Will be re-opened on Thursday next, the 18th instant, by the powerful
dramatic company of
HYPERBOREANS!
Under the distinguished patronage of Capt. Nares, the members of the
Arctic Exploring Expedition, and all the nobility and gentry of the
neighbourhood.
The world-wide reputation of this company is quite unrivalled. The
manager has spared neither trouble nor expense in forming this
company, and has selected none but the very best _artistes_--the
ladies being from England--who, having numerous other engagements, can
remain for a short time only.
The scenic arrangements, under the control and manipulation of that
celebrated artist, Professor Moss, _must_ be acknowledged to be
unparalleled in the experience of ages and of the highest order.
The orchestra, under the management of Signore Aldrichi (lately from
Milan) cannot fail to be appreciated by the audience.
At 7.30 will commence the celebrated nautical farce
THE CHOPS OF THE CHANNEL.
CHARACTERS:
Leander Hellespont Mr. Stuckberry.
Mr. Counter Balance Mr. Woolley.
Gratings (Steward) Mr. Burroughs.
Mrs. Hellespont Mdlle. Francombi.
Mrs. Veneer Mdme. Maskelli.
Time The present day.
Scene Saloon of a Boulogne steamer.
Interval of ten minutes.
During the interval the renowned vocalist, Mr. Stone, will sing THE
IRISH BARBER.
After which will be performed the screaming tragico-comico burlesque
entitled
VILIKINS AND HIS DINAH.
CHARACTERS:
Master Grumbleton Gruffin, a rich (soap) merchant of London, the
original parient Com. Markham.
Baron Boski Bumble, ancestor of the celebrated beadle, the original
lovier so gallant and gay Mr. Egerton.
William Wilkins, socially and convivially known as Vilikins, a young
apprentice, in desperate love with Mr. Rawson.
Dinah Gruffin, the sole feminine offspring of the above-mentioned
soap-merchant, in love with the aforesaid Vilikins Mdlle. Blanc.
Scene 1 Lawn of Gruffin's house.
Scene 2 Interior of Gruffin's house.
Scene 3 Lawn of Gruffin's house.
God save the Queen.
This, the first appearance of the "Hyperboreans," was eminently
successful, and elicited both laughter and applause from our very
appreciative and demonstrative audience. Mademoiselle Blanc (Mr. White)
made a fascinating little Dinah of six feet high, dressed in a Dolly
Varden costume, whilst the other ladies were all that could be desired,
and looked charming in their gorgeous silk and muslin dresses.
In this respect we had a decided advantage over our consort, the
"Discovery;" for her space on board being somewhat limited, the building
of an ice theatre on the floe became necessary. Here, though the
building was spacious and elegant, the temperature was rarely above
zero! The ladies were therefore unable to indulge in low dresses, and a
close observer might have detected underclothing composed of seal-skins
beneath their otherwise gay and brilliant costumes.
Occasionally, as the two following bills will show, we were agreeably
surprised by the announcement of an entire change of programme.
H.M.S. "ALERT."
THURSDAY POPS.
December 16th, 1875.
Great attraction! The latest novelty of the season!!
The Wizard of the North!!! [finger symbol] For one night only!!!!
PROGRAMME:
The entertainment will commence with
A FEW WORDS ON STEAM . . Mr. Wootton.
After which the only and veritable
WIZARD OF THE NORTH,
_en route_ to his hyperborean domicile,
will exhibit and expound some of his original and inimitable illusions
and feats of prestidigitation, consisting of the following wonderful
and startling tricks:--
The vanishing egg.
The magic die.
The mysterious sixpence.
The magic shawl.
A startling surgical operation.
The marvellous watch trick.
Tricks with cards.
The magic bag trick.
The wonderful generating hat.
The astounding prestidigitorial metamorphosis, performed with
an egg and silk handkerchief.
The inexhaustible bottle.
Our very able and renowned pianist, Lieut. Aldrich, will, as usual,
preside at the orchestra.
To commence at 7.30 precisely.
God save the Queen.
Messrs. Giffard and Symons, Printing Office, Trap Lane.
THURSDAY POPS.
H.M.S. "ALERT."
January 20th, 1876.
GRAND PHANTASMAGORIAL EXHIBITION
and
MUSICAL ENTERTAINMENT.
To commence with
A FEW WORDS ON ASTRONOMY, by Com. Markham,
Illustrated by the aid of a magic lantern.
To be followed by a series of
DISSOLVING VIEWS,
Consisting of coloured representations of
Remarkable places in England,
Photographic sketches of foreign countries, etc.
After which, the wonderful and startling adventures of
SINDBAD THE SAILOR
Will be related by the Rev. H. W. Pullen.
In the next place Com. Markham will give a life-like and
entertaining display of various specimens in
NATURAL HISTORY;
and
Lieut. Aldrich will recite the true and touching
TALE OF A TUB.
To conclude with some highly amusing
COMIC SCENES.
To commence at 7.30 precisely.
God save the Queen.
Messrs. Giffard and Symons, Printing Office, Trap Lane.
These amusements may be considered light and frivolous, for men engaged
in such a serious undertaking as that upon which we were embarked; still
they all tended to one point--namely, the successful issue of the
enterprise. For they kept the minds of the men employed with pleasant
and agreeable thoughts, drove away all feelings of tedium and dulness,
and thus assisted largely in promoting the general well-being and
satisfactory sanitary condition of the expedition during the long night
of nearly one hundred and fifty days. They effectually banished
despondency, and assisted in making all hands cheerful, happy, and
contented.
FOOTNOTES:
[1] Lieutenant Giffard and Robert Symons, A.B.
[2] Petersen, the Danish interpreter, and the ship's cook Dominick a
native of Gibraltar.
CHAPTER XV.
WINTER OCCUPATIONS AND AMUSEMENTS.
"Darkness, Light's eldest brother, his birthright
Claimed o'er this world, and to heaven chased light."
DONNE.
"Behold the wandering moon
Riding near her highest noon,
Like one that hath been led astray
Through the heavens' wide pathless way;
And oft as if her head she bowed,
Stooping through a fleecy cloud."
MILTON.
The sun, as has been mentioned in a previous chapter, took its final
departure on the 11th of October. From this date darkness gradually
settled upon us, reaching its greatest intensity on the 21st of
December. The type of a leading article in the _Times_ newspaper was
taken by us as a test of the darkness. This was last read in the open
air at midday on the 6th of November, and then only by a few with a
great deal of difficulty. Many unsuccessful attempts were made on
subsequent days. For a fortnight on either side of the 21st of December,
the difference in the light between noon and midnight, on a clear day,
was almost imperceptible, on a dull day it was quite inappreciable.
Occasionally, at other times, at midday a faint luminous band might be
observed along the southern horizon, but this was all the indication we
had of the difference between day and night.
We did not forget to celebrate on the 21st of October the Battle of
Trafalgar, remembering that our great naval hero, Nelson,[1] was himself
an old Arctic navigator. Our caterers provided us with a good dinner,
and we were regaled, as a great indulgence on such an auspicious
occasion, with an extra glass of wine! Two elaborate bills of fare were
placed on the table, on one of which was very creditably sketched the
"Alert" in winter quarters, and on the other was depicted the Battle of
Trafalgar, with the motto on each, "England expects every man _this_ day
to do his duty!" As there was a good dinner on the table, and the cold
weather had made us wondrous hungry, we all responded nobly to the call!
The 5th of November was another anniversary that could not pass
unnoticed. On that evening the effigy of Guy Fawkes, ingeniously stuffed
with squibs and seated on a cask well smeared with tar, was duly paraded
round the upper deck, accompanied by the drums and fifes playing the
"Rogue's March." It was then dragged, on a sledge, to the summit of a
neighbouring hummock, and there solemnly burnt in presence of the whole
ship's company. The band continued to play until the lips and fingers of
the fifers became so frost-bitten that they were compelled to desist. It
was a novel sight to see the dusky forms of the men, clad in seal-skins,
dancing round a blazing fire on the top of an enormous mass of ice,
whilst in the background was the ship with her masts and yards thickly
coated with snow, and all her ropes clearly defined in the bright
"bonfire light." A beautiful balloon, manufactured by Moss out of
various coloured tissue-papers, also formed a prominent feature in the
evening's display. Unfortunately, shortly after it was released, and
before it had ascended to any very great height, it caught fire and was
quickly consumed.
It must not be supposed, because I enumerate all the little incidents
connected with the amusements of the men, that other and more important
work was neglected. On the contrary, the officers were unceasingly
engaged during the winter in taking scientific observations in their
respective departments; each officer being awarded some special subject.
These included observations in astronomy, magnetism, electricity,
meteorology, tides, spectrum analysis, observations for the detection of
the polarization of light, chlorine, and specific gravity estimations.
The pursuit of these investigations was at times a matter of great
difficulty and extreme personal discomfort. It necessitated attendance
in, and consequent exposure to, a temperature many degrees below zero,
for several hours at a time. Under these circumstances it is no easy
matter to handle delicate instruments, the manipulation of which, even
in a temperate climate, requires the utmost care and caution. Made
extremely brittle by the intense cold, a fall to any of the small metal
movable parts of an instrument, such as the needles, would be fatal, yet
it is almost impossible to touch them with the uncovered hand. The
breath freezing on the arcs and verniers of the instruments during the
time of observation, and on the glasses of the telescopes and mirrors,
adds seriously to the difficulty; whilst the unequal contraction of
different metals during intensely cold weather renders some of the
instruments totally useless.
Paraselenæ, or mock moons, and auroras were of frequent occurrence, but
none of the latter were sufficiently bright to call for special mention.
These phenomena were always carefully examined, and the results
recorded. As a rule the auroras consisted of faint coruscations darting
across the heavens through the zenith, frequently in the form of an
irregular arch terminating at each end on the horizon, and generally
accompanied by various small luminous patches.
The lunations of the moon were periods that were always looked forward
to, and gladly welcomed, affording as they did, on clear bright days, a
marked contrast to the gruesome darkness that generally prevailed. These
clear days were not inappropriately termed "moony" ones, and were taken
advantage of to perform all work that was considered necessary outside
the ship.
"Rising in clouded majesty, at length
The moon unveiled her peerless light
And o'er the dark her silver mantle threw."
Even on these bright silvery "moony" days it was unsafe to venture to
any distance from the ship, as the sudden "veiling of her peerless
light" by fog or clouds would produce total darkness, and so prevent the
unfortunate wanderer from finding his way back.
Great attention was paid to the important duty of seeing that a proper
amount of exercise was taken by every soul on board. Open-air exercise
was the more essential to health, because the air we breathed on board
was not as pure as might be desired. This was inevitable, and the evil
could only be partially counteracted by strict attention to the
enforcing of outdoor exercise. A walk was constructed along the floe
near the ship, for a distance of half a mile, marked at every two or
three yards by small heaps of empty preserved meat tins, placed there by
our industrious doctor. We were thus able to take our exercise along
this promenade even on the darkest day, and the number of times that
each individual walked up and down during the day was proudly recounted
at the dinner-table. The darkness prevented walks to any greater
distance for a considerable time. This then was our fashionable lounge,
and was called the "Ladies' Mile" after the drive of the same name in
Hyde Park.
Our greatest annoyance was undoubtedly caused by the incessant drip in
our cabins and elsewhere on board. So bad was it that all books had to
be removed from the shelves, or from any position where they were in
contact with the ship's side or the beams overhead. Especially over our
beds did we suffer, and could only make certain of a dry night's rest by
taking the precaution of nailing a blanket over the bed, or sloping one
as an awning! No means that we could devise, although many experiments
were tried on the living deck of the men as well as by the officers in
their cabins, lessened the condensation from which we suffered, and
which increased with any rise of temperature. One officer went so far as
to light, and keep burning for a whole day, no less than fifty-two
candles and one lamp in his cabin, hoping by these means to dry it
thoroughly; but although it answered the purpose for a day or two, at an
enormous cost, it was soon as bad as ever. During the time of his
_illumination_ he succeeded in raising the temperature of his cabin
from 40° to 75°! It is decidedly unpleasant, whilst writing, to have a
continual stream of water pouring down upon your head and upon your
paper; yet it is impossible to prevent this disagreeable drip.
One of my messmates, more fortunate than his brother officers, had
brought an umbrella with him, and this being spread over his chair
protected him from the wet, and thus enabled him to read or write in
comparative comfort, and, what was perhaps of greater consequence, with
the perfect preservation of his temper.
It may appear like affectation on my part when I say that any rise of
temperature, during the winter, was viewed by us with dissatisfaction.
