elegantly dressed, were walking about the streets, and also fishermen,
sailors, etc. We even met a cyclist. Where shall we find the limit of the
bicycle? I was astonished to see one in a country that has no practicable
roads and very few fine days.
Below, on the sea, were docks built on piles; a little port where about
fifty fishing boats were lying. Further out was a mail-boat arriving from
Trondhjem.
We visited the Museum, which contains all kinds of animals and birds
belonging to the polar regions, teams of reindeer, Esquimaux huts, arms,
and fishing tackle of the most remote periods. All the houses in Tromsö
are built of wood, and one wonders what would be left of the town if a
fire should ever break out. Every year tribes of Laplanders come from the
North to exchange goods with the traders; they bring chiefly skins of
reindeer, foxes, wolves, and white bears, and many articles made of bone
and reindeer’s horns, which are always carved with representations of
polar animals.
Later on, on July 2nd, on our return from Spitzbergen, we had the
opportunity of visiting, at a few leagues from Tromsö, an encampment of
these interesting nomads.
The excursion was organized and directed by our friend, Lieutenant
Norselius. The party consisted of Dr. Lembke, Lieutenant Svedenborg, the
engineer, Stake, and myself. Herr Aagaard, the brother of the Consul of
Tromsö, was kind enough to accompany us. As he knew a few words of the
Lapp language, he offered to act as interpreter. Some of the crew went
with us.
I will not dwell here on the customs of these people, as they have
already been described in several works. The Laplanders are very friendly
and peaceably inclined towards strangers.
In our honour they collected their reindeer together, a herd of 400 to
500, which were feeding on a mountain in the distance. A chief, who
was provided with a little telescope, used it skilfully to follow the
movements of this great herd, which was driven by only two children
and a few dogs. We saw these animals on a distant slope, all collected
together, and advancing towards us like a swarm of ants in motion. A
hill hid them from us for about half an hour; they then reappeared at a
distance of a few hundred yards, in the midst of a few scattered shrubs.
The herd approached; their horns, which are very large, kept interlacing,
freeing themselves, and then becoming entangled with the shrubs which
were shaken by the compact and moving mass. It seemed like a moving
forest. A fenced enclosure is set apart for the animals. When they had to
be driven into their pen, a Laplander approached the head of the herd,
caught one of the reindeer with the aid of a lasso, which he used as
skilfully as the hunters of the Pampas, and then pulled it in, ringing a
bell.
The effect was then most curious. The attention of the rest of the herd
was attracted to the captive which they followed at a distance, step
by step, hesitating, and advancing as if under the influence of some
peculiar fascination. The whole herd was thus enticed into the enclosure,
the outlet of which was then shut.
[Illustration: SHIPS AMONG THE ICE.]
The captive reindeer which led the others in was then released, and great
excitement seemed to prevail amongst all the animals. About a dozen
of them got on to a little mound in the middle of the enclosure, and
remained there the prisoners of the others who kept walking round them.
This performance lasted for more than half an hour. In the meantime some
of the Laplanders, armed with lassos, caught some of the does in order
to milk them, and the whole herd was then set at liberty. The reindeer
dispersed into the thickets, quickly climbed the mountain, and soon
disappeared from view. We bought a few trifles from these people, who are
very honest in their dealings, and at the same time very business-like.
They lose no opportunity of doing a stroke of business; they even
demanded payment if they were photographed, and if this was refused, they
tried to screen themselves from our cameras. The instantaneous process
dismayed them very much.
After having left the camp of the Laplanders, on our return to the
seashore, our curiosity was attracted by an enormous whale, which had
been brought to the beach to be cut up. This mammal, which was not less
than 70 feet long, had been killed a few days before in the Northern
Seas.
II
Arrival at Spitzbergen
_May 26th._—We were waiting in the port of Tromsö for news of the
_Virgo_, which had left Gothenburg two days after us, on May 20th.
The day before, the _Svensksund_ had laid in a stock of provisions and
coal. On the after-deck a large cage had been made for the reception of
some sheep. We also took a great many fowls on board, so that we should
be provided with fresh meat during our stay at Spitzbergen, as a change
from tinned provisions.
