"And hark! The lengthening roar continuous runs
Athwart the rifted deep, at once it bursts
And piles a thousand mountains to the clouds."
_June 1st. Sunday_. Owing to a change of wind the ice had loosened and
during the night we managed to push on to Berry Island. The _Bear_ and
_Thetis_ appeared upon the scene during the afternoon, and we saw the
_Bear_ strike a sunken rock. We hooked on to the small island with
several of the other ships, the _Bear_ being on our starboard side, and
the _Narwhal, Arctic and Thetis_ on the port. I saw Commander Schley
going on board the _Bear_ and examining her with a water telescope. His
boat passed very close to our quarter and the Captain spoke to him as he
went.
The ships were all lying close to the shore floe with this low island in
front of them, and it looked as if they might be there some time, so
I went on shore with the surgeon of the _Arctic_. There was a camera
sitting on the ice near the _Thetis_, so the ships were evidently being
photographed. We wandered about the inhospitable place for a time and
came on board. The perpetual daylight made me very irregular in my
movements, coming and going at all hours; my day was regulated by my
meals. Those who had watches to keep slept and got up with their usual
regularity.
_June 2nd. Monday_. The day fine, and we were still tied up at the
island. I took a gun and went on shore after breakfast, but there was
not much to shoot. In a little valley I saw a quantity of dead grass
sticking out of the ice. On going over and examining, I found a number
of _human skeletons_. Wherever there was a big bunch of grass, there
I found an ice-covered skeleton. Probably they were Eskimos. When I
returned to the ship there were a number of natives on board. They came
from Tassuisak and had some seal skins to trade.
Some of our men had visited the _Arctic_. She had been in Godhaven, so
had much trade and our men procured some of it. Afterwards I bought a
kayak model from one of these. It was very beautifully made. The skin
tobacco pouches and slippers made by natives in Godhaven looked nicer
than any I saw from other settlements.
The southern Greenland towns were better than those further north, but
the whalers seldom called at any further south than Holstenborg. I went
on board the _Bear_ for awhile during the evening with Dr. Crawford
and met Lieutenant Emory. During the day I saw several very beautiful
glaucous gulls. They are called burgomasters by the sailors.
_June 3rd. Tuesday_. Immediately to the north of where we lay there were
a great many icebergs. They presented a very fine appearance with the
sun shining on them. The _Thetis_ and _Bear_ started off amongst these
bergs. We tried to move out to the west, but did not accomplish much;
for when evening came we were no further north than when we started.
In the distance and to the west of us we saw a berg on the top of which
there was a black spot. What could it be? From the crow's nest the
telescope revealed nothing but a black spot on the icy slope.
There was a narrow lead going in this direction, so the mate and myself
went with a boat's crew to solve the mystery. We were able to take a
whale boat a long distance through the lead, and then we walked the rest
of the way. I had brought a rifle in case there should be a chance of a
shot. On getting up to the berg we found that it was not fast, but that
owing to its great depth in the water it had a motion independent of its
floe. On one side there had been a great slide, and up this we proposed
going.
Just at this place the motion of the berg had ground up a lot of ice
at its base, and also some of the floe, so that one had very unstable
footing to jump to and from in crossing the surrounding fissure.
However, we all managed without mishap and ascended the slide to within
six or eight feet of the top. I was then pushed up this little cliff and
found that, with the exception of the place we had come up, the sides
were sheer precipices. It was necessary to traverse a snowy undulation
before the black object came into view. The mate joined me with some of
the others and it was exciting for a few minutes, but disappointing when
we found only a big black stone which the berg had picked up probably
during its glacial days.
The islands of ice often turn over owing to the frost splitting them
when the weather is cold. This frequent alteration of their centre of
gravity makes them very undesirable neighbors, especially in the
autumn. While it was disappointing finding only a stone when we expected
something wonderful, yet the view from the summit was magnificent.
Immediately around little but ice could be seen, with here and there
some black threads of water and many great bergs scattered about.
In the distance the coast of Greenland looked bold. It had been rather
high all the way up from Upernivik, but Cape Shackleton, rising to
a height of thirteen hundred feet, looked very imposing, being
precipitous. There was a great loomery on its cliffs, which was probably
the home of the thousands of those birds which we saw every day flying
along the cracks, or about the pools of open water. There was much less
trouble getting down the berg than getting up, but we were all tired
when we reached the ship as we were not accustomed to long walks.
_June 4th. Wednesday_. The morning was fine, and many ships were in
sight. During the night we had passed Cape Shackleton. To the south we
saw the _Thetis_, evidently in the rips off Horse Heade, with the _Bear_
astern of her. The _Nova_ _Zembla_ and _Triune_ were several miles to
the west, and caught in the pack, while all the other ships were
together. During the morning the _Thetis, Bear_ and _Polynia_ came up
and joined us in our feeble attempt to push along.