Clad as we were to resist a cold of many degrees below zero, we were
made absolutely uncomfortable by the _heat_ when the thermometer
indicated any degree with a + sign. The only real good that we derived
from such a rise of temperature was that we were able more freely to
throw open the doors leading down to the lower deck, and thus admit a
thorough circulation of fresh air; on one occasion during the month of
November the temperature rose as high as 23°, and in December it reached
the unprecedented height (for that season of the year) of 35°! These, of
course, were only occasional jumps, never of long duration, and were
apparently produced by gales of wind from the S.W. Our experience at the
"Alert's" winter quarters was that a breeze of wind raised the
temperature, and that our coldest weather was always registered on
perfectly still and clear days! During boisterous tempestuous weather
the pack, although stationary, moaned and groaned weirdly, as if unhappy
gnomes, imprisoned in the cold grasp of the frozen sea, were bewailing
their hard fate, and pleading for release from their icy fetters. The
young ice, too, in the vicinity of the ship cracked in a most alarming
manner, each crack being accompanied by a sharp and loud report, and
formed great fissures, leaving the surface, which had hitherto been
smooth and level, rugged and uneven. Well might the "Ancient Mariner,"
describing such a scene, say--
"It cracked and growled, and roared and howled,
Like noises in a swound."
This movement of the ice, slight as it was, exposed the "Alert" to great
pressure, and although it did not amount to an actual "nip," nor did it
in any way cause injury to the ship, it made her list over several
degrees. Now, as we in the ward-room were on a limited allowance of
wine, namely two glasses a day, this heeling over of the vessel caused
us great annoyance, as it prevented our glasses from being filled to the
brim, a custom that had been rigidly followed out since leaving England.
This curtailment of our "rights," as we were pleased to call them, was
very naturally regarded with a certain amount of disfavour. In order to
lessen, if we could not entirely rectify this evil, we supplied
ourselves with ingeniously made little wedges, which, being placed under
the _lee_ side of the wine-glass, brought it so nearly upright that we
succeeded in very nearly getting our full allowance.
The birthdays of the officers were invariably celebrated by the best
dinners that our indefatigable and energetic caterers could provide,
always having in view the chance of the ship spending three winters in
the Arctic Regions. As a special indulgence we were also allowed on
these occasions a glass of port wine after dinner, a treat that we
ordinarily had only twice a week. The composition of the _menus_ for
these sumptuous feasts was always a subject of anxious care and
forethought on the part of those who were entrusted with this important
duty. Long and earnest were the consultations that were held, before one
of them was satisfactorily composed and placed in the printer's hands.
[Illustration]
MENU.
POTAGES.
Mulligatawny.
POISSONS.
Pégouse à la Couverture de Laine.[2]
ENTRÉES.
Petits Pâtés d'Homard à la Chasse.[3]
Rognons à la Pain rôti.
RELEVÉS.
Mouton rôti à l'Anglais. Tongues on Gimbals.
ENTREMETS.
Poudin aux Raisins.
Blanc-manger à la Hummock.
Petits Pâtés d'Hahis à la place d'Eccleston.
DESSERT.
Poudin glacé à la Hyperborean.
Figues. Noce.
Gâteau à l'lrlandais.
Café et Liqueur á la Jesson.
_November 11th_, 1875.
As we were living in a land in which little could be obtained in the way
of change, the object was to diversify as much as possible the names of
the same viands, so as to make the guests believe that the dinners were
entirely different. The names given to some of the dishes were decidedly
original. On the previous page is the first _printed_ bill of fare that
was placed on the table.
Shortly after the ship had been established in winter quarters, a
careful calculation was made of the amount of fresh meat we possessed.
By fresh meat, I mean meat of the musk-oxen and sheep that we had
killed, and not the fresh _preserved_ meat, of which we had an ample
supply. It was found we had sufficient to yield fourteen meals, at the
rate of one pound per man per meal. It was, therefore, determined to
issue a fresh meat meal twice every three weeks, and, at the doctor's
recommendation, this was done on two consecutive days. In his opinion
this method of apportioning it was the most conducive to health.
Beer, of which we had been provided with ten hogsheads specially brewed
for us by Allsopp, was issued, so long as a cask was "on tap," twice a
week. On these days half the allowance of spirits only was served out.
On Sundays Divine service was regularly performed between decks; the
morning and evening services being read on alternate Sundays.
Prayers were read daily on the upper deck. The Holy Communion was
celebrated on the first Sunday in every month. Considering the small
number of men from among whom the choir was selected, and the
necessarily slight amount of practice they could have, the singing at
church was very creditable. Aldrich played the accompaniment on a
harmonium that we had obtained from the ward-room officers of the
"Valorous," before parting company with that ship at Disco. The credit
of originating and instructing the choir was, of course, due to Pullen
and Aldrich.
Medical inspections were held regularly on the first day of each month,
when every officer and man was minutely questioned and examined. Nothing
could be more satisfactory than the medical report of the sanitary
condition of the men at the conclusion of these examinations.
The amount of compulsory open-air exercise that had to be taken by each
man was two hours a day; but most of the men, that is to say all the
working hands exclusive of cooks, stewards, and servants, were
invariably at work, _outside_ the ship, for at least five hours a day. A
very favourite and at the same time healthy pastime of the men in their
leisure hours, when the moon was up, was that of "tabogganing." This
consisted in dragging one of our small satellites or dog-sledges to the
summit of a neighbouring hill, and then coming down, two or three on the
sledge, at the rate of about sixty or seventy miles an hour! The men
enjoyed this amazingly, and used to race one sledge against another. As
they were not very expert in the management of these "taboggans," and
had little confidence in their own steering, they would, when they saw
there was a chance of their sledge coming to grief, tumble out and roll
for some distance after it. Fortunately the snow was soft and they never
came to harm.
Rawson, who had acquired a knowledge of this sport in Canada, was the
first to introduce it in the far north. The dexterity with which he
managed his "taboggan" was marvellous, and he would frequently,
accompanied by one of his messmates, come down the steep side of one of
the highest floe-bergs in the vicinity of the ship. Poor "Nellie" could
never understand whence the motive power of these machines was derived,
and used to rush round barking at us in a frantic manner when we first
started, until left far behind plunging in the soft snow and struggling
to keep pace with us.
It was wonderful how this dog withstood the cold. The colder the day the
more she appeared to enjoy it, dashing about in the soft fine snow and
picking up pieces of ice in her mouth for the purpose of having them
thrown for her. It must be remembered that for any one of us to touch a
piece of ice with the uncovered hand in a temperature 50° below zero
would have been a very serious matter; yet Nellie was able, in the same
temperature, to carry pieces of ice, or bits of metal or stone, in her
mouth for hours together. The only cause of annoyance to the poor old
doggie was the caking or balling of the snow between her toes, which
used to trouble her a good deal. To obviate this, four little flannel
moccasins were made for her feet; but, although she enjoyed wearing them
and seemed to be proud of her appearance in them, they had to be
discontinued, as we were afraid that the tying them on sufficiently
tight to prevent their coming off might stop the circulation of the
blood and thus produce frost-bite. On the whole, however, Nellie throve
wonderfully well, and until the following summer enjoyed perfect health.
She was my constant companion wherever I went, attending me during my
walks, and lying curled up at my feet in the observatory during the long
hours that I was employed taking magnetic observations. She always slept
in an arm-chair in my cabin, being provided with her own little blanket,
on which her name was embroidered.
[Illustration: NELLIE.]
Before concluding this chapter it will be as well to relate an
interesting and rather curious incident connected with one of our Eskimo
dogs.
In Aldrich's sledge journey to Cape Joseph Henry, one of his dogs
(Sallie), being attacked with a fit, had to be cast off from the team
and was no more seen by him during that journey.
On crossing the floe with my sledge party about a week after, we were
suddenly joined, to our great surprise, by an Eskimo dog which the men
readily recognized as Sallie; all our attempts to make her approach were
unsuccessful, although she followed us at a distance during the day and
hovered round our camp, picking up scraps of pemmican that had been
purposely left out for her during the night. She eluded all attempts at
being caught, running away on the ice and disappearing amongst the
hummocks. She followed us faithfully, at a distance, until the day we
returned to the ship, when she vanished altogether. She was last seen on
the floe about four miles from the "Alert."
Amid the many preparations for the winter, poor Sallie was forgotten and
had almost passed out of recollection altogether, when one day in
December, more than _two_ months after she had been last seen, a strange
dog was observed hovering round the ship. This strange dog proved to be
the long-lost Sallie!
No amount of coaxing would persuade her to come near us, and she was
eventually driven off by the other Eskimo dogs, and took refuge on the
pack. On the following day she again made her appearance, and this time
we succeeded in getting her on board and into a place of safety. She was
terribly thin and emaciated; but being well cared for and attended to,
she rapidly picked up, and was eventually the strongest and best dog in
our whole team.
The question as to how she had existed during her long absence from the
ship was a difficult one to solve. At first it was surmised that she had
attached herself to a pack of wolves; but this idea was scouted, as no
tracks had been seen to lead us to believe that these animals existed in
our neighbourhood. It is not probable that she obtained anything from
the ship during the time she was missing, or that she picked up scraps
from the other dogs, for on her appearance she was at once driven away
by her old companions. The only probable conclusion that we could arrive
at was that she had supported life by hunting and feasting on lemmings,
for the traces of these little animals were the only indications that we
had of the existence, outside our own circle, of animal life.
FOOTNOTES:
[1] Nelson served as a midshipman on board the "Carcass," in Captain
Phipps' North Polar Expedition in 1773.
[2] Blanket wrappers were articles of wearing apparel.
[3] The name of the cook was Hunt.
CHAPTER XVI.
AN ARCTIC CHRISTMAS.
"So now is come our joyful'st feast,
Let every man be jolly,
Eache roome with yvie leaves is drest,
And every post with holly;
Now all our neighbours' chimneys smoke,
And Christmas blocks are burning;
Their ovens they with baked meats choke,
And all their spits are turning.
Without the door let sorrow lie,
And if, for cold, it hap to die,
We'll bury't in a Christmas pye,
And ever more be merry."
WITHER.
On the 21st of December the sun reached its greatest southern
declination. We felt on that day that we had cause for rejoicing. The
sun had arrived at the limit of its southern journey, and now it would,
every day, be travelling to the northward, and therefore in our
direction. So rapidly had the time passed that Christmas stole upon us
unawares, and we were only reminded of its approach by the strong odour
of good things being cooked that pervaded the whole ship, bringing to
our minds the fact that preparations for its celebration had actually
commenced. Nothing was omitted that could possibly add to the comfort
and enjoyment of the men on this day. The ship's stores were thrown
open and they were allowed to provide themselves with an unlimited
amount, so long as there was no waste, of flour, raisins, sugar, and
preserved fruits, and in addition to the regular daily allowance of
meat, a pound of musk-ox beef and a pound of mutton were issued to each
man. For the two previous days, during which they had been disturbed as
little as possible, the men were engaged in making the necessary
preparations for spending their Christmas as happily and as socially as
if they were in a more genial climate. It must be remembered that this
was a day looked forward to by all, not only in the light of a festival,
but because it was also regarded as the turning-point of the winter.
After Christmas every day would bring us nearer to the sun, whose bright
face we all so ardently wished to welcome once more. Moreover, Christmas
day, to a community situated as we were, "away from the busy haunts of
men," must always be regarded as an epoch, a day looked forward to, and
when passed, a day from which many events are dated.
In addition to the supplies afforded by the stores of the ship, we were
largely indebted to kind, and in several instances unknown, friends and
well-wishers to the expedition in England for many little articles that
assisted to amuse our men during this festive season. Amongst these the
kind and generous ladies of Queenstown must not be forgotten. These
ladies had, previous to our departure from England, formed themselves
into a Committee, and had sent to each ship a large Christmas-box
containing many useful, and indeed valuable, articles. Each officer
received some little package, personally directed to himself, and every
man was presented with some pretty little Christmas-box. Nothing could
have been more happily thought of, and it would have done the fair
donors good could they but have witnessed the pleasure testified by the
recipients at the distribution of the contents of their case.
I must not omit to mention another Christmas-box, kindly sent by Mr.
Mason, the inventor, I believe, of "Somebody's Luggage," and containing
all sorts of amusing little articles suitable either for decorating a
table or a Christmas-tree.
