IN THE DARK--ALL IS STILL--CAPTAIN GANOE'S NARROW ESCAPE--IMPRISONED
IN THE ICE--DISTRESSING SITUATION--HOW TO PRESERVE THE HEALTH AND
EFFICIENCY OF THE CREW--A NEW DANGER--THE ICE IS MOVING--THE COMMON
SAILOR TO THE RESCUE--LIEF AND ERIC SAVE THE SHIP--THE TUNNEL TO THE
SURFACE--EXPLORING THE ICE-FIELD.
[Illustration]
THE first thing I remember after being thrown to the deck, was the
profound quiet, and the consciousness that some mighty change had taken
place in our surroundings. I opened my eyes. The deck was wrapped in
semi-darkness, and instead of the thundering reverberations of the
breaking ice and the waves dashing into foam upon their icy barriers,
there was a gentle, swish, swish, of the sea as it lashed the sides of
the ship. I felt dazed, and the memory of the awful scenes through
which we had passed impressed me like the vivid imagery and fantastic
pictures of some horrible dream.
At the moment of the shock, fully impressed with the conviction that
all was lost, I was turning to grasp Raphael in my arms, so that we
might die together, and on recovering consciousness, my first thought
was of him. I sprang to my feet and in the dim light I saw something
gliding away from me towards the edge of the deck, and I instinctively
grasped it, as it was about to drop overboard. It was Captain Ganoe.
He was living but unconscious. With my insecure footing, I feared for
a moment that we should both go overboard together, when there was a
flash of light and Battell seized my arm, exclaiming:
"Thank God, you are both alive! I called to you and as you did not
reply, I feared that you were both killed by the falling ice. It was
lucky that you were able to grasp the Captain just when you did, or he
would surely have been lost."
I was holding Captain Ganoe in my arms, while Battell was briskly
chafing his hands. In a moment he aroused, as if suddenly awaking out
of a deep sleep, and straightening himself up in a dazed sort of way,
he exclaimed:
"Good God, Jack, what is the matter? Where are we? Have I been asleep?"
"Oh, we are only imprisoned in the ice," said Battell. "I feared that
you were crushed by that huge block of ice which came so near carrying
away the part of the deck where you were standing. If Jack had not
caught you and drawn you back at the imminent risk of his own life, you
would now be at the bottom of the sea."
Captain Ganoe, now fully aroused, took in the situation at a glance,
and exclaimed as he grasped me by the hand:
"Jack, my savior! The last I remember was that you were turning as if
to grasp me in your arms. It was indeed a close call. But why did you
risk your life to save mine?"
I had scarcely spoken since the alarm had ended our conversation in
my cabin, and I felt that to do so now, in answer to such a question,
would betray my weakness and possibly my secret, which I had resolved
to guard more closely than ever. Fortunately, however, he did not wait
for a reply, but with his usual thoughtfulness for the crew and safety
of the ship, he started below, saying:
"Come on, my bruises are not severe, and we must look out for the
sailors and make a tour of inspection around the ship and ascertain as
nearly as possible, in just what kind of a place we are."
Just as we reached the deck below, we met Paul Huston, the engineer;
Pat O'Brien, second mate; and Mike Gallagher, the cabin boy. They
understood what had happened and feared we had been injured or killed
by the shower of ice that had fallen upon the upper deck. They reported
everything all right with the crew and that the vessel was apparently
uninjured.
We passed entirely around the ship, narrowly scanning the walls of our
ice prison, with a powerful reflector, which revealed every crevice.
We lay in an inclosure which gave the vessel more than room enough
to turn around if carefully handled. We ascertained that the great
overhanging ice-mountains between which we lay, and that had threatened
us with instant destruction, had actually been our salvation. When
the earthquake shattered the two great ice-fields, these towering
mountains had started to tumble over on the ship at the same time, and
meeting far above had formed a massive arch which had prevented the
closing of the channel at that point. Here and there were openings in
the icy roof, but in the main, the colliding masses were closely joined
together. The only injury to the ship was from the block of ice that
had fallen so near to Captain Ganoe. From the number of fragments of
from one to several pounds in weight, which were scattered over the
upper deck, it seemed a marvel that we had escaped without serious
injury.
