to a man of lockwood’s character, the return to the station did not mean that idleness was to be the order of the day, and while yet suffering from rheumatic pains in his back, shoulders, legs, feet, and joints, he began to mark out a trip for himself through lady franklin bay. in the mean time, some of the men were off trying to obtain fresh meat, frederick killing a hare and jans a seal weighing over five hundred pounds. kislingbury amused himself with a pet owl, which delighted him with a present of eggs. on the 9th of june, the people at the station celebrated the birthday of their companion long by a good dinner, and on the following day lockwood, accompanied by his friends brainard and frederick, started with a dog-train for his proposed tramp. they made their first halts at basil norris bay and at sun bay, and traveling over a level bed of what had once been a fiord, thence passed on to stony point, and then to miller’s island, where they encamped. although they saw a number of seals, they succeeded in killing only a couple of hares and a brace of brants. their next stopping-place was keppel’s head, the route being very wet, in fact, almost 195 a continuous lake. having nothing to wear but his moccasins, lockwood’s feet were saturated three minutes after starting, and became so cold that he thought they would freeze. the pools were sometimes so deep as to wet the load on the sledge. however, the dogs made good time, and they reached keppel’s head at 11 p. m. here the traveling became much better, and they were able to avoid a good many of the pools.
passing keppel’s head, they kept a sharp lookout for hillock depot, where lieutenant archer, r. n., had left a large number of rations. they searched for some time before finding any signs, but finally found the cache, and near by some pieces of united states hard bread, and a little bag of american tea. this was interesting, as proving that to have been the farthest that long attained, although he claimed to have reached the head of the fiord. the unpleasant task then devolved on lockwood of taking him down a peg or two. lieutenant archer was a week reaching this place, hillock depot, half-way up the fiord, which is about sixty miles long. the scenery is grand. high cliffs, generally nearly vertical, ran along the shores everywhere. whenever they looked inland they saw a lofty mass of snow-covered mountains. all this was so common, however, in all the region, that it was only when new that it was appreciated. lockwood and brainard had a good laugh at long’s expense, and then turned into the two-man summer sleeping-bag, made of two blankets, trimmed off so as to weigh no more than necessary, and inclosed 196 in another bag of light canvas. their breakfast consisted of corned beef, baked beans, tea, hard bread, and butter—a very fine repast. lockwood and brainard both thought that this kind of traveling did not pay on a “picnic” excursion, but, as they had started to go to the head of the fiord, they did not like to turn back. the ice promised to be worse on their return, and this, and lockwood’s lame foot, and the lameness of one of the dogs, decided him to return. leaving camp on return, they soon reached keppel’s head, and afterward basil norris bay, where they camped, and decided to remain a day or two and have a hunt for musk-oxen. mud, water, and “sludge,” as well as lockwood’s lameness, proved a drawback to his success; but frederick returned from his tramp, bringing along a quarter of a musk-ox, having killed two and wounded a third, he said. they seemed to have cost two dozen cartridges, and he had probably stood off at a distance and bombarded them.
brainard returned after him. he had been up the vale as far as the lake, and had seen a few geese and a rabbit. he brought back a “skua” bird and some esquimaux relics; had seen several circles of stone, marking the summer camps of these people, and picked up a good many bones, etc. all had something to eat, when the two started out with the dog-team for the musk-oxen killed by frederick. then came on a heavy rain, lasting for several hours, while the snow and ice were fast disappearing. this was the first rain they had seen in the country.
during their absence from the station, to which 197 they returned with their game, seven musk-oxen had been killed and four calves caught alive. the men had had an exciting time. the animals formed a hollow square with the calves inside, and did some charging before they were all down.
the calves had been put in a pen a short distance from the house, were very tame, and it was supposed little difficulty would be found in raising them. they ate almost anything.
on the 17th, lockwood expressed his feelings as follows: “i find myself oppressed with ennui, caused, i suppose, by the present monotonous existence following the activity of my life since the early spring.”
on the 22d of june, a “turn-stone” (a bird of the snipe species) and two or three ducks were shot. the little stream back of the house was babbling along at a great rate, the snow fast disappearing. temperature 44°, which was about as high as it was likely to be, the sun having reached its greatest northern declination, and the temperature not having gone above this during the previous august.
on the 24th, lieutenant greely and a party left for hazen lake and beyond, to visit the western coast of the country if possible. in the mean time, the dogs having attacked the young musk-oxen, came near killing one of them. the dog king and two others were found on top of “john henry,” the smallest of the calves, and, but for frederick happening to see them and going to the rescue, “john henry” would soon have surrendered his ghost.
during a walk on the 28th, lockwood found north 198 valley river quite full, and rushing along like a mountain-torrent. open water-pools were numerous near the shore. had a fine view from cairn hill, two thousand feet high, seeing extensive lanes of open water toward petermann’s fiord. weather delightful.