Another act of kindness on the part of our friends in England was also
much appreciated by both officers and men. A young lady, a relative of
one of the officers, had taken the trouble to direct a letter to each
individual on board, containing a beautiful Christmas card. To make it
appear as if they had been actually delivered through the post, a
second-hand postage-stamp had been affixed to each envelope. Her kind
forethought afforded a great deal of pleasure to the recipients of those
letters.
Christmas eve was spent very merrily by all on board the "Alert." The
piano was carried out from the ward-room to the main deck, where dancing
was kept up with great animation until eleven o'clock! It is wonderful
how fond the English man-of-war's man is of dancing. So long as he can
obtain music and a partner to dance with, without regard to sex, he will
continue to fling his legs about with great vigour until compelled by
heat and exhaustion to desist! The men on board the "Alert" were no
exception to this rule; one and all joined in the dance, and seemed
thoroughly to enjoy it. Poor Aldrich did not get a moment's peace. As
soon as one tune was finished, he was called upon for another. Polka,
waltz, and galop followed each other in rapid succession, officers and
men joining alike in the general hilarity of the evening.
Christmas morning broke cold and clear; its stillness occasionally
interrupted by light puffs of wind from the S.W. Divine service was
performed in the forenoon, the pulpit being decorated with branches of
artificial holly. When church was over, a little exercise was taken on
the "ladies' mile." On my return I found my cabin brightened up by small
twigs of variegated holly, a delicate and touching attention on the part
of some of my messmates, who had provided themselves with artificial
branches of this plant before leaving England. At one o'clock,
everything being in readiness, the officers were invited to inspect the
lower deck. Preceded by our drum and fife band playing the "Roast Beef
of Old England," we paid a formal visit to the men's quarters. The lower
deck was beautifully and tastefully decorated with flags, coloured
tinsel paper, and artificial flowers, whilst the different mess tables
were literally groaning under the weight of the good cheer that adorned
them. Everything had a cheerful and comfortable appearance, and, above
all, the radiant healthy-looking faces, beaming with pleasure, that so
cordially and heartily greeted us with the compliments of the season. Of
course, dancing was the prominent feature of the afternoon, Aldrich,
with his usual good nature, being again victimized at the piano. At six
o'clock, for on such an important occasion we departed from our usual
dinner hour of half-past two, we all assembled in the ward-room for
dinner, and great was our astonishment and delight at seeing in the
centre of our table a magnificent bouquet of artificial flowers. This
was, I believe, the happy thought of a lady who had recently been
admitted into the circle of "Arctic relations." The bright-coloured
flowers, reminding us of home associations, were more thoroughly
appreciated than even the good dinner which was provided for us, for
which reference must be made to the following _menu_, composed by
Pullen:--
H.M.S. "ALERT."
À la Juliènne soup is the _potage_ we favour,
And soles fried _au naturel_ serve us for fish;
We have cutlets and green peas of elegant flavour--
Beef garnished with mushrooms--a true English dish.
Then a mountain of beef from our cold Greenland valleys,
Overshadowing proudly boiled mutton hard by,
Till our appetite, waning, just playfully dallies
With a small slice of ham--then gives in with a sigh.
For lo! a real English plum-pudding doth greet us,
And a crest of bright holly adorns its bold brow;
While the choicest mince pies are yet waiting to meet us:
Alas! are we equal to meeting them now?
So we drink to our Queen, and we drink to the maiden,
The wife, or the mother, that holds us most dear;
And may we and our consort sail home richly laden
With the spoils of success, ere December next year!
In addition to the bill of fare, the annexed poem by the same
accomplished author was printed and placed in front of each member of
the mess.
On this glad Christmas Day,
While happy bells are flinging
O'er bright lands far away
Their burst of joyous singing,
We love to think that each sweet lay,
That sets those echoes ringing,
Hushed music from our icy bay
To loving hearts is bringing.
Hushed music that shall tell
How He has left us never,
In whose dear sight we dwell,
Who aids our high endeavour;
Who, from the hearts that love us well,
Our short lives will not sever,
For whose good gifts our breasts shall swell
With grateful praise for ever!
Our drum and fife band, of their own accord, played several airs very
creditably during our dinner, which was brought to a conclusion by a few
short speeches. In the evening dancing was again kept up with great
animation; every one appeared cheerful and happy. In no region of the
world could this Christmas-day have been spent with more mirth and more
genuine fellowship than it was by the little band of explorers, so far
removed from all home ties and associations, who were celebrating it
that day, in a latitude farther north than man had ever before
penetrated.
On reviewing the events of the year we felt we had much to be thankful
for. We had succeeded, in spite of many dangers and difficulties, in
establishing our ship in winter quarters in a position farther north
than even some of the most sanguine had, at one time, dared to hope. The
English flag had been displayed, both by sea and by land, in a higher
northern latitude than any flag had ever before been seen, and although
our prospects of further exploration in a northerly direction were
somewhat damped, owing to the land trending west, we knew that there was
much to be done during the ensuing year in defining and exploring the
coasts to the east and to the west. A wide field of exploration was
still before us, and there was much useful work to be done during the
ensuing spring in a hitherto unknown region.
Half our winter had passed, and although the long dark night of one
hundred and fifty days might, by some unacquainted with the many
resources we possessed to while away the time, be considered dull and
monotonous, monotony and despondency were unknown on board the good ship
"Alert." We all looked forward with eager hope to the return of the sun,
strong in our determination to do our best, and with our appetites for
sledging considerably whetted by the initiation we had received during
the autumn.
Hitherto we had, with one exception, enjoyed perfect immunity from
sickness, and we all thought that if there was no cold weather in the
Arctic Regions to produce frost-bites, the appointments of medical
officers to the expedition, so far as their professional qualifications
were concerned, were undoubted sinecures. The frost-bites had, however,
been very severe, and at the end of the year there still remained on the
sick list four of the poor fellows who had been attacked during the
autumn sledging, three of whom had suffered amputation of the big toe.
Compelled to keep to their beds, the winter to them must have, indeed,
been wearisome; but no word of complaint was ever uttered by them, and
they appeared as cheerful and in as good spirits as the best of us.
Their only distress was the idea of not being allowed, in consequence of
their misfortune, to participate in the spring campaign. The sequel,
however, proved, although they took no part in the _extended_ sledging
operations, how well and how nobly they worked in their brave endeavours
to assist and succour their poor, weak, and stricken comrades; but we
must not anticipate.
We had hitherto experienced, in comparison with what we had been led to
expect, tolerably mild weather, as Arctic winter weather goes; and the
cold had not been so severe as we anticipated; -46.5° or 78½° below
freezing-point being, up to the end of the year, the minimum temperature
registered. This was by no means an uncomfortable temperature, although
superficial frost-bites, especially on the noses and cheekbones, were of
constant occurrence. Solitary walks were, of course, prohibited; and it
was particularly impressed upon every one that, when they were absent
from the ship, they were carefully to watch their companions' faces in
order to detect a frost-bite at once, and so be able to restore
circulation before permanent injury could be sustained. Face-covers were
occasionally worn, but were not in very great favour. They have the
disadvantage of freezing to the face, which they also conceal, and so
prevent a comrade from seeing and reporting a frost-bite.
In the neighbourhood of our winter quarters there had, up to this time,
been a remarkable absence of all animal life. Occasionally the
quarter-masters would report that during the night they heard the
howling of wolves in the distance, and one night the Eskimo dogs, who
were lying curled up in the snow outside the ship, made a sudden rush
for the gangway, and evinced great eagerness to get on board. This
stampede was attributed to the presence of wolves, but no tracks of
these animals had been seen to justify our arriving at such a
conclusion. With the exception sometimes of a peculiar, whistling,
moaning sound, caused by the rise and fall of the ice with the tide, the
stillness of the nights was undisturbed.
We had long been aware that the ice of which this part of the polar sea
was composed consisted of huge massive floes, not of a few seasons'
formation, but the creation of ages, real thick-ribbed ice. Except along
the west coasts of Banks and Prince Patrick Islands, no such ice had
ever before been met with in the Arctic Regions. It therefore became
desirable to apply to it a special name by which it might be
provisionally known. After some discussion, Captain Nares decided upon
calling the frozen sea, on the southern border of which we were
wintering, the "Palæocrystic Sea," the name being derived from the two
Greek words [Greek: palaios] ancient, and [Greek: krystallos] ice. This
term was used for the great frozen polar sea during the remaining period
of our detention on its borders.[1]
Atmospheric phenomena, such as halos and paraselenæ, were by no means
uncommon, and occasionally we were astonished by the heavenly bodies
behaving, as it appeared to us, in a very eccentric manner. On one
occasion the star Aldebaran was reported to be jumping about in a
strange way. Such unusual behaviour on the part of a star brought us all
up in the cold, and there, sure enough, was Aldebaran doing exactly what
was reported, and altogether conducting itself in a very erratic and
unstarlike manner. The illusion was caused by the fall of minute, and
imperceptible, frozen particles; but it was some time before we could
satisfy ourselves that the star was not actually in motion, many of the
men remaining to this day unconvinced. One of our Scotch quarter-masters
informed me, some time afterwards, that it was a "vara curious star;"
and although the laws of refraction were explained to him, he still
persisted in his belief that the movement of the star was due to itself,
and would not believe in any other explanation.
At the beginning of the winter, shortly after the return of the sledge
parties, the doctor and myself being busily engaged in the construction
of a snow house on shore, observed a most brilliant meteor fall,
apparently about a quarter of a mile from us, its course being from S.E.
to N.W. It was of a bright emerald-green colour, and was falling so
quietly and slowly that we at first thought it was a rocket, or Roman
candle, let off by some one astern of the ship, it being distinctly
visible for many seconds. When it arrived, in our estimation, at about
forty feet from the ground, it suddenly burst, displaying bright red and
green colours. It was seen by others, from different points of
observation; all being unanimous in their opinion that it was one of the
most beautiful sights, of the kind, they had ever witnessed.
FOOTNOTE:
[1] The word may not be formed on strictly accurate principles, but
it is sufficiently expressive of the fact it is intended to
represent, and it is now endeared to us by association and by common
usage while serving in the far north.
CHAPTER XVII.
A HAPPY NEW YEAR.
The old year dies on southern skies,
And leafless woods that moan and quiver;
The shadows creep o'er ocean deep,
And silent lake and rustling river;
And all is gloom around the tomb
Of wasted moments, lost for ever.
The new year gleams on silver streams,
Where meadows smile in sunlit glances;
The dark shades flee across the sea,
And the wild wavelet laughs and dances;
And all is bright where new-born light
Brings hope to man and golden chances.
O happy year! that tells us here
The same sweet, ever-welcome story,
That soon, so soon! one radiant noon
Shall plunge in light yon summits hoary,
That point our way through endless day
To joyous triumphs, home, and glory.
H. W. PULLEN,
H.M.S. "Alert,"
_January 1st_, 1876.
The above lines, composed by the poet laureate of the expedition,
greeted us at the breakfast table on the morning of the 1st of January,
1876.
The New Year was ushered in with every demonstration of joy, gratitude,
and hope by our little party assembled together, so far removed from the
civilized world. We were joyful because a new year had dawned upon us
in undiminished numbers; grateful for the many mercies that had been
vouchsafed to us, and hopeful concerning our future prospects. We could
not look back with regret upon the past year, for to us it had indeed
been eventful; but officers and men looked forward to the coming year
with feelings of confidence, resolutely determined faithfully to perform
their duties, placing their trust in Him who had hitherto so well
watched over and protected them, and firm in their reliance on His
continued aid and support.
It is generally the custom in the navy to strike the bell sixteen times
at midnight on New Year's eve--eight bells for the old year and eight
bells for the new! Of course with us this custom was rigidly adhered to;
but not only did we strike sixteen bells at _our_ midnight, but we also
struck the same number at six minutes to eight, which, allowing for the
exact difference in time, would be midnight in England, so that we had
at least the satisfaction of knowing that our bell was being employed in
the same way as many others in the navy at the same time.
Perhaps it may be interesting to my readers to know exactly how we
received the New Year! I will, therefore, quote my remarks as they
appear, word for word, in my journal.
"At five minutes to twelve, we all congregated round the ward-room
table, on which was spread a sumptuous cold collation, consisting of a
_real_ English ham, Bologna sausages, brawn, and sardines. Strong
whiskey punch, in the brewing of which all had a share, was ladled out
to each, and from the encomiums which were passed on its flavour and
strength, the old proverb that 'too many cooks spoil the broth' was
completely upset. As the bell struck, a neat little speech was made by
our orator the doctor, the compliments of the season were wished to all,
nor were those at home forgotten, our glasses were emptied, and then in
true Highland fashion, with one foot on the table, the other on our
chair, and with hands joined, we all sang 'Auld lang syne,' the drum and
fife band accompanying us outside, the song being taken up by the men on
the lower deck, who, true to their tastes, had been '_dancing_ out the
old year.' Such was the manner in which the year 1876 was inaugurated in
latitude 82° 27´ N., where no human being had ever welcomed a new year
before."
