CHAPTER XVIII.

RETURN OF THE SUN.

"Most glorious orb! that were a worship, ere The mystery of thy making was revealed! Thou earliest minister of the Almighty Which gladdened on their mountain tops the hearts Of the Chaldean shepherds, till they poured Themselves in orisons."

BYRON.

The 29th of February was the day on which, according to astronomical rules, the reappearance of the sun was to rejoice the hearts and gladden the eyes of our little party. On the previous day, a general holiday had been proclaimed to give the men a chance, by ascending some of the hills in our neighbourhood, of welcoming the sun a day earlier. In this, however, they were doomed to disappointment. The glorious orb would not come out to be welcomed; for the simple reason that it was still just below the horizon. We were, however, rewarded by seeing its rays reflected in the northern sky, which was beautifully illumined with the most brilliant prismatic colours. Cairn Hill, and the hills to the southward by Cape Rawson, were the chief points of observation. The former was abreast of the ship, and about a mile distant; its height being about four hundred and fifty feet above the level of the sea. On the summit was built a large cairn, hence its name. On the cairn was reared a long staff, to which was hoisted an iron oil cask, so as to form a conspicuous landmark to guide wanderers back to their ship.

By ten o'clock on the forenoon of the 29th, the ship was nearly deserted, and officers and men could be seen dotting the floe and snow-covered ranges as they wended their way to the most prominent adjacent hills, on which little knots of men could already be seen assembled, in order to catch a glimpse of the rising sun. We feared, however, on starting, that we should be again disappointed, as there was no clear sea horizon to the southward, and the sun would hardly have sufficient altitude to show itself above the distant land. These fears were not without foundation, as the result proved.

Shortly before noon our excitement was intense as a bright ray shot up vertically from the sun's position and illumined the summits of the surrounding ranges, whilst a radiant light was shed around.

"As rays around the source of light Stream upward ere he glow in sight, And watching by his future flight Set the clear heavens on fire."

Our hopes grew high as noon drew near, but again were we disappointed, and again were we compelled to return to the ship, defeated in our object of welcoming back the "Prodigal Sun!"

The next day was cloudy, but on the following one, by going aloft about ten o'clock, we had the satisfaction of announcing that about one-third of the sun's disc was visible, as it crept slowly along the southern horizon. Instantly the rigging swarmed with men, scrambling up with elephantine agility to greet the fiery orb after its long absence, and looking more like animated bales of furs than human beings. It appeared of a deep reddish orange colour, but was so distorted by refraction that its shape was more that of a truncated cone than a spherical body.

By noon Cairn Hill was covered with expectant visitors, and well were they repaid for the trouble of the ascent. Although little of the sun could be seen above the distant land, we knew that it was there, and what we did see was bright, and _appeared_ with a slight stretch of the imagination to be warm!

Romeo's words--

"Night's candles are burnt out, And jocund day stands Tip-toe on the misty mountain tops,"

were on our lips as we beheld the beautiful colours in the northern sky. The roseate tints blending with the violet seemed to belong more to southern climes than to the sterile inclement regions that we were inhabiting. The summits of the hills, the "misty mountain tops," were bathed in its glorious rays, whilst its luminous beams danced and glimmered along the distant ice-floes. It was a bright and glorious sight, and we remained long admiring it, and revelling in its rays--in fact, until warned by a peculiar sensation in our feet that the temperature was actually 100° below freezing-point; and however ecstatic we might feel at the reappearance of the sun, Jack Frost still reigned supreme, exacting implicit obedience to his will, and making those who disregarded his injunctions suffer for their heedlessness.

Undoubtedly the Arctic Regions, and the farther north the better, would be a good place for Parsees; for none of the followers of Zoroaster could have exhibited more anxiety for the return, and more delight at the appearance, of their deity, than we did before and after the bright rays of the sun first fell upon us! Their god Fire would also receive, during the long cold Polar winter, the utmost homage and attention. Sun and Fire worshippers would require in these regions little to stimulate them to devotion.