As we had not received any news of the _Virgo_, we left Tromsö at 3 p.m.
to go and meet her at an appointed place. A splendid day cheered our
hearts, and most of the inhabitants of the town came running along the
quays, and cheered the _Svensksund_ as she departed.
The captain then had a cask hoisted on to the top of the foremast, in
which the look-out man, who had orders to give notice of any passing
vessel amongst the floating ice, took up his station.
After this had been done, warm clothes were distributed amongst the crew.
Each received large boots, a fur hood, gloves, etc. Our sailors seemed
quite delighted with their new outfit.
At five o’clock we arrived at the appointed place, but the _Virgo_ was
not there. We accordingly took shelter in a bay whilst waiting for her.
The next day, May 27th, having awoke at 3 o’clock in the morning, I went
on shore with Lieutenant Svedenborg. We went hunting over the mountains,
amidst boulders of rock and deep ravines. We saw very little vegetation;
a few scattered bushes of prickly shrubs, putting forth a few miserable
shoots; a great deal of moss and grass in the damp parts surrounding
the pools formed by the melting snow. Many springs swelled the streams,
which formed numerous waterfalls on their way down to the sea. We brought
down several birds, but lost some eiders, for these birds, when wounded
and pursued, dive to reappear no more. They hide their bodies from their
foe, perishing at the bottom of the sea by entangling themselves in the
seaweed.
The _Virgo_ joined us at 2 p.m. Her captain came on board for
instructions. At 6 o’clock we weighed anchor, and set out for
Spitzbergen. Andrée hoped that we should get there quickly, and without
hindrance. The north north-east wind which had been blowing violently for
some days, would, he thought, drive away the floes of ice from the coast
of Greenland.
For three days we were tormented by a strong north wind, which blew a
gale. The sea was very rough. I was ill, and could eat nothing for two
days—a victim to sea-sickness. However, I got up in the evening of May
30th. The vibrations of the vessel were then imperceptible to me. I was
surprised at first, and then pleased. I seemed to be waking from a bad
dream.
Our boat rolled terribly, with sudden movements due to its flat
shape—movements which were all the more frequent owing to the waves being
very choppy in the northern seas. I could not, in spite of myself, help
thinking of the smooth and easy motion of our transatlantic liners, where
one is quite at one’s ease.
I was astonished, on arriving on deck, to see the mountains that fringe
Spitzbergen, and to hear that in three hours we should reach Dansk-Gatt,
a strait between Dane’s Island and the Island of Amsterdam, to the
north-west of Spitzbergen, in latitude 79° 43´.
The _Virgo_ followed us at some distance; she too rolled a great deal.
The wind was high and cold; some blocks of ice floated here and there,
but not many. By a fortunate circumstance the Arctic Ocean was quite
free. Andrée had predicted that it would be so, and he was pleased to see
that he would lose no time this year. Nevertheless, those who had never
visited these shores were somewhat deceived; they had expected to be
encountering icebergs, and meeting with unheard-of difficulties. In fact
they looked for something very different to ordinary voyages, something
which would keep constantly before their minds the fact that they were in
the Frozen Ocean.
Our wishes were soon granted; the prevailing north-east wind had driven
the ice floes into the open sea; the ice round the coast, being sheltered
by the mountains, remained, and the entrance to the Dansk-Gatt was quite
blocked up.
We had to slacken our speed; the vessels could only cut a passage
through, pushing before them blocks of scattered ice driven one against
another, and breaking with a loud report, terrifying the various polar
birds and disturbing the siesta of various seals, which quickly dive and
disappear behind other floes.
I took some photographs, the success of which was doubtful, as it snowed
fast. Fortunately we were quite close to Virgo Bay, and after an hour of
slow, winding, and difficult progress, going round large masses of ice
that could not be driven aside, we perceived the balloon shed; it was
still standing! To the right was Pike House half-hidden by snow.
We each provided ourselves with a telescope or field-glass. The shed
especially occupied our attention; it had suffered some damage, we
noticed an alteration in it, but at that distance it was impossible to
ascertain the extent of the injury.
As we slowly approached the coast, we took soundings every minute, and
at last, at 6 p.m., the captain gave the order to stop. The anchors were
cast, as we should probably remain there some time; only about a hundred
yards separated us from the shore.
