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FRIDTJOF NANSEN
A Book for the Young
By
JACOB B. BULL
Translated
By the
Rev. Mordaunt R. Barnard
Vicar of Margaretting, Essex
One of the translators of Dr. Nansen's "Farthest North"
Boston, U.S.A.
D. C. Heath & Co., Publishers
1903
CONTENTS.
Chapter Page
I. Nansen's Boyhood--Education and Character 1
II. Youthful Adventures 14
III. Mountain-climbing in Winter 29
IV. Preparing for the Greenland Expedition 35
V. Sledging across Greenland 51
VI. Nansen's Marriage--A Strange Wedding-trip 73
VII. The Fram--Setting out for the Pole 82
VIII. The Ice Pressure--Hunting the White Bear 94
IX. Farthest North 109
X. Nansen Meeting Dr. Jackson in Franz Joseph Land 123
ILLUSTRATIONS.
Page
Map of Nansen's Polar Route Frontispiece
Store Froeen, Nansen's Birthplace 3
Nansen at Nineteen 21
Otto Sverdrup 43
Camp on the Drift Ice 47
East Greenland Esquimaux 56
Sledging Across Greenland 64
On the Way To Godthaab 68
Crew of the Fram 85
The Fram in an Ice Pressure 95
Nansen and Johansen Leaving the Fram 110
Meeting of Nansen and Jackson 125
FRIDTJOF NANSEN.
CHAPTER I.
Nansen's Birthplace and Childhood Home.--Burgomaster Nansen,
his Ancestor.--His Boyhood and Education.--Early Love of Sport
and Independent Research.
In West Aker, a short distance from Christiania, there is an old
manor-house called Store Froeen. It is surrounded by a large courtyard,
in the middle of which is a dovecot. The house itself, as well as the
out-houses, is built in the old-fashioned style. The garden, with its
green and white painted fence, is filled with fruit-trees, both old and
young, whose pink and snow-white blossoms myriads of bumblebees delight
to visit in springtime, while in autumn their boughs are so laden with
fruit that they are bent down under a weight they can scarcely support.
Close by the garden runs the Frogner River. Here and there in its
course are deep pools, while in other places it runs swiftly along,
and is so shallow that it can readily be forded. All around are to be
seen in winter snow-covered heights, while far away in the background
a dense pine forest extends beyond Frogner Saeter, [1] beyond which
again lies Nordmarken, with its hidden lakes, secret brooklets, and
devious paths, like a fairy-tale. And yet close by the hum of a busy
city life with all its varied sounds may be heard.
It was in this house that, on Oct. 10, 1861, a baby boy, Fridtjof
Nansen, was born.
Many years before this, on Oct. 9, 1660, two of Denmark's most powerful
men were standing on the castle bridge at Copenhagen eyeing each other
with looks of hatred and defiance. One of these, named Otto Krag, was
glancing angrily at Blaataarn (the Blue Tower) with its dungeons. "Know
you that?" he inquired of his companion, the chief burgomaster of the
city. Nodding assent, and directing his looks toward the church tower
of "Our Lady," in which were hung the alarm bells, the latter replied,
"And know you what hangs within yonder tower?"
Four days later the burghers of Copenhagen, with the burgomaster at
their head, overthrew the arrogant Danish nobles, and made Frederick
III absolute monarch over Denmark and Norway.
It needed unyielding strength and indomitable courage to carry out such
an undertaking, but these were qualifications which the burgomaster
possessed, and had at an early age learned to employ. When but sixteen
he had set out from Flensborg on an expedition to the White Sea in a
vessel belonging to his uncle, and had then alone traversed a great
portion of Russia. Four years later he commanded an expedition to
the Arctic Ocean, and subsequently entered the service of the Iceland
Company as captain of one of their ships.
When forty years of age he was made an alderman of Copenhagen, and
in 1654 became its chief burgomaster. During the siege of that city
in the war with Charles the Tenth (Gustavus), he was one of its most
resolute and intrepid defenders; and so when the power of the Danish
nobility was to be overthrown, it was he who took the chief part in
the movement.