on the 1st of july they had the second rain of the season, and lockwood was gloomy; existence extremely monotonous; he was almost ashamed to confess how “blue” he felt. ducks and other fowl brought in almost daily; also esquimaux relics frequently brought in. men arrived from lieutenant greely’s party on lake hazen and reported all well there. he had found many interesting relics, and had seen large droves of musk-oxen—between two and three hundred—in black vale. on the 4th the men at the station celebrated the day by displays of flags, shooting and other matches, and a base-ball game. they succeeded in getting the lady greely afloat, and cross repaired pipes found to be out of order. they found that the flies were blowing their fresh meat badly. fearing that it might be lost, it was ordered to be served more frequently. long and ellis, who had returned from st. patrick’s bay, reported it as open.
lieutenant greely and party returned on the 10th from lake hazen. they had a good view westward for fifty miles from a mountain four thousand feet high; saw no sea, but many glaciers. found a large river entering the lake at its southwestern extremity.
lockwood took the launch down to dutch island, 199 giving all the men an excursion. but for entertainments of this sort he was afraid he should forget how to talk. the officers often went through a meal without exchanging a word; so also through the day. he could not say who was in fault.
loose ice was still filling the harbor and bay—paleocrystic floes that had floated in.
brainard and cross brought in eleven ducks killed at breakwater point, having to swim in order to get them.
weather now mild, ice in harbor much broken up, and channel outside open. lieutenant greely thought there was every reason for expecting a relief-ship soon. it was very desirable on many accounts that she should come. a false alarm of her approach created great excitement. some one said he saw her smoke in the distance.
the hunters brought in ducks or other game almost daily. a weasel was shot near the house—a beautiful little animal, yellow with black tail. dead wolves were sometimes found—probably those poisoned in the winter. brainard, cross, and ellis returned from beechy, where they killed three musk-oxen, two dozen geese, and some ducks.
lockwood occupied himself on his maps of the greenland coast, adding pictures of scenery from sketches taken en route.
jans, desiring to capture seals, tried to approach them by interposing a cotton screen. but the seal had too much sense to wait for him, and slipped off the ice into the water.
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on the 31st, lockwood measured some ice-floes aground in the harbor, finding them to be fourteen feet thick. he had seen many on his northern trip which, by nares’s rule of one seventh above water, would have been thirty-five to forty-five feet thick. of course, these were paleocrystic floes, the accumulation of years.
on the 7th of august, lockwood went with lieutenant greely and a party in the launch to cape lieber, finding the bay very free from ice. left near the cape some provisions for use in case of having to retreat next year in boats, a subject which, from the non-arrival of the ship, was then agitated. they got many esquimaux relics. the straits away down as far as franklin island and cape constitution, as seen from an elevation, were free from ice. they could see nothing to prevent the ship from coming. returned in the evening, landing at proteus point, because a large floe-berg had floated in during their absence and occupied their harbor.
lieutenant greely did not expect the ship before the 15th. many eyes were daily fixed on the bold profile of cape lieber, from behind whose rocky face she must emerge, if she came at all.
on the 13th, lockwood, with brainard, lynn, cross, ralston, and fredericks, started in the launch on an excursion up lady franklin bay to the head of archer fiord, having in tow the boat valorous with rice and crew as far as musk-ox bay. there they left rice and his boat and proceeded up the archer fiord, somewhat annoyed by scattered ice and 201 by some large bergs which they had to go around. they had not gone far up the fiord before they saw, on a gentle slope of the southern shore, a herd of musk-oxen grazing a few hundred yards from the water. though strategy was employed to approach without being seen, the herd took the alarm and scampered over the hills which terminated the slope. lynn, anticipating this, had gone some way up these heights, but the animals by a détour avoided him and soon passed over the crest of the heights. the slope along there was sufficiently gentle to afford foothold to grass and willows, and thus presented a landscape charming to those who had gazed on little other than rocks and ice for so many months. seeing two other oxen some time after, near a steep hill overlooking a rocky gorge, lockwood, brainard, and frederick went for them, fredericks approaching in front, and lockwood and brainard, by a flank movement, cutting off retreat. this resulted in the slaying of both animals. but how to get them to the launch was the question, as they were then a mile inland. finally, cutting off the heads, they gave the bodies an impetus down-hill. they went from steep to steep like comets, leaving clouds of dust behind. once or twice they lodged on steps or terraces, from which they were dislodged, thence to renew their journey downward. afterward several other musk-oxen and some ptarmigans were shot, thus providing abundant food for all hands, with a large surplus to carry back to the station.
as they progressed up the fiord, the scenery became 202 more and more grand and interesting. a glacier was seen some distance inland, at the head of a stream bordered by vertical cliffs curiously colored and of fantastic shapes. one pinnacle was apparently surmounted by an old dilapidated castle. though the fiord was not wide at bulley’s lump, nor the cliffs very high, yet they encountered a furious wind, as though blowing vertically. toward the head of the fiord, they saw numerous ducks and flocks of geese on shore, apparently overcome by the force of the wind. many of these they added to their abundant stores. here, too, they found esquimaux relics, indicating the abodes of men long years ago—circles of stones, very old; also pieces of drift-wood, whence coming they marveled. reaching the head of the fiord, where the water became shallow, they landed, spread their sleeping-bags on the rocks, and made amends for their twenty-five hours’ want of sleep.