Later in the day the weather turned cold and cloudy, but no storm came,
and the ice was very tight at bedtime.
_June 5th. Thursday_. A beautiful day with sunshine and blue sky.
Nearly all the ships were anchored to the ice or stuck in our immediate
vicinity. We were hooked on in a large lake and close to us there were
a number of great bergs. During the morning I took the dingey and rowed
amongst them, as there was no floe ice near.
The silence was very impressive, the only sound being that made by the
splashing of water as it trickled down the icy sides of the bergs, or
the cry of some seabird. I traced the base of one of these hoary giants
a long way into the depths, but the water of the Arctic sea is by no
means clear, owing to the vast numbers of animalculae which inhabit it.
I shot a big bag of little auks here, but was careful not to do any
shooting whilst close to the bergs, as the concussion might have
brought down ice. During the afternoon the floe opened a little, and the
expedition ships came close to us, but the _Nova Zembla_ and _Triune_
still appeared to be held in the pack. We all watched like hawks for
a chance to reach the Duck Islands, now only a few miles ahead. Greely
might have been there.
[Illustration: 0216]
_June 6th. Friday_. This was one of the most exciting days we had--eight
of us all on edge and each trying to get ahead of his neighbor. This
friendly rivalry added zest to the trip. We were quite close to the Duck
Islands, which made the starting point of the Melville Bay passage.
The day was glorious and we spent most of it fast to a floe. The
exciting thing was when late in the evening a crack occurred near the
Arctic. It was not more than a mile or two across the floe to the open
water at the Duck Islands, and this crack appeared to extend the whole
way. When it was wide enough the _Arctic_ and _Aurora_ immediately
entered, but before we had gone any distance, the ice closed astern
of us, preventing any of the others entering. For a short time we were
caught, and it looked like the nips, then the floe seemed to swing,
closing behind us and opening in front, so that we steamed away with a
cheer, leaving the others barred out. The _Bear_, after a short time,
succeeded in breaking a way for herself and the _Thetis_, and all the
rest followed like ducks.
I was aloft for a time watching this game of follow the leader and
keenly interested in this Arctic race. We entered the patch of open
water about midnight, and steaming across made fast to the ice at the
islands.
_June 7th. Saturday_. It was wonderful how little we slept when there
was excitement. I enjoyed it' so much that I was afraid of missing
anything by going below, but after the race we had just finished, as
we had all hooked on, I felt that it was safe to turn in as there was
nothing but dense pack ahead. The _Arctic_ and _Aurora_ were lying very
close to the _Bear_, and the _Thetis_ was not far off. We were on the
west side of the Middle Duck, the rest of the fleet being on the other
side. It was evident that there were no explorers here to be rescued,
for the approach of the fleet was rather imposing and they would have
seen it.
After a rest, taking a gun I made my way on shore. We were too early for
eggs, but there were plenty of ducks and the shooting was rather
good. Numbers of phalarope (Lobipes Hyperboreus) were about. They were
graceful little birds and no doubt bred here later. Coming back for the
dingey I rowed out to a point of ice past which there was a flight
of ducks, but was astonished to find the birds so shy in such a quiet
place. Perhaps the sight of the ships invading this sanctuary made them
a little nervous. I managed, however, to add considerably to my bag.
There did not appear to be any loosening of the ice, so none of the
ships made any effort to move. I went on board the _Arctic_ during the
afternoon and received a supply of apples from Captain Guy. The surgeon
returned with me and spent the evening on the _Aurora_. As our boiler
required some repair this was attended to during the day and it made a
wonderful difference to the temperature of the cabin having no heat in
the engine room for a few hours.
_June 8th. Sunday_. A peaceful day and perfectly calm with some fog. All
the ships were hooked on to the floe. Crawford of the _Arctic_ came on
board and we took our dingey and went to one of the islands. Some men
from the relief ships were there. They were shooting with eight bores,
the first time I had ever seen guns of that calibre; I saw them make
some long shots. We secured a few ducks, eider and long tailed.
During the afternoon we went on board the _Bear_, and again met
Lieutenant Emory and his officers. Lieutenant Colwell showed us the
ship. The arrangement of the berths in the cabin was splendid; they were
curtained off by drawing out poles, and by pushing these in the sleeping
quarters were reduced in size, and the saloon enlarged.
I should say that the _Bear_ was the fastest ship of the fleet, except,
perhaps, the _Arctic_, which had powerful engines. The only thing
against the _Arctic_ was her great length which made it difficult to
turn her about in small water holes, and to manouvre amongst the ice as
some of the others were able to do.
The _Wolf_ and _Narwhal_ had moved off and were caught in the pack by
bedtime.
We were then on the threshold of Melville Bay, the reputation of which
was most unsavory.