[Illustration: THE BALLOON CASE IN THE ICE.]
The _Virgo_, which should have followed us closely in order to profit
by the passage made by the _Svensksund_, remained some distance behind;
she seemed to be impeded by the ice and advanced very slowly. She pushed
along for another hour before casting her anchor. Less fortunate than we
were, her screw, which had neither the flexibility nor the resistance of
ours, had been sorely damaged by the ice.
The various emotions produced by this eventful voyage and the keen air of
Spitzbergen had sharpened all our appetites. Lieutenant Celsing ordered
us a grand dinner, washed down with good wine and champagne, to celebrate
our arrival at Dane’s Island. I own that, for my part, I did justice to
it, after having been so severely tried by the sea.
After dinner we went on shore. Our boat found a passage through the ice
after much groping and winding; we at last reached the shore, which was
edged with ice covered by a layer of snow, in which we sank half-way
up to our knees. After a rapid glance at Pike House, which we found
in good condition, we directed our steps towards the balloon shed
which interested us more. The poor shed, the base of which had partly
disappeared under the snow, had suffered greatly; it had been wrenched
round and seemed to lean towards the east. Last year the boarding of the
second floor had been left to strengthen it; several of these planks
had been broken or torn away by the wind, some had been carried to some
distance—we could see ends sticking up here and there in the snow.
On the western side we discovered a split in a beam where it joined the
framework. It was this accident that had caused the wrenching of the
roof-timbers and occasioned the greater part of the damage. However, this
damage could be repaired, and Andrée, after his examination, expressed
great satisfaction with the work of Svedberg, the builder of this frail
edifice, which was not intended to withstand a winter, and must have
resisted great stress of wind and weather. It is true that last year,
before leaving Spitzbergen, Andrée had strengthened the shed as much as
his resources and the materials at his disposal allowed, as has been seen
by the foregoing account.
III
Preparations at Dane’s Island
_May 31st._—The day after we arrived every one set to work.
We first turned our attention to carpentering; with the aid of pulleys
and screw-jacks we succeeded in restoring to a certain extent the beams
of wood to the positions they had normally occupied, and they were then
fixed by steel guys.
A detachment of sailors cleared away the snow, which in the shed was over
six feet deep. This work was rendered long and tedious by a thick layer
of ice under the snow, which had to be broken with the ice-pick; the snow
was taken away in sledges.
There was a great deal to do, but our workmen were skilful and were
directed by experienced masters. Andrée did not leave the scene of
operations all day, and watched every detail attentively; in the evening
he was happy to inform us that the damage would be more easily repaired
than he had at first thought, and that in a fortnight the shed would be
ready to receive the balloon.
_June 1st._—The work was resumed and carried on diligently.
While the carpenters were busy repairing the shed, detachments of sailors
proceeded to unload the materials contained in each vessel. This last
operation was greatly hindered by the floating ice, which, under the
action of the wind, was continually changing its position, and sometimes
threatened to crush our little boats, which had to be hoisted on deck
when we were not using them. Then the wind, which had been north-east,
veered round to the east; it drove the ice in another direction, and
seemed to be trying to send it out of our way. Every now and then came
gusts of snow, but these did not stop the work.
The temperature varied from 30 Fahr. to 35·6; that of the sea-water was
28·4 Fahr.; the wind alone seemed to cut our faces.
[Illustration: LANDING THE CAR.]
Not being able to take part in the work that was going on, I passed my
time as best I could. Pike House, the description of which has already
been given, was a curiosity which attracted my attention. I read the
visitors’ names inscribed on its walls; amongst them I was pleased to
find my uncle’s signature, and I yielded to the temptation of adding my
own.
I spent the morning in transforming one of the rooms into a photographic
laboratory.
The carrier pigeons of the expedition were placed in the attic which they
had occupied last year.
Behind Pike House, buried under the snow, were the remains of the gas
apparatus. After clearing away the snow we found that the parts had not
suffered much, and that they could be used with the apparatus we had
brought.
