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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..e89ce38 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #51910 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/51910) diff --git a/old/51910-8.txt b/old/51910-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 1e837c1..0000000 --- a/old/51910-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,5677 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of A Voyage to the Arctic in the Whaler Aurora, by -David Moore Lindsay - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - -Title: A Voyage to the Arctic in the Whaler Aurora - -Author: David Moore Lindsay - -Release Date: May 1, 2016 [EBook #51910] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK VOYAGE TO THE ARCTIC *** - - - - -Produced by David Widger from page images generously -provided by the Internet Archive - - - - - - - - - -A VOYAGE TO THE ARCTIC IN THE WHALER AURORA - -By David Moore Lindsay, F. R. G. S. - -"Our infant winter sinks, divested of its grandeur, should our eye -astonish'd shoot into the frigid zone." - -BOSTON: DANA ESTES & COMPANY PUBLISHERS - -1911 - - -[Illustration: 0001] - - -[Illustration: 0010] - - -[Illustration: 0011] - - -DEDICATED - -TO - -SIR THOMAS MYLES - -A VOYAGE TO THE ARCTIC IN THE WHALER AURORA - - - - -CHAPTER I--INTRODUCTION - -The following is little more than a diary of a voyage made by me on the -whaler _Aurora_ of Dundee in 1884. I cannot imagine its being read by -many, as the subject can only interest a few who have themselves gone -down to the sea in ships. - -The Arctic whaling industry is I fear becoming a thing of the past, and -this prompts me to have the record of our successful voyage printed. - -Some mention has been made of the Greely Relief Expedition, as the -relief ships were with the whalers during the passage to Cape York from -Newfoundland. - -We were not brought in contact with the _Chieftain_ at all during the -cruise, but I have told the story of her disaster, as it was the most -unfortunate occurrence of the year amongst the Arctic whalers, and for -the data I am very much indebted to the _Dundee Advertiser_ and to Mr. -Allen Bell and Mr. Harvey of that paper for the trouble they have taken -about it. I am also indebted to Mr. Robert Kinnis of Dundee for much -interesting whaling information in the Appendix. As that gentleman -possesses the records of all catches taken by British ships for more -than a hundred years, he is in a position to supply very valuable data -on the subject. - -Mr. Walter Kinnis kindly supplied me with many photographs, as did Dr. -Crawford, formerly of the _Arctic_, and Captain Murray of Dundee. - -It has given me great pleasure recalling the scenes described. As I -was very young at the time of the voyage they produced an indelible -impression. Often since have I longed for a few weeks in Lancaster -Sound, and to hear once more the inspiring shout "A fall!" - -Being fond of adventure, and having read as many works on the subject as -most boys of my age, it was with great pleasure that I looked forward -to hearing a lecture delivered by Commander Cheyne, R.N. I was then at -school, and our tutor thought it would be an education for us to hear -him. The lecture was to me intensely interesting and the illustrations -splendid. For days after I could not think of anything else. During -study at night, I used to spend a good deal of time looking at a map -of the Arctic seas, and picturing Melville Bay with its dangers. After -leaving school, and while at college, I read Walter Scott's "Pirate." It -told about the Orkneys and Shetlands, and its frequent allusions to the -whaling industry set me thinking. I found myself often repeating: - - "The ship, well laden as barque need be, - - Lies deep in the furrow of the Iceland sea. - - The breeze for Zetland blows fair and soft - - And gaily the garland is fluttering aloft. - - Seven good fishes have spouted their last, - - And their jawbones are hanging from yard and mast; - - Two are for Lerwick, and two for Kirkwall, - - And three for Burgh-Westra, the choicest of all." - -As there was no immediate chance of going to Greenland, why not see -Shetland? So when the summer holidays came, I made my way to Edinburgh -with two friends who had also read the "Pirate." - -We found that steamers sailed from Leith and that the best of the -fleet, the _St. Magnus_, would leave the next morning at six, so we -took passage in her and visited Orkney and Shetland, thoroughly enjoying -being off the beaten track. - -One day we sat on the Nab Head at Lerwick and looked over a calm sea. In -the distance a barque could be descried. Half an hour later we noticed -her much closer, although no sails hung from her yards. Then we -discovered that while barque rigged she could also steam, and when she -anchored we found that she was a whaler, the _Eclipse_ of the Peter -Head,--Captain Gray. We went on board and were shown over the ship. -Polar bear skins were stretched in frames drying, and we learned that -she had 3,500 seals on board and 17 bottle-nosed whales, and, what was -of far more consequence to me, that she carried a surgeon. - -Years passed; I was a student at the University of Edinburgh and had -every opportunity of learning about ships sailing from Scottish ports. - -One day in November, 1883, I went to Dundee and, leaving the Tay Bridge -station, made my way along the docks to a basin in which were several -whalers. They were discharging cargo, and it was unnecessary to see them -to know of their presence. Two of the ships, though small, were very -beautiful to look at. They were the _Jan Mayen_ and the _Nova Zembla_. -Others, the _Narwhal, Polynia, Esquimaux, Active_, etc., were not so -pretty, but they all had a fascination--they came from the romantic -Arctic, and I went on board each one. Then I visited another dock where -three ships lay together. They were the _Arctic_, the _Aurora_ and -the _Thetis._ It required no expert to tell that they were vessels -of superior quality. I went on board the one nearest the shore, the -_Thetis_, and interviewed the mate. He told me that all three ships -would carry surgeons. The _Arctic_ and _Thetis_ were bound for Davis -Straits, the _Aurora_ for Greenland. - -[Illustration: 0025] - -The office of the company, Wm. Steven & Son, was near by, so I left the -ship very much excited. Here was almost a chance to visit the Arctic -regions. Going over to the office, I learned that the captain of a -whaler selected his own surgeon, and that Captain James Fairweather of -the _Aurora_ had just been there. I obtained his address, and calling -a cab, was soon at his house. He was not in, but I waited. Seated in a -room on the floor of which polar bear rugs were stretched, I began to -realize that I was taking a rather serious step without consulting -my parents. Before long the Captain entered, and after a little -conversation, I arranged to sail as the _Aurora's_ surgeon the following -January. So without really meaning to go when I left my rooms in the -morning, I found myself in the railway carriage on the way back to -Edinburgh, booked for an unusual voyage. - -During the winter I told some friends what I intended to do, and one -of them at once went to Dundee and secured the _Arctic_, the captain of -which was an Irishman. Another was also desirous of going, but said he -would wait until I returned and told him how I liked it. However he too -went in the end and we met in the north. - -The _Aurora_ was bound for the Newfoundland sealing first and -afterwards for the Greenland whaling; that is to say, she would fish for -bottlenosed whales on the east side of Greenland in the seas around Jan -Mayen and Spitzbergen and make a shorter voyage of it than the Davis -Straits ships. - -To prepare myself for the experience I read what I could about -Greenland, and was fascinated by the prospect of seeing its icy -mountains and possibly some of its inhabitants; while the very word -Spitzbergen suggested to me polar bears and icebergs. In January, 1884, -a letter from the Captain told me he would sail about the end of the -month and requested me to be in Dundee by the 29th. - -[Illustration: 0029] - -I bought a lot of unnecessary clothing, such as pilot-cloth suits lined -with flannel. When the flannel became wet afterwards it wonderfully -altered the fit of the things, so I removed it with my knife. I also -laid in a supply of literature, arms and ammunition, and left the -Waverley station at six on the morning of the 29th. Arriving at Dundee, -I went to a hotel and then to the office, where I met the Captain, and -went with him to the place where the men were signing on. Here I heard -some one reading rapidly a lot about the nature of the voyage and what -we would have to eat. When I left the building, I was a legal member -of the _Aurora's_ crew for the coming cruise, and my rating was that of -surgeon, with pay as follows: - - - £. s. d - - Monthly pay 2 0 0 - - Oil money per ton 2 0 - - Bone per ton 4 0 - - Seal skins per 1,000 1 0 - - -I had to furnish my own cabin and to pay the market price for any trophy -of my own shooting which I wanted to keep. As our voyage was in pursuit -of Arctic animals and as I was a member of the crew sent for that -purpose, of course this was quite right. - -It was possible for me to increase the above pay by being in fast boats. -Let me explain what I mean: when a boat first strikes a fish it is -called a fast boat; and if the whale is killed, every one in the boat -receives what is called striking money. The harpooner gets ten shillings -for putting in the gun harpoon, and ten and six pence for the hand, or a -guinea for both, while every member of the crew receives half a crown in -either case. - -It was my good fortune during the following eight months to increase my -wages by two shillings and six pence in this way. Having fixed terms and -other details I went on board the ship which was to be my home for -some months to come. She was a pretty auxiliary barque of 386 tons -registered. Her engines were about a hundred horse power. She had a -top-gallant forecastle and a raised poop. Running forward from the poop -was the engine room skylight, which ended at the funnel casing, and -steps led from the poop to the main deck on each side of it. The funnel -was painted buff, the ship outside was black, and the bulwarks inside -white and blue. The bridge was across the engine room skylight and in -front of the mizzenmast, an iron railing around the poop, offering no -protection from the weather, while a companion opened aft in front of -our two wheels. The pretty little cabin was furnished in pitch pine and -leather. The Captain's room occupied the starboard side, while mine was -on the port, both opening into the cabin. Forward of my room was that -occupied by the first and second mates, and this looked into the passage -at the foot of the stairs. Forward of the passage was the pantry and -also the engineer's room. A locker in which things were stowed occupied -the stern and opened into the cabin. Forward of the cabin table was a -stove in which there was a cheerful fire, and in the square skylight -hung a bird's cage and a garland, also some plants. - -Finding out what I wanted for my room, I went into the town, ordered the -things and had them sent down. - -_January 30_. Two acquaintances, whose identity I may indicate by the -initials H. and P., turned up this day to see me off. I took them over -the ship, but they were not very enthusiastic. We afterwards went around -the docks and saw the other whalers getting ready for sea. Quantities -of marmalade and dozens of hams were being put on board the _Esquimaux_. -Two of the whalers had already departed, the _Narwhal_ and _Polynia_, -while others were not starting for a week to come; but as there were -uncertainties about the western ocean's passage in winter, Captain -Fairweather had decided not to wait longer than the 31st. - -It snowed a little, which made the docks look dreary. I met the -Captain's wife on board during the afternoon, also his brother, who had -command of the _Thetis_. - -The following day Armitage arrived. He brought me a big meerschaum pipe, -and was delighted with the ship, so pleased that he visited many others -to see if he could not secure a berth on one of them. But those carrying -surgeons had their medical officers engaged. We wandered around the -docks all the morning and at noon I went on board. - -The _Aurora_ left the dock at one P. M. and anchored for a short time in -the river to pick up a few belated and more or less incapable members of -the crew, and to land some stowaways. - -My friends stood on the dockhead with hundreds of others to see us off, -and as we passed through the gate, old shoes, oranges and other things -were thrown on board. - -[Illustration: 0033] - -I was walking about the poop with my hands deep in the pockets of my -pilot coat and looking at the sea of faces on the dock, when, stumbling -over a chain, down I came with a crash in the most ignominious way. -However a stumble and fall on board a whaler putting to sea generally -passes unnoticed; one would attract more attention by standing up all -the time! Thus the voyage began,--my position flat on deck, being in -keeping with the best traditions of the trade! - - - - -CHAPTER II--VOYAGE TO NEWFOUNDLAND - - - "A thousand miles from land are we, - - Tossing about on the roaring sea; - - From billow to bounding billow cast - - Like fleecy snow on the stormy blast." - - -|Steaming down the river we landed quite a lot of stowaways at Broughty -Perry about 4.30 P. M., just as it was becoming dark. Tea was served at -five,--my first meal on board the _Aurora_. - -The Captain and myself sat on the starboard side of the table. Wm. -Adam, the mate, Alexander McKechnie, second mate, and Wm. Smith, chief -engineer, sat on the other side. - -Immediately after tea, I went to my room as we were crossing the bar -and going out into a gale of wind. Everything was tumbling about, and -knowing that in a very short time I should lose all interest in my -surroundings, I began making things secure. - -There were two berths. My bed was in the upper as it had a porthole, and -most of my belongings were stowed in the lower. - -A lot of tobacco had become loose, so I put the little packages of it -between my bed and the side of the ship. The port was not screwed very -tight and leaked badly for a week or so. This saturated the tobacco and -generated an odor which added nothing to my comfort. The motion becoming -very pronounced, I turned in, and being tired, slept well. - -[Illustration: 0038] - -_February 1st_. Footsteps overhead and the singing of shanties on deck -awoke me at daybreak, but I was intensely ill, so stayed in bed all day. -My room was illuminated by a small light set in the deck overhead and by -a partially submerged port, so it was not cheerful. Above my head there -was a book shelf. I tried to read, but could not feel interested as it -was so very depressing to look forward to months and months of this -sort of thing. Matters grew worse as the day went on, the climax being -reached when rounding Duncansby Head; but respite came about midnight, -when we crept into Long Hope and let go our anchor. - -_February 2nd._ Shouting and crying awoke me in the morning, and opening -the door of my cabin, I saw the Captain teaching two boys that the sea -was a bad place to run away to. They had been under an upturned boat and -the seas coming on board had almost drowned them out. Each boy promised -that he would never do it again. They were given two tins of mutton and -a small sack of ship's bread, and put on shore. - -Long Hope is a well sheltered harbor, between the islands of Hoy and -South Walls. There was a pronounced smell of turf smoke about the place -and the land was half covered with snow. - -Two other whalers were at anchor near by, the _Narwhal_ and _Polynia._ -They had left Dundee ten days before us and bad been weather bound here -for that length of time. - -I brought my gun up as there were some Richardson's skuas flying about, -but I did not get a shot at one. The mate, however, shot a herring gull -with it and this was the first splash of the ocean of blood shed by us -during the voyage. - -Breakfast was a cheerful meal and the horrors of the North Sea were soon -forgotten. - -At noon, the tide being favorable and the wind having gone down greatly, -we all three steamed out into the Pentland Firth. The _Polynia_ was the -first to move; I heard her anchor chain clanking on board to a well-sung -shanty. We started next, and as there were some good voices forward we -tried to outdo the others. The _Narwhal_ followed, never to return, as -she was lost during the summer. - -Turning Brims Ness sharp, we kept on the Orcadian side of the firth; and -after passing Turn Ness, we laid our course for Cape Wrath. Across the -water we could barely make out Thurso. The land lies rather low about -the mouth of the Thurso river; but on the Hoy side the scenery was fine -and we soon sighted the Old Man of Hoy. During my trip to Orkney and -Shetland a few years before, I had spent several days on this island, -so was interested in seeing it now from the sea on this dismal -February afternoon. Its sombre cliffs are always grand, but the present -atmospheric condition made the scene impressive. - -[Illustration: 0043] - -The Old Man of Hoy, in the simple language of the guide book, is, "An -insular pillar composed of flagstones and shales. Across their denuded -edges there stretches the band of amygdaloidal lava which is capped by -the red sandstones to the height of four hundred fifty feet." I could -make out the Ward Hill, but clouds lay low on its summit. Near there -I had visited the celebrated Dwarfie Stone made famous by Scott in his -"Pirate." It is a huge block of rock twenty-two feet by seventeen and -seven deep. There is a passage in it with a bed like a ship's berth hewn -out on each side, and it had been, of course, the home of a Trold. - -I turned my back on this land of Trolds, and went down the quarter-hatch -to see the second mate serving out lime-juice, tea, coffee, tobacco and -sugar to the men. I heard their names called and had a good look at -them as they came up. Our crew was a fine looking lot and the most -respectable body of men one could find on any ship, unlike the New -Bedford or San Francisco South Sea whalers, which carried very mixed -crews of every color. - -Most of our men had spent the greater part of their lives in Greenland -waters, and though not well informed on current topics and very -superstitious, they were self-respecting to a degree and absolutely -fearless, and they were all of the same nationality. - -Of course, life on board a whaler is much pleasanter than on any other -sort of merchantman, because the ships are well found and the crews very -large so that, except when actually engaged in sealing or whaling, they -have an easy enough time. - -The captains in the trade were very humane men, many of them scientific, -and they treated their crews well. Amongst the harpooners were often -found men who had themselves commanded ships and whose stars, no doubt, -would again be in the ascendancy. - -A few unsuccessful years, or the loss of a ship or two, would probably -cost a man his command, and bad luck cannot be avoided. - -Before the second mate had finished serving out I retired, as the ship -was beginning to feel the heavy swell that was coming in, and by six P. -M. I was absolutely "under the weather," and it was blowing hard from -the northwest. We passed Cape Wrath about midnight. The following day a -strong gale was blowing with snow and the engines were slowed down. - -_February 4th_. Blowing a gale, reefed mizzen set and main topmast -staysail, with the engines slowed down. During the morning a man was -hurt. He was carried aft and held on the cabin table while I--very -ill--and also held, sewed his scalp and dressed the wound. - -_February 5th_. Strong gale. Ship under reefed mizzen and main staysail, -steaming slow. High sea running and sun obscured all day. - -This applies to the state of affairs on the 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th, -during all of which time I enjoyed the horrors of _mal de mer_. I saw -by the log that we had spent our days under fore and afters with a heavy -sea running, but I made no original observations, keeping in my berth -all the time, wondering during my conscious moments what brought me to -sea and vowing that I would never set foot on a vessel again if spared -this time. - -The ship's dog (Jock) was a rather sociable and sympathetic collie. He -spent a good deal of time with me, and I could not help admiring the old -chap when I knew that he really did not belong to any one, but always -turned up on the _Aurora_ about sailing time and made the voyage with -her. At St. John's, Jock had lots of friends and visited a good deal, -but he was always on board on sailing day. - -_February 11th_. A mere shadow of my former self, I got up and did not -feel ill. My wash basin was in one corner of the room. I put my head -against the corner above it and by sticking one foot against the side of -the door and another against the lower berth, was able to apply a little -water to my face, but the swing of the ship was so great that it swished -nearly every drop out of the basin. I dressed and went to breakfast, -feeling absolutely well and ravenously hungry. After breakfast, tucking -my breeches inside my sea boots, I went on deck. The door opened aft. As -I came out, the stem of the vessel sank low as the bows rose on the -sea, and I saw a black mountain of water rolling from us. Getting to the -mizzen rigging on the port side, I put my arms in the shrouds and stood -on a spar lashed on deck. It was very dark for the hour and blowing the -greatest storm that I had ever experienced, the wind fairly shrieking -through the rigging. - -We were steaming half speed and had a reefed mizzen and main staysail -set. Looking forward, I saw the little ship taking tons of dark water -over her bows. It came off the forecastle in a cataract, and rushing aft -between the engine room and bulwarks, it surged upon the poop. We only -had a few feet of free board and were making terrible weather of it. The -atmosphere was full of water, as the tops of the waves were blown off in -sheets. A great splash came over the quarter about this time and fairly -engulfed me. Then I learned that it was better to wear one's sea boots -inside instead of outside the trousers. - -This was sufficient for the day, so I retired below to change and dry. -During the evening, the Captain showed me our position on a chart which -was glued to the cabin table under the cloth. We were not yet half way -across. - -The 12th, 13th and 14th were all equally awful, but I had my sea legs -and a good appetite, so was thankful. The only pleasure I had was -standing on the bridge and watching the ship burying her bows into the -big seas and the water coming in tons over the forecastle and filling -the main deck. She was indeed a wet ship in bad weather. - -_February 15th_. The Captain said that he had never seen a lower -barometer. A great gale was blowing and the ship was hove to. Bags of -oil had been put out on the weather side, but the oil did not escape -with sufficient freedom so they were hauled in and a lot of punctures -made with a knife, but this did not improve matters much. It rendered -the sea comparatively smooth to leeward and there was not so much spray -flying, but tons of water tumbled over us and we spent a dreadful day. -I tried the deck for awhile, but it was dangerous. At night the ship was -laboring fearfully and continued to do so for days. - -_February 20th_. Another fearful day. I had occasion to visit the -topgallant forecastle to see the ship-keeper, who had hurt his knee. -There was a line from the forecastle door to the main rigging for -safety, as one was almost sure to be caught by a sea while going the -length of the deck. - -Two men came aft for me, and watching our chance, we reached the -forecastle safe. Coming back, I decided to try it alone, so waited until -a tremendous sea had broken over us, then before she had time to take -another, I made a dash, but a body of water splashed over the starboard -side and forced me to climb up the inside of the main rigging and stay -there until some of it swept off the deck. Towards night the wind began -to moderate a little. - -_February 21st_. Pitching and tossing as usual. Cloudy, but not much -wind; a nasty sea, however, and the canvas did not hold her steady. -Really in a heavy gale the storm holds a ship down to some extent. - -The next day, however, the weather had moderated, so I tried stoking and -managed quite well. I also tried changing a fire, which was not such a -success, but I kept steam up and it was an interesting experience. - -An end comes to all things. On the morning of the 23rd the ship for the -first time was on an even keel and some sun was shining through my deck -light. Hitherto attempts at washing had been unsatisfactory, as the -motion of the ship in a sea was so quick. Now, however, I indulged in -a complete toilet, and with a feeling of self-respect went on deck. The -day was cloudless and beautiful, the sea smooth as glass, and dotted -over it were white specks of ice. In a very short time the pieces of ice -became more numerous and larger, and when we were at breakfast we heard -and felt the ship crushing and bumping amongst them. By eleven A. M. a -breeze came up from the southeast and all sail was set, but by noon the -ship stuck hard and fast in the ice, and presented to me a wonderful and -beautiful sight. - -Every stitch of canvas was set and drawing, and the engine going full -speed, but still for a time we did not move. Now was my chance to walk -about on the frozen sea, so I went out with the dog and we both enjoyed -a race, keeping very close, however, for at any moment the Aurora might -move. We came on board when the mate called, as a crack was appearing -ahead of the ship. We were now two hundred twenty miles from St. John's, -and expected to be in ice all the way. During the afternoon I went up to -the foretop and Valentine thoroughly enjoyed a half hour gazing at the -wonderful scene. - -We were very seldom stuck for any length of time, a few bumps from the -ship being generally sufficient to open a crack. - -[Illustration: 0051] - -A great many of the men were on deck most of the day, and certainly -she was a heavily manned ship with her crew of sixty-five. Six of them -belonged to the engine room, eight were harpooners, who lived in the -topgallant forecastle, as did some of our tradesmen. Of these we had two -carpenters, a cooper, blacksmith, and sailmaker. The specksioneer also -lived there. He was the chief of the harpooners, a splendid old man -called George Lyon. Sixteen of our men were from Shetland, a quiet, -sober, industrious lot. - -Standing on the forecastle, I watched the ship crunching through several -miles of young ice. She never actually stopped once. Her bows would rise -up on it, then huge slabs would tilt on end as she glided on. Sometimes -a long crack would open and let her slide in to be almost stuck. By -degrees she would gain way and probably steam into an open pool, to -strike the opposite side with considerable force, thereby opening a -crack in which she would repeat the performance. The engine is the -secret of ice navigation. With canvas alone we would have been fast in -the ice much of the time, while with heavier engines we could have gone -through heavier ice. The night was fine, and we managed to keep moving -on our course. - -_February 24th_ was a glorious day. One would scarcely expect to find -such, weather in February in this neighborhood. - -In the morning we passed through rather smooth ice. Occasionally there -were large ponds and in many of these I saw seals. Sometimes they were -plunging about in numbers, but generally a few heads only were visible -looking at us inquisitively as we passed. There were no bergs in sight, -but during the afternoon we passed some rafted ice which was piled up -six or seven feet above the floes, and once we were fast for an hour in -a rather heavy place, when I again tried the walking, but there was snow -on the ice which was slightly frozen on the surface, and this made it -heavy as one went through the crust. Towards evening the sky became -cloudy; it was very cold, and snow was falling when I turned in for the -night. - -In the morning Cape Bonavista was in sight. It was my first view of this -New World. All land was beautiful to me after a month at sea and this -looked so attractive as we neared it that I wanted to settle on it for -the rest of my life. However, we passed on, and during the day steamed -through the narrows and tied up astern of the _Arctic_ on the south side -of St. John's harbor at what was known as Stevens Wharf. - -The _Arctic_ had sailed ten days after us and had made good weather of -it as she was a long ship of nearly double our tonnage, but of nothing -like our strength of build. - -The Resolute's Wooden Funnel lute had also arrived. The latter on the -way out had lost her funnel, so a pyramidal structure had been erected -of wood lined with tin; this answered very well for a time. Some of her -bulwarks had been carried away, especially forward of the main rigging -on the port side. She was a fine ship, strong and well engined, but the -North Atlantic in winter leaves its mark on the best. - -[Illustration: 0055] - -The _Resolute_ was owned in St. John's and commanded by a St. John's -captain; but she came out from Dundee, where she had been overhauled. - -So ended my first trip across the Atlantic, and, until then, the most -uncomfortable experience of my life. - - - - -CHAPTER III--NEWFOUNDLAND - - - "Such are the charms to barren states assyn'd, - - Their wants but few, their wishes all confin'd." - - -|Our first possession across the sea was Newfoundland, and I made the -voyage to it 400 years after John Cabot, the discoverer. The _Mathew_ of -Bristol first sighted Cape Bonavista, which was the first point seen by -the _Aurora_. Cabot was a Venetian sailing out of Bristol for a time, -and for his great discovery, which gave England her vast American -possessions, King Henry gave John ten pounds a year. Cabot is to-day -very well thought of, but nothing much is known of what became of him. -The name makes an attractive one for a Newfoundland dog. I have known -several of them bear it, and it is a sort of geographical education to -have them running around; but there is not any place of importance in -the world called after this great mariner. - -The coast of the country is forbidding, being rocky and bleak, except -around some of the bays; the most beautiful of those seen by me being -Bay of Islands on the west coast, which reminds one of Norway. Here -and in the valley of the Humber, which runs into it, there is some very -fertile land, and there are some scenes of peace and prosperity. But the -general impression I have obtained after several visits to the country, -is that life is a struggle for many of the inhabitants compared with -what it is in any other colony which we possess. Newfoundlanders are -true to the land of their birth, but one familiar with North America at -large would never think of advising a colonist to push his fortune in -this particular part of it, because the opportunities are comparatively -few and the winters are too long for any working man to remain idle. -In the interior the soil is as a rule shallow; there are thousands and -thousands of acres of barrens, hundreds of lakes of different sizes and -numbers of streams. Great areas of the country are grown over with small -timber, the trees being so close together in places that one can hardly -push through them. Much of the barren country is moss-grown and boggy, -so that it cannot be travelled over by horses or mules; therefore, when -one leaves the rivers, it is necessary to carry everything on one's -back, and, as a result, travel in the interior is not much indulged -in by the inhabitants. To add to the pleasure, mosquitoes and their -cousins, the black flies, are in swarms. The whole interior is a -deer forest of the first magnitude, teeming with caribou (Rangi-fer -tarandus). These animals weigh about 300 pounds, and they are very gray -about the head and shoulders. I have seen them standing among trees -which were grown over with bearded moss, when it was difficult to tell -the caribou from the trees. Some of the heads are splendid with a -great deal of palmation and not at all like Greenland or polar American -caribou in which the palmation is generally poor and the beam long and -straggling, probably due to a difference of environment. Migrating to -the northern part of the island in summer, they return in September and -October to winter in the south, and the sportsman intercepting them on -their autumnal trip can have his choice of heads. - -Another attraction is the salmon and trout fishing. The rivers, -especially on the west coast, are well stocked, white trout being -particularly numerous. - -St. John's harbor is entered through the narrows. On the left, going -in, there is the lighthouse; and on the right, or north side, the signal -station. On this side is the city, lying at the foot of low hills, its -principal street, Water Street, being parallel with the shore. From it -run side streets down to the wharves and up the hill to the residences -and churches. The Dundee ships lay on the south side, our yard being -nearest the narrows. From it a path led out to the lighthouse point. A -hundred yards from the ship one was on the hillside and without the pale -of everything, because only a narrow fringe of buildings separated the -south shore from the wilds. Along the water edge, between our ship and -the lighthouse, one passed lots of fish flakes. These were constructed -of a framework of vertical and horizontal poles covered over with spruce -boughs upon which the split codfish were laid after being salted. The -air circulated under and around them well and they soon dried. I saw -codfish being dried on the beach in Shetland, but they were only spread -on the shingle. There are no trees in Shetland from which poles could be -made, but there is less precipitation there than in Newfoundland, so the -fish dry well upon the shingle. It is over 300 years since the -Newfoundland fisheries began to be worked. They proved the country's -first attraction and there is nothing of the sort in the world like -them. For the five years 1871 to '75 the export of dried cod was -1,333,009 quintals of 112 pounds. The Basques first appeared on the -scene and a port on the west coast to-day bears their name, Port aux -Basques. As early as 1527 an English shipmaster, on entering St. John's -harbor, found eleven ships from Norway, one from Breton and ten from -Portugal, all fishing. - -In looking over the exports for 1881 one notices several interesting -items; one is, 4,127 tons of cod-liver oil, another item is 300 barrels -of cods' heads at $1.00 per barrel. I fancy, however, their use has -not become very general yet when we know that only 300 barrels were -exported, and that over sixty million cod were killed. When I speak of -the cod fishing, I mean the Labrador as well as the Banks fishery. -In fact, the former is probably the more fished of the two by the -Newfoundlanders. - -The day after our arrival our ship began discharging cargo, that is to -say, taking off our whale-boats and launch, and taking out all -supplies for the whaling voyage. Then they began sheathing the deck and -bulwarks--even the floor of the cabin was covered with plank. Bunks were -erected for the men in the 'tween decks, all stores removed from the -quarter hatch and bunks put in there for the quartermasters, and the -crow's-nest was hoisted up and made fast to the main mast, a few feet -below the truck. The crow's-nest or barrel was a most comfortable place. -One entered through a trap door in the bottom, and when this was closed -there was no draught. Around the edge of the barrel and sticking out -some distance there was an iron rail upon which the glass could rest, -the latter being kept in a canvas bag or pocket inside. From there the -ship was navigated, a wire going to the engine room and ringing the -bell, but orders to the man at the wheel were called down. While these -changes were taking place, in company with the surgeon of the _Arctic_, -I wandered all over St. John's and the neighborhood, and enjoyed the -hospitality of many residents. It was some distance around the end -of the harbor to the city, but we could skate across if we liked. The -weather was intensely cold and the land was covered with deep snow. - -The _Aurora_ having been converted into a sealer, and having taken on -board her supplies and exchanged her beautiful whale-boats for a number -of very crude looking punts, moved over to the north side of the harbor, -and waited for sailing day to take her crew on board. - -[Illustration: 0065] - -It may not be out of place to make a few remarks here about seals and -sealing generally. Most people know that seal fisheries exist, but -few have any idea of their extent. The ice-fields of Newfoundland -and Labrador produce more than anywhere else; but Greenland, Northern -Europe, the seas around Jan Mayen, Nova Zembla and Spitzbergen produce -also a great harvest, and the fur-bearing seals of the Aleutian Islands -must not be forgotten. Sealing on the east coast of Greenland is -entirely in the hands of natives, but the industry in other places is -chiefly prosecuted by Europeans and Americans. Lindeman tells us that -in 1720 the ports of the Weser sent out ships, that in 1760 Hamburg sent -nineteen which took 44,722 seals, that in 1862 five German ships took -17,000, five Danish 5,000, fifteen Norwegian 63,000 and twenty-two -British 51,000; so this gives one an idea of the extent to which Great -Britain was represented. In 1876 the Dundee ships alone took 53,000, -valued at over £34,000. It was the custom for the British sealers to -arrive in Bressa Sound, Shetland, about the end of February, and there -pick up a considerable part of their crews, getting to the ice about the -middle of March. The young seals were in good condition about this time -and had not yet taken to the water, so afforded an easy prey to their -foes. Around Newfoundland, sealing has gone on with great profit to all -engaged for probably one hundred and fifty years, and a glance at the -following table will give some idea of its extent: - - In 1805 81,088 were taken - 1818 145,072 - 1822 306,982 - 1831 686,836 - 1840 631,385 - 1850 598,860 - 1860 444,202 - 1872 278,372 - 1881 447,903 - -Roughly, about 350,000 every year, the greatest catch being 685,530 in -1844. - -Harvey tells us that in 1857 there were nearly four hundred vessels of -80 to 200 tons burthen engaged in the industry, employing altogether -13,600 men, and that the year's catch was worth $1,700,000. Now, about -eight to ten thousand men are engaged, and the seal fishing yields about -one-eighth part of the entire exports of the country. - -Steam was first used in 1863 and then the sailing ships began to -decrease in number. In 1884 more than thirty steamers were used, while -the sailing ships had become scarce. - -With the advent of steam, the Dundee owners began casting covetous eyes -at Newfoundland. The western ocean passage could be made early in -the year, and the sealing taken in en route to the whaling. It became -necessary to arrange with agents at St. John's, or to build yards where -the cargo of seals could be taken care of, leaving the vessel free to -proceed north. At this time six ships represented Dundee. - - _Arctic_, Captain Guy - - _Narwhal_, Captain Phillips - - _Aurora_, Captain Jas. Fairweather - - _Polynia_, Captain Walker - - _Esquimaux_, Captain Milne - - _Thetis_, Captain Alex. Fairweather - -The _Resolute_, Captain Jackman, could hardly be called a Dundee ship, -and it so happened that the Thetis went on other business this year; but -the above were the usual six. - -The seals forming our cargo from the Newfoundland ice were harps (Phoca -Greenlandica), so called on account of a peculiar mark on each side of -the adult, extending from near the shoulder to near the tail, and hoods -(Cystophora Cristata), so called on account of a large inflatable sac -on the nose of the male. On our trip to Labrador we secured quite a -number of hoods, but on our first trip our cargo was practically one -of harps. Both these species are migratory, coming south in winter and -working north in summer as the ice recedes. As the banks of Newfoundland -swarm with fish, they form a pleasant winter resort for the seals, and -are very convenient to the floes on which they spend February and March. -Harbor seals (Phoca vetulini) and square flippers (Phoca barbatus) are -also found on the coast. - -The breeding ice of the seal is the goal of every master in the trade, -but there are no rules for finding it. One may consider the influence of -currents and winds, and may navigate accordingly only to find the seals -are not found where expected. In our own case, the Captain told me the -day we left St. John's that he had no definite idea of where to go. -Nevertheless we awoke one morning to find ourselves surrounded by -hundreds of thousands. - -[Illustration: 0073] - -Young seals are born on the Newfoundland ice February 15th to 25th, and -are in perfect condition for the market by March 20th, as they have been -well fed by their mothers until then. They are a yellowish white when -born and remain so until they begin to take to the water, when the -longish white hair is rapidly shed and the young one quickly loses its -condition. - -Owing to the exciting nature of the work, a trip to the ice is the -desire of nearly every Newfoundland boy. The great danger is fog coming -down while the men are sealing far from the ship, and next comes the -danger of losing the ship and drifting about on the floes until possibly -death takes place from cold and starvation. - -In 1872 one hundred men perished, fifty going down with the _Huntsman_ -on the coast of Labrador. The _Bloodhound_ and _Retriever_ were lost -the same year, their crews escaping to Battle Harbor after terrible -hardships. - -Scoresby tells us of the classical disaster which occurred in 1774 about -sixty miles east of Jan Mayen. The sealing fleet, consisting of over -fifty vessels, met at the ice edge on March the 29th. - -The whole fleet entered the ice streams and their boats went off -sealing. A storm suddenly arose, destroying five of the ships and -injuring many more, while most of the sealers who were far from their -ships were never seen again, almost six hundred men being lost. One -could not talk to a sealer long without learning of some horrible -accident which had occurred to himself or a friend, and while some of -them were given to romance, there could be no question about the perils -they encountered or about their bravery and endurance. - -Toward the end of February, the sweilers, as they are called, began to -arrive in St. John's looking for berths. As the steamers afforded better -opportunities, the able men got them, while the older ones took to the -sailing craft, where life was not so strenuous. These men were dressed -very much alike and were most athletic; some of them were perfectly -wonderful in the way they jumped from pan to pan, barely touching some -of the smaller ones in passage. The owners did not overfeed the men on -these trips, providing them with sea biscuits and pinnacle tea chiefly, -pork and duff being served only three days a week and salt fish on -Fridays. The water from which the tea was brewed was obtained by thawing -pinnacles of ice. When ice floes came together they rafted one on to -the other and shattered fragments stuck up in all directions. Snow piled -upon these and was frozen. When water was wanted, a body of men with -axes went on the ice and broke off the pinnacles, which were taken on -board and stacked on deck. As water was required these were put into -a tank and steam turned on. Tea was made with this water, and molasses -added in place of cream and sugar. Our water for the cabin use was not -obtained from this source. - -On steamers the crew received one-third of the catch, on sailing ships -one-half. This was made to the Newfoundland men only on the Dundee -ships, the Dundee crew getting paid so much a month, as well as a -fraction of the catch. When a ship was amongst the white coats, as the -young seals were called, the crew lived well, as they ate the livers, -hearts and flippers of the seals. The men carried a supply of livers -and hearts in their belts and ate them frozen or cooked as opportunity -afforded. It is easy to see how little cooking can be done for a crew of -three hundred men on a small ship. I have often seen a man tie a cord -to a liver and drop it into a pot of tea sitting on the galley stove, -drawing it out when warmed up or when the owner of the pot came for his -tea. - -Sailing ships were allowed to leave port on March 1st, but steamers -could not clear for the sealing until March 10th, and the laws were very -strictly enforced. It was not unusual for a ship to have her pans of -seals pilfered by another ship during a fog, and this often led to legal -complications. I have frequently seen our men cut private marks on the -fatty sides of the sculps so that they might be identified afterwards. -Of course, any ship would pick up a pan which had lost its flag. -Sometimes the sweilers had great luck, being gone only a week or two and -coming back with their pockets full. A sculp was worth $2.00 to $3.00, -and as the men received one-third of all taken, it amounted to a good -deal for them, and as it came oft at a season when there was nothing -else being done, it added greatly to its value. - -Ships engaging in this work had to have their hold hulkheaded off so -that, should they encounter bad weather, the cargo would not shift. As -the _Aurora_ was tanked, that was all that was necessary. If the ship -were long in reaching port after taking her seals on hoard, the fat -might break down and the oil flood everything, unless the ship had -tanks. In our case the sculps were on board such a short time that they -were as fresh looking when landed as when taken. The fat was separated -from the skin on shore by a man with a long knife. He drew a sculp over -a board and caught the edge of it with his left hand; using the knife -with his right, in a few sweeps he removed all the blubber. This was -thrown into a sausage machine and afterwards steamed in tanks to extract -the oil, which was refined by exposure to the sun's rays. The oil was -used for machinery and in lighthouses, and the skins were made into -harness, boots, etc., farmers using the refuse for fertilizing purposes. - -When one saw this small army of fine looking, hard working and very poor -men, he could not help being sorry that their forefathers in emigrating -had not gone a little further and settled in Canada or the United -States, instead of on this inhospitable land. Think of how comparatively -easy their lives would have been, and what a return they would have -reaped for their work. Newfoundland meant to every one of them a life -of toil with not much more hope than the mother country could have given -them. Poor soil and a relentless winter mean this as a rule in a country -the mineral resources of which have not been developed. - - - - -CHAPTER IV--NEWFOUNDLAND SEALING - - - "The ice was here, the ice was there, - - The ice was all around; - - It cracked and growled, and roared and howled, - - Like noises in a swound." - - -_March 10th_. At five A. M. all was life on board the _Aurora_. On -awaking, I had coffee, which was in the cabin, and, muffling up well, I -went on deck, as it was bitterly cold. The night was cloudy and dark but -the ship was illuminated with torches, and on each side of the gangway -stood the mate and ice-master, calling the roll. The Newfoundland men -came on board as their names were called, about three hundred in all, -including the quartermasters, who lived down in the quarter-hatch. The -men all wore boots made of untanned seal skin, from which the hair had -been removed. They were very light and serviceable and came up to the -knee. Spikes were driven into the soles to prevent slipping on the ice, -and the decks were preserved from these by rough plank sheathing. -There was great wrangling and disputing, as many of the men had been -celebrating the occasion. - -At six A. M. we cast loose and by degrees broke our way from the wharf. -The scene, when the sun arose, was intensely interesting; all the -sealing ships were out, trying to crush their way towards the narrows, -and, as the harbor was entirely frozen over, this was hard work. Two -ships, the _Resolute_ and the _Polynia_, were behind us, and these last -sent two or three hundred to assist our Newfoundland crew in pulling on -a hawser over our bows, while our Scotch crew on board ran backwards -and forwards across the deck to make the ship roll. This rolling often -helped greatly when the ship put her bows in a crack. Our method was -to go full speed astern for a few yards, and then full speed ahead, the -eight or nine hundred men on the ice pulling for all they were worth at -the same time, and the _Aurora's_ men on board running across the deck -to keep up the roll. As there were thousands of men similarly employed -on and about the other ships, and as they were all singing, the scene -may be imagined. - -The _Nimrod_ and _Neptune_ were moving on, well ahead of us, and when we -got into their wake, the _Aurora_ moved along faster. It was eight -bells by the time we passed through the narrows; there the ice was much -looser, so we all pushed off in our various directions to look for the -breeding haunts of seals. Captain Fairweather kept a little nearer shore -than the others, and by evening there were only a few ships in sight. - -I retired early, as I had been up for many hours, and even the bumping -and thumping of the ship, as she went full speed ahead and full speed -astern every few minutes all night, did not keep me awake. - -_March 11th_. When I went on deck, a wonderful Arctic scene presented -itself. A snow storm was raging and the ship looked as though she had -been fast there for years. She was literally buried in snow, and the -weather was so cold that the snow had frozen on her yards and rigging. -The morning was dark and one could not see very far. Under the starboard -bow the ice was heavy, causing the ship to lie over to port. The wind -was from the southeast and had driven the ice in on us. There was a -great deal of creaking and crunching from moving floes and the wind made -a lot of noise in the rigging. By noon the weather had moderated and the -snow ceased; by night the wind was coming from the northeast and the -ice slackened, the ship being upon an even keel. Of course, snow was not -allowed to remain very long on deck, as our big crew had nothing to do -but shovel it off. - -I looked into the 'tween-decks and saw a horrible mess. The bunks were -full of men, many playing cards, as each bunk held four. They must have -been stifled. For light, lamps burning seal oil were used, and the reek -coming from the main hatch would almost have suggested fire. - -During the night, the ship got under way, and her bumping awoke me -several times. - -_March 12th_. In the morning, we were again beset. Hearing a noise on -deck, I went up. On the poop a lot of duffs were lying about like 64 -lb. shot. A crowd of angry men could be seen on the main deck and facing -them was the Captain. A big Newfoundland man came up the steps and, -breaking a duff in two, held it up and asked the Captain to look at -it. It was an awkward moment and called for immediate action. But the -Captain was a man of action, so he planted a blow between the man's -eyes and asked him to look at that; the man dropped back dazed and the -trouble came to an end at once. - -The Captain told a story at breakfast about a steward once saying -that more tea would not be required for the next voyage as he had been -boiling the leaves from the cabin and giving it to the crew. An order -was at once issued to serve out good tea of the proper strength instead. -Next morning all hands came aft to complain about the black stuff the -cook was serving out, and demanding that proper tea, such as they had -been having, should be served. - -The weather was now fine, and the world very white, the only visible -black being a pond of open water half a mile to the east of us. The wind -was again from the east and the cold intense; in fact, one could hardly -face it on account of small particles of ice driven by it. - -After breakfast I took my rifle and went to the lee side of the open -water. It was perhaps a fourth of a mile long and a hundred and fifty -yards wide. Every little while a few seals would bob up at one end of -the hole and then, giving a few plunges, disappear. I crouched behind a -pinnacle for shelter and, watching past the side of it, soon had a shot. -I fancied I heard the bullet strike, but the seal disappeared; -presently another came. This time I was sure that I saw the water -around bloodstained, but there was a ripple and it was difficult to see -anything lying low on it. I spent several hours at this work and was -perfectly certain I had hit many seals. On one occasion, I saw the side -of one I had shot, with the water breaking over it, but presently it -disappeared. I knew that at this season the animals would float, and as -I was on the lee side, why did they not drift down to me? Cold at last -drove me back to the _Aurora_, and, on relating my experiences, the -ice-master told me that I would find the dead animals at the weather -side of the hole, as the ice, drifting before the wind, would travel -faster than the dead and almost completely submerged seals. So taking -a man with me, I had the satisfaction of seeing seven big male harps -pulled out, the first I had ever killed and the first secured by the -ship. - -During the afternoon the ice eased off and the ship again proceeded. She -was getting along pretty well at bedtime, but not making any particular -course. - -March 13th. It was about five A. M. when the steward came to my room -and lit the lamp. He said we were among the "white coats" and he seemed -greatly pleased. I dressed and, going up, found bright moonlight. The -ship was hard and fast. In every direction I could hear sounds like the -crying of children. I could also see gangs of men on the ice and some -coming on board. The men had been taking advantage of the moonlight to -begin their work, and all were in splendid spirits, as a full ship meant -much to them. - -About six the whistle sounded for all hands to come on board for -breakfast, and after that they were organized into companies, commanded -by their own quartermasters, and proceeded about the slaughter in a well -regulated manner. Each man carried a spruce pole, on the end of which -was a sort of boat hook called a "gaff," and each also had a tow rope. -The method of proceeding was as follows: - -A company would go in a certain direction and then scatter. A man would -kill four or five whitecoats by hitting them on the head with his gaff. -He would pull them together and sculp them, that is, with his sculping -knife he would make an incision on the under surface of the body, -its entire length, through the skin and fat. How the skin, with its -subcutaneous fat, was very loosely adherent to the rest of the body -of the young seal, so with a very few sweeps of the knife the body was -separated and thrown away. He then made a few holes along each side of -the sculp, which was oblong, and through these laced his tow rope. When -the four or five had been thus arranged, he towed them to a selected -pan, where they were piled with the others, a pole was stuck up, bearing -a flag on which was the name of the ship, and this being done, the -sealers moved on and established another pan. - -While the St. John's men were busy with the sealing, the Scotch crew -remained on the ship, throwing the coal overboard. The ship, leaving -Newfoundland, took a lot of coal, as she did not know where she might -have to go or how long she might be away. In our case, we found the -seals at once, so the coal, being of no further use and of no value, -compared with the seals, was thrown overboard. - -I went aloft to have a look at our surroundings. We were in Bonavista -Bay, and in the distance I saw the _Neptune_ sealing. She was a large -ship and took an enormous cargo. It seemed too bad that these should -be the only two vessels in the midst of this harvest. I saw, with the -glass, seals by the thousand; they were principally to the north of us, -and it was evident that we would fill the ship, unless a gale broke up -the ice too soon. Astern, I noticed a patch of ice on which there were -lots of old harps. Getting my rifle and going over to the place, I found -a great many seal holes in the ice. I watched. A seal would stick its -head out of one and, seeing me, would instantly go down again. This was -going on all over the area before me. Sitting down, I decided to take -the first head presenting itself. By watching any given hole, one would -probably very soon have a shot, but it was more exciting to take the -heads as they came up. It was very quick shooting and good sport. Every -time I hit a seal, I killed it, because only the head could be seen. At -this season, the animals, being in prime condition, floated; but getting -one out of its hole was very difficult. If one turned it around and -seized the hind flippers, the fore flippers caught the ice, and there -was nothing to take hold of about its head. I found, that by sticking an -empty cartridge through the nose and catching this at each side, a man -could manage to pull the seal out by throwing himself back. I amused -myself at this game until eight bells, when I went on board for dinner -and found the Captain in splendid spirits. There was every chance of -his filling his ship and being first in, and I questioned whether these -honors had ever been obtained by any Scotch master at the Newfoundland -sealing before. After dinner, I took a man with me who pulled out the -seals and sculped them, hauling them to the ship, which remained fast. -The crew got on well with the coal and soon had several tanks cleaned -out and ready for the nearest pan, and by night we had about 2,500 on -board. I went aloft again and saw our pan flags flying in great numbers, -while the men were very busy several miles away. After dark, the sealers -came on board and reported having killed probably 10,000. Many of the -men had given themselves bad cuts with their sharp sculping knives, but -all were very happy, forward and aft. - -[Illustration: 0093] - -_March 14th_. Every one up at dawn. The ship was alongside a pan when I -came on deck, and the winch was going all the time, while the orders -"Heave away port," "Heave away starboard," were being constantly given, -and every few minutes a bunch of sculps would be hauled on board and -thrown below by the men on deck. When this pan was cleaned up, the -officer in the barrel directed the ship's course to the next, and so it -went, all day long, a portion of the crew working coal as usual. I went -aloft and saw our men, five or six miles away, piling up our cargo. In -the afternoon, I went off: in the direction the men were and fortunately -I had a gaff: with me. I had on very thick clothes and a pilot jacket -over all. When about a mile from the ship, and while walking over a -nice, smooth piece of ice, I noticed that it was bending under me. I -turned and was getting back to the hummocks, when I went through. -Fortunately, the gaff caught on both sides and I only went in up to my -arms, so was able to climb out. The cold of the water was intense and I -had a fright. Before reaching the ship, my clothes were frozen hard. One -great comfort about the _Aurora_ was that she was a steamer, so when any -accidents of this kind occurred, it was a great thing, having the top of -the boiler to retire to. Here one had warmth at any rate. As there was -nothing much separating the top of our boiler from the stoke hole, there -was a deposit of ashes and soot, but a little thing like that did not -much trouble a man fished out of a frozen sea. - -It was cold and dark when the sealers began coming on board and a fog -was settling down, so about nine P. M. we were quite uneasy over some -who bad not turned up. The whistle sounded frequently, and it was a -relief when the last appeared. Some were really very much exhausted and -were given rum. - -We took on board about five thousand seals and the men had killed many -thousand more. - -_March 15th_. A snow storm blowing, so the men could not go to the -sealing, and very little new work was accomplished. However, the ship -managed to reach a lot of her pans, and the Newfoundland men hauled the -sculps from others farther away, so that by night, four thousand more -were on board. Coal was worked energetically all day. - -The barometer was rising at night and the snow had ceased, so the -weather looked more settled. - -_March 16th_. Sealers away when I came on deck, and our own crew very -busy with the seals and coal. The ice showed a lot of leads and there -were seals in the open ponds, so I spent my time at them with the rifle -and had some good shooting. - -At dinner the mate told us we had taken on board over three thousand -sculps and by night two thousand more were added to these. About sixteen -thousand five hundred were now on board. - -I spent some time aloft. The glare from the ice was fearfully trying -as the sun was very bright. Owing to the open character of the ice, we -followed the sealers quite well. We found several of our pans broken -by the weight of seals on them; in every case we saw sharks in the open -water beside the broken pan. Once the ship had her engines going ahead -to keep her bows against the ice, while she took seals on board (I -was looking over the rail aft), when I saw a shark gliding up to the -propeller. It hit him on the side and cut a flap out about two feet -long. He swam about with this mass hanging from him for awhile and then -went back to the propeller, which finished him with an awful gash across -the neck. This was the only one I saw killed. - -The night was clear and the men had no difficulty in getting on board. - -[Illustration: 0099] - -March 17th. It was blowing and the ice was rather tight; there was also -some snow, so the sealers were employed bringing sculps on board, as -pans were being broken. I saw one split in two. Half the sculps had been -lost in the water, and there were numbers of sharks around. A man stuck -his gaff into one several times, and it did not appear to mind. It was -difficult getting the seals on board as the heavy snow squalls prevented -our seeing the leads. However, twenty-five hundred more were secured -from broken pans in our immediate neighborhood. The ship was drifting -south all the time; and the _Neptune_ was still in sight when it cleared -in the afternoon. - -_March 18th._ All hands up early and a good start made. Nearly all the -coal over the side. I watched the men bringing on board pinnacles in the -morning. As they had been sealing steadily for a week and had not paid -much attention to their toilets, sleeping in their clothes, etc., and -as each one had a fringe of frozen livers sticking in his belt, and -the sheathed decks were soaking in oil, the pinnacles had a chance of -acquiring a nutritious quality which must have given body to the tea -manufactured out of them. However, the men did not mind, and as our -cabin supply of water was all right, I did not mind either. - -The ship picked up a lot of pans and added five thousand more to our -collection. Towards evening it became foggy and cold, and we had several -frights about men being lost. One fellow came on board and stated that -he had seen so and so two miles from the ship, unable to proceed. Some -rum was given to him and with a couple of others he started off to bring -the exhausted one in. All were on board safely by nine P. M. There was -no doubt but that often the rum served out found its way into throats -that were far from being too weak to swallow, but such dreadful -accidents have occurred that one acts on the safe side. There was no -abuse of liquor on board the _Aurora_, but the Captain did not hesitate -to supply it when absolutely necessary. - -_March 19th._ A nice day for sealing, as there was no difficulty getting -about to the pans. We brought on board about two thousand, and the ship -was practically full. Now we began to clear out the 'tween-decks and to -throw the men's bunks overboard. They did not object to a few days of -supreme discomfort because they received one-third of the catch. We had -the bunkers filled with coal and a lot of sacks piled upon the poop, and -every available place was cleared out for this valuable cargo. The ship -began to look dirty, as she had scraped off her paint, and the coal dust -and oil bad been liberally applied. - -[Illustration: 0103] - -It began to blow in the afternoon, with snow squalls. All the men were -on board in good time. - -During the day I caught a young seal. It had shed nearly all its long -white hair and the short, silvery coat underneath looked very pretty. -I amused myself plucking the balance of the original coat. The seal -appeared to enjoy it. It was killed accidentally a few days later. - -_March 20th_. Blowing bard with snow squalls. A number of pans were -broken and many sculps lost, but we secured all we wanted; about one -thousand came on board and the 'tween-decks were nearly full. - -March 21st. A fine day, but the ship beset, so we cleaned up and -finished off the 'tween-decks; then we put all on deck that we thought -the ship would carry. This would not have been done had the ship had to -go any distance, but all the time we were sealing we had been drifting -south, so that we were now a very short distance from St. John's. The -Captain and mate would stand on the ice and look her over and then -decide that perhaps she would carry a few more, and so on, until there -was not much of the _Aurora's_ bull above the water. The ice opened -in the afternoon and we laid our course for St. John's, steaming -half speed. The ship was decorated with flags, the men cheering and -singing--at least two hundred of them without shelter; they stood upon -the forecastle head and among the sculps on deck. The wind had died away -and it was a beautiful afternoon. There were plenty of leads and the ice -becoming more open every hour. - -_March 22nd_. During the night we passed through Baccalieu Tickle and -in the morning we were close to the coast. As we steamed through the -narrows, the men climbed the rigging and cheered. We had accomplished -a wonderful thing. The ship was the first in of the year, and was also -full. Soon we were tied up at our old berth on the south side, and our -crew were busy discharging our cargo of about twenty-eight thousand -seals. Each young seal counted one in settling with the crew and each -old seal counted two; of course, an old seal took up much more room -than two young ones, and on a voyage like this, where the ship could be -filled with young, the crew were not anxious to kill old ones. On our -two trips, the _Aurora_ actually killed 28,150, but the crew were paid -for 29,300. - - - - -CHAPTER V--THE LABRADOR SEALING - - - "Now, Brothers, for the icebergs of frozen Labrador - - Floating spectral in the moonshine, along the low black - - shore! - - When the mist the rock is hiding and the sharp reef lurks - - below - - And the white squall smites in summer, and the autumn - - tempests blow." - - -|The work of discharging our cargo began at once--first the sculps -on deck, then those in the 'tween-decks and then those in the tanks. -Thereafter the ship was given a rough cleaning; new berths were erected -in the 'tween-decks and quarter-hatch but not so many as before. The -bunkers and tanks were coaled and then we cast about for a crew. All the -seals taken on this second cruise would have to be shot, so we did not -expect to bring back very many; but the _Aurora_ had her own Scotch -crew under pay, and they had to be fed, so she might as well be at sea -picking up a few seals as lying in the harbor waiting for May 1st. It -was not so very easy finding a crew as they would have little to eat and -could not possibly earn much money. However, at last we were ready and -on Wednesday, April 2nd, sailed. We had heard nothing of the _Arctic_, -and very little of any of the other ships. The _Neptune_ came in after -us with about 40,000, which was a tremendous cargo, but she was a big -ship. There was much more room with our reduced Newfoundland crew, and -we steamed out of the narrows for the second time with the ship very -much more comfortable than on the first occasion. - -[Illustration: 0107] - -I must say the appearance of the _Aurora_ at this time was disreputable -in the extreme. The paint had been scraped off by the ice, and the -filthy sheathing covered the decks, while the fragrant bilge water -flowed from her side in a pellucid stream. - -The Captain told me that he intended following the seals which were -going north towards Labrador and that he expected to fall in with great -herds of year-olds, called bedlamers. We left port after breakfast -and steamed out onto a calm sea, shaping our course north. During the -afternoon we saw patches of ice scattered about and when night came we -slowed down and kept a bright lookout. - -_April 2nd_ was a blustery day with occasional snow showers. There was -no sea, however, to tumble the ship about as there was a good deal of -ice. We were easily able to avoid the fields by steaming around them. -Some were very heavy looking, having quantities of rafted ice on them. -Towards night, it became calm and thick. - -_April 4th_. Steamed dead slow all night as it was thick. In the morning -the sea was calm but still foggy. This was pea-soup day. We always had -pea soup on Fridays; we also always had fish for breakfast; it was salt -cod. The salt was taken out in some way and then the fish was cut into -very small pieces and boiled with broken up sea biscuits and butter, -pepper, etc. I have never tasted anything so good since. In fact, I have -never since tasted anything so good as the food on the whaler after the -first month. There was an absurd arrangement about our meals; it was all -right at sea, but in Greenland, when we walked about during the night -perhaps as much as during the day, it was distressing. Breakfast was -at eight, dinner at noon, and tea at five; there was no regulation meal -between five P. M. and eight A. M. I modified this by having a special -meal at eleven P. M. At that time I took a pot of coffee from the galley -and retired to the pantry for a quiet half hour. - -_April 5th_. The day was fine. A good deal of ice was in sight and -occasional seals could be seen. When one was seen ahead, or a few points -on either bow, the ship bore down upon it. As we came close, the seal -would first raise its head to see what was coming, then raise its body -upon its flippers and stare. - -A number of men with rifles were always on the forecastle head and of -this number I was generally one. If some one did not try too long a shot -and frighten it, we always killed the seal. We had a large number of -punts on board and one was towed astern in the daytime and with it every -seal was picked up. They all counted. Some days we had very good sport -and I enjoyed it. - -_April 6th. Sunday_. Huff day. We had plum pudding on Sundays and -Thursdays. The puddings were not round, but oval. The steward made -delicious sauce out of condensed milk and, of course, we had the -Spartan sauce with everything. The Captain was very consistent in his -observation of Sunday--no unnecessary work was done on that day. If -there were whales, we fished, but I never saw a man kept at work on -Sunday if it could be avoided. This day we did the usual shooting from -the forecastle head. The temptation to shoot first was dreadful. I dare -say we picked up fifteen or twenty seals. This was a sad Sunday because -of the death of our canary. I was in the cabin when Jack, the steward, -discovered the fact. He immediately took the seed box out of the cage to -the pantry, filled it and brought it back. Captain Fairweather came down -shortly after to breakfast and immediately noticed the absence of -the bird, as it was always hopping about and making a noise. Jack was -called. A look of surprise came over his face when asked about the -canary and he immediately climbed on to the seat and, looking into -the cage, said, with tears in his eyes, "Oh, Sir, the poor wee bird is -deid;" adding, as he pulled out the drawer, "Well, it is not for want -of plenty to eat." I don't think for a moment that the bird died of -starvation, but Jack wanted to simplify the post-mortem inquiry by -eliminating that possibility. Our steward was a remarkable man and -eminently qualified by nature for his position. He could produce a look -of absolute innocence or of sympathy at a moment's notice; his _suaviter -in modo_ would have fitted him for the diplomatic service; and as a -dreamer he was without a peer. - -[Illustration: 0111] - -There is a great knack about dreaming. To make a reputation and keep it -up even on a whaler requires the judgment of a Delphic priest. - -It was the presence of Jack, the steward, that gave the atmosphere of a -home to the _Aurora's_ cabin and we all liked him. - -_April 7th._ I saw a most interesting thing today. It was an old dog -hood; to call it Cystophora Cristata might give the describer some -relief; but it would convey no idea of this angry-looking creature as -he reared up and gazed at us. How we all resisted firing until he had -exhibited himself, I don't know; but when he was looking perfectly -terrible and fifty yards away, a dozen copper-nosed bullets found their -billets about his head and neck. He was 7 1/2 feet long and a tremendous -size around the shoulders. The bag on his head, when fully distended, -must have stood eight or nine inches, and extended from the muzzle to -four inches behind the eyes. The hood is only found on the male. It is -considered ornamental by the females of the same species, but horrible -looking by all other animals, I am sure. The beast added about 400 -pounds to our little cargo, but the animal, skin and all, certainly -weighed seven or eight hundred. During the day we killed quite a number -of hoods, but the first was the largest. We did not make much of a run, -but dodged about and picked things up. A young hood is rather -blue-looking on the back and white underneath. - -The engine slowed down at night, as usual. - -_April 8th_. This was one of the most lovely days, with bright sunshine, -and there was dazzling ice in every direction. To the east of us we saw -a beautiful barque under canvas; she was playing our game, dodging about -and picking up seals. As she was not a steamer, and had a small crew, -she was consequently inexpensive to work; there was no reason why she -should not pay her owners well, especially if she got amongst the hoods, -five or six of which would yield a ton of oil. We kept out to her, and -finding she was the _Maud_ of Dundee, I was sent on board to hear the -news. I was hospitably entertained by the captain, who gave me some -old Dundee papers, but those I brought from the _Aurora_ were much -more recent. When I returned, I saw a funny thing happen. We had a -Newfoundland cook, Jack; he had a triangular face with the base up; a -tuft of hair grew from the apex and was the only decoration. With his -long shaved upper lip, he had an amusing look and he was a character. - -The ship was bearing down towards ice upon which there was a young hood. -It had been injured and made no effort to escape. Thinking it dead, no -one fired and we were almost on to it when Jack, looking over the side, -saw it. He had not killed a seal that season, so, seizing a gaff, he -leaped on to the pan and we all cheered. As Jack lit on the ice, it -broke in two. The seal slid gracefully off its half, but Jack's half, -almost submerged, swung around under the ship's quarter, where the -propeller was threshing away. Jack paused for a moment between Scylla -and Charybdis, and then giving a wild leap, he disappeared in the sea -as far from the propeller as he could jump. It was most amusing to see -this big man give his wild leap; he was fished out by the punt astern. A -small matter, like a man being half drowned, always amused these simple -people so much. - -I have said that the Newfoundlanders were not over-fed on this trip. We -had, for cabin use, numerous quarters of Dundee beef lashed in our -tops. They kept splendidly up there. One morning the steward reported -a quarter of our Dundee beef stolen. One of the Newfoundland cooks was -sent for at once and I heard the conversation between the angry Captain -and the astonished cook. I heard the cook report every morning how he -was on the track of a thief: "Begorra, sor, I have my eye on him;" or, -"Begorra, sor, I could put my hand on the man," and so on until we got -back without the thief having been turned over; I heard afterwards that -the cook certainly could have at any moment put his hand on the man who -took the beef. - -_April 9th_. This was one of the most interesting days I spent. At -breakfast, I heard the captain and the mate discussing blinks, that -is, reflections. For instance, an ice blink at sea would mean a sort -of whitish reflection in the sky over an area of ice, or a water -blink would be a dark reflection in the sky over a dark area. We were -surrounded by ice and were approaching a dark blink. Was it water or -seals? Before breakfast was over, the report came from the crow's-nest -that the seals were ahead. I went aloft and saw an extraordinary sight. -The ice ahead of us appeared to be positively black with seals. They -covered acres and acres. We steamed right up to them and then about -twenty men, with rifles, went on to the ice and a lot of others followed -to sculp and haul the sculps to the ship. This ice was not solid but -made up of thousands of pans all detached. They were generally touching -in places, but two or three sprawls would bring any individual seal to -some sort of a hole through which it could escape; therefore, it had to -be killed instantly or it would disappear. The shooting began at once, -the men kneeling down and opening up at the nearest animals. Just as -fast as they could consume ammunition, they fired at seals close at -hand, and, as these disappeared, at those farther away. There was far -too much shooting for much result. Presently they began to get closer. -A would kneel down and fire as fast as possible so as to use as much -ammunition as he could before B would pass him. B would then rush -past and begin shooting, and so on. Now, with regard to this rushing -about,--we were travelling on pans of ice of all sizes, some a few feet -square, some as large as a table, some twenty times that size, but we -certainly had to watch where we were going. When the men scattered, they -shot better, but it was much more dangerous, as the express bullets were -singing about everywhere. I had two men who took me off to one side and -who gave me the best shooting I ever enjoyed. The seals were inclined to -bask in the sun and enjoy themselves; so, if we went about it quietly, -we could easily stalk a pan and advance to within fifty or seventy-five -yards; then, if we shot carefully and only hit heads, we would not -disturb the others. Should we wound one, it would not only go down -itself but would frighten the others on the same pan. I shot off a -number of entire pans by quietly getting close and then picking them -off. - -The seal, properly hit, just drops its head, while the others hold -theirs up for you. This was warm work and the barrel of the rifle -became so hot that I had constantly to put it on the snow to cool off. -I watched some of the Newfoundland men shooting when we started and -saw several of them miss every shot. All they did was to endanger their -fellow men and wound an occasional seal; of course there were some crack -shots among them, but it would have paid well to have tested the ability -of all before serving out rifles to them. As there was not a cloud -in the sky, we were greatly sunburnt and several had a touch of -snow-blindness in spite of wearing colored glasses. We probably picked -up three or four hundred seals, and had there been about eight or -ten men who understood the use of firearms, they would have killed a -thousand easily. - -The sealing cap worn by the Dundee men was very suitable. The peak was -covered with lamb's wool dyed black, so when turned down it absorbed a -great deal of the glare. Wool had to be wound around the metal work of -the colored glasses we wore on account of the cold. - -_April 10th_. Nothing makes one rest like a hard day's work in the open -air. My shoulder was black and blue with firing and my ears rang with -the noise while my eyes smarted and my face burned, but I slept like a -log until seven bells. - -The ship had not moved all night. We were off the coast of Labrador, but -out of sight of land. There was a great deal of ice everywhere and -by dawn we were steaming north as fast as possible in the effort to -overtake our game. By noon the seals were in sight and we went through -the same performance as the day before. I did not attempt it with -the main body, but with two good men went off in a slightly different -direction. The express was certainly a good rifle, and its trajectory -very flat, when we consider the powder. I examined a great many wounds -that day and in every case found the bullet had expanded well if it had -hit anything hard. These seals were nearly all bedlamers and we did not -kill any hoods either of these days, although we had picked up quite a -number coming up the coast. This was a shorter day, and we did not kill -so many. It was quite late when the ship took the last of her men on -board, for they had become scattered. One man had fallen in several -times and was very much exhausted. However, I was able to make him -swallow some rum and he soon revived. A sailor is very feeble and -dissolution near at hand when a little rum cannot be coaxed down with a -spoon or other suitable instrument--even then I would not advise leaving -the bottle close to him while looking for the spoon, lest, during his -unconscious struggles, he should spill it. - -[Illustration: 0121] - -_April 11th_. We were always on the lookout for the _Arctic_, but saw -nothing of her. Before leaving St. John's we heard that the _Thetis_ had -been sold to the American Government for the Greely relief expedition, -so she would not appear among the sealers that year. Captain -Fairweather's brother was master of her, so he was disappointed. - -We kept north in our effort to overtake the seals, the barometer falling -a little towards evening, and a swell coming in from the southeast. We -were well on the outer or eastern edge of the ice, as the Captain did -not want to take any chance of being jammed among heavy floes coming -down the coast. During the evening we had a most wonderful sunset. -The sky was red not only to the west, but nearly all over, and the -reflection on the ice was magnificent. The frozen sea is fascinating -when the sun goes down and before dark; also by moonlight, or bright -starlight. - -During the day the glare is too great but a moonlight night on a frozen -sea is the grandest sight possible. The weird sounds caused by the ever -restless ice are a fitting accompaniment. On this Friday night, the -sounds caused by the ever increasing sea, crunching the pack up, were -rather startling at times, but we kept pretty well out of it, so we were -safe. There was quite a little motion on board, owing to the swell, and -we steamed easy ahead all night, going full speed at daybreak, and by -noon had the satisfaction of finding our seals. We went oft, but not -quite as usual. The roll of the sea had crunched the pack up and broken -all the large sheets of ice, so we were obliged to jump from one pan -to another while they were rising and falling on the long swell of the -Atlantic. There was nothing sudden or uncertain about the motion. The -long heavy rollers lifted one up and lowered one down, and when between -them, one could not see very far. Now occurred a sort of stalking that I -have never seen described, i. e., running after a large wave and keeping -perfectly still when the following wave overtook one; then repeating -the stalk, always running in the trough between the two waves. In this -manner I did some efficient work and shot a great many seals. - -Most of the time was spent watching where to put my feet; but, on -feeling the rise coming, I stood perfectly still and watched the seals. -I was regaled with accounts of men who had been injured and cut in two -by this sort of thing; but we did not meet with the slightest accident -and every one was picked up by sundown. The ship managed to follow -through the ice pretty well, picking up a few seals here and there, -as they had been sculped, so that we added several hundreds to our -collection. - -[Illustration: 0125] - -_April 13th. Sunday_. The day was fine and we picked up occasional seals -but did not find a herd. It was a complete day of rest for all hands. -The ice to the west of us looked very heavy and the Captain was careful -to avoid it. We lay to at night, but by daybreak on Monday morning we -were dodging north again. - -_April 14th_. I had my first shot at a walrus, sea-horse, as it is -called. Shortly after breakfast the usual rifles were on the forecastle -head when the officer in the crow's-nest called down that he saw a -walrus. The ship was kept down on it, and presently we all saw the big -animal with his long white tusks. In this case, they were very long and -could be seen from a great distance. He was on a pan with open water -all around, so we steamed straight at him. As we approached, he raised -himself higher and higher on his flippers and disappeared after having -received a fearful fusillade, at less than a ship's length. I would have -liked the chance of examining his skin just to count the hits and see -the effect. We heard the thud of striking bullets, but the walrus gave a -plunge and was seen no more. - -We did the usual amount of sealing from the ship, but had not any men on -the ice. Two or three times we had several punts out, but they did not -pick up very many. - -_April 15th_. We dodged back and forth amongst the floating ice, keeping -a little closer to land but not seeing much of interest. There was -a very large floe which bore evidence of great rafting; between the -hummocks on it there was fresh water, regular ponds with connecting -channels. I was on this floe, as we shot a few seals on it, so tasted -the water, which was sweet and good. I have often seen quite big ponds -on floes fast to bergs, and we took water on board sometimes from these. - -For the next few days we steamed south without seeing anything of -interest. The weather was cold, but fine, and the ice less as we neared -St. John's. We were careful after dark and generally steamed slow. The -crew were employed in cleaning up. - -April 19th. Saturday. Arrived at St. John's in the morning and took our -usual berth. Our entire catch of seals for the two trips was 28,150, -but the crew were paid for 29,300 as there were some large old seals and -they counted more. - -There was great news for us on our arrival. I have already mentioned the -sale of the _Thetis_ to the American Government. We now received orders -from Dundee to take the place of the _Thetis_ and proceed to Davis -Straits. The gear removed from this ship was being sent out to us by an -Allan boat. We were to keep our eyes open for the lost Greely, as a -reward had been offered by the United States for any whaler picking him -up. - -[Illustration: 0130] - -I certainly never intended going on a long trip when sailing, and the -Captain told me I could leave if I wished, but there was a fascination -about the whole thing that I enjoyed. - -The _Aurora_ had been getting more comfortable all the time,--the first -awful experience of a fearful Atlantic winter passage with the ship -loaded, to the scuppers, then the crowded ship at the first sealing, and -the much pleasanter trip to Labrador. - -Now I could see that the ship would be very comfortable with only her -own crew, and the deck clear of boats, as it would be on the next part -of the cruise, so I decided to go. It took a very short time to put our -seals out, and, as it was Saturday afternoon by that time, all the work -ceased until Monday morning. - -[Illustration: 0134] - -I heard an amusing story about a man being nearly drowned in a tank of -oil. A sealer came in and four of her tanks nearest to the boiler had -the sculps break down into oil, owing to the heat. When the crew were -discharging cargo it was the custom for a man to jump into a tank and -throw the sculps out. Coming to the first of these tanks, and looking -in, some sculps could be seen, and, never suspecting that these were a -few floating on the surface, the man jumped in and disappeared under, -but was presently fished out, every one thoroughly enjoying the incident -except, of course, the leading man. - - - - -CHAPTER VI--SOMETHING ABOUT THE GREELY RELIEF EXPEDITION - - - "But 'tis not mine to tell their tale of grief, - - Their constant peril and their scant relief, - - Their days of danger and their nights of pain; - - Their manly courage e'en when deemed in vain." - - -|One of the interesting things about our trip to the Arctic Seas was -the possibility of seeing Greely or of possibly finding him or something -about him. I shall here give a brief outline of what had been done up -to this time towards rescuing the gallant explorer and his intrepid -followers. - -Every one I met in Newfoundland appeared to know a great deal about -Greely, because he had started from there three years before in a St. -John's ship, and because both of the previous relief expeditions had -been in St. John's ships, and a great many of the Newfoundland men had -been with them, and several of our crew at the sealing had been on the -_Proteus_. One heard the Greely expedition and its relief discussed -every day. The consensus of opinion was that as the navy had the matter -in hand now, they would succeed. The Newfoundlanders, being a maritime -people, could not understand how soldiers could be expected to make a -success of a voyage of discovery or relief, and the two previous relief -trips had been unfortunate. The _raison d'etre_ of the Greely expedition -was briefly as follows: - -At a certain scientific conference held in Europe a series of -circumpolar stations had been decided upon, from which, owing to their -proximity to the revolutionary axis of our globe, interesting and useful -observations could be made of physical phenomena. As these observations -were to be made at the same time in a great many different places, they -would probably prove of greater interest and value than those supplied -intermittently by expeditions. Now the United States was to have two -stations, one at Point Barrow on the Behring Sea side, and one at Lady -Franklin Bay on the Davis Strait side. A young officer in the American -army, Lieutenant Greely, had volunteered for and been selected to take -charge of the Lady Franklin Bay expedition. The steamer _Proteus_, a -Newfoundland sealer, had been chartered to convey the party north. She -was a Dundee-built ship, about the size of the _Aurora_, and her captain -and crew were St. John's men. They left St. John's on July 7,1881, -having on board Lieutenant Greely and twenty-four men, with supplies for -three years. They made the most unprecedented time going north. Crossing -the dangerous Melville Bay in thirty-six hours and getting to within a -few miles of her destination on August 4th, a few days later she landed -the explorers, and having successfully accomplished her mission she -returned to her home port. - -Melville Bay, the bugbear of many Arctic voyages, is a very different -thing when crossed in June by whalers from what it is in July and -August; but the whalers must reach their northern station by the end of -June, so cannot wait for the ice to drift south. - -It was arranged that a relief expedition should go north in 1882 and -another in 1883, while the third in 1884 should convey the party -back. Now these two previous relief expeditions formed the topic -of conversation in St. John's when the inhabitants became tired of -discussing seals and politics, and I soon heard a good deal about them. -For the first, in 1882, our friend and late neighbor, the _Neptune_, -had been chartered. She was splendid in every way and did as much as any -ship of the period could have done towards making the thing a success; -but the orders were to leave two hundred fifty rations at Littleton -Island and two hundred fifty at the furthest point reached if the ship -failed to get to Lady Eranklin Bay, and that should they fail to reach -the Bay, the balance of the stores were to be brought back to St. -John's. A private in the army had been selected to take charge of this -expedition. As he had been accustomed to obeying orders to the letter, -he deposited the two hundred fifty rations at Littleton Island, and two -hundred fifty at Cape Sabine, the most northern point reached. Then, as -they were unable to reach Lady Franklin Bay, he carefully brought back -all the balance of the cargo of food sent up for the starving Greely, -twenty days' provisions only having been left in the Arctic and this -according to orders and probably--"Well, though the soldier knew some -one had blundered." - -The authorities were a little anxious now about the brave lieutenant, so -they began to make preparations for the 1883 relief, and this time -they chartered the _Proteus_ and also sent a small navy ship called the -_Yantic_, a craft rather unfitted for Arctic work. The _Proteus_ was -commanded by Captain Pike (the St. John's man who had made such a record -taking Greely up) and had her Newfoundland crew. This expedition was in -charge of a soldier, Lieutenant Garlington, as the Government wished it -all to be an army affair. Owing to an accident, a sergeant selected to -go on the _Proteus_ was disabled, and Lieutenant Colwell, U. S. N., -was added to the expedition in his place. This was fortunate, as things -turned out. One of our quartermasters on the _Aurora_ during the first -sealing trip had been one of the crew of the _Proteus_, and he gave me a -lot of interesting information about it. They left St. John's about the -end of June and had a nice passage to Disco. In fact, they found the -road so open that they reached Cape Sabine in about twenty-five days. -As they were in a hurry to reach their destination, Lady Eranklin Bay, -little time was spent here and no