When our tour of inspection was completed we repaired to the library to
talk over the situation. Addressing Battell, Captain Ganoe asked:
"What do you think of the situation?"
"I apprehend no immediate danger," replied Captain Battell. "In a few
hours with the present intense cold, this ice-pack will be frozen into
one solid block. But if we are not crushed by the ice, God only knows
when we will get out. As for the present, we are most fortunately
situated. We could not find better winter quarters in the frigid zone.
We are well protected from the cold, and the fishing will be good, as
this will be a good breathing place where the fish will gather for air.
We can lay in an ample supply of dog feed and I am inclined to believe
that we might capture a whale and lay in a supply of oil for fuel."
"But how long do you think it will be," asked the Captain, "before we
will have an opportunity to get the ship clear of the ice?"
"I would not venture a prediction," replied Battell. "One thing is
certain. We are sealed up for the winter, and it may be that the entire
summer will not be sufficient to produce a break up of the ice-field
in which we are caught. So it may be that we will be cooped up for a
year or two. There is no telling how long we will be prisoners."
"Well, I suppose then," said the Captain, "that all there is for us to
do is to wait."
"Yes," said Battell, "that is all we can do, and," he added, smiling,
"it will not take much effort. But," after a pause, "it will take some
effort on our part to provide sufficient exercise and amusement to
preserve the health and discipline of the crew, so that we will have a
reasonable prospect of getting clear of the ice when the break up does
take place."
"That is well thought of," said Captain Ganoe, "and I think it would be
well to muster the crew and organize a regular system of employment and
amusement. And," turning to me, he continued, "what do you have to say,
Jack? I never knew you to be so silent. What is the matter? Have you no
opinions to offer, and nothing to suggest?"
"I certainly have opinions and I might offer some suggestions," I
remarked, "but before doing so, I want to familiarize myself with
existing conditions. Only one thing seems certain, just at present,
and that is, that we are locked up in the ice for several months and
perhaps for years to come. This will give us ample time for careful
reflection. There is no reason that we should be in a hurry to
inaugurate a rigid system of any kind just now in order to preserve
the discipline of the crew. There is no danger of their deserting the
ship and we can well afford to wait until the novelty of our present
surroundings has worn away."
"You are right," said the Captain. "There is certainly a novelty in
our present surroundings, that will attract the attention of all and
prevent ennui for the time being, but this will soon wear away, and
the monotony of our imprisonment will become unbearable, except to
the best disciplined minds. This will be particularly severe on our
common sailors, who are uneducated, and thus deprived of the numberless
sources of recreation and amusement to which we have ready access. When
this time comes, what would you do?"
"So far as I am concerned," I said, "I have access to the library, and
will really enjoy the association that it affords with the brightest
intellects and noblest characters of earth, past and present. Now,
if I should suggest anything for the relief of the common sailors,
outside of such exercise and amusements as are essential to health, I
would organize them into a school, and seek to bring these more exalted
pleasures within their reach by increasing their knowledge, and giving
them broader views of life and higher aspirations. This will also
furnish us with needful and elevating employment and will certainly
afford us a splendid opportunity to do good to others, and at the same
time increase our own knowledge of human nature, and to trace the
effects produced by environments, on the masses who have not enjoyed
the advantages of a liberal education."
"Your suggestion," said the Captain, "is all right as far as the better
educated are concerned, but it would be useless and probably hurtful to
the common sailors. Remember the old adage that 'a little learning is
a dangerous thing.' To the extent that we could succeed in giving them
broader views of life and higher aspirations, we would only succeed in
making them dissatisfied with their lot, and thus weaken the discipline
on which the safety of all depends. All that we can do for the common
sailors is to provide such healthful exercise of the muscles as will
give them good appetites and enable them to enjoy rest and sleep. They
would not appreciate the mental feast which you in your kindness of
heart would set before them. Their training has been physical, and,
hence, their enjoyments must be of the same nature. The same rules that
apply to trained intellects will not apply to them."