That evening, accompanied by Strindberg, Fraenkel, and Svedenborg, we
set out on an excursion over the snow and ice, along the east coast. We
went as far as the little Albert Island, which was still united to Dane’s
Island by ice. Strindberg, who is a very good shot, succeeded in killing
a seal, which we could not take with us for want of a boat; he returned
to the _Svensksund_ for a boat, but the distance was great, and the dead
seal soon sank.
On returning to the vessel, we saw a fine silver fox, which was sniffing
along our tracks. He was out of the reach of our bullets, and, as soon
as he saw us, he ran off, greatly terrified by such unexpected visitors.
He stopped from time to time to turn round and make sure that he had not
been the victim of an illusion, and then went on his way more swiftly
still, and escaped to the mountains.
On our return to Virgo Bay, it was difficult to reach the _Svensksund_;
the wind, which had gone round to the north a little while before,
had brought a good deal of ice. There were no longer any passages
sufficiently wide to allow a boat to be steered through them; we stepped
on to one mass of ice, and, by jumping from one to the other, we were
able to regain the vessel.
_June 2nd._—The wind had changed again from north to east. The bay had
become cleared of a great portion of the ice with which it was filled a
few hours before.
A little steam launch brought by the _Svensksund_ was then able to render
useful service. The unloading went on more quickly; we hastened on that
of the _Virgo_ especially, as she was to leave us directly afterwards,
carrying news of us to our friends.
Strindberg was engaged in some photographic studies of the snow and ice;
I spent part of the day with him developing the plates.
_June 3rd._—The sky was very clear at two o’clock in the morning; there
was not a cloud upon the horizon, and there was nothing to warn us that a
few hours later a strong north wind would bring us violent squalls laden
with snow, and at the same time bring back the ice that had been driven
away from us. This bad weather somewhat hindered the work during the
morning. After breakfast there was a little interlude at the expense of
a seal which had gone to sleep on a block of ice. It was more than 200
yards from the ship, happily for itself, for ten guns or carbines were
levelled at it from the deck, and at the word of command from the captain
a volley saluted the new-comer, who immediately disappeared, having no
doubt formed a bad opinion of the human race.
In the evening the captain and the first lieutenant of the _Virgo_ came
to dine with us. At this meal some bread was eaten called “French
bread,” supplied to the expedition by M. Schumacher, a Stockholm baker;
a large quantity of it was taken on board. This bread, sealed up
hermetically in light boxes of tinned copper, was in a perfect state of
preservation, although then a month old.
_June 4th._—During the night we experienced a violent north-east wind,
which drove the ice into our bay, quite stopping the unloading of large
packages. By means of planks a road was formed on the ice, and all the
light packages were carried on the men’s backs.
This violent wind, however, rendered us real service, and did a great
deal towards the repairing of the shed; it quite restored to their places
the roof-timbers, and they were soon fixed in their places by guys, and
at the same time the planks were replaced so as to increase the solidity
of the structure.
_June 5th._—The weather was very fine; the thermometer showed 37·4 Fahr.
[Illustration: VIEW OF THE APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING HYDROGEN GAS FOR THE
BALLOON.]
Strindberg made the ascent of a neighbouring hill situated to the
west of the place occupied by our ship. At the summit, 656 feet above
the sea-level, he fixed a mast, on which was placed an apparatus for
observing the direction of the wind. This ingenious instrument consists
of a vane carrying with it in its movements a horizontal disc divided
into eight equal sectors. On the outer circumference, at the points of
division, are fixed vertically the figures from 1 to 8, cut into plates
of copper. The diameter 1-5 falls in the vertical plane of the vane,
and figure 5 always faces the wind. It is easy by means of a compass to
determine the direction from any point from which we can read the figures
of the disc. It is sufficient to observe the angle that is made with the
magnetic meridian by the visual radius, going to the number facing you,
and to deduce from it by a very simple calculation the angle of the line
1-5, _i.e._, the angle of the direction of the wind with the north. For
instance, supposing we are to the east of the post of observation, and
number 3 is facing us, number 5, which always faces the wind, will be at
the north, the point from which the wind comes. Every day the explorers,
by turns, every four hours, made meteorological observations. All the
instruments were examined, and the results carefully noted. Strindberg
set up a tent on the shore, where he spent several hours a day taking
magnetic observations.