waking up, they found that the receding tide had left them high and dry by one quarter of a mile. this rendered lockwood very uneasy, and induced him to give up his intended journey of half a dozen miles into the interior. he went, however, a mile or so inland, and from a height saw a lake, and several miles above it a glacier, apparently very large. vast cliffs, three thousand feet high, bordered the valley or ravine he followed, and beyond these were snow and ice clad summits of vast elevation. yet here, in this desolate region, were seen proofs of the abode of man—circles of stones covered with lichens, a proof of their antiquity. here, also, he found the 203 hip-bone of some immense mammal, and afterward added it to his museum. he returned to the launch near the time of high tide, and after lightening, they got the launch into deep water, with much labor, but greatly to their relief. on their return they visited record point, left a short account of their visit, and copied that of lieutenant archer. he had explored this fiord in 1876, occupying one month, but they did it in sixty-nine hours. he traveled with sledges and a supporting party—they with a steam-launch, all being on board. their coal getting low, they made few other stops en route except to pick up their meat and game, returning direct to the station. the result of the expedition, as to game, was, twelve musk-oxen, three hares, twenty-four geese, thirty-six turn-stones, six knots, three terns, and twenty ptarmigans. distance made, going and returning, one hundred and forty miles. long and others killed numbers of musk-oxen during their absence, so that they now had on hand about eight thousand pounds of fresh beef. another musk-ox was killed, soon after their return, in full view of the house, and thus four hundred and thirty pounds were added to their stock. this was the eightieth musk-ox shot since their arrival, the year before. they had a good view of the bay and straits, both of which seemed open, offering no obstacle whatever to the passage of the ship. they were all very much disappointed at her non-appearance.
lieutenant greely, wanting howgate’s fiord explored and surveyed, and dr. pavy wishing to make 204 an excursion from cape baird, lockwood, on the 21st, left in the launch, with rice, cross, lynn, fredericks, snyder, and israel, and with dr. pavy and ellison as passengers, to land the doctor on the south shore, and thence proceed westward to howgate’s fiord. following a lead westward, they finally found open water, which enabled them to reach the south shore of the bay some five miles above cape baird, where they landed the doctor and ellison, with their rations, etc. in crossing the open water, they had strong south winds, and heavy seas which boarded the launch and washed her from stem to stern. though much strengthened against ice, when heavily laden she sat too near the water to be a comfortable sea-boat. thence they proceeded to miller island, where they had smooth water, and were enabled to cook their food and enjoy an excellent meal. they found much ice in howgate’s fiord, yet, after trying to kill a musk-ox seen on shore, made their way to ida bay, at its head, and proceeded to the north shore, for israel to lay out his base-line and take angles, and rice to take photographs of prominent objects. while they were so doing, the others started in pursuit of a musk-ox some distance from the shore. the animal, seeing them, went up the valley at a rapid rate, leaving behind him so strong a musk odor as to mark his wake as distinctly by the smell as that of a steamboat is marked by the eye. lockwood abandoned the chase for other duties, but the men kept on, and afterward brought in the animal’s carcass. these having returned, and israel and rice having finished their 205 work, all proceeded toward a very high, and conspicuous promontory, marking the entrance to the bay, which lieutenant greely wished lockwood to ascend, and afterward go up the northern arm of the fiord; but they were unable to do either, having been brought to a full stop in the narrow channel by an immense floe of old ice. they therefore returned out of this cul-de-sac to the south shore, where israel wanted to take other angles. here they found traces of esquimaux habitations—meat caches, and various bone implements, all very old. thence, via miller’s cape, they made their way to stony cape, not, however, without great difficulty because of moving ice, which sometimes forced them too close to the island, and compelled them to make détours. the weather threatening, they did not stop to take other angles, but crossed to the head of the bay, near the bellows, and cast anchor; and, while the others slept, lockwood walked up the bellows in quest of game, but saw none.
the vegetation was just sufficient to remind him of the glorious trees and grasses of another zone far, far away. still, with all its desolation, lockwood thought it a very picturesque region, and that perhaps the moon, to one on its surface, presents a similar aspect. they left for the station on the 25th, encountering much ice all the way. off cape clear it whirled about in such a manner as to threaten to crush the launch. at one time a large piece of ice—larger than the launch itself—was caught between the moving pack and the grounded ice and thrown up 206 into the air fifteen feet. finally, they reached the station, sadly disappointed not to see the masts of the hoped-for ship. they could not divine the reason for her non-appearance. dr. pavy thought that it never started, for want of an appropriation. lieutenant greely thought otherwise. it looked then as though they would have to retreat in boats during the next summer, and might fail to meet the ship in the channel; or, on reaching littleton island, find she had not been there, and then undoubtedly all of them would perish.
a fine salmon-trout of three pounds and three quarters was caught in a net about this time, and, while rice tried to obtain more, brainard went to depot “b” on a hunt for musk-oxen and other game.
on the 26th, lockwood went across lady franklin bay in the launch after dr. pavy. saw many seals, but failed to secure any. found the doctor and ellison awaiting them, forlorn enough. they had reached carl ritter bay, seen musk-oxen, and discovered some lakes. lockwood left more stores over the bay, and returned through much ice. it was pleasant to see how readily the launch cut through the young ice then forming in the midst of falling snow.
