, with con- siderable regularity and in an ascertainable space of time. From these premises, then, Nansen drew what we may fairly call the inevitable conclusion that if an ice floe with what happens to be upon it can thus make its way across the polar area in a given time, it must be no less possible for a ship, fixed among the ice floes in the course of the current, to complete the same passage in the same time. His j)lan was to make his way, with a small but strongly built vessel, to the New Siberia Islands, and there or thereabouts await the most opportune moment for mak- ing the furthest possible advance in ice-free water. He thought it probable that he could get well past the Islands. " When once we have come so far, we shall be right in the current in which the Jeannette was caught. Then the thing will be to press on northward with all our might until we stick fast. We must now choose a favora- ble place, moor the shijD firmly between convenient ice floes, and then let the ice screw itself together around her a-s much as it j^leases — the more the better. The ship will sim])ly be lifted out of the water into a firm and se- cure ice berth." Henceforth — so the project continues — the current takes up the work of propulsion ; the ship is no longer a means of transport but a barrack. The curr'"^* -weeps it past the Pole and onward into the sea bet\s<_'jii Greenland and Spitzbergen. At the 8oth degree WITH THE CURRENT i8i of latitude, or })Ossib]y before that if it be summer, it w ill probably find oj^en water and be able to sail home. But if it should be crushed by the pressure of the ice ? Then the equipment and provisions will be moved to a strong NANSEN ON THK ICE (SUMMER DRESS) (From an instantatteous photografilt) ice floe, where the tents will be pitched, warm tents of double sail-cloth with an intermediate layer of reindeer- hair. One can get far upon an ice floe. The crew of the Ilansa drifted from Smith Sound \'\<)cl it is not at all impossible to get on amid the ice. And it is no unrea.sonaljlc calculation that all this may take no more than two years. Five years' provisions, at any rate, will be amply sufficient. \\'itli th.e food-stuffs now available, there is no fear of scurxy. Besides, a certain amount of fresh meat may probably be counted on : seals and polar bears are to be found very far north, and the sea no doubt contains plenty of small animals which may be eaten at a i}inch. But suppose, now, that the Jeauncttc current does not pass right across the Pole, but, say, between the Pole and Franz Josef Land.? That matters verv little. " We do not set forth to seek for the mathematical point which forms the northern end of the earth's axis; to reach this particular spot is not, in itself, a matter (»f the first moment. What we want to do is to investii£ate the sfreat unknowii regions of the earth which surround the Pole; and our investigations will have prac- tically the same scientific value whether we reach the actual Pole itself, or pass at some distance from it — curious though it would be, no doubt, to stand on the very Pole and l)e turned around with the earth on one's own axis, or see the oscillations of the pendulum describe an angle of exactly fifteen degrees in the hour." Nansen finallv dwells ujDon the scientific significance of polar exploration — its imj)ortant l^earing upon the prob- lems of geograjjhy, terrestrial magnetism, atmospheric electricity, the Aurora Borealis, the solar spectrum, dawn and twili'/ht. the jjhysical geography of the sea, meteor- WJin THE CURREm' 1^3 ology, zoology and botany, palaeontology and geology. " We Norwegians," so he ends his lecture, " have before now contributed not a little to the exploration of the Arctic area ; our gallant Tromso and Hammerfest men in particular have done excellent service in this respect. NANSEN ON THE ICK (WINTER DRESS) (From an instafilaneoi4S />hotogra/>h) But as yet no Norwegian crew has set forth straight for the Pole in a Norwegian craft. " The polar area must and shall Ix' investigated throughout its whole extent. There has hitluTto ])een a noble rivalry between the nations as to which should first achieve the goal; and one day it will be achieved. ,84 A'JXSEN /y THE FA' O ZEN WORLD " May it be Norway's fortune to lead the way ! May it be the Norwegian flag that first floats over the Pole ! " In November, 1892, Nansen expounded the same jDlan bcf'-'" ;inother geographical society, not a young body like uui.-. but old and world-renowned above all others — the Royal Geographical Society in London. There was a brilliant gathering, including almost all the Englishmen who have distinguished themselves in Arctic exploration, and they are not a few. Before this society, the first to which Nansen, on his return from Greenland (1S89), had set forth the results of his expedi- tion—before this society, which had done more than any other for the advancement of Arctic research — before, in short, the most competent body of Arctic specialists in the world — he had now both to explain and to defend the basis and the details of his plan. There they sat before his eyes, all those celebrated explorers whose names were already inscribed in the history of Arctic research — those grizzled and white- haired i^ioneers of the polar world, the heroes of so many an achievement before Nansen was born. There sat .Admiral Sir George Nares himself, the celebrated chief of the .l/i-r/ and Discovery expedition, during which Commodore Maikham had, on May 12, 1876, reached the latitude of 83° 20', a record wliich only Lockwood had .since beaten. There sat Admiral Sir Leopold McClin- tock, leader of the Fox expedition (1857-58), by which I'Vanklin's fate had been finally ascertained. There, too, was Admiral .Sir 1".. Inglefield, who in 1852 brought Kane Basin within the sphere of geographical knowledge. And there, among the rest, was the famous Arctic traveller, Sir Allen Young, who, so long ago as 1857, had accom- WITH TJIR CURRENT 185 panicd McClintock, and in 1S75 liad taken the Pandora ri<>lit ui) into Smith Sound to brin determined to confer its Vega medal upon Fridtjof Nansen, and it was now handed to liim by the King. <^>nly five ]3cojjle had received it — Xorden- skjold, I'alander. Stanley, Przewalski, and junker. The sjxjkesman of the society, Professor Gustaf Retzius, said in the course of his speech: " Dr. Nansen has had for- tune on his side in his first enterprise. Let us hope that this victory may m)t prove his Narva, leading him to un- derrate difficulties, and thus luring him on to a Pultowa. May it be only the first of a series of triumphs ! " The speaker knew, he said, that Dr. Nansen was in no way puffed up by his achievement, but precisely the same as lie had been two vears as^o when he came to Stockholm to consult Professor Nordenskjold as to his projected journey. But Nansen might well be proud of his exploit, the speaker continued, because it was an honor, not only to himself, but also to his country. It is not on the field of battle that small nations can vindicate their place in the world, and secure their independence. It is in the domain of culture, of civilization, of science and art — a domain which lies open to all — that they must press forward into the front rank and strive for the palm of victory. Here it is that they must seek for their true distinction, and earn the respect of the great nations. As far as we can ascertain, the Vega medal was the first distinction of its kind conferred upon Nansen. Seven years ago, as an unknown seal-hunter in the Polar Sea, he had looked with reverence upon the gallant craft which / s Y \ J \ DR. NA.NSEN ,9 J X.l.VSFX /.V THE FROZEN WORLD had borne Nordenskjold around Asia. Now he himself held a place of honor by the side of that renowned travel- ler, and received the medal which bore the name of his ship and was, according to custom, presented on the day when the Vcca reached Stockholm after her northeast passage. The I'ti^a medal was far from Ix'ing the only mark of di>tinction conferred upon him. In the course of these years Nansen became a member of a host of geogra]3h- ical and other learned societies, and received several gold medals and other decorations. We may mention the Karl Ritter medal, and the Victoria medal of the Royal Geographical Society, conferred upon him in the begin- ning of 1 89 1. This celebrated body states as follows its reasons for selectins: him for this distinction : " The patrons of the Victoria medal, to Dr. Fridtjof Nansen, for havini: been the first to cross the inland ice of Green- land, a perilous and daring achievement, entailing a jour- ney of more than three months, thirty-seven days of which were j^assed at great elevations, and in the climate of an Arctic winter; obliging him to lead a forlorn hope with the knowledge that there could be no retreat, and that failure must involve the destruction of himself and his companions; and calling forth the highest qualities of an explorer. Vox having taken a series of astronomical and meteorological observations under circumstances of ex- treme difiicultv and i)ri\ati()n, durinc: a march which required exceptional powers of strength and endurance, and mental faculties of a high order, as well as the qualities of a scientific geographer, for its successful accomplishment. And for his discovery of the physical character of the interior of Greenland, as well as for other valuable scientific results of his expedition." NANS EN AT HOME AND ABROAD .93 A distingiiislicd friend in Copenhagen, writing to con- gratulate Nansen on receixing IIk- \ ictoria medal, ends his letter tlius : "If )()ii shcnild hereafter become ' Com- mander ' or ' Grand Cross' of any order whatsoever, you must excuse me if I do not congratulate you. Crowds of people have the right to wear a ribbon ; l^ut the Victoria medal is held by very few, and it 's a devilish select com- pany it brings you into." The Grand Cross is presumably in reserve for his return from the Polar Seas. Hitherto Nansen has received the Knights' Cross of the St. Olaf Order (May 25, 1889) and of the Order of the Dannebrog. It can scarcely be indiscreet to add, that it pained him greatly to be the sole recipient of these distinctions. He felt strongly that his comrades who had risked their lives with him, and shared witli him his toils and dangers, ought also to share with him the public recognition of their exploit. It was certainly no fault of his that he was the only member of the expedition who received the cross of St. Olaf. Even before he returned from Greenland he had been elected a member of the Christiania Scientific Society. A whole host of evidences of the appreciation of his achievement in scientific circles streamed in upon him after his return, in the form of letters from the leading authorities on Arctic exploration. We shall here cjuote only a single expression from a letter addressed to him by the celebrated Arctic traveller, Sir Clements Mark- ham, dated March 11, iSqi. He says of the Greenland expedition: " lM)r m\- i:»art I regard it as being, from the geographical point of \iew, one of the most remarkable achievements of our time, remarkable alike for intrepidity and for the importance of its scientific results." 13 ,94 X.lXSJt.V IN THE FROZEN WORLD On June 24. 1S91. Xansen was appointed Correspond- in*' Member of the Institute of France, in succession to Nordenskiold, who was promoted to the rank of Foreign Associate. When he and his wife returned from Stockhohii they l(Kli;ed for two months with Martha Larsen, formerly housekeeper at Great Froen, wliom we have already had occasion to mention more than once. Her house, which revived all the memories of his childhood, was like a ha\en t)f rest where he could take refuge at any time. He had lived with Ikt during the "hard spring," when he had to stru'j^trle both with his doctoral thesis and with his preparations for the Greenland expedition. Here he would seek rest and refreshment of an evening in chatting over the old days at Froen. " 1^0 you remember, Martha," he would say all of a sudden, " that time when I came to you streaming with blood from a cut in the leg.!* " " Indeed I do — you had fallen on some broken glass." " No — I can tell you the truth now, Martha. You see we had got new sheath-knives, both Alexander and I ; and as I was slashing the heads off thistles with my new knife, I ran it into my leg. But of course I could n't tell you that." " It wasn't like you to tell mc a lie-," says Martha, with mild rej)roach. "No, but there's a limit to everything, Martha; and I could n't have the new sheath-knife taken from me." It has been the lot of Martha Larsen to sweeten the year-long toils of the polar explorers. Not that she, per- sonally, took part in the ex])edition ; but she was the self- appointed purveyor of jams and jellies to the Fram. In NANSEN AT JIOME AM) AH ROAD 195 tlie course of his voyage northward, when Nansen was sendinir his farewell c^reetiiT's in letters to all who stood very near to him, or had played an important part in his life, he did not forget his faithful old friend. From Kha- barova, Yugor Slniil, he writes to her on August 3, 1S93: "As I am on the i)oint of leaving this last place from which letters can be desixitched, 1 must send you a ])art- ing greeting, and thank you for all your friendship and iioodness to me." Mer friendshii) he describes as untir- ing, and says that she is always fmding opportunities to be of service to him and to his wife. We need not apol- ogize for referrinii: to this simiDle little letter. It is not every celebrated man whose memory is so alert at the critical moments of his life. From Martha Larsen's the newly-married coujjle re- moved to the Urammen Road, where they set up house. But there was too litde sun here, and too much town, too much civilization. They determined to build for them- selves, and bought a site at Svartebugta (the Hlaek Bay), where Nansen, as a boy, had often lain in ambush for wild duck. While their building operations were in pro- gress, they lived in a jmvilion close to Lysaker railway station — a pavilion which has since been transformed by the painter, Otto Sinding, into a comfortable house with a splendid studio. But up to this time it had never been inhabited. The floor was close to the ground, and it was very cold; the water in the pitchers froze hard every night. "That winter," says Mrs. Nansen, " cured me of the habit of feeling cold." In this dog-hutch and in this biting cold, Nansen set himself down to his book upon Greenland — he had no difficulty in recalling the atmos- phere of the inland ice. 196 .V.t.VS/'LV /X TJIE FROZEN WORLD If he took an hour's holiday and became a human being again, he repented of it afterward. Ikit he was for- ever going over to watch tlie j^rogress of the new house, in the details and arrangements of whicli he took a keen interest. The " high seat," and tlie bed, in the old Nor- wegian style, were executed from his own designs by Borgersen, afterward so well known as a wood-carver. The iiouse, which was built by Mrs. Nansen's cousin. Architect W'elhaven, was finished in March 1890, but they had moved into it long before that. It was Bjorn- stjerne Hjornson who gave it its name. He rose from the *■ high seat." champagne-glass in hand, and said : " Godi/iaab skai dct hede ! '' ("It shall be called Good Hope ! "j Godthaab lies in the bight formed by a little projecting ness, sheltered and secluded, and quite alone. In front of the house is a wooded and grassy slope, leading down to the shore, whence the fjord stretches wide and open right to Nesodland. Here Nansen had his foot on his own ground, and could keep his own boat for sailing on the fjord. But in the autumn he set off on a lon- brief notes. " Fridtjof Nansen was here in November, 1890, two years after his memorable crossing: of Greenland, and a year and a half after his return to Norway. As he wanted to complete his book describing the expedition, he had hitherto been unable to accept any of the repeated invitations he had received to visit Berlin. On Novem- ber S he lectured before a meeting of the Geograj)hical Society. He was warmly received, for we had all fol- lowed his daring journey with interest. The j)eculiar magic of hi> i)ersonalit3-, which never fails to affect those ,98 jVAA'SE.V f.y THE FROZEN WORLD who stand face to face witli him, was strongly felt during the dcHvery of this lecture. He took us all captive by the magnetism of his immovable will. We saw in him a strong man marching toward a clearly realized goal, and cHnging with tenacious energy to a well-weighed and carefully projected plan. We were strongly impressed with this feeling, even as he told of his crossing of Green- land, and how he had ' l)iirnt his ships' before setting forth on what was then regarded as a foolhardy act of daring. And it was with growing enthusiasm that the meeting hung upon his words as he went on to sketch in outline his ureafnew scheme for reaching the North Pole. Many were of opinion that the enterprise was altcx'ether too hazardous, and were doubtful of the prem- ises on which he based his belief in its possibility. But not one amontr liis hearers doubted that if the thing was within the range of human possibility, Nansen was the one man j^redestined to carry it out. On looking into the rea.sons for the brilliant success of his first undertak- inir, one could not but recognize that thev lay in the care with which every detail of the j^lan was thought out, the sedulous forestalling of every ]X)ssible contingency, the physical training which enabled him to cope with all physical difficulties, the talent for making the most of mechanical aids to locomotion, and finally, the indomita- ble strength of will. .Although, no doiil)t, this new pro- ject far sur])assed the former enterprise in magnitude and daring, yet all the jjrecautions necessary to secure a fortunate result seemed to have been conceived on a proportionally larger scale, " Such, my honored friend, is the impression Nansen left beiiind him. No one who was ])resent can ever for- > •2. (/I P) C o o o D aoo A^-iXSJi.V J.V THE FROZEN WORLD get the picture of tlie handsome, well-knit young man who hO modestl)- told the story of an accomplished feat, and sketched in' such simple words the outlines of a still more daring enterprise. K\ery one felt fully assured that whatever detemiination, strength, and intelligence can do to vanquish the hostile forces of Arctic nature might be confidently expected of I^idtjof Nansen. And although we cannot quite rid ourselves of the idea that the assump- tions on which the scheme is founded are not as yet fully established, yet we are convinced that Nansen's clear insight will realize the actual conditions when he comes face to face with them, and that he will wisely confine himself to attempting what is physically possible, instead of clinging with stolid obstinacy to the plan once laid down. In this confidence, we look forward to seeing your gallant young countryman return with a rich harvest of scientific results, followed as he is by the warm sympa- thy of the whole civilized world. " One thing I must add to my account of the impres- sion produced by Nansen. I must note the happy com- bination in him of a remarkable spirit of enterprise with a strong scientific sense. These two qualities are not often found together. Especially in our age of athletics, it may almost be said to be the rule that the most daring exploits — for example, in mountain climbing — are carried out purely for their own sake and to satisfy a mere love of adventure. So much the more heartily should we ap- plaud the man who is im])elled by higher motives to the conquest of the greatest physical difficulties. Nansen's lecture left no doubt of his keen interest in, and thor- ough understanding of, the problems connected with Arctic research. He took especial pains to acquire and NANSIiN ./'/■ //OMh AN J J ABKOAD 201 communicate a scientific insight into the i^hysieal con- formation and conditions of Greenland; and he has clearly a no less enlightened sense of the scientific siLrnificance of polar exploration." What especially occupied him in these years was the preparations for the Polar Expedition. Hie equipment involved an immense expenditure of thought — from tin- construction of the ship to the minutest detail of the com- missariat. Even the selection of the crew must ha\e meant a great deal of correspondence — no fewer than 150 foreigners applied for leave to join the expedition. The list is headed by Englishmen and Americans, then come Germans, Danes, Swedes and Finns, Italians and Frenchmen, etc. The labor was enormous. Everythini had to pass through his head, every one of the thousand details. Compared with this mental toil, the labor of drao^ginc: the sledges over the Greenland ice fields was little more than child's play. It engrossed him day and night, and encroached terribly on the few hours that were left for his home and his family. The strain upon his vital force was incomparably greater than in an)- of his previous efforts. In the beginning of 1892 he again set forth on a lectur- ing tour, this time in England, the j^rofits going to the expedition fund. He s])oke in London and in the other great towns of I^ngland, Scotland, and Ireland, visiting Fixerpool, Manchester, Sheffield, Birmingham. Hull, New- castle, Edinburgh, Belfast, Dublin, Bristol, and many other places. " His lectures," writes a friend in h^ngland, "were liighly appreciated and made a great succes.s. His mastery of the English language was remarkable. He made himself 202 y.LVS£.V IN THE FROZEN WORLD thuroiighly heard and understood. Of course he read his addresrc-s- but to my thinking his speaking was most effective when, at the end of his last lecture before the Kt.yal Geographical Society, he laid his manuscript aside. It was, in a sense, a farewell to England, ins])ired by a depth of feeling which stirred his audience to enthusiasm. I can assure you that when Nansen returns, a magnificent reception awaits him in this country." Late in the autumn of this year his sliip was launched. "A whole troop of invited guests," writes Gustaf Ret- zius. in the " Aftonblad " for November 3, 1S92, " took the morning train on October 26, from Christiania to Laurvik. There had been ten degrees of frost in the night ; snow^ had fallen, and a thin white veil lay over hill and valley. Gradually the mists dispersed, and the morning sun shone out with the jieculiar softened splendor characteristic of a clear winter day. Nansen himself receives us at Laurvik station, and leads us to a whale-boat, lying at the pier, with a crow's-nest at its foretop. It carries us down the fjord, then turns to the left and runs in shore. Here, in Ra-kevik Hay, lies the liull of a ship, shored up on the beach, with its stern to the sea. It is Fridtjof Nansen's new shij), whicli is now to go off the stocks. The hull is higli and broad, black below, white above. The three goodly masts of American pitch-pine are still lying along- side her on the whai-f. Three flagstaffs have been erected on the deck, two with flags, the one in the middle without. It is reserved for the pennant bearing the ship's as yet unknown name, which is to be hoisted after the christen- ing. There are many speculations as to what the name is to Ik". Pcojjle guess Eva, Lcif, No7'(^e, and Nordpolcn. I liousands of spectators have gathered around Colin 204 .yAyS£X /.V THE FROZEN WORLD Archer's wharf, tliousands have clambered up on the rocks. But around tlie great vessel lying shored up on the shps stand groups of sturdy figures in working clothes, with crrizzled liair and furrowed features, carefully examin- in*' her lines and build. These are whalers and seal-hunt- crs who have year after year braved the dangers of the Polar Sea. There are also many workmen among them, ships-carpenters who have helped in the building, and who now reirard their work w ith just satisfaction. But the master builder is the stately man with the serious refined features and the long white beard. It is Colin Archer. '• h'ridtjof Nansen, ft)llowed by his wife, now mounts a platform erected close to the vessel's bows. Mrs. Nansen steps forward, breaks a champagne bottle against the stem at one strong blow, and says loud and clear : ' Fi-ani skal (h')t hide' — 'She shall be called Fram.' ^ At the same moment the Hag is hoisted on the unoccupied flagstaff, and the word can be read in white letters upon a red ground. The last moorings are now quickly cast off, the last supi^orts knocked away, and the great vessel glides, at first slowlv, then quicker and quicker, stern-foremost, down the sharj^l)' slojDing groove which leads to the water. It plunges deeper and deeper. For a moment it almost seems as though it were going to sink, or at any rate to strike the bottom. But as the stem a]:)]:)roaches the water the stern rises, and finally the whole vessel floats away, to be brought back in a few minutes, laid alongside the wharf, and there moored. At the moment when the whole bulk of the ship had taken the water, a great wave swej)t shoreward and washed over the rocks and over the onlookers who had perched themselves close to the sea. ' I'ram =! I-'orwards. NANSJiN AT JIOME A\D AUNOJl) 205 We could SL'C ihcm from the disUiucc scraiiihlini; like wrt Hies up tlic slipj3L'ry rocks. \ large boat wliic I1 had been swept ashoie 1)\' the wave was with difficulty saved, but without misadxeiUiu-e. " On the platform, by his wife's side, I'^ridtjof Nansen stood tall and erect, and watched the scene. .All eyes were bent upon ihem. We could not but think what their feelinirs must have been at the moment when the vessel frlided into the sea: feelinLj:s of u:ladness that the prologue to the long dark drama that was to be enacted ill the polar night was now happily concluded ; feelings of pain at the thought of the long separation that lay before them. " For all who were present, it was a moment of deep emotion when, amid the booming of guns and the thun- derine cheers of the multitude, the Fram plun'^ed into the sea and rose again proudly in its freedom. Many were afterward heard to say that it was one of the most impressive experiences of their lives. As the ship glided forth in the silvery light retiected from the calm surface of the sea, we seemed, in a flash of foresight, to be read- ing the Saga of the future. We seemed to glance down the vista of her destiny, to see her, in waters no keel has yet furrowed, spreading light over regions no eye has yet seen. And when we came to think of the stern realities which must one day surround the vessel and its crew on their daring quest, the cold, the darkness, the storms, the icebergs, and all that follows in their train, we could not but feel a touch of awe. But in iM-idtjof Natisen's serene, unembarrassed, steadfast glance, there was no trace of doubt or anxiety. He has the faith and the will-power that can move mountains." ao6 X.IXS/':X AV 77//^ FROZEN WORLD Colin Archer, the builder of the Fram, belongs to a Scotch family. His name is widely known and highly re.sjH.'cted in Norway. " It is not many years since our pilot boats were sadly deficient in point both of speed and V'{ ^afet\. I lic\' were neither well built nor well desio^ned lie work they had to do, so that it frequently hap- j.