Strange to say, our extreme cold came with the returning sun. During the latter end of February the temperature had been gradually getting lower and lower, until on the 4th of March it had fallen to -74°, or 106° below freezing-point. This was the lowest recorded by the expedition, obtained from the mean of several thermometers, and, so far as we could ascertain, the lowest really authentic corrected observation that has ever been registered in any part of the globe. From noon of the 3rd until noon of the 4th the mean temperature was -69°.68, whilst the lowest mean temperature registered for any twenty-four consecutive hours was from four A.M. of the former until four A.M. of the last-mentioned day -70°.31. From six P.M. on March 2nd until six A.M. of March 4th, namely thirty-six consecutive hours, the mean temperature was as low as -69°.93´, and for the week ending March 4th the mean temperature was -60°!

It was amusing to observe the eager excitement with which every one received the latest intelligence regarding the state of the thermometer, and when it was announced that the "lowest on record" had been registered, there was a general shout of exultation. During the intense cold several experiments were tried by exposing various substances to its influence, and with the following results. Glycerine, on which a temperature of -50° had little effect, became, at -70°, perfectly solid and quite transparent. Rectified spirits of wine became of the consistency of hair-oil. Concentrated rum, 40° over-proof, froze hard when exposed in a shallow vessel like a saucer, but when in a large quantity it resembled honey or molasses in consistency. Whiskey froze hard, and we actually broke off bits and ate it! In consequence of this latter proceeding we have since our return to England been, not without reason, accused of "hard drinking," an accusation we are, of course, unable to refute! Chloroform was the only substance on which the low temperature had no apparent effect. Our temperatures were obtained by taking the mean of ten thermometers that were exposed, to which result was applied the corrections from Kew for each instrument. These had been ascertained when the instruments were tested at the Kew observatory before leaving England. The corrections and errors of the instruments could, of course, only be approximately ascertained after the freezing-point of mercury had been passed, as there was nothing beyond that with which the spirit could be compared. The slightest impurity of the spirit used, or the presence of even the most minute portions of extraneous matter in it, would no doubt seriously affect the accuracy of the observation. As an instance of the range exhibited by these instruments, it may be interesting to know that one thermometer indicated as low a temperature as -82°, while, _at the same time_, another showed only -60°; but by applying the errors deduced at Kew, the result was as nearly as possible the same. I think that the minimum temperature recorded by us was, if not absolutely correct, as nearly so as it was possible to arrive at.

Although we never again experienced such a severe burst of cold as we did during the first few days of March, the temperature remained extraordinarily low, and mercury was in a frozen state during nearly the whole of that month. The presence of the sun appeared to have little effect on the temperature, but thermometers exposed to its rays would frequently rise as high as zero, and sometimes above that point.

The difference of temperature at the summit and at the base of Cairn Hill, whose height, as has been stated, was four hundred and fifty feet, was 5½°, the thermometer rising as the hill was ascended, and falling again as it was brought down.

Traces of ptarmigan had frequently been observed in the snow, but it was not until the 22nd of March that the first bird was seen, although our sportsmen had been most diligent in their search for them. On that day two of our pedestrians succeeding in flushing one solitary ptarmigan, but, as is usual in such cases, they were without guns. Very few of these birds were afterwards seen in the neighbourhood of the "Alert." Their appearance caused some little excitement, for we looked upon them as the harbingers of spring, and as a token that our long winter had well-nigh terminated.

On the 25th of March, there was a partial eclipse of the sun, which was clearly visible to all those who took the trouble to go on deck and, with a piece of smoked or coloured glass, examine it in spite of a very low temperature. The first contact was observed at six minutes past four in the afternoon, and the egress at six o'clock. About .65, or little more than half the sun, was obscured.

During the middle of March the quarter-deck housing was removed, and we were again able to enjoy daylight on the upper deck. Although the low temperature did not yet admit of our removing the snow from the hatchways and skylights, yet we were able to clear the tops of our cabin illuminators, and thus obtain below a slight amount of daylight, sufficient at any rate to obviate the necessity of incessant candle-light during the day. It was not until the middle of May, whilst the sledge travellers were absent, that the skylights were cleared and the snow removed from the upper deck.

Fire is the most disastrous accident that can possibly happen to a ship wintering in the Arctic Regions, and it should be most carefully guarded against. It may result in having your house, together with all your provisions, consumed, and yourselves, perhaps not burnt, but destined for even a more terrible fate, namely, turned out on the ice without food and without shelter, exposed to a pitiless temperature, with no covering or protection of any description. Such a situation would prove fatal in a few hours. Men so placed would realize the dreadful fate so vividly and graphically described by Jules Verne as having befallen Captain Hatteras and his companions when their ship was destroyed and they were deserted by their shipmates.