A more cheerful, happy, and contented party it would be difficult to
imagine anywhere; utterly oblivious of the solemn darkness and desolate
sterility that prevailed without, they thought only of the "joyous
triumph" that they hoped to achieve, and then of their return to old
England. Everything wore a cheerful aspect. No leader could have more
reason to be satisfied with the health and spirits of those under his
command, than Captain Nares on the 1st of January, 1876.
On that morning, at the usual monthly medical inspection, he had the
satisfaction of receiving the report that the men were in a better state
of health than they were at the last examination. Appetites, which
during mid-winter had been waning, had gradually returned. So contented
were we, that many were actually pitying our friends in England, because
they were unable to enjoy such delicious musk-ox beef as was put on our
table for dinner on New Year's day!
Our first crop of mustard and cress was gathered on the 2nd of January.
It was not an abundant one, but there was sufficient to give a mouthful
to each person, and what little we had was certainly very refreshing. It
had grown up devoid of all colour, and had a very _washed-out_
appearance. The garden was a small shallow box kept close to the
ward-room stove. In consequence of the success attending this--our
first--attempt at agriculture, several gardens were started, and we were
enabled to issue, at different times, small quantities of this excellent
antiscorbutic; though how far the loss of colour detracts from its
medicinal qualities is a difficult problem to solve. Although the colour
was absent, the fresh _taste_ appeared to remain, there being no
perceptible difference between that grown on board the "Alert," and the
same reared in the heat of the sun in more favoured climes. As a rule,
the best crops were those grown on a blanket.
On the 8th and 9th of January we experienced a heavy gale of wind from
the southward. It was impossible, whilst it lasted, to venture outside
the ship, even to take the thermometric observations, although they
could be registered only a few yards from the gangway: they had
therefore to be discontinued during the time the gale lasted. It blew
for forty-eight hours with relentless fury, when it exhausted itself in
fitful gusts, more or less strong, until it abated altogether. The
housing over the ship suffered sadly from this storm, several tons
weight of snow having collected on it from the tremendous drift, in some
places breaking it through, and in others "bagging" it down so as to
render walking underneath an impossibility.
All our outdoor establishments were completely buried with snow, and we
were compelled to send parties of men to excavate them, in order to
effect an entrance at all. In fact, our men were for some time engaged
in repairing the ravages of the storm. The accumulation of drift on the
weather side of the ship was enormous, and took the form of a perfectly
solid snow-wreath. This was caused by the eddying wind driving the snow
from the side of the vessel to a distance of about four or five feet,
where it settled, resembling a great frozen wave, whose curling crest
was fully seven feet in height.
On the opposite, or lee, side of the ship the ice had cracked, leaving
several large fissures, through which the water oozed and flowed over.
The spring tides had also caused the ship to rise in her icy cradle, the
greater part of the banking having, in consequence, slipped through
between the edge of our dock and the ship's side and disappeared. This
also had to be rectified. Our gale of wind had undoubtedly been
productive of much extra work, irrespective of the anxiety and the by no
means pleasant time spent, during its duration: for as yet our
protecting bergs had not inspired us with absolute confidence regarding
the shelter they might afford in such tempestuous weather as we had
recently experienced. So well, however, did they answer our purpose
during this gale, that all cause for anxiety was from that time removed,
and for the future we felt as safe and as secure as if we had been
frozen up in a well-sheltered and land-locked harbour.
When the wind was at its height, a piece of musk-ox meat, suspended in
the mizzen-rigging, was blown down, and was, of course, at once assailed
by the Eskimo dogs who had been admitted into the ship during the gale.
Fortunately it was frozen so hard that they were unable to get their
teeth through it, and although it had been some time in their clutches
before it was rescued, little loss was sustained.
At noon on the 17th of January, a faint tinge of crimson, blended with a
slight silvery streak of twilight, could be observed in the southern
horizon, and although it was only of short duration, it became more
decided and lasted for a longer time on each successive day. These
bright harbingers of returning light were anxiously watched, and gladly
were they welcomed as they assumed a more decided appearance.
Although there was no despondency or depression of spirits on board the
"Alert," the monotony of the long dark nights could not but be felt, and
we all eagerly looked forward to the time when the glorious rays from
our bright, though long-absent, sun should again crown the summits of
the distant hills with their sparkling and joyous light. All on board
were interested for different reasons in the return of the sun: the
sledge travellers, because it would bring light and heat to cheer and
sustain them on their lonesome and arduous journeys, which they knew
would be commenced as soon after its return as possible: the sportsmen
regarded it as the precursor of game; and all hailed with delight the
symbol of returning day and the assurance of the approaching termination
of their long dark night. By the 1st of February, those gifted with
sharp eyesight were just able to decipher a leading article in the
_Times_ on the floe at noon. It was remarked that one of our officers
afflicted with short-sightedness was able, by the dim twilight, to read
not only with greater ease and accuracy than others, but also some days
before them, and therefore by a dimmer light.
We had hitherto had no exceptionally severe weather; but during the
latter part of January we experienced a foretaste of the intense cold
that we were a month later destined to endure. With a temperature 50°
below zero, it is necessary, when exposed to it, to keep the body in
constant motion, otherwise a frost-bite will imperceptibly seize hold of
one. On first emerging into this temperature a slight difficulty of
breathing would be experienced, and tears would be involuntarily brought
to the eyes, which immediately became small nodules of ice, and as such
had to be extracted. This is hardly to be wondered at when it is
remembered that we had to undergo a transition of temperature from our
living-deck to the open air of over 100°! In spite of this cold,
however, we were not much troubled with frost-bites, except on the face.
Our dearly bought experience, during the autumn sledging, will account
for our comparative immunity from these very troublesome and painful
attacks.
Apropos of frost-bites it is related, that one of the members of the
expedition, on getting up in the morning, during the cold weather,
found, to his horror, that one of his toes and a part of his foot were
quite black. Thinking he was severely frost-bitten, and wishing at once
to assure himself of the fact by the only practical method that
suggested itself at the time, he seized a pin, and made a furious dig at
the supposed injured part. He very quickly found that, although
discoloured, it was not totally devoid of all sensation, nor was the
circulation of blood in any way impeded. The fact was, that his servant,
on the previous day, had patched up his sock with a piece of fearnought,
and, in order to assimilate the colour, had inked it over--which fully
accounted for his terrible frost-bite!
It was our invariable custom to keep the hair, especially that growing
on the face, as close as possible. In spite, however, of this
precaution, it was impossible to prevent the breath from freezing on the
short stubbly beard and moustache, which would soon be converted into a
perfect mass of ice--a decidedly uncomfortable appendage. On returning
from our short walks, we frequently found our cap, comforter, and collar
of the coat frozen into one solid and compact mass.
Occasionally an amusing incident occurred to vary the sameness of our
daily life, as the following story will show. During the darkest part of
the winter one of the magnetic observers had occasion to visit the
observatory. Taking his lantern, and accompanied by Nellie, he reached
the door, which to his surprise was open. Supposing it to have been
blown open by the wind, for it had been blowing very hard the previous
night, he entered the long tunnel leading up to the Unifilar House.
Before he had gone far a strong animal smell assailed his olfactory
organs; this, with the fact of Nellie exhibiting great restlessness,
induced him to examine the ground, when he clearly detected the traces
of some animal, but of what description he was unable to decide.
He was now placed in rather an unpleasant position, for to advance
head-foremost through a narrow passage into a small house in which a
great Polar bear might have established himself, was to say the least a
rash act; yet he was unwilling to return on board, and probably be for
ever after chaffed by his messmates for being frightened at nothing.
Putting on a bold front, he determined at all hazards to push on, and
ascertain what the animal was that had dared to violate the sacred
precincts of the observatory. As he advanced the peculiar odour became
stronger, and he was sorely tempted to retreat, thinking discretion was
the better part of valour. Arriving at the entrance to the house,
however, he plucked up courage, and with the lantern well in front of
him, and Nellie close at his heels, he dashed in, and there, lying down
and looking almost as frightened as himself, was, not the great white
bear that he expected to meet, but "Bruin," the largest of our Eskimo
dogs, who, during the boisterous weather of the preceding night, had
sought shelter in our observatory, and had no doubt found it a very snug
and comfortable place, infinitely preferable to the bleak and exposed
floe. It was a long time before the place was rid of the unpleasant
smell peculiar to Eskimo dogs.
As the light increased day by day, the men were employed in re-embarking
the stores and provisions landed, and in demolishing "Markham Hall." It
was necessary to accomplish as much as possible, as Captain Nares well
knew, before the departure of the sledging parties, for so few men would
be left on board that little could be done during their absence, and
there was no saying how soon after their return the ship would be able
to break out of winter quarters. The Eskimo dogs were also now regularly
fed and attended to. Hitherto they had been left to do pretty much as
they liked, and their regular meals during the winter had been few, and
served at uncertain times. Notwithstanding the small amount of food that
was issued to them, they were all in capital condition, in fact a little
too "fleshy" for dragging purposes, as they always received the scraps
and surplus food from the allowance of the ship's company, and this was
more than enough to keep a much larger pack of dogs than we possessed.
They were also regularly exercised in dragging a light sledge, their
day's work increasing as the days lengthened.
We could not but notice the sallowness of complexion which the returning
light revealed, only too palpably, in the faces of our companions,
caused by the long absence of the sun, and which had hitherto been
unnoticed by the light of lamps and candles. Like our mustard and cress,
we were devoid of all colour, yet apparently in good and sound health.
There is something essentially health-preserving and life-giving in the
rays of the sun, without which everything must wither and eventually
die. This was, in the sequel, but too fully exemplified in our case. For
although we were all in excellent spirits and supposed ourselves to be
in perfect health, yet the seeds of that terrible disease, which
subsequently crippled us so disastrously, must have already germinated
unknown to ourselves.
But little did we suspect, at that time, the approach of the evil that
eventually overtook us.
Many of the large floe-bergs near the ship were observed to be literally
rent in twain, owing in all probability to the contraction of the ice by
the intense cold--the outer part of the floeberg being exposed to a
greater cold than the interior. These rents will also account for the
loud sharp reports that were frequently heard during the winter, and
which were for some time wrapped in mystery.
Towards the end of February a few hares were seen, and two or three were
shot; but they were very timid and shy, and seldom gave our sportsmen
opportunities of exhibiting their prowess. Lemming tracks were
abundant, and occasionally these little animals would be seen running
along the snow. Nellie regarded them as being created for her especial
enjoyment in hunting, and would vainly endeavour to unsnow them after
they had taken refuge in their holes. Woe betide the unfortunate little
lemming observed by Nellie at any distance from its habitation. A dash,
a gobble, and all was over! In vain did we try to break her of these
murderous propensities, not only for the sake of the victims but also
for herself, as the swallowing of little balls of fur cannot be
conducive to health. All was futile! Nellie considered the chase of
these little creatures as an undoubted privilege with which no one
should interfere.
[Illustration: LEMMINGS.]
The long twilight enabled us to extend our rambles, and we visited the
snow hut built by Rawson last autumn when attempting to get south, about
five or six miles from the ship, and in which he had deposited a small
quantity of provisions. To our surprise we discovered that, with the
exception of the pemmican which was in a tin, and the tobacco, all had
disappeared! Biscuit, bacon, tea, sugar, and cocoa, all had gone. A hole
through the roof of the house pointed at once to the means of ingress;
but who were the thieves? Foxes or wolves had not been seen, nor had any
traces of them been observed!
Even supposing these animals to be the depredators, how did they effect
their escape from the house after once they had got in? It was simple
enough to scrape a hole through the roof and jump down; but it was not
so easy to jump straight up a height of six or seven feet through a
small hole! Suspicion fell for some time on our long-missing dog Sallie;
but it was never satisfactorily ascertained whether dog, wolf, or fox
was the culprit. Of one thing there could be no doubt. The robbery had
been committed by a very cunning and intelligent beast. Spots of blood
on the pemmican tin showed unmistakeably that this also had been
attempted, but had proved too hard and strong. The tracks, which were
always to and from the floe, were too indistinct to enable us to make
out the nature of the animal, but the general idea was that it was a
fox.
