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THE ROMANCE OF POLAR EXPLORATION
INTERESTING DESCRIPTIONS OF ARCTIC AND
ANTARCTIC ADVENTURE FROM THE EARLIEST
TIME TO THE VOYAGE OF THE "DISCOVERY"
BY
G. FIRTH SCOTT
AUTHOR OF "FROM FRANKLIN TO NANSEN," "THE ROMANCE
OF AUSTRALIAN EXPLORING," "COLONIAL BORN," _&c._
WITH TWENTY-FOUR ILLUSTRATIONS
LONDON
SEELEY AND CO. LIMITED
38 GREAT RUSSELL STREET
1909
[Illustration: THE _STELLA POLARE_ NIPPED IN THE ICE.
"The stores were unloaded with the greatest rapidity."]
_UNIFORM WITH THIS VOLUME_
THE LIBRARY OF ROMANCE
_Extra Crown 8vo. With many illustrations. 5s. each_
"Splendid volumes."--_The Outlook._
"This series has now won a considerable and well deserved
reputation."--_The Guardian._
"Each volume treats its allotted theme with accuracy, but at the same
time with a charm that will commend itself to readers of all ages. The
root idea is excellent, and it is excellently carried out, with full
illustrations and very prettily designed covers."--_The Daily
Telegraph._
By Prof. G. F. SCOTT ELLIOT, M.A., B.Sc.
THE ROMANCE OF SAVAGE LIFE
THE ROMANCE OF PLANT LIFE
THE ROMANCE OF EARLY BRITISH LIFE
By EDWARD GILLIAT, M.A.
THE ROMANCE OF MODERN SIEGES
By JOHN LEA, M.A.
THE ROMANCE OF BIRD LIFE
By JOHN LEA, M.A., & H. COUPIN, D.Sc.
THE ROMANCE OF ANIMAL ARTS AND CRAFTS
By SIDNEY WRIGHT
THE ROMANCE OF THE WORLD'S FISHERIES
By the Rev. J. C. LAMBERT, M.A., D.D.
THE ROMANCE OF MISSIONARY HEROISM
By G. FIRTH SCOTT
THE ROMANCE OF POLAR EXPLORATION
By ARCHIBALD WILLIAMS, B.A. (Oxon.), F.R.G.S.
THE ROMANCE OF EARLY EXPLORATION
THE ROMANCE OF MODERN EXPLORATION
THE ROMANCE OF MODERN MECHANISM
THE ROMANCE OF MODERN INVENTION
THE ROMANCE OF MODERN ENGINEERING
THE ROMANCE OF MODERN LOCOMOTION
THE ROMANCE OF MODERN MINING
By CHARLES R. GIBSON, A.I.E.E.
THE ROMANCE OF MODERN PHOTOGRAPHY
THE ROMANCE OF MODERN ELECTRICITY
By EDMUND SELOUS
THE ROMANCE OF THE ANIMAL WORLD
THE ROMANCE OF INSECT LIFE
By AGNES GIBERNE
THE ROMANCE OF THE MIGHTY DEEP
By E. S. GREW, M.A.
THE ROMANCE OF MODERN GEOLOGY
SEELEY & CO., LIMITED
Preface
While stories of the Polar explorers and their efforts to reach the
Poles have been told again and again, the constant renewal of
expeditions adds, every year, fresh incidents to the record, until it
may almost be said that the fascination of the frozen regions is as
inexhaustible as the list of Polar heroes is illimitable. Nor is the
interest confined solely to the achievement of modern explorers. However
great the results of their exertions may be, the fact that, in spite of
all the advantages conferred by recent scientific discovery and modern
appliances, the explorers of to-day have failed to penetrate the
uttermost secrets of the worlds of ice, renders more impressively heroic
the struggles of the earlier travellers, whose equipment, viewed in
comparison with that of modern man, was apparently so inadequate and
often inappropriate.
No series of Polar adventure stories would be complete without a
prominent place being given to the earlier explorers, and especially to
that British hero, Franklin, whose name is so inseparably associated
with the history of Arctic exploration. The account of his daring
voyages and of his tragic end, at the moment of victory, has already
been given in many a form; but the tale is one which will stand
re-telling for generations yet to come. In the present instance it has
been of necessity briefly written, but in such a manner as will, it is
hoped, without loss of interest, render clear a comparison of the
conditions under which he and his brave companions worked and fought to
their death, with those that existed for later expeditions and
especially the expeditions of Nansen, Peary, and Abruzzi.