In the "Alert" we had one alarm from fire, which, although it might have ended disastrously, did very little injury. It originated in our "drying-room," where, through the carelessness of the man in charge, some of the clothes had been allowed to hang in dangerous proximity to the stove. These igniting quickly communicated the fire to the surrounding objects, and for a little time it was doubtful whether the conflagration might not assume a very serious aspect. In spite of the occurrence happening at night-time, the men exerted themselves with such good will that the fire was speedily extinguished, with no further damage done than the destruction of a few clothes, although it was some time before we could rid ourselves of the smoke, which unpleasantly permeated the whole ship. The temperature at the time was 58° below zero, which would have rendered the work of supplying water from the fire-hole not only a difficult, but also a dangerous task, and one which must have resulted in many severe frost-bites.

During the latter part of the month of March the officers were employed in dismounting the various instruments in the observatories, carefully packing and putting them away, as most of them would not be required again until the following winter. This was a very necessary proceeding, as before the return of the officers from sledge travelling the observatories with all their "fixings," such as pedestals, etc., being composed of snow, would have melted away during the summer thaw. By the end of the month the observatories were entirely stripped and left bare, when they gradually fell into decay. "Woolwich" was also "unsnowed," and the powder brought off to the ship and stowed in the magazine.

In addition to all this work, the crews of the different sledges destined to take part in the spring campaign were, in this month of March, specially exercised, under their respective officers, for several hours during the day. Their regular daily exercise had also been carefully attended to throughout the winter.

Occasionally they were employed laying out depôts of provisions to the southward, to be used by the sledge parties proceeding northwards from the "Discovery," or sometimes dragging their laden sledges over the pack in the immediate vicinity of the ship, with the object of gaining experience in crossing ridges of hummocks, and of realizing the kind of travelling with which they were so soon to become more intimately acquainted. These little journeys gave us an insight into the endless difficulties that we were hereafter called upon to contend with, and the obstacles we were destined to surmount. We foresaw that we should have "stiffish" work before us, but we did not doubt that we should render a good and satisfactory account of the duty entrusted to us.

After several cries of "wolf," one actually did make its appearance on the 1st of April. Early in the morning of that day an animal had been observed, by the quarter-master of the watch, stealthily prowling round the ship. Supposing it to be a bear, the alarm was given and one or two of our hunters went in chase. More would undoubtedly have followed their example, but recollecting the day, they preferred remaining in their warm beds for an hour longer to the risk of being informed, when they came on deck fully equipped for the chase, that it was the 1st of April!

The traces left in the snow showed unmistakeably the character of our visitor. Instead of being a bear, it proved to be a wolf, but so alarmed was it at the disturbance made on board that it scampered over the hills and eluded our pursuit. That same afternoon, however, accompanied by my usual companion Nellie, I took a long walk to the southward, following the trail of the wolf for some distance. On my return, and when about two miles and a half from the ship, I happened to look round, and there, about a hundred yards off, and following in my track, was a tall, gaunt, raw-boned and famished-looking wolf. He was of a yellowish colour, and in size larger than our biggest Eskimo dog. Of course, as is generally the way in cases of this sort, I was totally unprovided with arms of any description, and was therefore unable to add his skin to our natural history collection. I cannot say whether Nellie or her master offered the greatest attraction to this animal; but whichever it might be, he followed us, sometimes at not more than ten yards distance, stopping if we stopped, and advancing when we advanced, until we were within about half a mile from the ship, when some of my messmates coming out to meet me, he bolted over the hills and made his escape. My great anxiety at the time was for my poor old Nellie, who showed a great inclination to become better acquainted with the wolf, and I had the utmost difficulty in restraining her. Whenever she strayed a little from my heel, the brute would make a bolt at her, and I have little doubt that she would have been killed if he had once succeeded in his endeavours. On the same evening we discovered the tracks of four musk-oxen, but although we followed them up for many miles we did not succeed in seeing them. The fact of the latter being in our neighbourhood fully accounted for the presence of the wolf, who was no doubt following their tracks.