Work was suspended during June 6th and 7th for the Whitsuntide holidays.
Every one sought for some amusement to pass the time; some of the sailors
found one, which was somewhat rough. They ascended a hill covered with
snow situated behind the shed; on arriving at the summit they slid down,
toboggan fashion, from a height of 656 feet, each trying to make a record
speed. This game was not without its comic side; often one of the men
lost his position, rolling over and over to the bottom; fortunately in
the snow there was no danger.
On June 8th all the little colony went back to work; the weather was
fine, with a north wind that piled up the ice round the ships. The
greater number of light packages were, however, unloaded, but there was
still heavy luggage which could not be moved.
On June 9th one of the gas generators was taken off, a large wooden
tank lined with lead, which had to be handled with care, its own weight
rendering it fragile. After it had been let down into a boat, a passage
was with difficulty cut for it through the ice to the shore.
The next day other parts of the gas apparatus, no less bulky, were taken
off the _Virgo_; the difficulties attending their unloading were still
greater than before. Armed with ice-picks, some of the sailors tried to
break up the smaller pieces; others, provided with saws made specially
for the purpose, attacked enormous masses. The boat advanced very slowly,
but this extra work involved an expenditure of precious time.
At last by the evening of that day all the parts of the gas apparatus
were landed. The engineer, Stake, assisted by the mechanics, proceeded
to fix it up. Before this could be done, it was necessary to clear away
an enormous quantity of snow which occupied the space allotted to this
installation, and which, when swept in a circle round it, formed a
regular enclosure, a temporary fortification.
_June 11th._—Strindberg and Fraenkel turned their attention to the
carrier pigeons, and, with the aid of india-rubber wafers, fixed
to the wing and tail feathers several labels bearing the following
inscriptions:—
“ANDRÉE.”
_Aftonbladet._
“STOCKHOLM.”
The pigeons, moreover, were numbered consecutively; their destination was
the office of the _Aftonbladet_, and they came from a dove-cot situated
at Maréchamm, belonging to M. Uno Godenhejlm, formerly a post-master.
I gave myself up on this day to the study of a sport which is quite
Scandinavian, the “ski” (snow-shoes); Strindberg kindly gave me both
theoretical and practical lessons. After many tumbles on snowy slopes,
my course of instruction was completed; I only needed practice. This
agreeable mode of locomotion is very useful for making long journeys over
the snow.
[Illustration: PLACING A GENERATOR.]
I employed part of the day in making a fox-trap, consisting simply of a
box closed on one side by a metal grating, and on the other by a sliding
door. This latter would close automatically when the animal touched it, a
bird fastened to the bottom of the cage serving as a bait. In the evening
I tried the sledges which were to be taken in the balloon. I harnessed
myself to one of them, and took my trap half a league away to the hills,
where I set it so as to be able to observe it from the _Svensksund_,
whence I could see by means of a telescope when the door of the cage was
shut.
I had not long to wait; the next morning the cage was closed. I went up
to the mountain, and soon perceived through the grating of the cage a
cunning little head and two bright eyes, which were attentively watching
all my movements.
The prisoner was a young fox; there were several species of them at
Spitzbergen. We had already seen three kinds: one was a fine glossy
black, another silvery white, and a third had yellow and brown spots. The
little captive belonged to this last category. Seeing himself discovered,
my fox darted against the grating, growling at my approach and showing
his pretty little sharp teeth. With many precautions, putting my hands
through the bars of the cage, I succeeded in muzzling him and in tying
his paws together with cords. Having thus made it impossible for him to
do any harm, I led him over the snow to Pike House, where my arrival with
my prisoner at the end of a long string excited much curiosity and caused
considerable mirth.
I hoped to take this young fox back to France. He was put in a cage,
where he received many visits from persons interested; one of the latter
not having closed the door with sufficient care, the Spitzbergen fox,
in no way inferior to those of our own country in point of cunning,
succeeded in opening it and recovered his liberty. He was even seen to
pause ironically for a few moments in front of the balloon shed, where
the changes that had been made seemed to interest him.
IV
The Landing and Preparation of the Balloon—The Inflation