"If that is your opinion," I said, "there is no use for any suggestions
from me. You are the owner and senior officer of the Ice King, and, of
course, good discipline demands that your will shall be law. You ought
to understand the material of which your crew is composed, better than
I. My duties have not brought me in contact with your sailors and, of
course, I know practically nothing about them, except that I see they
are courageous and efficient. But, nevertheless, on general principles,
I believe that nature has planted the germs of all that is good and
noble in every human soul, and if this is true, all that is good and
noble can be developed in them by the proper influences, without
detracting in any way from their usefulness as mere workers; besides,
the effort to elevate them draws them nearer to us, and it seems to me,
would tend to engender feelings of mutual love and confidence, that
strengthen instead of weaken that perfect discipline which is of such
inestimable importance to an expedition like this, when the safety and
well-being of every individual member is of vital importance to the
safety and well being of the entire crew."
"I have always had the respect and confidence of my sailors," said the
Captain, "not because I tried to lift them up to the same plane that I
occupied, but because I provided them with good food, good quarters,
never overtaxed their strength, and gave them ample time for rest
and such amusements as they could appreciate. I have always had the
good-will and cheerful obedience of the common sailors, because I
looked out for their physical needs and treated them kindly."
"I have no doubt of that," I said. "But your voyages in the past have
been between civilized ports and all your sailors wanted was their
pay, and in addition to this, you gave them better treatment than they
could get elsewhere. Hence, their selfish impulses held them to you.
The relation between you and them was purely physical, and all that was
needed to make them loyal to you, was to look out for their physical
wants and treat them kindly. From their standpoint, this was an
addition to their wages that they could not secure under more heartless
employers. But you are now differently situated. You are not expected
to come into a civilized port where sailors can spend their wages as
sailors usually do. They have nothing to look forward to, and as mere
workers they have no interests in common with you. But with the broader
views of life to which association with the best intellects and the
noblest characters gives access, they would take a more exalted view of
the work in which they are engaged, and be true to you from a higher
motive than their wages, which they cannot use in the supply of their
physical wants. This is why I suggested the school."
"I recognize the force of your reasoning," said the Captain, "and if I
regarded your premises as correct, I would come to the same conclusion
that you do. But you make the mistake of overlooking the fact that a
liberal education can only be secured by years of training in school,
from the kindergarten to the college, and should be accompanied by the
elevating influences of the home and cultured society, and followed by
a life of study and experience in the higher walks of life, before
the average man can be reasonably expected to rise above the plane of
mere physical existence, and act from the high intellectual and moral
impulses which impel the most cultivated and elevated characters. And,
you must still further take into consideration the fact, that even if
we were imprisoned in the ice for a year or more, we would have time
enough to give our sailors only a smattering of what they ought to
know, in order to develop the high type of character that you propose,
even if we could overcome the influence of their home lives and the low
social status of the society in which they have always mingled. You
do not realize, my dear Jack, the utter impossibility of the task you
would have us undertake. They must still be sailors and perform the
hard labor for which they were engaged, and we should be careful not
to engender in their minds hopes and aspirations that would make them
dissatisfied with their lot."
"I certainly would not do anything," I replied, "that would tend to
make them discontented. This is something that should be most carefully
avoided. But, nevertheless, I still think my suggestion, if carried
out, would have just the opposite tendency. From my own experience,
I regard my premises as stronger than my reasoning. I enjoyed all
the advantages of a liberal education and the elevating influence
of home and cultured society, and still, I have engaged in the most
menial employments. Yet, I did not find that my education rendered me
dissatisfied with my lot. On the contrary, it did much to enable me to
adapt myself to the situation, and to find sources of enjoyment which
were inaccessible to my uneducated associates. But, more than this, my
experience among the lowly, convinces me that a collegiate education
is not essential to the development of the noblest characteristics. I
have met sailors before the mast, who had accumulated a vast fund of
useful knowledge, and had the broadest and most comprehensive views of
life, and its duties. The premises from which I reason, are the results
of actual experience with the lowly."
"I fear," returned the Captain, "that in your enthusiastic love for
humanity, you have made the very natural mistake of judging the
uneducated by yourself. I do not desire to flatter, but you have
certainly inherited qualities of a high order, and a temperament so
well poised, that you could acquit yourself with credit in any capacity
in which you might be placed. Your employers could not fail to discover
your worth, and according to your own statement, you were rapidly
promoted. This is the ordinary reward of those who have inherited
exalted qualities. Real ability never remains very long in a menial
position. The simple fact that our sailors, who are much above the
average of their class, have, after years of experience, still remained
in the same humble position, is a very good evidence that they are not
qualified for anything higher. There are Lief and Eric, for instance.