^.icd that the boat went down and took the pilot with it. M.. \".-, 1,,..- flevoted himself to the task of furnishing our puui> u iin a faster and safer sea-boat. After more than twenty years' work, he has met with such success that the pilot can now face almost any weather in one of his boats, and that those he leaves at home need no lonq;er tremble and turn pale when the surf is lashing and the stonii sweeping over the sea." In a speech which he made that day, Mr. Archer said that he would never have been able to solve this peculiar problem, so unlike any that he had hitherto attempted, if Nansen himself had not furnished him with the key; it was Nansen's constructive sense that had throucrhout pointed the way. Rut Nansen had no less right on his side when he jjraised Colin Archer's talent, and expressed the belief that never before had a ship been built for .Arctic work with any approach to the care and thought which had been devoted to this one. Let us hope that Colin Archer's most noteworthy " pilot boat," which is to pilot humanity through ice-packed channels and over un- known waters, may stand the test as well as the other " Archer-boats," its jDredecessors. The Frat)i. which in reality somewhat resembles a pilot boat, is sj)ecially designed to play the part allotted it in Nansen's general scheme. His idea is not to burst his way by force through masses of ice, but to let the F7^am NANSEN .1 r //().]//■: .I.\7) .I/:A'(>.I/> 207 lie firmly frozen in anrl I3C carried forward Ijy the current. It is not a fast sliijj, tlien, that he needs, but a vessel wliicli can Ijear an iniinense pressure of ice without l^eini; crushed. It liad to be so desiij^ncd that the ice should not be able to grip its sides and squeeze theni toc^ether, but should, as it were, wedge itself under the hull and force it up out of the water. For this reason the sides and bottom are strongly rounded. In order to secure the greatest possible strength the ship had to be as small as possi1:)le, and ]:)articularly short in pro]:)ortion to its breadth. This would facilitate botli the raising of the hull when the ice got packed under it, and the handling of the vessel among the floes when it should be relea.sed from its ice-berth. The Franis length on deck is 128 feet; length on water-line, 113 feet; keel, 102 feet. Her extreme breadth is 36 feet ; breadth at water-line, exclusive of ice-skin, 34 feet; depth, 17 feet. When she is lightly loaded, the draft of water is 12.} feet. The keel, which is 14 inches by 14 inches, American elm, projects only 3 inches be- low the planking, and its edges are well rounded. The frames are double, being built chiefly of Italian oak, ob- tained from the dockyards at Horten, where it had been stored for thirty years. The lining is ])itch-])ine. The outside planking consists of three layers: the inner one being 3 inches oak, the middle one 4 inches oak, and outside all an ice-skin of greenheart, increasing in thick- ness from 3 inches at the keel to 6 inches at the water- line. Roth bow and stern are j)rotccted by a covering of iron bars. The total thickness of the ship's sides is 24 to 28 inches, and their power of resisting pressure is thus very considerable ; but it is greatly increased by 2o8 AMVS/':X JX THE FROZEN WORLD ptjwcrful beams or stays of wood or iron. The hold is divided into three water-tight compartments. The structured strength of tlie Fraui is tluis quite exceptional. Never before has a vessel been so fortified against the attacks of the ice. Puring these years of toil Nansen enjoyed breathing >|jviLes, when he gathered his friends around him. These pleasant interludes in his work will never be forgotten by those who took ])art in them. They remember the din- ner when all the painters — Werenskjbld, Eilif Peterssen, .Skredsvig, Munthe, Sinding — gave themselves up to high jinks without beginning or end, when they w^ould on no account listen to polite speeches, but rushed into the kitchen and set the pump going whenever any one began. Nansen was thoroughly at home among the paint- ers — he himself dabbled a little in their handicraft,^ and, during his Bergen days, had worked in the studio of old Schiertz, who thought he had the makings of an artist in him. Thev remember, too, that Midsummer Eve, when Hi Lammers sang of the hero Roland, and Nansen went down to the bonfire and piled on wood. By way of exemjilifving the hours of relaxation in the life of labor de])icted in this book, one of the authors will note down his recf)llections of a luncheon party at Nansen's house, the day after the launch of the Fram. > Nansen draws excellently ; all the plates for his zoological, anatomical, and histological essays are drawn by himself. We may mention, as a charac- trrifttic instance of his encrj^^y in every department, that he was not content with himself making the drawings for his works, l)ut also learned lithography, so th.it. for example, the plates in his principal essay on the nervous system are drawn on the stone with his own hand. NANSEN A 7^ HOME AND ABROAD 209 It liad rained overnight, so that the roads were ankle- deep in autumn mud. Nansen himself met us at the station in the liighest of spirits. When we reached his house (a quarter of an hour's walk from Lysaker station) it was raining. The fjord stretched before us dark and dei)ressing, the gray autumn sky seemed to droop disconsolate among the i)ine stems. But in Nansen s study branches and logs were crackling and smouldering cosily upon the open hearth. Here everything is in old Norse style. Nansen him- self, as before mentioned, designed the furniture of light pine-wood, beautifully carved with dragon arabesques. Over the high seat hangs a tapestry of an antique pat- tern. Luncheon was served in the cosey little dining-room, and merriment was the order of the day. Inill justice was done to one dish after another ; and Nansen is not the man to fonj:et to season the viands with talk. He was, of course, still full of memories of the previous day, and one incident of the launch after another was related and discussed. Mrs. Nansen had to analyze her sensa- tions at the moment when she broke the cham])agne bottle against the bow and said : " I-^ram skal dcu hedc ! " Some one else related how Archer was seen to close his eyes when the ship began to move; and so forth. When the champagne appeared, Nansen projxised Retzius's health, and Retzius thus ended his speech in reply : — "This is a delightful home of yours. Nansen, and I cannot but marvel at your resolution in tearing yourself away from it to set forth into the i:)olar winter, and brave an unknown fate. You, a biologist, have the sea stretch- 14 ;io A.INSE.V IN THE FROZEN WORLD ing before your very windows, willi all its inexhaustible and fa>cinating treasures. Here you are in the midst of all your old friends, the marine fauna — with worms, inoUusks, and mud-eels at your beck and call. We scien- tists, who so hii;hly appreciate Nansen the biologist — the man who has successfully steered many a voyage of exploration over the unknown depths of the biological world, and especially through tlie intricacies of the nervous system — cannot quite reconcile ourselves to the thought that you are deserting this field of labor to go so far and to be absent so long. " But you have yourself determined it, you have decreed your own destiny. " And besides, when the explorer returns from his adventurous voyage, the biologist will find the field of investigation as rich as ever. You may make your mind easy — we who arc left at home will not reap the whole harvest — there will be plenty left for you to do. We are as yet onlv at the beginning of our work. " There is only one thing I fear, and that is that I'Vidtjof Nansen, when he comes back from the North Pole, will discover that the earth has a South Pole as well." As we clink glasses and drink Nansen's health, strange thoughts fill our minds. Who knows when this circle of friends may meet again ."* Not, at any rate, until one of them .shall have returned from afar. Nansen is, as usual, quiet and at his ease. As the later courses come on, we get him to tell us some of his stories. lie has an unusual gift of oral, no less than of written narrative ; he describes picturesquely, with powerful touches, and, on occasion, with charming humor. First NANSEN AT IIOMli AM) AH ROAD 21 I we irct liim on tlic polar l)L'ars. Tlun some one asks about the time when he and Mrs. Nansen eHmbecl Nore- fjeld on New Year's Eve. "Yes, it was really New Year's Eve; it was in icSc^o. Eva and I liad gone up to Krbderen for a breath of fresh NANSKN AND MRS. NANSEN ON SNOSV-SllUKs air, and we made up our minds to climb Norefjeld — to the toj) of course. We slept at Olberg, and were rather lazy in the morning, so that it was about ten o'clock before we made a start. And we did n't hurry at all at first, so that the day slipped on. It's something of an ascent even in summer; but in winter, when the days arc short, you have to look sharp if you want to get to the 713 NANSEN IN THE FROZEN WORLD top while it 's liirht. And then we had taken a course of our own — well, it may have been the most direct, but it certainly wa^ ni the cjuickest. The snow was very deep, and we had n't any guide. At last we could n't possibly use our snow-shoes any longer ; it got so steep we had to take them off and carry them. But we were bound to do it all the same ; you can't face about and leave a thing half done, however much ice and frozen snow there may be. The last piece almost beat us ; I had to cut our w^ay step by step with my staff. I went ahead, Eva followed. It reminded me of what the little girl wrote in her school essa) ; ' \'v>\' every step we went forward, we went two steps back. At last we reached the top.' " Well, we too reached the top, but it was dark, and we had been at it from ten till five with nothing to eat. So now we set to and picnicked in the snow and the pitchy darkness, on mysost ' and pemmican mixed." " You may thank heaven w^e don't treat you to that to-day," said Mrs. Nansen. " Yes, you made wry faces over it, Eva," growled her husband. " Hut it 's all a matter of habit." We lingered oxer our walnuts and our wine while Nan- sen continued: "Well, there we two sat alone in the snow at the toj) kA Norefjeld, something like 5,000 feet above the level of the sea. The frost-wind nipped our checks, the darkness grew denser and denser. Ear away in the west there lingered a very, very feeble gleam of day, the last in the year. We had to see about getting down again. " Wc struck a course more or less in the direction of Esfgedal. I-'rom llogevarde" dow^n into the valley is per- ' r.o.ifs milk cheese. 2 'i-i,;. ^^p ^f Norefjeld. NANSEN AT nOME AND AUKOAD 213 haps about a Norwegian mile,' wliich would have been nothing at all if it had been light. Ikit it was n't so easy to find our way in the darkness. " Off we plunged into the night, I ahead and Kva fol- lowing. We went like the wind over njeks and slopes, and it was no joke to keep our balance, 1 can tell you. When you 've been out in the dark for some time, a sort of dim shimmer seems to rise from the snow; you can't call it light, but it is n't absolute darkness either. Heaven knows how we managed to get along sometimes, but man- age we did. All of a sudden I had to stop short, and shout to Eva. It was too steep for snow-shoes, there was nothino- for it but to sit down and slide. It s not good for your trousers, but it 's safer in the dark. " The wind nipped our ears till they tingled, for it was freezing like anything; and on we went. Suddenly, as we were going at full speed, my hat blew off — a little gray hat of the sort I usually wear. " So I had to put the brake on, and get to my legs again. Far up I saw something black upon the snow, scrambled up to it, seized it, and found it was a stone. The hat must be farther back — yes, there it was. Again 1 clutched at a stone. Hats seemed to swarm all over the snow; but when I came to })ut them on they all turned to stones. Stones for bread may be bad enough, but stones for liats are not a whit better. There was nothing for it but to iio ahead hatless. " Eva remained wliere I had left her. ' l'"va ! ' I shouted, ' Eva !' The answer came frt)ni far, far below. "There seemed to be no end to that mile. Hut we managed to keep going somehow ; and now and then we ' Seven English miles. ,,4 J^NSEA- /X THE FROZEN WORLD could use our snow-shoes too. All of a sudden the ground seemed to fall away at our feet; we stopped at the verge of a precipitous bank — how high it was we could n't see, but over it we had to go, one first, the other after. The snow was deep, and when that is so, you can clear incred- ible distances. " We had long ago lost our bearings, if we had ever had any. We only knew that we must go ahead. At last we came to a dead fix. Eva had once more to sit and wait while I cast about for a way. I went groping around in the darkness and was a long time gone. All of a sudden a thought struck me : suppose she were to fall asleep ! Such things have been known to happen, and she must be dead tired. ' Eva, Eva ! ' I shouted. ' Yes ! ' she an- swered riiiht enoutrh, but this time from far, far above. If she had fallen asleep I don't know^ that I could ever have found her again. As it was I groped my way up to her, brini^in^ with me the 2:ood new^s that I had found a water- course. I won't say that a watercourse is the best possi- ble snow-shoe course, especially in ])itcliy darkness, when your stomach is empty and 3'our conscience ill at ease — for this was really a reckless piece of work. But some- how or other we did contrive to make our way down the watercourse. " Now we were among the birch-trees, and at last we struck upon a road. So the worst was over. Far down, we came ujion a hut. I thought it looked cosey enough, but Eva said it was dirty and horrid. And now she was quite lively; she was determined to push on. Just like a woman. I o make a long story short, we at last reached the parish clerk's house in Eggedal. It was now late at ni2:ht. NANSEN AT JIOME AND ABA'OAD 215 SO we had to wake the people up. The parish clerk was quite frightened when he heard \vc had come from the top of Norefjeld. " This time Eva was not so particular about her night's lodoino-. She had no sooner sat down in a chair tlian she fell asleep ; it was twelve at night, and she had been on her feet for fourteen hours. "' He 's quite worn out, jioor boy,' said the parish clerk ; for Eva was wearing a gray snow-shoeing dress, with a short skirt and trousers. " ' It is my wife,' said I. " You should ha\-e heard the exclamations. ' Oh Lord, oh Lord, you don't mean to say so ! Think of dragging your wife with you over the to}) of Norefjeld on New Year's Eve ! ' " But now came supper — and as soon as she smelled that it was not mysost and pemmican she wakened ujd. " It ended in our resting three days at the parish clerk's — and that was our New Year's Eve ascent of Norefjeld. I thouirht it ''reat fim ; but i don't know what Eva would say. " When we left Eo-aedal the looor bov and 1 drove down Numedal to Kongsberg, and the boy was almost frozen to death. " But one has to s:o throuG:h. a little hardship now and then to enjoy life properly after it. If you don't kimw what cold is, neither do you know what it is to be warm." The time draws on for the great departure. The sum- mer of iSc)- has come. In the evenings, while his secre- tary is writing at full si)eed, and Nansen is walking uj) and down directing and dictating, he will suddenly slip ,^6 NANSEN IN THE FROZEN WORLD out and appear on the slope in front of the house. Here planting is going on - gooseberry and currant bushes, apple a'iid pear trees. Nanscn himself points out to the o-ardener where every tree, every bush is to stand. " It will be splendid soil," says the man, as he i^lls the holes with mould mixed with seaweed. " Oh yes, I hope they '11 grow," says Nansen. The evening sun throws long shadows from the great pine stems in front of the house, the waves wash softly, in a long slow swell, against the beach. The nurse comes out of the house carrying little Liv, who is to be put to bed. How long will be the shadows cast by these bushes and trees before he comes back ? How many evenings will the sun disappear behind the ridge, before current and wind and wave bring his ship home again ? Evening after evening, month after month, year after year ! On Midsummer Day the Fram lies at Pipervik ready to start. Only a small group of Christiania people have gathered to stare at the clumsy-looking ship, which still lies at its berth long after the time appointed for the start. So slitrht is the notice taken of an achievement in the bud. When he comes back again, all Christiania will turn out to receive him. But men are always so. As though it were nothing to conceive this great design, to take this immense responsibility, to bear all burdens until you are ready to drop under them — and to stand erect on the quarter-deck and take your life in your hands. There were not many that day who remembered the old saying which had been cited at Raekevik when the Fram was launched : " Magnos homines virtute metimur^ non for- tunay (\Vc judge great men by their virtue, not by their luck.) NA^rSEN AT HOME AND ABROAD 217 But among those who had gathered to see Xansen off were many members of the Storthing. By tAvo resolu- tions, which must be reckoned to the credit of so small a people, the Storthing had contributed a sum of about $75,000 to the expenses of the expedition. To-day it had adjourned in order to bid farewell to its leader. But Nansen had not been informed of this, and had not yet come on board. The members of the Storthing waited for hours, and at last could wait no longer. Even at the last moment there were details of business that Nansen had to attend to. The whole morning passed, and he had had scarcely a moment to exchange a word with his wife. The farewell was of the shortest. When he came downstairs, httle Liv was brought to him smiling. He took the child in his arms : " Ah 3*es, you laugh, Liv, but I I " He sobbed. Then he jumped into the little petroleum launch, steamed up the fjord, boarded the Fram, taking no notice of any one, went up to the bridge, and gave orders for the start Those who saw his face at that moment will never forget it One picture from his stor}' of that New Year's Eve ex- pedition has often risen before our minds during these years of waiting. She sits alone upon the mountain, and gazes forth into the impenetrable darkness, so long, so loner. Then a voice is heard from far off on the snow- field- He is there ! He is coming ! CHAPTER XII ON BOARD THE " FRAM " TiiK wind had been rii;lit ahead the whole day, writes Professor W. C". Hrogger, ever since we started from Landci^ode. We liad first made a tack under full sail rii^ht across the X'estfjord toward Moskena^s Island, and had now j)ut about, and were heading straight for the passage southea^^t uf Skraaxen. The steady fresh breeze had swept the sky clean, and lifted the sea into f()am-t()]:)ix'd waves which plashed monotonously against the broad bow of the Fram, as she ploughed her way through them, as heavy as an old Dutch galliot and as steady as a rock. Up on the bridge the ])ilot, Haagenscn, was pacing to and fro in sturd)' security, now and then shouting an order to tlic man at the wheel in his homely Nordland dialect. Hut the fair\\a\- was at this point so clear that there was not very luucli for a jiilot to do — a wide chan- nel in frf)nt, and a steady wind blowing, hour after hour. At the end of the bridtre Nanscn had rigged up for himself an oj)en-air studio — an easel and a few boxes of pastel colors — and here he sat the whole evening, and well on into the night, in his yellow-gray silk mackintosh, heedless of the cold wind (which, however, was gradually drojMjing), dabbing on colors, and smud<>inu: with his fm- ger-tips on the sand):)a]:)er, so intently and indefatigably that he rubbed the skin off. The blood trickled from the ON BOARD TIIK ''FRAM'' -'9 Till'. " FKA.M IN bERCJEN abrasion, and niadc a broad red stripe down tlic sk\- of his landscape. And the landscape the Fravi was passing was indeed worth painting in its sunset radiance. No pen could possibly draw a true picture of its ever-changing splendor of form and hue. „o NAXSEN IN THE FJWZEX WORLD Kastward. illumined by the reflection of the sinking sun, rose the whole mighty array of the crests, and peaks, and summits of the mainland ; while to the west, the end- less snow-fiecked Lofoten-Wall loomed dark and threat- ening, a chain of Alps springing right up from the sea. The sun was so low that the island mountains lay en- tirely in the shadow, dark purple silhouettes against the marvellously soft and shifting colors of the evening sky. Over the highest peaks hung heavy grayish white masses of cloud, now melting into the strips of snow, which formed a delicate lace-like collar around the shoul- ders of X'aagekallen, now transpierced by the smouldering glow of the evening sun, which, down toward Moskenaes Island, formed a continuous broad band of gold over the low-lvinsr banks of mist, like the reflection of a sea of fire in the far distance. Above our heads stretched the pale evening sky, toning off into greenish blue and the most delicate rose- pink, so cloudless, and bright, and pure, that it seemed as though Heaven had specially willed that Nansen and his comrades should see our land at its very loveliest, without stain or flaw, before they bade it farewell. And beneath us leaped the glorious sea, still crisping into foam-crests that shone white on the dark blue ground — our forefathers' royal rf)ad to " fame and might," ^ the road on which the Fram was now covering the first stages of her way to immortality. The Fram plodded doggedly on toward Skraaven. Hour after hour the strange sharp peak stood out right ahead of us, seeming always to recede as we advanced. ■'"•""■ I- Danish national song, Koiti^ Christian sfod ved Ji'djcn Mast. ON BOARD THE '' FRAAf" 221 The Fram, as \vc know, docs not pretend to be a clij^per. She has no occasion for speed, she has the years before her. Right you are, Fram ! Slow and