The Antarctic, equally with the Arctic, now commands the attention of
man. In the South, as in the North, the British race has again produced
explorers who have fought their way into the icy fastnesses. From the
time that Captain Cook sailed round the unknown southern ocean, more
than a century ago, the British flag has waved in the forefront of the
advance. The work which Sir James Ross began, over half a century since,
has now been carried farther than ever it was anticipated it could be.
By the voyage of the _Discovery_, the Antarctic continent has been
revealed to within five hundred miles of the Pole, and in the gallant
exploits of the commander, Captain Robert Scott, there are many who see
a repetition of all that made the name of Franklin so immortal.
The source of the information on which these stories are based (as is
frequently mentioned in the text) is the personal narrative of the
explorer concerned, where available; and if the interest aroused in any
of them requires more to satisfy it than the exigencies of space renders
possible in this volume, the attention which will thereby be drawn to
the more comprehensive records will stand as a slight acknowledgment of
the indebtedness of the writer of these re-told stories to the authors
of the original narratives.
G. FIRTH SCOTT.
LONDON, 1906.
Publishers' Note
Our thanks are due to Lieut. Shackleton, R.N.R., of the
_Discovery_, for the use of the original drawing facing page 344,
and also for permission to use the Illustrations facing pages 310,
340, 348. To Messrs. Alston Rivers, Limited, for permission to use
the Illustration facing page 320 from Dr. H. R. Mill's "Siege of
the South Pole." To Messrs. Hutchinson and Co., for the use of
Illustrations facing pages 28 and 272, and Frontispiece, from "The
Voyage of the Polar Star," by the Duke of the Abruzzi. To Messrs.
Geo. Newnes, Limited, for the Illustration facing page 305 from
"First on the Antarctic Continent," by C. E. Borchgrevinck. To
Messrs. Longmans, Green & Co., for permission to reproduce the
Illustration facing page 256 from "New Land," by Otto Sverdrup.
Contents
CHAPTER I
THE ARCTIC REGION
PAGE
The Mystery of the North Pole--The First Explorer--"The Great
Dark Wall at the End of the World"--"Frost-Smoke"--The
Lights and Sounds of the North--The Aurora Borealis--Mock
Moons--The Early Adventurers: Willoughby, Frobisher, Davis,
Hudson, Baffin, Ross, and Parry--The North-West Passage 17
CHAPTER II
SIR JOHN FRANKLIN
Young Franklin--His Dreams of Adventure--He becomes a Sailor--His
First Arctic Expedition--Fails to get through Behring
Straits--Explores Baffin's Bay--The 1845 Expedition--The
_Erebus_ and _Terror_--The "Good-bye" at Greenland--Wellington
Channel--They select Winter Quarters--Discovery of the
North-West Passage--Death of Franklin--Prisoned in the Ice--The
Crew Abandon the Ships--Defeat and Death 25
CHAPTER III
THE SEARCH FOR FRANKLIN
Captain Parker's Report--Government offers a Reward--Dr. Rae's
Expedition--Captain McClure's Voyage in the _Investigator_--Hardships
and Perils--The Meeting with the _Herald_--Lady Franklin still
Hopeful--Sir F. L. McClintock's Expedition in the _Fox_ with Lieutenant
Hobson--Their Sad and Fatal Discoveries--Lieutenant Schwatka recovers
the Body of Lieutenant Irving 42
CHAPTER IV
THE VOYAGE OF THE _POLARIS_
Death of Captain Hall--Crew determine to Return--Are Frozen in--A
Party take to the Ice and are Cast Away--They build themselves
Snow Huts--They find some Seals--An Adventure with Bears--The
Perils of the Spring--They sight the _Tigress_ and are