This man, who was neither cowed by the inherited tyranny of the nobles,
nor daunted by the terrors of war or the mighty forces of nature,
was named Hans Nansen; and it is from him, on his father's side,
that Fridtjof Nansen descended.
Our hero's mother is a niece of Count Wedel Jarlsberg, the Statholder
[2] of Norway,--the man who in 1814 risked life and fortune to provide
Norway with grain from Denmark, and who did his share toward procuring
a free and equable union with Sweden.
Fridtjof Nansen grew up at Store Froeen, and it was not long before
the strongly marked features of his race became apparent in the fair,
shock-haired lad with the large, dark-blue, dreamy eyes.
Whatever was worthy of note, he must thoroughly master; whatever
was impossible for others, he must do himself. He would bathe in
the Frogner River in spring and autumn in the coldest pools; fish
bare-legged with self-made tackle in the swiftest foss; [3] contrive
and improve on everything pertaining to tools and implements, and
examine and take to pieces all the mechanical contrivances that came
in his way; often succeeding, frequently failing, but never giving in.
Once, when only three years old, he was nearly burned to death. He had
been meddling with the copper fire in the brewhouse, and was standing
in the courtyard busied with a little wheelbarrow. All at once his
clothes were on fire, for a spark, it seems, had lighted on them,
and from exposure to the air, burst out into flames. Out rushed the
housekeeper to the rescue. Meanwhile Fridtjof stood hammering away
at his barrow, utterly indifferent to the danger he was in, while the
housekeeper was extinguishing the fire. "It was quite enough for one
person to see to that sort of thing," he thought.
On one occasion he very nearly caused the drowning of his younger
brother in the icy river. His mother appeared on the scene as he was in
the act of dragging him up out of the water. She scolded him severely;
but the lad tried to comfort her by saying, that "once he himself
had nearly been drowned in the same river when he was quite alone."
Once or twice on his early fishing-excursions he managed to get the
fishhook caught in his lip, and his mother had to cut it out with
a razor, causing the lad a great deal of pain, but he bore it all
without a murmur.
The pleasures of the chase, too, were a great source of enjoyment to
him in his childish years. At first he would go out after sparrows and
squirrels with a bow and arrow like the Indian hunters. Naturally he
did not meet with much success. It then occurred to him that a cannon
would be an excellent weapon for shooting sparrows. Accordingly he
procured one, and after loading it up to the muzzle with gunpowder,
fired it off, with the result that the cannon burst into a hundred
pieces, and a large part of the charge was lodged in his face,
involving the interesting operation of having the grains of powder
picked out with a needle.
The system on which the Nansen boys were brought up at Store Froeen
was to inure them in both mind and body. Little weight was attached
to trivial matters. The mistakes they made they must correct for
themselves as far as possible; and if they brought suffering on
themselves they were taught to endure it. The principles of self-help
were thus inculcated at an early age--principles which they never
forgot in later days.
As Fridtjof grew up from the child into the boy, the two opposite
sides of his character became apparent,--inflexible determination,
and a dreamy love of adventure; and the older he grew, the more marked
did these become. He was, as the saying is, "a strange boy." Strong
as a young bear, he was ever foremost in fight with street boys,
whom he daily met between his home and school. When the humor took
him, especially if his younger brother was molested, he would fight
fiercely, though the odds were three or four to one against him. But
in general, he was of a quiet, thoughtful disposition.
Sometimes indeed he would sit buried in deep thought half an hour at a
time, and when dressing would every now and then remain sitting with
one stocking on and the other in his hand so long that his brother
had to call out to him to make haste. At table, too, he would every
now and then forget to eat his food, or else would devour anything
and everything that came in his way.
The craving to follow out his own thoughts and his own way thus
displayed itself in his early childhood, and he had not attained
a great age before his longing to achieve exploits and to test his
powers of endurance became apparent.