sure wins in the end. CJii va piano va sa?w, chi va forte va m uiorie. The Fram was now comparatively trim and shijj-shape; Sverdrup himself had superintended the cleaning process, and worked the hose the wliole afternoon, while Gjertsen followed him with the moj), and whole rivers of water poured through the scuppers, carrying with tliem all superfluities. I should not like to swear that they did not now and then squirt a drop or two among Nansen's pastels, when they happened to j)ass under the bridge; but it could not be helped — the Fram had to bestir her- self in order to look presentable when she got to Tromso, and a daily scouring was necessary to remove all traces of the coal-shifting operations in Ncerosund. Now the coal was finally stowed away in the hold, and the greater part of the dried fish cleared from the deck both fore and aft, so that the shi]:) began to look fairly habitable again. This clearing up had cost a good deal of trouble, for the crew was small, and things were not yet quite in working order. The chief difficulty lay in the fact that the cargo was so exceedingly heterogeneous. It is not so easy to get everything into order when an exact account has to be kej^t of where all the innumer- able articles are stowed, so that they may always be at hand when needed, perhaps in the moment of danger. Ihus every one had his own dc])artment to attend to in addition to the general work of the ship, and the average day was anything but a holiday. Even now, one or two had not yet finished their day's work. The first mate was busy carpentering. Little 222 xjysE.y /y the frozen world Scott Hansen was every one's favorite; although a mere boy to undertake such a voyage. — he was only twenty- five,— he did his man's work with the best of them. He was always in good humor, always friendly and pleasant to every one; but his eyes would beam with affection when they fell upon the barometers and chronometers and all his other dear instruments up in the chart-room, which had been placed under his care. He was to be both astronomer and meteorologist — and first mate into the bargain, and a little of everything else. He was expecting to meet Professor Mohn next day up at Lodin- gen, and was consequently very busy putting together a cage for his thermometers, planing and nailing away until far on in the evening. There was not much room on the deck of the />^m ; indeed, there was scarcely a spot that was not cumbered with deck cargo of all sorts. Almost the whole space for- ward was taken u]) with the supports for the longboats, and the sujDerstructures over the hold, to say nothing of an immense number of odds and ends, such as a huge pair of bellows, a spare crow's-nest, a great tool-chest, etc. Hut aft it was even worse — what with a stack of timber (|)lanks, beams, etc.), a number of large beer-barrels (a steadily diminishing number, it must be admitted), the huge spare rudder and spare j^ropeller, several parts of the great windmill for generating electricity when the coal is exhausted, capacious tanks for petroleum and gas oil, one of the boats, and finallv. under the bridge, a whole pile of dried fish to feed the dogs who were to be taken on board at Yugor .Strait. Around the wheel, however, was a small open space built in with deck cargo, where one could actually put ON nOARP TlfF. ''FA\l.U" 223 one's foot on ihc deck and sit cosily .shcllcrcd from the wind. This was the favorite cvcnino- rendezvous of those who had time to spare for a smoke and a chat. 1 lere we sat tliis evenini;- in the twilight, while the Fnim buffeted its way through the seas under the Lofo- ten-Wall — I lendriksen, (^ijertsen, Jacobsen, Cliristianscn (one of the Greenland party), and I. ']"he pipes were in full blast and the talk in full swinof. O Jacobsen was a capital narrator, when you could work him up to the point, which was not every day. 1 le had seen a great deal of the world between the South Pole and the North, and had an unusually rich stock of expe- riences to draw upon. WlTether he was recounting his adventures among the Maories of New^ Zealand or among the ice floes of Nova Zembla, he always managed to put an extraordinary amount of life into the situation, and to transport his hearers into the thick of it. This evening he was telling the story of his polar-bear hunts, with one of the Bourbon jjrinces, on Sj^itzbergen, and he gra])hi- cally depicted for us all the manners and customs of the polar bear, its spirit of inquiry and its clumsy cunning. I have since read somewhere that at jxarting the jirince pre- sented him with his own ^old watch ; of that he said nothing, and 1 saw nothing of it while I was on board the Fraiii. Polar bears being the topic, first one and tlien another contributed something of his own exj^eriences. " How many bears have you shot, I lendriksen, roughly speaking .^ " asks the mate. Hendriksen was a Palsfjord man ; the sliape of his fore- head, his broad cheek bones, and the whole type of his physiognomy seemed to indicate that lie had Qua>n blood 22A NA.ySEN IN THE FROZEN WORLD in his veins. Be this as it may, he was a good-natured and genial fellow, and one who could put his shoulder to the wheel to some purpose when strength was needed. He had now sailed the Arctic Sea in every direction for fourteen consecutive seasons, ever since he was nineteen ; during all these years he had never felt the heat of summer, until he had come south for a short time to help in fitting out the Fram. He was not a man of many \\ords, but it was easy to see that he was by no means yearning to repeat his expe- rience of the summer tem- ])erature. He was one of those members of the crew who preferred to pass the night in one of the " hotels " on deck, either in the Grand Hotel or in Gravesen's — so they had christened the two lonain — for all of a sudden the boatmen, the nicfGfers vou know, as naked as \w\ hand, took and seized her in their arms and iumi)ed into the water with her. Juell believed he 'd seen the last of her; for you know, she's uncommonly ])lump and ajipetizing, and he thouu^ht no doubt thev were cannibals, these fellows." " Then a great many of you are married ? " I said. " Oh yes, we 've almost all got some one to leave be- hind," answered Hendriksen. " Amundsen heads the list, he does, for he has'five or six children ; then Nordal lias five, Juell and I have four ajiiece, and then — let me see — Petterson has two I think, and " 228 A.L\SJ':X IX THE FROZEN WORLD .And Nansen and I have one apiece," added the mate. My thoughts tk'w back to Httlc Liv, and I turned my head and saw him still sitting up there upon the bridge, busy with his painting, as though lie had never in his life done anything else. He had taken off his cap in order to see better, and was shading the picture with his arm or looking through the hollow of his hand to get a con- centrated impression of the color. His bust stood out boldly, the massive head with the short-clipped hair show- ing in sharp tiutline against the indescribably pure and clear colors of the eveninc^ skv. W ere his thouQ-hts bent on his distant goal, or were they at home with little Liv in her cradle } The evcnin2: air bcijan to G^row chill, so I rose to 20 below and get hold of my greatcoat. As before men- tioned, it was no easy matter to make your way about on the deck of the Fram ; so I remarked jokingly, " One would need either four legs or a pair of wings to get about amonor all this litter." '■ N ou should do as Johansen did," answered the mate. " lie walked on his hands the other day up the steps from the fo c'sle, across the whole of the forward deck, up the steps to the after deck, and down the companion into the cabin : and I 'ni bothered if he was even red in the face when he put his feet down again upon the floor of the .saloon." " (>)h, that 's nothing for Johansen, he 's the first gyni- nast in Norway," remarked Gjertsen. " In Paris, he made a clean somersault over forty-two men, so that the I-renchmen thought there would be nothino- but a wet spot left when he came down. But he fell on his feet, as ri-ht a«^ jiossible. He got a gold medal for that, too ! " ON BOARD THE '• J'A'AM " 229 "Amundsen is not bad at that sort of thing, cither, you know. Wliat do you tliiiik lie did the other day down at Rorvik, while we were loadinir all that beastly coal ? 1 le was up in the niain-to]) and wanted to come down to the deck, forward. Confound me if he did n't slide down the stay from the main-to}) to the fore-top, holdiuL; on by his hands alone all the way! There isn't another man on board could have done it ; but Amundsen's fists are as hard as shoe leather, and no mistake. And then, of course, he 's a bit lighter than I am, for example," said Gjertsen. I, unable to emulate either of these feats, made my way as well as I could over the obstacles that bestrewed the after deck, past the chart-room, in the o])en doorway of which several powder-casks were piled up dr\ing, and down the cabin comj^janion — a journey which, if it did not require a gymnast of the first rank, was certainly not to be recommended to a gouty subject or a fat man. The cabin steps went right past the galle\', where Juell was at that moment deep in his culinary occupations. A tempting smell of cooking greeted my nostrils, and I looked in for a moment to warm myself a little and iiave a chat. Juell stood in his shirt-sleeves busy at \\\> work, the perspiration pouring down his high forehead, and his heavy mustaches droo])ing like a bridle fi-om the i-orners of his mouth. " Nice and warm here, Juell," said I. " Warm ! I should think it was ! When all the pots are boilinu: for dinner I believe the devil himself would singe his nose if he poked it in here, il 's the hardest job I Vc ever had in my life. I 've made many a voyage in my ,30 jy.-ljVS£X IX THE FROZEN WORLD day, but this is the first time I \c shipped as cook, and if 1 come safe and sound back again, it shall be the last time ! Take my advice, Professor, and never be a cook, whatever you are." "No, no, Juell — we can't all be tailors, you know. I don't suppose I 'm in ol V^"'^' - V y ^T'l-ich danger of re- '^~^<.,' 1 ^ . . - - -^i^x /' ^yyM'.f ceiving an appoint- ment as chef. But when you come home again, Juell, I hope I sliall be able to give you a dinner and say tak for sidst} and thank you for all the oood dinners on O board the Frain." " Thanks for the invitation," answered Juell. " l>ut it won't be for some time yet, I 'm afraid. If only Peik here will hold out till we come back, I dare say it won't be such a bad trip after all." " I'eik " was the popular name for an insulated cooking- ai)i)aratus, of Finne's invention, a great contrivance which lield the warmth very long. Nansen took a lively interest in it, and several times, while I was on board, assisted at the cof)kinrovision- ing of the ship, like all the rest of its equipment, was most carefully thought out in all its details. There was a par- ticularly large sui)ply of vegetables and of fatty matter, so that, so long as it stuck to the Fram, the expedition should not suffer from " fat-hunger," as the Greenland explorers had suffered. There were no less than 1 3,000 lbs. of butter on board, one third of it the best Danish butter, and the rest superfine margarine, a present from Pellerin & Co. While I was on board we ate nothinir but this margarine ; it was of such excellent quality that I do not think any one would have taken it for artificial butter, unless he had been told. On the whole, the ship was lavishl)- provisioned ; you could scarcely name a thing that was not in stock, and generally in considerable quantities. One thing, however, was entirely absent, and that was alcohol — for drink- ing, that is to say. The spirits for preserving " speci- mens " would scarcely come under the heading of com- missariat. A passing steamer in Trondhjem Fjord had thrown us a bottle of port wine, bidding us drink it at the North Pole. riu's was — with the exception of the beer, which was calculated to last for a couple of months — all the drink- able alcohol on board. " You must lay in one or two 33» .^•.-/.^'5/tW /X THE FROZEN WORLD bottles of champagne in Iromso, Nansen," I said one day in a joke. " to drink a skaal for Gamlc Norge, when you hoist \()ur flag on the axis of the earth." " I was think- in' - -mugghng on board one or two bottles of brandy fur Christmas Hve," he answered; '"but you need n't speak about it to the men." The doctor afterwards swore me to secrecy, and told me that he, too, intended to smuggle a bottle or so on board at Iromso. I can see in my mind's eye the saloon on Christmas Eve, with the steaming toddy on the table. If I know Nansen aright, the dose for each man will be of the homa-opathic order. How clearly it stands forth in my memory, that cosey little low-roofed cabin, with the small state-rnfims around it ! .^aiuuii i^ a misleadiuLi word to use. The Fra7ns saloon was little more than a cot. But the thoue^ht of the hiiih endeavor to which it was dedicated made it seem loftier and more spacious than the most majestic hall. In itself, too, it was a cosey little retreat, exceedingly pleasant to creep down into when it was too raw and cold and wet to remain on deck. On the front wall of the saloon, between the two entrance doors, \\'as placed a long sofa with high end- posts carved into dragons' heads. It was co\'ercd with a heavy rug f)f bright Norwegian colors. In front of it stood the long narrow dining-table ; by making ourselves as small as possible, we could all (except those on watch) sit down to it at once. The table-service was the same for all dishes ; an enamelled tin jilate and a big enamelled cup. Over the middle of the sofa hung, in a frame, an ad- ON BOARD Tim " FRAiM'' ■^11 mirably painted dc.si<;n for tapestry, j^y Gerhard Munthe, representing three fairy-tale princesses surprised by three princes transformed into bears. To the left of this little masterpiece hung a woodland scene by Kilif Peterssen, and on the right a delicate sketch in colored chalks by Skredsvig, representing the point and landing-stage at r SALOON UN TlIK " I'KAM " Nansen's home at Lysaker, with, under it, a study from Ja^deren by Kitty Kielland. Against the right hand wall stood an harmonium made by Nystrom & Co., of Karlstad. It was arranged so that it could be played either by means of the ke\s like a piano, or with a handle, like a barrel-organ, the tune being determined by a strijD of perforated paper. Its repertory consisted of over a hundred ]:>ieces, from the minuet in Don Giovanni -AWfX airs from Dcr J-'rcischuiz, down to the commonest dance tunes. As an institution, however, it did not seem to be particularly popular; at any rate there was a unanimous movement on board ft)r buying a con- certina in Tromsb, and great expectations were abroad as 254 A'.-iyS£X /y THE IKOZEX WORLD to what MoiTstad would do witli his violin when lie joined the ship. Over the harmonium hung a picture by Hansteen, and between the door of Scott Hansen's comfortable and taste- fully arranged cabin and the back wall of the saloon hung a little woodland sketch, also by Hansteen ; while over the sto\t petroleum pipe-stove made by Blunck. wliich served at the same time as a ventilating ajDparatus), in the middle of the back wall, hung a third painting, a study of birch-stems, by the same artist. On the left wall, between the entrance to Dr. Blessing's and Sverdrup's cabins, was fixed a stand with seven Krag- Jorgensen carbine^. These, however, were only a small portion of the ships armament, which consisted in all of no fewer than thirty-two rifles and twenty-four revolvers, all of the best quality, to sa\- nothing of two cannons, and a ijreat store of ammunition. Above the stand of guns hung another charming pic- ture by Skredsvig — the fir-trees in front of Nansen's house, a winter landscape with snow. A little way from the table, the great mast divided the saloon into two parts. It was surrounded by a quite nar- row upholstered seat, which, however, was seldom used. Loose stools were scattered about the cabin. Light was supplied at night by sexeral incandescent electric lami)s over the sofa. The great arc lamp was not used while I was on board. One other detail must not be omitted : tlic Norweijian lion on a red background in the skvliently in came Scott Hansen and Dr. Blessing, and we got a warm cup of tea from the steward and attacked the supper manfully — I, indeed, for the second time. I knew that I should probably eat only one more supper on board the Fnun, and recollections streamed in upon me of my days on board, which had passed so ([uickly. alonor with manv a thou<'ht of the davs that were as yet hidden in the mists of the future. In the mean time, the supjK'r and the talk went on as u.sual, Juell going back- ,36 XJXSEN /X THE FROZEN WORLD ward and forward and assisting in botli. The talk ran on all sorts of topics, but of course chiefly on the Fram and everything connected with her. Now the petroleum launch was the theme — one held that it was a wretched affair altogether, that it was quite impossible to keep it clean, and that after )ou had used it once, it took half a day to make it fit for use again, while another defended it and maintained that, with its great speed, it would be invaluable for reconnaissances, etc. Then some one de- scribed what a sharp look-out you had to keep among the open lanes in the ice, how it felt to get into an Arctic fog, and so forth. I was to take no part in all this! so felt myself rather outside the conversation. 1 turned to tlie doctor and said, " Tak for madcn^ doctor. It will probably be a long time before you and I have supper together again on board the />7?w."' " Two sunimers, I expect," said the doctor, with his usual cheery confidence. " If you have good luck, perhaps you '11 be back next autumn," said I. " That would be the dexiTs own luck," was the answer. " No luck at all," Amundsen put in. " If anylliing worth while is to come of the trip, we must be away two years at the very least." A heartv burst of lauHiter frreeted Amundsen's frank jjrognostication. His view of the matter was undeniably both a stoical and a practical one. After supper I went into my cabin to rest a little and get out my overcoat before going on deck again. Nan- sen had given up his own cabin to me, and slept in ' ■■ Tlianks for tin- food ! " — a formula always used at the end of a meal. ON BOARD THE '' FRAM" 237 the deck-house while I was on board. The door to hi^ cabin was on the riL,dit, well forward in the saloon, and. hke all tlie doors in the Fram, was immensely solid, with a high threshold. None of the cabins had any sort of window (the sides of the ship were twenty-four inches thick), and when the door was closed the only nieaii^ of ventilation was a couple of small holes in the door itself. It was of course pitch dark, too, unless the incandescent lamps, with which each cabin was provided, were lighted. When you entered the cabin and turned the knob for NA.NSEN'S STirnV ON THK "IRAM.' the electric light, the first thing it shone upon was an ad- mirable drawing by Werenskjold : " Eva with little Liv in her lap." Thus all that was dearest in the world con- fronted him the moment he j^ut his head in at the cabin door. I will remember one mornintr when he came to fetch something before I had got up. 1 le turned the but- ton while still in the doorway and began to chat with me ; J38 A'J.VS/^.V IX THE FROZEN WORLD but I saw where liis eyes fell, and where hi> tlioughts were. Under the picture was a bench, a sofa by day, a bed by ui'dU. 1 lere were no soft spring mattresses, only a stuffed pallet with a jiair of warm blankets and a single very meagre pillow. Hut how sound one could sleep on this .simple couch — thai is to say, when the Fram was not rollinir so as to land one on the floor every now and then. l-'or the Fram could roll, at any rate before the cargo was shifted in the Na^rosund. Scott Hansen declared that she had described an angle of fortv-six decrees in a heavy sea off Lister. It must have been an uncomfortable night ; the whole forward deck was deep in water, so that the deck cargo was wash- inir about from one side to the other, and at last there was nothini: for it but to throw overboard a number of paraffin barrels. Fortunately they were only empty barrels in- tended for preserving the skins of bears, seals, walruses, and other game ; and there were jDlenty of them left. Hven while I was on board the Fram, she rolled a good deal one night, although it was not blowing particularly hard, and the sea did not run very high — indeed, there was only a long swell. \\\ crossing the Vestfjord, on the other hand, when it was blowing quite fresh, the ship was as steady as a rock the moment she was under full sail. .She was, indeed, a strange, a unique vessel. Sxerdrup, who, as a rule, said little enough, could not help now and then giving expression to his affectionate surprise in a sulxlued " She 's a rare little craft, and no mistake ! " Hut to return to Nansen's cabin. On one side of the end wall was a cupboard containing the cash-box, papers, diaries, etc., the key of which was in Nansen's own keep- ON BOARD THE 'TRAM'' 239 ing; on the other side, near the head of t lie bed or sofa, was a bookcase with a rich selection of Hterature of many kinds. Numbers of books had been presented to the Fram by Norwegian, Swedish, and Danish i)ublishers and others. Tlie tolerably extensive library thus formed was always at the disposal of the crew. Besides, the doctcjr had his own medical library in his cabin, and Scott Hansen kept a collection of books, mainly mcteorolotxical and astronomical, along with the charts in the chart-room. l>ut Nansen had picked out for his own use a number of books which he kept in his cabin. They were for the most part, of course, geographical, geological, zoological, and other scientific works, but with a fair sj)rink]iiig of imaginative literature and philosophy. Ibsen and Bjorn- son, Vinje, Jonas Lie, Runeberg, and others were repre- sented, some of them by their complete works ; and here too were Tennyson, Keats, Byron, F'rauenstcdt's Schopen- hauer, etc. — in short, an ample stock of reading even for the long night of the polar winter. When I entered on my short occupation of the cabin, the greater part of these books lay in a chaos on the floor, along with all sorts of other things; so I took it uj^on mv- self to arrange them according to subjects in the bookcase, and I made free use of this library while I was on board. This evening, for instance, when I lay down on the sofa after supper, I opened the first book that came to hand, and found it to be Nansen's " How can the North Polar Region be Crossed ? " — containing his lecture before the Royal (icograjihical Society, and all the objections of the celebrated English sailors. It was the first time I had seen it. It made a peculiar and moving impression upon me as I read it here in Nansen's own cabin. 540 A'.-i.VSEN IX THE FROZEN WORLD When I had done, I felt I must go up and see him. Until that moment I had not quite grasped and realized the significance of his enterprise. He himself was always so easy and unpretending, and on board the Frani every- thing took its daily course with such a total absence of solemnity, that 1 had, as it were, lost the sensation of there being anything unusual in this voyage. To cross Greenland, to start for the North Pole, to go to the end of the world, seemed no more to these men than a trij^ down Christiania Fjord to the ordinary mortal. I could hear Juell's quick tongue, in the saloon, supply- ing a running commentary to one of the doctor's stories; on the deck some one was rumbling a beer-barrel along ; the piston kej^t uj) its regular throb, and the propeller its vibration, while the Fraiii clove its way foot by foot through the sea, slowly but surely — as though driven by some natural law ever onward and onward toward the unknown goal. Nansen had lent me a camel's-fur jacket while I was on board; it was so cosey and warm that it seemed to put my skin into a positive glow when I had it on. Thank Heaven, I thought, he need certainly neither starve nor freeze so lone: as the Fram holds tosfether. Hut if the Fram should be crushed, as one of the Eng- lish admirals jjrophesied ? " Then we '11 take to our longboat," Nansen had answered. " The boats are too big and heavy," another admiral had objected. " We have five or six smaller boats with us," was Nan- sen's reply, " and if the worst comes to the worst, we '11 get along on an ice floe ; I 've done it before." ON BOARD THE ''FRAM" 241 Yes, I felt I must see him and express my affection for him in tlie little time we could still be together. Uj) the companion, past the steaming galley, out into the free air of heaven ! There the Fram lay, heaving gently in the full glory of the summer night. We had at last drawn near the peaks of Hammerb, so that we could see their green-clad base. Before us stretched all the mountains of the mainland, those nearest bathed in a splendid purple glow, while far- ther ahead they passed through all gradations of subdued color from tender violet to deep gray, right down to the edge of the crisp blue-black sea. It was strangely still. Not a soul was to be seen on the deck, forward, and when I looked aft, to the south- ward, I saw nothing but sky and sea. The solemn silence of the summer night took such hold on my mind that I remained leaning on the bulwarks for a long time, watching the plash of the waves against the ship's side, before I went up to him. There suddenly flashed upon me the recollection of a lit- tle ragged urchin whom I had seen a few days before on the beach near Trondhjem while I was waiting for the Fram. He was going barefoot in the sand, dirty and unkempt, but beaming with health and contentment, and sinojing at the top of his voice, " ]q^ gaar i fcuc, hvor jeg gaar ! "^ Then the thought of my own confirmation came upon me, when I sat in the church and shouted with all the rest, "Jeg gaar i fare, Inor jeg gaar!" and heard the mighty organ-harmonies throbbing under the vaulted roof as though they indeed represented the wrath of the Lord. * " I go in danger wherever I go "' — the first line of a ii\ mn. 16 242 .