Saved--The Ship-party's Story and Rescue 69
CHAPTER V
THE _ALERT_ AND _DISCOVERY_
Sir George Nares appointed to the _Alert_ and _Discovery_--Overtaking
a Season--Red Snow--The Greenland Mosquito--Peculiarities
of Eskimo Dogs--And Dog Whips--Dangers of Kayaks--Advantages
of Steam for Polar Regions--An Unpleasant Experience--A Huge
Walrus--Arctic Scenery--A Big "Bag"--The Ships part
Company--The _Alert_ reaches the Polar Sea--Winter Quarters--The
North Pole attempted--Adventures and Sufferings of the
Party--Lieutenant Parr's Heroism--Deliverance--The Greenland
Attempt--Scurvy and Snow--Repulse Bay--In Pitiable
Plight--Lieutenant Rawson to the Rescue 83
CHAPTER VI
THE GREELY EXPEDITION
The Scheme of the Expedition--Fort Conger--Arctic Wolves--Atmospheric
Marvels--A Terrific Storm--Influence of the Sun--Lieutenant
Lockwood's Expedition--The Second Winter--Preparations
for Departure--They leave Fort Conger--A Remarkable Ice
Passage--They fail to make Cape Sabine--A New Camp--Rations running
Short--Fruitless Efforts to reach Food Depots--Starvation and
Death--A Bitter Blow--The Arrival of the _Thetis_ 114
CHAPTER VII
PEARY IN GREENLAND
The Greenland Question--Departure of the _Kite_--Peary breaks his
Leg--A Camp made--Habits of the Eskimo--A Brush with
Walrus--"Caching" Food--An Arctic Christmas Feast--Peary starts
for the Great Ice-Cap--A Snow Sahara--The Ice-Cap Crossed--A
Marvellous Discovery--Sails on Sledges--A Safe Return 146
CHAPTER VIII
NANSEN AND THE _FRAM_
Nansen's Theories of Arctic Currents and Shipbuilding--His Theories
adopted--The _Fram_ Built--A Start made--The Kara Sea
reached--Good Hunting--The Ice Current reached--Frozen
in--A Raid by a Bear--Will the _Fram_ stand the Pressure?--Preparing
for Calamity--A Conclusive Test--Causes of Ice
Movements--Life on the _Fram_--Nansen and Johansen leave
the _Fram_--They reach their "Farthest North"--Incidents of
their Return Journey--Some Narrow Escapes--The Meeting
with Jackson--Arrival of the _Fram_ 173
CHAPTER IX
FRANZ JOSEF LAND AND SPITZBERGEN
The Jackson-Harmsworth Expedition--Object of the Expedition--An
Interesting Experiment--The Franz Josef Land Question settled--A Group
of Islands, not a Continent--Conway at Spitzbergen--Ancient
History--Bygone Splendours--Scenery in the Making--The Romance of
Andree--Another Riddle 220
CHAPTER X
THE POLAR METEORITES
Eskimo Iron--A Mystery of 1818--Search and Failure--Peary and
his Huskies--The Secret revealed--An Eskimo Legend--At
the Iron Mountain--Removing the Trophies--A Massive Giant--Attack
and Defence--The Giant Objects--A Narrow Escape--Conquered 236
CHAPTER XI
THE SECOND VOYAGE OF THE _FRAM_
Norwegian Enterprise--Mapping the Islands--Nearly Frozen--A Novel
Warming-Pan--Eskimo Melody--Arctic Bull Fights--Death of the
Doctor--Fire on the _Fram_--New Lands--Prehistoric People 249
CHAPTER XII
ITALY CLAIMS THE RECORD
Norwegian Aid--A Northerly Station--Premature Enthusiasm--Cold
Comfort--An Arctic Greeting--A Hasty Landing--Disorganised
Plans--Homeless Dogs--Making Fresh Plans--The Leader
Frost-bitten--The Start for the Pole--Driven Back by Cold--A
Second Start--First Detachment Lost--Anxiety for the Second--A
Struggle for Life--Third Detachment Overdue--Fears of
Disaster--Safe at Last--Italy sets the Record 265
CHAPTER XIII
THE ANTARCTIC REGION
The Mystery of the South Pole--Ignored by Early Navigators--An
Accidental Dutch Discovery--Captain Cook Sets Sail--Discouraged
by the Ice--Turns back in Despair--A Second Accidental
Discovery--Weddell breaks the Barrier--Antarctic Land