They have been with me for several years, and they have not even tried
to master the language. As mere sailors, you could not find better
men, but you would never select them for an emergency that required
extraordinary quickness of perception, and the ability to lead."
I was about to reply, feeling myself master of the situation, so far
as the argument was concerned, when a crashing sound from above, and
a careening motion of the ship brought us to our feet. On gaining the
deck the cause of the commotion was immediately apparent. The ship was
moving toward the starboard, and was being forced under the shelving
ice. The crashing sound had been caused by the masts coming in contact
with the sloping, icy roof. The masts were closely wedged under the
roof and could go no farther, while the hull was still being carried
forward by what seemed to be a strong ocean current. The situation
was one of imminent peril, for if this motion continued, we were in
immediate danger of being capsized. The ship was already careening
toward the larboard.
The top could go no farther, while the hull was too far from the solid
ice to admit of the use of pikes and spars to prop it back.
Battell was calling for axes to cut away the masts, when a shout from
the larboard wall of our prison, attracted our attention. By the light
of the reflectors we saw Lief, on a low lying bench of ice making a
cable fast around an ice hummock, and at the same time we heard the
voice of Eric calling for aid at the capstan on the lower deck. We saw
instantly that this was the thing to do, and Captain Ganoe, Battell,
Huston and myself were the first to take hold of the lever. Eric
immediately motioned for the men who were coming forward with axes to
man another capstan, while he seized a coil of small rope attached to
a cable, sprang into the sea and swam rapidly to join Lief on the ice
bench. The axmen hesitated for a moment and Captain Ganoe shouted:
"Man the capstan! The Norwegians know what they are doing."
With remarkable celerity, the new cable was made fast and the men
began turning the capstan. This was not a moment too soon, as the
first cable, unable to stand the strain, showed unmistakable signs of
breaking. The motion of the vessel toward the starboard and under the
ice was stopped. But the Norwegians now called for a boat and more
cables. Their orders were promptly obeyed. Captain Ganoe, Battell and
myself were the first to respond. For the moment, our Norwegian sailors
were in command, and all obeyed their orders with alacrity. The boat
was manned and the Ice King was lashed to the larboard wall of our
prison at a number of different points. The ship was saved from the
impending disaster, but still was slightly careened and the masts were
bent almost to the point of breaking.
Returning to the ship, Captain Ganoe and Battell began figuring on
getting the masts clear of the ice and the ship righted. The pressure
of the water on the larboard side was immense, but the cables held
her fast and there was no especial need of haste. The first thought
suggested was to remove the upper splice of the mainmast, which would
relieve the pressure, but the Norwegians had evolved a more simple
plan. They motioned the engineer to set the screws in motion, slowly.
As soon as the ship began to move forward the masts began to bend
toward the stern, and the cables which held the ship firmly on the
larboard, being relatively shortened by the forward motion, the vessel
was drawn in that direction and righted herself. We now moved the
vessel to the center of the enclosure in which she floated, and cables
were made fast to the ice on every quarter, and thus secured from
contact with it, the Ice King had the appearance of a huge spider with
its web spread out in every direction.
The danger was past, the ship was safe, and we had time to inquire into
the particulars concerning the important part that had been enacted by
our two Norwegian sailors. We now learned that while the entire crew,
except themselves, were resting from their recent fatigue in a feeling
of security, Lief and Eric were far from believing that our winter
quarters were entirely safe until the ship was securely tied up to the
walls of our prison. Their especial charge was to keep the cables,
capstans and anchors ready for use at a moment's notice, and they were
satisfied that this was a time when they were needed. Hence, instead
of retiring to their hammocks to sleep, they determined to carefully
examine our surroundings for themselves. They observed that the
larboard wall was nearly perpendicular to a point several feet above
the top of the masts, while on the starboard, the sloping roof extended
far out to the water's edge. They further observed that along the
larboard was a low lying bench upon which the falling ice had formed a
number of hummocks. This was a safe place to tie to.