Of course, with returning daylight, the serious work of sledging and the
preparations for the spring campaign occupied our attention to the
exclusion of almost everything else. On Saturday, the 26th of February,
our school assembled for the last time, the classes being dismissed in
the evening only to reassemble again if the ship spent another winter
away from England. It would not be fair to dismiss our pupils without a
word of commendation. Their attendance was most regular, and their
efforts to learn beyond all praise. Nothing could exceed their
diligence, nor excel their desire to please and reflect credit upon
their masters, and I do hope that many will have benefited by the
instruction they received in their Arctic school.
On Thursday, the 24th of February, was performed our last dramatic
entertainment. The following was the programme.
ROYAL ARCTIC THEATRE.
H.M.S. "Alert."
Thursday, 24th February, 1876.
[finger symbol] Last performance of the season.
GRAND REPRESENTATION
of the
Original pathetico-comico-burlesque operetta entitled the
LITTLE VULGAR BOY,
or
WEEPING BILL.
Founded on the celebrated Ingoldsby Legend, "Misadventures at
Margate."
Written expressly for the occasion by the
Rev. H. W. PULLEN.
Scenery by Professor Moss, M.D. Music by Lieut. Aldrich.
Manager: Lieut. May.
Preceded by
Reading "The Blessed Babies" Mr. Hunt.
Song "Fie, for shame" Mr. Symons.
CHARACTERS:
Mr. Brown, an old buffer, slightly green Commander Markham.
Mrs. Jones, a landlady, slightly cross, but with a keen eye to
business G. Le C. Egerton, Esq.
Jack Robinson; a seafaring man, slightly figurative in his language,
and violently in love with Mrs. Jones Lieut. Giffard.
Weeping Bill, a little vulgar boy, slightly out at elbows, and fairly
sharp for his age Lieut. Rawson.
K 55, the irrepressible Bobby, slightly self-important, and the natural
enemy of Weeping Bill Rev. H. W. Pullen.
Scenes 1 and 3 The Jetty at Margate.
Scenes 2 and 4 Mrs. Jones's lodgings.
To commence at 7.30 precisely.
God save the Queen.
Messrs. Giffard and Symons, Printing office, Trap Lane.
This piece, as set forth in the bill, was written expressly for the
occasion by Pullen, and not only did he compose it, but he also assisted
in its performance. It was a very successful hit, and was most
deservedly applauded, loud cries of "Author" following the fall of the
curtain.
The ensuing Thursday witnessed the last of our "Thursday Pops," and this
terminated our season's festivities. At it Captain Nares delivered a
very able and instructive lecture on his sledging experiences, bringing
a few "facts" home to the men, as to the sort of work they were about to
perform, and the kind of life they would have to lead. His announcement
that we should, in all probability, spend another winter in the Arctic
Regions was hailed with delight. He also announced his intention of
returning to England before the third winter, provided no unforeseen
event happened to detain the expedition.
The following was the programme for the evening's entertainment.
THURSDAY POPS.
H.M.S. "Alert."
[finger symbol] _Positively the last entertainment this winter._
March 2, 1876.
The season's festivities will terminate with the following
programme:--
1. The Palæocrystic Sea and Sledging Experiences Capt. Nares.
2. Ballad . . "The _Shannon_ and the _Chesapeake_" Mr. Cane.
3. Song . . "Susan's Sunday out" Mr. Stuckberry.
4. Reading . "Two Bab Ballads" Rev. H. W. Pullen.
5. Ballad. . "Over the Sea" Mr. Maskell.
6. Song . . "Rummy old Codger" Mr. Pearce.
7. Ballad. . "Seeing Nelly home" Mr. Self.
8. Recitation . "On the Arctic Expedition, by J. D." Sergt. Wood.
9. Song . "Billy Woods the grocer" Mr. Gore.
10. Ballad . "Beating of my own heart" Mr. Ayles.
11. Part Song . "O who will o'er the downs so free"
Messrs. Aldrich, Pullen, May, and Wootton.
To conclude with the grand Palæocrystic Sledging Chorus, by the entire
strength of the house.
To commence at 7.30 precisely.
God save the Queen.
Messrs. Giffard and Symons, Printing office, Trap Lane.
This chapter would be incomplete without the words of the "Grand
Palæocrystic Sledging Chorus."
This was also composed by our talented poet laureate, and was most
enthusiastically received by the whole ship's company, who vociferously
joined in singing it on all appropriate, and other, occasions.
It brought in the names of all the sledges that were employed in the
early part of the spring campaign, and became henceforth, as it were,
the "Arctic National Anthem."
CHORUS.
Not very long ago,
On the six-foot floe
Of the palæocrystic sea,
Two ships did ride,
Mid the crashing of the tide--
The _Alert_ and the _Discovery_.
The sun never shone
The gallant crews upon
For a hundred and forty-two days;
But no darkness and no hummocks
Their merry hearts could flummox:
So they set to work and acted plays.
There was music and song
To help the hours along,
Brought forth from the good ship's store;
And each man did his best
To amuse and cheer the rest:
And "nobody can't do more."
AIR--"The _Shannon_ and the _Chesapeake_."
Here's a health to _Marco Polo_[1]--
May he reach his northern goal, oh!
And advance the flag of England into realms unknown!
May the _Challenger_[2] be there,
All comers bold to dare,
And _Victoria_[3] be victorious in the frozen zone!
May our _Poppie_[4] be in sight,
With her colours streaming bright,
And the _Bulldog_[5] tug on merrily from strand to strand!
And the _Alexandra_[6] brave
See our banner proudly wave
O'er the highest cliffs and summits of the northernmost land!
Here's a health to _Hercules_,[7]
Whom the autumn blast did freeze,
And all our gallant fellows whom the frost laid low!
Just wait a little longer,
Till they get a trifle stronger,
And they'll never pull the worse because they've lost a toe.
Here's a health, with three times three,
To the brave _Discovery_,[8]
And our merry, merry guests, so truly welcome here!
And a brimming bumper yet
To our valiant little pet--
The lively _Clements Markham_,[9] with its bold charioteer!
Here's a health to all true blue,
To the officers and crew
Who man this Expedition neat and handy, oh!
And may they ever prove,
Both in sledging and in love,
That the tars of old Britannia are the dandy, oh!
FOOTNOTES:
[1] Commander Markham's sledge.
[2] Lieut. Aldrich's sledge.
[3] Lieut. Parr's sledge.
[4] Lieut. Giffard's sledge.
[5] Dr. Moss's sledge.
[6] Mr. White's sledge.
[7] Lieut. May's sledge.
[8] Lieut. Rawson's sledge.
[9] Mr. Egerton's sledge.
CHAPTER XVIII.
RETURN OF THE SUN.
"Most glorious orb! that were a worship, ere
The mystery of thy making was revealed!
Thou earliest minister of the Almighty
Which gladdened on their mountain tops the hearts
Of the Chaldean shepherds, till they poured
Themselves in orisons."
BYRON.
The 29th of February was the day on which, according to astronomical
rules, the reappearance of the sun was to rejoice the hearts and gladden
the eyes of our little party. On the previous day, a general holiday had
been proclaimed to give the men a chance, by ascending some of the hills
in our neighbourhood, of welcoming the sun a day earlier. In this,
however, they were doomed to disappointment. The glorious orb would not
come out to be welcomed; for the simple reason that it was still just
below the horizon. We were, however, rewarded by seeing its rays
reflected in the northern sky, which was beautifully illumined with the
most brilliant prismatic colours. Cairn Hill, and the hills to the
southward by Cape Rawson, were the chief points of observation. The
former was abreast of the ship, and about a mile distant; its height
being about four hundred and fifty feet above the level of the sea. On
the summit was built a large cairn, hence its name. On the cairn was
reared a long staff, to which was hoisted an iron oil cask, so as to
form a conspicuous landmark to guide wanderers back to their ship.
[Illustration: CAIRN HILL.]
By ten o'clock on the forenoon of the 29th, the ship was nearly
deserted, and officers and men could be seen dotting the floe and
snow-covered ranges as they wended their way to the most prominent
adjacent hills, on which little knots of men could already be seen
assembled, in order to catch a glimpse of the rising sun. We feared,
however, on starting, that we should be again disappointed, as there was
no clear sea horizon to the southward, and the sun would hardly have
sufficient altitude to show itself above the distant land. These fears
were not without foundation, as the result proved.
Shortly before noon our excitement was intense as a bright ray shot up
vertically from the sun's position and illumined the summits of the
surrounding ranges, whilst a radiant light was shed around.
"As rays around the source of light
Stream upward ere he glow in sight,
And watching by his future flight
Set the clear heavens on fire."
Our hopes grew high as noon drew near, but again were we disappointed,
and again were we compelled to return to the ship, defeated in our
object of welcoming back the "Prodigal Sun!"
The next day was cloudy, but on the following one, by going aloft about
ten o'clock, we had the satisfaction of announcing that about one-third
of the sun's disc was visible, as it crept slowly along the southern
horizon. Instantly the rigging swarmed with men, scrambling up with
elephantine agility to greet the fiery orb after its long absence, and
looking more like animated bales of furs than human beings. It appeared
of a deep reddish orange colour, but was so distorted by refraction that
its shape was more that of a truncated cone than a spherical body.
By noon Cairn Hill was covered with expectant visitors, and well were
they repaid for the trouble of the ascent. Although little of the sun
could be seen above the distant land, we knew that it was there, and
what we did see was bright, and _appeared_ with a slight stretch of the
imagination to be warm!
Romeo's words--
"Night's candles are burnt out,
And jocund day stands
Tip-toe on the misty mountain tops,"
were on our lips as we beheld the beautiful colours in the northern sky.
The roseate tints blending with the violet seemed to belong more to
southern climes than to the sterile inclement regions that we were
inhabiting. The summits of the hills, the "misty mountain tops," were
bathed in its glorious rays, whilst its luminous beams danced and
glimmered along the distant ice-floes. It was a bright and glorious
sight, and we remained long admiring it, and revelling in its rays--in
fact, until warned by a peculiar sensation in our feet that the
temperature was actually 100° below freezing-point; and however ecstatic
we might feel at the reappearance of the sun, Jack Frost still reigned
supreme, exacting implicit obedience to his will, and making those who
disregarded his injunctions suffer for their heedlessness.
Undoubtedly the Arctic Regions, and the farther north the better, would
be a good place for Parsees; for none of the followers of Zoroaster
could have exhibited more anxiety for the return, and more delight at
the appearance, of their deity, than we did before and after the bright
rays of the sun first fell upon us! Their god Fire would also receive,
during the long cold Polar winter, the utmost homage and attention. Sun
and Fire worshippers would require in these regions little to stimulate
them to devotion.
Strange to say, our extreme cold came with the returning sun. During
the latter end of February the temperature had been gradually getting
lower and lower, until on the 4th of March it had fallen to -74°, or
106° below freezing-point. This was the lowest recorded by the
expedition, obtained from the mean of several thermometers, and, so far
as we could ascertain, the lowest really authentic corrected observation
that has ever been registered in any part of the globe. From noon of the
3rd until noon of the 4th the mean temperature was -69°.68, whilst the
lowest mean temperature registered for any twenty-four consecutive hours
was from four A.M. of the former until four A.M. of the last-mentioned
day -70°.31. From six P.M. on March 2nd until six A.M. of March 4th,
namely thirty-six consecutive hours, the mean temperature was as low as
-69°.93´, and for the week ending March 4th the mean temperature was
-60°!
It was amusing to observe the eager excitement with which every one
received the latest intelligence regarding the state of the thermometer,
and when it was announced that the "lowest on record" had been
registered, there was a general shout of exultation. During the intense
cold several experiments were tried by exposing various substances to
its influence, and with the following results. Glycerine, on which a
temperature of -50° had little effect, became, at -70°, perfectly solid
and quite transparent. Rectified spirits of wine became of the
consistency of hair-oil. Concentrated rum, 40° over-proof, froze hard
when exposed in a shallow vessel like a saucer, but when in a large
quantity it resembled honey or molasses in consistency. Whiskey froze
hard, and we actually broke off bits and ate it! In consequence of this
latter proceeding we have since our return to England been, not without
reason, accused of "hard drinking," an accusation we are, of course,
unable to refute! Chloroform was the only substance on which the low
temperature had no apparent effect. Our temperatures were obtained by
taking the mean of ten thermometers that were exposed, to which result
was applied the corrections from Kew for each instrument. These had been
ascertained when the instruments were tested at the Kew observatory
before leaving England. The corrections and errors of the instruments
could, of course, only be approximately ascertained after the
freezing-point of mercury had been passed, as there was nothing beyond
that with which the spirit could be compared. The slightest impurity of
the spirit used, or the presence of even the most minute portions of
extraneous matter in it, would no doubt seriously affect the accuracy of
the observation. As an instance of the range exhibited by these
instruments, it may be interesting to know that one thermometer
indicated as low a temperature as -82°, while, _at the same time_,
another showed only -60°; but by applying the errors deduced at Kew, the
result was as nearly as possible the same. I think that the minimum
temperature recorded by us was, if not absolutely correct, as nearly so
as it was possible to arrive at.