revealed--British resume the Search 283
CHAPTER XIV
VOYAGES OF THE _EREBUS_ AND _TERROR_
A Fortunate Choice--Characteristic Southern Bergs--First Sight of
the Continent--More British Territory--A Mighty Volcanic
Display--Nearing the Magnetic Pole--The Antarctic Barrier--A
Myth dispelled--A Second Attempt--Held by the Ice--Third
and Last Voyage--A Double Discovery 294
CHAPTER XV
THE _SOUTHERN CROSS_ EXPEDITION
British continue the Work--Carrier Pigeons in the Ice--Withstanding
a Nip--A Sea-quake--Cape Adare Station--A Cosy Camp--Edible
Fish--Death visits the Camp--Penguin Peculiarities--A Derelict
Blue-bottle--The Welcome Postman--A Thrilling Episode 305
CHAPTER XVI
THE REVIVAL OF ANTARCTIC INTEREST
Modern Means and Methods--Private Enterprise leads--The
_Valdavia_--The _Belgica_ Expedition--International Action
adopted--The German Expedition--An Ice-bound Land--Fresh
Trade-Winds 318
CHAPTER XVII
THE SWEDISH EXPEDITION
Sails in the _Antarctica_--Argentine Co-operation--First Antarctic
Fossil--Building the Winter Station--A Breezy Corner--Electric
Snow--A Spare Diet--New Year Festivities--The Missing
Ship--Relief that never Came--A Devastating Nip--Castaway--The
Unexpected Happens--A Dramatic Meeting--Rescued 323
CHAPTER XVIII
BRITAIN HOLDS HER OWN
A Capable Crew--A Modern Franklin--Early Discoveries--Frozen
in--An Historic Journey--The Record of "Farthest South"--How
the Record was Won--Speedy Travelling--Receding Ice
Limits--A Dying Glacier--The Secret of the Barrier--A Fatal
Gale--Lost in the Snow--An Antarctic Chute--Prolonged
Slumber--Antarctic Coal--Home with Honour 339
List of Illustrations
THE _STELLA POLARE_ NIPPED IN THE ICE _Frontispiece_
W. E. PARRY'S ATTEMPT TO REACH THE POLE _Facing page_ 28
AN IMMENSE ICEBERG " " 48
AN ADDITION TO THE EXPLORERS' SUPPLY OF PROVISIONS " " 78
SHOOTING MUSK OX IN THE ARCTIC REGIONS " " 116
GROUP OF SMITH SOUND ESKIMO " " 152
TWO NORTH GREENLAND HUNTERS " " 160
MAP OF THE ARCTIC REGIONS SHOWING ROUTE
OF NANSEN AND THE _FRAM_ " " 173
THE _FRAM_ IN THE ICE " " 185
NANSEN AND JOHANSEN START ON THEIR DASH FOR THE POLE " " 198
THE MEETING OF JACKSON AND NANSEN " " 216
THE FRONT EDGE OF KING'S GLACIER, WESTERN SPITZBERGEN " " 230
ESKIMO ARMS AND TOOLS " " 240
ESKIMO VISITORS TO THE _FRAM_ IN NIGHT ATTIRE " " 256
ONE OF THE DIFFICULTIES ENCOUNTERED
BY THE _STELLA POLARE_ " " 272
SKETCH MAP SHOWING CAPTAIN AGNI'S FARTHEST NORTH " " 280
THE _SOUTHERN CROSS_ IN THE ICE PACK " " 305
THE AURORA AUSTRALIS " " 310
EMPEROR PENGUINS " " 312
POLAR OUTFIT USED BY THE _BELGICA_ EXPEDITION " " 320
MAP OF SOUTH POLAR REGIONS " " 339
THE _DISCOVERY_ LYING IN WINTER QUARTERS, FROZEN IN " " 340
THE FARTHEST SOUTH SLEDGE PARTY IN A BLIZZARD " " 344
A DRIFTING ICE FLOE ATTACHED TO THE
_DISCOVERY_ BY A ROPE " " 348
The Romance of Polar Exploration
CHAPTER I
THE ARCTIC REGION
The Mystery of the North Pole--The First Explorer--"The Great Dark
Wall at the End of the World"--"Frost-Smoke"--The Lights and Sounds
of the North--The Aurora Borealis--Mock Moons--The Early
Adventurers: Willoughby, Frobisher, Davis, Hudson, Baffin, Ross,
and Parry--The North-West Passage.
In all the range of romantic adventure to be found in the history of
man, there is, perhaps, none which appeals so strongly to the
imagination as the search for the Poles. In all the tales of daring
courage and patient, persistent bravery, two qualities which stand
foremost in the admiration of every English-speaking boy, the tales of
the fearless explorers who have faced the terrors and the mystery of the
frozen regions are without a rival.
