RETURN OF THE EXPLORERS
End of my Weary Waiting—Mr. Peary returns “on Time”—Experiences of the
Inland Ice-party—The Great Greenland Ice-cap—The “Kite”
Aground—Landing through the Surf—Back at Redcliffe—The Natives
regard the Commander and Astrup as Supernatural Beings.
Saturday, August 6. From a half-sleep I was roused early this morning by
the plash of oars and loud talking, and before I had fully grasped the
idea that the professor’s party had returned, some one jumped over the
rail on the deck just over my head, and a familiar footstep made its way
hurriedly toward the companionway. I knew it was Mr. Peary, but was
unable to move or make a sound. He came rushing down the stairs and
rattled at my door, calling to me to open it; but I seemed to be
paralyzed, and he forced it open and stood before me, well and hearty,
safe at last.
Monday, August 8. Back at Redcliffe again, but how different everything
seems! Not only is our whole party once more reunited, but there is the
little “Kite” out in the bay, ready to take us south at any time.
[Illustration:
ACROSS THE SNOW DESERT.—FOLLOWING THE GUIDON.
]
I have been afraid to go to sleep since Mr. Peary’s return, for fear I
might wake up and find it all a dream; besides, we had so much to tell
each other that there was no time or inclination for sleep. Mr. Peary
recounted to me the events of his journey; how after he sent Mr. Gibson
and Dr. Cook back to Redcliffe from the Humboldt Glacier, May 24th, he
and Astrup marched on day after day, with their magnificent team of
Eskimo dogs, which Astrup learned to handle as well as a native driver.
[Illustration:
The First Musk-ox.
]
They encountered storms which kept them buried in the snow for days at a
time, but their worst enemies were the snow-arched crevasses which they
met just before reaching the latitude of Sherard Osborne Fjord. These
arches were so treacherous that more than once they were on them before
they were aware of it, and old Lion came very near ending his journey by
breaking through one of them and being precipitated the full length of
his trace into the yawning chasm. Fortunately the trace was strong
enough to hold his weight, and he was pulled up none the worse for his
tumble. The loss of a single animal would have been a calamity to the
party.
[Illustration:
Cairn on Navy Cliff.
Lat. 81° 37′.
]
On July 1st Mr. Peary saw the loom of land ahead, and thinking it only
one of the west-coast mountains, changed his course to northeast, and
then to east, hoping to be able to round it; but after a few days’
further travel he saw the land still ahead, and then found that it was
the northern boundary of Greenland. He now decided to leave his sledges
and supplies at the edge of a moraine, and, with a few days’ rations,
start overland toward the coast. They had not gone far when they came
across unmistakable signs of musk-oxen, and then upon the animals
themselves, grazing in a little valley. A few shots from Mr. Peary’s
rifle brought down two of them. Then a little baby musk-ox came peering
around a great boulder to learn the cause of all the noise and
commotion. This was captured alive, but the poor little thing did not
survive its mother very long. Mr. Peary camped in this lovely valley,
and there feasted his dogs on fresh meat.
These noble brutes, accustomed all their lives to raw, bloody meat, had
been living on dry pemmican for the past two months, working day after
day as they had never worked continuously before. No wonder they
strained at their traces, plunging and tugging to get loose and help
themselves. As quickly as one of the musk-oxen was skinned the body was
tossed within their reach, and they pounced upon it with a greediness
which plainly showed how much they longed for the juicy meat. The
explorers themselves also enjoyed the fresh meat for a change, but they
were glad to get back to pemmican again after a few days.
After the dogs had been fed and rested, the march across the
boulder-strewn country toward the coast was resumed. It ended July 4th,
when the party came out on a bluff on the east coast, some 3800 feet
high, which overlooked the great unknown Arctic Ocean. Here a couple of
days were spent in making observations for latitude and longitude, in
taking photographs of the surrounding country, and in building a cairn
in which to deposit the record of their journey, and then the return
march was begun. McCormick Bay was reached on August 6th, after an
absence of ninety-three days, during which time Mr. Peary says neither
he nor Astrup had an ache or a pain.
[Illustration:
Looking down over the Arctic Ocean.
]
Late yesterday afternoon a brisk wind blew up that made the surf fly and
prevented any of us from going ashore. As Professor Heilprin was anxious
to examine some of the great glaciers, it was decided that the “Kite”
remain at her present anchorage until after he had made his examinations
the next day. This morning, however, the wind was still blowing, and
although an attempt was made to land a boat, it had to be abandoned;
Captain Pike, too, was desirous to get the “Kite” down the bay before
she was blown on the rocks. Indeed, this was necessary, as the vessel
had already had her nose stuck in the mudbank, and it had seemed for a
time that she was in a precarious position. Fortunately we escaped with
the loss of only about eleven feet of the vessel’s “shoe.” The incident
was by no means pleasing, and we all felt relieved when the vessel again
rode a straight keel. For hours we drifted about, hoping the wind would
go down, but finally we headed down the bay. It was impossible to swing
the vessel inshore opposite Redcliffe, and we were obliged to pass our
home and continue to Cape Cleveland. Here again we could find no
sheltered nook where it would be safe to land a boat, and we sailed back
and forth until late in the afternoon, when the captain thought that we
might land in the lee of the great cliffs just east of Cape Cleveland.
The boat was put in charge of the second mate, who, with the three
strongest sailors, pulled Mr. Peary, Astrup, and myself to the shore, a
distance of perhaps half a mile. We got along well in spite of the great
billows until we reached the shore, where, before we could make a
landing, two waves in rapid succession broke over our boat, almost
filling it with water, and nearly swamping us. I was completely
drenched.
Just before reaching Cripple Point we were met by Dr. Cook, Verhoeff,
and Gibson, anxious to greet the inland ice-party, of whose return they
had been apprised by Matt. It was very curious to watch the expressions
on the faces of the natives, who stood in groups about Redcliffe House
staring at Mr. Peary and Astrup as they approached. When they were
spoken to they answered in low, frightened tones, and they could not be
induced to come forward and shake hands, or in any way come in contact
with the two, until they were convinced that they were really human
beings, and not great spirits come down from the ice-cap. Then they were
very anxious to know if Mr. Peary had seen the spirits of the departed
Eskimos, what they lived on, how they looked, and all about them. They
were very much surprised not only to see the dogs return alive, but to
see them in much better condition than when they left, as they had
repeatedly said the Americans did not know how to feed the Eskimo dog,
and he would soon starve under their treatment. Now they have perfect
confidence in Mr. Peary, and say they would go anywhere with him, even
on the ice-cap, because they do not believe he would let the evil spirit
harm them.
[Illustration:
Astrup’s Musk-lamb.
]
Mr. Peary has decided to start on a trip up Inglefield Gulf to-morrow.
His purpose is to verify some of the observations made by us on our
April sledge trip, to take photographs of the landscape in its summer
dress, and to secure ethnological specimens at Karnah and Nunatochsoah
that were promised us by the natives of those places. We expect to
return within a week, and then everything will be put on board the good
ship “Kite,” and we shall bid adieu to our Arctic home and the dear old
huskies, who, even if they are not particularly clean, have been our
faithful friends, and will, I am sure, never forget us.
[Illustration:
IN MUSK-OX LAND BEYOND THE ICE-CAP.
]