Just as they had satisfied themselves on this point, they noticed that
the ship was drifting toward the starboard, and that the masts were
coming dangerously near the roof, and that in a few minutes we might
be capsized. There was not a moment to be lost. This motion toward the
starboard must be arrested, and Lief, with one end of a coil of small
rope, sprang into the water and swam to the bench along the larboard
wall while Eric attached the other end to a cable. But before it could
be made fast to the larboard wall the masts came in contact with
the sloping roof on the starboard which gave the alarm that aroused
the crew and brought the officers on deck with the results already
mentioned.
Captain Ganoe was visibly affected when he learned how the ship and the
lives of the crew had been saved by the quick perception and prompt
action of the two sailors. He shook their hands and thanked them over
and over again, declaring that such all-important service should not
go unrewarded. They understood his allusion and declared in their
very limited supply of English that they could not be induced to take
pay from the Captain for saving the ship and at the same time saving
themselves. That we must all stand together or we would all perish.
As soon as they had succeeded in making themselves understood, they
withdrew. As a rule they kept to themselves, except when their services
were needed. Yet they were not unsociable and often conversed with the
engineer, Paul Huston, who understood their language. When they had
an important communication to make, they secured his services as an
interpreter. They seemed averse to the use of English.
When they were gone Captain Ganoe said: "I little thought that Lief
and Eric possessed ability of such a high order, and since I have
discovered their true nobility of character, I am more than ever
anxious that they should study English, as it would enable me to do so
much more for them."
"You little understand the material of which these Norwegians are
made," said Huston, who was standing by. "They do not want you to do
anything for them. They feel more than able to take care of themselves.
They have not always been sailors, but that occupation suits their
purpose best for the present. They are looking forward to great results
that may be accomplished by this expedition, and they care more for its
success than for anything you could do for them. As to the language,
they already understand more than they care to use. They are proud of
their native Norse."
"You astonish me!" exclaimed the Captain. "I must get better acquainted
with them."
"Then," said Huston, "you must learn their language, and even then
they may repel any familiarity. They preferred working for you because
you did not understand their language. They do not care to be on
confidential terms with anyone. When they found that I understood them,
they became somewhat communicative but not confidential. Yet, I have
learned enough to make me believe they have a history, and some well
defined purpose in life. I would not think, however, of trying to draw
from them anything that they did not care to give of their own accord.
One thing is certain. You can place implicit confidence in their
courage, ability, nobility of character and fidelity to the purposes of
this expedition."
"Well, thanks to their watchfulness, quick perception and prompt
action," said Captain Ganoe, "we can now have the much needed rest we
tried to enjoy before we had taken the precautions essential to our
safety. I am surprised that we did not think of the possible dangers
that might beset us from ocean currents. My only fear was that some
disturbing cause might sunder the walls of our prison before they were
frozen solid. And, even now, I have some fears on that score."
"No danger of that kind," replied Battell. "Several hours have already
elapsed, and the weather was intensely cold before the channel closed.
Just listen how the storm still rages."
Through the rifts in our ice roof, we had been enabled to catch
glimpses of the sky, but now it was all inky blackness. The gale that
had brought the two great ice-fields together, had now grown to a
terrific storm, and had changed its direction. The winds roared and
raged like demons in mortal combat, and ever and anon the snow was
driven in upon us like fine dust, indicating the intense cold. We,
now that the ship was safe, had the best of reasons for congratulating
ourselves on our snug winter quarters. Our icy prison was both our
safety from the violence of the storm, and our protection from the
intense cold. We partook of a hearty lunch and retired to our rest with
feelings of perfect security.
When I awoke everything was astir on board. The carpenters were
busily engaged in repairing the broken deck, while the sailors were
removing the ice and snow. Everything was being put in order as if
we were preparing for a voyage. The storm had ceased to howl and we
were in the grasp of an Arctic winter. Even in our secluded retreat,
it was necessary for us to wrap up in furs and woolens when we went
on the upper deck. But our cabins were warm and we had an abundance
of everything to eat and wear to make us comfortable. The ice-field
was frozen into a solid block, and there was no question as to our
safety, but we had no means of making observations that would indicate
our location. This to me, was the loss of an occupation that I really
enjoyed and I felt the need of something that would take its place.
