Proceed westward in a boat--Cheerless state of the western
sea--Struggles in Bellot Strait--Falcons, good Arctic fare--The
resources of Boothia Felix--Future sledge travelling--Heavy
gales--Hobson's party start--Winter quarters--Bellot
Strait--Advanced depôt established--Observatories--Intense
cold--Autumn travellers--Narrow escape.
{PROCEED WESTWARD IN A BOAT.}
Most anxious to know the real state of the ice in the western sea--upon
which our hopes so entirely depend--I intend starting this evening by
boat, as far through Bellot Strait as the ice will permit, then land and
ascend the western coast-hills.
{SEPT., 1858.}
_1st Sept._--My boat party consisted of four men and the doctor, who
came with me for the novelty of the cruise, bringing his camera to
fasten upon any thing picturesque. We landed near Half-way Island, and
pitched our tent for the night. Early next morning I commenced the
rather formidable undertaking of ascending the hills, for it is not
possible to pass under the cliffs, and at last I gained the summit of
the loftiest, overlooking Cape Bird at a distance of 3 or 4 miles, and
affording a splendid view to the westward, as well as glimpses between
the hills of the blue eastern sea. Long and anxiously did I survey
the western sea, ice, and lands, and could not but feel that in all
probability we should not be permitted to pass beyond our present
position.
[Illustration: M'Clintock in his Boat sailing through Bellot Strait.]
{FOUR RIVER POINT.}
To the northward Four River Point--Sir James Ross' farthest in 1849--was
at once recognized; rather more than nine years ago I stood upon it with
him, and gazed almost as anxiously in this direction! My present view
confirmed the impression then received, of a wide channel leading
southward. The outline of the western land is very distant; it is of
considerable but uniform elevation, and slopes gradually down to the
strait, which is between 30 and 40 miles wide. This western land appears
to be limestone, and without off-lying islands. Our side of the strait
or sea, on the contrary, is primary rock, and fringed with islets and
rocks; its southern extreme bears S.S.W., and is probably 30 miles
distant.
Now for the ice. Although broken up, it lies against this shore in
immense fields: there is but little water or room for ice-movement.
Along the west shore I can distinguish long faint streaks of water.
There is no appearance of disruption about Four River Point or in the
contracted part of Peel Strait--we have nothing to hope for in that
quarter; neither is there any evidence of current or pressure; the ice
appears much decayed, but, as I am surveying it from a height of about
1600 feet, I may be deceived.
{CHEERLESS STATE OF WESTERN SEA.}
The strong contrast between the eastern and western seas and lands is
very unfavorable to the latter.
Apart from the ice, I was fortunate, however, in discovering a long
narrow lake, occupying a valley which lies between a small inlet near
Cape Bird and Hazard Inlet--in fact, a sort of echo of Bellot
Strait--and I look upon it as our sledge route for the autumn, since it
appears probable we shall winter in our present position.
This is a _wonderous rough_ country to scramble over; one never ceases
to wonder how such huge blocks of rock can have got into such strange
positions. I noticed two masses in particular, each of them perched upon
three small stones. The rock is gneiss; there is also much granite. Even
upon the hill-tops pieces of limestone are occasionally met with.
My walk occupied eleven hours, and, although I everywhere saw traces of
animals, the only living thing seen was a grey falcon. During my absence
from the tent the men rambled all over the hills, but saw no game, our
encampment was therefore shifted to a better position near the eastern
termination of the table-land. This morning we explored the neighboring
valleys; saw three deer, and shot one, returning on board the 'Fox' in
time for dinner.
Many deer had been seen not far from the ship, and Hobson had shot a
bearded seal. I have organized another boat party; Young will start
with it to-morrow morning to seek a sledge route from the southern angle
of Brentford Bay to the western sea.
_5th._--Young returned this morning; he reports the south-west angle of
the bay not to run in so far as we expected, and to be environed by very
high land, impracticable for sledges.
Our Esquimaux, Samuel, shot a fawn to-day.
Strong northerly winds have latterly prevailed; Bellot Strait is quite
clear of ice; to-morrow morning, therefore, we shall make our _fifth_
attempt to get the 'Fox' through.