stores were landed. When the ship -moved out into Kane Sea she was caught almost at once in heavy polar -ice. The officers soon realized that the ship's position was serious, so -began to take supplies out of the hold. While so engaged the side of -the ship burst in and she filled. The pressure of the ice kept her from -sinking for a few hours, then some change of wind or tide opened the ice -and down she went. A great lot of provisions and stores had been thrown -overboard on to the ice, much being lost in so doing. After the ship -went down her crew took their own boats and the soldiers took theirs. -Colwell, with the help of both parties, succeeded in landing a lot of -provisions and stores at Cape Sabine, and here he cached five hundred -rations. It was said that many of the soldiers did not know how to row, -and that some members of the crew of the _Proteus_ behaved very badly -after the loss of the ship. They probably did not consider that the -saving of government supplies was any of their business, and some of -them even are said to have looted these supplies. After a rest at Cape -Sabine, the entire party proceeded south to meet the _Yantic_, the -supporting vessel. Very little attention had been paid to her, as she -was slow and ill adapted for the ice, and it was thought that she -probably would never attempt Melville Bay. However, she had crossed this -and was following them well, and the series of misunderstandings and -misinterpretations of orders which prevented the _Proteus_ people going -south from meeting the _Yantic_ coming north, makes a most remarkable -story. - -[Illustration: 0140] - -Lieutenant Garlington and his party, being separated from the crew of -the _Proteus_ for a time, crossed over to Littleton Island and left -a record of the loss of their ship. They then joined the others and -proceeded to Cape York. It was here decided to push on to the Danish -settlements as they did not think the Y antic would come as far north -as Cape York. In the meantime, the _Yantic_ had passed up to Littleton -Island and picked up Garlington's record. She then zigzagged about -looking for the boats, and passing Cape York on her way down without -calling, she proceeded to Upernavik. As the boats were not there, her -captain decided to push on home as the season was getting late, so -sailed to Disco. The boat party at Cape York having decided to go south -divided. Lieutenant Colwell, taking a whale boat and crew, struck across -Melville Bay, and after a most difficult and dangerous passage succeeded -in reaching Upernavik the day after the _Yantic_ had left. He followed -her, however, for a week, and overtaking her at Disco, brought her back -to Upernavik, where the balance of the _Proteus_ people had arrived, and -from there they returned to St. John's. Now the result of all this had -been, in 1882, the deposit of ten days' provisions at Littleton Island -and ten days' provisions at Cape Sabine, the remainder being brought -back. In 1883 the _Proteus_ had not deposited anything during her life, -but after her destruction Lieutenant Colwell had succeeded in caching at -Cape Sabine five hundred rations or twenty days' supplies saved from the -_Proteus_. The _Yantic_ had been up to Littleton Island and back without -leaving anything behind. Another year had passed and now the rescue of -Greely became imperative. The affair had been handed over to the navy, -and Commander Schley was taking command. The Dundee ship _Thetis_ and -the sealer _Bear_ had been bought and added to the navy. A collier, the -_Lough Garry_, had been chartered to take coal up for the expedition, -and the _Alert_, given by the British Government, was also going. At -the same time a reward was offered for any whaler picking Greely up. The -relief ships, except the _Alert_, were coming to St. John's and would -sail about the same time as the whalers, and as we all knew a good deal -about the circumstances, we were certainly all deeply interested in the -outcome. It was generally believed among our people that Greely would -now be at Cape York or Carey Islands, and the _Aurora_ stood as good a -chance as any other ship of getting there first. Commander Schley -had charge of the expedition and would sail on the _Thetis_, while -Lieutenant Emory would command the _Bear_, of which ship Lieutenant -Colwell would be an officer. - -The whalers going to Davis Strait were-- - -Arctic, Narwhal, Aurora, Nova Zembla, Cornwallis, Polynia, Esquimaux, -Triune, Jan Mayen, Wolf of St. John's. - - - -CHAPTER VII--THE BOTTLENOSE FISHING - - - "The Arctic sun rose broad above the wave, - - The breeze now sank, now whispered from his cave." - - -|Newfoundland looked more attractive in April than it did when we left, -doing about was pleasanter and we saw everything worth seeing in the -neighborhood of St John's. On board, great changes took place. All -the sheathing was torn off and the ship cleaned inside and out. Her -overhauling was complete. The rigging was set up, the masts were scraped -and oiled and the ship painted. The punts were all cleared away and our -beautiful whale-boats took their place. - -The _Aurora_ was peculiar in having two boats, one above the other, on -each quarter. We fished ten boats altogether, four down each side and -two upper quarter boats. - -The crew of a whale-boat is six, a harpooner, a boat-steerer and four -men pulling. The harpooner rows until ordered by the boat-steerer to -stand by his gun. In the bow the harpoon-gun is mounted on a swivel, and -fast to the harpoon is the "foregoer." This is a very pliable, untarred -rope, about two and a half inches in circumference and eighteen fathoms -long. It is coiled in a tub, sitting on the port bow of the boat, while -on the starboard side, in a convenient rest, lies the hand-harpoon. - -The bollard head, around which a turn of the line is taken, is an -important structure; it stands in the bow, beside the gun. Many a boat -has gone down through the line fouling at the bollard head. - -To the "foregoer" or "foreganger," is attached the whale line. The term -"line" means, generally, one rope 120 fathoms long, and there are five -of these carried in each boat, one and a half being stowed amidships and -the rest aft. They are 2 1/2-inch ropes, and tarred. The greatest care -must be observed in coiling these lines, and by the line manager in the -boat as the line runs out. - -A struck whale generally starts at about seven or eight miles an hour. -Should the rope, running out at this rate, uncoil unevenly, a kink in it -might foul one of the crew and instantly take him down. This has often -happened. - -Each boat has several six-foot lances ready for use when the whale is -exhausted; the idea being, to sever with the long sharp lance some of -the large vessels, thus bleeding the animal to death. - -The oars in a whale-boat work on mats on the gunwale, and a thole-pin -is used instead of rowlocks. An arrangement on the oar keeps it from -slipping through the grummet on the thole-pin, when it is let go. The -mat is to prevent noise. A little piggin is used for bailing the boat, -and, when hoisted on a boat hook, is the signal for more lines. The -shaft of the harpoon is made of soft, Swedish iron, so that it can be -twisted in any conceivable way without breaking. - -A little barrel of bread and cheese is carried in each boat and this -must not be broached until after the boat has been away from the ship a -considerable time; water is also carried. The great long steering oar is -very important. With it a dexterous boat-steerer can do wonders. He -can sweep the boat around very quickly or can scull noiselessly up to a -whale when the oars or paddles would frighten it away. The steering oar -works on a pin and mat, as do the others. - -The whale fisher has many incentives. As he is generally a man who has -to labor for a living, and as he is partly paid by the result of his -work, the capture of a whale means to him a good deal, probably several -pounds. This stimulates him. Again, the sooner he fills the ship, the -sooner he sails for home. While there is not much chance of filling the -ship nowadays, the securing of a good summer catch probably saves him a -weary, cold autumn, fishing on the west side. Last, but not least, the -pursuit of whales is often attended with great danger, which is one -of the principal factors of good sport. The average game hunter is not -exposed to as great risk as the average whaler. - -What danger is there in the pursuit of any member of the deer or -antelope family, and what chance has the animal in these days of high -power rifles? Sometimes the whale has no chance for its life and the -destruction of such a huge creature is not exciting, but, generally, -there is danger, as the history of the industry proves. Hunting rhino or -buffalo is better sport than hunting deer because the former may charge -and kill one. The whale hunter may be snatched to instant death by a -foul line, or starved to death in an open boat, and these possibilities -elevate the sport greatly. - -One cannot help sometimes being sorry for the animal one has killed, the -excitement of the chase over and the beast lying dead, especially when -only the head is wanted, and when everything else must be left to -spoil. A dead whale means creature comforts to many poor people; and I, -personally, have had more qualms at the escape of a wounded buck than I -have had over all the whales we killed. - -Fishing for bottlenose, the year before (1883), the _Aurora_ lost two -men, and the _Esquimaux_ lost one this year. While we were killing our -whales off Hudson Straits, he was snatched out of the boats and never -seen again. A few years before, this man's father was lost from the same -ship. - -In approaching a black fish, the eye must be avoided. Going "eye on" is -a serious matter, as the whale is not such a fool as it looks, and the -tremendously powerful tail can smite with terrific force. The lifting -power of the tail has not been much studied; but a chance to observe it -occurred on the _Nova Zembla_ some time ago when the mate got his -boat over one. Those who saw the accident say that the tail was lifted -without any apparent effort, throwing the boat many feet up and breaking -the bottom out of it. Fortunately the occupants were spilt out, and fell -clear of the danger zone, because the fish struck the boat again and -reduced it to match wood. - -A week after our arrival, the _Aurora_ had been pretty well cleaned and -greatly changed in appearance. A small spruce tree was fastened to each -masthead, the end of each yard-arm, and to the point of the jib-boom. -Every one now had an easy time until the actual sailing day. Quite a -number of vessels of all sorts had arrived, as the ice had disappeared -from the coast; amongst them was the Allen steamer _Newfoundland_, from -Halifax, bringing us English mail. The Greely relief ship _Bear_ had -also come in. - -_May 1st. Thursday_. The _Aurora_ was receiving finishing touches. We -were lying at the south side but our launch had steam up and took us -across when we wanted to go. - -_May 2_. Taking a gun, I went with Dr. Crawford, of the _Arctic_, -straight up the hill from the ship and found on the other side a growth -of little trees so dense as to be practically impenetrable in places. -I shot a hare crossing a little open place, and saw a splendid big hawk -flying about, but it never came within shot. Returning with the hare, -the Captain stopped me just as I was going on board. A hare was too -unlucky, so I gave it to a man on the wharf. Captain Guy was standing -on the _Arctic_ and, seeing this, came on shore and cut the hare's feet -off, throwing them on to the _Aurora_; he was ever fond of a joke. The -most unlucky parts of this unlucky animal in no way interfered with our -prosperity, however. - -_May 3rd._ As the _Lough Garry_ had come in I went on board. She was -an ordinary iron or steel steamer of about 1,000 tons and had been -chartered to take 500 tons of coal north for the relief expedition. She -was not fortified or specially prepared in any way for the work, but -still she managed to get along very well as far as her services were -required. Going on board, I encountered the mate, who recognized me, he -having been the mate of the _Thetis_ who had given me the information -I sought about whaling while in Dundee the autumn before. He showed me -over the ship and told me many interesting facts about a whaling voyage. - -The _Esquimaux_ sailed this day and the _Narwhal_ had already gone. The -desire to find Greely was certainly starting us all north a couple of -weeks before the usual time. - -_May 4th. Sunday._ The _Bear_ sailed. She was unlike any other ship -going north this year, because she had her black funnel forward of the -main mast and her crow's-nest on the foremast. The _Arctic_ had her -funnel in the same place, but her crow's-nest was on the mainmast. Their -rigs also differed. These are small matters, but we soon could recognize -any of the ships a long way off by their little peculiarities. During -the day I went on board the _Polynia_. She was ready for sea and lying -in the harbor. Captain Walker, who had command of her, was a naturalist -and sportsman and it was a pleasure meeting him. She proceeded north -before morning. - -[Illustration: 0151] - -May 5th. Spent some time on board the _Arctic_. She was ready for sea -and looked clean and nice with her spacious decks and cabins--very -unlike a whaler. Her lines were graceful, and she had powerful engines, -but she could not have stood as much in ice as the _Aurora_. Captain Guy -told me about killing a whale with an old Eskimo harpoon buried in its -blubber. He gave me this interesting souvenir of my voyage and told -me about Captain McKay of Dundee killing a whale in which he found a -harpoon with which the fish had been struck forty-two years before. This -iron is now in the Dundee Museum. - -_May 6th and 7th_. Took my last look at St. John's and made my cabin -comfortable. I had now been in it for three months, so knew exactly what -was required. - -There does not seem to be any connection between a whaler and Florida -water; but still I venture to say that there was not a sailor on our -ship who had not from one to half a dozen bottles of this commodity. -Some were for trade with the Eskimos and some for their sweethearts at -home. The Captain had laid in a quantity of colored handkerchiefs and -such things, which the men were permitted to purchase afterwards from -the slop-chest for purposes of barter. The slop-chest was the ship's -shop and was superintended by the second mate. One could purchase a -wonderful lot of useful things from this institution. - -_May 8th_. After breakfast, all being ready, the _Aurora_ sailed for the -whale fishing. In Scotland, a fish means a salmon, but in Greenland, -a black whale is always spoken of as a fish, never anything else. We -sailed out of the narrows and turned north. It was blowing a little from -the southeast, so there was some swell. We got square sails on the ship -presently, and with this breeze on her quarter, made good time, the -engines going full speed. - -Our intention was to try the bottlenose whale fishing off Resolution -Island at the mouth of Hudson's Straits, for a few days, then go over to -the Greenland side and follow the usual route. As there were many bergs -coming down and quantities of field ice at this season, we kept rather -well away from the coast, along which it came. At night the canvas was -taken off the ship and a bright lookout kept for ice. For the next three -days we steered north. The weather was fine and the sea smooth. Going up -the Labrador coast, we saw some heavy floes, but kept well to the east -of them and did not sight land. We did not see anything of interest, so -it was rather monotonous. - -_May 12th_. It was a lovely morning when I came on deck, with the wind -from the southeast. We had our fore and afters set and were steaming -full speed. Astern of us was the _Nova Zembla_ and we were towing her, -an act of brotherly love. - -I had seen the ship in Dundee and was struck by her beauty. She and the -_Jan Mayen_ were very handsome little ships, and she looked far better -at sea than in dock. We towed her part of the day. During the afternoon, -the wind died down and the evening was beautiful; not a breath of air, -but some swell rolling in from the southeast and the surface of the sea -like glass. The people to-day were employed coiling lines in boats and -arranging fishing gear as we might see the bottlenose whales any time. - -[Illustration: 0155] - -May 13th. A beautiful calm day. The men were getting ready the -whale-boats and filling the bunkers. We were well off Cape Chidley, the -northeast corner of Labrador, in the morning. In the evening a school of -bottlenose whales was seen, and six boats were lowered away. Two of the -boats immediately filled as they had been out of the water so long, but -the others pulled after the whales. I was oh the bridge watching the -sport. It was splendid. The ship and boats rising and falling on a -rather heavy swell, the surface of the water like oil, the boats -freshly painted, and the harpoons glistening in the sun, presented an -interesting picture of the sea; while the school of very lively little -whales rolling about like porpoises and then disappearing, to come up -suddenly, gave it animation. - -The boats had several shots, but they were quick and difficult. One, -however, was captured by Alex. McKechnie, the second mate, and after -a short play, killed and brought alongside. This beast (Hyperoodon -Rostratus, or the northern sperm whale) is small, but of remarkable -appearance, having a long round beak, which protrudes from the lower -part of its large head. Its oil is very good; that flowing from the -cancellous bones of the head solidifying on deck at a comparatively high -temperature, and when solid, looking like spermaceti. Many of the men -took bottles full of this oil for use in future sprains and bruises. -Late in the evening another whale was killed by Thors, and, from the -numbers we saw around, there was no reason why the _Aurora_ should not -have picked up a profitable cargo in this neighborhood, but the desire -for the valuable whalebone took us to the north. - -_May 14th._ We were off Frobisher's Bay and after the little whales -again, and another was captured. I was not in the boats at all at this -fishing, as the movement of the whales was so fast that they capsized -boats frequently and only experienced oarsmen were wanted. I was told -that more men lost their lives at this than at the right whale fishing. -We learned afterwards that the _Nova Zembla_ picked up seven here, while -the _Arctic bagged seventeen_. The whale killed in the morning by McLean -was over twenty feet long. The other two were smaller. The heads were -brought on board so I had a good look at them. - -I saw white stalactites of spermaceti hanging from them to stalagmite -incrustations of the same on deck, and I noticed that the oil was free -from smell. - -The neighborhood of Resolution Island was notorious for its awful -currents, and the rise and fall of tide about the western end of -Hudson Straits made navigation on these comparatively uncharted waters -exceedingly dangerous. - -[Illustration: 0159] - -I once heard Captain Guy tell of a narrow escape he had in the -neighborhood of the upper Savage Islands. From the barrel, he saw a rock -ahead, and ordered the lead cast. Three fathoms was found, so he backed -off and anchored. In a few hours he was astonished to find an island -where the submerged rock had been, and he afterwards learned from a -reliable source that the rise and fall of tide at this place was over -forty feet. Caribou were abundant on the north coast of the straits, and -musk-ox were also found. Sometimes whalers coming down for the southwest -fishing, in the autumn, killed numbers of both. The caribou was the -barren land variety, and some of the heads were enormous. In this -species the beam was long and straggly, and the palmation was not very -pronounced. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII--THE CHIEFTAIN DISASTER - - - "We have fed our sea for a thousand years, - - And she calls us, still unfed, - - Though there is never a wave of all our waves - - But marks our English dead." - - -- Kipling. - - -It may be of interest to recount here the story of the _Chieftain's_ -mishap, which was the worst accident of the year. - -The _Chieftain_ was one of the Dundee whaling fleet. When we left she -was fitting out for the Greenland sealing and bottlenose whaling. - -Leaving Dundee on March 6th, under the command of Captain Gellatley, she -lost four of her boats, on May 26th, in a fog. - -These made their way to Iceland. One, in charge of the captain, landed -at Primness. A second, in charge of Alex. Bain, a harpooner, arrived at -Tonsberg, having lost overboard her boat-steerer, David Buchan. A third -landed at Ramfarhofu with all alive. The fourth was picked up, and in -her there was but one survivor. When this boat left the ship there were -three men in her. One died and was duly committed to the deep; another -fell into a lethargy which continued so long that McIntosh, the -survivor, though hardly able to move his benumbed legs, crawled to the -bow of the boat to find out what was the trouble, but found him dead. - -Fearing lest he might yield to the temptation of using the body for -food, by a great effort he succeeded in heaving it overboard. The boat -was picked up on the fourteenth day off the Iceland coast by a passing -ship; but McIntosh was compelled to have both legs amputated as -mortification had set in. It is terrible to think of what this brave -fellow must have endured drifting about in a small boat over this lonely -and stormy sea, half frozen and with hardly any food. - -The following is the account given by Captain Gellatley of the cause of -the accident, and of his experiences during the awful trip to Iceland. - -A school of whales was observed on Monday, 26th of May, and the -afternoon being fine, four boats went out in pursuit--one under the -command of Captain Gellatley; the second under the charge of Thomas -Elder, the second mate; John Taylor, specksioneer, was in charge of the -third; and Alexander Bain, harpooner, of the fourth. - -In the course of a short time the captain's boat got fast to a whale, -and also the specksioneer's. The second mate assisted the captain. After -some time the whale was killed and towed to the ship, which was reached -about three o'clock in the morning. By this time a dense fog had settled -down, and after his crew had breakfasted, Captain Gellatley set out to -look for the three boats, giving directions that if the fog continued -the vessel should be kept in her position, so as to enable them to find -her; but that she was to bear down towards the boats if the mist lifted. -Knowing the bearings of the boats, Captain Gellatley came up to them -after rowing for fully two hours, and found that the whale was still -alive and causing great trouble. Three additional harpoons were fired -into it, and in the course of the forenoon it was killed, and the four -boats started in the direction of the ship with the whale in tow. In the -meantime the weather cleared, and the ship was descried at a distance of -about five miles; but in the course of half an hour the fog again came -down, and it was so dense that it was impossible to see more than a -few yards ahead. Though they pulled from half past ten o'clock in the -forenoon until half past four in the afternoon they failed to find the -_Chieftain_, and no answering signals were returned to their blasts of -fog horns. It was then resolved that one of the boats should proceed -eastwards and another westwards for some distance, but they returned -without having been able to discover the whereabouts of the ship, -notwithstanding the most diligent search. At one time a sound like a -whistle was heard in one direction and again in another, and the men got -utterly fatigued by their protracted search, a fresh breeze springing -up and adding to their discomfort. About eight o'clock in the evening a -number of the men confidently declared that they heard a ship's whistle -sounding in a northeasterly direction, and the second mate was sent -away in the hope of finding the ship. Some time later Captain Grellatley -decided to follow in the same direction, and accordingly the whale was -buoyed and a lance with a handkerchief tied to the end of the handle was -stuck into the carcass for identification. The three boats then followed -in the course taken by the second mate, but they could never catch up to -him, though they repeatedly heard the blast of his fog horn. Throughout -the night the search was continued without success, and on the morning -of the 28th, the crews being fatigued, the three boats were made fast to -one another and a deep sea anchor thrown out for the purpose of stopping -their way and allowing the men to rest. In the course of the morning -James Cairns, an ordinary seaman, accidentally fell overboard, but he -was promptly rescued. On the 28th matters began to assume a serious -aspect. The crews had then been two days absent from the ship, and their -slender stock of food--a small keg of provisions and a six pound tin -of preserved meat in each boat--had become exhausted. In consequence of -their privations the men became affected with stupor, and with the view -of dispelling this the captain ordered the anchor to be hauled in and -the boats to be rowed towards the ice. This exercise had a beneficial -effect, and it seemed as if it were to result in a happy rescue, for a -barque was noticed sailing away to the windward. Signals were made -in the hope of attracting attention, but the crews were doomed to -disappointment, the fog, which had temporarily cleared, having again -fallen and obscured everything from sight. The weather, too, became -boisterous, and the boats were in imminent danger of being crushed by -the ice. To save the boats from destruction it was found necessary to -row out from under the lee of the floes, and during this time Captain -Gellatley narrowly escaped being drowned. Whale-boats are all steered by -an oar, and while the captain was steering, his oar was struck by a wave -and he was knocked overboard. Fortunately he was rescued before he had -been long in the water, but he suffered much from having to remain in -his wet clothes during the remainder of the time he was in the boat. All -the men were by this time complaining of the benumbed condition of -their hands and feet, and by the morning of Friday, 30th, it was hardly -possible to keep them awake. That morning the wind shifted to the -westward, and as all hope of falling in with the _Chieftain_ had been -given up, it was decided, as the only chance of saving their lives, -to endeavor to sail to Iceland, which was calculated to be about two -hundred miles distant. Each of the boats possessed a compass, but there -was neither mast nor sail, and in their place a couple of boat-hooks -were erected by way of a mast, with the ramrod of the gun as a yard, and -the line cover, a piece of canvas about five feet by three feet, had to -do duty as a sail. Thus equipped, and with a supply of frozen snow and -pieces of ice to quench their thirst, the crews of the three boats set -out on their perilous journey, the master giving the directions for -steering. They left the ice about five o'clock in the morning, and -were soon scudding along at a rapid rate, there being a strong breeze -blowing. About eight o'clock the boat which was in advance was seen to -shorten sail, and when the captain came up he was informed that David -Buchan, while steering, had been knocked overboard and drowned. An -attempt was then made to tow this boat; but the sea was running so high -that this jeopardized both. It soon became apparent that the boats would -be swamped if they continued in tow, and the captain was obliged to cast -the second one adrift, telling the crew they must either hoist sails and -make for Iceland along with him or run back for the ice. They preferred -to hold on their course, and the sail was again hoisted. The weather -continued moderate until between four and five o'clock in the afternoon, -when it shifted to the northward and began to blow hard. A heavy sea -arose, and through the night it was with the utmost difficulty that the -captain kept his boat afloat. At times she was nearly filled, and the -men had to keep almost constantly bailing out the water. The stormy -weather continued throughout the whole of Friday night and Saturday, and -it was found necessary to throw the whale lines overboard to lighten -the boat. In the meantime the condition of the men was becoming more and -more alarming, and the captain was forced to employ various devices to -prevent them from falling into a state of stupor, which would soon have -proved fatal. To use the oars was an impossibility on account of the -heavy seas and the rate at which the boat was sailing, and accordingly -the captain persuaded the men to hold up their oars by way of exercise. -This had the desired effect for some time, but by Sunday morning, the -fourth day they had been without food, they were all ready to give up -in despair. Captain Gellatley had been steering constantly from -Friday morning till Sunday morning, and the fatigue, combined with the -privations he endured in common with his crew, began to tell severely -upon him. Only those who have had to steer such a boat in a seaway can -understand the irksome and laborious nature of the work, and to this -must be added the fact that he had to sit in a cramped position the -whole time, his legs being bent under him. The captain stated that a -peculiar sensation came over him, a haze gathered before his eyes, and -an attack of dizziness obliged him to call the boatswain to take his -place. After a brief space the boatswain, who was almost prostrated, had -to relinquish the task, and the boat was then hove to, and a deep sea -anchor, made up of a grappling iron and other articles, was thrown out, -with fifty fathoms of line, by which means the boat's head was kept -towards the sea. The weather was then moderating, but the waves -continued to break over the boat, and it was as much as the men could do -to keep her afloat. A few hours later and the gale sprang up afresh, and -as there were still no signs of land, the crew resigned themselves to -the fate which they deemed to be inevitable. From this state of despair -they were ultimately aroused by the news that the land and a schooner -were in sight, the sailmaker being the first to make the joyful -announcement. This intelligence reanimated the despairing men, and -signals were made to the schooner, but without succeeding in attracting -the attention of the crew. A direct course was then steered for the -land, but owing to the gale ten hours elapsed before it was reached. -A new difficulty was then encountered, there being no visible -landing-place along that rock-bound coast. A number of the islanders, -however, had noticed the boat, and by means of signs they directed the -crew to steer for the only available landing-place, a narrow passage -with perpendicular rocks on either side, and a horizontal rock forming a -sort of bar. The tide was then ebbing, but under the guidance of Captain -Gellatley, the boat was safely steered into the narrow harbor. By the -assistance of the islanders the crew, who had almost lost the power -of their legs, were take to a farmer's hut adjoining, where they were -hospitably entertained with such cheer as the house afforded; and the -black bread and whale blubber which were set out before them proved -a feast to the famishing sailors. The point at which they landed was -Brimness, about ten miles distant from Langanaes, and after they had -recovered somewhat the islanders made arrangements for transporting -them on horseback to the nearest port. However, the Norwegian smack, -_Jemima_, of Elekkefjord, hove in sight, and on being signalled, the -captain, Bernard Olsen, readily agreed to take the crew to Seydisfjord, -where a steamer was shortly to sail for Scotland. On their arrival at -Seydisfjord on the 8th of June, the governor had them conveyed to a -hotel, and a messenger was dispatched for a doctor, who arrived in -the course of two days, his journey requiring twenty-four hours to -accomplish. Under his treatment Captain Gellatley and his crew made a -satisfactory recovery, and on the 12th they left Seydisfjord on board -the mail steamer _Thym_, for Granton. - - - - -CHAPTER IX--A GREENLAND SETTLEMENT - - - "The shuddering tenant of the frigid zone - - Boldly proclaims the happiest spot his own; - - Extols the treasures of his stormy seas, - - And his long nights of revelry and ease." - - -|We were now crossing Davis Straits and felt that the whaling voyage had -fairly begun. Reference was seldom made to the places already visited, -but those we expected to see were discussed, and stories told of -previous experiences there. Nothing was spoken of but Greenland and its -settlements. - -The weather was very cold and on Thursday, May 15th, snow squalls -reminded us of our latitude. The wind was fair, however, and the ship -made good time under steam and some canvas. - -_Friday, May 16th._ The morning was fine and the men of the watch were -employed coaling the bunkers; coal dust was thick in the 'tween-decks -and the tarts we had for tea were black with it as the galley opened -oft the Tween-decks. In spite of their color, however, they were better -tarts than any I ever tasted on shore. - -As we expected to be on the Greenland coast the following day, a few -remarks about the country may not be out of place. - -The west coast settlements had prospered under the fostering care of the -Moravian missionaries and the Danish Government and were divided into -two districts, the northern and the southern, Holstenborg, to which we -were bound, being the northern settlement of the southern district. The -most northern settlements of the northern district had native governors, -but the southern had Danish, and inspectors supervised the work of -these. - -One or two ships from Copenhagen visited the coast every year with -supplies, taking back oil and skins. - -We have all sung about the icy mountains of Greenland, and most of us -have in a vague way connected the country with whales, without having -any idea of how great this whaling industry was some years ago. In the -appendix it will be seen that Great Britain alone sent one hundred -and fifty-nine ships to Greenland waters in 1819, and, of course, the -Norwegians and Dutch, the Danes, Germans and others also profited by -the fisheries. Many words in the modern whaler's vocabulary are of Dutch -origin, as these hardy people were conspicuous among the most daring -followers of this dangerous trade. - -Greenland has a past, but its history, viewed through the mists -of centuries, and always more or less traditional, is anything but -distinct. - -The country was discovered toward the end of the tenth century; and a -banished Norwegian, called Erick, wintered at what is now called Erick -Sound, shortly after. The unscrupulous Erick, in order to promote -colonization, called the new country Greenland. A fleet of twenty-five -sail started for the country with colonists. Many were lost, but about -half of them settled there and were joined by others, forming quite a -colony. - -[Illustration: 0173] - -Christianity was introduced about 1121 and a bishop was appointed. By -degrees the colonists in the south formed other colonies, churches were -built, and the people prospered for a time. - -Grant tells us in his history of Greenland that there were about one -hundred hamlets on these coasts. The colonies on the east coast have -disappeared. Some ruins have been found, but where are the people? -Nothing has been heard definitely from them since 1408, when the east -Greenland trade ceased. Some think that black death destroyed -them, others say that polar ice, coming down, closed the coast from -intercourse with the parent country, so that they starved. According to -one Kojake, who has written on the subject, they became eaters of human -flesh, owing to a famine, but afterwards they are said to have relished -it. That they were nice about it is evident when we read that they only -consumed old people, forsaken orphans and unnecessary persons. A rumor -reached Norway in 1718 about a vessel having been wrecked oft the coast -of Greenland and of the crew having been eaten voraciously by savages. -The word voracious suggests relish, and possibly these savages were -descendants from the good, old Norwegian stock, who ate unnecessary -persons only a few hundred years before and who had a bishop in 1121. - -_May 17th. Saturday_. We expected to sight the land, so were on the -lookout. The weather was cloudy and there was a southeast breeze, so -everything was set and drawing. The clouds lifted about noon and in the -distance the snow-covered mountains of Greenland could be seen. At first -it was difficult to tell which was mountain and which cloud. By and by, -however, the forbidding coast grew distinct. - -Our objective point was Holstenborg and the mate was in the crow's-nest -examining the shore for the Danish colors. Some small bergs were -scattered over the water and a narrow shore floe was fast to the coast. - -To the north of us the Knights Reefs ran far out to sea and on these -some larger bergs had grounded. The ship was slowed down and all her -canvas stowed. Finally the engines were stopped, and after a little -while, the captain ordered the ship put about as he could not pick up -the settlement. I heard the order given and was greatly disappointed as -I longed to see an Eskimo. - -Just then the mate called out that he saw a kayak coming off, so the -ship lay to and waited. I repaired to the fore top and presently saw two -kayaks coming toward us. There was quite a splash on, but the sun had -now come out and the scene interested me intensely. - -The little boats were almost submerged and the occupants were wet and -glistened in the sunlight. - -When they came alongside, I saw that the kayaks were about 15 feet long, -with little knobs of ivory decorating bow and stern, and were about 18 -inches wide at the widest part and covered with skin. - -One Eskimo sat in each. The edge of the hole in which he sat was raised -a couple of inches and over this he had pulled his skin coat, wrapped -a lash around it and made it water-tight. The paddle was trimmed with -ivory and the dusky faces of the almond-eyed navigators were all smiles -as they looked at us and showed their white teeth. A whale boat was -lowered and each canoe lifted in, Eskimo and all, then they left their -boats, shook hands with every one around and went on to the bridge, -where they remained until the ship was at anchor off the village. - -Holstenborg consisted of a church, which was also a schoolhouse, a shop -where the deputy governor lived, and the governor's house. There were a -number of native houses--awful places, built of turf. A long low passage -led to the door of each. As the weather was comparatively warm, this -passage was generally very wet, and when the door of the house opened, -the smell was overpowering. Inside sat women at work with their needles, -or dressing skins. When the ship came to anchor off the shore floe, a -boat-load of ladies came on board. A Greenland belle was a well dressed -person. Her hair was folded several times and then wound about with a -ribbon, so that it stood up upon the top of the head; the fold of the -hair above the ribbon was rather fanshaped, and the color of the ribbon -indicated whether the lady was married, single, or a widow. Possibly -there were degrees of wrapping, and shades of the color, indicating the -number of times she had been married, and the depths of despair into -which her various bereavements had reduced her. This simple record of -her past was an excellent arrangement in a country where there were no -society papers,--a sort of personal totem carried on the head, so that -he or she who ran might read. Of course, in lower latitudes, where high -civilization and divorce courts exist, shortness of hair would render -some records so incomplete that the Greenland method is never likely to -supplant the present ready references to be found amongst interested and -observing neighbors. A bodice was worn, made of some cheerful colored -stuff procured at the shop or from whalers. Tight fitting trousers, made -of bay seal skin and extending down to the knees, came next, and very -gaudy boots of colored skin. Down the front of each leg of the trousers -was a stripe 1 1/2 inches wide, of colored skin, and the boots, -especially around the tops, were very ornate. Many of the girls were -good-looking, and on their arrival a ball commenced in the 'tween-decks -which lasted while they were there; fiddles and concertinas supplying -the music. These instruments were played by whalers and Eskimos equally -well, and they knew the same airs. Most of our visitors had articles -to barter and they wanted bread in return more than anything else, but -accepted colored handkerchiefs and other trifles. - -Slippers and tobacco pouches were their principal stock in trade, but -there were some down quilts, prettily bordered with the green necks of -the eider duck. Captain Fairweather and myself spent a pleasant evening -with the governor and his deputy, and it was interesting to hear the -music of civilization played on a piano by the wife of the latter. - -Coming away, they gave us a lot of quaint ivories made by the natives, -from walrus tusks, such as brooches, pipes, paper knives, etc., etc. - -_May 18th. Sunday_. I went on shore early, and seeing a lot of snow -buntings, spent some time looking for their nests, but without result. -On the sunny sides of the rocks the snow had gone; there was some dead -grass, but indeed the country was, for the most part, covered with it. -There were several pairs of ravens about, but I could not find their -nests, so I borrowed a pair of skies, and ascending a hill close by, -enjoyed the exhilarating sport of sliding down its snowy slope. During -the afternoon I made a house-to-house visitation in the native quarter -and saw much of interest. The older portion of the population I found -at home, but the youth and beauty of the place had gone on board the -_Aurora._ About dinner time I came on board and acquired a further -collection of Eskimo ware, including ladies' clothing, for which even -my bed curtains were bartered. It was late when I retired for the night, -surfeited with the pleasure of my first long day in Greenland. - -_May 19th. Monday_. I wrote letters home this morning and sent them on -shore. During the summer they arrived via Copenhagen, having gone by the -Danish mail ship which visited the settlement every year. - -By breakfast time we were under way. It was a beautiful day. There was -a breeze from the southwest, so the ship soon had all her canvas set and -we stood away, clear of the land. - -The Knights Reef, running out to sea north of Holstenborg, had to be -weathered. On the heavy ice around there, we saw a number of walrus, -but did not disturb them. By noon we were sailing up the coast amid floe -ice, so the canvas was taken off and we steamed slowly through it. A -sharp lookout was kept for whales, as we were then on a very good ground -for spring fishing, sixty miles from Disco and sixty miles from Riffkol -being the neighborhood where the ships in olden times killed fine -cargoes. - - "With Riffkol hill and Disco Dipping, - - There you will find the whale fish skipping," - -is an old saying amongst whalers. - -[Illustration: 0184] - - - - -CHAPTER X--POLAR BEAR SHOOTING - - - "The shapeless bear - - With dangling ice, all horrid, stalks forlorn, - - Slow paced, and sourer as the storms increase, - - He makes his bed beneath the inclement drift, - - And with stem patience, scorning weak complaint, - - Hardens his heart against the assailing want." - -_May 20th. Tuesday._ We were quite close to Disco in the morning. -However, the Captain decided not to go into the settlement, Godhaven, -where many other ships lay, but to go west, as the straits appeared -tolerably free from ice in that direction. Accordingly, about noon, we -turned our bows westward, having a solid looking floe to the north of -us and open water to the south. This was all good fishing ground and -we might have picked up a big whale, but we did not see a single spout -while we were in the neighborhood. - -Birds were getting numerous, now that we were amongst the ice, and the -edge of the floe was lined with little auks in some places. They were -important-looking fellows, like diminutive penguins. - -Disco looked wild and forbidding as we steamed away from it, with snow -lodged in all the sheltered places. - -The island rose to a height of about three thousand feet and much of the -coast on the west side of it was precipitous and exposed, so that there -were always bare rock faces, which gave a patchy appearance to that -place. - -To the north of us, many big bergs could be seen, which had come -originally from Waggate Straits. Two tremendous ones were at one time -aground in this place, in very deep water. They were described by -Crants, who tells us that they were there for years. - -We had steamed for some distance to the west, along the floe edge, when -the lookout called down that he saw a bear on an island of ice, a few -points on our starboard bow. I heard him, so immediately went for my -rifle. A boat was lowered and we rowed to the island. George Matheson, -one of our harpooners, and myself immediately landed, and the boat left -us, intending to row around the island so as to intercept bruin, should -he attempt to swim to the main floe. - -As this was the first wild bear I had ever seen, I was unfamiliar with -their ways, but learned afterwards that unless the hunter came suddenly -upon one, or unless it had cubs, it would almost invariably retreat and -probably take to the water. Of course, it might not know the whereabouts -of the hunter, and in that case it would be as liable to go in his -direction as any other. - -This particular animal was an exception to all rules; for before we had -gone very far we found that he was coming straight toward us. Owing to -the nature of the ice, he could not always be seen, but occasionally he -would stand up and take his bearings, when we could see each other. I -was an active youth, George was a heavy man in excellent condition, -and if it came to running, he would have had no chance with me, and no -sensible bear would pass him to pursue me. - -[Illustration: 0188] - -Realizing these things, I had no misgivings, so knelt down and put out -a box of ten cartridges. The har-pooner, seeing my preparations, said: -"For God's sake, don't shoot." He had had experiences with wounded bears -before, which he did not wish to repeat. It seemed to me, however, that, -between the two of us, we had things our own way as we had had such -splendid practice at seals a short time before and our hands were in, -so, when bruin stood up to have a look at us, less than a hundred yards -away, I fired and hit him in the head. - -I was intensely pleased as it was my first bear and also the first seen -that year by any of the ships. - -We had, as spectators, the entire crew, as the ship was not far away -and every one on board was watching. A bear is considered lucky, -considerable trouble being taken to pick one up. As they looked very -yellow in the white