It began with a pair of ski [4] made by himself for use on the Frogner
hills, developed in the hazardous leaps on the Huseby [5] slopes,
and culminated in his becoming one of Norway's cleverest and most
enduring runners on ski. It began with fishing for troutlets in the
river, and ended with catching seals in the Arctic seas. It began
with shooting sparrows with cannons, and ended with shooting the
polar bear and walrus with tiny Krag-Joergensen conical bullets. It
began with splashing about in the cold pools of the Frogner river,
and ended in having to swim for dear life amid the ice floes of the
frozen ocean. Persevering and precise, enduring and yet defiant,
step by step he progressed.
Nothing was ever skipped over--everything was thoroughly learned and
put into practice. Thus the boy produced the man!
There was a certain amount of pride in Fridtjof's nature that under
different circumstances might have proved injurious to him. He was
proud of his descent, and of his faith in his own powers. But the
strict and wise guidance of his parents directed this feeling into
one of loyalty--loyalty toward his friends, his work, his plans. His
innate pride thus became a conscientious feeling of honor in small
things as well as great--a mighty lever, forsooth, to be employed in
future exploits.
Meanness was a thing unknown to Fridtjof Nansen, nor did he ever
cherish rancorous feelings in his breast. A quarrel he was ever ready
to make up, and this done it was at once and for all forgotten.
The following instance of his school-days shows what his disposition
was:--
Fridtjof was in the second class of the primary school. One day a new
boy, named Karl, was admitted. Now Fridtjof was the strongest boy in
the class, but the newcomer was also a stout-built lad. It happened
that they fell out on some occasion or other. Karl was doing something
the other did not approve of, whereupon Fridtjof called out, "You've
no right to do that."--"Haven't I?" was the reply, and a battle at
once ensued. Blood began to flow freely, when the principal appeared
on the scene. Taking the two combatants, he locked them up in the
class-room. "Sit there, you naughty boys! you ought to be ashamed of
yourselves," he said, as he left them in durance vile.
On his return to the class-room a short time afterward, he found the
two lads sitting with their arms around each other's neck, reading
out of the same book. Henceforth they were bosom friends.
As a boy Nansen possessed singular powers of endurance and hardiness,
and could put up with cold, hunger, thirst, or pain to a far greater
degree than other boys of his age. But with all this he had a warm
heart, sympathizing in the troubles of others, and evincing sincere
interest in their welfare,--traits of character of childhood's days
that became so strongly developed in Nansen the leader. Side by side
with his yearning to achieve exploits there grew up within his breast,
under the strict surveillance of his father, the desire of performing
good, solid work.
Here may be mentioned another instance, well worthy of notice:--
Fridtjof and his brother went one day to the fair. There were
jugglers and cake-stalls and gingerbread, sweets, toys, etc., in
abundance. In fine, Christiania fair, coming as it does on the first
Tuesday in February, was a very child's paradise, with all its varied
attractions. Peasants from the country driving around in their quaint
costumes, the townspeople loafing and enjoying themselves, all looking
pleased as they made their purchases at the stalls in the marketplace,
added to the "fun of the fair."
Fridtjof and his brother Alexander went well furnished with money; for
their parents had given them a dime each, while aunt and grandmamma
gave them each a quarter apiece. Off the lads started, their faces
beaming with joy. On returning home, however, instead of bringing
with them sweets and toys, it was seen that they had spent their money
in buying tools. Their father was not a little moved at seeing this,
and the result was that more money was forthcoming for the lads. But
it all went the same way, and was spent in the purchase of tools,
with the exception of a nickel that was invested in rye cakes.
More than one boy has on such an occasion remembered his father's and
mother's advice not to throw money away on useless things, and has
set out with the magnanimous resolve of buying something useful. The
difference between them and the Nansen boys is this: the latter not
only made good resolutions, but carried them out. It is the act that
shows the spirit, and boys who do such things are generally to be
met with in later days holding high and responsible positions.