{STRUGGLES IN BELLOT STRAIT.}
_6th._--Steamed through the clear waters of Bellot Strait this morning,
and made fast to the ice across its western outlet at a distance of two
miles from the shore, and close to a small islet which we have already
dubbed _Pemmican Rock_, having landed upon it a large supply of that
substantial traveller's fare, with other provisions for our future
sledging-parties. This ice is in large stout fields, of more than one
winter's growth, apparently immovable in consequence of the numerous
islets and rocks which rise through and hold it fast. If the weather
permits, we shall remain here for a few days and watch the effect of
winds and tides upon it; that the ship will get any further seems
improbable.
_10th._--I have explored a small inlet near Cape Bird, which we have
named _False Strait_, from its striking resemblance to the true one,
and find it is only separated from the long lake by half a mile of low
land; the lake we have ascertained to be about 12 miles long, and from
it valleys extend eastward and southward, so that we are sure of a good
sledge-route,--an important matter, as the hills rise to 1600 feet above
the sea.
{CAPE BIRD.}
Cape Bird is 500 feet high; from its summit we carefully observe the
ice. This granite coast presents a jagged appearance; it is deeply
indented and studded with islets. The ice in the western sea (or Peel's
Strait) is much more broken up than it was upon the 31st ultimo; there
is no longer any fixed ice except within the grasp of the islets. Birds
and animals have become very scarce; three seals have been shot, and a
bear seen. To-morrow we shall return to our harbor, and endeavor to
procure a few more reindeer before they migrate southward.
_12th._--Yesterday we anchored within the entrance of our creek, being a
more convenient position than up at its head. We are already in our
wintering position, and, being without occupation, one day seems most
remarkably like another! Although the fondly cherished hope of pushing
farther in our ship can no longer be entertained, yet as long as the
season continues navigable it is our duty to be in readiness to avail
ourselves of any opportunity, however improbable, of being able to do
so.
{FALCONS GOOD ARCTIC FARE.}
Once firmly frozen in, our autumn travelling will commence, and afford
welcome occupation. Almost all on board have guns; ammunition is
supplied, and a sailor with a musket is a very contented and zealous
sportsman, if not always a successful one; it is a powerful incentive to
exercise. To-day the ramblers saw only two hares, an ermine, and an owl.
Some peregrine falcons have lately been shot; Petersen declares they are
"_the best beef in the country, and the young birds tender and white as
chicken!_"
A few days ago a large cask of biscuit was opened, and a living mouse
discovered therein! it was small, but mature in years. The cask, a
strong watertight one, was packed on shore at Aberdeen, in June, 1857,
and remained ever afterwards unopened; there was no hole by which the
mouse could have got in or out, besides it is the only one ever seen on
board. Ship's biscuit is certainly _dry feeding_, but who dares assert,
after the experience of our mouse, that it is not wonderfully
nutritious?
_15th._--Two nights ago a comet was observed just beneath the
constellation of the Great Bear; a series of measurements were commenced
for determining its path. Yesterday I walked through the most promising
valleys for eight hours, but did not see a living creature; yet there is
a very fair show of vegetation, much more than at Melville Island, where
the game is abundant. To the east there is not a speck of ice,
excepting only a huge iceberg, probably the same we saw off Fury Point,
a very unusual visitor from Baffin's Bay, whence it must have been
driven by those long-continued east winds (of painful memory) in June
and July.
Hobson and two men encamped out for three days in order to scour the
country; they have only seen one hare and one lemming! Walker
geologizes; amongst other things he finds much iron pyrites. The dredge
has been used, but with very little success. The thermometer ranges
between 20° and 30°. Fresh water pools are frozen over, sea-ice forms in
every sheltered angle of the creeks. There is no snow upon the land, and
this is one cause of the difficulty of finding game.
{PORT KENNEDY.}
I have determined upon naming this beautiful little anchorage _Port
Kennedy_, after my predecessor, the discoverer of Bellot Strait, of
which it is decidedly _the_ port. This is not a compliment to him, but
an agreeable duty to me, and nowhere could Mr. Kennedy's name be more
appropriately affixed than in close proximity with his interesting
discovery. And now having made this acknowledgment, I may venture to
confer our little vessel's name upon the islets which protect its
entrance.
The island upon which Mr. Kennedy and Lieutenant Bellot encamped was
Long Island, about three miles further to the south-east.