^:-/.^■5/^iV a\ the frozen world Some one came along the deck whistling a merry tune; it was the light-hearted Pctterson, stripped to the waist in the chill evening wind, carrying a basin and a towel and preparing tt) wash the grime of the engine-room off his face and body. He had been in the I'olar Sea before, oji board the Ihrtha, so that he was at home in these waters. What a sjilendidly modelled back! How fine the play of the muscles in his arms I Yes, indeed, such frames as this seemed built for a tussle with the darkness and the fog and the cold and the ice. His whole personality was set to a very different air from that which was running in my head. Every line of it seemed to sing : — " \'icr glad naar faren veier liver evne, som du cicr ! " ^ and from all his comrades around, from the man who stood at the helm, from those who were stokinc: the furnace, from all who now lay sleeping in their bunks, it seemed as thouijh the third line came chimins: in tri- umj)hantly : — " Og desto storre seier ! " - I could delay no longer, I must go up to Nansen. I clambered over boxes and boards, wormed my w\ay be- tween barrels and stacks of dried fish, and final))-, in s]:)ite of all obstacles, managed to haul myself up on the bridge. I here he still sal in his lliin silk waterproof, as he had sat hour after hour, defying the wind. When he saw me he rose and nodded, and said, as though apologizing for liaving been so absorbed in his painting : — ■ I \e just finished ! " And then, without a pause, I ti 1 a Rejoice when danger puts to the test every faculty you possess." And so much greater the victory." ON BOARD THE '' FA'AM'' 243 "Have you ever seen such a lovely evening? We 're lucky in our weather, and no mistake." "It's a beautiful counti-\-, this of ours," I said. "You nuist make haste and come home, and have a better look at it! — And now let me see your works of art," "I have a whole bundle lierc," he answered. '" Vuu shall have the lot of them to take to l!^va." Ah, yes — that was wliy he had been so busy. " I 've been down below, reading," I went on, " and I got hold of that English pamphlet of yours with the plan of your expedition. You did n't get much encouragement out of them, in London." "Oh, they didn't treat me at all badly — and there wasn't really anything to discourage one in what they said. It was just the same when I was starting for (Green- land, you know; and that, to my mind, was really a more ticklish business than this. Here, thank goodness, we 've got everything we can possibly want, and I hojK^ we shall neither starve nor freeze." He looked in my tace with a frank smile and said slowly and emjihatically : " Boasting apart, no shij) has ever been equipped for an Arctic voy- age as this one is." Then he bundled up his painting things, and we went below. Two days later, on the evening of July 1 2, we parted at Tromso. It had rained and snowed alternately all day long, and from the toj) of Tromsdal Peak, right down to the Lrardens alonir the fjord, an inch-thick sheet of new- fallen snow lav over the Lireen leaves and the fresh gra.ss. An icy north wind was blowing, so that the fjord seemed to reck beneath it, and you could see the squalls sweeping over the water. 344 A-.-LVSE.V /^^ THE FROZEN WORLD Nansen and I had been afoot all day making purchases. Moreover, we had been studying geology in Tromsb Mu- seum, had had a glass of wine at Mack's, and had, for the rest, put in our time usefully and agreeably. I had been aboard the Fram in the afternoon to say COLIN ARCHER, THE BUILDER OF THE " FRAM good-by, and had poked my nose into every hole and corner to fix my impressions firmly in my memory. On board I found Mogstad, who had now joined the ship, and was to replace Gjertsen and Christiansen. He impressed mc as a fine, active, fearless fellow, and was doubtless a valuable addition to the crew. ON BOARD -niE '' FA'AM" 245 While I was busy packing my porlmantcau, Nansen came down with the water-colors and pastels, the j)roducts of the northward voyage, which I had j^romised to take to his wife. He had placed them within the leaves of Nordenskjold's great facsimile atlas, and remarked as he gave me the parcel : " You VI better take Nordenskjfilfrs book with you ; it's so costly and valuable, it would be a great pity to lose it if the luck should go against us, and we should have to leave the Fram behind." He said this with as much nonchalance as if he had been speaking of leaving behind an old overcoat, or a worn-out pair of boots. " You must see and bring the Fram home with } uu,"" I said. "Oh, you may be sure we won't leave the vessel until we can't do anything else ; but of course the ice might be so bad that we could n't get her through, and then it would be annoying to have to lose more than necessary." That evening Nansen and Sverdrup accompanied me on board the Vcstcraaleii, and had a glass of hot toddy by way of stirrup cup. A last hearty embrace, and good-by. " IVIy love to your wife ! And be sure and give my love to Eva and Liv and all at home ! " " Promise me you '11 take care of yourself, and not be too reckless — and a safe return to both nou and the Fram ! And (iod bless you, my dear friend ! " The steamer's bell rin^rs for the last time. At midniLrht precisely the Vcsteraaleii starts for the south. I see Nan- sen and Sverdrup standing erect, side by side, in the stem b(.)at of the Fram. Voy a moment more I can distinii^uish Nansen's light waterproof ; then the two figures seem to 14^ X.LVSJiN IN THE FROZEN WORLD melt into one behind the veil of snow, thick as in mid- winter, which i^ ^weeping over the sound. One last glimpse of the Fravi througli the mist, and all is over. When shall I see him again ? \ i f '^' '^ i^!i^^BMHHiflHi^^^L2i ^^''' jMBMbkI r^^^^^BP^^SFl^^^^^ll ^^^^1 '^^^^ 1 THE "KKAM" leaving KERGEN, NORWAY, FOR THE ARCTIC REGIONS NANSEN'S STORY AS TOLD JiY HIMSELF CHAPTER XIII INTRODUCTION As soon as ever I beii;an to tliink al^oiit Arctic enterprise it struck me that tlie ways in which allemj^ts had iiitherto been made to penetrate into the mysteries of the polar reunions were hardly the best. It was clear that the con- stantly moving sea-ice which comes drifting from the noitli has been the great hindrance which has stopped llie ships and often crushed them, as well as has made ])rogress by means of doijs and sledues such a difficult task. It oc- curred to me, however, that there must be other ways by w^hich the interior of these unknown reirions mi'-ht be reached, and it is many years since I first conceived the plan of the voyage w^e have now accomplished. It was especially the finding of some articles from the unfortunate yeatmcttc expedition which led me in 1SS4 to think of this plan. These articles were found, as is well known, on the southwest coast of Greenland, and could not, in my oi)inion, have come there from the sea north- east of the New Siberian Islands, where the Jcamiettc went down, in any other wav than right across the l\ilar Sea north of I^^rauz b^scf Land ; and it struck me that if objects from a shij) could drift this wav, a ship too might go the same route, provided she was strong enougii to withstand the j)ressure of the ice. I then began to study these seas carefully, and turned my attention especially to the ice and its drift ; but the 250 AAXSEN IN THE FROZEN WORLD more I studied the subject, the more proofs I obtained of a constant communication between the sea north of Siberia and that on the east coast of Greenland, and I was fully convinced that there was a constant drift or drift current which carried the drift ice in a fixed course ri"ht across the sea around the North Pole from the Si- berian and Bering Strait side, out into the sea between Spitzbergen and Greenland. And so certain was my con- viction of the correctness of this theory, that I was equally certain that an expedition which, with a specially adapted vessel, pushed into the ice and allowed itself to be frozen in at the right spot on the Siberian side, must necessarily drift the same way, and thus be enabled to lift, to some extent, the veil which is drawn across these regions. In my lecture delivered before the Royal Geographical So- ciety in November, 1892, and published in the " Geograph- ical Journal " for 1896, I unfolded my plan and the views upon which it was based. The jiroofs upon which I chiefly based my theory of a drift across the Polar Sea were, as before mentioned: — (i) The continual conveyance of Siberian drift wood to the Greenland coast. (2) The findinij on the coast of Greenland of a throw- ing-stick (an Eskimo implement), of which it might with certainty be affirmed that it came from Alaska by the Bering .Strait ; and (3) The very nature of the ice that comes drifting south along the coast of East Greenland, and which is consider- ably larger and more massive than an)- drift ice we know, and may therefore safely be said to have drifted a long time in the sea before it could be packed together and piled up to form such enormous masses. INTR on UCTJON 2 5 1 One proof to which at that time I attached consid- erable value, and which, after investi<>:atin<£ the circuni- stances more closely, I consider to be of still greater im- portance, was that all over the ice which comes tlrifting southward along the east coast of Greenland, down through the strait between Iceland and Greenland, I founfl brown dust and mud. This, I concluded, could not (onie from any other place than Siberia. During my Green- land expedition in iSSS, however, I collected some sam- ples of this dust, which I got the geologist I'^ornebohm to examine. Without knowing m)- \iews — simply from microscopical examination of this dust — he gave it as his opinion that it had })robably come from an extensive alluvial country, and therefore con>idcrc(l Siberia to be its probable source. Besides mineral dust, however, he found in these samples microscoj^ical plants, which are known by the name of diatoms, and he therefore sent the sam- ples to Professor Cleve, the great authority on the sub- ject. Cleve now found a striking conformity between the diatoms in my samjiles and those in a sample which had been casually gathered during the Swedish Vco^a cxjdc- dition on a floe off Cape Wankarema, in the neighbor- hood of Bering Strait. These diatom samj)les from two places lying at such a distance from one another are totally different from all other samples hitherto exann'ned from different parts of the world. Mutuallv, howe\-er, they are so exactly alike that Cleve did not hesitate in expressing it as his opinion that there must be an open communication between the sea north of Bering Strait and that east of Greenland. V>\ investiiratiiiii this more closely during the expedition, I fouml a whole world of diatoms and other microscopical organisms, both vege- ,., .y.lXSEX /y THE FROZEN WORLD table and animal, living in the fresh-water pools on the jv.Im- rlHft ice, and constantly travelling from Siberia to li.w ^...L .uast of Greenland, — a world which has hitherto t)nly been known from the above-mentioned samples, but which, perhaps, no one dreamed was living on the ice in the far north — that ice which was thought to be utterly forsaken by all living beings. After having brought forward in my lecture the various proofs of the correctness of my theories, I summed up in the following words : — From all these facts we seem fully entitled to draw the conclusion that a current is constantly running across the polar region to the north of Franz Josef Land from the sea north of Siberia and Bering Strait, and into the sea between Spitzbergen and Greenland ; and as we have seen, the floe ice is constantly travelling with this current in a fixed route between these seas. Since such is the case, the most natural way of crossing the unknown region must be to take a ticket with this ice, and enter the cur- rent on the side where it runs northward — that is, some- where near the New Siberian Islands — and let it carry one straight across those latitudes which it has prevented so manv from reachinfj. As was emphasized in this lecture, it was not, of course, the object of the expedition to reach the North Pole, but to go right across the unknown polar region. As I then said (" Geographical Journal," p. 20), it is not possible to guarantee exactly over what point the current will take one. " It may be possible," I say, " that the current will not carry us exactly across the Pole, but the principal thing is to ex])lore the unknown jjolar regions, not to reach exactly the mathematical point in which the axis of ("■•• "lobe has its northern termination." to c o Ni^ X.LVSEX A^' T//J^ FROZEN WORLD To attain this, it was clear to me that there were only two ways of proceeding ; it was either — (i) To build a strong ship, so constructed that it can witlistand the pressure of the ice, and, living in this ship, to float across with the ice ; or ( jj fo take only boats along, and camp on an ice floe, and live there while floating across. My plan was especially based on the former of these IWL) ways, but also in such a manner that we were pre- jjared to take the second way in case our ship should be overcome by the superior force of tlic ice. In order, however, that this should not happen, I gave all my care to the building of a ship especially fitted for this object, and I was fortunate enough to fmd in the well-known Norwegian naval architect, Mr. Colin Archer, a man who devoted himself with all the skill and capabil- ity he possessed to the task I set him. Seldom, if ever, has a shi}) been built with more care or greater conscien- tiousness than that witli which Colin Archer built the FrajH : but in return he has the satisfaction of having l)roduced the first ship tliat has ever passed the Polar Circle. The Frajn fulfilled perfectly, down to the small- est details, the requirements which I put upon her. It was not f>nly her great strength and the picked material of which she was built which enabled her to go through the exceptionally severe ordeals to which she was sub- jected, but it was also the unusually good shape, and the numerous ingenious means by which all dangerous points were protected, and which were due in a great measure to Colin Archer's insight. It is therefore to a Qrreat extent owing to him, through the good ship, that the w^hole expe- dition, which it was prophesied in advance would be the INTRODUCTWN 255 hardest and most dangerous tliat man had ever yet ven- tured upon, was a real i)leasure or hoHday trij), durini; which we led so comfortable a life that few could be more comfortable, even in Old Enirland. When I delivered my lecture to the Royal Ge(\c;raphi- cal Society, many of the great Arctic authorities who were present as my true friends, and anxious about iIr- safety of my companions and myself, stronL^ly dissuaded me from the attempt. A few of them went so far as to say that the whole plan was founded on theories whic h were far from agreeing with the actual circumstances; and the general opinion, both in England and elsewhere, was that either the expedition would never be heard of again, after having once confided itself to the caj)ricious polar ice, or it would return without results ; and all authorities seemed to agree that it was an utter impossi- bility for a ship to withstand the ice-pack in the unknown North. The well-known American Arctic traveller, (ien- eral A. W. Greely, thought it " almost incredible that the plan advanced by Dr. Nanscn should receive encour- agement or suj)])ort," and he concludes his article in the "Forum" with the follow^ing words: " Arctic exploration is sufficiently credited with rashness and danger in its legit- imate and sanctioned methods, without bearing the bur- den of Dr. Nansen's illoerical scheme of self-destruction." This, of course, could not .-.hake my faith in the correct- ness of my plan. The Norwegian Storthing had alreadv, as soon as I jjut forwaid a petition, \-oted the sum I required for its realization, while there was no difficulty in obtaining from ):)rivate individuals in Norway what more was required for the exjKHlition. Haxing. on account of the expensive construction of tiie shij), etc., ,56 A'.-LVS£,y IN THE FROZEN WORLD run short of funds just before starting, I had to ask the Nor\vcecretary, Christoffersen, who had accompanied us so far, now took leave of us. Just as we were about to weiiih anchor, however, a fog came on, and we could hardly see the length of the bowsprit. The fog did not seem inclined to lift, and I at last decided to start in spite of it, I myself, with one man, going in front in our little petroleum launch to sound the shallow channels where we might expect to run aground at any moment. We got safely out, and next morning stood out of the Yugor Straits, and entered the dreaded Kara Sea. Here it was not lonij before we met with ice, and it almost looked as if every way was blocked ; but we found an open channel running eastward along the shore, and followed it as far as the Kara River. Thence we crossed over to Yalmal, where, on August 6, we were completely stopped by ice. We went ashore, and while waiting employed the time in botanical and geological expeditions. Upon fixing the locality, we found, too, that on the map the coast was j)laced half a degree too far west. While we lay here, two Samojedes came on board ; they were hospitably received, and, having been enriched with biscuits and other Euro- pean luxuries, left the ship well pleased. They were the last human beings we saw. On August 12 the ice at length opened toward the north sufficiently to allows of our venturing on an attempt to force our way farther. At the northern point of Yal- mal, indeed, we were fortunate enough to reach open water on August 1 3 ; but a stiff northeasterly gale com- pelled us to tack eastward against a heavy sea. This went on for several weeks. THE VOYAGK OJ' TJJE -JK.IM'- r-^., Wliilc bcatint; up one day ai^ainst a stiff breeze in llu Kara Sea, to the northwest of the nioutli of tlie Yenisei River, we suddenly discovered land. W'c could not make out what this was, as our observations gave our j)osition as right out at sea. It soon, howexer, became clear to us that this w^as a hitherto unknown island, and we namerl it Sverdrup's Island. In tlie evenincr we irot under the shore at Port Dickson. It had originally been our inten- tion to put in here to leave letters for home, which were to be called for by the English Yenisei Expedition under Captain Wiggins ; but time was precious, and I therefore decided to go on without stop])ing. During our sail in a northeastcrlv direction alonir the coast of Siberia we were continually discovering new i.s- lands, which I shall not dwell upon here. This coast upon the whole is very different from tliat represented on maps. It gave me the impression of being a glaciated coast, with deep fjords and a marked belt of rocks and islands outside it, something like the west coast of Nor- way or Scotland, although of course the mountains were not so high nor the fjords so marked. On August 20 we landed on one of Kjellman's Islands, where we shot a couple of bears and some reindeer. Here, as in several places on the Siberian coast, we found unmistakable traces of a glacial period, which must have covered Northern Siberia with an inland ice of considera- ble extent. I found erratic blocks, moraines, and moraine deposit almost wherever I landed, from Yalmal to the cast of Cape Chelyuskin ; and on this particular island I also found, in a place which was left bare at low water, unmis- takable striations. When we were about to go on from this place, we were stopped by storm and a rapid adverse 26o A\iXS£.V /X THE FROZEN WORLD currtw., v.nich, in these dangerous waters, full of rocks and shallows, rendered our advance impossible. Not un- til August 24 did we get clear of them, when we still had to beat up toward the east, against a strong head wind. On August 27 wc reached Cape Palander, and on the same night were stt)pped by unbroken land-ice between Xordenskjbld's Taimyr Island and the Almquist Islands. \Vc endeavored to break our way through to the north of the latter, but discovered a new chain of islands stretch- ing far north. After having at length reached the north- ern end of these, we were stopped there by densely packed ice, and were obliged to turn back. There was no pas- sage to be discovered ; unbroken land-ice lay everywhere between the islands. We were obliged to wait, prepared to winter in the same spot where Nordenskjold, as early as the middle of August, 1878, had found water entirely free from ice. The storm, however, broke up the ice, and on Sej)tember 6 we were able to continue our way; but to our surj^rise we came upon land before we were half way across the Taimyr Gulf, as it is laid down on the map. This bay is considerably narrower than one would gather from ordinary maps, and has a different appearance. We went on in a northerly direction toward Cape Chelyus- kin, but were stopjied on September 7 by close-packed ice to landward. On the following day I went on an expedition into the Chelyuskin Peninsula. I found it to consist for the most jjart of extensive clay plains, strewn with huge erratic blocks of granite, porphyry, and various kinds of rock. I als(j found here the o])ening of a mighty estuary, which extended far up into the land. On September 9 we were once more able to push our THE lOYACE OF Till: 'I RAM" 261 way northward, discovering still more new islands in the sea to the west of Ca])e Chelyuskin, wliieli we jjassed on September 10. luist of this cajje the thiekl\' packed ice obliged us once more to make a short halt. Masses of ice lay to the east and south along the east coast of the Taiiinr Peninsula, so close to the shore that we were obliged to continue along it southward as far as to about the mouth of the Anabara River. On September 15 we were off the Olenek Ri\er, where twenty-six first-rate sledge dogs were awaiting us. These, too, had been jjrcj- cured by Baron Toll, because the East Siberian dogs are very much better than the West Siberian. It was most important for me to have these dogs, as 1 felt that they might become very useful to us ; but the shallow water and the lateness of the season ke])t me from going in. Were we to run aoround here, it miuht easilv cost us several days' labor to get afloat again, and in the mean time winter might set in, and we should be im})risoned for a whole year, even if nothing worse happened. I considered this was too orreat a risk to run, and therefore continued our course toward the New Siberian Islands. On the night of September iS we passed the most westerly of these islands — Bielkov Island. I )epots had been left on Kotelny for the exjDedition by Baron Toll, in case of our bein;/ obliged to lea\e the ship and turn our steps homeward across Siberia. I would have been glad to inspect these dejDots ; but again time compelled us to continue our way without delay through the open water to the north. It was not until September 20, in 77' 44' X. lat., that we were stopped by ice. I should have liked to go eastward along the edge of the ice for the purpose of 262 NANSEN IN THE FROZEN WORLD examining, if possible, the mysterious Sannikov Land; and thence go in the direction of Bennett Island; but there was a iireat deal of ice in this direction, and as jDro- trrcss would consequently be doubtful, I continued in a northwesterly direction along the edge of the ice. On September 2 1 we reached the head of a bay in the ice, whence the ice-edge extended in a southwesterly direc- ticjn. Here we could discover no further lead toward the north, and we therefore, on September 22, made fast to an iceberg in 78' 50' N. lat. and 133^ li E. long,, and allowed ourselves to be surrounded by the ice, which was soon packed closely around the ship. During the first few days we drifted in a northerly direction, so that by September 29 we had passed the .seventy-ninth parallel of latitude. Hope was bright, but before long it was darkened by a north wind, which con- tinued throughout the autumn, and carried us in a south- easterly direction. That was a dreary time ; it seemed as if everything were going against us. On November 8 we had come right down as far as ']']° 43' N. lat, and 138° 8' E. long.; but then at last we got southerly and southeasterlv winds, and be<'an in earnest to drift in a northerly and northwesterly direction, just as had been presupposed, in the plan of the expedition. As early as October the ice-pressures began to be tre- mendous, and continued throughout the autumn and winter. W'e soon discovered that it was principally due to the tidal current, and that the ice periodically parted and packed together again twice in the twenty-four hours. I he jjressure, was therefore greatest at the spring tides, when it would often lift the vessel se\-eral feet, only to let '* '''••'']) back again into its former position as soon as the THE VOYAGE OF 'JUF. - EJ^AM'' 263 Till': •■ I'K.VM " IN lllK ICE-r.VCK ice again opened. In the case of any other \c»cl iliis j)ressuiv would have i3een utterly fatal; but the Fram surpassed our boldest expectations, and was superior to all pressure. The ice piled itself uj), and crashed against her sides with a noise like the crack of doom, but in vain. Ther^' was not a sound of the yielding oi timbers or wood. 264 X.iA'S£.V IN THE FROZEN WORLD The noise of the ice crushing against her sides often rose to such a pitch that we could not hear each other speak as we sat in the saloon. It was particularly awkward for the card-players, who thus could not hear each other's declarations. At first, as loner as the crew were unaccustomed to this, liicv found the scene so interesting that they remained on deck to watch it ; but they soon tired of it, and no longer went up, however bad the pressure was. We felt as safe as in a fortress, and the Fram was a comfortable warm nest, where nothing was felt of the severity of the polar winter. The temperature fell rapidly, and continued evenly low throughout the winter. During many weeks the mer- cury was frozen. The lowest temperature was 63° below zero. In spite of this, and although with this temperature there was often a wind, we felt quite comfortable, during our open-air excursions, in our good woollen clothing, with a covering of wind-proof material outside. The I-'ram was so well protected against the cold that even in these low temperatures we had no fire in the saloon until the New Year. All the men were in excellent health during the whole of the expedition, and we are all agreed that the Polar Sea is a healthy place, especially with such a capital sani- tarium as the Frajii. 