Perhaps the most interesting occurrence there during historic times was
the loss of nineteen ships and a total of £140,000 damage to the fleet
on June 19th, 1830. This event has been called the Baffin's Bay Fair,
because the one thousand men who suddenly found themselves homeless upon
the ice, made the best of their circumstances and enjoyed themselves
immensely.
Before the ships went down they secured quantities of liquor and food
and afterwards established comfortable camps. There was an abundance of
wood from the wrecks, so they made bonfires around which they danced.
The curious part of it was that no lives were lost, and that the entire
party ultimately reached home safe.
There is an interesting oil painting of this event in the museum at
Peterhead.
_June 9th. Monday_. We seemed permanent fixtures now and felt that we
owned the place in spite of the ducks. I took the dingey with a boy and
pulled off to a long point of ice on the west side of the island not far
from where we lay. We were able to hide behind a heavy piece of ice with
the boat and I shot a number of ducks in the handsome plumage of that
season. Then landing, found numbers of old nests made of feathers and
down. They had been driven into crevices of rock by storms and one could
have collected a quantity of down. While on the island I saw and heard
my first finner whale. He was making a great noise as he breathed.
Finners have little oil and short bone, so they are not pursued. They
are also very quick in their movements and consequently dangerous. This
one came up several times in different water holes about the islands and
then disappeared.
At dinner we were discussing vegetables and all agreed that the best on
board the ship were the tinned carrots. They were simply boiled and put
up in pieces six or seven inches long. They were absolutely as fresh and
sweet as the day on which they were prepared. We called them Carnoustie
carrots, as they had come from that place. Our Dundee meat was excellent
at this time. We had a good supply of it, and very seldom saw salt beef
or salt pork on the cabin table during the voyage.
The steak for breakfast was served on a sort of metal basket; a handle
crossed the middle of this and on each side there was a lid. The steak
was under one lid and fried onions under the other. We also had hot
rolls every morning, although ship's bread was always on the table.
_June 10th. Tuesday_. Early in the morning the _Aurora_ unhooked and
for a little while managed to push her way northwest. The _Wolf_ and
_Narwhal_ had gained by moving on. There was always a chance of a lead
opening and letting one through. We had reached the Duck Islands first,
by taking the lead while the others hesitated. We now entered the pack
further than we wished to and then spent some time trying to extricate
ourselves.
There was always danger of being beset in the pack and carried down the
straits again; in it there was no safe anchorage, as it might twist and
turn in any direction, and a low temperature might even freeze the ship
up, whereas following the shore floe gave one a lead of open water every
time the pack floated off, and should it be driven in the ship could
generally find a bay or indentation in which she was fairly safe.
In consequence of this the captains became nervous when they found
themselves beset in the pack. At night we were almost out of sight of
the islands. The _Wolf_ and _Narwhal_ were not far from us.
_June 11th. Wednesday_. Before morning we managed to work north some
distance. The _Wolf_, _Narwhal_ and _Arctic_ were close to us. The
relief ships during the day were joined by the _Triune, Cornwallis and
Nova Zembla_.
We all made some headway, but in the afternoon we were so nearly caught
once or twice that we steamed back towards the islands and arrived
almost at our old anchorage by the following morning.
_June 12th. Thursday._ In the morning a lot of us were back at the old
anchorage again, but the _Arctic_ was still to the north, close to the
_Thetis and Bear_. The _Wolf and Narwhal_ were out in the pack to the
west of us, but in the afternoon these last joined us. During the day I
shot a lot of ducks, all eider and king eider, afterwards landing on a
floe from which a peninsula ran out having a narrow isthmus covered with
very high hummocks. Crossing this isthmus to the peninsula beyond, I
came upon the perfectly fresh footprints of a bear and two cubs, leading
from the water to the big hummocks over which I had come and over which
my route back lay. Having only a sixteen bore and number four shot, this
discovery was disquieting for a time, as a bear with cubs might fight.
However, she did not materialize.
All the other ships were closer inshore during the evening, while we
moved west a little. During the night we moved off up a lead.
[Illustration: 0224]
_June 13th. Friday_. We were hard and fast, the _Cornwallis, Triune,
Esquimaux and Narwhal_ in sight close inshore. The _Arctic and Wolf_ out
with the expedition ships. They were apparently beset. We lay frozen up
all day, with not even a duck to shoot. The Sugarloaf, a high mountain
on the Greenland coast, showed up well and made a good landmark.
_June 14th. Saturday_. The day began with a heavy snow storm, but
shortly after breakfast it cleared off. The ice opened to the west,
so we steamed in that direction, leaving the fleet of older ships
apparently fast inshore, and we did not see any of them again for a
long time. We made very little headway at first, but found the ice slack
after dinner and managed to push through it.
