Part 15

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 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 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 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 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, 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 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 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 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 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.”

XIV. RESUMING A DESPERATE STRUGGLE.

On the 19th of March, fair weather came out of the north, and not only cheered the hearts of the whole colony at the station, but fired the desire of Lieutenant Lockwood for the new campaign, which he had long been contemplating. After a consultation with Lieutenant Greely, he concluded to start on the following day, or soon after. As usual, some cold water was thrown upon his plans, one of the critics declaring that they had experienced enough of that kind of business; and another, that they had better be thinking of their coming fate. But Lockwood’s reasoning was as follows: “Before I go home, I must make another ‘strike’ on the north Greenland coast. If the conditions of the ice are no worse, I ought to be able to discover the northeast extremity of Greenland, and add several miles to my latitude, although Lieutenant Greely thinks that my present ‘farthest’ will not again be reached in our day. I say nothing about all this, however. _Act_ first and talk afterward has always been my way.”

Lockwood was both hopeful and determined, and on the 23d he received his final orders to the effect, that, should he not be able to reach a higher latitude than he did before without undue danger, or should he or any of his men break down or become dangerously ill, he was to return forthwith. To this he replied that he knew not what might happen, but he intended, if possible, to reach the eighty-fourth parallel. In anticipation of his own birthday, and to honor the explorers with a good “send-off,” Lieutenant Greely gave a dinner on the 26th, and, thus fortified, they were prepared to move on the following day, rejoicing.

Lockwood had two fine teams of ten dogs each assigned for his use, and, as before, the faithful Brainard and Esquimaux Frederick were to accompany him. Everything passed off quietly, without the excitement or enthusiasm of the previous spring. They left the station at 8.30 A. M., the advance sledge bearing the silk flag of Mrs. Greely, with Brainard and Frederick the Esquimaux; the supporting sledge with Jewell, Ellis, and Esquimaux Jans; and then the pup-team and sledge driven by Snyder, and carrying Greely and Lockwood. On reaching Watercourse Bay, whence they were to take back a load of coal, Lieutenant Greely and team left them, after bidding God-speed, and telling them to be sure and bring back the north end of Greenland! Reaching Depot A in two and a quarter hours, they took on two small seals left there, and passing Depot B, where they obtained more provisions, they reached Cape Beechy at 4 P. M.—the dogs quite fresh, but the men much wearied.

When they resumed their journey, it was snowing and the Greenland shore invisible. They took a direct course by compass for Cape Sumner over rubble-ice until they reached the first floe, on whose hard, undulating surface they made rapid progress until they came to rubble-ice again. Brainard, with axe in hand, went ahead, clearing the way over impassable places, until the high cliff of Polaris Promontory came in sight. Finally, both Jewell and Ellis suffering from pain, when three miles from Cape Sumner they stopped for the night, after making twenty miles, and all went into bags.

Moving early next morning with considerable wind, they got into bad ice with cracks, down which some of the dogs fell and had to be drawn up; but finally, finding a better route, reached the Polaris Boat Camp, where, leaving some meat for the dogs when returning, they continued on toward Gap Valley, generally over rolling floes, and through rubble, requiring a good deal of cutting, tugging, and pushing.

When three miles out they went into camp again, leaving Ellis to prepare supper for all, while the others, with both sledges, returned to the Boat Camp.

Leaving Brainard to get ready the alcohol to be taken from the whale-boat, they kept on along shore to the foot of the cliffs and the _cache_. Here they found the snow-slopes much worse than on their last visit, but, the sledges being empty, they could have gone along over anything except a stone wall, and even that would have had to be very high to stop them. Fox-tracks were seen near the _cache_, but they found it intact. The ice they had piled about it was almost covered by the drifting snow. The contents of the _cache_, about one thousand pounds in all, were put on the two sledges, and soon after they went down a snow-bank so steep and hard that the sledges took entire command, though all hands tried to hold them back; but the dogs keeping out of the way, no harm was done. This was at Cape Sumner, whence they returned to the Boat Camp. Here, taking on the things prepared by Brainard, they returned to the tents. After supper some hours were spent in getting ready the rations for from twenty to forty-eight days. Jewell and Ellis were both complaining; otherwise, every thing looked very promising.