'I he electric light was produced by means of a wind- mill, and quite fulfilled our expectations. There was not, however, sufficient wind to allow of our havine electric light all the time, and we then had to content ourselves with ordinary oil lamps. On the whole, the time passed as pleasantly as possible 266 jV.IXS/^.y /X THE FROZEX WORLD on board. Every man was on tlie best of terms with his neitrhbor, and did his duty with a will. Care was of course taken to provide occupation ; but even without this, time did not hang heavy on our hands. For tliose who were not continually occuj^ied in scientific observations and investiLj;ations there was alDundant entertainment in a cajjital library, games, music, various kinds of work, etc. ; and I think hardly any of us greatly felt the monotony complained of in all Arctic expeditions. For us who had charge of the scientific observations there was more work than we could accomplish. The Frain. in fact consti- tuted an observatory of the best kind for scientific in- vestigations of all kinds; and it is therefore scarcely to be wondered at that we should l^rin"' home such abim- dant and valuable material as few expeditions before us secured. Lieutenant Sigurd Scott-Hansen was responsible for the meteorological, magnetic, and astronomical observa- tions, which, I venture to say, are exceptionally complete. Dr. Blessing undertook the greater part of the botanical investigations and observations of the Aurora Borealis, and also, of course, his ijhvsiological and medical observa- tions, which are by no means unim]:)ortant. In addition to these, zoological researches were made on board, sound- ings, determination of the temperature and the salinity of the sea water, observations of the atmospherical electricity, and much besides. In the sea near the Siberian coast and northward to 79^ N. lat., I found only very inconsiderable depths — less than ninety fathoms. A little south of this latitude, how- ever, the depth increased with astonishing rapidity, and I found the sea north of that to be between i,6ooand 1,900 A'-TUAl ROUTT SMOW»« TWOS: Map showing the Projected and Actual Routes of the " Fram," and the Courec of the Sledge Exi^ediiien. 268 A\-1.VS£.V IX THE FROZEN WORLD fathoms deep. It therefore seems to me as if the entire polar basin should be considered as a continuation of the deep channel which runs northward from the North Atlantic Ocean between Spitzbergen and Greenland. This discovery of a deep polar basin overthrows, however, all earlier theories based upon a shallow Polar Sea. In the numerous bottom samples brought to the surface in Dur soundinirs I always found a remarkable absence of organic life, a fact which will probably lead to some alter- ation of our views with regard to bottom deposits. The temperature and salinity of the sea also prove to be very different from the suppositions of most scientific authori- ties. I found, not far below the cold ice-water covering the surface of the Polar Sea, a deep layer of warmer and Salter water, orioinatinir iDrobably in the Gulf Stream, its temperature being as much as one degree above freezing j)oint. Below this, indeed, the water was somewhat colder, but yet considerably warmer than is generally supposed. The speed at which we drifted was continually chang- ing, and our course, in consequence, was not a straight line. Sometimes we drifted forward, but at others we went back again; and were our course to be marked on a map as it actually was, it would be such a confusion of loops and knots that no one would be able to make any- thing of it. From the accompanying outline map, how- ever, on which the principal features of our course are given, a good impression of its direction may be obtained. As we expected, we drifted most in a northwesterly direc- tion in the winter and spring, while northerly winds stopped us in the summer. r.y lune i8 we had in this way reached 8i° 52' N. lat., yy/A' lOWKiK OF J HE -FK.iM- .^^ hut prcvailino; northwest winds again drove us south- ward, and the whole of that summer we drifted about in lower latitudes. Not until October 21 did we rearh 82° N. lat. in 1 14° 9' E. Ioul;. On the evening ,,f Christ- mas Day, 1894, "6:^^ was reached in about 105" ]•:. long., and a few days later 83' 24' N. lat. — the most northerly latitude until then reached by man. On January 4 and 5, 1895, the J-'rani was subjected to the greatest pressure we experienced. Before we set out on our expedition the great Arctic authority. Sir Leopold McClintock, gave it as his opinion that the Fram would be able to withstand the ice-pressure in the summer, but that if she were exposed to it in the winter he believed the probability of her being able to stand the j^ressure or raise herself was very slight. Other Arctic authorities expressed themselves )et more strongly, saying that it was an impossibility for any shij) to stand the ice-j)ressure in the winter. Now, however, the Frani was not onlv to be exposed to \\inter ])ressure, but she was then fast frozen in ice of over thirty feet in thickness, a fact of which I had ])revious]y ascertained the truth by boring. Across this ice immense masses of ice came iilidintr with irresistible force against our port side. The ]Dressure was tremendous. The ice piled itself uj) above the gunwales, and high up the rigging, threatening, if not to crush her, at least to bury her. Scarcely a man on board believed she could Hve. The necessary j)rovision.s, canvas kaiaks, cooking utensils, fuel, tents, hand-slcdgcs, and ski were all brought in safety on to the ice. .Ml hands were ready to leave the shij), and no one was allowed to slccj) unless fully clothed. But the I-'rani proved to be stronger than our faith in 2 70 XlVSf:.V /X THE FROZEN WORLD her. Wlicn tlie pressure was at its height, and for tlic first time her timbers and beams began to creak, she broke loose, and was sk)wly lifted up out of the icy berth in which she had been fast frozen. It was a triumph. By putting together the very worst jM..^.>ibilities, 1 could hardly imagine a more dangerous position for a vessel, and after that experience I consider the Frani to be capable of anything. Notwithstanding tlie most careful examination, we have not been able to discover a single crack, a single splinter displaced in her. After this it became comparatively quiet as regards the pressures, and we drifted on rapidly in a northerly and northeasterly direction. CHAPTER XV TiiK (;rkat si.kdc.k i;xi'i:ni rioN As 1 now thouglit 1 ccnild assume with certainly that the Frain in a short time would reach her hii^hest lati- tude nortli of P'ranz Josef Land, and as early as the following summer would, as our plan i)resujjposed, be near the sea north of Spitzbergen, I believed the ojipor- tunity had come to carry out a plan I had ft)r some time entertained; namely, to examine the sea north of the Frams course. This could only be done by a sledge ex- pedition, which could not reckon upon getting back again to the Fram, as the chance of refinding a \essel drifting in the ice was small. As a journey of this kind might ajDpear to be fraught with some risk, should unforeseen hindrances be met with, I felt that I could not take the responsibility of sending any one else, and thereft)re de- cided to go myself, although there was no lack on board of those who were more than desirous of going. I chose as my companion Lieutenant Johansen, wlio gladly ac- cepted the ofTer of going. Hie command of the remain- der of the expedition on board the Fravi I left in Sver- drup's hands. I of course felt some hesitation in thu> leaving my comjjanions and placing the responsibility for their well- beins: and safetv in the hands of another; but with the perfect confidence that I had in Sverdrup\s cajjability as a leader and power of overcoming difficulties, I had no X.LVSEX /X THE J'ROZEX WORLD fear of his not bringing all hands safely home, even should the w(.)rst happen and they have to abandon the Fram ; an event, however, which 1 deemed highly im- probable. All the winter I had been busy making preparations for this expedition. 1 had had new strong sledges made on board specially calculated for being drawn by dogs over the uneven ice. Next I had made two kaiaks, twelve feet in length, and so roomy that they could each carry a man with provisions for four months, as well as some dogs on the deck. The framework of these was made of bamboo and covered with canvas. When completed they weighed about forty pounds each. The provisions, which consisted exclusively of the best kinds of dried and greatly con- densed articles of food, — chiefly dried meat, dried fish, steam-cooked oatmeal, biscuits, butter, etc., etc., — were stowed away in canvas bags of convenient size. We had constantly driven the dogs to keep them in training for the journey, and all kinds of experiments had been tried with the tent, sleeping-bag, etc. It was my intention to leave the Fram as soon as the dawning polar day would allow of our traversing the rough drift ice. So on I-'ebruary 26, with six sledges, twenty-eight dogs, two kaiaks, and provisions for men and dogs for several months, Johansen and I left the Fram. However, after four da3's' toiling with all these sledges over the rough ice, we saw that, thus heavily laden, we should not be able to reach our oroal in cood time. The dogs could not on this ice draw as much as we had expected of them ; and we therefore decided to return to the ship, in order to reduce the number of our sledges and the quantity of our jDrovisions, and to wait a little longer before setting off. 18 274 X.l.VSEX /.V 77/£ FROZEN WORLD Uu March 3, just as we were approaching- the Fram, the sun appeared above the horizon for the first time that si)ring, after the longest polar night ever experienced by man. Observations taken on the same day showed tliat we had reached a latitude of '6\ 4' N. DR. NANSEN AND LIEUTENANT JOIIANSEN LEAVING THE " FRAM " A few days were again spent in jDreparations. It was now my ]j]an to take with us only dog provisions for one month and provisions for the men for a lumdred days, and with this light equipment try to pass quickly on over the ice. We thus need not set off so early, and it was not until March 14 that we again said farewell to our companions, this time in earnest. We had now only three sledges, on two of which lay our two kaiaks, and we had the same twenty-eight dogs as before. It was my hojDc that as we got farther north we should find smoother ice, the ice there being older, and its uneven- THE GREAT S J. EDGE EXn-lPlTION 275 ncss therefore better covered up hy the driftiiii; snow. This appeared at first to be the case. We found tlie ice tolerably easy to i;et over, and did some i^ood days' marches. On March 21 we had already reached 85" 10' N. hit., cUid we calculated that we could cover greater and greater distances as the sledge-loads grew lightt-r with the daily consumption of food on the jjart of bnih men and dogs. The dogs, too, a|)peared to hold out fairly well. Hut by and by the iloes began to be more uneven, and packed together, and the drift, which until then had seemed to be slight, was now against us. On March 25 we had reached 85" 19' N. lat. ; on the 2(;th, .S5 30'. The ice was obviously drifting southward at a good rate, while at the same time our progress over the rou'di ice was slow. It was a never-ending labor, forcing our way through and getting the sledges over the high hummocks and piled-up ridges of ice, whicli were always being formed afresh, and which the snow-storm never had time to smooth over. On such ice the dogs, of course, were of very little assistance. When they came to obstacles such as these they waited patiently until we had carried the sledges safely over, and they could once more draw them on over a short stretch of level ice to a fresh obstacle. I he ice was in constant movement and thundering around us on all sides. On .April 3 we were in 85" 59' N. lat. We jjushed on with all our might, always hojiing for better ice. On .\piil 4 we reached 86' 3'; but the ice grew worse until at last on Aj)ril 7 it was so bad that I thought it unadxisablc to continue any farther to- ward the north. If it were like this in the direction of Franz Josef Land, we might have difficultv cnouirh in getting there. We were then in 86° 14' .\. lat., and 376 A'.LVS/^y /X THE FROZEN WORLD about 95 I'^. long. \w order to investigate the state of the ice and the possibility of advance, I went farther north on ski, but could discern no likely way. From the highest hummock I could find, I saw only packed and piled-up ice as far as the horizon. Here, as during our whole journey, we saw no sign of land in any direction. The ice appeared to drift before the wind without being stopped by mainland or islands for a distance of many miles ; and it seems to me scarcely probable that land will be found on this side of the North Pole, even if we must suppose that on the other side any- thing like a continuation of the North American archi- pelago may be found toward the north. The first time we set out from the Fram we had had our good warm wolf-skin clothes with us ; but as spring was approaching, and the temperature had latterly been comparatively high, we did not think we should again have very low temperatures, and therefore, to save weight and make the caravan as easy of transport as possible, we reduced the outfit to a minimum, and left our warm fur clothing on board when we left the Fram for the second time, a proceeding that wc were subsequently to repent bitterly. For about three weeks the temperature remained at about 40" below zero, rising on April i to 7.6° below zero, but soon sinking again to 36.4° below zero. With such a temperature and a wind, we often felt it bitterly cold in our good but too light woollen clothing, which, owing to the perspiration of the body, was gradually transformed into an icy coat of mail. It was worse with our outer woollen jackets, which became covered with a thick layer of ice, which it took us fully an hour to tha\v TIIK GREAT SLKDGK KXPEDITION 277 every night in our slccpinn-bag, no little physical heal beini; spent on the ])rucess ; and not until we had Iain with chatterino; teeth for about an hour and a half ditl we begin to feel at all comfortable. A few minutes after we got out of our sleeping-bag in the morning, our clothes were again transformed into ice; and I scarcely think that either Joliansen or 1 will ever wish for a repetition of those days. In March the minimum temjjerature was 49° below zero, the maximum 4' below zero. It was on April S that we alteied our course and be- gan our wanderings toward Cajje I'"Iigel)-, in I'ranz Josef Land. Vox a time we still had the same toilsome kind of road to go ; Init after one day's march the ice became bet- ter, and its passage somewhat easier. It was our habit to wind uj) our watches every evening when we got into our sleejjing-bags. Being, however, very anxious to get on, oLU- day's march was sometimes \er\- long, and on April 12 more than thirty-six hours had elapsed before we again crept into our bags; and when we then thought of our watches they had run down. This was an unfortunate occurrence. I had taken no observations for longitude for three days. I of course took an observation for time the following day, but was obliged to make a reckoning for the three intermediate days' journc}-, which, however, 1 knew must be fairly accurate, even though I could not tell how much the ice liad tlrifted in that time. In order to have our time once more t|uile exact, 1 now wanted to take some lunar distances; but on .setting: about it I di.s- covered that the table necessary for their calculation had been left on l)oard by mistake. We naturally, during the rest of our journey, continued to take observations for longitude with just as much care, and thought that wc could not be very far out. 278 NANSEN IN THE FROZEN WORLD When we arrived at 85° N. lat. on April 25, to our astonishment we came upon two fox tracks. This seemed to imply that we were near some land ; but nothing of the kind was visible, notwithstanding the clear weather. What now most hindered our progress were the cracks and channels in the ice. \\\ that low temperature they were, as a rule, covered with a thin sheet of ice, which made it impossible to use our kaiaks in getting across. We were therefore often compelled to go a round of many miles, and it would sometimes take half a day to get past a channel of this kind. The farther south we came, the more of these there were, and they greatly hindered our advance; while provisions were dwindling, and the doirs had to be killed one after another to feed the remainder. Some of the doo's at first evinced 2:reat aversion to eating their companions ; but as their hunger increased, and they got nothing else to eat, they gradu- ally became so voracious for this food that it was diffi- cult to keep them from it as soon as a dog was killed. Their rations had to be gradually reduced to the small- est possible ciuiount, so as to make the little we had go far enough, and keep them alive as long as possible; but by degrees they grew sadl}- worn out. Many of them drew their load faithfully until they suddenly dropped down with fatigue, unable to stand any longer. We then had no other choice than to kill them on the spot, or to lay them on one of the sledges, and take them with us to kill them when we ]:)itched our camp in the evening. In June the channels became more numerous and more difficult than ever to deal with, and the state of the ice was very bad. 1 )ogs, ski, and sledge-runners broke through the crust on the snow, and sank deep into the TJ/K GRKAT SI.KJ)GK EXl'EJ)JTION 279 soft and wet snow beneath. 