Later a series of good leads opened up and we worked a long way north.
When I turned in, the relief ships with the _Arctic and Wolf_ were in
sight ahead of us.
We passed a curious pillar of rock called the Devil's Thumb; it was a
long way off. Every one took off his hat to it as was the custom.
Steering amongst ice was sometimes very dangerous for the man at the
wheel, because the ship going astern was liable to bump her rudder
against the ice. This, of course, sent the wheel flying around. We had
a man hurt in this way by receiving a blow from the wheel during the
afternoon.
_June 15th. Sunday_. We had good leads all the morning and were never
blocked for any length of time. By breakfast time we overtook the
_Arctic and Wolf_ with relief ships. Then we all hooked on to a heavy
floe in an open pool of water. Very shortly we were off again, but it
looked dangerous, so we tied up. The _Wolf_ was the first to be free.
She entered a lead and it closed behind her, exactly as it had done with
us at the Duck Islands. However, later in the day the pack drew off and
we all steamed along the edge of the shore floe, the _Thetis_ bringing
up the rear. This was an exciting race, and no one turned in while the
water remained open. The _Wolf_ had the lead, the _Arctic and Aurora_
being together. Occasionally some of us would diverge a little, but we
were in line pretty well all the time.
_June 16th. Monday._ I turned in when I found the way blocked and all
the ships tied up, as everything seemed frozen solid, except the pool
in which we lay. Seven bells awoke me to find things as they had been.
Captain Fairweather shot a Sabine gull after breakfast and I shot some
looms, which were picked out of the water by Jock the dog, who retrieved
very well. I went on board the _Wolf_ with the Captain, and saw Captain
Burnette. During the evening the Arctic steamed off and we followed
with the _Wolf_, but the lead closed so we all were caught. The Aurora.
managed to push out into the loose ice in a little while, but the Wolf
remained and the Arctic was fairly in the nips.
The evening was fine and we saw land to the north and dozens of bergs to
the east of us. There was a crack running into the floe for two hundred
yards close to our ship. It was probably twenty-five yards wide at the
entrance. A great many looms flew up this and returned when they found
it a blind lead. The dingey was lowered and the Captain and myself had a
few hours' shooting and secured a great many. They were tied in bunches
and hung upon the chains connecting the quarter davits.
_June 17th. Tuesday_. All were frozen up. I tried stalking a seal, as
there were several in sight, but I could not get near any of them. The
_Arctic_ was still nipped, the _Wolf_ was with us and the relief ships
a little way east. During the evening we were all moving around, except
the _Arctic._
We were ahead and the _Wolf_ next, the _Bear_ bringing up the rear.
Later the _Thetis_ fell back, for she could not keep up. Cape York was
in sight and all four of us were rather close together.
With the _Aurora_ leading, we kept this up all night, every one greatly
excited. In the small hours we were all up to a barrier. Among the
Arctic ice it would have been useless to roll the ship as we had done at
Newfoundland, the young ice on that coast being very different from the
Arctic floe met with in Melville Bay.
_June 18th. Wednesday._ The race for Cape York and the north was far
too exciting to permit of sleep, so for the following few days I never
undressed, but kept going up and down all the time. If we stuck I lay
down, and when the engine started I went up.
At one A. M. we were with the _Wolf_ and relief ships, pounding away
at the floe which separated us from the open water at Cape York. The
_Aurora_ was the first to break through, when we all gave a great cheer
and shouted, "The north water!" I immediately went forward, and sitting
on the jib-boom, realized that I was the nearest white man to Greely,
possibly the nearest to the pole. I sat there for a long time as we were
steaming fast towards the land through open water.
As we neared the shore the _Bear_ passed us. She was a faster ship and
she reached the shore floe some minutes before us.
Seeing a party land on the ice from the _Bear_, we turned off southwest.
As the _Thetis and Wolf_ were coming up, the Captain went on board the
former and bade the commander good-by, and good luck, then we crept off
to the southwest with the _Wolf_. The _Bear_ having spoken the _Thetis_,
steamed west after us, the weather being rather thick.
Finding the ice heavy to the west, we tried a lead to the north, but
were beset for some time.
[Illustration: 0230]
The fog was so thick that nothing could be seen ahead. We saw nothing
further of the _Thetis_ as she remained at Cape York to pick up the
party landed by the _Bear._
I turned in for a time during the night, as the ship was beset by heavy
ice. We had now completed the passage of Melville Bay without accident
and nearly every one on board felt that the greatest danger of the
voyage was over, so we would work our way to the west and look for
whales. In the race from St. John's to Cape York we had been beaten by
the _Bear_ only, and that by just a few minutes. The _Arctic, Thetis
and Wolf_ were all close, but in the last lap the _Aurora and Bear_ were
neck and neck almost to the winning post.