on the 28th, lieutenant greely, desiring some further exploration up ella bay, and inland from its head, lockwood and a select party made several attempts in the launch to accomplish it; but the young ice was forming so rapidly, there was so much pack-ice, and the snow was obscuring the atmosphere so 207 badly, that lieutenant greely, after some hesitation, decided they had better not go, and, instead, requested them to take the long-boat valorous to cape baird and leave her there, and then lay up the steam-launch for the winter.
this they attempted to do, but, on reaching dutch island, had to give it up, as the entire harbor, bay, and straits were full of drifting ice, many of the floes standing five feet out of water. the launch having been left at anchor near the island, the next morning lieutenant greely ordered all hands down to the island to rescue her from impending peril. they found her very much careened and half full of water. she had been anchored in shoal water, and, heeling over at ebb-tide, had filled at the next flood. fortunately, no harm was done to the boat, which might yet prove to be their salvation, and should be got into safe winter quarters, as that season was evidently already setting in. it was after this boat excitement that lockwood indulged in these reflections: “i find myself constantly reading over old letters brought with me and received at st. john’s, though read before again and again. the effect is depressing, bringing too strongly into view home and the dear ones there. i am oppressed with ennui and low spirits, and can’t shake off this feeling, partly induced by the cruel disappointment of no ship.”
subsequently he wrote, “have been reading of kane and his travels. he is my beau idéal of an arctic traveler. how pitiful that so bold a spirit was incased in so feeble a frame! why is nature 208 inconsistent? in the arctic his health seems to have been fair. he of all his advance party escaped the scurvy. it was his spirit, doubtless, that kept him up. hayes does not compare with him. though beautifully written, there is an air of exaggeration about hayes’ book, which destroys its interest. doctor pavy, who has hitherto been the advocate of hayes, since his return from carl ritter bay seems to have changed his mind about him, and now agrees with greely and me that hayes never reached cape lieber. to have done so, he must have performed in part of his journey ninety-six miles in fourteen hours—an impossibility.
“the life we are now leading is somewhat similar to that of a prisoner in the bastile: no amusements, no recreations, no event to break the monotony or dispel ennui. i take a long walk every day along shore to north valley with that view, study french a little, or do some tailoring, now doubly necessary, as our supply of clothing is getting low. our stock of reading matter, unfortunately, is limited except in arctic books. one must live up here within himself, and is unfortunate if dependent on others for happiness. the others are as moody as i am—greely sometimes, kislingbury always, and as to the doctor, to say he is not congenial is to put it in a very mild way indeed. but why not study? well, the atmosphere is not conducive to it. i must go on another sledge-journey to dispel this gloom. lieutenant greely was thinking of sending me to lake hazen to continue his explorations, but thinks the snow too deep. i 209 will make a trip to the bellows, and follow up the ca?on at its head.
“the hilarity in the other room is in marked contrast to the gloom in this. for several days the skating on the young ice of the harbor, now three inches thick, has afforded pleasure to the men. israel broke in some distance from shore, and, being unable to get out by himself, would have perished but for the aid of others who saw him after he had been in the cold water fifteen minutes. biederbick is constantly chaffed by the men for his persistent gunning expeditions, from which he always returns empty-handed. he takes everything seriously, and hence resents with warmth any insinuations against germany, particularly if his own little principality of waldeck be assailed. biederbick tried to poison some foxes, and boasted of his plans. a fox having been caught by some one else and killed, henry placed the body near biederbick’s poison, first placing within its mouth a paper stating (as though written by the fox) how and where he met his death. soon after biederbick inspected his poison, and finding the fox, brought him home in triumph. henry gravely declared the fox had not been poisoned, much to biederbick’s amazement. they proceeded to examine the fox, and henry pulled from its throat the certificate that had been placed there. the men around laughed at biederbick’s expense, and he wilted.”
the foregoing allusion to dr. kane can not but be read with special interest, as it gives one an insight into the noble character of lockwood, who had the 210 heart to appreciate a man like the discoverer of grinnell land. both, indeed, were men of rare and exalted qualities, whose memories will always be treasured with respect and affection by the whole american people.
an effort was made under lieutenant kislingbury to raise, from calves caught, a herd of tame musk-oxen. they became very docile and tractable, even to the extent of hauling in teams. the chief difficulty was to keep the dogs from them. one of these calves was seriously wounded by them, and was therefore killed. it was rumored that its meat would be served for dinner, and some of the men, to carry out the joke, hung the quarters on the meat-rack near the house. when other meat was served for dinner, fredericks, who had cared for the calf and named it john henry, ate nothing—very proper conduct for a man of feeling and a hater of jokes.
lockwood frequently went to the observatory with israel to get some insight into the workings of the magnetic instruments. on “term-day,” the instruments were read every five minutes during the twenty-four hours, and for one hour every twenty seconds. “poets write of the constancy of the magnetic needle,” said lockwood, “while in fact it is the most inconstant thing known. not only does it vary yearly, but monthly, daily, hourly, yea, every minute and second. here the magnetic disturbances are very pronounced, and at times the magnetic needle is apparently almost beside itself. the aurora, too, has frequently a very noticeable effect upon it.”