'I'lic nunilxT of dot^s nf)\v, too, was very small, and was continually diniinisliint;. Advance seemed almost hopeless, hut we had no choice, and so toiled on as best we could, while the rations for botli dogs and men were reduced to a mininnnn. It is well known that, according to Payer's map, there is a land north of I'"ranz jo.sef Land, in about 83" N. hit., which he has called Petennann Land. It hatl been my intention to try first to gain this land, where |)rogress would i)r()l)ably hax'c been easy, and where we could have reckoned on fmdin"/ sutTicient Liame for our rillo. According to our reckoninLr, too, we ou'-ht now to ha\e been in the longitude of this land; but we came farther and farther south without beinir able to descry any land at all. At the end of May we were in .S2 21' X. kit.; on June .;, in S2 i.S'. i')\- June 15 we had drifted north- west into hoiil{l not tlu-n ha\e been more than about twenty miles noilh of Cane I'liij'ely. We still, however, could see no land, I'his became more and more pu/zling, and the state of the ii^e grew continually worse. ;\t last, on June 22, we shot a large seal, and now deter- mined to wait until the snow melted, in the mean time living ui)on seal's flesh. A little later we shot three l^ears, and we now had abundance of food, so that our two remaining dogs could be well fed on raw meat. It was not until July 22 that we once more set out over tolembly good ice, and two days later we at length came in sight of unknown kind. We were tlu-n in about 82° N» lat.. but we were to have a hard striiiiiile to reach this land. One day during that time we had an adventure which might ha\e been much more serious. We were just about to cro.ss a channel in the ice in our kaiak- I hi^ 28o X.I.VS/'IX /y THE FROZEN WORLD was generally acconii)lishcd by tying the two kaiaks together on the ice, then placing them on the water, and, after creeping with the dogs out on to the deck, paddling across. This time we had just brought my kaiak up to the edge of the tioe, and while I was busy with it Johan- sen turned back to draw up his kaiak beside it. Suddenly I heard a noise behind me, and, turning, saw Johansen on his back with a bear over him, and holding the bear by the throat. I caught at my gun, which lay on the fore- deck uf mv kaiak ; but at the same moment the boat slid into the water, and the gun with it. By exerting all my strength 1 hauled the heavily laden kaiak up again, but while doing so I heard Johansen quietly remark, " You must hurry up if you don't want to be too late." At last I got the gun out of its case ; and as I turned round with it cocked, the bear was just in front of me. In the hurry of the moment I had cocked the right barrel, which w^as loaded w ith shot ; but the charge took effect behind the ear, and the bear fell down dead between us. The only wound Johansen had received was a slight scratch on the back of one hand, and we went on our way well laden with fresh bear's flesh. The current was strong, and the ice was broken up all over into small fioes. The channels between were, as a rule, filled with small ice-])ieces and crushed ice, making it impossible to use our kaiaks. We therefore had to leap from one block of ice to another, dragging our sledges after us, with the constant fear of seeing them u])set into the water. W'c continued this for a fortnight, and it was not until August 6 that we reached land in 8i° 38' N. lat., and 63"* H. long, 'i'his first land consisted of four entirely glacier-covered islands, which I called Ilirttenland, after THE GREAT SLEDGE EXPEDETJON 281 an old Nur\vct;-i:iii fairy talc. AIoiil;" llic iiorlh .side of these islands there was open water, \\\i()\\ wliicli we rowed westward in our kaiaks. When we reached this ojjen water there was little j^rosiject of our havini^ niueh more use for the two dogs we still had left ; and as it was not a little inconvenient to take them with us on the sea, we shot them and left them on the drift ice. In these waters we made a remarkable ornithological discovery; for as long as we were in the neigliborhood of these islands we daily saw numbers of the hitherto so rare, so mysterious, and so little known Ross's ltuII {Rodo- stetia rosea). This, the most markedly polar of all bird forms, is easily recognizable from other species of gull by its beautiful rose-colored breast, its wedge-shaped tail, and airy fiight. It is without comparison the most beautiful of all the animal forms of the frozen reirions. Hitherto it has only been seen by chance on the utmost confines of the unknown Polar Sea, and no one knew whence it came or whither it went; but here we had unexpectedly come upon its native haunt, and, although it was too late in the year to find its nests, there could be no doubt about its breeding in this region. During the next few da)s, a thick fog prevented us from discovering land south of these islands; but on August 12 the fog lifted a little, and an extensive land, or rather a- chain of islands, iiow lay before us to the west and south, extending from the southeast right up to the northwest. This was more and more |niz/.ling. i'here was nothing to be found in Payer's maj) agreeing with it. 1 thought we mu.st be very nearly in the same longitude as Austria Sound; but if this was correct, we were now in the act of sailing riiiht across W'ilc/ek Land and the 282 .V.LVS£jV in the FROZEN WORLD Dove Glacier, witliout getting a glimpse of any land near. Nor could I discover any indication of Austria Sound in its northern part ; and Rawlinson's Sound, too, had van- i>hcd. 1 1 is therefore scarcely surprising that I came to the conclusion that there must be some considerable error in our longitude, lluw, indeed, this could be was not clear to me ; but I concluded that either our watches must have gone completely wrong of late, or that during the three days before April 12 we had drifted a most re- markable distance. However this might be, 1 could only suppose that we had now arrived at the unknown west coast of I^'ranz Josef Land, or to that mysterious land which always on maps goes by the name of Gilis Land, and which is generally ])laced between Franz Josef Land and Spit/bcrgcn. Of one thing, however, I was certain ; namely, that by steering south and scnithwcst we must at last come to Spitzbcrgcn, our actual goal, where we should find Norwegian walrus-sloops, which could take us home at once. We therefore continued, now paddling, now dratririntj: over the ice, westward through a sound which lay in Si" 30' N. lat. Having got through this, we found a large piece of open water, upon which w-e paddled south- west along the northwest shore of the land, ho])ing soon to be able to cross over the sea to Spitzbcrgcn. In vain did we search for land in the west. On August 18 a wind from the sea suddenly drove the ice in toward the shore, and \\c were imprisoned for a week. After again continuing our journey for a day or two, we were once more imi)risoned, on 26th August, in about 81° 13' N. lat. and 551/' E. long. The autumn was now so far ad- vanced that I considered it would be too late to be(j:in the long journey tcj Spitzbergen, where we could scarcely X c 15 C > r so G :/; C Z > > tr. H •13 W S r ,84 A'.'i.VS/iX AV THE FROZEN WORLD expect to arrive in time to find any ships going home, and where we should accordingly have to winter without hav- ing time enough to lay in provisions and make prepara- tions for it. As the place we had reached seemed well fitted for wintering in, and there appeared to be sufficient opportunity for getting game, we thought it safest to stop here and prepare for the winter. We immediately set to work to shoot walrus, the blub- ber of which we intended to use for firing. For two men, however, the manipulation of these huge animals was attended with considerable toil. We had at last to give UD drac-^nntr them ui) on land or on to the ice, and our only expedient was to lie on them in the water while re- moving the hide and blubber, during which process we succeeded in getting our only clothes thoroughly satu- rated with oil and dirt, thus rendering them peculiarly unfitted for protection against the winter cold and storms. There was no scarcity of bears, and we shot them for our winter store of food. After having laid in a temporary supply, we set to work on our hut, which was built of stone, earth, and moss. How we w^ere to roof it seemed at first a difficult problem to solve. F'ortunately, how- ever, we found a piece of timber cast up on the shore. This we used as the ridgepiece of the house, and stretched walrus hides over it, weisfhted at the edi^es on both sides with large stones. On the top of this we laid snow^ To build a chimney was not easy, as we had not the stones necessary. Our only expedient was therefore to build it of ice and snow, which had to be renewed, however, two or three times in the course of the winter. For cooking, lighting, and heating, we used walrus blubber and bear's fat. Bear's flesh and fat was our only THE GREAT SLEDGE EXPEDJTJON 2S5 food. In the evening we fried it in a large akiniiniuni frying-pan ; in the morning we boiled it. We made our bed and sleeping-bag of bear-skin. To keep warmer, we both slept in one jjag, and, taken altogether, we were quite comfortable in our low hut, of which a great part lay below the level of the ground, and wa.s therefore fairl\- well protected from the violent winter storms which con- tinually raged above it. Hy the help of our lamps we succeeded in keeping the temperature inside at about freezing-point, while on the walls it was, of course, consid- erably lower. These were covered with a thick coating of frost and ice, which in the lamplight imjjarted a beautiful marmoreal appearance to the walls of the hut, so that in our ha]3pier moments we could dream that we dwelt in marble halls. The hut was about ten feet long, six feet broad, and high enough in some places to allow of our standing almost erect. Our couch was formed of rough stones; we never quite succeeded in getting it even tol- erably level, and our most important business throughout the ^\•inter was, therefore, to bend the body into the most varied positions in order to discover the one in wliich the pressure of the stones was least felt. We had no work which could help to make the time pass: we did little el>e than sleep, eat. and then slcej) aj^ain. If anv one still holds the old belief that scurvv arises from want of exercise, this is a striking proof that such is not the case. Strange to say. our appetites con- tinued unimpaired tlie whole time, and we always con- sumed our bear's flesh and our fat with the same voracity. When the weather permitted, we would take an hour's walk every day in the dark outside tlic hut ; but often it was so stormy that it was not expedient to put one's no.se ,86 xjys/=:.v LV the frozen world beyond the passage which led to our palace. Several days would often pass^in which we lay quite still, until at last a scarcity of ice to melt for drinking-water, or of food, com- pelled us to go out to fetch ice or to drag in the carcass or leg of a bear. After November we were not visited again by bears until March, and our only company in the winter was a number of foxes which constantly sat upon the roof of our hut, whence we could hear their perpetual gnawing at our frozen meat. It made us often dream that we were sitting comfortably at home listening to the rats in the loft above; and we by no means grudged them a little of all our abundance. These foxes were of both the white variety and the valuable dark-furred kind, and had we been so inclined we could easily have laid by a good store of valuable furs. Our supply of ammunition, how- ever, was not so large as to allow, in my opinion, of our spending it upon them, for it seemed to me that bears were the smallest game that could give us any return for our cartrid2[es. Upon the whole, the winter passed in a manner beyond our expectation. Our health was excellent ; and if we had only had a few books, a little flour, and a little sugar, we were both aorreed that we could have lived like lords. At last came spring with sunshine and birds. How well I remember that first evening, a few days before the sun had appeared above the horizon, when we suddenly saw a flock of little auks [rotges) sail past us along the mountains to the north. It was like the first greeting from life and spring. Many followed in their train, and .soon the mountains around us swarmed with these little summer visitors of the north, which enlivened everything with their cheerful twittering. A dark sky, which we had TTfR GREAT SLEDGE EXPEDITfON 2S7 liad the whole winter, but especially now in the sj)riiiL;, in the south and southwest, seemed to imj^ly that there must be water in that direction, of which it was a refleclimi. We had, therefore, every hope of makini;- a (juick and easy voyage in our kaiaks across to Sjjitzbergen, ]:)artly over open water, partly over drift ice ; and as daylight had now returned, we busied ourseKes in jjreparations for this journey. There was much, however, to be done before we could set of¥. Our clothes were so worn out and so saturated with fat and dirt, that they w^re anything but suitable for a journey ot this kind. We therefore made ourselves two entire new suits out of two blankets we had brought with us. Our underclothing w^e tried to wash as best we could, but never before did I know what it was to e.xist without soap. It was difficult enough to get one's jjer.^on clean, but this we managed to a certain extent by rubbing in bear's blood and fat, and then rubl)i ng this off with moss. But this process was not applicable to clothes. After trying every possible way, we found, in our des|Kiir, no other expedient than to boil them as best we could, and then scrape them with a knife. In this way we got so much off them that they did to tra\el with, though the thought of putting on clean clothes when we once more iiot back to Norwav was alwavs in our minds as the greatest enjoyment tliat life could bestow. We had to make a new sleeijinLi-bau: of bear-skins, which we dried and prej)ared by stretching them out under the roof of our hut. ()urgood, jirecious >ilk tent, which wc had had during the whole of the preceding year's journey, had at last, during the autumn storms, become so worn out that I did not think it could be used any more. We were 3S8 MLVSE.y IN THE FROZEN WORLD now, therefore, obliged to employ our sledge sails as a tent. Our provisions for the journey were chiefly bear's Jlcsh and fat, and our fuel was train oil and blubber, and we were sure of finding sufficient game on the way when the provisions we took with us gave out. At length, on May 19, we were ready, and started southward in short days marches. On May 23, in 81° 5' X. lat., we came to the open water, of which, during the whole winter and spring, we had seen the reflection above the horizon ; and we now rejoiced at the thought of doins: south in our kaiaks. Storms, however, detained us until June 3. These storms had caused the ice to set in and block the water, so that w^e now w^ent south over the ice, a favorable wind permitting us to make use of sails on our sledges, so that we got on at a good rate. A little farther south we found extensive tracts of land, whose northern coast stretched in a \vesterly direction. To the west-northwest along this coast lay open water. I was in doubt for a while as to whether we ouG^ht not to take to the water, and go on in that direction, but thought that this would again take us too far north, and therefore preferred to steer south over flat ice through a broad, unknown sound. Here, too, a favorable wind per- mitted the emplovment of sails on our sled2:es, and we went along at a really considerable speed. On June 12 we at last reached the south side of the ^roup of islands, and there came upon a large open piece of water, extending westward alonrr the south coast. 1 he wind was still favorable. By tying together our two kaiaks, rigging \\\i a bamboo rod as mast on them, and then hoisting our sledge sails, we were now able to sail upon this open water along the coast, and in this w^ay H X tr C c > •y. 'J tr y. <5 y. S c \l c I'J rgo y.LVS/'LV /X THE FROZEX WORLD made *^ood proi^ress. When the wind dropped or became less favorable, we took down our sails and paddled on. In this wa\- we began to approach the southwestern point of the group of islands, and rejoiced at the thought of bein"- able to cross over to Spitzbergen, where in the course of a few weeks we were certain to be on board a homeward-bound Norwegian vessel. .\> we passed along this coast we noticed how remark- ably the latitude I obtained by my observations agreed with the latitude that Leigh-Smith had found for the .south coast of Franz Josef Land. It was also remarka- ble how well, both in direction and api)earancc, this coast seemed to aorree with Leio;h-Smith's mai) ; and I there- fore began to suspect that in s]3ite of everything we were still on the south coast of Franz Josef Land, and had come south through a wide sound cutting straiglit across Zichy Land, which has hitherto been regarded as con- tinuous, but now resolves itself into a chain of small i.slands. Durintr <>ur vovac^e alono- this south coast we had sev- eral mishaps, which, however, ended hai)p.ily. One day, when we had been sailing along the shore, we lay to in the evening to the ice to reconnoitre our farther way westward. In leaving the kaiaks, we made them fast to the ice by a strong strap, which we thought was perfectly reliable. While we were a little way off on the to]) of a hummock, however, we discovered that our linked boats had broken from their moorings and were rapidly drift- ing away from the ice, carried along by the wind. All our provisions were on board, our whole outfit, our guns, and our ammunition. There we stood upon the ice, en- finl^- \\iili,,iil resource. Our only safety lay in reaching TlIK CrRF..\'r SLKDGK KXrhDIJlOX 2()1 our kaiaks, and 1 had no choice hut to sjiring into the water and try to reach tlicm by swimming. Il was, liowever, a .struggle for life, for the kaiaks seemed to drift more rapidly before the wind than I could swim ; the icy water gradually robbed my whole body of ieeling, and it became more and more difficult to use my limbs. At length I reached the side of our craft ; but it was only by summoning up my last energies that I finally succeeded in getting on board, and we were saved. Two days later my kaiak was attacked by a walrus. These monsters had tried several times to put an end to us by suddenly coming up from below, and attacking the kaiak with a xiolent blow, which might easil)- ha\e upset us, but this tlicy had hitherto not succeeded in doing. This time, however, the attack was more violent. The walrus suddenly ])ushed up l)eside my kaiak, and, laying one flipper on its kkX^^^, tried to ui)set it, at the same time driving its long tusks into the bottom, fortunately, however, without touching me. I manaoed to nive the walrus such a blow on the head with the jiaddle that it rose high up out of the water, threatening to fall u|)on me, but disappeared the next moment as f|uicklv as it had come. The water was rushing into the kaiak through the long rent made in the bottom by the walrus, and I was sinking rapidly, and onlv at the last moment managed to run my kaiak on to a fioe that was jirojecting under the water, and escajied in safety from the boat ow to the ice. The next day was emjDloyed in rejiairing the kaiak. and in drying clothes, outfit, photograjihic ajjparatus, etc., which were all soaked with sea-water, though fortunately no real harm was done. I he following day, when we were about to continue 2C)2 A\IXS£X IN 2 HE FROZEN WORLD our journey, and as I was just preparing breakfast before startins;. I went up on to a hummock to reconnoitre land- ward. As I stood tliere, puffs of wind came across to me from tlie land, carrying a confused noise from the thousands of loons and other sea-birds which inhabited the mountains there. As I was listening to all these bird- voices, I suddenly started at a completely different sound, which so much resembled the barking of a dog that for a moment it seemed to me that there could be no doubt of its beins: this. But then it was once more lost in the noise of the birds, and I thought I must have been mis- taken. Again, however, the wind brought over a fresh stream of sound, which left no doubt whatever of there actually being dogs in the neighborhood. I ran down and waked Johansen in the sleeping-bag by saying, " I have heard dogs ! " But I could not make him compre- hend, so I gulped down my breakfast, put on my ski, and dashed off across the ice. As I approached the shore I saw a man coming toward me. It was Mr. Jackson, and hearty was the handshake with which he welcomed me. [In order to make the narrative more complete, as well as to ^ive merited recosrnition to one of the leadinc: recent enterprises in the field of Arctic research, we will say that the gentleman whom Ur. Nansen so opportunely met at this critical time was Mr. F. G. Jackson, leader of the Jackson-Harmsworth expedition which left England in i/ //ox 293 \ MEETING 01 DR. NANSEN AND MR. JACKSON IN IRANZ JOSKK LAND, JUNK, 1896 {By ptrmiisioH 0/ Mr. Alfred C. Harmsvaorik, 0/ the JacktOH-Harmstuirrth ex^dilioH) Before ori^ani/inL; this expedition Mr. Jaekson liad seen a iiood deal ot Aietic work, and had won distinction bv making, in connection with hi> investiujations, a sledge journey of four thousand miles. I'^or a Innir time lie had desired to e.\i)lore I'ranz Josef Land and the area to the north of this comparatively unknown region. I lis plans 294 X.iXSF-V JX TllK FROZEN WORJ.D were carefully laid, and they seemed so practicable that he was enabled, under the most favorable conditions, to make an effort to put them into execution. He found a munificent patron in Mr. Alfred C. Harmsworth, a mem- ber of the Royal Geographical Society, who not only con- sented to bear the whole expense of tlie expedition, l)ut also t^ave a great deal of time and personal effort in securing as complete an equipment as it was possible to obtain. A whaler named the Windward, an exceedingly strong ship which had been constructed with special reference to .service in the ice, was purchased and transformed into a steam yacht. Several boats of different types were built, and seventeen sledges, of an impro\ed pattern designed by Mr. Jackson, were made. Tents, materials ready to be l)ut together for houses, and a large supply of excellent scientific instruments also formed a part of the outfit. I'or the first time in the history of Arctic exploration a few ponies were taken for use in travelling and in hauling loads. These were obtained at Archangel, and thirty doirs were secured froni WY'stern Siberia. The Windward sailed from Greenhithe on the after- noon of July 1 1, left Archangel early in August, and pro- ceeded to Franz Josef Land. At Cape Flora, Jackson, with his few companions, established his headquarters. The settlement, which consisted of seven huts, was named I'^lmwood. The Wijidward returned home, and was on her second voyage to the station when Nansen and [ohansen became the cjuests of its inmates. The jjrimary object of this expedition was to make a thorough e.\]:)loration of T^ranz Josef Land, both of the coast and of the interior, and thus determine whether it THJi GRKAT SLEDGK KXl'/iDIJION 295 is the southern ]x)rti()n of a great jjolar c(jiUinciit or a collection of islands, in this work Mr. Jackson lias been very successful, ha\inL; discovered many islands, and an important body of water which he has named Queen Victoria Sea. As nearly or quite all that is required in this direction has been performed, it is understood that in the sjirino- or summer of the present year (1.S97J, Mr. Jackson will take u|j the seeondar)-, though very interest- ing and important work of the expedition, and either ujion the open water or the frozen surface of this great sea, according to its condition at the time, commence a voyage or a journey which will be continued as far as possible toward the Pole.] CHAPTER XVI HOMEWARD BOUND W 1. were received hcM-e with a hospitality and hearti- ness such as those .Arctic surroundings can seldom ha\e witnessed ; and though we had fully intended to go on our way to Spitzbergen, which would probably be our quick- est way home, we could not tear ourselves away from this hospitable spot, again renounce all the ease and comfort which were here offered to us, and once more take our pilgrim's staff into our hand. We decided to accept the kind inxitation to wait for the Windward, which was soon to arrive, and then again return to Europe. Never shall I forget how delightful it was, as soon as we entered Jackson's comfortably arranged house, to have a warm bath. It was not, indeed, possible to become clean the first time, but still it imparted a feeling of clean- liness ; and then delightfully soft, clean woollen garments to follow, to be shaved and have one's hair cut, have a capital dinner, coffee, cigars, ])ort wine, and, last but not least, books and the latest literature (two years old, indeed, but new to us) — in short, we felt all at once transjDorted, as if by the stroke of a magic wand, into the heart of civ- ilization. The attention, the consideration, which every member of this expedition offered us was touching, and made an indelible impression on both of us. It seemed as if their aim was to soften by their kindness the recol- lection of last winter's loneliness and dreariness. HOME WARD no UND -^''7 rji" 1 *^^tm^^ 1 V *< * K. DR. NANSKN, AS FHu I Ui.K A IIII.D HY MK. J ACKSoN I M M Kl>r A I KI.Y ATI KK IIIHK MKETINC. IN I KANZ JOSKl l.A.NM>, IN JINK, 189(1 (By f'frinissioti 0/ Mr. AlfrrJ C. Hnrmnvorlh. rf tlif J ickittH-ffiirmrsfcrlh rx^ditifn.) \\ c now discoNLTccl that my suspicions, as indicated above, were correct. We were actually on the south coast of I^'ranz Josef Land, and had arrived at Cape I^'Iora. on Northl)rook Island. Our observations and determination of longitude were fairly correct, in spite of everythinij;. and our chronometers j^roved to have been right. ( )n the other hand, there were mistakes in Payer's map. 298 X.-iyS£A' J\ THE FROZEN WORLD which had jnit me on the wrong track — mistakes of which I have not yet found an explanation, but will find, ii .^ :- be hoped, on conferring more closely with Payer himself. 'i'he broad sound through which we had come south iiu> sjiriiig lay just a little west of Austria Sound, and was considerably larger than the last-named sound. It had already been traversed by Jackson, and called by hini the British Channel. During the winter we had been encamped just to the west of Austria Sound, on an island which I have called Frederick Jackson's Island. Before we set out on our e.