Fridtjof was a diligent boy at school, especially at first, and passed
his middle school examination [6] successfully. He worked hard at
the natural sciences, which had a special attraction for him. But
gradually, as he rose higher in the classes, it was the case with him
as it is with others who are destined to perform something exceptional
in the world; that is, he preferred to follow out his own ideas--ideas
that were not always in accordance with the school plan. His burning
thirst after knowledge impelled him to devote his attention to what
lay nearest, and thoroughly to investigate whatever was most worthy
of note, most wonderful, and most difficult. High aspirations soon
make themselves apparent.
The mighty hidden forces of nature had a great attraction for him. He
and his friend Karl (who after their fight were inseparable),
when Fridtjof was about fifteen, one day got hold of a lot of
fireworks. These they mixed up together in a mortar, adding to
the compound some "new kinds of fluid" they had bought for their
experiment. Nature, however, anticipated them, for a spark happening
to fall on the mixture, it burst into flames.
Our two experimentalists thereon seized hold of the mortar and threw
it out of the window. It fell on the stones and broke into a thousand
pieces, and thus they gained the new experience,--how a new chemical
substance should not be compounded. The humorous whim, however, seized
them to blacken their hands and faces, and to lie on the floor as if
they were dead. And when Alexander entered the room, they made him
believe that the explosion had been the cause of it all. Thus, though
the experiment had failed, they got some amusement out of its failure.
Although Fridtjof had so many interests outside his actual school
studies, he was very diligent in his school work. In 1880 he took
his real artium, [7] with twenty-one marks in twelve subjects. In
natural science, mathematics, and history he had the best marks,
and in the following examination in 1881 he gained the distinction
of passing laudabilis prae ceteris.
Though brought up at home very strictly, for his father was extremely
particular about the smallest matters, yet his life must have possessed
great charm for him, spent as it was in the peaceful quiet of his
home at Store Froeen. If on the one hand his father insisted that he
should never shirk his duty, but should strictly fulfil it, on the
other he never denied him anything that could afford him pleasure.
This is evident from a letter Fridtjof Nansen wrote home during one
of his first sojourns among strangers. On writing to his father
in 1883 he dwells on the Christmas at home, terms it the highest
ideal of happiness and blessedness, dwells on the bright peaceful
reminiscences of his childhood and ends with the following description
of a Christmas Eve:--
"At last the day dawned,--Christmas Eve. Now impatience was at
its height. It was impossible to sit still for one minute; it was
absolute necessary to be doing something to get the time to pass,
or to occupy one's thoughts either by peeping through the keyhole to
try and catch a glimpse of the Christmas-tree with its bags of raisins
and almonds, or by rushing out-of-doors and sliding down the hills on
a hand-sleigh; or if there were snow enough, we could go out on ski
till it was dark. Sometimes it would happen that Einar had to go on
an errand into the town, and it was so nice to sit on the saddle at
the back of the sleigh, while the sleigh-bells tinkled so merrily,
and the stars glittered in the dark sky overhead.
"The long-expected moment arrived at last,--father went in to
light up. How my heart thumped and throbbed! Ida was sitting in
an armchair in a corner, guessing what would fall to her share;
others of the party might be seen to smile in anticipation of some
surprise or other of which they had got an inkling--when all at once
the doors were thrown wide open, and the dazzling brilliancy of the
lights on the Christmas-tree well nigh blinded us. Oh, what a sight
it was! For the first few minutes we were literally dumb from joy,
could scarcely draw our breath--only a moment afterward to give free
vent to our pent-up feelings, like wild things.... Yes--yes--never
shall I forget them--never will those Christmas Eves fade from my
memory as long as I live."
Reminiscences of a good home, of a good and happy childhood, are
the very best things a man can take with him amid the storms and
struggles of life; and we may be sure of this,--that on many a day
that has been beset with almost insurmountable difficulties, when his
powers were almost exhausted, and his heart feeling faint within,
the recollection of those early years at Store Froeen has more than
once recurred to Nansen's mind.
The peace and comfort of the old home, with all its dear associations,
the beloved faces of its inmates--these have passed before his mind's
eye, cheering him on in the accomplishment of his last tremendous
undertaking.