Although we never again experienced such a severe burst of cold as we
did during the first few days of March, the temperature remained
extraordinarily low, and mercury was in a frozen state during nearly the
whole of that month. The presence of the sun appeared to have little
effect on the temperature, but thermometers exposed to its rays would
frequently rise as high as zero, and sometimes above that point.
The difference of temperature at the summit and at the base of Cairn
Hill, whose height, as has been stated, was four hundred and fifty feet,
was 5½°, the thermometer rising as the hill was ascended, and falling
again as it was brought down.
Traces of ptarmigan had frequently been observed in the snow, but it was
not until the 22nd of March that the first bird was seen, although our
sportsmen had been most diligent in their search for them. On that day
two of our pedestrians succeeding in flushing one solitary ptarmigan,
but, as is usual in such cases, they were without guns. Very few of
these birds were afterwards seen in the neighbourhood of the "Alert."
Their appearance caused some little excitement, for we looked upon them
as the harbingers of spring, and as a token that our long winter had
well-nigh terminated.
On the 25th of March, there was a partial eclipse of the sun, which was
clearly visible to all those who took the trouble to go on deck and,
with a piece of smoked or coloured glass, examine it in spite of a very
low temperature. The first contact was observed at six minutes past four
in the afternoon, and the egress at six o'clock. About .65, or little
more than half the sun, was obscured.
During the middle of March the quarter-deck housing was removed, and we
were again able to enjoy daylight on the upper deck. Although the low
temperature did not yet admit of our removing the snow from the
hatchways and skylights, yet we were able to clear the tops of our cabin
illuminators, and thus obtain below a slight amount of daylight,
sufficient at any rate to obviate the necessity of incessant
candle-light during the day. It was not until the middle of May, whilst
the sledge travellers were absent, that the skylights were cleared and
the snow removed from the upper deck.
Fire is the most disastrous accident that can possibly happen to a ship
wintering in the Arctic Regions, and it should be most carefully guarded
against. It may result in having your house, together with all your
provisions, consumed, and yourselves, perhaps not burnt, but destined
for even a more terrible fate, namely, turned out on the ice without
food and without shelter, exposed to a pitiless temperature, with no
covering or protection of any description. Such a situation would prove
fatal in a few hours. Men so placed would realize the dreadful fate so
vividly and graphically described by Jules Verne as having befallen
Captain Hatteras and his companions when their ship was destroyed and
they were deserted by their shipmates.
In the "Alert" we had one alarm from fire, which, although it might have
ended disastrously, did very little injury. It originated in our
"drying-room," where, through the carelessness of the man in charge,
some of the clothes had been allowed to hang in dangerous proximity to
the stove. These igniting quickly communicated the fire to the
surrounding objects, and for a little time it was doubtful whether the
conflagration might not assume a very serious aspect. In spite of the
occurrence happening at night-time, the men exerted themselves with such
good will that the fire was speedily extinguished, with no further
damage done than the destruction of a few clothes, although it was some
time before we could rid ourselves of the smoke, which unpleasantly
permeated the whole ship. The temperature at the time was 58° below
zero, which would have rendered the work of supplying water from the
fire-hole not only a difficult, but also a dangerous task, and one which
must have resulted in many severe frost-bites.
During the latter part of the month of March the officers were employed
in dismounting the various instruments in the observatories, carefully
packing and putting them away, as most of them would not be required
again until the following winter. This was a very necessary proceeding,
as before the return of the officers from sledge travelling the
observatories with all their "fixings," such as pedestals, etc., being
composed of snow, would have melted away during the summer thaw. By the
end of the month the observatories were entirely stripped and left bare,
when they gradually fell into decay. "Woolwich" was also "unsnowed," and
the powder brought off to the ship and stowed in the magazine.
In addition to all this work, the crews of the different sledges
destined to take part in the spring campaign were, in this month of
March, specially exercised, under their respective officers, for several
hours during the day. Their regular daily exercise had also been
carefully attended to throughout the winter.
Occasionally they were employed laying out depôts of provisions to the
southward, to be used by the sledge parties proceeding northwards from
the "Discovery," or sometimes dragging their laden sledges over the pack
in the immediate vicinity of the ship, with the object of gaining
experience in crossing ridges of hummocks, and of realizing the kind of
travelling with which they were so soon to become more intimately
acquainted. These little journeys gave us an insight into the endless
difficulties that we were hereafter called upon to contend with, and the
obstacles we were destined to surmount. We foresaw that we should have
"stiffish" work before us, but we did not doubt that we should render a
good and satisfactory account of the duty entrusted to us.
After several cries of "wolf," one actually did make its appearance on
the 1st of April. Early in the morning of that day an animal had been
observed, by the quarter-master of the watch, stealthily prowling round
the ship. Supposing it to be a bear, the alarm was given and one or two
of our hunters went in chase. More would undoubtedly have followed their
example, but recollecting the day, they preferred remaining in their
warm beds for an hour longer to the risk of being informed, when they
came on deck fully equipped for the chase, that it was the 1st of April!
The traces left in the snow showed unmistakeably the character of our
visitor. Instead of being a bear, it proved to be a wolf, but so alarmed
was it at the disturbance made on board that it scampered over the hills
and eluded our pursuit. That same afternoon, however, accompanied by my
usual companion Nellie, I took a long walk to the southward, following
the trail of the wolf for some distance. On my return, and when about
two miles and a half from the ship, I happened to look round, and there,
about a hundred yards off, and following in my track, was a tall, gaunt,
raw-boned and famished-looking wolf. He was of a yellowish colour, and
in size larger than our biggest Eskimo dog. Of course, as is generally
the way in cases of this sort, I was totally unprovided with arms of
any description, and was therefore unable to add his skin to our natural
history collection. I cannot say whether Nellie or her master offered
the greatest attraction to this animal; but whichever it might be, he
followed us, sometimes at not more than ten yards distance, stopping if
we stopped, and advancing when we advanced, until we were within about
half a mile from the ship, when some of my messmates coming out to meet
me, he bolted over the hills and made his escape. My great anxiety at
the time was for my poor old Nellie, who showed a great inclination to
become better acquainted with the wolf, and I had the utmost difficulty
in restraining her. Whenever she strayed a little from my heel, the
brute would make a bolt at her, and I have little doubt that she would
have been killed if he had once succeeded in his endeavours. On the same
evening we discovered the tracks of four musk-oxen, but although we
followed them up for many miles we did not succeed in seeing them. The
fact of the latter being in our neighbourhood fully accounted for the
presence of the wolf, who was no doubt following their tracks.
CHAPTER XIX.
DETAILS OF SLEDGE TRAVELLING.
"Give me some ink and paper in my tent,
I'll draw the form and model of our battle:
Limit each leader to his several charge,
And put in just proportions our small force."
_Richard III._
[Illustration: SLEDGE UNDER SAIL.]
Hitherto I have purposely abstained from alluding to our spring
operations, as I thought that it would be better to devote a separate
chapter exclusively to the account of the details of sledge equipment.
But it must not be supposed, because I have omitted to say anything
about the sledging during the winter, that it was neglected, and that
our time was entirely occupied with our amusements and observatory
duties. Such was not the case. The preparations for the spring campaign
and the organization of our sledge parties in all its details were very
carefully thought over and matured during the long dark hours of the
winter. All works on this subject had been diligently read, in order
that we might benefit by the experience of our predecessors. Nothing was
neglected that could in any way conduce to the success of the
enterprise, and everything that could possibly add to the health and
comfort of those to be employed on work of such an arduous nature was
carefully considered. The sledges, tents, and other equipments necessary
for travelling had been constructed under the personal superintendence
of Sir Leopold McClintock, who is the highest living authority on Arctic
sledge travelling. A few alterations, which we trusted would also be
improvements, were suggested by the experience gained during the autumn,
and these were all carried out before the return of the sun. The results
justified our anticipations. Out of the four different kinds of sledges
supplied to the expedition those which found most favour with us, and
with which the greatest part of the work was done, were the eight-men
sledges.[1] These dragged easier, and were stronger than either the
smaller or larger description of sledges. So long as the travelling
remains good, that is smooth and level ice with hard snow on its
surface, these sledges may be loaded to 240 lbs. for each man to drag,
and a good day's work to be accomplished. This weight, of course, would
only be dragged on first leaving the ship, or a depôt, and decreases at
the rate of about 3 lbs. per man per diem, the amount of provisions
consumed by each individual. What are called the "constant" weights,
which include the sledge, tent, robes, cooking apparatus, pickaxe,
shovel, etc., remain unaltered during the journey. The question of
weight is one requiring the closest attention.
Every trifling article, even to a small packet of a _dozen pins_ placed
in the medicine chest, has to be weighed and recorded in the general
equipment. The following table shows the weight of the various articles
(being constant weights) required for the equipment of an Arctic sledge
for forty-five days:--
EQUIPMENT OF AN EIGHT-MEN SLEDGE, PROVISIONED FOR AN ABSENCE OF
FORTY-FIVE DAYS.
lb. oz.
Sledge (complete) 130 0
Tent (complete) 44 0
Tent poles, five in number 25 0
Coverlet 31 8
Extra coverlet (used only in cold weather) 20 0
Lower robe 23 0
Waterproof floor-cloth 15 0
Sail 9 4
Eight sleeping bags 64 0
Eight knapsacks (packed) 96 0
Two pickaxes 14 8
Shovel 6 8
Store bag 25 0
Cooking gear 29 0
Gun and ammunition 25 0
Medical stores 12 0
Instruments 15 0
-------
Constant weights 584 12
Forty-five days' provisions for eight men
(including packages) 1080 0
--------
Total 1664 12
which, dragged by seven men, is equivalent to about 238 lbs. per man to
drag.
This should never be exceeded, nor should it even be kept up for any
length of time.
It will thus be seen that it is impossible for a sledge party to be
absent from the ship for more than seven weeks, at the outside, on its
own resources. In order, therefore, to enable it to remain away for a
longer period, depôts of provisions are established during the autumn on
the line of route, and auxiliary sledges are despatched in the spring
from which the extended parties may be replenished with provisions after
they have been away from the ship some two or three weeks. These
auxiliary sledges, on their return, are again completed with provisions
and sent out to meet the extended parties on their way back. By these
means, a sledging party may remain away for as long as twelve or
thirteen weeks.
Depôts can only be laid out when there is a continuous coast line, and
under circumstances when a _cache_ containing provisions can easily be
discovered. When the frozen ocean has to be traversed, depôts cannot be
depended upon; for a movement of the ice, or the misfortune of wandering
off the outward bound track during thick weather, would deprive the
travellers of any chance of finding their supplies. The result in such a
case would probably be fatal. The only way of ensuring an extended
absence to a party sledging over the pack, is by sending with it an
additional sledge. This, of course, entails the necessity of traversing
the same road three times over. For the men must never under any
circumstances (other than unavoidable necessity, caused by the sickness
of some of the crew) be allowed to drag more than the outside weight of
240 lbs. at any one time.
It would, I think, and I am now speaking from experience, be preferable,
when such a journey is necessary, to send a sledge away for only six
weeks rather than to provision a party for three months, and compel the
men to undergo the monotonous and wearisome work of going over the same
ground so often; and, I believe, quite as much work would be
accomplished.
The tents were all made of the lightest duck,[2] which was sufficient
to protect us from the falling or drifting snow, and the keen cutting
wind. The space inside was, of necessity, very limited; the width in
which each man had to sleep being only fourteen inches. Whilst his head
was touching one side of the tent, his feet were in contact with the
other. The slightest movement of the sleeper during the night would
disturb his neighbours on either side.