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it was now becoming a matter for discussion that, should they be so unfortunate as to have to spend a third winter in this region, they would have to live on salt meat and hard bread. dr. pavy said they were already getting short of many articles of food, and of some they were entirely out—short of sugar and also of candles and foot-gear, of the latter, only a few pairs of cork-soled boots, unfitted for use in these parts, remaining. lockwood felt that he would rather take any risks in boats than stay there another winter.
the weather, which had been variable, having settled calm and clear, lockwood started on his proposed sledge trip up the “bellows” with jewell, the esquimaux frederick, and an eight-dog team. having young ice most of the way and no load, they made rapid progress to the tent at basil norris bay. the dogs moved at a gallop, giving to all the rare opportunity of a ride. here they found sleeping-bags and provisions. the next morning they reached black rock vale and followed the windings of its stream-bed until they came to lake heintzelman, a beautiful body of water, or rather ice, perfectly smooth and free from snow, filling the whole valley, some three miles wide, to towering cliffs, and extending about five miles. so smooth was the surface that the dogs could have pulled a ton. feeling rather chilly, they all held on to the upright of the sledge behind, and were dragged along on the soles of their shoes. reaching the head of the lake, and finding the way so rough as to endanger the sledge-runners, they deemed 212 it best to go into camp and reconnoitre before proceeding farther. while lockwood and jewell got supper, frederick went on a hunt for musk-oxen. the former afterward followed with the team to bring in the game which he had killed, first skinning and cutting it up, not an easy job, as they had only a very dull hatchet and equally dull case-knives. they finally succeeded, however, after much labor, and returned to camp at a late hour. the ox killed was the only one seen, although it was there—three miles above the lake—that a hundred had been formerly seen. the following morning being chilly and the sky overcast, they returned to the tent at basil norris bay, the dogs carrying the men, as well as nearly four hundred pounds of meat, over the smooth lake at a rapid rate.
while crossing they heard an unusual noise, like distant thunder, which at first they were unable to account for, but finally concluded was due to the cracking of the ice, arising probably from changes of temperature. the whole expanse of ice was marked by cracks extending in every direction, not, however, coming to the surface, but visible below.
in returning to the station, they avoided some rough places by hugging the south shore of the harbor, a rumbling noise of moving and crushing ice being heard in the direction of dutch island. on reaching the station, they found that a large bear had visited the house, dragging off the skeleton of a musk-ox which dr. pavy had hung out to dry as a specimen. tracks of another bear were afterward seen near the 213 house. at lieutenant greely’s request, lockwood with others followed these tracks, came in sight of the animal, and saw him make his way toward the middle of the straits through leads of open water and over hills of ice with seeming ease. of course, they failed to add bear-meat to their well-stocked larder.
after enjoying a hot bath, which lockwood commended as a grand luxury, he penned the following from his corner in the station-house:
“the men have added a bagatelle-board to their other sources of amusement, and sometimes have bagatelle tournaments. lieutenant greely and i often play chess, and sometimes i take a game of checkers with the esquimaux. these, by-the-way, seem much better reconciled than they were last winter. probably have come to understand us better, and we them.
“much of my time has been occupied in making maps of the several launch trips and in writing out stenographic notes. still, the monotony here is dreadful, and tells on all. it certainly does on me. dr. pavy and lieutenant kislingbury spend much of their time in the other room, and, when in here and lieutenant greely absent, are engaged in the most gloomy prognostications as to the future, and in adverse criticisms on the conduct of the expedition. it is really dreadful, and i sometimes think the life of an exile in siberia preferable to this. the absence of light without keeps us within-doors, and the want of exercise and fresh air promotes restlessness. our supply of books comprises only novels and arctic literature. a few really solid books of history, biography, essays, 214 etc., are much to be desired, though, under the circumstances, i suppose it would be difficult to concentrate one’s mind on them.
“our experiment with calves had to be given up. all died but one. long took that to dutch island, but it would not stay. like the human animal, the poor thing wanted sympathy and something to love, and followed him all the way back, notwithstanding all he could do to restrain it. tame foxes and tame owls have also been given up. the former bit their keepers, the latter ate each other up. the dogs multiply rapidly, and would increase faster, but that the pups are eaten by the old ones. i saw the mother of a dead pup keeping ritenbank from swallowing it, while she hesitated whether or not she would do the same thing herself.
“we are again building around our house with ice, which proved such an addition last winter, and the double sashes to the windows have been put in. i have added a side-board to my bunk and covered the adjacent walls with paper, thus adding to the warmth. much may be done to mitigate the evils of this climate. the moral and social evils are what we can not meet, or rather do not repel.”
mrs. greely’s birthday was again observed, chiefly by a good dinner with wine furnished by lieutenant greely. lockwood’s own birthday was also celebrated in like manner, when he recorded the following: “after dinner lieutenant greely and i had a long talk—reminiscences of army-life, speculations as to our retreat in boats, etc. when alone, my mind turned to the dear ones at home and the many warm friends i had elsewhere, and to the happy days spent with them.