{FUTURE SLEDGE TRAVELLING.}
_17th._--Of late we have been preparing provisions and equipments for
our travelling parties. My scheme of sledge search comprehends three
separate routes and parties of four men; to each party a dog-sledge and
driver will be attached; Hobson, Young, and I will lead them.
My journey will be to the Great Fish River, examining the shores of King
William's Land in going and returning; Petersen will be with me.
Hobson will explore the western coast of Boothia as far as the magnetic
pole, this autumn, I hope, and from Gateshead Island westward next
spring.
Young will trace the shore of Prince of Wales' Land from Lieutenant
Browne's farthest, to the south-westward to Osborn's farthest, if
possible, and also examine between Four River Point and Cape Bird.
Our probable absence will be sixty or seventy days, commencing from
about the 20th March.
In this way I trust we shall complete the Franklin search and the
geographical discovery of Arctic America, both left unfinished by the
former expeditions; and in so doing we can hardly fail to obtain some
trace, some relic, or, it may be, important records of those whose
mysterious fate it is the great object of our labors to discover. But
previous to setting forth upon these important journeys, I must
communicate with the Boothians, if possible, either upon the west or
east coast, in November or February. Sir John Ross' 'Narrative' informs
us that they sometimes winter as far north upon the east coast as the
Agnew River; and we know that upon the west, at the magnetic pole, their
abandoned snow-huts were occupied in June by Sir James Ross.
{STEAM THROUGH BELLOT STRAIT.}
_19th._--Yesterday we steamed once more through Bellot Strait, and took
up our former position at the ice-edge, off its western entrance; the
ice, hemmed in by islets has not moved.
From the summit of Cape Bird I had a very extensive view this morning:
there is now much water in the offing, only separated from us by the
belt of islet-girt ice _scarcely four miles in width_! My conviction is
that a strong east wind would remove this remaining barrier; it is not
yet too late. The water runs parallel to this coast, and is four or five
miles broad; beyond it there is ice, but it appears to be all broken up.
Yesterday Young went upon a dog-sledge to the nearest south-western
island, distant 7 or 8 miles. He reports the intervening ice cracked and
weak in some places, but practicable for loaded sledges; the far side of
the island is washed by a clear sea, and a bear which he shot plunged
into it, and, drifting away, was lost. Young is in favor of carrying out
the depôt provisions to or beyond this island by boat; but as the
temperature fell to 18° last night, and new ice forms wherever it is
calm, I prefer the safer, although more laborious mode of sledging;
accordingly to-day our dogs carried out two sledge-loads of the
provisions intended for the use of our parties hereafter.
_22nd._--All the provisions have now been carried out to the nearest
island, which I shall temporarily name _Separation_,[17] as there our
spring parties will divide; and a portion intended for Hobson's party
and my own has been carried on to the next island 7 or 8 miles further.
Our travelling boat and a small reserve depôt have been placed upon
Pemmican Rock, so already something has been done. Animal life is very
scarce; a few seals, an occasional gull, and three brown falcons, are
the only creatures we have seen for several days past. Last evening at
eight o'clock a very vivid flash of lightning was observed; its
appearance in these latitudes is very rare; once only have I seen it
before--in September, 1850.
{HOBSON'S PARTY START.}
_25th._--Saturday night. Furious gales from N. and S.W., but our barrier
of coast-ice remains undiminished. This morning Hobson set off upon a
journey of fourteen or fifteen days' duration, with seven men and
fourteen dogs; he is to advance the depôts along shore to the south, and
if successful will reach latitude 71°.
The temperature is mild (+17), but it is snowy and disagreeable weather;
there is already enough snow upon the old ice to make walking laborious,
and the land has also assumed its wintry complexion.
_28th._--The ship was kept available for prosecuting her voyage up to
the _latest hour_; it was only yesterday that we left the western ice,
and in consequence of the vast accumulation of young ice in Bellot
Strait we had considerable difficulty in reaching the _entrance_ of Port
Kennedy: all within was so firmly frozen over that after three hours'
steaming and working we only penetrated 100 yards; however, we are in an
excellent position, although our wintering place will be farther out by
a quarter of a mile than I intended.