ice, they were easily seen. Curiosity, no doubt, -drew this one to us, as we were kneeling down and not moving when he -stood up to look. Had we moved, he would probably have gone away. I kept -the skull, the entire occipital portion of which was shattered, although -the skin wound was small, as the copper-nosed bullets only expanded well -on striking something hard. - -The boat came back for us and, after skinning the prize, we went on -board. As there was much heavy ice to the west, we steamed back towards -Disco, and a lead, opening to the north, later in the day, gave us a -chance of going a few miles in the right direction. - -_May 21st. Wednesday_. We had come rather close to the land by morning -and were off Disco Fiord. There was very heavy ice coming down and -numbers of bergs about, so navigation was exceedingly difficult and -dangerous, and we made little or no progress until noon, when the ice -slackened and let us go ahead, the wind blowing from the north and -loosening it. In the evening it was very cold, with snow squalls. - -I got an ivory gull this day (P. Eburnea) and also a glaucous gull -(Larus Glaucus). The ivory gull positively looked like ivory as it stood -on the ice, and the glaucous gull, with its great spread of snow-white -wings, was beautiful. - -[Illustration: 0192] - -We were sorry that the ship did not stop at Godhaven, or Lieveley, as it -was generally called, because of its importance as a point of departure -for expeditions. They generally obtained dogs there, and whalers, for -a century and more, had made it a port to call, but this was a race for -the north and no time was to be wasted. We managed to work on our course -all afternoon and during the night, as the wind had slackened the ice. - -_May 22nd. Thursday_. During the night, the ship had made considerable -progress, so at noon we were off Hare Island. After tea, we were hooked -on in a pool of water for several hours. I took my gun and went out for -a stroll, killing a number of little auks (Alca Allé or Roach) and a -Richardson's skua. These latter were called, by the sailors, boatswain -birds, because of the long feathers in the tail, resembling a -marlinspike. - -As at this time we had the sun night and day, it made me exceedingly -restless. About ten P. M. we were fast again, so, taking my gun, I shot -some black guillemot (U. Grylle), these birds being very numerous. I -returned to the ship about midnight, when it was blowing rather hard. - -_May 23rd. Friday_. The wind had died down by morning and the day was -beautiful. We were off Nugsuak Peninsula. There were many tremendous -bergs about and the floe was heavy. In the dim distance we saw a ship -and made our way towards her. To the east of us was the entrance to -Hmanak Fiord, one of the largest on the west coast of Greenland. From -where we were, all fiords looked alike, and it was impossible to tell -islands from mainland. It resembled a sea of ice out of which protruded -rocks and hills, which, excepting on the steep places, were covered with -snow. - -Black guillemot and little auks were everywhere in thousands, and it was -pretty to see rows of the latter along the ice edge. They stood -shoulder to shoulder, facing the water, and were very indifferent to our -presence. - -By night we had made little progress and the new ship was still -far away. We had been about with the whalers enough by this time to -recognize any of them a long way off by their rigging, smoke or funnel, -so, long before we reached this new vessel, we recognized that she was -a stranger, and she turned out to be the _Cornwallis_. When we left -Dundee, she was outfitting for the Greenland fishing, that is, for -the voyage we ourselves originally intended taking, after leaving -Newfoundland. - -The high price of whalebone, however, had induced her owners to send her -to Davis Straits instead. By tea time we were hooked on within a quarter -of a mile of her, and after that meal the Captain sent me on board to -see whether there was any mail for our ship. Climbing on board, I was -amazed to find my friend Armitage there, with a yellow beard and sea -boots; I would not have recognized him. He was greatly surprised to -see me because he believed that I had gone from Newfoundland to the Jan -Mayen fishing, not knowing of our altered arrangements. The _Cornwallis_ -was an old barque, formerly in the South American trade. She had had -engines put in, and been fortified for Arctic ice. After I sailed from -Dundee, Armitage, in going around the docks, saw her. He went on board -and, finding Captain Nicol, arranged to sail with him later in the year. - -Sending back to the _Aurora_ mail and papers, also some fresh mutton, -which had been sent out to us, I remained on the _Cornwallis_ and heard -the news. I saw her peculiar and useless engines. Captain Nicol said -they spoilt her for sailing and she steamed badly. - -_May 24th. Saturday._ It was a beautiful Arctic day when I came on deck -before breakfast. Ahead of us, the world was white, not a break to be -seen anywhere, astern some open water. The _Cornwallis_ was lying on -our port side a few hundred yards away, so that about eleven I went on -board, and, with Armitage, started off to look for something to shoot, -among the hummocks, three or four miles north of where we lay. We spent -hours tramping over the ice, but did not see a track, so we returned to -our ships about six P. M. This hummock belt extended east and west and -had been caused by the rafting of great floes. It was quite smooth from -the ship to the hummocks and also on the other side of them. Half a mile -beyond the ridge, however, there was a great berg which appeared to be -aground. - -When I returned on board the _Aurora_, the Captain told me to go below -and have my tea and then to go with the mate back to where I had been, -because he had seen a bear close to us all the time we were there. It -certainly was curious that neither of us had seen him or his tracks. -When we were about a mile away from the ships, I saw Armitage hurrying -after us. I was anxious to wait for him, but the mate insisted on -pushing on, as it would be a fearfully unlucky thing for a member -of another crew to shoot a bear first seen by us. After a little, we -reached a crack in the ice, about two feet wide, so we stepped across -and hurried on. Armitage, coming up shortly after, was unable to cross -as the crack was then eight or ten feet wide and extended indefinitely -in each direction. So the situation righted itself, and my friend -returned to the ship while the mate and I kept on to where the bear had -been seen and there we found tracks in abundance, but no bear. After -an hour's searching, we were returning to the ship when we saw her jib -hauled up as a signal for us to go ahead again, the game having been -spotted by the lookout in the crow's nest. Returning to the hummocks, -we saw the bear strolling from behind the berg beyond. He was coming -straight towards us, so we got down behind the rafted ice and awaited -his approach. It was decided that I should have the first shot as the -mate had killed so many. I allowed the bear to get about a hundred and -fifty yards away before firing, and then put a bullet into him. I don't -know where it hit, but he came down, to be up again at once and to keep -on coming. The mate fired and down he went again, and we kept it up -until the bear was hit many times. Sometimes he fell, sometimes he bit -at the place, and by the time he reached the ridge he was very lame and -badly shot up. He had gone some distance to the west of us, so I stood -up on a slab of ice and finished him, as we thought, by putting a bullet -in his shoulder and dropping him in his tracks. We hurried up our side -of the ridge until we arrived at where he was. Then, climbing over, I -was surprised to find him sitting up. This time my bullet finished him. -Our shooting was nothing to be proud of, and went to show how careful -one should be with bears, because if not hit right, they take a lot of -lead. This was about the only one of those killed that took more than -one or, at the most, two shots. - -[Illustration: 0198] - -As neither of us had a hunting knife, we had a long job skinning him -with pocket knives. Then we started for the ship, towing the skin, but -when we reached the crack in the ice, it had opened about twenty-five -yards, so we were fairly caught. The mate, with his usual ingenuity, -loosened a pan of ice, and on this we crossed, using the butts of -our rifles as paddles. Arriving at the other side, we were met by two -sailors, sent from the ship, as we were being watched from the barrel, -and they took the bear skin in charge while we made our way on board. As -it was late, we retired as soon as we had had something to eat. - -_May 25th.. Sunday._ In the morning, Armitage came on board and saw the -bear skin. He had never seen a polar bear on the ice, so was very much -disappointed that he had not been with us. - -Both ships unhooked about ten A. M. and stood north through a lead. -We moved along fairly well and by evening were hooked on close to each -other in a hole of water with a good ice edge. - -The _Bear_ and _Triune_ were now in sight, the latter having come from -Dundee direct. We were off Svartin Huk, a great peninsula, but I only -knew this by consulting the chart glued to the cabin table. - -The _Cornwallis_ was the "lame duck" of the fleet. Steaming in open -water, she had not more than half our speed, and in heavy ice she could -do little, as her power was so weak. Of course, she could wriggle her -way around floes and along tortuous leads fairly well, especially if -some of the better ships had just been through ahead of her and broken -the trail. The _Cornwallis_ was the only one of the ships coming -direct from Dundee which carried a surgeon, but there were three on the -Newfoundland fleet. - -_May 26th. Monday_. We both moved a few miles north this day, but the -ice was very heavy and the conditions for advance unfavorable. Some -distance astern, we saw the _Bear_, but she was not making much headway -and we all three were tied up by noon. - -A ship, when anchored to a floe, has her bows against it and a cable out -to an ice anchor on one bow or on both, according to the weather. From -the jib-boom a rope ladder always hangs, so that one can easily get on -to or leave the floe. There is generally a man on the ladder when the -ship approaches the ice, and as she touches, he drops off! and, with an -ice drill, makes a hold for the ice anchor. - -Bringing Armitage, we went to a crack up which looms were flying, and -had a pleasant afternoon shooting them. They were fast-flying birds, and -the knowledge of the fact that they would not be wasted gave zest to our -sport. Shooting guillemot rising off the water would not be much fun, -but picking off single birds as they passed was good practice. - -The looms we saw in such thousands were, I believe, Uria Brunichii. - -The ships were tied up when I turned in. - -_May 27th. Tuesday_. The ice was slack, so we kept in a northerly -direction, making good headway. We left the _Cornwallis_ and, following -a good lead, passed the _Narwhal_, which had been the leading ship for -some days. - -During the evening, the _Bear_ came after us, but we were able to keep -ahead. Captain Fair-weather decided to give Upernivik a wide berth, as -he once had had an unpleasant experience with the rocks of that charming -Greenland summer resort, so we kept going north all night. - -There was a wonderful amount of life on board a whaler, on account of -the crew being so large. In the 'tween-decks, one generally found a -number of men at work, picking oakum, spinning rope yarn, or other -yarns, and weaving sennet. The carpenter and his assistant were found at -work in one place, the cooper busy in another, while the sailmaker -sat and sewed. On the deck, in some sheltered corner, one found the -blacksmith at work, and there were always jobs being done in the engine -room. But it was easy work, none of the dog's life one saw on other -ships. - -There are said to be runic monuments in the vicinity of Upernivik, -and one on Woman's Island is said to bear the date of 1135. The early -travellers, who are supposed to be responsible for these records, are -also said to have visited Lancaster Sound. - -When one considers that Baffin circumnavigated the bay which bears his -name, in 1616, in a craft of fifty-five tons, and when one examines a -Viking ship of a thousand years ago and finds it a substantial clinker -built boat, a hundred feet long with fine beam, one sees no reason why a -twelfth century vessel could not make her way to Lancaster Sound. - -_May 28th. Wednesday_. We had a day racing with the Bear. She managed to -pass us just before we reached Browns Island, and hooked on to the floe -some distance from us. After a little, the _Narwhal_ joined us, and -later the _Cornwallis_. Armitage and I went off in our dingey and had -a few pleasant hours shooting looms. We shot a lot of them, which -were divided between the two ships. It took me some time to overcome a -prejudice and to become accustomed to seeing looms on the table in -any shape or form, but they were really much better than any ducks we -killed, because they were not at all fishy and our cook understood about -skinning them. They tasted rather like roast hare. - -During the afternoon, the weather was thick and it was snowing. The -coast of Greenland, at this point, was fringed by hundreds of islands -of all sizes and shapes. They were everywhere and some had names while -others had not. One navigated there by rule of thumb, only moving when -landmarks could be seen, and avoiding visible dangers. Occasionally, -something one did not see, destroyed the ship, as there were hundreds of -uncharted rocks. In approaching a settlement, a native generally came on -hoard and pointed out the way, but the coast was a dangerous one and the -ships only kept close to it in order that they might avoid the terrible -middle pack. - -[Illustration: 0204] - -_May 29th. Thursday._ We were bumping along towards the west when I -came on deck, as the ice looked slacker in that direction, but we had to -return shortly after breakfast and, after thrashing around for most -of the morning, we managed to strike a good lead and gain a few miles. -There was no shooting, as the ship did not stop. - -The _Cornwallis_ kept near us all day, and the _Narwhal_ was not far -away. As we were now on the edge of the notorious Melville Bay, it -became interesting. Greely's famous thirty-six hour passage was not -going to be repeated by us, that was evident. I recalled Cheynes' -account of its dangers, but we were so comfortable on board the -_Aurora_, and meals were served with such regularity, that it was only -possible to realize the danger by watching floes crunch into each other -as they were pressed together by irresistible forces. We hooked on at -night with little in sight but floes and bergs. - -It is a wonderful thing to see a berg ploughing its way through a frozen -sea, slowly but surely, overcoming all obstacles, provided, always, that -the water was deep enough to keep its mighty base from grounding. On -this day there were dozens in sight. They were in every direction -and one could easily understand the hopelessness of a sailing ship's -position, beset in these waters, with a gale driving bergs down upon -her. - -_May 30th. Friday_. We were lying, hooked on to the floe, in the -forenoon, when I looked over the side and saw a beautiful male King -eider duck (S. Spectabilis) sitting on the water within ten feet of the -Captain's port. The Captain was in bed, as he had been in the crow's -nest for days, nearly all the time. His port was open and I did not want -to wake him, so, taking a gun, I went on the ice and, firing from there, -killed the bird without the report being heard in the cabin, and the -dog, Jock, went out and brought the bird in. It was the first King eider -I had shot and it looked beautiful in its spring plumage. The striking -thing about the bird was the enormous frontal processes bulging high -above the bill and brightly colored. These were soft and shrank rapidly -as they dried, losing their color. The plumage was a mixture of black, -white, pearl gray and sea green, making a gorgeous whole. The first bird -one sees of a beautiful species always excites more admiration than the -others, and so I was delighted with this and carefully skinned it. - -The evening made no change in the conditions and we remained fast all -night. - -_May 31st. Saturday_. All the ships were stuck in the morning. The -_Cornwallis_ and _Narwhal_ were some distance astern, the _Arctic_ near -the shore, the _Nova Zembla_ and _Polynia_ close together to the west -of us. There were an immense number of bergs, some of them, no doubt, -aground, as there were many islands and rocks. We were lying off -Tassuisak, a not very populous place, and I was in hope that some -natives, seeing the ships, would come off. - -[Illustration: 0208] - -During the afternoon, we got under way and poked about without moving -much further north. When we were crossing any open places, the ship -steamed very slowly and a man was kept forward, on the lookout for -submerged rocks. - - - - -CHAPTER XI--MELVILLE BAY - - - "And hark! The lengthening roar continuous runs - - Athwart the rifted deep, at once it bursts - - And piles a thousand mountains to the clouds." - - -_June 1st. Sunday_. Owing to a change of wind the ice had loosened and -during the night we managed to push on to Berry Island. The _Bear_ and -_Thetis_ appeared upon the scene during the afternoon, and we saw the -_Bear_ strike a sunken rock. We hooked on to the small island with -several of the other ships, the _Bear_ being on our starboard side, and -the _Narwhal, Arctic and Thetis_ on the port. I saw Commander Schley -going on board the _Bear_ and examining her with a water telescope. His -boat passed very close to our quarter and the Captain spoke to him as he -went. - -The ships were all lying close to the shore floe with this low island in -front of them, and it looked as if they might be there some time, so -I went on shore with the surgeon of the _Arctic_. There was a camera -sitting on the ice near the _Thetis_, so the ships were evidently being -photographed. We wandered about the inhospitable place for a time and -came on board. The perpetual daylight made me very irregular in my -movements, coming and going at all hours; my day was regulated by my -meals. Those who had watches to keep slept and got up with their usual -regularity. - -_June 2nd. Monday_. The day fine, and we were still tied up at the -island. I took a gun and went on shore after breakfast, but there was -not much to shoot. In a little valley I saw a quantity of dead grass -sticking out of the ice. On going over and examining, I found a number -of _human skeletons_. Wherever there was a big bunch of grass, there -I found an ice-covered skeleton. Probably they were Eskimos. When I -returned to the ship there were a number of natives on board. They came -from Tassuisak and had some seal skins to trade. - -Some of our men had visited the _Arctic_. She had been in Godhaven, so -had much trade and our men procured some of it. Afterwards I bought a -kayak model from one of these. It was very beautifully made. The skin -tobacco pouches and slippers made by natives in Godhaven looked nicer -than any I saw from other settlements. - -The southern Greenland towns were better than those further north, but -the whalers seldom called at any further south than Holstenborg. I went -on board the _Bear_ for awhile during the evening with Dr. Crawford -and met Lieutenant Emory. During the day I saw several very beautiful -glaucous gulls. They are called burgomasters by the sailors. - -_June 3rd. Tuesday_. Immediately to the north of where we lay there were -a great many icebergs. They presented a very fine appearance with the -sun shining on them. The _Thetis_ and _Bear_ started off amongst these -bergs. We tried to move out to the west, but did not accomplish much; -for when evening came we were no further north than when we started. -In the distance and to the west of us we saw a berg on the top of which -there was a black spot. What could it be? From the crow's nest the -telescope revealed nothing but a black spot on the icy slope. - -There was a narrow lead going in this direction, so the mate and myself -went with a boat's crew to solve the mystery. We were able to take a -whale boat a long distance through the lead, and then we walked the rest -of the way. I had brought a rifle in case there should be a chance of a -shot. On getting up to the berg we found that it was not fast, but that -owing to its great depth in the water it had a motion independent of its -floe. On one side there had been a great slide, and up this we proposed -going. - -Just at this place the motion of the berg had ground up a lot of ice -at its base, and also some of the floe, so that one had very unstable -footing to jump to and from in crossing the surrounding fissure. - -However, we all managed without mishap and ascended the slide to within -six or eight feet of the top. I was then pushed up this little cliff and -found that, with the exception of the place we had come up, the sides -were sheer precipices. It was necessary to traverse a snowy undulation -before the black object came into view. The mate joined me with some of -the others and it was exciting for a few minutes, but disappointing when -we found only a big black stone which the berg had picked up probably -during its glacial days. - -The islands of ice often turn over owing to the frost splitting them -when the weather is cold. This frequent alteration of their centre of -gravity makes them very undesirable neighbors, especially in the -autumn. While it was disappointing finding only a stone when we expected -something wonderful, yet the view from the summit was magnificent. - -Immediately around little but ice could be seen, with here and there -some black threads of water and many great bergs scattered about. - -In the distance the coast of Greenland looked bold. It had been rather -high all the way up from Upernivik, but Cape Shackleton, rising to -a height of thirteen hundred feet, looked very imposing, being -precipitous. There was a great loomery on its cliffs, which was probably -the home of the thousands of those birds which we saw every day flying -along the cracks, or about the pools of open water. There was much less -trouble getting down the berg than getting up, but we were all tired -when we reached the ship as we were not accustomed to long walks. - -_June 4th. Wednesday_. The morning was fine, and many ships were in -sight. During the night we had passed Cape Shackleton. To the south we -saw the _Thetis_, evidently in the rips off Horse Heade, with the _Bear_ -astern of her. The _Nova_ _Zembla_ and _Triune_ were several miles to -the west, and caught in the pack, while all the other ships were -together. During the morning the _Thetis, Bear_ and _Polynia_ came up -and joined us in our feeble attempt to push along. - -Later in the day the weather turned cold and cloudy, but no storm came, -and the ice was very tight at bedtime. - -_June 5th. Thursday_. A beautiful day with sunshine and blue sky. -Nearly all the ships were anchored to the ice or stuck in our immediate -vicinity. We were hooked on in a large lake and close to us there were -a number of great bergs. During the morning I took the dingey and rowed -amongst them, as there was no floe ice near. - -The silence was very impressive, the only sound being that made by the -splashing of water as it trickled down the icy sides of the bergs, or -the cry of some seabird. I traced the base of one of these hoary giants -a long way into the depths, but the water of the Arctic sea is by no -means clear, owing to the vast numbers of animalculae which inhabit it. - -I shot a big bag of little auks here, but was careful not to do any -shooting whilst close to the bergs, as the concussion might have -brought down ice. During the afternoon the floe opened a little, and the -expedition ships came close to us, but the _Nova Zembla_ and _Triune_ -still appeared to be held in the pack. We all watched like hawks for -a chance to reach the Duck Islands, now only a few miles ahead. Greely -might have been there. - -[Illustration: 0216] - -_June 6th. Friday_. This was one of the most exciting days we had--eight -of us all on edge and each trying to get ahead of his neighbor. This -friendly rivalry added zest to the trip. We were quite close to the Duck -Islands, which made the starting point of the Melville Bay passage. - -The day was glorious and we spent most of it fast to a floe. The -exciting thing was when late in the evening a crack occurred near the -Arctic. It was not more than a mile or two across the floe to the open -water at the Duck Islands, and this crack appeared to extend the whole -way. When it was wide enough the _Arctic_ and _Aurora_ immediately -entered, but before we had gone any distance, the ice closed astern -of us, preventing any of the others entering. For a short time we were -caught, and it looked like the nips, then the floe seemed to swing, -closing behind us and opening in front, so that we steamed away with a -cheer, leaving the others barred out. The _Bear_, after a short time, -succeeded in breaking a way for herself and the _Thetis_, and all the -rest followed like ducks. - -I was aloft for a time watching this game of follow the leader and -keenly interested in this Arctic race. We entered the patch of open -water about midnight, and steaming across made fast to the ice at the -islands. - -_June 7th. Saturday_. It was wonderful how little we slept when there -was excitement. I enjoyed it' so much that I was afraid of missing -anything by going below, but after the race we had just finished, as -we had all hooked on, I felt that it was safe to turn in as there was -nothing but dense pack ahead. The _Arctic_ and _Aurora_ were lying very -close to the _Bear_, and the _Thetis_ was not far off. We were on the -west side of the Middle Duck, the rest of the fleet being on the other -side. It was evident that there were no explorers here to be rescued, -for the approach of the fleet was rather imposing and they would have -seen it. - -After a rest, taking a gun I made my way on shore. We were too early for -eggs, but there were plenty of ducks and the shooting was rather -good. Numbers of phalarope (Lobipes Hyperboreus) were about. They were -graceful little birds and no doubt bred here later. Coming back for the -dingey I rowed out to a point of ice past which there was a flight -of ducks, but was astonished to find the birds so shy in such a quiet -place. Perhaps the sight of the ships invading this sanctuary made them -a little nervous. I managed, however, to add considerably to my bag. -There did not appear to be any loosening of the ice, so none of the -ships made any effort to move. I went on board the _Arctic_ during the -afternoon and received a supply of apples from Captain Guy. The surgeon -returned with me and spent the evening on the _Aurora_. As our boiler -required some repair this was attended to during the day and it made a -wonderful difference to the temperature of the cabin having no heat in -the engine room for a few hours. - -_June 8th. Sunday_. A peaceful day and perfectly calm with some fog. All -the ships were hooked on to the floe. Crawford of the _Arctic_ came on -board and we took our dingey and went to one of the islands. Some men -from the relief ships were there. They were shooting with eight bores, -the first time I had ever seen guns of that calibre; I saw them make -some long shots. We secured a few ducks, eider and long tailed. - -During the afternoon we went on board the _Bear_, and again met -Lieutenant Emory and his officers. Lieutenant Colwell showed us the -ship. The arrangement of the berths in the cabin was splendid; they were -curtained off by drawing out poles, and by pushing these in the sleeping -quarters were reduced in size, and the saloon enlarged. - -I should say that the _Bear_ was the fastest ship of the fleet, except, -perhaps, the _Arctic_, which had powerful engines. The only thing -against the _Arctic_ was her great length which made it difficult to -turn her about in small water holes, and to manouvre amongst the ice as -some of the others were able to do. - -The _Wolf_ and _Narwhal_ had moved off and were caught in the pack by -bedtime. - -We were then on the threshold of Melville Bay, the reputation of which -was most unsavory. - -Perhaps the most interesting occurrence there during historic times was -the loss of nineteen ships and a total of £140,000 damage to the fleet -on June 19th, 1830. This event has been called the Baffin's Bay Fair, -because the one thousand men who suddenly found themselves homeless upon -the ice, made the best of their circumstances and enjoyed themselves -immensely. - -Before the ships went down they secured quantities of liquor and food -and afterwards established comfortable camps. There was an abundance of -wood from the wrecks, so they made bonfires around which they danced. -The curious part of it was that no lives were lost, and that the entire -party ultimately reached home safe. - -There is an interesting oil painting of this event in the museum at -Peterhead. - -_June 9th. Monday_. We seemed permanent fixtures now and felt that we -owned the place in spite of the ducks. I took the dingey with a boy and -pulled off to a long point of ice on the west side of the island not far -from where we lay. We were able to hide behind a heavy piece of ice with -the boat and I shot a number of ducks in the handsome plumage of that -season. Then landing, found numbers of old nests made of feathers and -down. They had been driven into crevices of rock by storms and one could -have collected a quantity of down. While on the island I saw and heard -my first finner whale. He was making a great noise as he breathed. -Finners have little oil and short bone, so they are not pursued. They -are also very quick in their movements and consequently dangerous. This -one came up several times in different water holes about the islands and -then disappeared. - -At dinner we were discussing vegetables and all agreed that the best on -board the ship were the tinned carrots. They were simply boiled and put -up in pieces six or seven inches long. They were absolutely as fresh and -sweet as the day on which they were prepared. We called them Carnoustie -carrots, as they had come from that place. Our Dundee meat was excellent -at this time. We had a good supply of it, and very seldom saw salt beef -or salt pork on the cabin table during the voyage. - -The steak for breakfast was served on a sort of metal basket; a handle -crossed the middle of this and on each side there was a lid. The steak -was under one lid and fried onions under the other. We also had hot -rolls every morning, although ship's bread was always on the table. - -_June 10th. Tuesday_. Early in the morning the _Aurora_ unhooked and -for a little while managed to push her way northwest. The _Wolf_ and -_Narwhal_ had gained by moving on. There was always a chance of a lead -opening and letting one through. We had reached the Duck Islands first, -by taking the lead while the others hesitated. We now entered the pack -further than we wished to and then spent some time trying to extricate -ourselves. - -There was always danger of being beset in the pack and carried down the -straits again; in it there was no safe anchorage, as it might twist and -turn in any direction, and a low temperature might even freeze the ship -up, whereas following the shore floe gave one a lead of open water every -time the pack floated off, and should it be driven in the ship could -generally find a bay or indentation in which she was fairly safe. - -In consequence of this the captains became nervous when they found -themselves beset in the pack. At night we were almost out of sight of -the islands. The _Wolf_ and _Narwhal_ were not far from us. - -_June 11th. Wednesday_. Before morning we managed to work north some -distance. The _Wolf_, _Narwhal_ and _Arctic_ were close to us. The -relief ships during the day were joined by the _Triune, Cornwallis and -Nova Zembla_. - -We all made some headway, but in the afternoon we were so nearly caught -once or twice that we steamed back towards the islands and arrived -almost at our old anchorage by the following morning. - -_June 12th. Thursday._ In the morning a lot of us were back at the old -anchorage again, but the _Arctic_ was still to the north, close to the -_Thetis and Bear_. The _Wolf and Narwhal_ were out in the pack to the -west of us, but in the afternoon these last joined us. During the day I -shot a lot of ducks, all eider and king eider, afterwards landing on a -floe from which a peninsula ran out having a narrow isthmus covered with -very high hummocks. Crossing this isthmus to the peninsula beyond, I -came upon the perfectly fresh footprints of a bear and two cubs, leading -from the water to the big hummocks over which I had come and over which -my route back lay. Having only a sixteen bore and number four shot, this -discovery was disquieting for a time, as a bear with cubs might fight. -However, she did not materialize. - -All the other ships were closer inshore during the evening, while we -moved west a little. During the night we moved off up a lead. - -[Illustration: 0224] - -_June 13th. Friday_. We were hard and fast, the _Cornwallis, Triune, -Esquimaux and Narwhal_ in sight close inshore. The _Arctic and Wolf_ out -with the expedition ships. They were apparently beset. We lay frozen up -all day, with not even a duck to shoot. The Sugarloaf, a high mountain -on the Greenland coast, showed up well and made a good landmark. - -_June 14th. Saturday_. The day began with a heavy snow storm, but -shortly after breakfast it cleared off. The ice opened to the west, -so we steamed in that direction, leaving the fleet of older ships -apparently fast inshore, and we did not see any of them again for a -long time. We made very little headway at first, but found the ice slack -after dinner and managed to push through it. - -Later a series of good leads opened up and we worked a long way north. -When I turned in, the relief ships with the _Arctic and Wolf_ were in -sight ahead of us. - -We passed a curious pillar of rock called the Devil's Thumb; it was a -long way off. Every one took off his hat to it as was the custom. - -Steering amongst ice was sometimes very dangerous for the man at the -wheel, because the ship going astern was liable to bump her rudder -against the ice. This, of course, sent the wheel flying around. We had -a man hurt in this way by receiving a blow from the wheel during the -afternoon. - -_June 15th. Sunday_. We had good leads all the morning and were never -blocked for any length of time. By breakfast time we overtook the -_Arctic and Wolf_ with relief ships. Then we all hooked on to a heavy -floe in an open pool of water. Very shortly we were off again, but it -looked dangerous, so we tied up. The _Wolf_ was the first to be free. -She entered a lead and it closed behind her, exactly as it had done with -us at the Duck Islands. However, later in the day the pack drew off and -we all steamed along the edge of the shore floe, the _Thetis_ bringing -up the rear. This was an exciting race, and no one turned in while the -water remained open. The _Wolf_ had the lead, the _Arctic and Aurora_ -being together. Occasionally some of us would diverge a little, but we -were in line pretty well all the time. - -_June 16th. Monday._ I turned in when I found the way blocked and all -the ships tied up, as everything seemed frozen solid, except the pool -in which we lay. Seven bells awoke me to find things as they had been. -Captain Fairweather shot a Sabine gull after breakfast and I shot some -looms, which were picked out of the water by Jock the dog, who retrieved -very well. I went on board the _Wolf_ with the Captain, and saw Captain -Burnette. During the evening the Arctic steamed off and we followed -with the _Wolf_, but the lead closed so we all were caught. The Aurora. -managed to push out into the loose ice in a little while, but the Wolf -remained and the Arctic was fairly in the nips. - -The evening was fine and we saw land to the north and dozens of bergs to -the east of us. There was a crack running into the floe for two hundred -yards close to our ship. It was probably twenty-five yards wide at the -entrance. A great many looms flew up this and returned when they found -it a blind lead. The dingey was lowered and the Captain and myself had a -few hours' shooting and secured a great many. They were tied in bunches -and hung upon the chains connecting the quarter davits. - -_June 17th. Tuesday_. All were frozen up. I tried stalking a seal, as -there were several in sight, but I could not get near any of them. The -_Arctic_ was still nipped, the _Wolf_ was with us and the relief ships -a little way east. During the evening we were all moving around, except -the _Arctic._ - -We were ahead and the _Wolf_ next, the _Bear_ bringing up the rear. -Later the _Thetis_ fell back, for she could not keep up. Cape York was -in sight and all four of us were rather close together. - -With the _Aurora_ leading, we kept this up all night, every one greatly -excited. In the small hours we were all up to a barrier. Among the -Arctic ice it would have been useless to roll the ship as we had done at -Newfoundland, the young ice on that coast being very different from the -Arctic floe met with in Melville Bay. - -_June 18th. Wednesday._ The race for Cape York and the north was far -too exciting to permit of sleep, so for the following few days I never -undressed, but kept going up and down all the time. If we stuck I lay -down, and when the engine started I went up. - -At one A. M. we were with the _Wolf_ and relief ships, pounding away -at the floe which separated us from the open water at Cape York. The -_Aurora_ was the first to break through, when we all gave a great cheer -and shouted, "The north water!" I immediately went forward, and sitting -on the jib-boom, realized that I was the nearest white man to Greely, -possibly the nearest to the pole. I sat there for a long time as we were -steaming fast towards the land through open water. - -As we neared the shore the _Bear_ passed us. She was a faster ship and -she reached the shore floe some minutes before us. - -Seeing a party land on the ice from the _Bear_, we turned off southwest. -As the _Thetis and Wolf_ were coming up, the Captain went on board the -former and bade the commander good-by, and good luck, then we crept off -to the southwest with the _Wolf_. The _Bear_ having spoken the _Thetis_, -steamed west after us, the weather being rather thick. - -Finding the ice heavy to the west, we tried a lead to the north, but -were beset for some time. - -[Illustration: 0230] - -The fog was so thick that nothing could be seen ahead. We saw nothing -further of the _Thetis_ as she remained at Cape York to pick up the -party landed by the _Bear._ - -I turned in for a time during the night, as the ship was beset by heavy -ice. We had now completed the passage of Melville Bay without accident -and nearly every one on board felt that the greatest danger of the -voyage was over, so we would work our way to the west and look for -whales. In the race from St. John's to Cape York we had been beaten by -the _Bear_ only, and that by just a few minutes. The _Arctic, Thetis -and Wolf_ were all close, but in the last lap the _Aurora and Bear_ were -neck and neck almost to the winning post. - - - - -CHAPTER XII--CAPE YORK TO CAREY ISLANDS - - - "And now there came both mist and snow - - And it grew wondrous cold, - - And ice, mast-high, came floating by - - As green as emerald." - - -|I noticed a rather curious phenomenon while coming up the Greenland -coast, but thinking that there was probably some simple explanation, -made no note of it. One evening while in the passage at the foot of the -stairs I heard a peculiar whistling. It was like the noise one sometimes -hears when standing beside a telegraph pole. The steward was in the -pantry and I drew his attention to it. The sound was very distinct in -the pantry, and not noticeable in the saloon, which was on the same deck -but a little further aft. The steward said he had heard it before and we -concluded it was due to a vibration of the taut rigging conducted down -the mizzenmast to this particular place. The engine was silent at the -time, otherwise the noise of machinery would have drowned everything -else. - -I listened to the peculiar whistle several times after and always heard -it very distinctly in the pantry. The steward had sailed Arctic waters -for years, but he made no comment on this subject and never mentioned -having heard it on other ships, nor did any; one else on board the -_Aurora_ speak of it at all; in fact, we were probably the only two who -noticed it. - -Years after I came across the following passage in "Old Whaling Days," -by Captain Barron: - -"From latitude 69 N. to latitude 74 N. on the east side and in Melville -Bay, not far from the land, a strange phenomenon is heard resembling a -very weird whistling in a high note and gradually dying away to a very -low one. It is only heard when it is calm, and most distinctly when in -a boat or in a ship's lazarette which is nearly level with the water. On -deck it is seldom heard." The above interested me as it describes what -I noticed. Captain Barron believes it to be connected with the Aurora -Borealis, which he states can be heard but not seen when the sun shines -on a summer's night in the Arctic. - -_June 19th. Thursday._ The engine starting up brought me on deck. The -fog had lifted and the _Arctic and Wolf_ could be seen astern, while the -_Bear_ was to the north of us. Some time after we were steaming through -a nice lead into open water ahead. I was on the bridge, where the second -mate was in charge, and the Captain was in the crow's nest, which he -seldom left. Presently we noticed the lead very narrow, being little -wider than the ship. A moment later we were among crunched up ice and -within twenty or thirty yards of the open water and the ship was slowing -up owing to her progress being impeded by the ice. The Captain called -down, "Get over there, some of you men, and push that ice out of the -way with poles." We were almost through, and it looked as though a few -pieces pushed away would relieve the situation. Specksioneer Lyon and -twenty others were immediately over, and began pushing. Almost at once -Lyon called up, "It's coming together, sir," and sure enough we were -caught between two points of great floes coming together and the -_Aurora_ was in the greatest danger of being lost within the next few -minutes. The Captain immediately came down and began giving orders. All -boats were provisioned and lowered away. I rushed to my cabin and was -rolling up my blankets, when he brought the log, which he asked me to -put with my things. I took my bundles on deck with a rifle and gun, and -by this time the ship was so squeezed that my door would not open or -shut, and she had a heavy port list. As the _Arctic and Wolf_ were -a short distance astern of us, there was no danger to life and I -thoroughly enjoyed the excitement of being shipwrecked so comfortably. -With a bump the ship righted herself greatly and presently, after -straining and groaning, she slipped up considerably. Her water line was -now above the crunching ice and she was for the time being tolerably -safe. This all happened in a very short time and it was a wonderful -escape. I went on to the ice forward with the mate and engineer; and -while there the ship slipped up higher still, so that she was almost out -of the water. - -[Illustration: 0236] - -The surgeon of the _Arctic_ paid us a visit at this time and took the -two photographs here reproduced after some retouching. The first one -shows the ship in the nips; in it I happened to be in the foreground. In -the second she has slipped up and is almost out of the water. The mate, -engineer and myself were on the ice in front at the time. Sailors were -a little superstitious, and did not like their ship being photographed -while in distress, so these pictures were very hurriedly taken. For some -hours the _Aurora_ rested in this position and we knew that eventually -the ice would open and let her into the water. Our principal anxiety was -about the stem post and rudder; but these fortunately escaped injury. -Our propeller had only two blades, so when the ship was sailing or stuck -in the ice the propeller was always stopped with the blades up and down. -While in this position the whole thing could easily be unshipped, and -we carried an extra one. As looms were flying about in numbers along the -floe edge just in front of the ship I shot a big bag of them. They fell -into the water, but drifted against the ice edge where I picked them up. -The _Arctic and Wolf_ were pretty tightly caught astern of us, but they -had not to abandon the ships as we had. During the afternoon the pack -was tighter than ever and it made weird sounds at times. We had -our meals on board and were all very happy at our wonderful escape, -especially the Captain, who was determined to take home a cargo of -whales in his own ship instead of returning as passenger on one of the -others. During the night a crack occurred under the bows. This opened -by degrees, letting the ship down. We hoisted up our boats and the -shipwreck was over. When whalers go into Melville Bay they generally -arrange a quantity of provisions so that it can be easily reached in -event of their suddenly having to leave the ship as we had done. - -_June 20th. Friday._ After our escaping from the nips, we steamed in a -northerly direction, with the _Arctic and Wolf_ a heavy fog came on. I -was very tired, so went and lay down. - -As the engine room was aft, a person in any of the staterooms could -easily hear the bell there being rung from the crow's nest. How long I -had been lying down, I don't know, but something awoke me. I knew, from -the sound of the engine, we were going fast ahead, but I heard the bell -ring, "stop her," and then immediately full speed astern. Knowing that -something was wrong, I rushed on deck; it was very thick and I heard -some one say, "O my God, we are lost!" and just then on the starboard -side of the ship, I saw a great berg towering above us. We just missed -it! All was well! We steamed dead slow for awhile and I realized that -those who "went down to the sea in ships" could have a great deal of -excitement in two days. About an hour after this a steam whistle blew -right ahead. The fog instantly lifted a little and there was the Arctic -shooting across our bows. We both stopped, and the Captain went over to -her. When the Captain came on board again the fog was gone and we were -off Conical Rock. The ice was loose here and the two ships kept together -until we passed Cape Dudley Diggs. Here we drifted farther apart, but -were within sight of each other all the way to Wolstenholm Island. - -During the night we arrived at the island, but found that the _Rear_ had -been there ahead of us, so we directed our course towards Carey Islands, -the ice being loose, but the weather pretty thick. - -June 21st. Saturday. Heavy fog and plenty of ice, so our speed was slow. -Sometimes it cleared a little and we could see for several miles ahead. -There were numbers of birds about, principally guillemot and eider -duck. They probably had headquarters at Wolstenholm, and Carey Islands. -Natives repaired to Wolstenholm at this season of the year and collected -eggs; but Carey Islands were in the middle of the Sound and, I fancy, -left pretty well undisturbed. During the afternoon it became very thick, -and for a time we stopped steaming, as we could not make out the leads -and there was some heavy ice about. Late in the evening it cleared a -little and we ran in to Carey Island. The _Arctic_ was ahead of us, and -the _Wolf_ in the distance. I wrote some letters in the evening as I -thought there might be a chance of sending them on board the _Bear_. -Our Captain had decided to go from this place to the whaling ground, and -leave the Greely part of it to the expedition ships, as the owners would -not thank him for risking the vessel in higher latitudes and possibly -missing his chance for whales in Lancaster Sound. The _Arctic_ had a -boat on shore, but saw nothing of explorers or records. The _Bear_ left -the islands after midnight, but was not near us, so I had no chance of -sending my letters. This was the last we saw of the relief ships. -They picked Greely up within twenty-four hours at Cape Sabine. We knew -nothing of it until later, when we heard the news from some of the -slower ships, which met the expedition returning with the rescued, -and their story was as follows: June 22nd. After the _Bear_ left Carey -Islands, she joined the _Thetis_ and they proceeded to Cape Sabine, -where they arrived during the evening. From records found on Brevoort -Island near Cape Sabine, they knew where the explorer was, and he was -picked up by Lieutenant Colwell of the _Bear_ almost at the place where -he, Colwell, landed after the loss of the _Proteus_. Of the twenty-five -who left with Greely a few years before, but seven were now alive, and -the story they told of starvation and death was in tune with others we -have all read of Arctic exploration and was doubly impressive when told -to us, situated as we were in the dreary regions where the tragedy -had been enacted. Greely had done his work well. His two years at Fort -Conger had been well spent. Lockwood had attained latitude 83° 24' in -1882, beating all previous records. Most valuable magnetic observations -had been made and the interior of Grinnell Land had been explored. The -orders to abandon Fort Conger were carried out in 1883 and then their -troubles began. Relief had not come, depots of provisions had not been -established, and in a very dejected state they had arrived at Cape -Sabine, where they established their final camp, the history of which -supplies Arctic literature with its blackest chapter. - -[Illustration: 0242] - -On June 22nd Schley arrived at Cape Sabine. No Arctic expedition had -ever done so well by this date, its first year. A week or two later -there would probably not have been one survivor. This relief expedition -had been perfectly successful in its gallant dash and had arrived not a -minute too soon. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII--CAREY ISLANDS TO LANCASTER SOUND - - - "Here winter holds his unrejoicing court; - - And through his airy hall the loud misrule - - Of driving tempest is forever heard. - - Here the grim tyrant meditates his wrath, - - Here arms his winds and all-subduing frost. - - Moulds his fierce hail and treasures up his snows - - With which he now oppresses half the globe." - - -_June 22nd. Sunday_. It was blowing very hard from the south, and there -was much ice, so we had a difficult time picking our way. The weather -was also bitterly cold. Again birds were very numerous. We were making -our way to Princess Charlotte's Monument on the west side, and it was -slow work. The _Arctic_ was ahead of us and not moving on any faster. -We felt the loss of the relief ships. They were always a cause of some -excitement, and there was a chance of finding Greely so long as we kept -going north. Now that that interest was removed, I consoled myself with -the knowledge that we were nearing the magnetic pole, and would soon be -steaming up Lancaster Sound, the highway to the northwest along which so -many brave men had gone never to return. During the afternoon it became -more squally, and when I turned in we were making little headway, but -the wind was going down. - -_June 23rd. Monday_. We were steaming in tolerably open water when I -came on deck. The _Arctic_ was ahead. Birds were numerous--some geese -with hundreds of eider and guillemot. After breakfast we saw land ahead, -that is, to the west, and during the afternoon were within a mile or so -of it,--Princess Charlotte's Monument. There was much loose ice to the -south and a straight floe edge to the north of us, and to this we hooked -on two hundred yards to the east of the _Arctic_. We did not care to -go closer to the rocks lest the ice should come in on us. I saw Dr. -Crawford take the _Arctic's_ launch and go ashore to look for eggs. -Returning a couple of hours after, steam went down and the _Arctic_ was -obliged to unhook and go after them. It appeared that the boiler was too -exposed and the cold so intense that they simply could not keep steam -up. The launch had been keeping under the lee of the floe as much as -possible, and when steam went down she began to drift away from this -into rough water. For a few minutes things looked bad for her, as she -was a wretched sea boat with her heavy boiler and engine. During the -night we unhooked and worked our way towards the south. - -_June 24th. Tuesday._ Day fine, but blowing from the south. A lot of ice -on the coast, and to the south and east all was white. We were now where -whales might be seen and preparations were made. Foregoers and lines -were tested, harpoons examined, guns cleaned and fired to make sure -they would work, lines coiled away in boats, and every one was on the -lookout. We never heard of Disco or Cape York now. All was Lancaster -Sound and Pond's Bay, with weird tales of cold days spent rock-nosing -off Cape Kater and in Cumberland Gulf. All these preparations did not -hurry matters in the least. The king of this country decided that we -should remain for a day or two where we were, and so in the evening we -were hooked on almost where the morning found us. - -June 25th. Wednesday. About noon the wind died down and the currents, -setting south, took the ice off the coast so that we were able to crawl -along a little; but a few hours later we made fast to the land floe off -Cape Horsburgh, as the pack was drifting in again. We saw many walrus -here, but did not like to spend time at them, as we wanted to be the -first ship up the Sound. At tea time we moved along a little further -and by bedtime we tied up again. Some of our tanks were pumped out and -cleaned, ready for the anticipated oil. There were a number of seals in -sight, but they were left alone, as the time was precious. - -June 26th. Thursday. As the ship was hard and fast I took a rifle and -went after some seals which were to be seen a mile away. Before going -very far I found myself climbing over hummocks of old ice which had -drifted down Jones Sound, and it was very difficult walking. On one side -of a hummock the snow would be perfectly smooth and frozen hard, while -on the other side it would be so soft that one at once went through the -surface and had to clamber along in several feet of it. - -Again, one would come to a perfectly rotten and honeycombed piece of ice -underneath which there was a foot or two of water, and below the water -could be seen the solid old floe; this made walking so difficult that I -returned to the ship without getting a shot. - -[Illustration: 0248] - -_June 27th and 28th_ were uneventful. We moved little, and Cape -Horsburgh was in sight all the time, but on: - -_June 29th, Sunday,_ we had a good lead along the shore floe and were -steaming fast through it when I came on deck. A number of bears were -seen about noon, but the wind was from the south and the ice was coming -in, so we hurried along. As there were a number of them, they were -probably attracted by some dead beast. - -Barron tells of seeing once about one hundred bears around a dead whale. -He also tells of men being devoured by these creatures. - -In the days of muzzle-loaders there was more risk than there is now, -because if one came suddenly upon a bear with cubs and missed his shot, -there might not be time to load again. - -Late in the evening we were off: Cape Warrender and were steaming -amongst loose ice at bedtime. Several narwhals were seen during the -afternoon, but we paid no attention to them. - -_June 30th. Monday._ Steaming up the Sound towards a solid floe at -breakfast time with many white whales in sight. We steered south along -the ice edge, and seeing an Eskimo standing on it, we sailed up to -him. He was a very uncouth looking individual after the smartly dressed -gentlemen on the Greenland side. His clothes did not fit and he was -otherwise careless about his appearance. He had in his hand a narwhal's -tusk, and as we came close we heard him singing "Bonny Laddie--Highland -Laddie." This he had probably learned from his parents, they having -learned it from the whalers in sailing-ship days. In old times it was -customary to lower the boats and tow the ship through the leads to -the above tune. I was told this, so it may be true. The native came on -board. He was much more like an American Indian than a Greenland Eskimo. -Before he had been many minutes on board he was taken aft and relieved -of his tusk by the second mate, getting in return some trifle: the -gentleman belonged to Navy Board Inlet, on the south side, and not far -away. - -The Captain had had a lot of paddles made for some of the boats. It was -possible to approach whales with very little noise when the paddles were -used, so we tried them frequently for narwhal hunting. As there were -numbers of these creatures in sight, we had a couple of boats out after -them. A sharp lookout was kept from the crow's nest for whales coming up -the Sound. We hooked on to the ice about two miles from the south shore, -and put a boat out on either side of the ship and about a hundred yards -away. These boats were hooked on by laying the long steering oar on the -ice. Our narwhal hunters had no luck, so they came on board. - -_July 1st. Tuesday_. We were fast to the ice with a boat on each side -all day. The Captain had a long interview with the native on the subject -of whales. He seemed to understand maps well, and was able to point out -where he had seen fish; from what I could make out, a good number had -been in the Sound. I spent the afternoon in a boat with the Captain -trying to get a narwhal. We saw dozens and came pretty close to several -lots, but did not get one good shot, although we fired several times. - -The harpoons we used for this work were much smaller than the regular -whaling harpoon and were made of the same tough Swedish iron. - -Before turning in I spent an hour on deck and heard narwhals and white -whales breathing about us all the time. Everything looked propitious. - -_July 2nd. Wednesday._ I had a dream during the night that we had -succeeded in killing a narwhal and that our youngest harpooner, Gyles, -had killed it. Dreams were often recounted at the breakfast table, so -I told this, and, as luck would have it, before dinner Gyles killed our -first narwhal. My night visions were subsequently treated with -great respect, except by the steward, who felt, no doubt, that I was -infringing a little on his rights. A coldness sprang up between us such -as only professional jealousy can create, and which evinced itself the -following day when he did not ask me to help him to pick the raisins for -the duff--Thursday being duff day. The forenoon success gave quite -an impetus to the narwhal fishing, but no more were captured, as the -elusive beasts always went down just as we were almost within shot. - -The narwhal (Monodon Monoceros) is to me the most beautiful of the whale -species. The one captured by us was twelve feet long without the tusk. -This measured four feet in length and about four inches around the base. -It ended in a rather sharp point and had a spiral groove running from -right to left. The horn, or rather tooth, protrudes from the upper jaw -of the male, generally on the left side. It only protrudes from the -female head as a freak. On the right side a small undeveloped horn is -found embedded in the skull of the male, but two undeveloped teeth are -found in the female. The narwhal is the only vertebrate animal in which -bilateral symmetry is not the rule. The body is whitish, marbled with -blackish brown, and about four of them yield a ton of oil. With an axe I -easily split the cancellous skull and removed the embedded tusk. We saw -hundreds of white whales this day (Delphinapterus leucas). These are -cousins of the narwhals, but generally a little larger. The _Aurora_ had -great luck the previous year up Prince Regent's Inlet in getting a -good catch of them. This was managed by driving them ashore. They were -skinned and the skin made into leather. Each side counted as one skin. - -They go in schools like porpoises, but generally only three or four -abreast, therefore, it takes a large school a considerable time to go -past. They are peculiar in having no dorsal fin, and their yellowish -white colour makes them rather conspicuous. - -_July 3rd. Thursday._ 'Before breakfast a bear was seen in the water -and shot by McLean from a boat. Bears are always lucky and we knew that -something better would soon come. While at breakfast a female narwhal -was killed. It must have been fourteen feet long. I removed the two -little embedded horns. Narwhals were very difficult to capture with the -appliances in use at this time, the harpoon gun being only effective -at ten or fifteen yards. As the beast generally went down when one was -about twenty yards away, a long shot had to be taken with a very clumsy -gun. Very little of the narwhal showed above water, just the top of its -head and back. Of course there was a good sized animal immediately under -the water, so that a harpoon might miss the back and still lodge in the -whale. It was very cold and we had several snow showers. The bear was -skinned and the skin salted and put in a barrel, no attempt being made -to dry or otherwise cure any of the bear skins taken during the voyage. -They were kept green. - -_July 4th. Friday_. During the night there was a fall of snow and a -breeze from the east had driven some loose ice up the Sound, and pieces -were constantly breaking off the floe. These drifted down the Sound with -the current; but when there was wind from the east much of this broken -ice would drift up and surround us. We were dodging about under canvas -in the morning, and the wind, which was bitterly cold, was going down. -During the forenoon we sailed up to the floe edge and hooked on about -eight miles from the south side, putting two boats on the bran, that is, -one on each side of the ship. The loose ice had drifted away, and as -the afternoon was very fine the Captain decided to try the unies, as the -narwhals were called, and I went with him. One does not generally see -very many unies together, but they were in fours and fives all over the -place this afternoon and very shy. Just as the boat would get within -twenty-five yards or so, off they would go. The Captain made a long shot -at one and got fast. For a few minutes the line ran out rapidly, but -the shot had been a long one and the harpoon drew, so we came on board -disappointed. - -Paddles were used instead of oars, as they made less noise. On the -fishing ground we avoided noise as much as possible and for this reason -the ship seldom steamed, but kept her fires banked and moved about under -canvas. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV--OUR FIRST WHALE - - - "Hoist out the boat at once and slacken sail." - - -_July 5th. Saturday_. A beautiful day. After breakfast I was in a bran -boat on the starboard side of the ship and one hundred and fifty yards -away, when I heard a commotion on board, and in less time than it takes -to tell, all our boats, except the upper quarter ones, were in the water -and hurrying off: towards us. Our steering oar was holding the boat to -the ice, so it did not take long to get away, and we pulled hard for -several minutes before the boat-steerer whispered: "Avast pulling." At -this time the boats were scattered along the ice edge a hundred yards -apart. A whale had been seen coming up the Sound. We knew that it would -continue up under the ice, and failing to find a hole through which it -could breathe, it would turn and come to the surface near the edge of -the ice and close to some of the boats, and that unless we had very bad -luck, it was doomed. In a few minutes we saw it a quarter of a mile down -the Sound; it looked like two black islands, one the head and the other -the back. It lay there for several minutes and we could distinctly hear -it breathe. We saw the spout, then it sank slowly and disappeared. -The excitement was now' intense. The next time it would be beside -a boat--which boat? Would it come up under us or beside us? Perfect -silence was observed and the suspense of waiting for the first whale, I -shall never forget. Probably ten minutes passed, when up came the fish -almost beside the boat in which George Matheson was har-pooner. As he -was already standing by his gun, no order was given, and one sweep of -the boat-steerer's oar gave him his shot. The gun went off, the foregoer -sprang into the air and every man shouted: "A fall! a fall!" The -whale hesitated a few seconds before going down, and Matheson put in a -hand-harpoon also. He was not ten feet from the whale when he fired, -and almost touching when he put in the hand-harpoon. The fast boat now -hoisted its jack and the fish went down and started towards the south -side of the Sound, past the ship's stern. We pulled in this direction -for all we were worth, the boat nearest the fast boat standing by it so -as to supply more lines if necessary. When we had pulled hard for ten -minutes, we slowed down, the boats keeping some distance apart, and -shortly after, fifty yards from us, the whale came up. Immediately a -second boat, the mate's, got fast, the huge creature going down at once, -and away we went again. When our quarry next appeared, about fifteen or -twenty minutes later, the nearest boat immediately began lancing, and -presently we were at it. Unfortunately we all had our backs to the scene -of action, except the boat-steerer and harpooner. The heavy blast, every -time it breathed, sounded uncomfortably close. In a few minutes the -boat-steerer called, "Back, all!" and we immediately backed water, the -whale hitting the water once or twice with his tail and going down; -again we were off, but not so far this time. When he next appeared he -rolled about a good deal and we were afraid to go close, so the second -mate fired a Welsh's rocket under one of his flukes and then we all -backed off. The rocket was fired from a harpoon gun. It had a charge of -powder in its trocar-shaped head, and a fuse running down the shaft. -When this exploded the whale plunged fearfully and lashed the water with -his huge horizontal tail. After this he was quiet and the water shot -from his blow-hole was blood-stained. We now closed in again, and lances -were plunged into his neck and churned up and down. Breathing became -labored, and after a final flurry, his spirit passed and his blubber and -bone were ours. What a cheer we gave! What a feeling of exultation! How -near I felt to happy, unconventional, primitive man at that moment! As -the whale was lying on its back with the flukes hanging out, a round -hole was cut in each of these, through which a piece of rope was run and -the flukes reverently folded across his breast; with a knife all lines -attached to harpoons were cut free so that the fast boats might haul -them in. The tail was fastened to the bow of a boat, and, getting in -line, we all proceeded to tow the fish back to the ship, which, by the -way, made no effort to help us, as the weather was fine and there was -nothing in sight. Arriving alongside, the tail was fastened forward and -the head aft along the port side. We went on board, and after dinner, as -I sat smoking with the Captain on the cabin skylight, I could not help -feeling that the life of a whaler was the only one for me. - -[Illustration: 0260] - -At 1.30 P. M., all hands were called to flense the whale alongside. By -means of tackle made fast to the lower jaw, called the nose tackle, the -mouth could be opened and the tongue and the bone removed. The right -whale (Balaena Mysticetus), of which this was a specimen, supplies -practically all the whalebone. It grows from the sides of the upper jaw, -three hundred blades hanging down on each side. They are ten and twelve -inches wide where inserted into the gum, and narrow as they descend. The -inner edge is frayed and the outer unbroken. These frayed inner edges -form a sort of sieve through which the water passes when the whale shuts -its mouth, but through which the whale food cannot pass. - -The bone from each side is brought on board generally in one piece, -sufficient gum being taken with it to hold the lamellae together. This -is divided with a wedge into smaller pieces of about a dozen lamellae -each, and subsequently each lamella is slit off with the wedge and freed -from gum and oil. The longest blades are those in the centre on each -side and they vary in length according to the size of the animal--twelve -feet being large. The size of a whale is estimated by the length of the -longest blade, "a twelve-foot fish" being one in which this measures -twelve feet. The bone is about a quarter of an inch thick and tears -easily into long pieces. It is an albuminous substance, containing -calcium phosphate, and can be moulded when heated by steam, retaining -its shape if cooled under pressure. - -[Illustration: 0264] - -The busy part of a whaler during flensing is the deck between the main -mast and foremast. Between these masts is the blubber guy, a stout -wire rope to which blocks are strapped, and through these are rove -the tackles which haul the long strips of blubber on board as they are -pulled off the whale. - -The specksioneer and all the harpooners except the mate get on to the -whale or into the mollie boats in attendance; they have spikes on their -boots to keep them from slipping; and they remove the blubber and bone -with their knives and spades. The mate of a ship is a busy man, but the -mate of our whaler flensing was, I think, the busiest person I ever saw. -Acting under the captain's directions and from his own initiative, he -was everywhere, giving orders and seeing them carried out. - -In removing the blubber the first thing done is to start cutting a -ribbon of it around the neck, called the kant. This piece, probably two -feet wide, when pulled upon, turns the carcass, and from it, running -towards the tail, the long strips are cut and hauled on board. First -the piece around the neck is well started. Then with spades a strip is -started. As this is hauled on by the capstan the men with spades cut -along each side and it is simply peeled off. When the piece raised up is -several hundred pounds, it is cut off, hoisted on board, and the tackle -refastened. When the exposed part has been flensed, the neck piece or -kant is again pulled on by the windlass, which turns the whale over -a little, and so on. When all the blubber has been removed, the head -tackle is cut out and the carcass, or kreng as it is called, sinks -as soon as the tail is cut off. The tail is taken on board and used -afterwards for chopping blubber on. The blubber as it comes on board -is cut into smaller pieces by the boat-steerers and thrown into the -'tween-decks by the line managers, from which it is taken a day or two -later, cut small and put into tanks. Flensing a fish is a very cheerful -occupation and the ship is certainly oily, but there is no unpleasant -smell. As soon as a whale is killed, the fulmar petrels (P. Glacialis) -come in swarms, and they gorge themselves with fat until they cannot sit -up; then they become dreadfully ill and begin all over again. There was -always a current where we flensed and this current would carry away a -stream of overgorged birds, too full to do anything but drift. I sat in -a boat one day and amused myself catching the birds as they paddled past -until I had numbers in the boat. I found it better, however, to leave -them in the water, or to let them stagger about among the men's feet at -work. This was a ten-foot fish and would probably yield thirteen tons of -oil. The following is a copy of the scale used long ago by whalers:-- - -[Illustration: 0271] - -Of course there are exceptions to this old rule. - -The afternoon clouded up while we were so busy, and by the time we had -finished, it was blowing. When I turned in there was some snow and it -was much colder. - -[Illustration: 0269] - -_July 6th. Sunday._ I found the ship with the main yard aback, dodging -about in a rather choppy sea. The sky was cloudy and it looked like -winter. Three ships were in sight down the Sound, all under canvas. We -were quite close to the south side, as the captain believed that -fish would come up that way, and it proved that he was correct. After -breakfast a whale was seen blowing among some loose ice to the north of -us. Six boats put off in pursuit, while the ship followed. Two of the -boats kept straight to the ice while the other four, including Jack -McLean's, in which I was, kept around it. The sea was quite choppy and -the air cold, but we warmed up with the rowing. - -The boats going straight to the ice were able to pass through and -entered open water beyond before we got around to it. The fish came up -and gave the second mate a long shot just as she was going down; but a -harpoon easily enters a whale's bent back so he got fast and "A fall! a -fall!" was joyfully shouted by us all. As we passed the fast boat we -saw her jack flying proudly and her bow enveloped in smoke as McKechnie -tightened the line around the bollard head. Gyles was standing by, so -with the other boats we pulled in the direction the fish had gone, and -as we were getting close to more loose ice, those of us who were rowing -and consequently looking astern saw the fast boat--which had been well -down by the bow--right herself and we knew that the iron had drawn. We -pulled away however in the hope of again getting fast, but this whale -was only seen once more, a long way off, and after a hard row through -loose ice we gave up. The ship had followed and she now picked us up. -As the wind had gone down we sailed back towards the south side and made -fast to the solid floe, getting our bran boats out before tea time. We -picked up the fast boat on the way, she having her lines on board. The -weather looked very settled at bedtime and the unusual exertion of the -past two days made me sleep well. - -[Illustration: 0273] - -_July 7th. Monday_. Summer had returned by morning and the making off -had already begun when I came on deck. We were lying almost opposite the -mouth of Admiralty Inlet and fast to a nice straight floe edge with not -a bit of loose ice any place. There was more life on deck at the "making -off" than there was at the flensing and every one was busy. The blubber -had been cut into pieces two or three feet square and put down the main -hatch. These big cubes of a faint orange color were taken on deck with -the winch, and any pieces of adherent flesh being removed they were -cut into blocks of a few pounds each. Along each side of the deck stood -uprights; on the top of each was a plate with spikes called a clash, -and beside each stood a harpooner with a long sharp knife. A block of -blubber was lifted by a man with clash hooks and stuck on the clash -spikes, with the skin up. The harpooner cut the skin off and the piece -was then thrown into a heap in front of the speck trough. The speck -trough, which was about two and a half feet square, was placed across -the deck over the hatch; forward of this stood the boat-steerers and in -front of each was a block of whale's tail resting on the opened back lid -of the trough. Each man had a chopper, and as the pieces of blubber from -the heap were thrown to them, they chopped them into little bits and -swept them into the speck trough, from which they were conducted to the -tanks through a canvas tube attached to an opening underneath. A man in -the 'tween-decks directed this tube to the tank he desired to fill. The -bone was stowed down the quarter hatch. It was always important to keep -the ship clean and get the blubber away, as there was no regularity -about the appearance of fish. A number might come at once, and several -being killed, the crew could be blocked with work, while again there -might not be another seen for a month. - -When the making off was over, the decks were scrubbed down. - -_July 8th. Tuesday._ The _Arctic, Esquimaux and Narwhal_ were all in -sight to the north of us. During the forenoon we lowered away for a -fish, six boats going after it. We saw the spout near the ice edge and -were ready for its return, but it came not, probably finding a breathing -place somewhere and after resting coming out north of us. We waited a -long time and had a tiresome row back. The native picked up by us when -we first came had been landed near the south shore, where he had his -dogs. Now we saw three coming along the floe and we picked them up, -sledges, dogs and all. They belonged to Navy Board Inlet. Hardly were -they on board when all hands were called and the boats were away, as -spouting had been seen astern. I was in one of the four boats between -the ship and the south coast, and we must have sat there half an -hour before anything occurred; in fact, we thought the fish had gone -elsewhere. The men were all pretty restless, when suddenly the water -broke two boats from me and the report of a gun was followed by the -cry--"A fall." I saw the whale throw its tail straight up as it went -slowly down; then it started north and we pulled past the ship in that -direction and scattered out to wait its reappearance. In the usual -length of time the fish appeared in our midst and another iron was put -in. Away we went again in the best of spirits. Of course, the fast boat -in each case remained and moved only as towed by the whale. I was in -Watson's boat, and at the whale's next appearance we were almost on -the top of it and he immediately lanced, but the game stood very little -tickling of that sort and was soon off. Again it came up beside us, and -this time very breathless as it had such a short breathing spell before. -Three boats were at once busy with lances, and in a very short time -we registered a kill. When the lines were cut, and the flukes and tail -attended to, we returned to the ship, pulling to the shanty, "A-roving, -a-roving, since roving has been my ruin," and having the whale in tow, -we were very much elated by our afternoon's work, but there was a great -surprise in store for us. Arriving on board, the whale was made fast and -I went down to have some coffee. When I came up I found that the crew -of the first fast boat, having taken their line to the ice to facilitate -pulling it in, had utterly failed to get it beyond a certain point. -Thinking it had fouled something at the bottom, they were ordered to -come on board and take their line in with the steam winch. This was -done, and when after great pulling the very tight line was almost in, -behold, there was a dead whale at the end of it. One must be on board -a whaler to appreciate a pleasant surprise like this. It is not so much -the extra money, as the satisfaction of success. What had happened was -this. - -The first harpoon fortunately struck deep in the shoulder of whale No. -1, which immediately sounded in shallow water and broke its neck. No. 2 -was not a fast fish at all when we first saw it. Now, we had a fish on -each side, and as soon as the crew had refreshed themselves with supper, -the work of flensing started with a will. When things were well under -way I turned in, very tired, and when I tumbled out four hours after, -one fish was on board. The men were now ordered to turn in for four -hours, except, of course, the lookout and a few nondescript people like -myself and the engineer. I learned another thing about the ways of the -Arctic this morning; directly the crew had turned in, the clock in the -companion was put forward an hour, and when two hours had passed it went -on another hour, then all hands were called and our second whale taken -on board. This fish was flensed in about three hours, the crew turning -in, except a boat's crew on the bran and the lookout. The _Esquimaux_ -came steaming towards us during the night, which annoyed us greatly, as -the fish were coming up the south side and we thought our berth rather -good. She steamed past and hooked on five or six hundred yards south of -us. The Aurora immediately unhooked and passed her, while she repeated -the performance mid a storm of abuse from both barrels. Our Captain was -afraid to go closer to the shore, so we remained where we were. When -we hooked on first, the natives had left us, going north to the other -ships. We now saw a number of well loaded sledges coming up the south -coast. It was evident that they would board the _Esquimaux_ first, so -we would lose the chance of bartering with them. Consequently, we sent a -boat off to pick them up and bring them on board. Our opponents saw what -we were doing, so sent a boat also. As it had a shorter distance to go -than ours, it picked up the whole caravan and brought it back. Our boat -noticing a sledge far away with two people in it, waited for them and -brought them to the Aurora. It happened that these two old natives -owned all the barter on the other sledges, and as we kept them on -board, everything had to be turned over to the Aurora by the other ship, -greatly to their disgust. The Captain obtained from them quite a lot of -narwhals' tusks and bear skins. The incident amused us very much. - -_July 9th. Wednesday._ Two boats on the bran and the balance of the crew -washing down the ship. I had my first ride on an Eskimo sled. Giving -a native a plug of tobacco, he removed from his sled all the movable -things and I got on. Then addressing a few remarks to his dogs, off they -started. As the ice was smooth I enjoyed it at first, but we came to a -hummocky place where it was not so pleasant. I did my best to stop the -dogs, but they followed their leader, and finally I tumbled off and -returned to the ship, the dogs going on probably home. The runners of -the sledge were made of whales' jaws with bone cross pieces lashed to -them. When I went on board I found a boat just starting for a bear to -the north of us. I don't think I ever saw one any distance from the -water; this was along the floe edge and several miles away. Between us -there was a peninsula of ice on which there were some hummocks. I landed -here to try a stalk and the boat rowed around. For a time I did very -well, the bear wandering aimlessly and slowly about, but before I got -within three hundred yards of him, he had seen me and was off to the -water. I fired several times, but without effect. He plunged in and -started to swim across from the peninsula to the main floe. The boat had -by this time doubled the cape and bruin had a bullet in his head before -he had gone very far. We hauled him on to the ice and skinned him. The -men cut some steaks for themselves, but I never had the pleasure of -trying polar bear, as the Captain did not care for carnivorous animals -as a food. - -A great many white whales were now around. I wished we could have driven -a school of them up a fiord the way they drive the potheads up the -Shetland voes. When we returned we found that a narwhal had been killed, -but we did not like to disturb the right whales by hunting these very -much. - -As the ship was generally hooked on to the floe which extended across -the Sound, her bow was pointed up and her stern down, consequently -astern nearly always meant down the Sound, as the current setting in -that direction held the ship in that position. - - - - -CHAPTER XV--FLOE EDGE FISHING - - - "Look through the sleet and look through frost, - - Look to the Greenlands' caves and coast. - - By the iceberg is a sail - - Chasing of the swarthy whale; - - Mother doubtful, mother dread, - - Tell us, has the good ship sped?" - - -_July 10th. Thursday._ We moved from our neighbor, the _Esquimaux_, and -dodged north under canvas, hooking on five or six miles away. The Sound -was frozen completely across this year, and during our stay, the ice -never opened. Probably we could have forced our way in had we been bent -on exploration, but the ice floe edge fishing was very desirable and -suited us exactly. - -All hands were employed making off when I came up and we had a busy day -getting two whales into our tanks. Although they were not very large, it -took many hours and every one was tired when it was over. - -The Sound being frozen over was a great disappointment to me as it -prevented our going up Barrow Strait, or visiting Beechy Island, where -Sir John Franklin spent his last winter. There I was, within a few miles -of the place consecrated to the memory of those heroes and doomed to -return home without seeing it. Up this waterway, Sir James Ross and -McClure had passed to make their great discoveries of the magnetic polar -area and the northwest passage. There had been, at one time or another, -nearly all the Arctic explorers, of whom I had ever heard. - -As the clock in the companion had been moved about so much lately, and -as there was not a watch, on the ship, going, our ideas of time were -vague in the extreme. - -_July 11th. Friday._ The weather was fine, and during the afternoon, -positively warm. The boats spent the day on the bran, but there were no -whales in sight. An interesting phenomenon was, however, in evidence, -namely, refraction. Byam Martin's Mountains looked wild and precipitous, -and the coast line appeared as a continuous high cliff, quite unlike the -land we had been beside for the past week. What I found most interesting -was to watch the _Narwhal_, which was lying not far off. At one moment -her hull stretched up, making her look like an old line of battle ship, -while her masts shrank down, then the hull would close down like a -concertina and the masts would stretch up to the sky. Pieces of ice and -little hummocks became great white chimneys and big icy mountains. I saw -a row of white masses far above the ice. They looked like puffs of smoke -from a battery, the guns being pointed up. Presently a white lump would -appear on the ice underneath each puff and in a minute they would become -connected and look like a row of top-heavy white pillars. The middle -part would then become attenuated until it resembled a white thread -and then the tops of the pillars would settle down and disappear. The -changes were kaleidoscopic and one could watch them by the hour. When -the sun was warm, we often had this phenomenon, owing to the different -densities of the various atmospheric strata. - -_July 12th. Saturday._ Hearing "All hands" during the night, I tumbled -out of bed, picked up my bundle of clothes, ran on deck and got into a -lower quarter boat that was being lowered. Probably within sixty seconds -after being asleep I was pulling for dear life towards some loose ice -north of us, beyond which a whale had been seen. When we reached the -ice, we rested and put on some clothes. The fish was just as likely -to come up where we were as at any other place, so we did not want to -frighten him by disturbing the ice. After a wait of ten minutes, we saw -and heard the blast of a fish to the northeast. It had turned and was -going out again. We pulled through the ice with difficulty; it cannot be -pushed about by a whale boat, but we kept on in the direction in which -the whale was last seen. However it did not come up again where we could -see it, and so we returned to the ship. It was very cold coming back and -had begun to blow. - -The sky was much overcast during the afternoon, and as it was blowing -hard, the boats were taken in before bedtime. - -_July 13th. Sunday._ There was a regular little gale this day, so we -kept in open water, with the main yard aback and the fires banked. We -received news of the Greely party from the _Arctic_ as she had spoken -some of the slower ships and heard it from them. - -During the afternoon quite a choppy sea was on and ice was coming in as -the wind was blowing up the Sound. We dodged out through this ice and -then sailed north, sighting nearly all the other ships of the fleet. -Sundays were stormy days in this place, and to sit on a ship all day, -listening to her strain, and to the wind howling through the shrouds, -was not pleasant, especially when we were only killing time and -accomplishing nothing. When I turned in, we were still under canvas. - -_July 14th, Monday_, was a gloomy day. We were hooked to the ice, with -a boat out on each side. The crew were busy filling the bunkers and -then cleaning up, also overhauling some fishing gear. The blacksmith was -employed straightening out harpoons. The iron of which they are made is -soft and tough. It bends and twists every way but does not break. - -I amused myself polishing little tusks which I had taken out of the -female narwhals' heads. We were very restless, knowing that the _Arctic_ -had more whales than we had. We heard from her that all the ships had -fish a few days before. - -_Tuesday._ Two narwhals were killed, male and female. I was in a boat -with the Captain, but we did not get any. We used paddles instead of -oars, as we could approach more quietly with them. - -_July 16th. Wednesday_. We were still hanging on to the ice with a boat -on the bran on each side. Again we pursued narwhals and secured another -fine male with a four-foot horn. There were such crowds of these -beautiful creatures that I wished the Captain would turn all hands after -them, but he was afraid of disturbing any whales which might be around -so we did not pursue them vigorously. Some white whales passed us, but -we were not far enough up the Sound for white whaling. - -Narwhals are playful creatures and very noisy. The first thing any whale -does on coming up is to blow most of the air out of its lungs, and this -in a very noisy manner. For its size, the narwhal makes more noise -than the others. Before going down, they generally take a deep, noisy -inspiration. Nearly all the time we were in Lancaster Sound, if calm, we -could hear whales of some kind puffing and blowing around. I often saw -narwhals raise their tusks out of the water, and when black whales were -taking a final header, on starting for a long dive, they generally threw -the tail up in the air in a graceful manner. We did not like to see one -going tail up, as it meant that probably we had seen the last of that -particular fish. - -_July 17th, Thursday,_ was a fine day with mirage in the morning; the -effects were wonderful. A small piece of ice, miles away, would look -like a berg. About noon we made out that the _Polynia_ had a fish and -this was more than we could bear. We decided that there was a Jonah on -board and circumstances pointed strongly to one of the crew. A suit -of his clothes was procured, with his cap, half a pound of powder was -packed into it with a fuse attached and it was run up to the main yard -arm. The Captain went below and turned in, but rifles and ammunition -were supplied and we had a lively practice at the effigy for a time; -then the fuse was touched off and bang went Jonah. This performance -cleared the atmosphere forward completely, every one believing that the -spell was broken and that we would now find fish. In the cabin, Jack, -the steward, greased the horseshoe and that made the after guard feel -better, and to crown it all, a bear was killed during the evening, in -the water near the ship. Personally, I felt greatly encouraged by these -ceremonies, and went to bed feeling that at any moment "A fall! a fall!" -might be heard. - -If some misfortune happens to a whaler--such as having his harpoon gun -passed to him through the rigging, instead of around it, or if his boat -should start away from the ship stern first and not be brought back, -hooked on, hauled up and lowered again--then he would go after a whale -certain that he would miss it, whereas, should he dream the night before -that he had got fast to a fish, then he would approach it with the -utmost confidence. - -_July 18th. Friday_. I had an undisturbed night and awoke to find it -blowing and the ship under sail. Going on deck, I found the topsails -aback and much loose ice about. After breakfast, all hands were away -after a whale seen among the loose ice. This was a hopeless kind of -rowing, so we scattered about, following different leads. We saw the -fish blowing in several different places, but could not get near it, so -came on board. During the afternoon, the wind went down and the loose -ice drifted out again, so we hooked on to the solid floe about three -miles from the south side and a boat was put on each side, as usual. -Numbers of narwhals around during the afternoon, induced a boat to -follow them, and a big female was secured with a calf. The undeveloped -tusks of the latter were hollow like cigarette holders. - -_July 19th. Saturday_. I had not been asleep long when I heard "All -hands!" and, rushing up, went off in my usual boat, the lower quarter -boat on the starboard side. I heard that a fish had been seen spouting -down the Sound. In a few minutes, we all saw it off the south shore, a -mile from the ship. We gave way with a will and soon had the boats in -open order along the floe, where we thought it had passed under. Our -patience was rewarded when it came up between the mate and Watson. Mr. -Adam, being the nearer, swept down on its quarter and, as it made a back -to sound, he gave it both gun and hand in the shoulder. This was a big -fish and a fine chase began. I had seen the mate strike and I knew -the irons would not draw. Straight down the Sound we went, the wounded -animal taking out much line. - -Sometimes a fish goes deep and does not travel very far, but this one -was a traveller. We pulled for about twenty minutes or more and then -halted, the whale coming up ahead of us and going down again at once. -The mate's boat had signalled for more lines by putting a piggin on a -boat-hook, and another boat had stood by and bent on. Before long, the -wounded one came up and another iron was put in; it was well puffed -after its run and stayed up long enough to get some lances stuck in. A -lance, cutting any large vessel in the neck or thorax, would cause it -to bleed to death very quickly, but none of these lances touched vital -parts, for the whale went down in a very lively way with four or five -sticking in it, and it must have stayed down fifteen minutes, travelling -fast all the time. When it reappeared, we were on to it at once, and -it soon began to blow blood and give other evidences of approaching -dissolution. Its plunges were dangerous and the reports caused by -striking the water with its tail, were very loud. We always backed well -off during one of these demonstrations, but were on to it at once when -they ceased. There was much more danger from the flukes than the tail, -as we were touching its sides with the boats. After one or two terrific -blasts of blood and