The entrance to the tent had a porch attached to it, which was, of
course, always carefully closed, and served to exclude the fine
snow-drift that would otherwise have penetrated into the interior. The
opposite side of the tent was fitted in a similar manner for the
protection of the cook whilst engaged in preparing the meals. The duties
of the cook during intensely cold weather entail hardships which it is
scarcely possible to overrate. The poor cook is never in his sleeping
bag until two or three hours after the rest of the party have been
comfortably settled for the night, and he has always to rise in the
morning a couple of hours before his comrades are disturbed, and this
after a hard and fatiguing day's work. His cooking apparatus consists of
a spirit lamp, a stearine lamp, a kettle, and a stew-pan. His fuel is
either spirits of wine, or cocoa-nut stearine; and as the allowance of
either is strictly limited, he has to be as economical as he possibly
can. Should his fuel be consumed before the meal is cooked, he will get
no more, and the pemmican will have to be eaten in a semi-frozen state.
The odour and smoke emitted by the stearine can only be appreciated by
those who have served their apprenticeship as cooks to an Arctic sledge
party! Many experiments were tried during the winter to improve our
cooking apparatus, but few were attended with success. Mr. White devoted
a good deal of thought and time to this important matter. By introducing
a cone into the kettle and stew-pan he succeeded in gaining a decided
advantage in rapidity of cooking, but then his plan also had its
disadvantages, a difficulty of cleaning and an encroachment on valuable
space being the chief objections to it. By giving the bottom of the pans
and kettles a little more concavity, we gained a slight advantage in
point of time, and time in cooking also means an economy of fuel. The
tent robes, coverlets, and sleeping bags were all made of duffel. The
knapsacks were made of duck, and contained the only spare clothing that
each man was allowed to take. The contents consisted of two pairs of
blanket wrappers, one pair of wadmill hose, one pair of moccasins, a
skull-cap for sleeping in, a woollen cap presented to each person in the
expedition by H.I.M. the Empress Eugénie, two pairs of mitts, a flannel
shirt, a pair of drawers, a comforter, a pair of snow-spectacles, a
towel, and a piece of soap. The latter was rather a superfluous article
until the thaw set in.
The store bag contained the pemmican chopper and board, a snow-knife and
saw, some spare lashings of hide for the sledge, matches, slow match,
twine, and various other small and useful articles.
The scale of provisions to be used whilst sledging was almost identical
with that of preceding expeditions, the only difference being that we
reduced the allowance of spirits by half and doubled the amount of tea
and sugar. The following was the daily ration for each man:--
lb. oz.
Pemmican 1 0
Bacon 0 4
Biscuit 0 14
Preserved potatoes 0 2
Chocolate 0 1
Sugar for ditto 0 0.5
Tea for two meals 0 0.5
Sugar for ditto 0 1.5
Salt 0 0.25
Pepper 0 0.05
Onion powder or curry paste 0 0.125
Rum 0 2
Spirits of wine 0 2
Stearine 0 3
Tobacco (weekly) 0 3.5
This we found a very ample allowance, and one that could not, in my
opinion, be improved upon. The different articles were excellent of
their kind, and of very superior quality.
Since our return to England, fault has been found with our leader
because lime-juice was not included in the scale of dietary for the
sledges, during April, as a daily ration. Our scale of diet was
necessarily based on that of preceding expeditions, and we had no reason
to expect that we should suffer from that dread disease, scurvy, any
more than did our predecessors. Lime-juice had never before been taken
as a daily ration by an extended sledge party, and Sir Leopold
McClintock, the highest living authority, has since publicly declared
that, in following the precedents established by former experience as
regards the lime-juice, Sir George Nares acted exactly as he would have
done under the same circumstances. Moreover, the lime-juice was
supplied in a form that made it impossible to use during an Arctic
March, April, or May, away from the ship. It was in bottles or very
large heavy jars, and, of course, the moment such vessels were placed
near a fire to thaw their contents, in such a temperature, they would
have been cracked to pieces. This is a conclusive answer to those who,
without experience, and ignorant of the conditions under which we
travelled, have expressed opinions on this subject. After May, when it
was possible to use it, lime-juice was always taken by our sledge
parties as a daily ration. When we came home, the use was suggested of
lime-juice lozenges, and the Medical Director General has proposed that
lime-juice should be mixed with pemmican. It is certainly very much to
be regretted that some such arrangements were not made and carried out
before the expedition left England. It will be seen (if lime-juice would
really have prevented the attack of scurvy) how terribly we had to
suffer from the consequences of the omission.
Lieutenant Parr and myself each took two bottles of lime-juice, with the
intention of using it when the warm weather of June arrived. It was not
possible to use it to any advantage, hard frozen in a bottle, during
March, April, or May.
Dr. Colan drew up very careful medical instructions for the commanders
of sledges, and each received some elementary surgical instruction. The
doctor also paid most anxious attention to the contents of the medical
chest, the weight of which was not allowed to exceed 12 lbs.[3]
The clothing worn by the men engaged in the sledging operations was
somewhat different from that in use during the winter. Our under
clothing was made of thick flannel. Over this we wore one or two flannel
or check shirts, long sleeved woollen waist-coats, thick knitted
guernseys, and duffel trousers, the latter reaching about a foot below
the knee. All wore broad flannel belts, commonly called cholera belts,
round their loins. On our heads we had woollen helmet caps, called by
the men "Eugenies," and over this was worn a thick sealskin cap with ear
and neck flaps attached.
Our feet were encased in blanket wrappers, one or two pairs according to
the temperature, a pair of thick woollen hose reaching above the knees
and worn over the trousers, and moccasins. The latter, as supplied to
us, only came up round the ankle, so we fitted them with leggings. Those
who were provided with chamois leather made their leggings of that
material, but the majority cut the sleeves off their check shirts which,
when sewn on to the moccasin, answered admirably, their chief use being
to keep the snow from penetrating into the trousers. Some of the
moccasins were also soled with leather, obtained by cutting off the
upper part of the fishermen's boots, a pair of which had been supplied
to each person. As a rule these soles were quickly worn out, and the men
were soon reduced to the bare moccasin, which, however, lasted
wonderfully.
Large gauntlet mitts were made during the winter, of fearnought covered
with duck, and worn with a strap round the neck. These were only
supplied to the sledgers, and were found very useful. At night-time they
were used on the feet in the sleeping bags, and certainly assisted very
materially in keeping them warm. Finally each person was provided with a
suit of duck overalls, to act as "snow repellers," which were always
worn whilst on the march. As an extra precaution against snow-blindness,
the men were ordered to paint some device on the backs of these snow
jumpers in order to afford a certain amount of relief to the eyes of
their comrades. The designs of these devices or crests were left
entirely to the artistic imaginations of the men, and they caused a good
deal of merriment. They were certainly more quaint than elegant. Donkeys
and Polar bears in various wonderful positions appeared to be in the
greatest favour. Each crest was accompanied by a motto, invariably a
Latin one. Whether these devices relieved us from severe attacks of
snow-blindness or not it would be difficult to decide. They served at
any rate to amuse us, and often formed the topic of conversation when
other subjects were getting scarce. Snow-spectacles were invariably used
by the travellers, and were only taken off after the party had halted
for the night and had sought the shelter of their tent. In consequence
of the adoption of these snow-goggles when we first set out on our
travels, we were comparatively exempt from that painful disease,
snow-blindness, from which other expeditions have more or less suffered,
and which renders the patient so attacked utterly helpless. We
occasionally had a few cases, but with one or two exceptions they were
in a very mild form.
Such were the details of the general equipment of the sledging parties
that were despatched from the "Alert" in the spring of 1876. Officers
and men shared alike in everything; they had the same provisions, their
costume was identical, they shared the same couch and tent, and each
showed the same zealous desire to perform his duty, and the same eager
anxiety to bring to a successful issue the service on which they were
employed.
Although the whole of the available force on board the "Alert" was
engaged in the sledging operations of the spring, we were only able to
despatch _two_ extended parties.[4] The rest of the men and sledges were
required to act as auxiliaries to the advanced parties, and were
continually employed during the summer until the return of all the
travellers brought our sledging operations to a conclusion.
The programme to be carried out, and which was determined upon after
very mature and careful deliberation, was for one party, the command of
which was given to Aldrich the first lieutenant, to continue the
discoveries of the autumn by exploring the coast line to the westward;
whilst a larger party, which was entrusted to my conduct, was to push
across the rugged polar pack, and endeavour to reach as high a northern
latitude as possible. The exploration of the north side of Greenland, to
the eastward, and the examination of the fiords in Robeson Channel, were
left to the sledge parties from the "Discovery."
The difficulties to be encountered and the serious obstacles to be
overcome in the journey due north over the frozen sea were well
understood. We had made ourselves acquainted with the nature of the
travelling to be anticipated by various short excursions on the ice in
the vicinity of the ship, and were, therefore, fully aware of the
serious character of the work that was before us. None were so rash as
to indulge in any extravagant ideas of successfully reaching a very high
position. The parallel of 84°, or perhaps 85° by the more sanguine, was
regarded as the highest that could possibly be attained.
It was a well-known fact, before the ship went into winter quarters,
that the polar pack, composed of extraordinarily heavy ice, was in
motion at that season. This motion, or perhaps a general disruption,
would occur, it was calculated, in about July or August, possibly in
June. It was, therefore, not only a measure of prudence, but one of
absolute necessity, that the party destined to travel over this frozen
ocean should be provided with the means of safety to themselves, if a
disruption should take place at an earlier period than was anticipated.
It was therefore decided that two boats,[5] capable of conveying the
whole party from one floe to another, should form part of the equipment
of the northern division. This additional weight, of course, seriously
augmented the labour of the men.
The only previous attempt to advance over a frozen sea, away from the
land, was made by Sir Edward Parry, in his memorable journey towards the
North Pole in 1827.[6]
For reasons already stated, the northern party was unable to lay out
depôts on the ice, nor could our sledges be met by supporting sledges
until after their return to the land. It therefore became necessary that
they should carry with them sufficient provisions to last for the whole
time of anticipated absence. This, with the boats, obliged the two
sledge crews composing the division to take with them a _third_ sledge,
so that under the most favourable conditions of travelling, they would
be compelled, after advancing two sledges, to return over the same road
and drag on the third. This we fondly hoped on starting we should be
able to accomplish; little did we think that the fearfully rugged nature
of the road would necessitate the same distance being traversed five or
even seven times.
For the same reason that the men were ordered to emblazon arms and
crests on the backs of their clothes, we had the boats which were to
accompany the sledges painted with gay and brilliant devices. The rose,
shamrock, and thistle were painted on the hulls, and the royal arms
decorated their sterns. Moss, on this as on other occasions, was the
artist; his great difficulty in accomplishing the work being that in
spite of the quantity of turpentine with which the paint was mixed, it
persisted in freezing in the brush, rendering that article more like a
stick than an artist's pencil.
The sledges were, of course, all named by their commanders.
FOOTNOTES:
[1] The eight-men sledge has six uprights eighteen inches apart. It
is eleven feet long, three feet two inches wide, eleven inches high,
and weighs 130 lbs. complete. In former expeditions sails were
frequently used on the sledges to great advantage, when travelling
over smooth ice. But we were seldom so fortunate as to meet with ice
which was suitable for sailing, in any of our sledge journeys. May
and Egerton got their sledges under sail on an extensive floe in
Robeson Channel, when they crossed over to the Greenland side; but as
a rule the ice we met with was far too rough to make the use of sails
practicable. In rigging a sail on the sledge two tent poles are
lashed together as a yard, with a spare pole as a foot yard. The
other two tent poles are used as shears, and at their ends a
mast-head iron, or shear head, is fitted, consisting of two rings
united by a piece of iron about three inches long, from the centre of
which there is a hook on each side for the steadying guys, and a
small block for the halyards is seized on to the iron between the
rings. A spare cross-bar is placed on the top of the lading, over the
midship uprights, and lashed down to the bearer. It is fitted with a
span seized along its top-side, and the bights, with a thimble in
each, project just beyond the cross-bar. The ends of the shears are
then stepped into the thimbles attached to this cross-bar, and the
sail hoisted. On smooth ice, with the wind aft or on the quarter, a
sledge will travel under sail at a good pace. But smooth ice was
almost unknown in the region explored by our expedition.
[2] The tents were of light, close, unbleached duck. The eight-men
tents were nine feet four inches long at the bottom, and eight feet
at the top, seven feet wide and high, and weighed 44 lbs. The tent
ropes are six fathoms long of one and a quarter inch, and the tent
poles eight feet six inches long.