We were imprisoned in the ice on September 23d, and from my last
observations I inferred that our location was about latitude 77° North
and longitude 160° West. The sun made his appearance for a brief
interval each day, and I calculated that the long Arctic night would
be fully set in by the last of October. The rifts in the roof of our
prison afforded us no opportunity for determining our location. Our
recent danger had revealed the fact that we were moving. We tried the
sounding line and found that we were in deep water, and that our motion
was evidently due to the motion of the ice-field. We were floating
at the mercy of the winds and ocean currents. But whither would they
carry us? None could tell. Assuming, however, that the currents were
north-bound, and reasoning from the fact that the motion of the earth
was from west to east, the tendency being, as it were, to slip from
under us, we concluded that as long as the ice was floating freely, our
general motion would be toward the west and north.
For the present we were safe and comfortable with the ship securely
fastened to the solid walls of our prison. But we knew summer would
come, and the warm rays of the sun would beam down on us for months,
melting and breaking up the frozen surface of the ocean which was now
our security, but might then become the cause of our destruction.
Our future safety, and the success of the expedition, demanded that
we should have easy access to the surface, so that we could make the
necessary observations, and, if possible, find some means of providing
for the safety of the ship and crew when the ice went to pieces. This
was the task before us, but we had no means of calculating the time
it would take. All we knew was, that the two ice mountains by coming
together had formed a roof over our heads, and towered many feet above
the ship's masts, and if their other dimensions were in proportion, it
might take a long time for us to tunnel through to the surface.
We felt that there was no time to lose. All needful arrangements were
soon perfected under the direction of Battell, who took charge as
engineer and manager. The ice-bench on our larboard was selected as the
point of starting. The crew was divided into three reliefs, each with a
foreman, and the work of excavation went on without intermission. This
arrangement gave eight hours for work in the tunnel, and sixteen for
rest and recreation.
I again suggested my "pet hobby" as it was called, of organizing the
crew into a school and devoting a few hours each day to educational
purposes. But I was alone in the recommendation, and it was not acted
on, but the library was free to all who cared to read. I noticed,
however, that Paul Huston, Pat O'Brien and Mike Gallagher, were the
only ones who ever called for books, and Huston was the only one who
seemed to know just what he wanted. Lief and Eric had some Norwegian
books and writings which they often consulted, but all the others, when
not at work, spent their time in playing games, spinning yarns and
fishing.
As predicted by Battell, the enclosure in which the ship floated,
seemed to attract the finny denizens of the deep, supplying fresh food
for the crew and our dog teams, as well as oil which we used for fuel.
The library was the favorite resort of those who cared to read and
discuss topics of general interest. Here we spent our leisure hours,
reading, conversing upon subjects of every description and devising
amusements that would enable us to pass the time pleasantly. When tired
of these things we joined the working force in the tunnel and exercised
our muscles. This was a work of necessity, as well as a healthful
recreation, and we went into it with the utmost enthusiasm. We managed
to get comfortably tired every day, and enjoyed excellent appetites and
most refreshing sleep, in consequence. Altogether the winter passed
very agreeably.
It was well on toward spring before the tunnel was completed. We
now had access to the surface, up an easy incline, and beheld the
uninterrupted beauties of an Arctic night. The scene which greeted us
defies description. The sky was cloudless, and the Northern Lights,
with their brilliant corruscations, nature's compensation for the long
polar night, presented a pyrotechnic display, the grandeur and beauty
of which are indelibly impressed on my memory.
We took our bearings and found we were in latitude 84° N. longitude
170° W. We were seven degrees farther north than when we were caught in
the ice, and ten degrees farther west. We were plainly in the grasp of
north-bound currents, while our motion toward the west was uncertain.
Subsequent observations revealed the fact that at times our longitude
was stationary, or drifting somewhat toward the east. On the whole,
our westerly motion exceeded any opposite tendency, but our progress
northward was considerable though not regular, as if we were retarded
by obstructions which were being overcome at intervals by the force of
northerly currents.