“my corner, which is the coldest of all the corners, was improved by covering floor and walls with paper. i also found an improvement by adding side-boards to the bunk, and finally by converting the bed into a regular sleeping-bag. before this was done, i sometimes became very chilly during the night after the fires went down. our lamps now burn all day. how wearisome this constant artificial light becomes, we know from the experience of last winter. i dread it under our present social relations. even lieutenant greely refers to these as intensifying what would otherwise not much distress him. my daily routine is somewhat as follows: breakfast at half-past seven, with scarcely a word spoken by any one. then i smoke, standing by the stove in the cook’s room. afterward, tailoring or some other work. at noon, a walk to proteus point if possible. afterward, read or sleep till dinner at four. again smoke as before. then a few games of chess with lieutenant greely or checkers with the esquimaux. then read a little french or a good deal of whatever i find most interesting. then to my army-bunk, to sleep till next morning, when the same routine is repeated.”
on the 20th, he made a trip to depot “b” with some of the men and two dog-sledges to bring down the musk-ox meat left there in cache. they found the foot-ice near shore so rough that they had to keep well out, but still they made the eighteen miles in six 216 hours, which may be regarded as fair traveling with dogs.
they met many bear-tracks, but old, probably made by the same animals that visited the station. they found that these animals, and also foxes, had found their meat-cache and had done much damage, four quarters of meat and fifteen geese having been eaten by them or taken away. returning next day with what remained, and taking in more meat at st. patrick’s bay in still worse condition, they made their way home over a sea of rubble-ice. to show the effects of ice-movements, lockwood observed, when crossing watercourse bay on their return, the sledge-tracks made the day before fifty feet in the air on top of floe-bergs!
they made a visit to some floe-bergs at the mouth of lady franklin bay to get specimens of colored ice seen there on a berg. these were mostly yellow, but some specimens almost black. on melting, they gave an offensive odor, and made deposits of their color. analysis only could determine the nature of the coloring-matter. young ice was measured, and found to be twenty inches thick.
lockwood would have been glad enough to be away from that cold region, and yet he seemed determined again to explore the north greenland coast, and thought that, under favorable circumstances, he could go farther than he had already gone by at least seventy-five miles, thereby manifesting a degree of pluck almost unique in its character. difficulties might arise to defeat his plans, but, these surmounted, 217 all his energies and hopes would be directed to returning home. it was lieutenant greely’s opinion, however, that his “farthest” would not be again reached in the present century.
on the 5th of november dr. pavy returned from an expedition to carl ritter bay, which he had reached by following the valley back of cape lieber, as the ice-foot was found impracticable. the dog-food, or dried fish, taken, being insufficient and poor, one of the dogs died, and was immediately eaten by the others. the straits below were found quite open. they killed one musk-ox, but could not bring in the meat. on the return, so rough was the ice over the bay that twelve hours were required to cross from cape baird.
the doctor urged the policy of storing provisions at cape hawkes for their boat-journey, a thing easier to talk about than to do, as cape hawkes was one hundred and fifty-five miles, in a straight line, south of lady franklin bay, and it would occupy a dog-sledge to go and return at least one month. if anything was to be done in that direction, all thoughts of further exploration must be abandoned. the doctor predicted that a naval expedition would be sent for them the next year, congress having hitherto failed to provide for their relief.
in one of his tramps to proteus point, lockwood’s feet were again frosted, owing partly to his imperfect foot-gear, and he then became convinced that a light, flexible moccasin was the best thing to wear in that country.
218
for several days about the middle of november, there were magnetic disturbances of a pronounced character coincident with the storms and auroras they were experiencing. storms were always indicated by rapid changes of barometer, but sometimes the barometer fell and no storm followed. auroras had recently been attended with varied colors, which was unusual, as they had formerly been uniformly white. a surveyor working there would find, at times, his compass-needle almost unmanageable. seals were seen in the most unexpected places, one of them having been killed with a hatchet in a tide-hole.
on the 21st, lockwood was startled, when setting out on his usual walk, to see what looked like smoke coming from the roof of the house; but what he mistook for smoke was only the condensation of vapor escaping from the house. the appearance of the smoke coming from the chimney, and of the steam from the roof, projected as they were on the sides of the snow-covered mountains, was very pretty. the ice-wall around the house was a great protection, not only keeping the hot air in, but protecting the house from the furious blasts which would otherwise enter it, if, indeed, they did not destroy it.
lieutenant greely resumed his lectures, which had before proved so interesting. he gave one, which they all admired, on the history of his native town, newburyport. israel had also assumed the r?le of lecturer on astronomy, with which he was familiar.
when lockwood became desperate with ennui, he got out his old letters and again read them, as they 219 carried him back to his distant home and parents and sisters. he earnestly prayed that a kind providence would restore him to them. this was the end of all his hopes.
on the 30th of november lockwood wrote as follows: “this is the day lieutenant greely appointed for thanksgiving, and thankfully should we keep it; for we have not only escaped sickness and any serious discomforts, but we have had undoubted success in our efforts both scientific and geographical. we have had a royal feast of soup, beef, corn, lima beans, pineapple-jelly, nuts, and figs.”
contrary to his resolve, a few days later he commenced reading novels. his feeling was that they withdraw one from one’s self, which is something gained; but they put one up in the clouds from which it is often painful to descend. they cause the reader to live for a time in an ideal world, and bring him back to the stern reality with a sense of disappointment.
on the 8th of december, lockwood was greatly impressed by the absence of light, and gave his views as follows: “it is now very dark, even at noon, except when we have the moon and a clear sky. even on the floe, where the pure white snow reflects every bit of light, it is now so obscure that it is difficult to see the path at one’s feet; and even the outlines of the mountains, high above the horizon, are very dim. a faint gleam of twilight over the south horizon, at noon only, shows the direction in which the sun and ‘god’s country’ lie. so dark is it that i have several 220 times stumbled over the dogs lying outside at the door; and when in a pathway, one has rather to feel the way than see it, requiring the use of a lantern in going from the house.