Just as it was the record of his struggles to penetrate into the unknown
region of the ice-bound North-West Passage which made the name of Sir
John Franklin famous fifty years ago, so is it to-day that the names of
Nansen, Peary, and Andree are household words by reason of the hardihood
and indomitable courage shown in their efforts to reach the great
unknown Pole. Who is there who has not lingered over the adventures of
the _Fram_, that sturdy Norseman's vessel, which combined in herself all
the best qualities of previous Arctic ships, and comported herself,
whether in the ice or out of it, with a dignity that told of her proud
descent and prouder destiny? Who has not marvelled at the sublime
audacity of the gallant little band of three who challenged undying fame
by seeking the Pole in a balloon, abandoning all the old-fashioned
notions about ice-ships and dog-sledges, and trusting themselves and
their enterprise to the four winds of heaven and the latest scientific
scheme? Who has not been thrilled with the daring shown by Nansen and
his trusty lieutenant when, leaving ship and comrades, with their lives
literally in their hands, they made their historic dash and emerged with
what was then the record of "Farthest North," and which has since been
beaten by only twenty miles?
Full of pluck and daring are all the records of Polar exploration, and,
in addition to that attraction, there is something else about the
subject which fascinates and holds the imagination. There is a mystery
about the cold, white, silent region; the mystery of, as yet, an
unsolved problem; the mystery of being one of the few spots on the
world's surface where the foot of adventurous man has never trodden.
Everywhere else man has gone; everywhere else men of our own race have
subdued Nature and wrested her close-kept secrets from her; everywhere
else save the Poles, and there not even the grandeur of modern inventive
genius has enabled man to become the master. We may be nearer now than
ever before; we may have made many places familiar which, less than
fifty years ago, were unknown; and we may, in recent years, have
disproved the theories of many an ancient explorer; but the Poles still
elude us as they eluded those who were searchers a thousand years ago.
It is no modern idea, this search for the North Pole. King Alfred the
Great is credited with having sent expeditions towards it, and long
before his day men had sailed as far as they could to the North, far
enough for them to return with marvellous tales of wonder and mystery.
The earliest of whom there is any record is an ancient Greek mariner,
Pytheas, who sailed North until he came to an island which he named the
Land of Thule. This may have been the Shetlands; it may have been
Iceland; but whatever it was, this ancient mariner was by no means
pleased with it, in spite of the fact that the sun never set all the
time he was there. This prolonged daylight caused him considerable
uneasiness, and he hastened away from it farther to the North, and the
farther he went the more curious he found the region to be. The sun,
which at first refused to set, now refused to rise, and he found himself
in perpetual darkness instead of perpetual day. More than that, he tells
how he came to a great dark wall rising up out of the sea, beyond which
he could discern nothing, while at the same time something seized and
held his ship motionless on the water, so that the winds could not move
it and the anchor would not sink. He was quite convinced in his own mind
where he had come; the wall in front of him was the parapet which ran
round the edge of the world to prevent people from falling over, and,
like a wise man, he hastened home and told his friends that he had
penetrated to the limits of the earth.
What the Arctic regions were then, they are to-day; but we, with a
greater knowledge, are able to understand what was incomprehensible to
the ancient Greek navigator. At the North Pole itself it is known the
sun rises and sets only once in twelve months. From March 21 to
September 23 daylight continues; from September 23 to March 21 the sun
is never visible. The heat at midsummer is probably never above freezing
point; at midwinter the cold is so intense that one's eyes would freeze
in their sockets if exposed to it.
At the limit of the ice two phenomena are met with which explain the
fanciful legend of Pytheas. As summer gives place to the cold of autumn,
and as winter gives way to the mild temperature of spring, there comes
down upon the water a dense mass of fog, to which the name "frost-smoke"
is given. It would appear, as it rolled along the surface of the ocean,
a veritable wall to one accustomed to the clear atmosphere of the
Mediterranean, and a thin sheet of ice might give the meaning to the
"something" which held the ship stationary. Modern explorers have known
the sea to freeze an inch thick in a single night, and ice an inch thick
would probably be enough to check the progress of such a vessel as
Pytheas would command.
Later navigators, curious to learn whether his story were true or not,
followed his course. Some of them went on until they were caught in the
rigours of the Arctic winter and perished in the crashing ice-floes.