{WINTER QUARTERS.}
To-day we are unbending sails and laying up the engines--uncertainty no
longer exists--here we are compelled to remain; and if we have not been
as successful in our voyaging as a month ago we had good reason to
expect, we may still hope that Fortune will smile upon our more humble,
yet more arduous, pedestrian explorations--"Hope on, hope ever." In the
mean time the sudden transition, from mental and physical wear and tear,
to the security and quiet of winter quarters, is an immense relief.
{OCT., 1858.}
{ERMINE HUNT.}
_2nd Oct._--M. Petersen has shot two very fine bucks; one is a
magnificent fellow, weighing 354 lbs. (minus the paunch). Several deer
have been seen; they come from the N. along the slopes of the eastern
hills. An ermine came on board a few nights ago and kept the dogs in a
violent state of excitement, being much too wary to come out from under
the boat to be caught by them; at length one of the men secured it. This
beautiful little animal does not appear to be full grown; its extreme
length is 13 inches. Two others came off to the ship, and to our great
amusement eluded the men who gave chase, by darting into the soft
snow--which is now a foot deep--and re-appearing several yards off.
The weather is too mild to satisfy us; we wish for severe frost to seal
us up securely, and make the ice strong enough to bear the sledge-loads
of provisions, etc., which are to be landed for the purpose of making
more room in the ship.
{HOBSON'S PARTY RETURNED.}
_6th._--A herd of a dozen reindeer crossed the harbor to-day. Last night
Hobson and his companions returned, all well. They were stopped by the
sea washing against the cliffs in latitude 71-1/2°, and to that point
they have advanced the depôts. Although the weather has been stormy
here, they have been able to travel every day. They found the coast
still fringed with islets, and deeply indented; upon every point,
moss-grown circles of stones indicated the abodes of Esquimaux in times
long since gone by.
One night they muzzled a dog, as she was in the habit of gnawing her
harness: in this defenceless state, unable even to bark and arouse the
men, her _amiable_ sisterhood attacked her so fiercely that she died
next day!
In honor of so important and successful a commencement of our
travelling, as that accomplished by Hobson, we had a feast of good
venison, plum pudding, and grog. It is quite evident that no more
travelling can be accomplished until the ice forms a pathway alongshore;
in this, as in some other respects, we anxiously await the advance of
the season. The weather is mild; Bellot Strait is almost covered with
ice, which drifts freely with every tide. Reindeer are seen almost
daily; they too are awaiting the freezing over of the sea to continue
their southern travels. Our harbor-ice is weak and covered a foot deep
with a sludgy compound of snow and water.
_8th._--Yesterday an ermine was caught in a trap; hitherto these most
active little skirmishers have successfully robbed our fox-traps of
their baits as fast as they could be renewed. To-day Petersen shot
another reindeer; it weighs 130 lbs.; many others were seen, also a
wolf. Sometimes a few ptarmigan are met with, but hares very rarely.
_12th._--Fine weather generally prevails. We have landed about 100
casks, all our boats, and much lumber, so we shall have abundance of
room on board. I enjoyed a long and exhilarating ramble upon snow-shoes
to-day; without them I could not have gone over half the distance--the
snow lies so deep and soft--but I only saw one reindeer.
_14th._--One of our magnetic observatories has been built; it stands
upon the ice, 210 yards S. (magnetic) from the ship, and is built of ice
sawed into blocks--there not being any suitable snow; it is just large
enough to hold the declinometer for hourly observations, to be noted
throughout the winter. The housings have been put over the ship already,
as Hobson will leave us again in a few days to advance his depôt and my
own to the vicinity of the magnetic pole if possible. I would also send
Young upon a similar duty, but the western sea cannot have frozen over
yet.
{FREQUENT GALES.}
_19th._--All the 17th a N.W. gale blew with fearful violence; yesterday
it abated, but not sufficiently to allow our party to start. This
morning Hobson got away with his nine men and ten dogs; his absence may
be from eighteen to twenty days. Autumn travelling is most disagreeable;
there is so much wind and snow, the latter being soft, deep, and often
wet; the sun is almost always obscured by mist, and is powerless for
warmth or drying purposes, and the temperature is vary variable.