“no wonder, then, that the moon is so highly appreciated in this benighted region. how delightful it is, after a fortnight’s absence, to have her with us once again! how a poet would rave over the moon could he once know a polar winter! we have her now in all her glory, lighting up this vast desert waste, which, covered with its mantle of snow and ice, now becomes a thing of beauty.
“the effect of continued absence of sunlight is very marked in the complexion of all the men, as well as in their loss of vigor. they are as blanched as potato-sprouts in a dark cellar. blessed orb of light and life! one can hardly imagine the one without the other. the moral as well as the physical influence of sunlight is very soon seen after the sun’s reappearance, the middle of february.”
they still kept up birthdays, and the 24th was that of saler, when they had a feast selected by himself. the musk-ox beef was particularly good, being young and tender, and free from the musk flavor so common with old oxen. they were now used to this, however, and it did not trouble them.
in the evening lieutenant greely brought out a few christmas presents to distribute, which had not been issued the previous year, and there were some prizes of tobacco, soap, etc., raffled for. a chromo-picture of good “king billy” of prussia was given 221 to long, whose hair is somewhat red. the hair in the picture being of the same color, much mirth was elicited, as long was sensitive about his hair, and was constantly chaffed by the men on that account. lieutenant greely made a few appropriate remarks, referring to the success of the expedition, and praying that their good fortune might continue, etc.
the christmas-dinner was remarkably good—one that might have been enjoyed anywhere. the appetites of the men and of the officers were equal to the occasion. of late some of them had shown less appetite than formerly, possibly because their supplies showing signs of failing in a few particulars, the table had shown less variety. the average weight of the men was found to be one hundred and seventy-one pounds, lockwood’s weight being one hundred and seventy-six, embodying a good deal of caloric.
on the 8th of january, 1883, after repairing some damage done to the launch by the ice, lieutenant greely announced his resolve to leave for home in boats not later than august 8th, and sooner, if the ice permitted.
on the 23d, efforts were made to cross the bay to cape baird, but without success, the difficulties being the absence of light, the intense cold, and the extremely rough ice. it was desired to open a passage to cape baird, and make a depot of provisions there for use on the retreat. their first efforts carried these stores only to mid-channel, but afterward sergeant lynn and others carried them over to cape baird.
much of lockwood’s time was of necessity occupied 222 in tailoring, and he had become quite an expert. service in the north not only demanded much clothing, but the garments must be strong and warm. their supply in store being somewhat limited and not judiciously chosen, particularly in foot- and hand-gear, all were from time to time engaged in repairing old garments or making new. rice suggested a method of doubling the supply of woolen socks by cutting off the legs of long stockings and sewing up the bottoms of the leg part. for his proposed spring trip, lockwood was counting upon a rig consisting of two merino shirts, three flannel shirts, one chamois vest, one vest made of two thicknesses of army-blanket, one woolen jersey, one swan-skin cloth over-shirt, one pair of merino drawers, two pairs of flannel drawers, soldier’s trousers, cloth cap covering head and neck with a skirt covering the shoulders, and a pair of moccasins over heavy woolen socks—all to be worn at once, though seemingly heavy enough to weigh down an elephant. the only clothing in reserve was woolen wrappers and socks for the feet, and a seal-skin “timiak” for exceptionally cold weather. having suffered much from cold feet, lockwood had paid special attention to foot-gear, but without great success. frequently he was kept awake most of the night from this cause. he noticed that the dogs suffered more in their feet than elsewhere, and might be seen at any time standing around with their feet drawn up under their bodies. the feet and the nose seemed to be the only highly sensitive parts of the esquimaux dog, these being, indeed, the only 223 parts not covered with long wool. lockwood never tired of watching these animals. they were susceptible to kindness, though generally getting little of it. they followed him on his lonely walks, and seemed grateful for any notice or attention on his part. the young pups soon became docile and tractable in harness, though a little more difficult to manage than old dogs.
when the 1st of march arrived, all hands were engaged in preparing for their spring work. first in order was the supply of their depot on the eastern side, and lockwood purposed leaving soon, to convey several hundred pounds of rations to that place. as usual in such cases, dr. pavy and two others of the party indulged themselves in the most gloomy prognostications as to the future, declaring that all idea of further explorations should be abandoned, and all their efforts applied to depositing provisions down the straits to secure their safe retreat in boats in august and september. both lieutenants greely and lockwood did all they could to make a success of this expedition, but the social atmosphere was not congenial, and there was little enthusiasm manifested. how different would have been this life if all had pulled together! lockwood was impatient to be away from this trouble and at work. if he could not go farther than on his previous trip, he could at least try, and no man could do more than his best.
