CHAPTER IV.
OUR ADVENTURES IN THE POLAR SEA.
The storm lasted four days. On its subsidence we discovered ourselvescompletely surrounded with ice. We were beset by a veritable polarpack, brought down by the violence of the gale. The ice was covereddeeply with snow, which made a dazzling scene when lit by thebrilliant sun. We seemed transported to a new world. Far as the eyecould see huge masses of ice interposed with floe bergs of vastdimensions. The captain allowed the sailors to exercise themselves onthe solidly frozen snow. It was impossible to get any fresh meat, asthe pack, being of a temporary nature, had not yet become the home ofbear, walrus, or seal.
We saw a water sky in the north, showing that there was open water inthat direction, but meantime we could do nothing but drift in theembrace of the ice in an easterly direction. In about a week the packbegan to open and water lanes to appear. A more or less open channelappearing in a northeasterly direction, we got the ship warped around,and, getting up steam, drew slowly out of the pack.
Birds began to appear and flocks of ducks and geese flew across ourtrack, taking a westerly course. We were now in the latitude ofWrangel Island, but in west longitude 165. We had the good fortune tosee a large bear floating on an isolated floe toward which we steered.I drew blood at the first shot, but Flathootly's rifle killed him. Thesailors had fresh meat that day for dinner.
The day following we brought down some geese and elder ducks thatsailed too near the ship. We followed the main leads in preference toforcing a passage due north, and when in lat. 78' long. 150' the watchcried out "Land ahead!" On the eastern horizon rose several peaks ofmountains, and on approaching nearer we discovered a large islandextending some thirty miles north and south. The ice-foot surroundingthe land was several miles in width, and bringing the ship alongside,three-fourths of the sailors, accompanied by the entire dogs andsledges, started for the land on a hunting expedition.
It was a fortunate thing that we discovered the island, for, with ourslow progress and monotonous confinement, the men were getting tiredof their captivity and anxious for active exertion.
The sailors did not return until long after midnight, encouraged tostay out by the fact that it was the first night the sun remainedentirely above the horizon.
It was the 10th of April, or rather the morning of the 11th, when thesailors returned with three of the five sledges laden with the spoilsof the chase. They had bagged a musk ox, a bear, an Arctic wolf, andsix hares--a good day's work. Grog was served all around in honor ofthe midnight sun and the capture of fresh meat. We dressed the ox andbear, giving the offal as well as the wolf to the dogs, and revelledfor the next few days in the luxury of fresh meat.
The island not being marked on our charts, we took credit to ourselvesas its discoverers, and took possession of the same in the name of theUnited States.
The captain proposed to the sailors to call it Lexington Island inhonor of their commander, and the men replied to his proposition withsuch a rousing cheer that I felt obliged to accept the distinction.
Flathootly reported that there was a drove of musk oxen on the island,and before finally leaving it we organized a grand hunting expeditionfor the benefit of all concerned.
Leaving but five men, including the first officer and engineer, onboard to take care of the ship, I took charge of the hunt. After arough-and-tumble scramble over the chaotic ice-foot, we reached themainland in good shape, save that a dog broke its leg in the ice andhad to be shot. Its companions very feelingly gave it a decent burialin their stomachs.
Mounting an ice-covered hillock, we saw, two miles to the southeast ina valley where grass and moss were visible, half a dozen musk oxen,doubtless the entire herd. We adopted the plan of surrounding theherd, drawing as near the animals as possible without alarming them.Sniffing danger in the southeasterly wind, the herd broke away to thenorthwest. The sailors jumped up and yelled, making the animals swerveto the north. A semi-circle of rifles was discharged at the unhappybrutes. Two fell dead in their tracks and the remaining four, badlywounded, wheeled and made off in the opposite direction. The otherwing of the sailors now had their innings as we fell flat and heardbullets fly over us. Three more animals fell, mortally wounded. A bullcalf, the only remnant of the herd on its legs, looked in wonder atthe sailor who despatched it with his revolver. The dogs held highcarnival for an hour or more on the slaughtered oxen. We packed thesledges with a carcass on each, and in due time regained the ship,pleased with our day's work.
A SEMICIRCLE OF RIFLES WAS DISCHARGED AT THE UNHAPPYBRUTES, AND TWO FELL DEAD IN THEIR TRACKS.]
Leaving Lexington Island we steered almost due north through a vastopen pack. On the 1st of May we arrived in lat. 78' 30" west long.155' 50", our course having been determined by the lead of the lanesin the enormous drifts of ice. Here another storm overtook us,travelling due east. We were once more beset, and driftedhelplessly for three days before the storm subsided. We foundourselves in long. 150' again, in danger of being nipped. The wind,suddenly drifting to the east, reopened the pack for us to our intenserelief.
Taking advantage of some fine leads and favorable winds, we passedthrough leagues of ice, piled-up floes and floebergs, forming scenesof Arctic desolation beyond imagination to conceive. At last wearrived at a place beyond which it was impossible to proceed. We hadstruck against the gigantic barrier of what appeared to be an immensecontinent of ice, for a range of ice-clad hills lay only a few milesnorth of the _Polar King_. At last the sceptre of the Ice King wavedover us with the command, "Thus far and no further."
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