\j)edition, I stated, in my lecture before the Royal Geo- graphical Societ}', my opinion that Franz Josef Land was only a group of islands. This opinion has now been fully confirmed. Franz Josef Land is not only a group of islands, but a group of little islands of such small extent as perhaps no one had thought possible. In my oi)inion the islands forming Franz Josef Land may be considered as a continuation of East Spitzbergen, and the most important, most interesting subject yet to be worked out is the exploration of the still unknown western part of h'ranz Josef Land and its connection with Spitzbergen. In this region there are probably many new islands which it is to be hoped Jackson and his expedition will have an opportunity of discovering and charting. How far north tlu' islands extend it i-. not yet possible to determine, but it is scarcely likely to be very far. I will not venture an opinion as to whether Petermann Land lias any existence ; our course was so easterly that it may well have been too far off to be seen ; but in that case it must be an island of inconsiderable extent. The HOMEWARD JWrXl) 299 uliolc of that part of l'"ran/. Josef Land travcrsccl by us consisted of basalt, and has once formed a continuous basaltic land, which is now, however, by numerous chan- nels and fjords, cut up into Miiall islands. entireK' or in i^reat measure covered with ^laciers, and wheie on))- here and there along the shore the chuk basaltic rocks arc visible. As a rule the land does not rise to a heii^ht of 2,000 feet above the sea.inid onlv occasionallv did the fullest extent, and those days can certainly never be fnrrrnttr-n by cither johansen or myself. noMK\v.INI) nouxn ^oi Tlu'iv was a i;rcat deal of i( r in llic sea between I'lanz Josef Land and Nova Zenibla, and it would certainlv have been only loo easy to run the little W'lmhvard so far into the closely packed ice that it would have taken weeks and months to get out again. lUit with his great experience and his clear-sightedness in all that concerned ice and ice navigation, Captain Brown, the old whaler under whose conimand the Windward now was, knew how to find just the only way that would be certain to take us through 220 miles of ice out into the open sea to the north of Nova Zcmbia, and thence shape a straight course for Vardo, where we arrived on August 13, six days after having left Cape Mora. Thus I and one man of my expedition had now come t(< our natixe land, where we were received with open arms. Our first question after setting foot on Norwegian soil was whether anything had been heard of the Fram and our comrades. Our fear the whole winter and sj^ring had been that the Fram would reach home before us. To our relief, howexer. we now learned that notiiinsj: had been heard of the Frain, and our friends had been saved from unnecessary anxiety. I telegraphed immediately to the King of Norway and the Norwegian Government that all was well on board the Fram when we left her, and that I fully expected her and the remaining members of the expedition home again safe and sound in a short time. Great, then, was the joy when, in i lammerfest, on .Au- gust 21, I received a telegram from .Sk)arv(), a little j)orl not far off, to sav that the Fram had arrived in the niiiht, all well on board. CHAPTER XVII now THE "FRAM" fared SVERDRUP'S STORY \\iii;N I left the Frani. I gave instructions to Sverdrup. AmontT other thincrs they ran thus: ''The chief aim of the expedition is to push through the unknown Polar Sea, from the district around New Siberia north of P>anz Josef Land, out to the Atlantic Ocean near Spitzbergen or Greenland. The principal part of this task I consider we liave already accomplished; the rest will be accom- plished little by little as the expedition goes farther west. In order to make the expedition yet more productive, I will make an attempt to push on farther to the north with dogs. Your duty will then be to bring the lives hereby entrusted to you home by the safest way, and not to ex- pose them to needless danger, either out of regard to the ship, cargo, or results of the expedition. •• Mow lonsf it may be before the Fram drifts out into open water no one can tell. You have provisions for several years; but should it, for some unknown reason, take too long, or should the crew begin to suffer in health, or you for any other reason consider it best to abandon the vessel, this should unquestionably be done. At what time it should take place, as also the w^ay that ought to be chosen, you yourself will be best able to judge. Should it be necessary, I consider Franz Josef Land and Spitz- bcrcren to be the best lands to make for. If search is made for the expedition after Johansen's and my arrival CAI'TAIN (jriO NKIMANN SVKK|)Kll' V1VSJ-:X IN THE FROZEN WORLD home, it will first be made there. When you come to land you should as often as possible erect conspicuous cairns on promontories and projecting headlands, and within each cairn place a short statement of what has been done, and whither you are going. In order to make these cairns distinguishable from others, a very small cairn should be erected four metres from the large one in a northward direction by the magnet. What outfit will be the best in case of the abandoning of the Fram is a question we have so often discussed that I consider it superfluous to dwell on it here. I know that you will take care that the needful number of kaiaks for all the men, sledges, ski, snow-shoes, and other articles of outfit, are put in order as soon as possible, and kept in readi- ness, so that such a journey over the ice could be under- taken with the greatest possible ease. Information as to the provisions I consider most suitable for a journey of this kind, and the quantity necessary for each man, I give elsewhere. " I know, too, that you will hold everything in readi- ness to abandon the Fram in the shortest possible time in the event of a sudden misfortune befalling her in the sha|)e of fire or pressure. If the ice permits, I consider it advisable that there should always be a depot, with sufficient provisions, etc., upon a safe place on the ice, such as we have lately had. All necessary things which cannot be upon the ice ought to be so placed on board that they are easy to get at under any circumstances. As you know, there are only concentrated sledge provisions now in the depot; but as it is not impossible that the ex- ])edition might have to remain quiet for some time before setting off, it would be extremely desirable to save as much now THE 'TRAM'' FAKED 305 tinned meat, fish, and vegetables as possible. Should dis- turbed times eome, I woidd even consider it advisable to have a suj^ply of these articles also ready on the ice. " Should the J-'raui in drifting bear far to the north of Spit/.bergen and get into the current under the east coast of Greenland, many possibilities could be imagined, which now it is not easy to form any opinion about ; but should \()u be obliged to abandon the Fraiii, and make for the land, it would be best for you to erect cairns, as mentioned above, there too, as search might possibK- be made for the expedition there. In tliat case, whether you ought to make for Iceland (which is the nearest land, and whither )"ou would be able to go in the spring by following the edge of the ice) or for the Danish colonies west of Caj)e Farewell, you will be better able to judge when you sec the circumstances. " The things that ought to be taken with you, if the Fram be abandoned, after the necessary provisions, are weapons, ammunition, and outfit, all scientific and otiier journals, observations, all scientific collections that are not too heaxy (in the latter case small samples of them), pho- togra])hs, the original plates by preference, or if they are too heav)-, then coj^ies of them — the areometer, w ith which most of the observations on the specific gravity of sea-water are made, besides, of course, all journals and memoranda which arc of anv interest. I lea\e behind two or three journals and letters which I will rec|uest you to take especial care of, and deliver to my wife, if I should not come home, or you, contrary to expectation, should get home before us, " Hansen and Blessing will, as you know, take charge of the various scientific observations and collections; you 20 To6 A.LVS£jV AV the FROZEN WORLD yourself will see to the soundings, and that they are taken as often as opportunity permits. As the crew was small before, and will now be still further reduced by two men, some work may fall to each man's lot ; but I know that as far as possible you will spare men to assist in the scientific observations, and make these as complete as possible. . . . " In conclusion, I wisli all possible success to you, and those for whom you are now responsible ; and may we meet again in Norway, whether it be on board this vessel or without her." The requests I had here set down Sverdrup made it a matter of conscience to comply with, and the summer after Johansen and I had left the Fram was employed, not only in the work necessary for tlie safety of the vessel, but in making the outfit required for a sledge journey over the ice as perfect and complete as could well be. And never, perhaps, has an expedition been better pre- jDared for leaving their vessel than this, although the prob- abilities were that the necessity for so doing would not occur. Light canvas kaiaks, each to hold two men, had already been partly completed on board before I left, and sledges, ski, snow-shoes, cooking apparatus, dog harness, etc., were all tested and put in good order, and, as will be seen from the orders given, provisions were kept in readi- ness. Before we left the ship some time had been spent in carting away the piled-up masses of ice which had been forced against the Franis sides during the pressure of January, 1895, ^i^d the removal of this ice w'as continued after we left. At the end of March, just as the last of this mass had been removed, the ice cracked in all directions around the ship, and a broad crack was formed which passed at the HO IV THE ''J'A'.IM" J'.lRl-n 307 distance of a few feet from the stern of the vessel. Sub- sequently in this crack tlKie was great pressure, and the ice quite split up, so that the greater part of the Fram lay in open water by the end of July. The stern, however, was still frozen fast in a great block of ice. An attempt was made to break tliis uj) by blasting, which seemed, how- ever, at the time, to have had very little effect, only a small crack in the ice aj^pearing ; and Sverdrup was standing on the ice talking with some of his comj^anions as to what more should be done to get the vessel afloat, when they suddenly noticed that she was slowly beginning to move, and before they were aware of it the vessel glided from her icy slip into the water with a deafening noise, while the spray was thrown from her bows in e\er\' direction. It was like the launching of a shij), and her return to open water was welcomed by the crew with ringing cheers. That year, however, the Frams freedom did not last long. By warping and sawing she was again brought into a safe haven, and in Ausfust was asfain frozen fast. At first, after we had left the shij), the drift was not of much importance; but toward the end of April it became somewhat stronger in a westerly direction. On July 22, 1895, the Fram was in 84° 50' N. lat., 73'' K. long. At this time there seemed to be a great deal of movement in the ice, and strong pressure on all sides in the vicinity. .After this southwesterly and westerlv winds set in, which during the latter part of the summer stopjjed the J-'rani^s drifting, and even drove her back in an easterly and notherly direction. Not until October did she again bear to the west, and during the remainder of the autumn and the winter the drift was better than ever. On October 16, 1S95, the Fram was in her highest observed latitude. 3o8 X.LVSEX IX THE FROZEN WORLD viz., S5 57' N. lat. and 66 \\. long. Some days later she was still farther north, but on those days it was cloudy, so that no observations could be taken. By the middle of February, 1896, the Fram had come in a southwesterly direction to 84' 20' X. lat. and 24 E. long. But here, quite unexpectedly, long-continued south winds stopped the drift until May, when it again began to go soutli, until on July 19 they were in '^f '4' ^"^'^ ^^^- '^^'^^ ^4 ^' long., where the work of getting the Fram out of the ice began. Had she not got loose here, but had been obliged to con- tinue drifting, she would of course have come south with the polar ice along the east coast of Greenland, toward which the direction of her drift pointed directly ; and had she not 2:ot loose before, she would have been driven south right to Cape Farewell, a drift which has already been accomplished several times, and which would, there- fore, not have been so well worth repeating. Throufrhout her drift throuu;h the unknown Polar Sea from New Siberia to the north of Spitzbergen, the Fram was constantly exposed to pressure, none, however, being so serious as that, already described, in January, 1895. During this hist summer, especially now in June, 1896, the ])ressure was particularly great, and of a peculiar nature. The Fram at that time lay in a channel, which, with the changing tidal current, alternately opened and closed twice during the twenty-four hours. Throughout one week in June, at the spring tides, the pressure in this channel was extremelv hard, and the Fram was recfularlv lifted up once or twice a day, so high that her bottom could often be seen above the ice. But broad and safe as she is, she rose ciuietlv, without lettinii a sound be heard within, either in timber or woodwork. No one on nOir JJIE -J'J^AM" J'ARKJ) 309 board was awakened by the i:>rcssiirc, even when at its height; while it often hai)pened that Sverdru]) himself, who is a very light sleeper, awoke in the niorninir with- out an idea of what had taken jjlaee in the nihed from Arctic expeditions, — this disease which has hitherto been the one to claim the greatest number of victims offered to ]X)lar explorations. \\ hen in June and July of tliis summer the expedition began to see some ]:)rospect of being able to force its way south with the J'^ani, much labor was si)ent in "ettinf her out of the ice, a task which was not easy in the great packed masses. The onl\' way was to tr\' to blow up these ]Dieces of ice by blasting, in which jDrocess both gim- cotton and ordinary gunpowder were employed. I'he former of these proved to be the most effectual: but heavy charges of gunj)owder might al.so, if judiciously placed, have had a capital effect. 1 )uring these blasting exj)erimcnts an accident hap- pened which might easily have had the most .serious conse(|uences. Sverdruj), with one man as helper, had just laid a train in a crack in the ice. and .set light to the fuse, when suddenly the jiiece on which they st(K>d gave way, and they fell into the water with the charge, and the >1-' iV.-i.VSE.V IX THE FROZEN WORLD burning fuse close to them. The situation was anything but agit'eable, and they made the most desperate exertions to geron to the ice again, and out of reach of the charge before it exploded ; but the edge of the ice was high, and it was only after two or three unsuccessful attempts that thev succeeded in getting to a place of safety. The charge exploded soon after. After several days of exhausting labor at this ice-blast- ing they at last succeeded in setting the Fram free, and on July 19 the work of forcing her southward through the closely packed ice began in earnest. The ice here was tremendous throughout, tlie fioes sometimes being so laro-e that the end of them could not be seen even with a glass. No open water was visible, and the situation often looked hopeless. But it is a capital thing not to have any wa\- of retreat ; in other words, to have no choice but to go on. So on they went, and they had a capital vessel, by whose means the impossible became possible. By steaming and warping they forced their way, bit l^y bit, throu<£h ice which would have made most men "ive them- selves up to despair; and when it was too bad for this, a way was made by blasting. For about a month they kept on with this work, and during that time broke their way through 1 50 geographical miles of ice — ice perhaps vaster than any other vessel has ever yet ventured upon ; and on .August 13, the very day on which Johansen and I arrived at Vardo, they got out of the ice into open water. i\\. the time of their comino- out of the ice there was a fog, which, however, soon lifted, and close by was seen a small vessel, the Sisters (Sbstrene), a schooner from Tromsi), which greeted the Fram with hearty cheers, Captain Bottolfsen coming on Ijoard. The first question I/O IV HIE - FRAM'' I: I A'/-:/) 3,.^ put to him was whether Nanscn and Johanscn liad ar- rived in Norwa}-. The negative answer to this acted h'kc an uncomf()rtal)le (hmijjer on the joy they had experienced in getting- out of the ice, and few on board the Frani had an\- hojje now of e\er seeing us again. Suj^posing, how- ever, that people on Si)itzbergen miglu be better informed, they went there to meet Andree, who was supposed to be at that place. There, however, the intelligence was no more reassuring, and their fears for us — their two com- rades — grew more and more serious. Cajjtain .Sverdruj) was perhai)s the only man on boai'd who still believed that we were alive; he thought that we had arrived at Franz Josef Land so late last autumn that we had been obliged to winter there with Jackson's expedition, and all on board were agreed to go at once to P'ranz Josef Land to look for us. The Fram was indeed fully equipped for starting on a new polar ex))edition. should it be neces- sary. To make (|uite certain, howexer, it was decided to go home to Norwav to see if there mii-ht be anv later intelligence of u> tliere. It was duriu''- the niirht of .August 20 that the J-ram cast anchor in 'the little haven of Skjarvi), in I'inmark. Sverdrup immediately rowed ashore to despatch .some tele- grams. After he had lianmiered for some time in vain ujDon the various doors of the telegraph office, a head was put out of a window, and an angry voice called out : — ■ It's too bad that one can't cxi^w be allowed a C|uiet night's rest! What do vou want, and who are you?" " .My name is Sverdruj). and 1 am caj^tain "f the Fram," came the quiet answer. A{ this the tone of voice in the winnow immediately changed. " I 11 come directly, " it shouted, and the win- 3'4 iVANSEN JN THE FROZEN WORLD M THE "FRAM" in THK HARBOR OF CHRISTIANIA AFTER HKR RETURN flow was closed again. Sverdrup went around the house to the entrance, and there, to his surprise, foiuid the jKTson whom he had seen at the window in the simplest deshabille standing fully dressed before him. No human being had ever dressed more quickl)', he thought ; and his astonishment was not lessened by the first words that the head of the telegraph office said to him, " Nansen and Johansen have come back." Sverdrup luirdly gave himself time to answer, but rushed down the island to the shore to shout out the glad news to his comrades, who fell on one another's necks in mad delight. The new's w^as immediately sent out over the water to the Fram. which soon after Qrreeted it with a salute of two guns, which echoed far out into the still summer night, ])roclaiming the return of the Norwe- gian polar expedition to its native land. (Nansen and Johansen met the Fram in Tromsb harbor.) RECKITION AM) I'KS TIXTII 1 .S Al" CH klS'I-I.WI \ Tlic reception \\lii(li look place al Cliristiania on Sep- tember 9 was so brillianl tlial no soxereiirn < onM li.- welcomed more ro\ally. v\s soon as the tidinos of Nansen's and the J-'yum ^ return were Hashed over the world, committees were formed to arrani^e great festivities, and they worked with unremitting zeal to have everything ready at the jjroper time. The notice was rather short, hut it a|)])eared to be long enough, as everybody was anxious to assist, and a hundred willing hands were read)' where there was room and use for only two. On Wednesday, Sejitember 9, the ca})ital of Norway was in its best attire. There were flags everywhere along the route of the procession, and festoons of evergreens, and shields with the names of the explorers in silver on a blue ground ; but the most original spectacle was an im- mense triumi)hal aich, occupied by .several hundred young people dre.s.sed in white. All business was suspended, stores and offices closed at noon, and crowds of people thronged the streets from early morning. The festivities commenced on Christiania I*"jord. A fleet of about. a hundred gayly decorated steamers, large and small, sailed out in the morning to meet the J'rani and escort the good .shi|> to the citv. While this grand demonstration was taking place on the sea. every locality in and around the city from which one could get a view was filled with people. When the large fleet of steamers met the Fram and 3i6 NAXSEN IN THE FROZEN WO KID her escort of eiL^lit men-of-war, a tremendous clieer rang out, and tlie Fra7n steamed into port amidst the salutes from the ships and the guns on land. She looked quite insju-nificant with her sombre and ice-battered hull in these gay surroundings. The guns of the fortress then gave the signal that the licet had arrixed. and a boat rowed by quite young sailor boys took Nansen and his men from the Fram, while the multitude cheered and waved their handkerchiefs on see- ing the hero of the day, who was dressed in his celebrated blue jacket. At the pavilion, on the pier, a large chorus of men sang with great effect, at this inspiring moment, the well-known hymn, "A Mighty Fortress is our God." While everybody present joined in singing the national hymn, Nansen and his comrades walked from the boat to the tent, where the indescribably joyful meeting with their families and most intimate friends took place. Then followed the ofificial reception, at which Mr. Sunde, the president of the Christiania City Council, made the speech of welcome. After deafening cheers Nansen responded in a loud, sonorous voice : — " Countrymen : it is a difficult task to express the feel- ings that animate my comrades and myself. Well I remember the day we left home. The fjord lay before us heavy with rain ; it was hard to say Good-by, and great was the responsibility; we felt that Norway's best wi.shes were with us; we realized that if we flinched the country would be disappointed. Hut I was certain that my men would do their duty even to the shedding of the last drop of blood. I can say that no one ever went to the North with nobler men than I did. I thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for your greeting of wel- o i8 AUAS£X y.V THE FROZEN WORLD come, — a ^reuting that hardly any other Norwegian ever received. Thanks to Christiania. We only did our duty, therefore the welcome is doubly dear to us. Long life to our capital city ! May it often send out men like those it sent with me ! " After the recejDtion was ended the explorers were taken into carriages, — Xansen and Captain Sverdru}) in tlie first, — leading the procession as it moved up through the city. They received unceasing ovations, and on passing un- der the triumphal arch, with its living decorations, flowers were thrown to the heroes. The professors and students awaited them at the university, and on their arrival the rector, Professor Schiotz, on behalf of science, welcomed Xansen and crowned " The Heroes from the Desolate Ice Fields " with laurel. The goal of the procession was the ro3'al castle, into which Xansen and his men passed while interminable masses of people collected outside', and called for him so persistently that he had to appear, time after time, on the balcony to bow his acknowledgments. At the state din- ner that followed and to which about one hundred people were invited, Xansen wore the Grand Cross of the Order of St. Olaf, with which King Oscar had honored him at the reception at the castle. Sverdrup wore the cross of a commander, and the scientific members of the expedition the cross of knights, and the other members, the new Fram medal of silver. The only speech that was made was that of the King, who said : — "This is a notable day indeed. Xansen is now, as a discoverer, the victorious pioneer of an important work of civilization, whom the whole world crreets with acknow- RECEPTJOX AND FKSTl VJTJES ;, , 9 leclgnicnt and admiration. \\\> countryincn i^rcct liini with special pride, joy, and enthusiasm, because this great feat was accomplished by Norwegians alone. W'lu-n the Fram sailed away she was followed with hope, fear, and doubt; but intelligence, i:)rudence, and dauntless courage disi)elled our fears and fortified our hopes. Colin .Arch- er's Fratii, with Sverdrup at the helm and Nansen on the commander's bridge, and a crew of brave men, conquered the many difficulties. The Frani reached a point farther north than any other ship ever did ; and its fearless leader went still nearer to the Pole with but a single comjDanion, defying dangers the thought of which makes one shud- der, and wliich cannot fail to awaken the highest admira- tion. A kind Providence held its protecting hand over our countrymen and insured them a .safe return, i^ut we will not Gfive Gfreater credit to Providence than is its due. Providence usually sides with prudence and courage, therefore we will rather emphasize the remarkable accu- racy of Nansen's calculations. When the F?'ani returned, a irreat shout of joy echoed throufrh Norwa\'s mountains and all along its coasts. The Fram has had a trium- ]:)hant voyage; she has returned with her full crew, unin- jured, and with stores still unexhausted, — all visible i)roofs of the great care that has made this polar expedition a success. "And now you stand here In the royal castle, and the King of Norway feels that it is not onlv his sacred duty, but that it i.s hi.