water, and a great flurry, it turned up its toes, -and after the usual formalities, the long tow to the ship began. -Shanties were sung with vigor and we pulled with a will. As I had not -had anything to eat since ten P. M., the day before, and as we had been -working hard all night, I was ready for breakfast when we reached the -ship. The fast boats had come on board, taking their lines in with the -winch. After breakfast all hands were called and it took many hours to -flense this big fish, the bone of which was 10 1/2 feet. I examined the -flukes after the blubber had been removed from them; they were like huge -hands with nicely proportioned fingers. I entered in the log the death -of the fish, and a little picture of its tail. This is the custom. In -the log there was a paper model, which was held on the page with the -finger and traced around the edge with a pencil. Then it was shaded, -according to the ability of the artist, and the name of the harpooner -was written above. On each side was stated whether killed by gun or -hand, or both, and below was written the length of the bone. Should the -harpoon draw, and the whale be lost, half a tail was sketched. - -[Illustration: 0289] - -During the flensing, one of our firemen, Bob Graham, appeared at the -engine room door with six pieces of rope yarn tied together, and to the -free end of each he had fastened a piece of blubber, just big enough to -pass comfortably through the throat of a mollie (as fulmars are called), -either way. Graham was an ingenious fellow and remarkable for his -fertility of resource; he was always amusing himself by devising little -surprises to make life pleasant for others. He threw this affair into -the sea and the six pieces of fat were instantly swallowed by the same -number of mollies. All went well until it became evident that the birds -were not of the same opinion as to the direction of their next move. -This performance seemed to me cruel at first, but after watching it for -a little while, I decided that the exercise was good for the fulmars -and did not hurt them. Of course, there were little disappointments -connected with it, but then creatures, higher in the social scale, have -their disappointments also. It is just possible that the bird which -played the game out and eventually swallowed all six pieces and -the string, may have had regrets, but from what I have seen of this -particular species, I don't think it suffered much. - -When the flensing was over, every one was tired, and the men were -ordered to turn in, excepting the lookout, all having been busy during -the day. As whaling was a very irregular sort of life, it was the custom -to sleep while one could, and as I had done a lot of rowing during the -previous twenty-four hours, I sought my cabin. Our specksioneer, George -Lyon, was an old man, but he was absolutely indefatigable, and when -this order was given, he decided to go on the bran instead of to bed. -Accordingly, he raised a crew of volunteers, but being short one man, he -thought of me. There was one way of always bringing me on deck and -that was to go to the companionway and shout down the word "bear." This -George did and I at once appeared, rifle in hand. Seeing the boat being -lowered, I tumbled in, and in a minute we were away; I then asked where -the bear was and the specksioneer said that we might see one; so I -knew his trick. We went some distance south of the ship and, hacking the -boat up to the ice, laid the steering oar on it, which held us there, -then we talked and smoked. - -About midnight all was quiet, except for the heavy breathing of the -narwhals and white whales in the sea, and of those who slept in the -boat; it was easy enough to sleep, sitting at an oar. I was awake, the -boat-steerer was standing on the ice, and the man in the ship's barrel -was scanning the Sound for fish, when suddenly, without the slightest -warning, there was a great commotion in the water, at the side of our -boat, and up came a whale with a fearful blast. This first blast of a -whale, which has been holding its breath for a long time, sounds very -loud, when one is within ten feet of it. It reminds one of a train -coming suddenly out of a tunnel. The boat-steerer instantly pushed the -boat well off, getting in at the same time He then said "Give way," -which we did. The whale was moving very slowly, and one sweep of the -boat-steerer's oar brought us around to it, then I heard the orders, -"Stand by your gun!" and "Avast pulling!" I would have given anything -for one look; but the lives of all the crew depended upon each man doing -as he was told, so I sat perfectly still and leaned well away from the -line running up the middle of the boat. Presently there was a bang, and -the line began running out, while every one called "A fall." I was now -in a boat, fast to a fresh whale, which was an experience the average -amateur rarely had. As the harpooner took a turn of the line around the -bollard head in the bows, and paid the line out through his hands, the -bow of the boat was dragged very low and the stern tilted very high, but -the speed we travelled at was not so great as I had expected. The whale -came up between the boat and the ship, and we were being towed down the -Sound. All the boats were away from the ship in a minute. We called out -the number of lines out, and they had no difficulty in finding about -where the whale was, and being ready for it when it came up. A second -iron was put in when it appeared and off it went again. The water being -absolutely free from ice, the chase was an easy one, as a boat could -generally go faster than a whale. All I had to do was to sit quiet and -keep well away from the line. As there was no ice to endanger the boat, -the line was put several times around the bollard head and kept very -tight, so we were towed much faster than if it had been loose. After the -whale was killed and all the lines cut free, we were called on board to -have or lines hauled in, after which the ship unhooked and steamed off -to pick up her boats. The sky was very much overcast when we brought -the whale alongside, and the tired crew, after getting some food, had to -flense at once, as a change of weather might have been serious. - -The _Aurora_ now looked as a successful whaler should--a big whale in -the 'tween-decks and another alongside tons and tons of blubber lying -about everywhere, and the passage between the engine room and skylight, -and the bulwarks, piled with bone. - -Before the flensing was over, it had commenced to blow and it was quite -rough by the time we had finished. Then we unhooked and ran down the -Sound a little way, while the crew turned in for a watch. As our main -yard was aback, it required very few men to handle the ship. All night -we were dodging about. - -_July 21st. Monday_. For some time, the clock had not been watched. Had -it been, it would have conveyed little information, because, when it -suited, it was put backward or forward. When a man going to bed saw by -the clock that it was midnight, and when he arose and saw by the same -clock that it was six, he probably felt refreshed. In the end, of -course, it would tell on him if the full amount of rest registered had -not been obtained; but for a time it worked very well. It certainly took -a long time to make off our two whales, and it gave us a substantial -feeling to be able to say, "Five fish on board." When the decks were -cleared up, the crew were ordered below, excepting the lookout, but -shortly after, it came on to blow hard and the sky was much overcast. -Later, some rain fell, so we unhooked and lay off the ice edge with the -main yard aback. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI--WHALING IN LANCASTER SOUND - - - "White, quiet sails from the grim icy coasts, - - That bear the battles of the whaling hosts, - - Whose homeward crews, with feet and flutes in tune, - - And spirits roughly blithe, make music to the moon." - - -_July 22nd. Tuesday._ During the night the rain changed into snow and in -the morning it was blowing a gale. In fact, it was a wild, winter's day. -We were amongst loose ice, with our main yard aback and there was no -open water to be seen anywhere. During the day the snow ceased but the -wind kept up until late in the afternoon, when we found ourselves in a -triangular pool of water, the sides of the triangle being about half -a mile long and the base, three or four hundred yards. The ship was -anchored to one side and she lay parallel with the base and twenty or -thirty yards away from it. This hole appeared to have been formed by -large floes. It was quite free from ice and afforded us an ideal harbor. - -_July 23rd. Wednesday_. All hands turned out shortly after four in the -morning as a whale was seen at the apex of this triangle. One boat had -been left fast to the ship's stern. This went in pursuit and the others -lowered away, the one I was in being ordered to remain fast to a line -from the ship's stem. Long before the boats reached the whale, it -sounded and did not appear again, so they came on board, all but the one -I was in. Our bows were towards the ship's stern and the boat's side was -twenty yards from the ice edge. We had been there about an hour when, -with a great commotion, a tremendous whale came up between the ship and -the ice edge. Its head was alongside our boat before we realized what -had happened; and by the time we had slipped the line the leviathan had -passed us, as it was going fast. We could almost have touched him with -the oars, but by the time we turned the boat and were under way, down -went the fish to look for another breathing place elsewhere and we -returned to our berths. Had the bow of the boat been the other way, we -could have fastened the whale easily. - -At eight bells, we came on board for breakfast. Just as I entered the -cabin, I heard the rushing on deck and, going up, found two boats off -after a whale. It had simply come up to breathe and, having breathed, -it went down again and disappeared from our harbor. One boat remained at -the apex of the triangle and the other returned; and, on the way, a fish -came up a hundred yards in front of it. They pulled hard and took a long -shot as it humped its back going down. They got fast and the whale went -off! under the ice. From the barrel, a small water hole could be seen -half a mile away, and to this several ran, carrying a rocket gun -which could be fired from the shoulder. Before they had gone very far, -however, the harpoon drew and, as there was no use firing rockets into a -free fish, they came on board again. It was now blowing pretty hard and -very cold, but we still kept a boat at the apex of the triangle and one -beside the ship. Now occurred a very exciting race. A whale came up half -way along one side of the hole, and was travelling slowly towards the -base. The boat at the apex followed, the one by the ship did not move, -and every man on board was watching what would happen. Reaching the -base, the whale halted to take a few long breaths before going down, the -boat rapidly neared, the whale humped its back and the boat had to fire. -From where we were, we saw the harpoon fly up into the air with -the foregoer wriggling after it, then it fell, missing the whale as -completely as if it had not been fired at it. I was sorry for that -harpooner. He was a big man from Aberdeen, with a yellow beard, and he -was a nervous wreck when he came on board. This fearfully bad luck was -maddening, and we were all on edge; for, though the place was swarming -with whales, we never got one. Had we got fast to half a dozen, we would -have lost them all through lines being cut by the ice, or fouling. - -By the evening, the wind had gone down and the ice was slacker, the -whole east side of our pool moving away. - -_July 24th, Thursday_, was a beautiful day after the storm and we had -open water astern once more. We unhooked after breakfast and steamed -slowly towards the south side again, and while steaming, we sighted a -whale down the Sound. The ship was anchored to the ice and the boats -distributed in the usual way. This whale did not come up after being -first seen until it was at the ice edge, when one of our boats got fast. -It then went under the floe--a most unusual proceeding when it had lots -of open water. We were along the ice edge, nearly a mile from the fast -boat, and wondering what would happen next, when, in a very small hole, -150 yards from my boat, up came the head of the whale. The hole was not -many times larger than the head. The under surface of the lower jaw was -towards us. It had a very white appearance. The head turned around very -slowly presenting a wonderful sight. Gyles, the harpooner, in whose -boat I was, seized a rocket gun and, running to the hole, fired, and the -head went down as slowly as it came up. Presently the fish appeared in -the open water and was immediately harpooned again. Its experience under -the ice, or Gyle's rocket, had affected it so that it did not remain -down but soon came up again and submitted patiently to the lancing -operation which ended its life. This removed the gloom caused by the -awful luck of the previous day. We had now more than three tons of bone, -and that alone would be a fair voyage. The flensing began just as soon -as the crew had food and was not finished until bedtime. - -_July 25th. Friday._ Every one was cheerful. Some of the hands were -cleaning bone, two boats were on the bran, and one after narwhals, as -there were many of them about. - -I painted the figurehead, as the _Aurora_ was looking a little -dissipated with her out-stretched arm unhooked. This was only in -commission when in port; consequently, it looked younger than her -seagoing arm, which was a fixture across her breast and which had stood -the brunt of many gales. - -_July 26th. Saturday._ All hands were "making off" the fish. They were -at it early and had finished by noon, and then there was a general clean -up for Sunday, but strict watch was kept. There were only white whales -and some narwhals around. The tusks we took from those we killed and -those we had bartered for, always lay on the after grating, which -covered the well down which the auxiliary propeller went; there was -never enough motion to roll them off. - -July 27th. The usual Sunday gale was blowing and we were dodging about -under canvas all day. I was out on a yard during a snow squall and found -it very exciting. This was my first attempt at taking in sails when -there was much wind. We spoke the _Narwhal_; she had seven whales and -reported the _Arctic_ as having eight and all the rest well fished. -Towards evening we sailed to our favorite fishing ground on the south -side. - -July 28th. Monday. All hands were away after a whale at six A. M. We -had a long pull, and lost her for a time amongst the loose ice. Rounding -tins, however, we reached her again and the mate got fast, McLean -putting in a second. We passed both boats and were in at the kill. When -we had backed off once for a flurry, I looked around and saw Watson -lancing. I thought the flukes would have smashed his boat, he took such -awful chances. This whale rolled about a great deal, and bristled with -lances which she had torn from the men's hands by rolling. She was also -dreadfully tangled up with lines which had caught on the lances. There -is sometimes danger from being caught under these lines and cut in two. -When a dead whale is lying on its back, the abdomen lies very low in the -water, and, when freshly killed, sinks with a man when he walks along -it. As we were a long way from the ship, she came after us and we soon -had the whale alongside. The capstan was used for taking on board the -big blanket pieces. At the order, "Heave away capstan," a shanty was -struck up by the men marching around. - -[Illustration: 0301] - -They sang so loud that we could often hear their weird songs coming over -the water from other ships similarly engaged. Our friends, the fulmar -petrels, were always with us upon occasions of this kind, and all that -were in the Sound, I think, spent the day with us. - -The outer skin of the whale is about as thick as stiff paper, and black. -It peels off readily, and the men cut book markers out of it. Under this -comes a layer, nearly an inch thick, of rather gelatinous stuff, which -the Eskimos eat raw, then the blubber between this and the superficial -fascia, by which the body heat is preserved. It took us practically all -the rest of the day to flense. - -_July 29th. Tuesday_. We had a visit from two natives; they were -prosperous looking people with a good sled and dogs. I admired the -protection from the sun which they wore. It was a piece of wood with a -slit cut in it. This was very efficacious, but unbecoming. We learned -from these people that many whales had been seen by them this year. They -had some bear skins with them for trade, and some walrus ivory. This was -much inferior to the narwhal ivory, which was very fine and was worth, -at this time, I think, one pound ten per pound, that of the walrus being -only worth half a crown. I had a long walk with a gun but did not see -anything. - -_July 30th. Wednesday_. All hands "making off." I tried to skin a -fulmar, but could not do it, it was so fat. I wanted a skin badly, but -this was too much for me. All the birds we killed were fat, a provision -of nature against cold. The men said, however, that they could not wear -oil soaked clothes in cold weather. - -I was in the "crow's nest" a good while. It was most difficult to see -anything at a distance owing to the mirage. During the afternoon I tried -to shoot some narwhal near us. I shot at their heads with a rifle from -the boat, and although they had sometimes been killed with the rifle, so -little of the head showed when the beast was lying on the surface, that -I fancy they must have been shot from the ship, which stood high. - -_July 31st_. Immediately after breakfast, four boats were away after a -whale. I remained on board and watched from the barrel. It was a long -pull and the whale got away amongst loose ice without giving the boats a -chance. We captured a female narwhal in the afternoon. - -_August 1st. Friday_. Lovely day but very cold. In the morning I was -sitting on the after grating, scraping a bear's skull, when a hundred -yards or so astern of us arose a whale with the usual blast. The -water was like a mirror and the fish lay there for several minutes and -breathed heavily. No one spoke or moved. There in front of us was a fine -whale, its jet black head and back showing up well and reflected on the -absolutely glassy surface of the sea. When it slowly sank with its head -towards us, we knew it would go under the ice, but we would not lower -away until we were sure it was under. I was leaning over the after rail, -peering into the water, when I saw the whale coming slowly under where -I was standing. I first noticed a large, gray bow coming towards me; -it was the under jaw, and as it passed beneath the vessel I could see -distinctly the large round, dark spots on the huge lower lip. It passed -a very short distance under our keel. There was no movement of either -flukes or tail. I watched the great horizontal tail in the hope of -seeing some movement. Only the man in the "crow's nest" and I alone saw -the fish passing under the ship, and as soon as we were sure that it was -safe, the boats went away as noiselessly as possible and we waited for -the result with bated breath. It came up almost beside the ship and -Jimmy Watson put in both gun and hand harpoons, then came the joyful -shout "A fall," and we started down the Sound. As the fish was well -fastened, it was safe to snub the line around the bollard head of the -boat; there was no fear of the irons drawing and it made a heavy drag -on the whale. The line, in running out, passes through the hands of the -har-pooner before going around the bollard head. Of course, he wears -several pairs of mittens, but these are generally torn to pieces. Our -friend shortly came to the surface rather exhausted, as the line had -been well snubbed, but Thor put another iron into him. This smarted and -one could have heard his tail strike the water miles away. He lashed it -with such force that no boat could go close; and before a rocket could -be fired into him, he was off. This time the drag was very heavy, for -he had two boats. It did seem absurd that this huge monster, more than -sixty feet long and forty around the waist, could be conquered by having -those little bits of harpoons stuck in with their little threads of -lines attached, but whales of this species are clumsy and stupid and -turn very slowly, and it is this inability to turn fast that proves -their undoing. Upon appearing the next time, a rocket was instantly -fired into a vital place and the final flurry came at once and made -lancing unnecessary. The row back was a pleasure, and our joyful -shanties could be heard for a long distance. We were alongside by -midday, and after dinner, flensing commenced. I amused myself again with -the fulmars. Getting a boat, I laid my left elbow over the side so that -I could look between it and the gunwale. Every time a fulmar came under, -I darted my right hand over, catching him by the neck and taking him on -board. When I had a great flock of them, I put them on the poop, around -which there was a base board about four inches high, and above this the -iron railing. The birds had eaten so much blubber that they could not -get over the base board. One had to be careful of bites, as they had the -curved, pointed bills peculiar to the albatross, shearwater and -other birds of this tribe. It is curious that the great albatross and -diminutive storm petrel, the wren of the sea, should belong to the same -species. In a very short time, I saw the advisability of throwing my -flock of pets overboard. We did not go below for supper until the fish -was flensed. - -_August 2nd, Saturday,_ was cold and cloudy, but no wind. We were -hooked on with two boats on the bran; all hands making off during the -afternoon. - -_August 4th. Monday_. Three of the four boats were after a whale among -some loose ice to the north of us. One boat got fast and all immediately -lowered away. When we reached the ice, navigation became difficult and -the fish came up where we could not touch it. Several boats came out of -the ice and tried to row around. Ours was one of these; then we found -that the harpoon had drawn and the whale had vanished. We pursued some -distance down the Sound and had nothing for our trouble but exercise. - -_August 5th. Tuesday_. Much loose ice in the Sound, caused by wind -during the night. Narwhal were abundant, and two boats went after them -with no result. Later the ship unhooked and steamed east looking for -open water. I spent a long time in the "crow's nest," and, as there was -no mirage, got a beautiful view of the south coast--very wintry at bed -time. - -_August 6th. Wednesday_. The rushing of feet overhead brought me to the -deck on a gloomy cold morning, and before I had time to add anything to -the clothes in which I slept, we were a mile from the ship. A whale -had been seen some distance to the north and four boats pursuing it. We -paused and put on some more clothes to keep out the keen Arctic air, -and then we went off again, as the whale had come up. Long before the -leading boat got near, it had disappeared, but we were not discouraged, -so kept on, and this hard work continued until we were far from the ship -and getting amongst pans of loose ice. The whale we were following was -a fast traveller and we were ultimately obliged to give up the chase and -return. The row back was long and wearisome, and when I reached the ship -I had my long delayed breakfast and retired, but the moment I turned in -to my berth, the rush above told of more whales in sight, so I went on -deck. A fish had been seen blowing a long way down the Sound and six -boats were away, but bed appealed to me more than another long pull, -so I returned to it and remained there until the following morning. Our -boats did not get a shot but had a long chase and did not return until -very late. - -The day was cold and the density of the atmosphere uniform, so I was -able to see all the other ships distinctly with the glass. Some swell -had broken up the edge of our floe and some pieces had been driven up -the Sound, so it looked more icy than any day since the time when all -the whales came. During the afternoon we hooked on to a large floe. The -_Polynia and Esquimaux_ were near us, but to the south; the _Arctic_ was -some distance down the Sound. Swarms of white whales were about us in -the open places. - -_August 7th. Thursday_. The loose ice was gone. We had unhooked during -the night and steamed west to the fast floe. I went up to the barrel and -the Captain went down to get his pipe. While gazing at distant things, I -heard a noise on deck and, looking over, saw all hands lowering away for -two whales astern of us. I must have been looking in another direction -when they appeared, because the first I knew of it, was the noise below. -Our boats lay about half on each side and were playing the usual waiting -game. The Captain came up to the barrel and I went down, but too late to -enter a boat, as they had all gone, except the two upper quarter boats. -This was a great disappointment to me, as I had assisted in killing -every whale we had taken on board. After a while, one fish came up on -the south or port side and was fastened by the farthest south boat. The -whale went under the ice, but came out nearer the ship and was fastened -again. This proved the worst whale we had seen. It did not go down again -but rolled about so much and slapped the water with its flukes to such -an extent that the boats were rather afraid of it. This went on for a -long time, when the Captain called out that he would kill it himself, so -he came down and ordered the port upper quarter boat launched. All boats -had their gear ready, whether we used them or not. A crew of irregulars -was called, the Captain as harpooner, myself next, the sailmaker next, -third engineer, cooper, etc. The Captain went up at once and, driving -a lance into the whale's neck, began churning it up and down. The fish -allowed itself to sink a few feet, and the bows of the boat glided -over it as the Captain held on to the lance. Then coming to the surface -again, it tumbled the boat over on its starboard side and instantly gave -a great blast from its lungs. My oar came out of the water, so I let it -go and, grasping the seat with my right hand and putting my left on the -whale's back, I got the full charge of blood and water over my side and -shoulder, as I was almost over the blow-hole, and such was the force, -that my thick pilot coat was soaked with-blood, and also the thick coat -underneath. I saw the sailmaker, who was in front of me, turn around; -his face was green, in spite of the tan. He was almost in the water. The -boat, fortunately, slid off the slippery neck and a serious accident was -averted. The great danger would have been from being caught between -the whale and the many lines it had wound around itself. After this, -a couple of rockets were put in and the most troublesome fish of the -season gave up its ghost. As all this happened beside the ship, we were -saved the usual tedious tow, and in an hour flensing was commenced. -It was six when we had all on board. The second whale did not -reappear--probably finding a breathing place in the floe. The sky was -overcast at bedtime and there was a bitterly cold wind. Having the -engines aft made a great difference to the temperature of the cabin, as -the bulkhead between the pantry and engine room was always hot. - -_August 8th. Friday_. We were off Cape Hay when I came on deck and -sailing east under topsails. This cape was a wonderful place for looms. -They bred there in thousands; but we did not land or go very close, so I -had no chance of seeing much. - -Quite a number of the ships had already left the Sound, among others the -_Arctic_. Her captain, having secured thirteen black whales, had decided -to try his luck in Repulse Bay, Fox Channel, where he had had former -success. Owing to the amount of ice in the Sound and on the west coast, -he had come to this decision. Consequently he had sailed to Hudson's -Straits, passing from Frobisher Bay through Gabriel Straits and -encountering the dreadful current for which the neighborhood is noted. -Ice was met with about Salisbury Island, and beyond this he was unable -to take his ship, so he returned to Cumberland Gulf and from there home -without adding to his cargo. - -Lancaster Sound was beginning to look and feel like winter, the weather -being very frosty. The mountains on the south side, which are about -two thousand feet high, were very white, as a number of snow storms had -passed over them. We were anticipating with pleasure a visit to -Pond's Bay and the points usually called at on the west coast. One can -generally take a ship by Navy Board Inlet through Eclipse Sound to Ponds -Bay, but this year the ice precluded such a trip. - -We kept under sail, to save our coal, and ended off Wollaston Islands at -the entrance of Navy Board Inlet, without having seen any whales. Here -we hooked on to a large floe. - -_August 9th. Saturday._ After breakfast all hands were called to make -off. It was a very cheerful performance, our men being in good spirits. -The day was bitterly cold, but work kept them warm. Ice formed where the -sun did not strike the water as there was hardly any wind to disturb it. - -By dinner time the whale was made off and during the afternoon the watch -employed cleaning up. We remained hooked on all night. - -Sunday was a bitterly cold day and blowing a little, so we went further -down the sound under topsails. About ten A. M. we sighted a whale and -sent four boats in pursuit. I was in the second mate's. After a long -chase the mate got fast. There was much ice about, so it was dangerous -work for the fast boat, as it was impossible to avoid the pieces when -being towed, and should the boat strike a floe it would be smashed at -once and all hands would have to jump. - -When the fish came up first there was no boat near, but on coming up a -second time Watson got in an iron and we had a very lively run down the -Sound. With two harpoons in, there was a considerable drag on, and in a -short time she reappeared and a boat was soon lancing. - -Our boat had been delayed by pieces of ice, so that it was late when we -arrived on the scene. However this was a very vital whale and difficult -to kill. I saw our specksioneer Lyon's boat almost smashed by one of the -flukes during a flurry. - -The perfectly fearless old man was so absorbed in his lancing operations -that he did not notice the fluke coming, and but for the quick action of -his boat-steerer, an accident would have occurred. - -The ship had followed us, so we had no towing when the battle was over, -as she picked the boats up, taking the whale with her to a floe where -she anchored. Two more boats had been lowered away when they heard "A -fall" called. One had gone to help the mate with more line, and the -other had taken part in the chase. - -After having something to eat, flensing was the order of the day, -our cheerful crew singing with great spirit to the orders "Heave away -capstan" and "Heave away windlass." This, our tenth whale, was a heavy -one and it was late when we got it all on board. - -The ship remained at the floe all night, drifting with it down the -Sound. - -_Monday, the 11th_, was a wintry day, bitterly cold and an overcast sky. -During the afternoon we had some snow squalls. We dodged about under -topsails, but did not see even a narwhal. It was evident that our chance -of catching white whales this year in Prince Regent Inlet was small. We -anchored to the ice off Cape Liverpool at night. - -_Tuesday, August 12th_, all hands were engaged making off in the morning -and doing a general clean up during the afternoon. - -[Illustration: 0315] - - - - -CHAPTER XVII--LANCASTER SOUND TO DUNDEE - - - "To claim the Arctic came the sun, - - With banners of the burning zone - - Unrolled upon their airy spars. - - They froze beneath the light of stars, - - And there they float, those streamers old, - - Those Northern Lights, forever cold." - - -|The neighborhood of Cape Byam Martin was considered good whaling -ground, so we spent the next few days cruising off it and the coast -further down, but without seeing anything of interest. Even seals were -scarce. It was remarkable how few we saw north of the Arctic circle. - -By going aloft, one could always see, in some direction on the ice, a -black dot, which represented a seal, but after the tens of thousands -seen on the coasts of Newfoundland and Labrador, they were scarce -indeed; in fact, I never shot one during the whole northern trip. - -We found Ponds Bay that paradise of the old whalers so full of ice that -we were unable to visit the natives, which was a great disappointment -to us all. It was a bad year for seeing much of the land as there was so -much ice coming down. - -From the ship, the line of the shore looked straight, except off the -bay, but there were great fiords running into the land for miles. One of -them, known as "Hell's Kitchen," had been a noted place for whalers. Two -branches of it, named respectively, "Morris" and "Cooney" extended far -into the country, one of them having been navigated by Captain Guy for -about forty miles. - -Ponds Bay was a celebrated place for salmon fishing, the whalers often -getting wonderful catches there, thereby improving their menu greatly. -At this time, the weather was very wintry, frost and snow reminding us -of where we were, and by the night of Sunday, the 17th, we were only off -Cape Bowen. - -Monday was a beautiful day and we were fast to the shore floe, a long -way from the land. The Captain decided to improve the shining hour by -having the ship painted, so the boats were put upon the ice and the men -employed, cleaning and painting. The _Aurora_ was comparatively new, so -it was very easy cleaning her, as her woodwork was good and she had been -well kept up. Even washing her down with the alkaline solution used gave -her a nice appearance. By evening, a great deal had been accomplished -and inside she looked very neat. - -The little auks were numerous about here. One of our firemen killed -three with a broom handle and I shot a fine bag. There was a good flight -of ducks along the floe edge and I had several shots at them. As the -birds were young, they were worth having, being free from the fishy -flavor peculiar to their parents. - -[Illustration: 0319] - -_August 19th._ We finished painting the boats, but left them on the ice, -excepting two from which the lines had not been removed. - -Our fishing, so far, had nearly all been floe edge. We had not entered -the middle pack very far, where the whales were sometimes numerous at -this season. The enormous amount of ice made the Captain think twice -about pushing his ship, with her valuable cargo, into it, and so we kept -quietly down the coast, occasionally going out a little where the ice -was loose, but remembering Sir Leopold McClintock's winter in the middle -pack with the _Fox._ - -The southwest fishing, to which we were now going, was generally -prosecuted in the autumn. The ships lay at anchor in some harbor, and -every morning the boats rowed out and watched for whales. It was cold, -dreary work and very unpopular with the men; but whales killed late in -the season were often large and well worth looking for. - -_August 20th. Wednesday_. The boats were hoisted up this day and, with -the Captain, I went on the ice to look at the ship. It was cold and I -had on half-boots, a thick double-breasted monkey jacket, with leather -gauntlets and a leather sealing cap. We walked to where the painting had -been done and there admired the ship. She looked well, sitting rather -down by the stern. All the crew, practically, had been standing on this -ice for the last two days and nothing had happened: I went rather close -to the edge and the piece I was standing on gave way and I went down at -once, but on coming up, with one or two strokes, reached the ice edge. -It took some seconds for my clothes to soak as I had so much on, and by -that time, one of the men, Jock Fairly, came with a boat hook, by -the help of which I was pulled out. My clothes were so completely -water-logged that, without assistance, getting out would have been -impossible. Again the gentle warmth of the top of the boiler proved a -comfort. - -_August 21st. Thursday_. Hooked on, with a stiff breeze blowing and the -sky overcast. Ducks were flying in great numbers past a point half a -mile away, so, taking the dingey, I went off to it. There was no shelter -and, although every bird must have seen me, the silly things would not -leave the ice edge, but would just swing out far enough to make my shots -effective. This shooting both barrels into the "brown," as the ducks -passed, was not so much fun as getting them in pairs, but one soon -picks up a good bag, and as I was shooting for the pot, a bag was what I -wanted. When I came on board, the birds were tied in bundles and hung up -on the davit guys above the quarter boats. - -August 22nd. During the afternoon, a bear was seen, so we went off in a -boat to capture it. As there was no solid ice, the beast had to get out -of and into the water so many times that he could not escape, and he was -killed from the boat by the mate. I landed and tried to stalk him, but -he left my pan and I could not follow him. - -Two ships were in sight southeast of us. One of them was the -_Cornwallis,_ which we had not seen for some time. I was anxious to get -near her as Armitage was on hoard, but she was a long way off. We always -knew the other, the _Esquimaux_, by her mizzentop, as she had once been -a full-rigged ship, although now a barque. - -On Saturday, the wind blew a gale, which kept us dodging under the -canvas; but by Sunday the weather had improved. - -During the morning we sailed up to the shore floe, as we saw some -natives there, and picked them up. They had tusks and dog skins for -trade. We took them, with their dogs and sledges, on board. One of them -was a good-looking, pleasant native, called Enu. He added greatly to -my Eskimo vocabulary during the next few days, and he told me that deer -were plentiful in certain places and that salmon abounded. We steamed -south all day, after picking up the natives, the weather being cold but -fine. - -_August 25th. Monday_. Steaming down the coast and the weather quite -fine. During the afternoon, a black spot inshore indicated the mouth of -a river. The shore floe at this point was a mile wide, but the ice was -smooth. A boat and the dingey with a net and ten men were sent to try -to catch some salmon. A number of men were sent to haul the boats across -the floe to the open water of the river mouth, and the natives came -also. Mr. Adam took the boat and I took the dingey. We had a boat's -sail, plenty of coal, two ship's kettles, coffee, sugar, salt, biscuits -and tins of mutton. Arriving at the open water, our helpers returned -to the ship, and the natives, after turning their sleds upside down, so -that the dogs could not run away with them, came with us in the boats. -We rowed into a river, which was about thirty or forty yards wide at the -mouth, shallow and placid. We went up a short distance and camped on the -right bank. Above our camp, the river was a nice-looking little salmon -stream; but below, it was more pretentious looking on account of its -width. The net was drawn, with no result. It was tried in another place -without getting a fin. Then, as it was growing late, we returned to -camp. Tying two oars together, with their blades crossed, we laid the -end of the long steering oar between these and this gave us an excellent -frame for our tent, completed by throwing the large square boat's sail -over it and tucking two of the corners underneath. Then a fine coal fire -was started, a kettle of coffee made, and an excellent hash prepared, -by mixing tinned mutton, sea biscuits, snow, pepper and salt. We enjoyed -this thoroughly and I sat by the camp fire afterwards and listened -to these men tell tales of happenings in former years. Thus, on the -unhospitable shores of Baffin Bay, I had my first experience of camp -life. After awhile I noticed that in spite of my clothing, my back was -cold, so I turned it to the fire. Then my face was nearly frozen, so -I turned back. In the excitement of starting, I had thrown a rug into -the boat and not thought of blankets. Now I began to wish I had brought -some, for I spent a miserable night, waking up very often with the cold. - -_August 26th._ At last the tedious night came to an end, and breakfast -thawed us out and made things look more cheerful. The day was fine, so -the _Aurora_ was safe, and preparations were made for further fishing. -Had the morning looked threatening, the ship would probably have -signalled us to come on board. I am a keen fisherman, but the net did -not appeal to me very much; so I decided to see what the country looked -like and, taking Enu with me, went up the river. The bitterly cold night -had caused some ice, so the men waited for a higher sun to dissipate -this before we left camp. I found the country flat, as a whole, with low -hills in the background. The native gave me to understand that beyond -these hills was the caribou country, but one dared not risk going far -from the ship, and so my chance of bagging a barren land head was small. -Little gulches led away from the river, on the exposed sides of which -there was no snow, but boggy ground and bad walking; while on the shady -sides the ground was frozen and covered with patches of snow. I saw some -places on the river which made me long to try the fly, and I am sure -good sport could have been obtained. After a very tiresome walk of some -hours, during which I did not see a bird or beast, I returned to camp. -On coming close, I saw a man walking from the river with a salmon in -each hand, the first two caught. They had tried a number of places and -had caught only these, so they sent them to camp for dinner. One was put -in a big ship's kettle to boil, and the other split and cut into pieces -which were hung around the fire on stakes made from driftwood. Each -salmon weighed about ten pounds, the flesh being very red, and while -they did not compare with those from home rivers, we considered them -excellent, as they were the first fresh fish we had had on the voyage. -Leaving camp, I went down to the boat and found they had just taken a -splendid haul; the net was shot several times and a grand total of 108 -fish counted out. Dinner was ready when we reached the fire and some -more fish were staked out to cook. - -This delicate repast over, our things were carried down to the boats and -we made our way back as we had come. Seeing us from the ship, help had -been sent to bring the boats across the ice. - -Many of the whalers fish for salmon every year and sometimes catch great -numbers. The best place is, as stated before, a river flowing into Ponds -Bay. Here several thousands are often taken. - -The Eskimo dogs had eaten their harness and gone away, excepting two -lame fellows, and the natives made these pull them to the ship. - -[Illustration: 0327] - -_August 27th. Wednesday._ Enu, with his menage, left for home, and after -breakfast we unhooked, and stood along the floe edge. From the "crow's -nest" I saw with the glass a number of Eskimo sledges travelling north. -They made no attempt to come near us, but kept close to the shore. At -noon we were going among some loose ice, so hooked on. I had a very -pleasant afternoon at the ducks and secured a good bag. All the birds -killed were young eider. In fact, on the voyage, I only killed three -varieties of duck, eider, king eider and long tail. - -_August 28th. Thursday_. Two sledges with natives came off. There was -a very hungry woman with them. I saw her picking at everything soft -on board. She found the side of a box in which plug tobacco had been -packed, and picked it up; there were some leaves of tobacco adhering to -it. I saw her picking pieces of them and eating them. - -[Illustration: 0331] - -Dividing the 'tween-decks from the lower forecastle, there was a -partition with a door. Just outside of this door stood a barrel into -which the cook threw refuse from the gallery, which was just within the -forecastle. I saw this polar American beauty put her arm into the barrel -and bring forth a duck's skin, which had a tremendous coating of fat. -She seized the skin with both hands and pulled the fat off with her -teeth, devouring it greedily. When she came to the neck, she chewed it, -bones and all. There were some most interesting children on board and -they thoroughly enjoyed the coffee and biscuit with which they were -supplied by the Captain's orders. We got some dog skins and small -articles from these people, but they had already been visited by some of -the ships and their bear skins and horns taken. - -_August 29th_. On Friday the natives left us early. We unhooked and -sailed east, with a breeze from the south. We saw a bear and cub on the -ice, so lowered away and went after them. Both took to the water, and -we had to go around a large island of ice before we could reach them. I -landed on this, and running across, tried a shot at them in the water, -but they had gone too far and were behind hummocks of ice, so that I -could not see them. The boat then overtook them and the mate shot both. -As nothing more was seen among the loose ice we steamed to the floe edge -and hooked on. I bagged a few ducks in the evening. - -_August 30th. Saturday_. We steamed down the coast and hooked on off -Cape Raper. Two natives came on board, and we bought a live fox from one -of them. It was young and blue, and spent the rest of the voyage walking -about the funnel casing, where its home was in a lime-juice box. The -natives left during the afternoon and we remained at the floe edge all -night. - -It was a beautiful calm Sunday and the last day of August on which we -arrived at Cape Kater. The _Cornwallis_ very soon afterwards came in and -I went on board at once. - -They had had a most unsuccessful voyage as the ship had been spoiled for -sailing by having an engine put in which was of no use. They had killed -a whale and picked up a dead one, having one ton of bone from the two. - -Poor old Captain Nichol was very much depressed. Every one said he was -a fine sailor; that his blood was tar and his flesh rope yams. They told -us that the other ships had done well, the _Nova Zembla_ having eight, -the _Polynia_ six and the _Esquimaux_ ten whales when last seen. - -Armitage came on shore with me and we visited some native habitations. -They were tents made of skin, and the sun beating on them made them warm -inside; but as there was not a particle of ventilation, the odor was the -worst possible. We saw in them the stone lamps in which the seal oil was -burned, moss being used as a wick; sometimes old tins served the purpose -instead of stone. - -[Illustration: 0335] - -This country is generally called Baffin Land. There is, however, no -reason to believe that it is not divided up by channels into many -islands. No doubt passages exist connecting Davis Straits with Fox -Channel. - -Much of the coast line is uncharted, especially north of Fox Land. -Fiords running south from Eclipse Sound have been visited by whalers, -but not explored; possibly