It was now the 20th of Feb., and it was determined that the work of
exploration should commence. The dog-teams and sledges were brought
out and provisioned for a journey to the eastward under the direction
of Captain Battell. Captain Ganoe, Pat O'Brien, Mike Gallagher, Paul
Huston, the two Norwegian sailors and myself remained on the ship. The
sledge party was to be absent a month and possibly longer. Captain
Battell wanted to make some thorough observations on the eastern
borders of the ice-field, and take soundings if he could reach open
water.
We still had some weeks of Arctic night before us, but the full,
round moon and the brilliant Aurora, made every object visible for a
long distance. The weather was intensely cold, but the scenery was so
attractive that I spent much of my time exploring the ice-field in the
immediate vicinity of the ship. Many were the weird and fantastic
scenes that I sketched, and many the strolls I took in a vain effort
to find some prominent point from which with my glass I could get an
unobstructed view of the horizon. But like our prison in the ice,
all nature seemed cramped. The starry vault was contracted by the
obscuration of stars which I thought should have been visible above
the horizon. I kept searching for an elevated point of view, but this
seemed always just a little ahead. These rambles often extended for
miles and occupied hours.
Returning from one of them, I was met by Lief and Eric who pointed to
the crest of the mountain of ice that formed the roof of our prison,
and beckoned me to follow them. I did so and found that they had cut
an inclined road around the icy mountain to the apex, where they had
erected an observatory out of ice blocks. It was built over a rift
in the roof of our prison that was directly above the ice bench on
the larboard near the mouth of the tunnel. The wall at this point was
almost perpendicular, and with but little labor they were able to put
in an elevator, consisting simply of a platform secured by ropes, and
attached to a pulley inside the observatory.
They showed me what they had done, and to convince me that it was
entirely safe, they let themselves down on the elevator and raised
themselves up again, much as a painter handles his swinging scaffold,
but more rapidly. I was pleased with the contrivance, and more with the
interest taken by Lief and Eric in making arrangements to facilitate my
observations. I did not hesitate to take my place on the platform with
them and return to the ship by this direct route.
I now learned that as soon as the tunnel was completed, Lief and
Eric had found their way to the top of our prison, and seeing the
advantages that this elevation offered as an outlook, they conceived
the idea of an observatory on the top, to be connected with the ship
by an elevator. They took no one into their confidence but Huston, and
set to work immediately. In a little over two weeks they were ready to
put in the elevator which connected directly with the ship, and saved a
long walk by way of the tunnel. This work had just been completed and
they were enabled to give me a very unexpected but agreeable surprise
on my return from one of my usual rambles.
But it was no more of a surprise to me than it was to Captain Ganoe,
who was just starting out to the surface through the tunnel, when Lief,
Eric and myself came swinging down from the observatory on the platform
which constituted the cage. Lief who was handling the rope stopped our
descent just in time to prevent the platform from swinging against the
Captain, who looking up exclaimed:
"Hello, Jack! Where did you come from, and what is all this rigging
for?"
"Just ask Lief and Eric," I replied. "They have been looking out for a
more direct route to the surface than by way of the tunnel. They have
erected an observatory on the roof, and if you are going out for a
walk, you had better take the elevator."
"All right," said the Captain stepping on the platform, "but I would
suggest that you ought to have a light on board, to give warning in
this gloom to all whom it may concern, to get out of the way of the
engine."
"That can be provided for in the future," I said. "This is the first
trial and we find that it works all right. Now we are ready for such
improvements as you have to suggest. While the invention belongs to
our Norwegian friends, we have no patent laws in this country and hence
there can be no infringement. There is no restrictive legislation here
to stand in the way of progress."
"I think in view of all the facts," said the Captain, "that this matter
had better be left in the hands of the inventors. I have no doubt that
they are fully equal to the task, and they have free access to the
ship's stores for that purpose. It seems to me that the improvement
most needed is some contrivance that will counteract the swinging
motion, and no doubt Lief and Eric have a plan already that will
accomplish that."
We were now in the observatory and the view in every direction was most
satisfactory. This was by far the most elevated location anywhere in
the region, and Captain Ganoe cordially concurred in my suggestion to
fit it up in good shape for all the purposes of an observatory as well
as a resting place when the weather became warm. We carefully explored
the immediate vicinity and found that this towering mountain of ice
could be made accessible from both the east and west. Towards the north
and south it was easy to trace the seam where the ice walls had come
together, and along this line were numerous depressions of great depth.