[3] The medical stores for each sledge were:--2 phials of sal
volatile and aromatic spirits of ammonia; 2 phials of laudanum; 2
phials of wine of opium; a small tin of Gregory's powders; 12 papers
(10 grains each) of Dover's powders; 32 papers (15 grains each) of
chalk powders; 30 papers (4 grains each) of sugar of lead; a bottle
of turpentine liniment; a phial of carbolic acid; glycerine ointment;
white ointment; carbolic plaster; 4 dozen purgative pills; oil silk.
Sponge, pins, expanding splints, and carbolized tow, cotton wool, a
catheter, a tourniquet, a truss with pad, a lancet, twill, Persian
gauze, 2 eye shades, small splint, scissors, flannel ice goggles,
tape, mustard, 3 calico bandages, 2 flannel bandages, and lint. These
stores were in a wooden case, and a medicine tin for bottles,
together weighing 4 lbs.; while their contents weighed 7 lbs. 11
ozs., together, 12 lbs.
[4] Our available force was much smaller than that of the expeditions
under Sir Horatio Austin (1850-51), and Sir Henry Kellet (1852-54).
They enjoyed the great advantage of having a third larger
force--ninety instead of sixty men.
[5] The sledges for carrying boats have the two end cross-bars fitted
with two cleats, one on each side of the boat's keel. These cleats
are seven inches long, and are securely lashed to the cross-bars. Two
battens of American elm, each two inches wide and half an inch thick,
are lashed in a fore and aft direction to the top of the cross-bars
three and a half inches apart, that is to say one and three-quarters
inch on each side of the central bearer. They are sufficiently long
to allow of being secured to all the cross-bars. When the boat is
placed on the sledge the keel rests on the cross-bars between the
cleats, and is held in an upright position by one long cushion of
stout canvas, stuffed with cork cuttings, on each side, and these are
kept in their places by lashings.
[6] As Sir Edward Parry's attempt to reach the Pole was the only
extended journey that was ever undertaken due north across the Polar
Sea, until the second attempt was made by the northern division of
sledges under my command, it will be well to give, in this place, the
details of Parry's equipment and the result of his expedition.
A Sir Edward Parry sailed from England in the "Hecla," on April 3rd,
1827; when placing her in a safe harbour on the north coast of
Spitzbergen, he commenced his memorable attempt to reach the Pole on
June 21st. He had two boats, the "Enterprise" and the "Endeavour."
Parry himself, with Mr. Beverley, was in the former, James Ross and
Edward Bird in the latter. Ten seamen and two marines formed the crew
of each boat. The boats were flat-bottomed, with the extreme breadth
of seven feet, carried well forward and aft, and twenty feet long,
the timbers of tough ash and hickory. On the outside frame a system
of planking was adopted with a view to securing elasticity in the
frequent concussions with the ice. This consisted of a covering of
waterproof canvas coated with tar, then a thin fir plank, then a
sheet of felt, and, lastly, a thin oak plank, all secured to the
timbers by iron screws. On each side of the keel there was a strong
runner shod with metal, like that of a sledge, on which the boats
entirely rested when on the ice. A hide span across the fore-part of
the runners had two horse-hair drag ropes attached to it. The boats
had two thwarts, a locker at each end, a light framework along the
sides for containing provisions and spare clothes, a bamboo mast, and
tanned duck sail, fourteen paddles, and a steer oar. They started
with seventy-one days' provisions. The weight of each boat was 1,539
lbs., and the total weight, with provisions, 3,753 lbs., or 268 lbs.
per man; besides four light taboggan sledges weighing 26 lbs. each.
The daily allowance for each man was 10 ozs. of biscuit, 9 ozs. of
pemmican, 1 oz. of cocoa, and 1 gill of rum. Parry took no
lime-juice. They slept in the boat with sails as awnings, and
travelled during the night.
They sailed in the boats until June 23rd, when it became necessary to
haul them on the ice in 81° 12´ 51´´ N. The actual travelling then
began over floes of small extent, intersected by hummocks. After a
journey of thirty days, Parry reached his most northern point on July
23rd, in latitude, by dead reckoning, 82° 45´ N. No actual
observation for latitude was obtained at their extreme northern
point. They had travelled ninety-two miles over the ice, and two
hundred in the boats before they hauled them on to the floe, but were
only one hundred and seventy-two miles from the "Hecla." Such had
been the drift of the floes to the southward. The boats returned to
the "Hecla" on August 21st, and Parry arrived in England again on
October 6th.
This journey was made in the middle of summer after the disruption of
the ice. The daily allowance of food for the men was insufficient,
and the weight of 26 lbs. for each man was too great. But these were
points which could only be learnt by experience, and Sir Edward Parry
was the pioneer of Arctic sledge travelling. He attained the highest
northern latitude ever before reached by man, and it was forty-eight
years and two months before any explorer succeeded in going beyond
the parallel which Parry reached in 1827.
CHAPTER XX.
THE JOURNEY OF EGERTON AND RAWSON.
"You were used to say,
Extremity was the trier of spirits,
That common chances common men could bear,
That when the sea was calm, all boats alike
Showed mastership in floating."
SHAKESPEARE.
It was a part of Captain Nares's scheme for the spring campaign that,
before the departure of the extended parties, a dog sledge should be
despatched to communicate with our consort wintering some fifty miles to
the southward of us.
The officers and men of the "Discovery" were, of course, in total
ignorance of our position and even of our safety, for no communication
had taken place between the two ships since the day of our departure
from Discovery Harbour, seven months before. As soon as there was
sufficient light to admit of travelling, the important and necessary
duty had to be undertaken of conveying information to her respecting our
position, so that the anxiety of her people concerning our safety might
be relieved, and also that the Captain of the "Discovery" might be made
acquainted with our intentions regarding the routes of exploration
allotted to our sledge travellers. The parties from the "Discovery"
would then adopt other routes, and thus the area of unknown country to
he explored would be extended to the utmost limit possible. The work of
the expedition, consisting of the journeys of the different parties from
the two ships, taking different routes, would thus embrace all that
human effort could achieve with the means provided.
[Illustration: DOGS AND SLEDGE.]
The duty of communicating with the "Discovery" was entrusted to Egerton;
and Rawson, who was naturally desirous of re-visiting his ship, was
allowed to accompany him. Their sledge was dragged by a team of nine
dogs, and the party was provisioned and equipped for an absence of ten
days. If they failed in accomplishing their object in that time, and
their supplies became exhausted, they could replenish their stock from
the large depôt that had been established during the previous autumn at
a point about midway between the two ships, in Lincoln Bay. Petersen,
the Danish interpreter, accompanied the two officers in the capacity of
dog driver.
In consequence of the very low temperature experienced during the first
week in March, their time of departure had to be deferred. Sunday, the
12th of March, was the day eventually selected for the start of this the
first sledging expedition of the season.
The temperature on that morning was low, but rose gradually towards
noon, until it seemed inclined to remain stationary at 30° below zero.
There were further indications of a continuance of fine weather, from
the day being bright and clear and the barometer steady. Letters to our
friends on board the "Discovery" were hastily finished. Immediately
divine service had been performed the colours were hoisted, and amidst
the cheers of "all hands," who had assembled on the floe to bid the
travellers God speed, H.M. sledge "Clements Markham," with its bright
standard fluttering out bravely before a light breeze, started with the
object of renewing intercourse with our comrades in the "Discovery."
For the next two or three days our thoughts on board were constantly
with the absent ones, especially as the temperature, shortly after their
departure, had again fallen very low. This, however, caused us little
uneasiness, for we knew that everything that lay in our power had been
done to protect them from any sudden and extreme cold, and we all had
the greatest confidence in the skill, discretion, and sound judgment of
our two messmates. Many a silent prayer was offered up in their behalf,
that they might accomplish their mission in safety, and return speedily
with good news of those who, like ourselves, were wintering in the ice.
On the third day they returned unexpectedly with a sad tale of woe and
suffering, and with the poor Dane utterly prostrate and helpless on the
sledge. I cannot do better than relate the sad story in Lieutenant
Egerton's own words.
We read in his official report, that not five hours after they had left
the ship "frost-bites became so numerous, that I thought it advisable to
encamp."
This was only the beginning of the story, for they appear to have passed
a comparatively comfortable night.
At any rate they were up early the next morning and again under weigh;
at about one o'clock, when they halted for lunch, Petersen complained of
cramp in his stomach and was given some hot tea. He had no appetite,
which perhaps was as well, for we read of the bacon, which is always
used for lunch, "We were unable to eat it, being frozen so hard that we
could not get our teeth through the lean." They still continued their
journey, encountering some very rough travelling, which necessitated
severe physical labour on the part of the two officers. "The dogs were
of little or no use in getting across these slopes, as it was impossible
to get them to go up the cliff, and Petersen being unable to work,
Lieutenant Rawson and I had to get the sledge along as best we could."
Towards the end of the day we read: "Petersen began to get rather worse,
and was shivering all over, his nose being constantly frost-bitten, and
at times taking five or ten minutes before the circulation could be
thoroughly restored. Lieutenant Rawson had several small frost-bites,
and I escaped with only one."
On halting for the night, directly the tent was pitched they sent
Petersen inside with strict injunctions to shift his foot gear and get
into his sleeping-bag, whilst they busied themselves in preparing supper
and attending to the dogs; but when they entered the tent, they found
"that he had turned in without shifting his foot gear, was groaning a
good deal, and complaining of cramp in the stomach and legs."
Having made him change, they gave him some tea, and then administered a
few drops of sal volatile, which appeared to give the poor fellow a
little ease.
The next morning the wind was so high and their patient in such a weak
state that they did not think it prudent to attempt a start. He had
passed a very restless night, and still complained very much of cramp.
Later in the day he appeared to get worse, "shaking and shivering all
over and breathing in short gasps. His face, hands, and feet were all
frost-bitten, the latter severely, and he had pains in his side as
well." After restoring the circulation they rubbed him with warm
flannels and placed one of their comforters round his stomach.
In such a wretched state was the poor fellow that they agreed it would
endanger his life if they proceeded on their journey; and that when the
weather moderated the only course they could pursue was to return with
all haste to their ship.
As it was impossible to keep their patient warm in the tent, these two
young officers burrowed a hole in a snow-drift, and into this cavity
they transported the sick man, themselves, and all their tent robes,
closing the aperture by placing over it the tent and sledge. They
deprived themselves of their own clothing for the benefit of the
invalid, whose frozen feet they actually placed inside their clothes in
direct contact with their bodies, until their own heat was extracted and
they were themselves severely frost-bitten in various parts. The poor
fellow was now in a very low state; he could retain neither food nor
liquid. "About 6 P.M. he was very bad; this time worse than before.
There appeared to be no heat in him of any kind whatever, and he had
acute pains in the stomach and back. We chafed him on the stomach,
hands, face, and feet, and when he got better wrapped him up in
everything warm we could lay our hands upon," namely, their own
clothing, which they could ill afford to lose; but they entirely forgot
their own condition in their endeavours to ameliorate that of their
comrade. Lighting their spirit lamp and carefully closing every crevice
by which the cold air could enter, they succeeded in raising the
temperature of the interior to 7°; but "the atmosphere in the hut became
somewhat thick!" This was, however, preferable to the intense cold. Let
us follow the story out, and learn how nobly these two officers tended
their sick and suffering companion. "We were constantly asking if he was
warm in his feet and hands, to which he replied in the affirmative; but
before making him comfortable" (fancy being _comfortable_ under such
circumstances!) "for the night, we examined his feet, and found them
both perfectly gelid and hard from the toes to the ankle, his hands
nearly as bad. So each taking a foot we set to work to warm them with
our hands and flannels, as each hand and flannel got cold _warming them
about our persons_, and also lit up the spirit lamp. In about two hours
we got his feet to, and put them in warm foot gear, cut his bag down to
allow him more room to move in, and then wrapped him up in the spare
coverlet. His hands we also brought round and bound them up in flannel
wrappers, with mitts over all. Gave him some warm tea and a little rum
and water, which he threw up. Shortly after I found him eating snow,
which we had strictly forbidden once or twice before. In endeavouring to
do this again during the night, he dragged his feet out of the covering;
but only a few minutes could have elapsed before this was detected by
Lieutenant Rawson, who, upon examining his feet, found them in much the
same state as before. We rubbed and chafed them again for over an hour,
and when circulation was restored wrapped him up again, and so passed
the third night."
The patience and endurance of the two officers are beyond all praise. It
is difficult to realize the misery of that night. Wearied with the
severe physical exertions of the two previous days, having their own
meals to prepare and the dogs to look after, they had to pass a
sleepless and anxious night in their endeavours to keep life in the body
of their half-frozen comrade.