Occasionally some came home again, after having reached far enough to
see the great icebergs, floating with all their stately majesty in the
blue waters and towering as high as mountains, their summits a mass of
glittering pinnacles and their sides scored and grooved with cavities
and caverns. Some of them saw the animals which live in that cold,
barren region; the great white bear, with its coat of thick shaggy fur,
its long ungainly figure and heavy swaying neck; the walrus, with its
gleaming tusks hanging down from its upper jaws; the seals, with their
great round eyes staring at the unknown intruders; above all, the huge
whales, spouting and floundering in the sea, coming to the surface with
a snort which sent the spray flying high in the air, and disappearing
again with a splash that was like a crashing billow. Little wonder that
those who returned from seeing such sights and hearing such strange
sounds should tell wonderful stories about the weird creatures
inhabiting the place.
The sounds must have been as terrifying and mystifying as the sights,
for in the clear, intense atmosphere of the winter months, noise travels
over almost incredible distances. When Parry was on Melville's Island,
he records having heard the voices of men who were talking not less than
a mile away. In the depth of winter, when the great cold has its icy
grip on everything, the silence is unbroken along the shores of the
Polar Sea; but when the frost sets in, and again when the winter gives
way to spring, there is abundance of noise. As the frost comes down
along the coast, rocks are split asunder with a noise of big guns, and
the sound goes booming away across the frozen tracts, startling the
slouching bear in his lonely haunts, and causing him to give vent to his
hoarse, barking roar in answer. The ice, just forming into sheets,
creaks and cracks as the rising or falling tide strains it along the
shore; fragments, falling loose upon it, skid across the surface with
the ringing sound which travels so far. In the spring the melting
ice-floes groan as they break asunder; with a mighty crash the
unbalanced bergs fall over, churning the water into foam with their
plunge, and bears and foxes and all the other Arctic animals call and
bark to one another as they awaken from their winter sleep. Just as
these incidents occur to-day, so did they occur a thousand years ago;
and if to modern ears they sound weird and awe-inspiring, what must they
have been to the men who succeeded Pytheas?
Nor does this exhaust the marvel of this bleak and fascinating region.
In the long winter nights the aurora borealis glares and blazes in the
sky, "roaring and flashing about a ship enough to frighten a fellow," as
an old quartermaster, who was with Sir F. L. McClintock in his search
for Sir John Franklin, used to tell the midshipmen. In the prolonged
sunset and sunrise the sky is ablaze with colour, and, when the sun has
gone, the rarefied atmosphere produces many curious astronomical
figures. As explorers penetrated farther into the great ice-bound region
they encountered fresh peculiarities. The moon, which shone continuously
during the three weeks of its course, frequently appeared surrounded by
belts and bands of light, in which mock moons were visible. Long after
the sun had disappeared a mock sun would shine in the sky, and in the
twilight, when shadows were no longer cast, men and dogs were liable to
walk over cliffs and fall down crevices in the ice through being unable
to distinguish them. Penetrating farther into the ice world, they
learned that throughout the winter the ice heaved and crashed upon
itself, making an incessant uproar as it groaned and creaked. The
experience of Nansen and the _Fram_ emphasised this, but in the earlier
days of Polar research silence was presumed to reign in the vicinity of
the Arctic basin.
In those early days the expeditions usually kept close to the northern
coasts of either Europe, Asia, or America. Sir Hugh Willoughby, who
sailed from England in 1553, confined himself to seeking the north-east
passage from Behring Sea to Greenland along the north coast of Canada.
In 1576 Frobisher explored part of the region, the work being continued
by Davis, who in 1585-8 discovered and explored the strait which still
bears his name, to the west of Greenland. In 1610 Hudson, an intrepid
trader and explorer, sailed into Hudson's Bay, and five years later
Baffin sailed into and through Baffin's Bay. The result of these two
discoveries was to open up a very valuable fur trade, and for the next
two hundred years, fur traders and whalers were practically the only men
who went into the frozen North. In 1818 the British Navy again entered
the field for the purpose of mapping out the northern coasts of America.
Captains Ross and Parry were sent out in two vessels, with the result
that knowledge of the locality was extended by the discovery of
Lancaster Sound, Prince Regent Inlet, Barrow Strait, and Melville
Island. The location of these islands and straits aroused still keener
curiosity as to whether there was or was not a passage for ships leading
from the Pacific to the Atlantic Oceans along the north coast of
America. The search for the North-West Passage was the dream of every
Arctic explorer at this period. It fell to the lot of one man to prove
the existence of the passage, at a price, however, of his own life, and
the lives of all his companions, as well as the loss of his two ships.
This was Sir John Franklin, whose Polar exploits form the subject of the
succeeding chapter.