^ incontestable right, to interpret the feel- ings of the Norwegian peo])le at this moment. Accept, then, through me, the entire j)eoj)le's sin» '•••• md heart- felt thanks for what you have done, for the jo) you have caused in Norwegian hearts, for the honor and lustre you 320 ^:-l^'S£2V /x the frozen world have spread over your fatherland. These evidences of appreciation will not die, but will survive those who are jjroent here, and will descend to posterity century after century, as long as the Norwegian mountains stand. We will salute Fridtjof Nansen and his men with three times three cheers." When Nansen left the castle at nine o'clock to dri\c to hi.s home, he found the city illuminated with bonfires and torches. The next day (Thursday) the city was astir earl\-, readv for new ovations. In the forenoon a laree l)arade consisting of over twenty thousand school chil- dren, dressed in their best and carrying flags, passed be- fore Nansen and his men, who were stationed under a triumphal arch, where they were nearly buried under the masses of flowers that the little girls threw at them. in the ex'ening the city of Christiaiiia tendered the ])arty a great banquet, in which about five hundred per- sons particijiatcd. The next evening there was a festixal performance at the theatre, after which a torch-light pro- cession of students accompanied Nansen to a banquet at the Students' Club. The ovation ended the next day with a great ))()}Hilar festival in the oj^en air at which o\er thirty thousand peo- \)\ii were ])rcsent. There were addresses by Bjornstjerne I)j()rnson and others. Nansen expressed his tlianks amid tumultuous applause. Then follow^ed singing and dan- cing, illuminations and fireworks, and thus ended the great festival in Christiania where the whole nation had united to give one of its greatest sons a royal reception. PEARY'S JOURXF.V ACROSS NORTIIRRN GRI^.ENLAM) \w LIEUTENANT ROItKRI' K. I'KARV, V. S. N. niK NORTH GRLENLAM) KXi'KDl IIUN OF 1891-9.' Vl^rittrn I".- ri-i'i'f .'/•'<"'■ '•" file Gcpgraphkal Sotiety 0/ Chrutiania, A'^'f^f-'y OUTLINE OF THE PLAN BKiiiH.v told, the plan of Lieutenant Peary for this expedition was as follows: With five or six companions he would land at Whale Sound, on the western coast of Greenland, latitude 77° 35' N., in June or July. The remainder of the summer and the autumn were to be spent in erecting a hut in which to spend the winter, storing meat and other supplies, making scientific re- searches, collecting specimens, and making excursions to the inland ice. In addition to this, if the character of the season would permit, a depot of provisions was to be formed near the southern corner of Humboldt Glacier. During the winter the members of the party would repair their sledircs and ski, mend their clothes, and 2:et into readiness for use whatever they might need for travelling purposes. They would also practise running on ski and on Canadian snow-shoes. In the spring four or five of the party would make an effort to cross the inland ice to Petermann Fjord. From that point, if reached, two or three of them would continue the journey, while the others would return to W'hale Sound. The advance jiarty would ]Dush on to the most northern ])oint in Green- land. After ascertaining its exact geographical position, they would commence the return trip and rejoin their companions at Wliale Sound, and the entire party would, at the first oj^portunity, return to the United States. ( ii.\i''I"i:k will WINTKK (,»IAKT1;KS AM) I'KKI'AKA'IK )\S I'j\iM) AsiKi I', the author of thi.s ^kctcli of a niosl rcniaikiiblc c.\i)cclition, was a younu: Norwcu.ian who ac- coiiipanicd Lieutenant Peary on his jk'HIous jouriu'V over the inland ice and to the most northern j)oint of (ireen- KukI. The following;- is his narrative: — The number of members of this expedition was five. Besides Lieutenant Pear)-, its commander, there were I )r. F". A. Cook, a j)hysician and a very active and energetic man who was about thirty years of ai^c; Mr. Lanj^don Gibson, a ])rominent sportsman and an excellent hunter, who rendered in\aluable as>i>«tance to the jKirty; Mr. John T. X'erhoeif, the mineralogist of the exi)edition, who contributed $2,000 toward fittim;' it out and who never returned; and myself. I was the younge.'-l member of the ])arty, not having completed my twentieth year wlien we left port, l-lach member tendered his services without remuneration. Matthew Ilenson, a colored man who had been in Lieutenant Peary's service for many years, went with us as cook. .\ remarkable innovation which gave the exj)edition an added, not to say a .sensational interest, was the jire^enee of Lieutenant Peary's wife, who ear- nestly desired to accompany her husband. I'p to thi.s time no white woman had ever ventured into the .Arctic regions. The expedition left New \'<)rk June 6, 1^91, in the 3-4 ACA'OSS XORTHERN GREENLAND O I\ik\ a small steam sealer. Besides the members of the l)arty, a number of scientists from Philadelphia sailed with us to make observations and collections during the voy- age, and intending to return in the vessel after having landed us at our northern port. After a prolonged and tedious voyage along the coasts of North America and Newfoundland, and over Davis .Strait, we sighted, on June 23, the land to which we had longed to come. On the western coast of Greenland we called at the Danish colonies, Godhavn and Upcrnavik. At each of these places we were well received and hospitably enter- tained by the Danish officers stationed there. 326 .■ICA'OSS NOKTHEKK GREENLAM) On July 2 \\c were stopped by ice in Melville Bay, and for three weeks we were able to make but little progress. Here the time passed very slowly, as we were all impatient to reach our point of destination, the place on Inglefield (lulf where we expected to have our winter quarters. K l.-l'ACK IN MELVILLE BAY < )in- ])rincipal occujiation at this time was the shooting of a few seals and some sea-birds. On July II a great misfortune befell Lieutenant Peary. This was the fracturin£{ of his rioht leo:. Althouoh com- pletely disabled physically, he accepted the situation calmly and uncomplainingly. For four weeks he was (onfined to his bed, but he nex'er lost his patience or wavered iii his confidence of success. Our fust bear was shot on July i6. During the next f'-w days several more of these ferocious creatures were H > r < r p; U JtiL ->S AC I^ OSS NORTHERN GREENLAND seen, but we were not able to get within shooting distance of any of tlieni. W'liile east of Cape York, on July 22, we got out of the pack-ice, and on the next day we beheld in the distance the desert coast which was to be our home during the coming wmter, The place which Lieutenant Peary had finally chosen for our winter quarters was situated on the southern side of McCormick Bay a little south of latitude ']^° . We reached it early in the morning of July 24, and spent almost the entire day in looking for the most suitable spot upon which to build our house. Toward evening we de- cided to take a small dry place that was near the coast, with a creek running directly past it. During the following week the crew were busy hauling our ]3rovisions and stores, while we were equally industri- ous in building a house out of the materials which we had brought along in the ship for that purpose. This house was twenty-two feet long and twelve feet broad, and was divided into two rooms, one of which was considerably larger than the other. The walls and roof were made of one-inch boards, which were covered on the inside with tarred pasteboard. A foot inside of this wall there was another covering of common ]3asteboard lined with thick blankets. On the outside a wall of stone, three feet high, was built around the house. Upon this wall we piled the numerous boxes and barrels in which our provisions were stored. In the autumn we stretched a canvas awnincr from the roof of the wall around the house, and thus formed a closed passage surroundincr the buildine. This aided greatly in keeping the interior warm and cosey during the winter. WINTER (QUARTERS AND J'REJW RATIONS 329 On July 30 the Kile left us. after IJcutcnant I'cary, who was still unable to walk, had heen carried ashore on a stretcher which was constructed for the occasion. '1 he house was then alnio.st completed. We were not at all sad to see the shijj, our last connection with the civilized world, disapjicar in the di.stance. Now we were alone, and could without interruption take uj) the work of the present and prepare for that which lay before us in the comintr year. Before the house was quite completed we commenced many other things that were to be done before winter set in. One of the princij^al of these matters was to form the acquaintance of .some E.skimos living- on Northumberland Island and persuade them to settle near our house. This, because the\' would be of i^reat a.ssistance to us in the winter by sewing our skin garments, and might be helpful in \ari(His other ways. On August 12 four of us set out on a boat expedition to the island. We reached it safely and found some Eskimos. The first meeting with them .seemed yery queer, as we did not understand a word of their language and they were ec|ually ignorant of ours. Still, by means of siirns, we manatred to make them un- derstand what we wanted. .\ family, consisting of a man, his wife, and two children, were willing to go with us at once, and we took them oyer in our boat, arriving at fho house on the i.Sth of August. Summer was now far advanced. I he remainder of the season was sjXMit partly in making short trips to examine the inland ice anrl jiartlv in hunting reindeer. W'e needed the latter both for their meat, to help out our supply of food, and for their skins, with which to make clothing for the winter. < )n the.se hunting trips we went 330 ACA'OSS NOKTJlERy GREENLAND nearly to the end of McCormick Bay, and we were usually quite successful. We had killed, in all, thirty-four rein- deer that autumn, when darkness set in and we were obliged to cease our hunting expeditions. On October 26 the sun left us, not to return for nearly four months. During about half of this period there was hardly any difference in the light between night and day. I will try to give an idea of what we did in this long period of darkness. As I said before, our hut was warm and cosey, and though the quarters were close we all got along very well. W^e had three meals each day. The last of these consisted of reindeer meat and different canned vegetables, and was more elaborate than either of the others. The day was spent in various kinds of man- ual labor. This was partly in tlic nature of necessity, as there were many things to be done in the way of prepara- tion for our sledge journey in the following spring. I did most of the carpenter work, making sledges, ski, and other articles. Amonor the others. Lieutenant Pearv particularly excelled in the high art of cutting clothes, and most of our skin garments were made after his j^atterns. Dr. Cook performed quite respectable work as a tanner, and Mr. Gibson was equally. successful in the line of shoe- making. After a time we became so proficient in these occu])ations that we jokingly expressed to each other our doubts whether we had ever been doing anything else in this life but tan, sew, or cut patterns for the peculiar fash- ion of clothes which we wore. On Saturdays we began the day by sweeping the long stovepipe. This was such a difficult task that all of the male meml^ers of the expedition were obliged to help ; and when it was fniished, if one were to judge by the color WINTER QLAKTERS AXD rKEJ'ARATJONS OJ' of our faces, he could have easily imai^ined that we were members of a nei^ro settlement in the dark continent. l>ut to make uj) for this discomhjrt we had, every Satur- day evening, a warm hath in an old i)ctroleum barrel. The bath could l)c had with or without assistance, as the bather preferred, if Ik- wanted it, the hcl|) of two or three obliging I-^skimos, who u.sed soap and scrubbing brush with considcral^lc encrgv, was freely gi\en. On Sundays we walked about in oui- more or less worn civilized attire, and, considering the circumstances, ap- peared to be a rather fine looking set; but on Monday morning we were content to i)ut aside all regards to vanity and cheerfully don our skin clothes again. The clothes last named were made of reindeer skin, which, in pn)])ortion to its weight, is the best material knowii to luniish protection from the cold. The skins were ]:)repared in the singular but rather troublesome Greenland wa\' of chewing them, after the\' are dried, in order to ])ieak the fibres. ihe sewinu: was done bv the h'skimo women before the winter had fairh" commenced. .Skin clothes, like elothes made of other material, wear out. They resemble clothes made of other materials also, in that they wear more in some ])laces than they do in others. This was cspeciallv noticeable in resjjcct to the trousers. Toward the end of winter we all looked like gorillas. ()ur dignified doctor had attemjjled to mend one of his garments by putting a jxitch of ice lx*ar skin ( n the most e\|)osed place. The long white hai- -*''l:- ing out certainly gave him a comical aj)|)earance. We filK-d in a i^ood deal of the time (hiring the winter in reading old newsj)aj)ers and magazines, scientific works, and books jiertaining to .Antic ti-avel. of which we ^^2 ACROSS NORTHERN GREENLAND liad brought a large supply. Our evenings were largely spent in attempting to talk to the Eskimos. We told them of the distant countries to tlie south. They ap- peared deeply interested; but when we asked them if they would like to go with us, when the ship came to take us to our homes, they rej^lied with great earnestness that they would never leave their country of rocks and ice. They often sang and danced for us. That is, one man or woman, at a time, would go out on the floor and make the most hideous faces and movements, singing more or less impro\-ised songs of a mystic character, which we could not understand, and beating a drum as an accom- paniment. The other Eskimos and ourselves, all but the negro, stood around the dancer in a circle. The negro sat away back, on the edge of his bertli, and played hymn- tunes on an accordion which was sadly out of tune, as a kind of protest against this display of heathenism. Nearlv everv dav durint recover them. 'I'en of our dogs, always restless in a snow-storm, had gnawed their harness and straps in i)ieces, and were loose, while three of the others hatl been attacked b)- a disease which the Eskimos call pbblakto, similar to hydrophobia, and were at the point of death. This was extremely discouraging, as there was great danger that the other dogs would fall victims to the maladv, in which case it would be impossible for us to proceed. During the long storm the dogs had be- come very hungry, and those that had freed them.selves from their straps had devoured everything eatable that was not buried under the snow, l-'ortunately our j)rovi- sions were ])acked in hermetically closed tin cans, which proved imper\ious to the teeth of the dogs. The catch- ing of the loose dogs, which were not yet well acquainted with their new masters, was a difficult task that not only severely tested oui- patience, but al.so caused our sj)irit.s to sink to zero. The usual method of catching one of these dogs is to entice him to come near vou by throwing small pieces of pemmican on the snow. In a favorable moment you seize him by the neck with a firm grij). \'ou then jjiess hi.s head into the snow and hold him in this position until some one elsi- can harni'^s him. il one is well j)ractisecl ^-^8 .tCJ^OSS NORTHERN GREENLAND in thi> uurk he can, as a rule, do it without getting bitten more than two or three times. In two cases we had to lasso the dog doubly, each man cHnging tightly to his rope and a third man holding the animal down in order to make it possible for a fourth person to put on a new har- ness or repair the old one. iEl'AUAllO.N OK ICK I'LOKS CH APTI-R XIX ACROSS riir: ic:i. ( .\r TiiK following days wc had .slow and U-dioiis work climbing tlic steep hill^; but after May 14 we found the iidand ice sk)wly slojjing uj) toward the northeast and shining with an intense brightness in the light of the sun. We then beiran re''ulail\' to tia\el at niLiht, when the reflection of the sun on llie snow was less annoying. The much wanner da\- was sacrificed to the gods of sleep and to the .nt of j)re])aring tea and |)ea sou|). W «• had reached an elexation of three tliousand five hundred feet above the sea lexel. bOur of our dogs had died of poblakto, so we only had sixteen of the animals with which we had started. We therefore left .some damaged sledges and all the articles we could ])ossibly do without. Even then our outfit weighed about one thousand eight hundred j^ounds. On May 17 we reached the highest i)oint between Inglcfield (iulf and Kane Rasin. Before us, sloping toward the north and northeast, but so little as to be hardly noticeable, lay the iidand ice. I had often told my companions that this was tlu Xorwegian Inde|)endcncc Day, and they desired to observe it in some manner that should distiniruish it from ordinarv davs. 1 )r. Cook. who had the gift of making something good out of very jDoor materials, jiroj^osed, after we had made our camj) in the m(u-nin'^. to make a fne out of a broken ski and cook 340 ACROSS NORTHERN GREENLAND a meal that would make our mouths water. He carried out his jKirt of the programme to perfection. We had hardly ever eaten a meal with o-reater relish tlian we did the one on that morning of May 1 7. The principal dish was of the doctors own invention. The recipe from which it was made is as follows: To one litre of warm pea-soup, add some pieces of pemmican. If the pem- mican is frozen hard, chop it into small pieces with an axe. This will cause it to melt more readily. Stir the PEARY AND HIS COMPANIONS whole over a fire, using pemmican enough to make the mixture quite thick. It is a very palatable dish, and, if not eaten in too large quantities, is easily digested. On May i.S and 19 we made good progress, covering a distance of about twenty-two miles each day. On May 20 we encountered a snow-storm from the southeast, and were obliged to make our camp much earlier than usual. As soon as we halted, we commenced makinp- a snow hut. rilK MIDNIOHI 342 .-ICA'OSS XORTHKRN GREENLAND Here we were snow-bound for two days. Had wc known that two and a half months would pass before we should again be under a roof, we probably should have accepted this detention with much less dissatisfaction. We were not able to resume our journey until Sunday, >hiv 22. When we had removed the snow with which our sledges were covered we found, to our great disap- pointment, that the only luxury among our stores — ten ]oackages of fruit preserves — had disappeared. The ex- planation was easy. The dogs had gotten loose, visited the sledges, and eaten what they found. But the pre- serves did not agree with their stomachs, and the poor animals suffered severely for their pilfering. During the next two days we covered a distance of about forty-four miles, although we used neither ski nor snow-shoes. On the morninu" of Mav 24 we were east of the Humboldt Glacier, and about one hundred and thirty miles from McCormick Bay. After finishing our meal Lieutenant Pearv informed us that, according to the plaii which had been laid out, the time had come for our little company to separate. Two of its members must return to Redcliffe House (our winter quarters) and the other two continue the work of exploration. The object of the latter party would be to determine how far north the Greenland continent extends. It would rec[uire a long- journey and involve great difficulties. Ra]:)id travelling- would be necessary, and the carrying of a sufficient quan- tity of provisions to last for c|uite a period would be indis- ])ensable. If conditions are favorable a doo- can draw, on the inland ice, a load of about one hundred and twenty- five pounds, and recpiires only about one pound of pemmi- can j)er day for food. It was therefore desirable that the })arty proccctliiiL;" north should have a small number the mo>t |)erfect j)rotection. Whrn the storm was over we resumed our march, but had not been moving more than a half hour when we were cut ofY from our course by large crevasses. We now saw that we liad come too near the coast and were going down a slope that would lead us to a dangerous locality. It was evident that we must again climb u|) to the inland i(X'. 'i'his re(|uired two days of hard work to accomplish. Our best dog sjirained a leg, lagged behind, and was lost. We also lost a!i excellent telesro|X' down a crevasse. The time that followed was somewhat monotonous, yet was full of interest to explorers. On account of the numerous crevasses our progress was slow; but when on June 26 we reached a height of 6,o(X> feet, this difficult v was over, and our spirits were percej^tibly raised. Though I can assure you that he is not at all of a musical turn, I could ofT and on hear Pearv sinir. while 1 sanir Norwegian songs as well as 1 knew liow. At these unusual sounds the dogs turned their heads, and the intelligent look in their eves indicated that thev were trvintr to assure them- selves that they had human beings for c()mj)anions. After reaching the elevation noted, we were obliged for four nights to go in a southeasterly direction, as our direct progress was checked bv a fjord, X'ictoria Inlet, that seemed to have no end. At last, in the night between luly I and 2, we found that it was a canal which sepa- rated the rocks to the north from the real continent of (irecnland. We were then at a height of s.ocxD feet. and could see Ixlow the end of the inland ir<\ Nearer 346 JCA'OSS NORTHERN GREENLAND • and nearer we a p p r o a c li c d f^'TLi^^k ■ the dark mo- '^5^^^^^^a-w^ raine until at -^a2ft|^^IS^^[^Mllltafe»P' last the memo- . . ■— "-"w ^ ' rable moment T?1^ arrived when y ' we set foot on snow-free land after two months of continuous ski and snow-shoe runnino:. It was nearly midnight when we reached the moraine. A cou- ple of snow-sparrows chirped us a greeting of welcome, and we heard the pleasant rippling of a fountain among the large stones that every- where covered the oround. W^e did not need coaxinti' to throw our- selves upon the ground and drink freely of the refreshing stream. Life had never seemed more beautiful than it did at this moment. Peary at once started on a tour of discovery, aiid soon found something that quickened the hunting blood in our veins. This was a fresh track of musk oxen. We cer- tainly did not forget to take a rifle and some cartridges with us when, on the next morning, July 3, we started on a tour with ])rovisions sufficient to last four days. We also carried thermometers, barometers, and j)hotographic and cooking apparatus. Slinging our bundles upon our backs we were off. Peary led the way, I followed, with our seven dogs. Our sledges and the rest of our luc^o^ao-e we left behind amontr the stones. Vti A ^1•K^ I.Ml.N OK C.KKKN LAN 1) FLORA ACA'OSS TJIK JCE CAP 347 Up and down \\c went to ihc coast, ..x^ , iiill> and dales, thiougli ciL-cks, aloiiL;- rapidly ruiiniiii; streams, .and beside small dark lakes \\\c livelong day before we stopi)ed to rest. I'.\c lywlu re we found numberless small loose and shar|) stones, whirli made the man h in our thin-soled seal-skin kamiks a time of continual sulTerin'' During the man h we collected specimens of several minerals and also obtained a number of red, yellow, and white flowers that enliwned the otherwise dreary scene. Several limes we found tracks of musk oxen, but none of the animals were in sight. In the evening, after our march of tweKi' hours, wc were sore-footed and fagged out. but we had hardly eaten our plain su|)|)er of pemmican and shipsbread before we fell into a sweet sleep lying among the stones. The next day brought glad suri)rises and prt)ved a great festival for us. In the morning, about an hour after resuming our journey, we came to a rock about 4.000 feet high. I'lom this point, far awav to the north- east, we saw the occ-an coxeied with a shining la\er k oxen were moving over the stones. We tjuickly agreed, by means of signs, that Peary should follow them with tiic rifle, while I should conceal our seven dogs, in order th.it they might not scent the game, which we greatly desired to secure. When the dogs were (H.-m,],.,] t,. | waited and U8 .ICA'OSS NORTHERN GREENLAND il^lL.■nctl with great anxiety. Soon 1 heard three sharp reports of the ritie, by which my excitement was made >till more intense. At length the tall form of Peary came into view on the slope above me. He nodded, gesticu- lated, and laughed. By this I knew what had occurred. We were to have a supply of fresh meat ! In a few jumps I cleared the hill. The dogs kept me company, and double-quick time was made to the place where tlie ani- mals lav. There were two cows and two calves. Three of them Peary had killed. The smallest of the group, a vounir long-le