on the 10th of march, lockwood left with two sledge-teams of ten dogs each for the purpose of placing supplies on the greenland side of the straits—he, 224 sergeant brainard, and esquimaux frederick, with one sledge; sergeant jewell, corporal ellison, and jans, with the other. after leaving depot a, where they added to their load, they had on each sledge about nine hundred and thirty pounds, or nearly one hundred pounds per dog. found much rubble-ice on st. patrick’s bay, but, generally, the route to depot b was good, and the journey was made in eight hours from the station. although they had a fire in the little stove of the depot tent, all passed an uncomfortable night, not only from cold, but from their cramped and crowded condition. their feet were higher than their heads, and the head in one instance was under the edge of the damp, frost-covered canvas. “woolly” was found to be lame, and had to be left in a hole in the snow-bank, with a supply of hard bread; ellison was feeling badly, yet said, “all right,” and insisted on proceeding. seeing no favorable passage from cape beechy, they concluded to go up to wrangell bay and try the passage direct from there to cape brevoort. to reach wrangell, they had to leave the ice-foot and move out on the straits, and soon found themselves in an awful mass of rubble-ice like a vast plain covered with bowlders. a great deal of chopping had to be done with the axe, and what progress they made, was with half-loads. they encamped on the straits, and, while the others returned for the discarded loads, lockwood prepared supper, succeeding only in making some ice into lukewarm tea, which, with cold bread and meat, they hastily swallowed before creeping into their sleeping-bags. they secured 225 but little sleep, as may be imagined when it is known that the thermometer registered that night -48°. under such circumstances, they seemed never completely unconscious, and got up in the morning under the belief that they had not slept at all.
reaching the south cape of wrangell bay, they turned to the right and went directly toward cape brevoort, still meeting with ice of the most formidable kind, over which the heavily loaded sledges had frequently to be lifted. tired out, they camped at 5 p. m. in the midst of the strait. the first thing to be done was to look out for the foot-gear. this always had a lining of frost inside as well as out, being wet from perspiration if not from leakage. brainard always changed his stockings for dry ones when he could do so, but lockwood and frederick generally let theirs go, the latter from indifference to frost-bites, and the former to escape the pain arising from tender feet and fingers. by incasing his feet in dog- or sheep-skin wrappings, he managed to pass the night comfortably.
ellison, being really sick, was sent back to the depot to the tender care of woolly. after moving for a time over rubble, several of the pieces of which came up to a man’s shoulders, they were greatly encouraged by coming to a grand paleocrystic floe, whose gently undulating surface stretched east, north, and south as far as the eye could reach. this floe reminded lockwood of a western prairie, its mounds and gullies making the resemblance more complete. as an offset to this smooth way, they had to face an 226 icy north wind with the thermometer from -35° to -48°. frederick got one cheek and a finger frost-bitten, brainard his face, and lockwood his nose. here they put off the load, and at a run with the empty sledge returned to their former encampment, where the tent was left standing, to await the return of jewell, who had gone back to depot b to leave ellison with woolly.
the next morning, packing everything on the two sledges, they soon gained the smooth floe seen the day before, whence, detaching jewell for some stores at lincoln bay, which he was to leave at this point and then return to fort conger, lockwood, frederick, and brainard proceeded across the floe with as much of the total loads as the dogs of their sledge could drag. coming within five miles of cape brevoort, and seeing formidable ice in that direction, while toward newman bay the ice was better, lockwood concluded to head toward that bay. they did so until 5 p. m., and then camped on the straits, completely exhausted. during the night they had a violent south wind, but they had campaigned too much not to be prepared for this with tent-pins securely driven.
in the morning they made their way over pretty good floes with some rubble, and reached at noon the whale-boat at polaris point, finding the rations in her intact. thence, following the snow slope along the cliffs, and passing the point where lockwood and frederick had spent many hours the year before in a snow-hole, they passed round cape sumner through 227 masses of ice in some places piled fifty feet high, and finally reached the boat camp on newman bay.
having thus provisioned the boat camp, they took a survey of the routes back, and concluding that, all things considered, the one direct to cape beechy was the best, returned by it with the empty sledge, making rapid progress and reaching the west shore in just seven hours. notwithstanding they had no load, the passage was by no means easy, for they had to pass over mountain-ridges, deep pits, and gullies in the rubble-ice, where the dogs could scarcely keep their footing. lockwood was impressed, as often before, with the power and endurance of the dogs. ellison had left the depot, but woolly still remained, and there, also, they found jewell, who had been up to lincoln bay, where he found that the foxes had eaten up a large part of the meat in cache there.
with woolly on the sledge, they returned to the station, meeting snyder and whistler en route with a pup-team and sledge, going for woolly. it was interesting and touching to witness the demonstrations and delight of these youngsters on meeting their elders, among which were the mothers of some of them.
jewell said that, on his return to the depot, he put away his dog-harness in one of the empty tents, and that when he awoke the next morning he found nothing remaining but the bone buttons and the whip-handles, the dogs having eaten everything else. another dog-story is recorded as follows:
“milatook had pups the other day, and all were 228 killed except one. it was discovered yesterday in a very unfortunate condition, with tail frozen hard and stiff, and legs in nearly the same condition. some of the men soaked the tail in water, and eventually ‘brought it to.’ it is a sad tail.”