On the morning of the 30th, it was clear overhead but cloudy around the horizon, and a slight snow was falling. The loads were about eleven hundred pounds to each team, but the dogs did admirably, and good speed was made, the ice being covered with a very light depth of snow. At the mouth of the gorge by which they were to ascend and cross the Brevoort Peninsula, they reduced the load on each sledge and started up this narrow, rocky, winding cañon. The snow was hard and they were getting along well, when right before them appeared a wall of snow, so steep and hard that Lockwood had to use his big knife, to ascend. It was about thirty feet high. He went alone to view the situation. A few yards beyond was a kind of ice tunnel whose roof was about three feet high. Then came another high, steep snow-drift with a snow-cavern alongside, probably fifty yards in length; and also a few feet farther was found a deep pit formed by the snow. Climbing around this and proceeding half a mile, he found that the gorge made a bend to the east and became still more narrow and rocky; but a side ravine offered a chance to get out of this big gutter, up a long, steep slope of hard snow, three or four times the height of the preceding drifts; and then Lockwood found himself on the table-land overlooking Newman Bay.

The sledges with great difficulty gained this comparatively level divide. The landmarks not being altogether familiar to Lockwood, he took a long walk after supper to a distant ridge, where, seeing the sea-coast, his way became perfectly clear. It was a lonely and dismal walk, and the ridge seemed to get farther away as he approached it. After more than two hours’ absence he returned to the tents, crawled in alongside of Sergeant Brainard, and was quickly lulled to sleep notwithstanding the snoring of Frederick. The horrid sound issuing from his bag was as loud as a brass band at a circus.

The process of getting breakfast was to be preferred to that of getting supper. When a man went into camp, after a toilsome day of travel, and had helped to pitch tent and unload the sledge, it was hard, while covered with frost, with cold and perhaps wet feet, to chop ice and meat, and handle cold metal.

After an uncomfortable night, with the temperature down to -45°, they started again. Proceeding several miles, they reached a narrow, winding ravine, and finally a gorge, which they followed until they came to the head of the wide Gap Valley, and thence to the sea-coast. Turning east, they continued on a few hundred yards, and were then stopped by the ice-wall, which crowded so closely to the shore that the sledges could not be hauled through. Lockwood and Frederick pitched the tent, while Brainard went ahead with the axe, and, after much hard work, made a passage about one eighth of a mile long through this place. They managed to worry through with half the load by three o’clock, and, leaving Brainard to get supper, Lockwood and Frederick went on with half the load for about one and a half miles. The route beyond the bad place was excellent. Dropping the load, they returned to the tent by four o’clock. Jewell came along later, he and Ellis complaining again of their difficulty in keeping up with the sledge when it went faster than a slow walk.

While approaching the cairn at Repulse Harbor, on the 1st of April, Brainard’s sharp eyes discovered the site of the English depot of rations, which contained Lieutenant Beaumont’s sextant, an English flag, a cooking-lamp, old clothes, and some foot-gear. The road before them was excellent, and they made good time, soon passing the route of the preceding year, which reached the coast just east of Repulse Harbor.

On coming near Drift Point, they were better able to see the northern expanse outside the ice-wall which lined the coast and had interrupted the view. Lockwood saw a good deal of young ice interspersed with holes, and leads of open water. The main pack beyond seemed permeated by leads of what had been quite recently open water. Dark, misty “water-clouds” were seen everywhere northward. The young ice extended along shore in both directions as far as they could see, and out from shore a hundred yards or more. Beyond it was the polar pack, broken into small floes and rubble-ice, which had a glistening green appearance, as though recently pushed up by the grinding of the fields about it; all this was very surprising.

They made their way over the snow-slopes of Drift Point and beyond until the near approach of the cliffs on one side and the ice-wall on the other brought them to a halt eighty miles from Fort Conger. Here they encamped with everything, having come thus far in six days.