When we were ready to return to the ship we found that Lief and Eric
had stretched ropes from the top to the bottom which passing through
the platform held it steady while passing up and down. They had also
devised a contrivance by which the elevator could be operated either
from above or below as occasion might require; also a telephone
connection between the observatory and the ship.
With this easy means of access to the surface, we seldom used the
tunnel except for the sledges, or the transportation of some heavy
burden. From this elevated point I watched with continually increasing
interest, the roseate hues on the horizon which indicated the location
of the rising sun. These grew brighter and brighter until the king of
day made his appearance. This was the signal for inflating the balloons
and sending up dispatches in the hope that they might be carried south
into civilized portions of the globe by the equinoctial storms. It
was also the time fixed for the return of Battell from his exploring
expedition on the eastern portion of the ice field. His observations,
in connection with my own, constituted our only means of accumulating
that fund of information concerning these unknown regions which would
make this expedition valuable to the world. Besides, our own safety
depended to a very great extent upon the accuracy of the knowledge we
could acquire concerning the forces which controlled the movements
of this vast island of ice. My relation to the scientific work of
the expedition, made me anxious to make the best possible use of our
present favorable opportunity for investigation.
During our long incarceration in our ice prison I had kept such
notes and made such observations as our environments would permit.
The movement of the ice field towards the west which at first had
threatened to draw us under the ice and capsize the ship, had lost
much of its force, and now that we were on the surface, and able to
trace the seam which marked the channel in which we had been moving,
we discovered that its general direction was from southeast to
northwest, while at the time we had been caught between the colliding
ice fields, we had according to my notes, been running northeast. This
demonstrated, that the entire body of ice had turned one quarter
around, while its general movement had been toward the west and north.
And now my daily observations indicated that it was continually
changing its position, and that while its motions were generally toward
the west, they were by no means uniform. It seemed to have been at
the mercy of contending forces ever since we had been held within its
grasp, and it was one of the prime objects of the expedition to make a
close study of just this kind of influences.
As soon as the sun began to show itself above the horizon, I kept a
constant lookout for the return of Captain Battell and his sledge
party. We knew that he had gone east, and that it was his intention
to commence the exploration of the western portion of the ice-field
before the sun was remaining above the horizon for the full twenty-four
hours. But the weather during the early spring was unfavorable and I
discovered nothing worthy of note. When the days became longer and with
the sun in the west, I expected to make some important discoveries with
my glass. And when I did get a clear view I was startled to observe
what seemed to be a barren waste of sand and sand mountains. I called
Captain Ganoe's attention to this appearance, and after a careful
scrutiny with his glass he said:
"That looks very much like land. The surface is certainly neither snow
nor ice. But where in the world did all that sand come from? I will
telephone Huston to bring a larger telescope and we will make a closer
examination."
In a few minutes Huston made his appearance and we placed the
instrument in position. With the stronger glass, our first impressions
as to the nature of the surface were confirmed but we discovered
nothing that offered any explanation of the phenomenon. Here was
a mystery and we were now more anxious than ever for the return of
Captain Battell, who we felt assured had made some very interesting
discoveries.
I continued to scan the horizon with the large telescope and my search
was soon rewarded by the discovery of a man who seemed to have just
reached the crest of what appeared to be a long sandy ridge running
north and south, but a few miles distant. He seemed to be assisting
others to reach the same position. Raising the instrument to its
highest powers I was enabled to recognize Captain Battell and several
sailors. They were hauling others up from the opposite side by means of
a rope, who as soon as they reached the top, took hold and helped to
raise others.
I described the scene and asked Captain Ganoe to look for himself. He
took in the situation at a glance and said;
"We must go to their assistance. The sledges and dog teams are
evidently on the opposite side and they must be lifted up as well as
the men," and turning to Huston he said: "Return to the ship. Summon
the entire crew. Explain the situation to the Norwegians, tell them to
get out the sledges immediately and take such appliances as they deem
necessary, and Jack and I will meet you at the foot of the mountain
on the east side. Make all haste possible as we must hurry to the
assistance of our comrades who are evidently nearly exhausted."