Moreover there are now only eight hours of misty daylight. To-day the
morning was fine, and temperature +8°. Having completed the preliminary
observations of the times of horizontal and vertical vibrations, also
of the magnetic intensity, I set up to-day the declinometer, and
commenced the hourly series of observations on the diurnal variation. I
trust it may continue unbroken until we all set out upon our spring
travels in March. A hare has been shot, but no other animals seen.
{ANOTHER OBSERVATORY BUILT.}
_29th._--It generally blows a gale of wind here; the only advantage in
return for so much discomfort is that the snow is the more quickly
packed hard. As we have only three working men and an Esquimaux left on
board for ship's duties, I was assisted a few days ago by the doctor,
the engineer, and the interpreter, in building another observatory,
intended for certain monthly magnetic observations. This edifice is
constructed of snow. Whenever we have a calm night we can hear the
crushing sound of the drift-ice in Bellot Strait, which continues open
to within 500 yards of the Fox Islands, and emits dark chilling clouds
of hateful, pestilent, abominable mist.
[Illustration: Interior of the Observatory.]
The last two days have been very fine and calm: the men visited their
fox and ermine traps, which are secreted amongst the rocks in a most
mysterious manner--one ermine only has been taken. Seven or eight
reindeer and some ptarmigan were seen; two of the latter and a hare were
shot. We have commenced brewing sugar beer.
{NOV., 1858.}
_2nd Nov._--Very dull times. No amount of ingenuity could make a diary
worth the paper it is written on. An occasional raven flies past, a
couple more ptarmigan have been shot: another N.W. gale is blowing, with
temperature down to -12°.
_6th.--Saturday Night._ The N.W. gale blew without intermission for
seventy hours, the temperature being about -15°: we hoped that our
absent shipmates might be housed safely in snow-huts. This afternoon all
doubts respecting them were dispelled by their arrival in good health,
but they evidently have suffered from cold and exposure during their
absence of nineteen days. For the first six days they journeyed outward
successfully; on that night they encamped upon the ice; it was at
spring-tide, a N.E. gale sprang up, and blowing off shore detached the
ice and drifted them off! The sea froze over on the cessation of the
gale, and two days afterwards they fortunately regained the land near
the position from which they were blown off; they have indeed
experienced much unusual danger and suffering from cold.
{NARROW ESCAPE.}
As soon as they discovered that the ice was drifting off shore with
them, they packed their sledges, harnessed their dogs, and passed the
night in anxious watching for some chance to escape. When the ice got a
little distance off shore, it broke up under the influence of the wind
and sea, until the piece they were upon was scarce 20 yards in diameter;
this drifted across the mouth of a wide inlet[18] until brought up
against the opposite shore. The gale was quickly followed by an intense
frost, which in a single night formed ice sufficiently strong to bear
them in safety to the land, although it bent fearfully beneath their
weight.
{ADVANCED DEPÔTS.}
The depôts were eventually established in latitude 71°; beyond this
Lieutenant Hobson did not attempt to advance, not only because their
remaining provisions would not have warranted a longer absence, but
because the open sea was seen to beat against the next headland. They
have lived in tents only, and have not experienced the heavy gales so
frequent here, and which are probably due mainly to our position in
Bellot Strait, which performs the part of a funnel for both winds and
tides between the two seas.
That the western sea should still remain open argues a vast space
southward for the escape of the ice, and prevents our western party from
carrying across their depôt: the attempt to do so would be extremely
hazardous. We must only be stirring earlier in the spring. I am truly
thankful for the safe return of our travellers,--all this toil and
exposure of ten persons and ten dogs has only advanced the depôts 30
miles further--_i.e._, from 60 to 90 miles distant from the ship.
{EFFECT OF GALES.}
Hardly a particle of snow remains upon the harbor-ice, the recent gales
having swept it away; and the porch of my snow-hut has been fretted away
to a mere cobweb by the attrition of the snow-drift: the doctor and I
rebuilt it to-day. Three reindeer and a wolf have been seen.
FOOTNOTES:
[17] Subsequently named after my excellent friend A. Arcedeckne, Esq.,
Commodore of the Royal London Yacht Club.
[18] Named after Lord Wrottesley, in remembrance of the support given by
him to the expedition, his advocacy of it in the House of Lords, and of
the facilities granted me by the Royal Society--of which he was
President--for the pursuit of scientific observations.