they could be traced to Fury and Hecla -Straits. - -Whaling stations have several times been established on the west coast, -at Exeter Sound and Cumberland Gulf--the first party wintering at the -latter place in 1852, to the detriment of the natives. - -These improvident people with modern rifles would kill all the game -they could shoot, use what they required at the time and waste the rest, -whereas in old times they could just secure enough for their wants. - -Again, children were brought up formerly in a hardy way, and taught how -to wrest a living from the inhospitable country. Now by loafing around a -settlement they acquire some of the pernicious habits of civilized men, -and learn to depend upon the European and his ship, forgetting that -these might be withdrawn at any time. - -[Illustration: 0339] - -Monday was spent wandering about, but without seeing anything of -interest. The _Cornwallis_ was still hooked on when we left Cape Kater, -on Tuesday. We kept away from the coast to look for a berg from which we -might water. The weather was clear and frosty, and at night the aurora -borealis was very beautiful. - -_September 3rd. Wednesday._ We found a floe fast to the base of a very -large berg, and on this there was a lake of fresh water frozen over. The -ship being made fast, a hole was drilled in the ice and our water tanks -filled. - -On the berg there was a white fox, but no shooting at it was allowed -lest the concussion should bring down masses of ice. By evening we moved -away and made fast to a floe far from our dangerous neighbor. The cold -was intense and bay ice formed around the ship. - -I heard the thunder of splitting bergs several times during the night; -they sounded like avalanches among the Alps in the springtime. At this -season, especially on very cold nights, bergs often split and turn over -owing to water freezing in crevices formed by the warm summer sun, and -for this reason they are avoided as much as possible. We now spent five -days dodging about under canvas with fires banked. Part of the time we -were off Cape Hooper and part off Home Bay, but we did not see a single -whale. - -The weather was for the most part fine, but bitterly cold. If a mist -arose at night the ship presented a curious spectacle in the morning, -her rigging being coated with ice. - -Our handy tradesmen during this period made some pretty things. The -carpenter presented the Captain with a neat model of a ship, while the -cooper turned out a tobacco box which was a work of art. - -_September 8th. Monday_. We bore up for home. What cheerful news it was! -Passage sails were bent, boats taken in and placed on skids, bunkers -were coaled and all was life and bustle. Every one was happy. The voyage -had been a success, and we had not had a serious accident. - -The "crow's nest" was sent down, nautical time adopted and the watch -set. To crown all, a fresh breeze sprang up, and with everything set and -steaming full speed we started down the Straits. - -By bedtime we were in a heavy fog, so the canvas was taken off and -the engines slowed down. During the night the phosphorescence was very -beautiful. Pieces of ice thrown away by the propeller looked like balls -of fire, while the water immediately around the stern seemed all aflame. - -For the next two days we had fog, so made little progress at night. -During the day the men were employed washing lines and stowing them -away. Guns and harpoons were cleaned and greased and the ship was -thoroughly washed. - -On the 11th, we had a strong gale with a dark and cloudy sky. It was -strange to be at sea and feel the motion of the ship after weeks of -smooth water amidst the ice. After this the sea was smooth, and we had -fog all the time until, off Cape Farewell on the 15th, the day being -fine, the ship was hove to and painted outside. A dense fog came down -that night, and we did not make another observation until off the -Scottish coast. - -On Saturday, September 20th, the fog was very dense and we steamed -slowly until noon, when it lifted for a short time and showed us the -island of St. Kilda. I was sorry we could not land here as it was a -wonderful breeding place for the fulmar petrels; but home was in sight, -and Captain Fairweather did not want to linger on a rock-bound coast, so -we steered north and on Sunday morning, the 21st, we were off the Butt -of Lewis. - -It was thick at times during the morning, but cleared in the afternoon -and gave us a view of the Orkneys. The Captain decided to go north of -Orkney, as he did not like the Pentland Firth with so much fog about. At -night the weather was perfectly clear. - -_September 22nd. Monday._ On deck in the morning every one was looking -pleasant, and the ship neat. We were crossing the Moray Firth and coming -close to the Aberdeen coast. A fishing boat from Fraserborough was -hailed and an assortment of fish purchased for breakfast. These were -paid for with tobacco, and the pay was liberal. The first question asked -by us was, "Is England at war?" This being answered in the negative, -greatly pleased those of the crew who were naval reserve men. Eight -bells struck and my last breakfast on board the _Aurora_ was served. -After breakfast we passed Peterhead, formerly a great port for whalers, -and then we steamed south close to the coast. The yellow fields of grain -and stubble, the cottages and the trees, looked to our snow-dazzled eyes -like Fairy Land. We passed Aberdeen and Stonehaven. We were close enough -to see Dunottar's grim ruin, then Montrose, and in a short time our -pilot was on board with all the news, and we were at home. - -Of the Davis Straits ships in 1884 one was lost, the _Narwhal_; but now, -with the exception of the _Active and Aurora_, the weed-grown ribs of -the entire fleet rest beneath the waters of the cold northern seas and -the records of their crews' escapes and hardships would fill volumes. - - - -APPENDIX - - -Notice of arrival of whalers in _Dundee Advertiser_ of September 23rd: - - -DUNDEE ADVERTISER, SEPTEMBER 23RD, 1884. - -The Esquimaux--The Loss of Two Men. - -The _Esquimaux_, Capt. Milne, arrived in the Tay last night from Davis -Straits, and will be docked with this morning's tide. The Esquimaux was -unsuccessful at the Newfoundland seal fishing, only 1,900 seals having -been secured; but she has brought a fair cargo from Davis Straits, -consisting of 11 whales, which will yield 140 tons of oil and 6 tons -of whalebone. Two fatalities have, unfortunately, occurred during the -voyage. Early in the season a young man named Allan Smith, a native -of Dundee, was dragged overboard by the line catching him after a -bottle-nosed whale had been struck, and he was never seen again. It is -a painful circumstance that Smith's father was lost from the same ship -several years ago. Another of the crew was lost during the passage home. -He accidentally fell overboard, and a boat was sent in search of -him. After some time he was picked up in semi-lifeless state, and all -attempts to restore animation failed. - - -Dundee Advertiser, September 23rd, 1884. - - -DAVIS STRAITS WHALE FISHING--ARRIVAL OF AURORA. - -The steamer Aurora, belonging to Messrs. Alex. Stephen & Sons, arrived -at Dundee yesterday afternoon from the Davis Straits whale fishing. -The _Aurora_, commanded by Capt. Jas. Fair-weather, has had a very -successful voyage. At Newfoundland 28,150 seals were secured during the -two trips, the _Aurora_ being the only one of the Dundee fleet which was -fortunate in securing a good catch. On the 8th May she left St. John's -for Davis Straits, and on reaching Disco fell in with the _Thetis_ and -_Bear_, on their way north in search of the Greely Expedition. The three -ships thereafter kept in company until they reached the north -water, when Capt. Fairweather steamed across to Lancaster Sound. An -impenetrable barrier of ice blocked the Sound, a circumstance which told -in favor of the fishing, as a large number of whales were secured at -the edge of the ice. The crew were successful in capturing ten, and also -three bottle-noses, which will yield 105 tons of oil and about 5 tons of -whalebone. As the season advanced the fishing was prosecuted along the -west coast of Davis Straits, but without success, owing to the immense -quantities of ice, which seemed never to have been driven out of the -Straits this year. The frost came on unusually early and very severe, 12 -to 14 degrees being registered in August. Capt. Fairweather bore up for -home on the 8th Sept, and experienced a good deal of foggy weather in -crossing the Atlantic. He confirms the news previously received of the -catches of the fleet, and mentions that the _Polynia_ is the only vessel -which has added to her cargo, which now consists of 6 whales, equal -to 60 tons of oil. The _Triune_ sailed for home on the 6th Sept. Capt. -Fairweather has brought home a fine specimen of the Sabine gull, a bird -rarely to be met with in Davis Straits. It ought to be mentioned that -the crew of the _Aurora_, after receiving the news of the _Chieftain_ -disaster from the pilot at the mouth of the river, subscribed the sum of -£20 185s. to the fund. - -Whalers sailing from Dundee in 1884: - -[Illustration: 0345] - -A list of Greenland and Davis Straits ships sailing from Holland, from -Dr. Lang's book: - -[Illustration: 0346] - -Ships at Greenland and Davis Straits, with number of whales killed: - -[Illustration: 0347] - -The above list shows how the trade changed in a few years from London to -Hull, and it also shows how Scotland increased her fleet, while England -reduced hers. - -In an old work--"McPherson's Annals of Commerce," is found the following -list of ships sent to the whaling: - -[Illustration: 0348] - -Whaling was now confined to Dundee Peterhead, and remained so until -1900, when Peterhead sent her last whaler to sea, and since then the -industry has been carried on by Dundee alone. - -In 1733 a bounty of twenty shillings a ton on ships over two hundred -tons was given by the English Government, and in 1749 this was doubled -to induce competition with the Dutch. - -[Illustration: 0349] - - - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of A Voyage to the Arctic in the Whaler -Aurora, by David Moore Lindsay - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK VOYAGE TO THE ARCTIC *** - -***** This file should be named 51910-8.txt or 51910-8.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/1/9/1/51910/ - -Produced by David Widger from page images generously -provided by the Internet Archive - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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S. - </title> - <link rel="coverpage" href="images/cover.jpg" /> - <style type="text/css" xml:space="preserve"> - - body { margin:5%; background:#faebd0; text-align:justify} - P { text-indent: 1em; margin-top: .25em; margin-bottom: .25em; } - H1,H2,H3,H4,H5,H6 { text-align: center; margin-left: 15%; margin-right: 15%; } - hr { width: 50%; text-align: center;} - .foot { margin-left: 5%; margin-right: 5%; text-align: justify; font-size: 80%; font-style: italic;} - blockquote {font-size: 97%; font-style: italic; margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%;} - .mynote {background-color: #DDE; color: #000; padding: .5em; margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 95%;} - .toc { margin-left: 10%; margin-bottom: .75em;} - .toc2 { margin-left: 20%;} - .xx-small {font-size: 60%;} - .x-small {font-size: 75%;} - .small {font-size: 85%;} - .large {font-size: 115%;} - .x-large {font-size: 130%;} - .indent5 { margin-left: 5%;} - .indent10 { margin-left: 10%;} - .indent15 { margin-left: 15%;} - .indent20 { margin-left: 20%;} - .indent30 { margin-left: 30%;} - .indent40 { margin-left: 40%;} - div.fig { display:block; margin:0 auto; text-align:center; } - div.middle { margin-left: 20%; margin-right: 20%; text-align: justify; } - .figleft {float: left; margin-left: 0%; margin-right: 1%;} - .figright {float: right; margin-right: 0%; margin-left: 1%;} - .pagenum {position: absolute; right: 1%; font-size: 0.6em; - font-variant: normal; font-style: normal; - text-align: right; background-color: #FFFACD; - border: 1px solid; padding: 0.3em;text-indent: 0em;} - .side { float: left; font-size: 75%; width: 15%; padding-left: 0.8em; - border-left: dashed thin; text-align: left; - text-indent: 0; font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; - font-weight: bold; color: black; background: #eeeeee; border: solid 1px;} - .head { float: left; font-size: 90%; width: 98%; padding-left: 0.8em; - border-left: dashed thin; text-align: center; - text-indent: 0; font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; - font-weight: bold; color: black; background: #eeeeee; border: solid 1px;} - p.pfirst, p.noindent {text-indent: 0} - span.dropcap { float: left; margin: 0 0.1em 0 0; line-height: 0.8 } - pre { font-style: italic; font-size: 90%; margin-left: 10%;} - -</style> - </head> - <body> - - -<pre> - -The Project Gutenberg EBook of A Voyage to the Arctic in the Whaler Aurora, by -David Moore Lindsay - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - -Title: A Voyage to the Arctic in the Whaler Aurora - -Author: David Moore Lindsay - -Release Date: May 1, 2016 [EBook #51910] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK VOYAGE TO THE ARCTIC *** - - - - -Produced by David Widger from page images generously -provided by the Internet Archive - - - - - - -</pre> - - <div style="height: 8em;"> - <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /> - </div> - <h1> - A VOYAGE TO THE ARCTIC IN THE WHALER AURORA - </h1> - <h2> - By David Moore Lindsay, F. R. G. S. - </h2> - <h4> - "Our infant winter sinks, divested of its grandeur, should our eye - astonish'd shoot into the frigid zone." - </h4> - <h3> - BOSTON: DANA ESTES & COMPANY PUBLISHERS - </h3> - <h4> - 1911 - </h4> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0001" id="linkimage-0001"> </a> - </p> - <div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> - <img src="images/0001.jpg" alt="0001 " width="100%" /><br /> - </div> - <h5> - <a href="images/0001.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </h5> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0002" id="linkimage-0002"> </a> - </p> - <div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> - <img src="images/0010.jpg" alt="0010 " width="100%" /><br /> - </div> - <h5> - <a href="images/0010.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </h5> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0003" id="linkimage-0003"> </a> - </p> - <div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> - <img src="images/0011.jpg" alt="0011 " width="100%" /><br /> - </div> - <h5> - <a href="images/0011.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </h5> - <h3> - DEDICATED - </h3> - <h3> - TO - </h3> - <h3> - SIR THOMAS MYLES - </h3> - <h3> - A VOYAGE TO THE ARCTIC IN THE WHALER AURORA - </h3> - <p> - <br /><br /> - </p> - <hr /> - <p> - <br /><br /> - </p> - <p> - <b>CONTENTS</b> - </p> - <p class="toc"> - <a href="#link2HCH0001"> CHAPTER I—INTRODUCTION </a> - </p> - <p class="toc"> - <a href="#link2HCH0002"> CHAPTER II—VOYAGE TO NEWFOUNDLAND </a> - </p> - <p class="toc"> - <a href="#link2HCH0003"> CHAPTER III—NEWFOUNDLAND </a> - </p> - <p class="toc"> - <a href="#link2HCH0004"> CHAPTER IV—NEWFOUNDLAND SEALING </a> - </p> - <p class="toc"> - <a href="#link2HCH0005"> CHAPTER V—THE LABRADOR SEALING </a> - </p> - <p class="toc"> - <a href="#link2HCH0006"> CHAPTER VI—SOMETHING ABOUT THE GREELY - RELIEF EXPEDITION </a> - </p> - <p class="toc"> - <a href="#link2HCH0007"> CHAPTER VII—THE BOTTLENOSE FISHING </a> - </p> - <p class="toc"> - <a href="#link2HCH0008"> CHAPTER VIII—THE CHIEFTAIN DISASTER </a> - </p> - <p class="toc"> - <a href="#link2HCH0009"> CHAPTER IX—A GREENLAND SETTLEMENT </a> - </p> - <p class="toc"> - <a href="#link2HCH0010"> CHAPTER X—POLAR BEAR SHOOTING </a> - </p> - <p class="toc"> - <a href="#link2HCH0011"> CHAPTER XI—MELVILLE BAY </a> - </p> - <p class="toc"> - <a href="#link2HCH0012"> CHAPTER XII—CAPE YORK TO CAREY ISLANDS </a> - </p> - <p class="toc"> - <a href="#link2HCH0013"> CHAPTER XIII—CAREY ISLANDS TO LANCASTER - SOUND </a> - </p> - <p class="toc"> - <a href="#link2HCH0014"> CHAPTER XIV—OUR FIRST WHALE </a> - </p> - <p class="toc"> - <a href="#link2HCH0015"> CHAPTER XV—FLOE EDGE FISHING </a> - </p> - <p class="toc"> - <a href="#link2HCH0016"> CHAPTER XVI—WHALING IN LANCASTER SOUND </a> - </p> - <p class="toc"> - <a href="#link2HCH0017"> CHAPTER XVII—LANCASTER SOUND TO DUNDEE </a> - </p> - <p class="toc"> - <a href="#link2H_APPE"> APPENDIX </a> - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /> - </p> - <hr /> - <p> - <a name="link2HCH0001" id="link2HCH0001"> </a> - </p> - <div style="height: 4em;"> - <br /><br /><br /><br /> - </div> - <h2> - CHAPTER I—INTRODUCTION - </h2> - <p> - The following is little more than a diary of a voyage made by me on the - whaler <i>Aurora</i> of Dundee in 1884. I cannot imagine its being read by - many, as the subject can only interest a few who have themselves gone down - to the sea in ships. - </p> - <p> - The Arctic whaling industry is I fear becoming a thing of the past, and - this prompts me to have the record of our successful voyage printed. - </p> - <p> - Some mention has been made of the Greely Relief Expedition, as the relief - ships were with the whalers during the passage to Cape York from - Newfoundland. - </p> - <p> - We were not brought in contact with the <i>Chieftain</i> at all during the - cruise, but I have told the story of her disaster, as it was the most - unfortunate occurrence of the year amongst the Arctic whalers, and for the - data I am very much indebted to the <i>Dundee Advertiser</i> and to Mr. - Allen Bell and Mr. Harvey of that paper for the trouble they have taken - about it. I am also indebted to Mr. Robert Kinnis of Dundee for much - interesting whaling information in the Appendix. As that gentleman - possesses the records of all catches taken by British ships for more than - a hundred years, he is in a position to supply very valuable data on the - subject. - </p> - <p> - Mr. Walter Kinnis kindly supplied me with many photographs, as did Dr. - Crawford, formerly of the <i>Arctic</i>, and Captain Murray of Dundee. - </p> - <p> - It has given me great pleasure recalling the scenes described. As I was - very young at the time of the voyage they produced an indelible - impression. Often since have I longed for a few weeks in Lancaster Sound, - and to hear once more the inspiring shout "A fall!" - </p> - <p> - Being fond of adventure, and having read as many works on the subject as - most boys of my age, it was with great pleasure that I looked forward to - hearing a lecture delivered by Commander Cheyne, R.N. I was then at - school, and our tutor thought it would be an education for us to hear him. - The lecture was to me intensely interesting and the illustrations - splendid. For days after I could not think of anything else. During study - at night, I used to spend a good deal of time looking at a map of the - Arctic seas, and picturing Melville Bay with its dangers. After leaving - school, and while at college, I read Walter Scott's "Pirate." It told - about the Orkneys and Shetlands, and its frequent allusions to the whaling - industry set me thinking. I found myself often repeating: - </p> - <p> - <br /> - </p> - <p class="indent15"> - "The ship, well laden as barque need be, - </p> - <p class="indent15"> - Lies deep in the furrow of the Iceland sea. - </p> - <p class="indent15"> - The breeze for Zetland blows fair and soft - </p> - <p class="indent15"> - And gaily the garland is fluttering aloft. - </p> - <p class="indent15"> - Seven good fishes have spouted their last, - </p> - <p class="indent15"> - And their jawbones are hanging from yard and mast; - </p> - <p class="indent15"> - Two are for Lerwick, and two for Kirkwall, - </p> - <p class="indent15"> - And three for Burgh-Westra, the choicest of all." - </p> - <p> - <br /> - </p> - <p> - As there was no immediate chance of going to Greenland, why not see - Shetland? So when the summer holidays came, I made my way to Edinburgh - with two friends who had also read the "Pirate." - </p> - <p> - We found that steamers sailed from Leith and that the best of the fleet, - the <i>St. Magnus</i>, would leave the next morning at six, so we took - passage in her and visited Orkney and Shetland, thoroughly enjoying being - off the beaten track. - </p> - <p> - One day we sat on the Nab Head at Lerwick and looked over a calm sea. In - the distance a barque could be descried. Half an hour later we noticed her - much closer, although no sails hung from her yards. Then we discovered - that while barque rigged she could also steam, and when she anchored we - found that she was a whaler, the <i>Eclipse</i> of the Peter Head,—Captain - Gray. We went on board and were shown over the ship. Polar bear skins were - stretched in frames drying, and we learned that she had 3,500 seals on - board and 17 bottle-nosed whales, and, what was of far more consequence to - me, that she carried a surgeon. - </p> - <p> - Years passed; I was a student at the University of Edinburgh and had every - opportunity of learning about ships sailing from Scottish ports. - </p> - <p> - One day in November, 1883, I went to Dundee and, leaving the Tay Bridge - station, made my way along the docks to a basin in which were several - whalers. They were discharging cargo, and it was unnecessary to see them - to know of their presence. Two of the ships, though small, were very - beautiful to look at. They were the <i>Jan Mayen</i> and the <i>Nova - Zembla</i>. Others, the <i>Narwhal, Polynia, Esquimaux, Active</i>, etc., - were not so pretty, but they all had a fascination—they came from - the romantic Arctic, and I went on board each one. Then I visited another - dock where three ships lay together. They were the <i>Arctic</i>, the <i>Aurora</i> - and the <i>Thetis.</i> It required no expert to tell that they were - vessels of superior quality. I went on board the one nearest the shore, - the <i>Thetis</i>, and interviewed the mate. He told me that all three - ships would carry surgeons. The <i>Arctic</i> and <i>Thetis</i> were bound - for Davis Straits, the <i>Aurora</i> for Greenland. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0004" id="linkimage-0004"> </a> - </p> - <div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> - <img src="images/0025.jpg" alt="0025 " width="100%" /><br /> - </div> - <h5> - <a href="images/0025.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </h5> - <p> - The office of the company, Wm. Steven & Son, was near by, so I left - the ship very much excited. Here was almost a chance to visit the Arctic - regions. Going over to the office, I learned that the captain of a whaler - selected his own surgeon, and that Captain James Fairweather of the <i>Aurora</i> - had just been there. I obtained his address, and calling a cab, was soon - at his house. He was not in, but I waited. Seated in a room on the floor - of which polar bear rugs were stretched, I began to realize that I was - taking a rather serious step without consulting my parents. Before long - the Captain entered, and after a little conversation, I arranged to sail - as the <i>Aurora's</i> surgeon the following January. So without really - meaning to go when I left my rooms in the morning, I found myself in the - railway carriage on the way back to Edinburgh, booked for an unusual - voyage. - </p> - <p> - During the winter I told some friends what I intended to do, and one of - them at once went to Dundee and secured the <i>Arctic</i>, the captain of - which was an Irishman. Another was also desirous of going, but said he - would wait until I returned and told him how I liked it. However he too - went in the end and we met in the north. - </p> - <p> - The <i>Aurora</i> was bound for the Newfoundland sealing first and - afterwards for the Greenland whaling; that is to say, she would fish for - bottlenosed whales on the east side of Greenland in the seas around Jan - Mayen and Spitzbergen and make a shorter voyage of it than the Davis - Straits ships. - </p> - <p> - To prepare myself for the experience I read what I could about Greenland, - and was fascinated by the prospect of seeing its icy mountains and - possibly some of its inhabitants; while the very word Spitzbergen - suggested to me polar bears and icebergs. In January, 1884, a letter from - the Captain told me he would sail about the end of the month and requested - me to be in Dundee by the 29th. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0005" id="linkimage-0005"> </a> - </p> - <div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> - <img src="images/0029.jpg" alt="0029 " width="100%" /><br /> - </div> - <h5> - <a href="images/0029.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </h5> - <p> - I bought a lot of unnecessary clothing, such as pilot-cloth suits lined - with flannel. When the flannel became wet afterwards it wonderfully - altered the fit of the things, so I removed it with my knife. I also laid - in a supply of literature, arms and ammunition, and left the Waverley - station at six on the morning of the 29th. Arriving at Dundee, I went to a - hotel and then to the office, where I met the Captain, and went with him - to the place where the men were signing on. Here I heard some one reading - rapidly a lot about the nature of the voyage and what we would have to - eat. When I left the building, I was a legal member of the <i>Aurora's</i> - crew for the coming cruise, and my rating was that of surgeon, with pay as - follows: - </p> -<pre xml:space="preserve"> - £. s. d - - Monthly pay 2 0 0 - - Oil money per ton 2 0 - - Bone per ton 4 0 - - Seal skins per 1,000 1 0 -</pre> - <p> - I had to furnish my own cabin and to pay the market price for any trophy - of my own shooting which I wanted to keep. As our voyage was in pursuit of - Arctic animals and as I was a member of the crew sent for that purpose, of - course this was quite right. - </p> - <p> - It was possible for me to increase the above pay by being in fast boats. - Let me explain what I mean: when a boat first strikes a fish it is called - a fast boat; and if the whale is killed, every one in the boat receives - what is called striking money. The harpooner gets ten shillings for - putting in the gun harpoon, and ten and six pence for the hand, or a - guinea for both, while every member of the crew receives half a crown in - either case. - </p> - <p> - It was my good fortune during the following eight months to increase my - wages by two shillings and six pence in this way. Having fixed terms and - other details I went on board the ship which was to be my home for some - months to come. She was a pretty auxiliary barque of 386 tons registered. - Her engines were about a hundred horse power. She had a top-gallant - forecastle and a raised poop. Running forward from the poop was the engine - room skylight, which ended at the funnel casing, and steps led from the - poop to the main deck on each side of it. The funnel was painted buff, the - ship outside was black, and the bulwarks inside white and blue. The bridge - was across the engine room skylight and in front of the mizzenmast, an - iron railing around the poop, offering no protection from the weather, - while a companion opened aft in front of our two wheels. The pretty little - cabin was furnished in pitch pine and leather. The Captain's room occupied - the starboard side, while mine was on the port, both opening into the - cabin. Forward of my room was that occupied by the first and second mates, - and this looked into the passage at the foot of the stairs. Forward of the - passage was the pantry and also the engineer's room. A locker in which - things were stowed occupied the stern and opened into the cabin. Forward - of the cabin table was a stove in which there was a cheerful fire, and in - the square skylight hung a bird's cage and a garland, also some plants. - </p> - <p> - Finding out what I wanted for my room, I went into the town, ordered the - things and had them sent down. - </p> - <p> - <i>January 30</i>. Two acquaintances, whose identity I may indicate by the - initials H. and P., turned up this day to see me off. I took them over the - ship, but they were not very enthusiastic. We afterwards went around the - docks and saw the other whalers getting ready for sea. Quantities of - marmalade and dozens of hams were being put on board the <i>Esquimaux</i>. - Two of the whalers had already departed, the <i>Narwhal</i> and <i>Polynia</i>, - while others were not starting for a week to come; but as there were - uncertainties about the western ocean's passage in winter, Captain - Fairweather had decided not to wait longer than the 31st. - </p> - <p> - It snowed a little, which made the docks look dreary. I met the Captain's - wife on board during the afternoon, also his brother, who had command of - the <i>Thetis</i>. - </p> - <p> - The following day Armitage arrived. He brought me a big meerschaum pipe, - and was delighted with the ship, so pleased that he visited many others to - see if he could not secure a berth on one of them. But those carrying - surgeons had their medical officers engaged. We wandered around the docks - all the morning and at noon I went on board. - </p> - <p> - The <i>Aurora</i> left the dock at one P. M. and anchored for a short time - in the river to pick up a few belated and more or less incapable members - of the crew, and to land some stowaways. - </p> - <p> - My friends stood on the dockhead with hundreds of others to see us off, - and as we passed through the gate, old shoes, oranges and other things - were thrown on board. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0006" id="linkimage-0006"> </a> - </p> - <div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> - <img src="images/0033.jpg" alt="0033 " width="100%" /><br /> - </div> - <h5> - <a href="images/0033.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </h5> - <p> - I was walking about the poop with my hands deep in the pockets of my pilot - coat and looking at the sea of faces on the dock, when, stumbling over a - chain, down I came with a crash in the most ignominious way. However a - stumble and fall on board a whaler putting to sea generally passes - unnoticed; one would attract more attention by standing up all the time! - Thus the voyage began,—my position flat on deck, being in keeping - with the best traditions of the trade! - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /> - </p> - <hr /> - <p> - <a name="link2HCH0002" id="link2HCH0002"> </a> - </p> - <div style="height: 4em;"> - <br /><br /><br /><br /> - </div> - <h2> - CHAPTER II—VOYAGE TO NEWFOUNDLAND - </h2> - <p class="indent15"> - "A thousand miles from land are we, - </p> - <p class="indent15"> - Tossing about on the roaring sea; - </p> - <p class="indent15"> - From billow to bounding billow cast - </p> - <p class="indent15"> - Like fleecy snow on the stormy blast." - </p> - <p> - <br /> - </p> - <p> - Steaming down the river we landed quite a lot of stowaways at Broughty - Perry about 4.30 P. M., just as it was becoming dark. Tea was served at - five,—my first meal on board the <i>Aurora</i>. - </p> - <p> - The Captain and myself sat on the starboard side of the table. Wm. Adam, - the mate, Alexander McKechnie, second mate, and Wm. Smith, chief engineer, - sat on the other side. - </p> - <p> - Immediately after tea, I went to my room as we were crossing the bar and - going out into a gale of wind. Everything was tumbling about, and knowing - that in a very short time I should lose all interest in my surroundings, I - began making things secure. - </p> - <p> - There were two berths. My bed was in the upper as it had a porthole, and - most of my belongings were stowed in the lower. - </p> - <p> - A lot of tobacco had become loose, so I put the little packages of it - between my bed and the side of the ship. The port was not screwed very - tight and leaked badly for a week or so. This saturated the tobacco and - generated an odor which added nothing to my comfort. The motion becoming - very pronounced, I turned in, and being tired, slept well. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0007" id="linkimage-0007"> </a> - </p> - <div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> - <img src="images/0038.jpg" alt="0038 " width="100%" /><br /> - </div> - <h5> - <a href="images/0038.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </h5> - <p> - <i>February 1st</i>. Footsteps overhead and the singing of shanties on - deck awoke me at daybreak, but I was intensely ill, so stayed in bed all - day. My room was illuminated by a small light set in the deck overhead and - by a partially submerged port, so it was not cheerful. Above my head there - was a book shelf. I tried to read, but could not feel interested as it was - so very depressing to look forward to months and months of this sort of - thing. Matters grew worse as the day went on, the climax being reached - when rounding Duncansby Head; but respite came about midnight, when we - crept into Long Hope and let go our anchor. - </p> - <p> - <i>February 2nd.</i> Shouting and crying awoke me in the morning, and - opening the door of my cabin, I saw the Captain teaching two boys that the - sea was a bad place to run away to. They had been under an upturned boat - and the seas coming on board had almost drowned them out. Each boy - promised that he would never do it again. They were given two tins of - mutton and a small sack of ship's bread, and put on shore. - </p> - <p> - Long Hope is a well sheltered harbor, between the islands of Hoy and South - Walls. There was a pronounced smell of turf smoke about the place and the - land was half covered with snow. - </p> - <p> - Two other whalers were at anchor near by, the <i>Narwhal</i> and <i>Polynia.</i> - They had left Dundee ten days before us and bad been weather bound here - for that length of time. - </p> - <p> - I brought my gun up as there were some Richardson's skuas flying about, - but I did not get a shot at one. The mate, however, shot a herring gull - with it and this was the first splash of the ocean of blood shed by us - during the voyage. - </p> - <p> - Breakfast was a cheerful meal and the horrors of the North Sea were soon - forgotten. - </p> - <p> - At noon, the tide being favorable and the wind having gone down greatly, - we all three steamed out into the Pentland Firth. The <i>Polynia</i> was - the first to move; I heard her anchor chain clanking on board to a - well-sung shanty. We started next, and as there were some good voices - forward we tried to outdo the others. The <i>Narwhal</i> followed, never - to return, as she was lost during the summer. - </p> - <p> - Turning Brims Ness sharp, we kept on the Orcadian side of the firth; and - after passing Turn Ness, we laid our course for Cape Wrath. Across the - water we could barely make out Thurso. The land lies rather low about the - mouth of the Thurso river; but on the Hoy side the scenery was fine and we - soon sighted the Old Man of Hoy. During my trip to Orkney and Shetland a - few years before, I had spent several days on this island, so was - interested in seeing it now from the sea on this dismal February - afternoon. Its sombre cliffs are always grand, but the present atmospheric - condition made the scene impressive. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0008" id="linkimage-0008"> </a> - </p> - <div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> - <img src="images/0043.jpg" alt="0043 " width="100%" /><br /> - </div> - <h5> - <a href="images/0043.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </h5> - <p> - The Old Man of Hoy, in the simple language of the guide book, is, "An - insular pillar composed of flagstones and shales. Across their denuded - edges there stretches the band of amygdaloidal lava which is capped by the - red sandstones to the height of four hundred fifty feet." I could make out - the Ward Hill, but clouds lay low on its summit. Near there I had visited - the celebrated Dwarfie Stone made famous by Scott in his "Pirate." It is a - huge block of rock twenty-two feet by seventeen and seven deep. There is a - passage in it with a bed like a ship's berth hewn out on each side, and it - had been, of course, the home of a Trold. - </p> - <p> - I turned my back on this land of Trolds, and went down the quarter-hatch - to see the second mate serving out lime-juice, tea, coffee, tobacco and - sugar to the men. I heard their names called and had a good look at them - as they came up. Our crew was a fine looking lot and the most respectable - body of men one could find on any ship, unlike the New Bedford or San - Francisco South Sea whalers, which carried very mixed crews of every - color. - </p> - <p> - Most of our men had spent the greater part of their lives in Greenland - waters, and though not well informed on current topics and very - superstitious, they were self-respecting to a degree and absolutely - fearless, and they were all of the same nationality. - </p> - <p> - Of course, life on board a whaler is much pleasanter than on any other - sort of merchantman, because the ships are well found and the crews very - large so that, except when actually engaged in sealing or whaling, they - have an easy enough time. - </p> - <p> - The captains in the trade were very humane men, many of them scientific, - and they treated their crews well. Amongst the harpooners were often found - men who had themselves commanded ships and whose stars, no doubt, would - again be in the ascendancy. - </p> - <p> - A few unsuccessful years, or the loss of a ship or two, would probably - cost a man his command, and bad luck cannot be avoided. - </p> - <p> - Before the second mate had finished serving out I retired, as the ship was - beginning to feel the heavy swell that was coming in, and by six P. M. I - was absolutely "under the weather," and it was blowing hard from the - northwest. We passed Cape Wrath about midnight. The following day a strong - gale was blowing with snow and the engines were slowed down. - </p> - <p> - <i>February 4th</i>. Blowing a gale, reefed mizzen set and main topmast - staysail, with the engines slowed down. During the morning a man was hurt. - He was carried aft and held on the cabin table while I—very ill—and - also held, sewed his scalp and dressed the wound. - </p> - <p> - <i>February 5th</i>. Strong gale. Ship under reefed mizzen and main - staysail, steaming slow. High sea running and sun obscured all day. - </p> - <p> - This applies to the state of affairs on the 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th, - during all of which time I enjoyed the horrors of <i>mal de mer</i>. I saw - by the log that we had spent our days under fore and afters with a heavy - sea running, but I made no original observations, keeping in my berth all - the time, wondering during my conscious moments what brought me to sea and - vowing that I would never set foot on a vessel again if spared this time. - </p> - <p> - The ship's dog (Jock) was a rather sociable and sympathetic collie. He - spent a good deal of time with me, and I could not help admiring the old - chap when I knew that he really did not belong to any one, but always - turned up on the <i>Aurora</i> about sailing time and made the voyage with - her. At St. John's, Jock had lots of friends and visited a good deal, but - he was always on board on sailing day. - </p> - <p> - <i>February 11th</i>. A mere shadow of my former self, I got up and did - not feel ill. My wash basin was in one corner of the room. I put my head - against the corner above it and by sticking one foot against the side of - the door and another against the lower berth, was able to apply a little - water to my face, but the swing of the ship was so great that it swished - nearly every drop out of the basin. I dressed and went to breakfast, - feeling absolutely well and ravenously hungry. After breakfast, tucking my - breeches inside my sea boots, I went on deck. The door opened aft. As I - came out, the stem of the vessel sank low as the bows rose on the sea, and - I saw a black mountain of water rolling from us. Getting to the mizzen - rigging on the port side, I put my arms in the shrouds and stood on a spar - lashed on deck. It was very dark for the hour and blowing the greatest - storm that I had ever experienced, the wind fairly shrieking through the - rigging. - </p> - <p> - We were steaming half speed and had a reefed mizzen and main staysail set. - Looking forward, I saw the little ship taking tons of dark water over her - bows. It came off the forecastle in a cataract, and rushing aft between - the engine room and bulwarks, it surged upon the poop. We only had a few - feet of free board and were making terrible weather of it. The atmosphere - was full of water, as the tops of the waves were blown off in sheets. A - great splash came over the quarter about this time and fairly engulfed me. - Then I learned that it was better to wear one's sea boots inside instead - of outside the trousers. - </p> - <p> - This was sufficient for the day, so I retired below to change and dry. - During the evening, the Captain showed me our position on a chart which - was glued to the cabin table under the cloth. We were not yet half way - across. - </p> - <p> - The 12th, 13th and 14th were all equally awful, but I had my sea legs and - a good appetite, so was thankful. The only pleasure I had was standing on - the bridge and watching the ship burying her bows into the big seas and - the water coming in tons over the forecastle and filling the main deck. - She was indeed a wet ship in bad weather. - </p> - <p> - <i>February 15th</i>. The Captain said that he had never seen a lower - barometer. A great gale was blowing and the ship was hove to. Bags of oil - had been put out on the weather side, but the oil did not escape with - sufficient freedom so they were hauled in and a lot of punctures made with - a knife, but this did not improve matters much. It rendered the sea - comparatively smooth to leeward and there was not so much spray flying, - but tons of water tumbled over us and we spent a dreadful day. I tried the - deck for awhile, but it was dangerous. At night the ship was laboring - fearfully and continued to do so for days. - </p> - <p> - <i>February 20th</i>. Another fearful day. I had occasion to visit the - topgallant forecastle to see the ship-keeper, who had hurt his knee. There - was a line from the forecastle door to the main rigging for safety, as one - was almost sure to be caught by a sea while going the length of the deck. - </p> - <p> - Two men came aft for me, and watching our chance, we reached the - forecastle safe. Coming back, I decided to try it alone, so waited until a - tremendous sea had broken over us, then before she had time to take - another, I made a dash, but a body of water splashed over the starboard - side and forced me to climb up the inside of the main rigging and stay - there until some of it swept off the deck. Towards night the wind began to - moderate a little. - </p> - <p> - <i>February 21st</i>. Pitching and tossing as usual. Cloudy, but not much - wind; a nasty sea, however, and the canvas did not hold her steady. Really - in a heavy gale the storm holds a ship down to some extent. - </p> - <p> - The next day, however, the weather had moderated, so I tried stoking and - managed quite well. I also tried changing a fire, which was not such a - success, but I kept steam up and it was an interesting experience. - </p> - <p> - An end comes to all things. On the morning of the 23rd the ship for the - first time was on an even keel and some sun was shining through my deck - light. Hitherto attempts at washing had been unsatisfactory, as the motion - of the ship in a sea was so quick. Now, however, I indulged in a complete - toilet, and with a feeling of self-respect went on deck. The day was - cloudless and beautiful, the sea smooth as glass, and dotted over it were - white specks of ice. In a very short time the pieces of ice became more - numerous and larger, and when we were at breakfast we heard and felt the - ship crushing and bumping amongst them. By eleven A. M. a breeze came up - from the southeast and all sail was set, but by noon the ship stuck hard - and fast in the ice, and presented to me a wonderful and beautiful sight. - </p> - <p> - Every stitch of canvas was set and drawing, and the engine going full - speed, but still for a time we did not move. Now was my chance to walk - about on the frozen sea, so I went out with the dog and we both enjoyed a - race, keeping very close, however, for at any moment the Aurora might - move. We came on board when the mate called, as a crack was appearing - ahead of the ship. We were now two hundred twenty miles from St. John's, - and expected to be in ice all the way. During the afternoon I went up to - the foretop and Valentine thoroughly enjoyed a half hour gazing at the - wonderful scene. - </p> - <p> - We were very seldom stuck for any length of time, a few bumps from the - ship being generally sufficient to open a crack. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0009" id="linkimage-0009"> </a> - </p> - <div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> - <img src="images/0051.jpg" alt="0051 " width="100%" /><br /> - </div> - <h5> - <a href="images/0051.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </h5> - <p> - A great many of the men were on deck most of the day, and certainly she - was a heavily manned ship with her crew of sixty-five. Six of them - belonged to the engine room, eight were harpooners, who lived in the - topgallant forecastle, as did some of our tradesmen. Of these we had two - carpenters, a cooper, blacksmith, and sailmaker. The specksioneer also - lived there. He was the chief of the harpooners, a splendid old man called - George Lyon. Sixteen of our men were from Shetland, a quiet, sober, - industrious lot. - </p> - <p> - Standing on the forecastle, I watched the ship crunching through several - miles of young ice. She never actually stopped once. Her bows would rise - up on it, then huge slabs would tilt on end as she glided on. Sometimes a - long crack would open and let her slide in to be almost stuck. By degrees - she would gain way and probably steam into an open pool, to strike the - opposite side with considerable force, thereby opening a crack in which - she would repeat the performance. The engine is the secret of ice - navigation. With canvas alone we would have been fast in the ice much of - the time, while with heavier engines we could have gone through heavier - ice. The night was fine, and we managed to keep moving on our course. - </p> - <p> - <i>February 24th</i> was a glorious day. One would scarcely expect to find - such, weather in February in this neighborhood. - </p> - <p> - In the morning we passed through rather smooth ice. Occasionally there - were large ponds and in many of these I saw seals. Sometimes they were - plunging about in numbers, but generally a few heads only were visible - looking at us inquisitively as we passed. There were no bergs in sight, - but during the afternoon we passed some rafted ice which was piled up six - or seven feet above the floes, and once we were fast for an hour in a - rather heavy place, when I again tried the walking, but there was snow on - the ice which was slightly frozen on the surface, and this made it heavy - as one went through the crust. Towards evening the sky became cloudy; it - was very cold, and snow was falling when I turned in for the night. - </p> - <p> - In the morning Cape Bonavista was in sight. It was my first view of this - New World. All land was beautiful to me after a month at sea and this - looked so attractive as we neared it that I wanted to settle on it for the - rest of my life. However, we passed on, and during the day steamed through - the narrows and tied up astern of the <i>Arctic</i> on the south side of - St. John's harbor at what was known as Stevens Wharf. - </p> - <p> - The <i>Arctic</i> had sailed ten days after us and had made good weather - of it as she was a long ship of nearly double our tonnage, but of nothing - like our strength of build. - </p> - <p> - The Resolute's Wooden Funnel lute had also arrived. The latter on the way - out had lost her funnel, so a pyramidal structure had been erected of wood - lined with tin; this answered very well for a time. Some of her bulwarks - had been carried away, especially forward of the main rigging on the port - side. She was a fine ship, strong and well engined, but the North Atlantic - in winter leaves its mark on the best. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0010" id="linkimage-0010"> </a> - </p> - <div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> - <img src="images/0055.jpg" alt="0055 " width="100%" /><br /> - </div> - <h5> - <a href="images/0055.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </h5> - <p> - The <i>Resolute</i> was owned in St. John's and commanded by a St. John's - captain; but she came out from Dundee, where she had been overhauled. - </p> - <p> - So ended my first trip across the Atlantic, and, until then, the most - uncomfortable experience of my life. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /> - </p> - <hr /> - <p> - <a name="link2HCH0003" id="link2HCH0003"> </a> - </p> - <div style="height: 4em;"> - <br /><br /><br /><br /> - </div> - <h2> - CHAPTER III—NEWFOUNDLAND - </h2> - <p class="indent15"> - "Such are the charms to barren states assyn'd, - </p> - <p class="indent15"> - Their wants but few, their wishes all confin'd." - </p> - <p> - <br /> - </p> - <p> - Our first possession across the sea was Newfoundland, and I made the - voyage to it 400 years after John Cabot, the discoverer. The <i>Mathew</i> - of Bristol first sighted Cape Bonavista, which was the first point seen by - the <i>Aurora</i>. Cabot was a Venetian sailing out of Bristol for a time, - and for his great discovery, which gave England her vast American - possessions, King Henry gave John ten pounds a year. Cabot is to-day very - well thought of, but nothing much is known of what became of him. The name - makes an attractive one for a Newfoundland dog. I have known several of - them bear it, and it is a sort of geographical education to have them - running around; but there is not any place of importance in the world - called after this great mariner. - </p> - <p> - The coast of the country is forbidding, being rocky and bleak, except - around some of the bays; the most beautiful of those seen by me being Bay - of Islands on the west coast, which reminds one of Norway. Here and in the - valley of the Humber, which runs into it, there is some very fertile land, - and there are some scenes of peace and prosperity. But the general - impression I have obtained after several visits to the country, is that - life is a struggle for many of the inhabitants compared with what it is in - any other colony which we possess. Newfoundlanders are true to the land of - their birth, but one familiar with North America at large would never - think of advising a colonist to push his fortune in this particular part - of it, because the opportunities are comparatively few and the winters are - too long for any working man to remain idle. In the interior the soil is - as a rule shallow; there are thousands and thousands of acres of barrens, - hundreds of lakes of different sizes and numbers of streams. Great areas - of the country are grown over with small timber, the trees being so close - together in places that one can hardly push through them. Much of the - barren country is moss-grown and boggy, so that it cannot be travelled - over by horses or mules; therefore, when one leaves the rivers, it is - necessary to carry everything on one's back, and, as a result, travel in - the interior is not much indulged in by the inhabitants. To add to the - pleasure, mosquitoes and their cousins, the black flies, are in swarms. - The whole interior is a deer forest of the first magnitude, teeming with - caribou (Rangi-fer tarandus). These animals weigh about 300 pounds, and - they are very gray about the head and shoulders. I have seen them standing - among trees which were grown over with bearded moss, when it was difficult - to tell the caribou from the trees. Some of the heads are splendid with a - great deal of palmation and not at all like Greenland or polar American - caribou in which the palmation is generally poor and the beam long and - straggling, probably due to a difference of environment. Migrating to the - northern part of the island in summer, they return in September and - October to winter in the south, and the sportsman intercepting them on - their autumnal trip can have his choice of heads. - </p> - <p> - Another attraction is the salmon and trout fishing. The rivers, especially - on the west coast, are well stocked, white trout being particularly - numerous. - </p> - <p> - St. John's harbor is entered through the narrows. On the left, going in, - there is the lighthouse; and on the right, or north side, the signal - station. On this side is the city, lying at the foot of low hills, its - principal street, Water Street, being parallel with the shore. From it run - side streets down to the wharves and up the hill to the residences and - churches. The Dundee ships lay on the south side, our yard being nearest - the narrows. From it a path led out to the lighthouse point. A hundred - yards from the ship one was on the hillside and without the pale of - everything, because only a narrow fringe of buildings separated the south - shore from the wilds. Along the water edge, between our ship and the - lighthouse, one passed lots of fish flakes. These were constructed of a - framework of vertical and horizontal poles covered over with spruce boughs - upon which the split codfish were laid after being salted. The air - circulated under and around them well and they soon dried. I saw codfish - being dried on the beach in Shetland, but they were only spread on the - shingle. There are no trees in Shetland from which poles could be made, - but there is less precipitation there than in Newfoundland, so the fish - dry well upon the shingle. It is over 300 years since the Newfoundland - fisheries began to be worked. They proved the country's first attraction - and there is nothing of the sort in the world like them. For the five - years 1871 to '75 the export of dried cod was 1,333,009 quintals of 112 - pounds. The Basques first appeared on the scene and a port on the west - coast to-day bears their name, Port aux Basques. As early as 1527 an - English shipmaster, on entering St. John's harbor, found eleven ships from - Norway, one from Breton and ten from Portugal, all fishing. - </p> - <p> - In looking over the exports for 1881 one notices several interesting - items; one is, 4,127 tons of cod-liver oil, another item is 300 barrels of - cods' heads at $1.00 per barrel. I fancy, however, their use has not - become very general yet when we know that only 300 barrels were exported, - and that over sixty million cod were killed. When I speak of the cod - fishing, I mean the Labrador as well as the Banks fishery. In fact, the - former is probably the more fished of the two by the Newfoundlanders. - </p> - <p> - The day after our arrival our ship began discharging cargo, that is to - say, taking off our whale-boats and launch, and taking out all supplies - for the whaling voyage. Then they began sheathing the deck and bulwarks—even - the floor of the cabin was covered with plank. Bunks were erected for the - men in the 'tween decks, all stores removed from the quarter hatch and - bunks put in there for the quartermasters, and the crow's-nest was hoisted - up and made fast to the main mast, a few feet below the truck. The - crow's-nest or barrel was a most comfortable place. One entered through a - trap door in the bottom, and when this was closed there was no draught. - Around the edge of the barrel and sticking out some distance there was an - iron rail upon which the glass could rest, the latter being kept in a - canvas bag or pocket inside. From there the ship was navigated, a wire - going to the engine room and ringing the bell, but orders to the man at - the wheel were called down. While these changes were taking place, in - company with the surgeon of the <i>Arctic</i>, I wandered all over St. - John's and the neighborhood, and enjoyed the hospitality of many - residents. It was some distance around the end of the harbor to the city, - but we could skate across if we liked. The weather was intensely cold and - the land was covered with deep snow. - </p> - <p> - The <i>Aurora</i> having been converted into a sealer, and having taken on - board her supplies and exchanged her beautiful whale-boats for a number of - very crude looking punts, moved over to the north side of the harbor, and - waited for sailing day to take her crew on board. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0011" id="linkimage-0011"> </a> - </p> - <div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> - <img src="images/0065.jpg" alt="0065 " width="100%" /><br /> - </div> - <h5> - <a href="images/0065.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </h5> - <p> - It may not be out of place to make a few remarks here about seals and - sealing generally. Most people know that seal fisheries exist, but few - have any idea of their extent. The ice-fields of Newfoundland and Labrador - produce more than anywhere else; but Greenland, Northern Europe, the seas - around Jan Mayen, Nova Zembla and Spitzbergen produce also a great - harvest, and the fur-bearing seals of the Aleutian Islands must not be - forgotten. Sealing on the east coast of Greenland is entirely in the hands - of natives, but the industry in other places is chiefly prosecuted by - Europeans and Americans. Lindeman tells us that in 1720 the ports of the - Weser sent out ships, that in 1760 Hamburg sent nineteen which took 44,722 - seals, that in 1862 five German ships took 17,000, five Danish 5,000, - fifteen Norwegian 63,000 and twenty-two British 51,000; so this gives one - an idea of the extent to which Great Britain was represented. In 1876 the - Dundee ships alone took 53,000, valued at over £34,000. It was the custom - for the British sealers to arrive in Bressa Sound, Shetland, about the end - of February, and there pick up a considerable part of their crews, getting - to the ice about the middle of March. The young seals were in good - condition about this time and had not yet taken to the water, so afforded - an easy prey to their foes. Around Newfoundland, sealing has gone on with - great profit to all engaged for probably one hundred and fifty years, and - a glance at the following table will give some idea of its extent: - </p> -<pre xml:space="preserve"> - In 1805 81,088 were taken - 1818 145,072 - 1822 306,982 - 1831 686,836 - 1840 631,385 - 1850 598,860 - 1860 444,202 - 1872 278,372 - 1881 447,903 -</pre> - <p> - Roughly, about 350,000 every year, the greatest catch being 685,530 in - 1844. - </p> - <p> - Harvey tells us that in 1857 there were nearly four hundred vessels of 80 - to 200 tons burthen engaged in the industry, employing altogether 13,600 - men, and that the year's catch was worth $1,700,000. Now, about eight to - ten thousand men are engaged, and the seal fishing yields about one-eighth - part of the entire exports of the country. - </p> - <p> - Steam was first used in 1863 and then the sailing ships began to decrease - in number. In 1884 more than thirty steamers were used, while the sailing - ships had become scarce. - </p> - <p> - With the advent of steam, the Dundee owners began casting covetous eyes at - Newfoundland. The western ocean passage could be made early in the year, - and the sealing taken in en route to the whaling. It became necessary to - arrange with agents at St. John's, or to build yards where the cargo of - seals could be taken care of, leaving the vessel free to proceed north. At - this time six ships represented Dundee. - </p> - <p> - <br /> - </p> - <p class="indent20"> - <i>Arctic</i>, Captain Guy - </p> - <p class="indent20"> - <i>Narwhal</i>, Captain Phillips - </p> - <p class="indent20"> - <i>Aurora</i>, Captain Jas. Fairweather - </p> - <p class="indent20"> - <i>Polynia</i>, Captain Walker - </p> - <p class="indent20"> - <i>Esquimaux</i>, Captain Milne - </p> - <p class="indent20"> - <i>Thetis</i>, Captain Alex. Fairweather - </p> - <p> - <br /> - </p> - <p> - The <i>Resolute</i>, Captain Jackman, could hardly be called a Dundee - ship, and it so happened that the Thetis went on other business this year; - but the above were the usual six. - </p> - <p> - The seals forming our cargo from the Newfoundland ice were harps (Phoca - Greenlandica), so called on account of a peculiar mark on each side of the - adult, extending from near the shoulder to near the tail, and hoods - (Cystophora Cristata), so called on account of a large inflatable sac on - the nose of the male. On our trip to Labrador we secured quite a number of - hoods, but on our first trip our cargo was practically one of harps. Both - these species are migratory, coming south in winter and working north in - summer as the ice recedes. As the banks of Newfoundland swarm with fish, - they form a pleasant winter resort for the seals, and are very convenient - to the floes on which they spend February and March. Harbor seals (Phoca - vetulini) and square flippers (Phoca barbatus) are also found on the - coast. - </p> - <p> - The breeding ice of the seal is the goal of every master in the trade, but - there are no rules for finding it. One may consider the influence of - currents and winds, and may navigate accordingly only to find the seals - are not found where expected. In our own case, the Captain told me the day - we left St. John's that he had no definite idea of where to go. - Nevertheless we awoke one morning to find ourselves surrounded by hundreds - of thousands. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0012" id="linkimage-0012"> </a> - </p> - <div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> - <img src="images/0073.jpg" alt="0073 " width="100%" /><br /> - </div> - <h5> - <a href="images/0073.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </h5> - <p> - Young seals are born on the Newfoundland ice February 15th to 25th, and - are in perfect condition for the market by March 20th, as they have been - well fed by their mothers until then. They are a yellowish white when born - and remain so until they begin to take to the water, when the longish - white hair is rapidly shed and the young one quickly loses its condition. - </p> - <p> - Owing to the exciting nature of the work, a trip to the ice is the desire - of nearly every Newfoundland boy. The great danger is fog coming down - while the men are sealing far from the ship, and next comes the danger of - losing the ship and drifting about on the floes until possibly death takes - place from cold and starvation. - </p> - <p> - In 1872 one hundred men perished, fifty going down with the <i>Huntsman</i> - on the coast of Labrador. The <i>Bloodhound</i> and <i>Retriever</i> were - lost the same year, their crews escaping to Battle Harbor after terrible - hardships. - </p> - <p> - Scoresby tells us of the classical disaster which occurred in 1774 about - sixty miles east of Jan Mayen. The sealing fleet, consisting of over fifty - vessels, met at the ice edge on March the 29th. - </p> - <p> - The whole fleet entered the ice streams and their boats went off sealing. - A storm suddenly arose, destroying five of the ships and injuring many - more, while most of the sealers who were far from their ships were never - seen again, almost six hundred men being lost. One could not talk to a - sealer long without learning of some horrible accident which had occurred - to himself or a friend, and while some of them were given to romance, - there could be no question about the perils they encountered or about - their bravery and endurance. - </p> - <p> - Toward the end of February, the sweilers, as they are called, began to - arrive in St. John's looking for berths. As the steamers afforded better - opportunities, the able men got them, while the older ones took to the - sailing craft, where life was not so strenuous. These men were dressed - very much alike and were most athletic; some of them were perfectly - wonderful in the way they jumped from pan to pan, barely touching some of - the smaller ones in passage. The owners did not overfeed the men on these - trips, providing them with sea biscuits and pinnacle tea chiefly, pork and - duff being served only three days a week and salt fish on Fridays. The - water from which the tea was brewed was obtained by thawing pinnacles of - ice. When ice floes came together they rafted one on to the other and - shattered fragments stuck up in all directions. Snow piled upon these and - was frozen. When water was wanted, a body of men with axes went on the ice - and broke off the pinnacles, which were taken on board and stacked on - deck. As water was required these were put into a tank and steam turned - on. Tea was made with this water, and molasses added in place of cream and - sugar. Our water for the cabin use was not obtained from this source. - </p> - <p> - On steamers the crew received one-third of the catch, on sailing ships - one-half. This was made to the Newfoundland men only on the Dundee ships, - the Dundee crew getting paid so much a month, as well as a fraction of the - catch. When a ship was amongst the white coats, as the young seals were - called, the crew lived well, as they ate the livers, hearts and flippers - of the seals. The men carried a supply of livers and hearts in their belts - and ate them frozen or cooked as opportunity afforded. It is easy to see - how little cooking can be done for a crew of three hundred men on a small - ship. I have often seen a man tie a cord to a liver and drop it into a pot - of tea sitting on the galley stove, drawing it out when warmed up or when - the owner of the pot came for his tea. - </p> - <p> - Sailing ships were allowed to leave port on March 1st, but steamers could - not clear for the sealing until March 10th, and the laws were very - strictly enforced. It was not unusual for a ship to have her pans of seals - pilfered by another ship during a fog, and this often led to legal - complications. I have frequently seen our men cut private marks on the - fatty sides of the sculps so that they might be identified afterwards. Of - course, any ship would pick up a pan which had lost its flag. Sometimes - the sweilers had great luck, being gone only a week or two and coming back - with their pockets full. A sculp was worth $2.00 to $3.00, and as the men - received one-third of all taken, it amounted to a good deal for them, and - as it came oft at a season when there was nothing else being done, it - added greatly to its value. - </p> - <p> - Ships engaging in this work had to have their hold hulkheaded off so that, - should they encounter bad weather, the cargo would not shift. As the <i>Aurora</i> - was tanked, that was all that was necessary. If the ship were long in - reaching port after taking her seals on hoard, the fat might break down - and the oil flood everything, unless the ship had tanks. In our case the - sculps were on board such a short time that they were as fresh looking - when landed as when taken. The fat was separated from the skin on shore by - a man with a long knife. He drew a sculp over a board and caught the edge - of it with his left hand; using the knife with his right, in a few sweeps - he removed all the blubber. This was thrown into a sausage machine and - afterwards steamed in tanks to extract the oil, which was refined by - exposure to the sun's rays. The oil was used for machinery and in - lighthouses, and the skins were made into harness, boots, etc., farmers - using the refuse for fertilizing purposes. - </p> - <p> - When one saw this small army of fine looking, hard working and very poor - men, he could not help being sorry that their forefathers in emigrating - had not gone a little further and settled in Canada or the United States, - instead of on this inhospitable land. Think of how comparatively easy - their lives would have been, and what a return they would have reaped for - their work. Newfoundland meant to every one of them a life of toil with - not much more hope than the mother country could have given them. Poor - soil and a relentless winter mean this as a rule in a country the mineral - resources of which have not been developed. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /> - </p> - <hr /> - <p> - <a name="link2HCH0004" id="link2HCH0004"> </a> - </p> - <div style="height: 4em;"> - <br /><br /><br /><br /> - </div> - <h2> - CHAPTER IV—NEWFOUNDLAND SEALING - </h2> - <p class="indent15"> - "The ice was here, the ice was there, - </p> - <p class="indent15"> - The ice was all around; - </p> - <p class="indent15"> - It cracked and growled, and roared and howled, - </p> - <p class="indent15"> - Like noises in a swound." - </p> - <p> - <br /> - </p> - <p> - <i>March 10th</i>. At five A. M. all was life on board the <i>Aurora</i>. - On awaking, I had coffee, which was in the cabin, and, muffling up well, I - went on deck, as it was bitterly cold. The night was cloudy and dark but - the ship was illuminated with torches, and on each side of the gangway - stood the mate and ice-master, calling the roll. The Newfoundland men came - on board as their names were called, about three hundred in all, including - the quartermasters, who lived down in the quarter-hatch. The men all wore - boots made of untanned seal skin, from which the hair had been removed. - They were very light and serviceable and came up to the knee. Spikes were - driven into the soles to prevent slipping on the ice, and the decks were - preserved from these by rough plank sheathing. There was great wrangling - and disputing, as many of the men had been celebrating the occasion. - </p> - <p> - At six A. M. we cast loose and by degrees broke our way from the wharf. - The scene, when the sun arose, was intensely interesting; all the sealing - ships were out, trying to crush their way towards the narrows, and, as the - harbor was entirely frozen over, this was hard work. Two ships, the <i>Resolute</i> - and the <i>Polynia</i>, were behind us, and these last sent two or three - hundred to assist our Newfoundland crew in pulling on a hawser over our - bows, while our Scotch crew on board ran backwards and forwards across the - deck to make the ship roll. This rolling often helped greatly when the - ship put her bows in a crack. Our method was to go full speed astern for a - few yards, and then full speed ahead, the eight or nine hundred men on the - ice pulling for all they were worth at the same time, and the <i>Aurora's</i> - men on board running across the deck to keep up the roll. As there were - thousands of men similarly employed on and about the other ships, and as - they were all singing, the scene may be imagined. - </p> - <p> - The <i>Nimrod</i> and <i>Neptune</i> were moving on, well ahead of us, and - when we got into their wake, the <i>Aurora</i> moved along faster. It was - eight bells by the time we passed through the narrows; there the ice was - much looser, so we all pushed off in our various directions to look for - the breeding haunts of seals. Captain Fairweather kept a little nearer - shore than the others, and by evening there were only a few ships in - sight. - </p> - <p> - I retired early, as I had been up for many hours, and even the bumping and - thumping of the ship, as she went full speed ahead and full speed astern - every few minutes all night, did not keep me awake. - </p> - <p> - <i>March 11th</i>. When I went on deck, a wonderful Arctic scene presented - itself. A snow storm was raging and the ship looked as though she had been - fast there for years. She was literally buried in snow, and the weather - was so cold that the snow had frozen on her yards and rigging. The morning - was dark and one could not see very far. Under the starboard bow the ice - was heavy, causing the ship to lie over to port. The wind was from the - southeast and had driven the ice in on us. There was a great deal of - creaking and crunching from moving floes and the wind made a lot of noise - in the rigging. By noon the weather had moderated and the snow ceased; by - night the wind was coming from the northeast and the ice slackened, the - ship being upon an even keel. Of course, snow was not allowed to remain - very long on deck, as our big crew had nothing to do but shovel it off. - </p> - <p> - I looked into the 'tween-decks and saw a horrible mess. The bunks were - full of men, many playing cards, as each bunk held four. They must have - been stifled. For light, lamps burning seal oil were used, and the reek - coming from the main hatch would almost have suggested fire. - </p> - <p> - During the night, the ship got under way, and her bumping awoke me several - times. - </p> - <p> - <i>March 12th</i>. In the morning, we were again beset. Hearing a noise on - deck, I went up. On the poop a lot of duffs were lying about like 64 lb. - shot. A crowd of angry men could be seen on the main deck and facing them - was the Captain. A big Newfoundland man came up the steps and, breaking a - duff in two, held it up and asked the Captain to look at it. It was an - awkward moment and called for immediate action. But the Captain was a man - of action, so he planted a blow between the man's eyes and asked him to - look at that; the man dropped back dazed and the trouble came to an end at - once. - </p> - <p> - The Captain told a story at breakfast about a steward once saying that - more tea would not be required for the next voyage as he had been boiling - the leaves from the cabin and giving it to the crew. An order was at once - issued to serve out good tea of the proper strength instead. Next morning - all hands came aft to complain about the black stuff the cook was serving - out, and demanding that proper tea, such as they had been having, should - be served. - </p> - <p> - The weather was now fine, and the world very white, the only visible black - being a pond of open water half a mile to the east of us. The wind was - again from the east and the cold intense; in fact, one could hardly face - it on account of small particles of ice driven by it. - </p> - <p> - After breakfast I took my rifle and went to the lee side of the open - water. It was perhaps a fourth of a mile long and a hundred and fifty - yards wide. Every little while a few seals would bob up at one end of the - hole and then, giving a few plunges, disappear. I crouched behind a - pinnacle for shelter and, watching past the side of it, soon had a shot. I - fancied I heard the bullet strike, but the seal disappeared; presently - another came. This time I was sure that I saw the water around - bloodstained, but there was a ripple and it was difficult to see anything - lying low on it. I spent several hours at this work and was perfectly - certain I had hit many seals. On one occasion, I saw the side of one I had - shot, with the water breaking over it, but presently it disappeared. I - knew that at this season the animals would float, and as I was on the lee - side, why did they not drift down to me? Cold at last drove me back to the - <i>Aurora</i>, and, on relating my experiences, the ice-master told me - that I would find the dead animals at the weather side of the hole, as the - ice, drifting before the wind, would travel faster than the dead and - almost completely submerged seals. So taking a man with me, I had the - satisfaction of seeing seven big male harps pulled out, the first I had - ever killed and the first secured by the ship. - </p> - <p> - During the afternoon the ice eased off and the ship again proceeded. She - was getting along pretty well at bedtime, but not making any particular - course. - </p> - <p> - March 13th. It was about five A. M. when the steward came to my room and - lit the lamp. He said we were among the "white coats" and he seemed - greatly pleased. I dressed and, going up, found bright moonlight. The ship - was hard and fast. In every direction I could hear sounds like the crying - of children. I could also see gangs of men on the ice and some coming on - board. The men had been taking advantage of the moonlight to begin their - work, and all were in splendid spirits, as a full ship meant much to them. - </p> - <p> - About six the whistle sounded for all hands to come on board for - breakfast, and after that they were organized into companies, commanded by - their own quartermasters, and proceeded about the slaughter in a well - regulated manner. Each man carried a spruce pole, on the end of which was - a sort of boat hook called a "gaff," and each also had a tow rope. The - method of proceeding was as follows: - </p> - <p> - A company would go in a certain direction and then scatter. A man would - kill four or five whitecoats by hitting them on the head with his gaff. He - would pull them together and sculp them, that is, with his sculping knife - he would make an incision on the under surface of the body, its entire - length, through the skin and fat. How the skin, with its subcutaneous fat, - was very loosely adherent to the rest of the body of the young seal, so - with a very few sweeps of the knife the body was separated and thrown - away. He then made a few holes along each side of the sculp, which was - oblong, and through these laced his tow rope. When the four or five had - been thus arranged, he towed them to a selected pan, where they were piled - with the others, a pole was stuck up, bearing a flag on which was the name - of the ship, and this being done, the sealers moved on and established - another pan. - </p> - <p> - While the St. John's men were busy with the sealing, the Scotch crew - remained on the ship, throwing the coal overboard. The ship, leaving - Newfoundland, took a lot of coal, as she did not know where she might have - to go or how long she might be away. In our case, we found the seals at - once, so the coal, being of no further use and of no value, compared with - the seals, was thrown overboard. - </p> - <p> - I went aloft to have a look at our surroundings. We were in Bonavista Bay, - and in the distance I saw the <i>Neptune</i> sealing. She was a large ship - and took an enormous cargo. It seemed too bad that these should be the - only two vessels in the midst of this harvest. I saw, with the glass, - seals by the thousand; they were principally to the north of us, and it - was evident that we would fill the ship, unless a gale broke up the ice - too soon. Astern, I noticed a patch of ice on which there were lots of old - harps. Getting my rifle and going over to the place, I found a great many - seal holes in the ice. I watched. A seal would stick its head out of one - and, seeing me, would instantly go down again. This was going on all over - the area before me. Sitting down, I decided to take the first head - presenting itself. By watching any given hole, one would probably very - soon have a shot, but it was more exciting to take the heads as they came - up. It was very quick shooting and good sport. Every time I hit a seal, I - killed it, because only the head could be seen. At this season, the - animals, being in prime condition, floated; but getting one out of its - hole was very difficult. If one turned it around and seized the hind - flippers, the fore flippers caught the ice, and there was nothing to take - hold of about its head. I found, that by sticking an empty cartridge - through the nose and catching this at each side, a man could manage to - pull the seal out by throwing himself back. I amused myself at this game - until eight bells, when I went on board for dinner and found the Captain - in splendid spirits. There was every chance of his filling his ship and - being first in, and I questioned whether these honors had ever been - obtained by any Scotch master at the Newfoundland sealing before. After - dinner, I took a man with me who pulled out the seals and sculped them, - hauling them to the ship, which remained fast. The crew got on well with - the coal and soon had several tanks cleaned out and ready for the nearest - pan, and by night we had about 2,500 on board. I went aloft again and saw - our pan flags flying in great numbers, while the men were very busy - several miles away. After dark, the sealers came on board and reported - having killed probably 10,000. Many of the men had given themselves bad - cuts with their sharp sculping knives, but all were very happy, forward - and aft. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0013" id="linkimage-0013"> </a> - </p> - <div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> - <img src="images/0093.jpg" alt="0093 " width="100%" /><br /> - </div> - <h5> - <a href="images/0093.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </h5> - <p> - <i>March 14th</i>. Every one up at dawn. The ship was alongside a pan when - I came on deck, and the winch was going all the time, while the orders - "Heave away port," "Heave away starboard," were being constantly given, - and every few minutes a bunch of sculps would be hauled on board and - thrown below by the men on deck. When this pan was cleaned up, the officer - in the barrel directed the ship's course to the next, and so it went, all - day long, a portion of the crew working coal as usual. I went aloft and - saw our men, five or six miles away, piling up our cargo. In the - afternoon, I went off: in the direction the men were and fortunately I had - a gaff: with me. I had on very thick clothes and a pilot jacket over all. - When about a mile from the ship, and while walking over a nice, smooth - piece of ice, I noticed that it was bending under me. I turned and was - getting back to the hummocks, when I went through. Fortunately, the gaff - caught on both sides and I only went in up to my arms, so was able to - climb out. The cold of the water was intense and I had a fright. Before - reaching the ship, my clothes were frozen hard. One great comfort about - the <i>Aurora</i> was that she was a steamer, so when any accidents of - this kind occurred, it was a great thing, having the top of the boiler to - retire to. Here one had warmth at any rate. As there was nothing much - separating the top of our boiler from the stoke hole, there was a deposit - of ashes and soot, but a little thing like that did not much trouble a man - fished out of a frozen sea. - </p> - <p> - It was cold and dark when the sealers began coming on board and a fog was - settling down, so about nine P. M. we were quite uneasy over some who bad - not turned up. The whistle sounded frequently, and it was a relief when - the last appeared. Some were really very much exhausted and were given - rum. - </p> - <p> - We took on board about five thousand seals and the men had killed many - thousand more. - </p> - <p> - <i>March 15th</i>. A snow storm blowing, so the men could not go to the - sealing, and very little new work was accomplished. However, the ship - managed to reach a lot of her pans, and the Newfoundland men hauled the - sculps from others farther away, so that by night, four thousand more were - on board. Coal was worked energetically all day. - </p> - <p> - The barometer was rising at night and the snow had ceased, so the weather - looked more settled. - </p> - <p> - <i>March 16th</i>. Sealers away when I came on deck, and our own crew very - busy with the seals and coal. The ice showed a lot of leads and there were - seals in the open ponds, so I spent my time at them with the rifle and had - some good shooting. - </p> - <p> - At dinner the mate told us we had taken on board over three thousand - sculps and by night two thousand more were added to these. About sixteen - thousand five hundred were now on board. - </p> - <p> - I spent some time aloft. The glare from the ice was fearfully trying as - the sun was very bright. Owing to the open character of the ice, we - followed the sealers quite well. We found several of our pans broken by - the weight of seals on them; in every case we saw sharks in the open water - beside the broken pan. Once the ship had her engines going ahead to keep - her bows against the ice, while she took seals on board (I was looking - over the rail aft), when I saw a shark gliding up to the propeller. It hit - him on the side and cut a flap out about two feet long. He swam about with - this mass hanging from him for awhile and then went back to the propeller, - which finished him with an awful gash across the neck. This was the only - one I saw killed. - </p> - <p> - The night was clear and the men had no difficulty in getting on board. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0014" id="linkimage-0014"> </a> - </p> - <div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> - <img src="images/0099.jpg" alt="0099 " width="100%" /><br /> - </div> - <h5> - <a href="images/0099.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </h5> - <p> - March 17th. It was blowing and the ice was rather tight; there was also - some snow, so the sealers were employed bringing sculps on board, as pans - were being broken. I saw one split in two. Half the sculps had been lost - in the water, and there were numbers of sharks around. A man stuck his - gaff into one several times, and it did not appear to mind. It was - difficult getting the seals on board as the heavy snow squalls prevented - our seeing the leads. However, twenty-five hundred more were secured from - broken pans in our immediate neighborhood. The ship was drifting south all - the time; and the <i>Neptune</i> was still in sight when it cleared in the - afternoon. - </p> - <p> - <i>March 18th.</i> All hands up early and a good start made. Nearly all - the coal over the side. I watched the men bringing on board pinnacles in - the morning. As they had been sealing steadily for a week and had not paid - much attention to their toilets, sleeping in their clothes, etc., and as - each one had a fringe of frozen livers sticking in his belt, and the - sheathed decks were soaking in oil, the pinnacles had a chance of - acquiring a nutritious quality which must have given body to the tea - manufactured out of them. However, the men did not mind, and as our cabin - supply of water was all right, I did not mind either. - </p> - <p> - The ship picked up a lot of pans and added five thousand more to our - collection. Towards evening it became foggy and cold, and we had several - frights about men being lost. One fellow came on board and stated that he - had seen so and so two miles from the ship, unable to proceed. Some rum - was given to him and with a couple of others he started off to bring the - exhausted one in. All were on board safely by nine P. M. There was no - doubt but that often the rum served out found its way into throats that - were far from being too weak to swallow, but such dreadful accidents have - occurred that one acts on the safe side. There was no abuse of liquor on - board the <i>Aurora</i>, but the Captain did not hesitate to supply it - when absolutely necessary. - </p> - <p> - <i>March 19th.</i> A nice day for sealing, as there was no difficulty - getting about to the pans. We brought on board about two thousand, and the - ship was practically full. Now we began to clear out the 'tween-decks and - to throw the men's bunks overboard. They did not object to a few days of - supreme discomfort because they received one-third of the catch. We had - the bunkers filled with coal and a lot of sacks piled upon the poop, and - every available place was cleared out for this valuable cargo. The ship - began to look dirty, as she had scraped off her paint, and the coal dust - and oil bad been liberally applied. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0015" id="linkimage-0015"> </a> - </p> - <div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> - <img src="images/0103.jpg" alt="0103 " width="100%" /><br /> - </div> - <h5> - <a href="images/0103.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </h5> - <p> - It began to blow in the afternoon, with snow squalls. All the men were on - board in good time. - </p> - <p> - During the day I caught a young seal. It had shed nearly all its long - white hair and the short, silvery coat underneath looked very pretty. I - amused myself plucking the balance of the original coat. The seal appeared - to enjoy it. It was killed accidentally a few days later. - </p> - <p> - <i>March 20th</i>. Blowing bard with snow squalls. A number of pans were - broken and many sculps lost, but we secured all we wanted; about one - thousand came on board and the 'tween-decks were nearly full. - </p> - <p> - March 21st. A fine day, but the ship beset, so we cleaned up and finished - off the 'tween-decks; then we put all on deck that we thought the ship - would carry. This would not have been done had the ship had to go any - distance, but all the time we were sealing we had been drifting south, so - that we were now a very short distance from St. John's. The Captain and - mate would stand on the ice and look her over and then decide that perhaps - she would carry a few more, and so on, until there was not much of the <i>Aurora's</i> - bull above the water. The ice opened in the afternoon and we laid our - course for St. John's, steaming half speed. The ship was decorated with - flags, the men cheering and singing—at least two hundred of them - without shelter; they stood upon the forecastle head and among the sculps - on deck. The wind had died away and it was a beautiful afternoon. There - were plenty of leads and the ice becoming more open every hour. - </p> - <p> - <i>March 22nd</i>. During the night we passed through Baccalieu Tickle and - in the morning we were close to the coast. As we steamed through the - narrows, the men climbed the rigging and cheered. We had accomplished a - wonderful thing. The ship was the first in of the year, and was also full. - Soon we were tied up at our old berth on the south side, and our crew were - busy discharging our cargo of about twenty-eight thousand seals. Each - young seal counted one in settling with the crew and each old seal counted - two; of course, an old seal took up much more room than two young ones, - and on a voyage like this, where the ship could be filled with young, the - crew were not anxious to kill old ones. On our two trips, the <i>Aurora</i> - actually killed 28,150, but the crew were paid for 29,300. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /> - </p> - <hr /> - <p> - <a name="link2HCH0005" id="link2HCH0005"> </a> - </p> - <div style="height: 4em;"> - <br /><br /><br /><br /> - </div> - <h2> - CHAPTER V—THE LABRADOR SEALING - </h2> - <p class="indent15"> - "Now, Brothers, for the icebergs of frozen Labrador - </p> - <p class="indent15"> - Floating spectral in the moonshine, along the low black - </p> - <p class="indent30"> - shore! - </p> - <p class="indent15"> - When the mist the rock is hiding and the sharp reef lurks - </p> - <p class="indent30"> - below - </p> - <p class="indent15"> - And the white squall smites in summer, and the autumn - </p> - <p class="indent30"> - tempests blow." - </p> - <p> - <br /> - </p> - <p> - The work of discharging our cargo began at once—first the sculps on - deck, then those in the 'tween-decks and then those in the tanks. - Thereafter the ship was given a rough cleaning; new berths were erected in - the 'tween-decks and quarter-hatch but not so many as before. The bunkers - and tanks were coaled and then we cast about for a crew. All the seals - taken on this second cruise would have to be shot, so we did not expect to - bring back very many; but the <i>Aurora</i> had her own Scotch crew under - pay, and they had to be fed, so she might as well be at sea picking up a - few seals as lying in the harbor waiting for May 1st. It was not so very - easy finding a crew as they would have little to eat and could not - possibly earn much money. However, at last we were ready and on Wednesday, - April 2nd, sailed. We had heard nothing of the <i>Arctic</i>, and very - little of any of the other ships. The <i>Neptune</i> came in after us with - about 40,000, which was a tremendous cargo, but she was a big ship. There - was much more room with our reduced Newfoundland crew, and we steamed out - of the narrows for the second time with the ship very much more - comfortable than on the first occasion. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0016" id="linkimage-0016"> </a> - </p> - <div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> - <img src="images/0107.jpg" alt="0107 " width="100%" /><br /> - </div> - <h5> - <a href="images/0107.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </h5> - <p> - I must say the appearance of the <i>Aurora</i> at this time was - disreputable in the extreme. The paint had been scraped off by the ice, - and the filthy sheathing covered the decks, while the fragrant bilge water - flowed from her side in a pellucid stream. - </p> - <p> - The Captain told me that he intended following the seals which were going - north towards Labrador and that he expected to fall in with great herds of - year-olds, called bedlamers. We left port after breakfast and steamed out - onto a calm sea, shaping our course north. During the afternoon we saw - patches of ice scattered about and when night came we slowed down and kept - a bright lookout. - </p> - <p> - <i>April 2nd</i> was a blustery day with occasional snow showers. There - was no sea, however, to tumble the ship about as there was a good deal of - ice. We were easily able to avoid the fields by steaming around them. Some - were very heavy looking, having quantities of rafted ice on them. Towards - night, it became calm and thick. - </p> - <p> - <i>April 4th</i>. Steamed dead slow all night as it was thick. In the - morning the sea was calm but still foggy. This was pea-soup day. We always - had pea soup on Fridays; we also always had fish for breakfast; it was - salt cod. The salt was taken out in some way and then the fish was cut - into very small pieces and boiled with broken up sea biscuits and butter, - pepper, etc. I have never tasted anything so good since. In fact, I have - never since tasted anything so good as the food on the whaler after the - first month. There was an absurd arrangement about our meals; it was all - right at sea, but in Greenland, when we walked about during the night - perhaps as much as during the day, it was distressing. Breakfast was at - eight, dinner at noon, and tea at five; there was no regulation meal - between five P. M. and eight A. M. I modified this by having a special - meal at eleven P. M. At that time I took a pot of coffee from the galley - and retired to the pantry for a quiet half hour. - </p> - <p> - <i>April 5th</i>. The day was fine. A good deal of ice was in sight and - occasional seals could be seen. When one was seen ahead, or a few points - on either bow, the ship bore down upon it. As we came close, the seal - would first raise its head to see what was coming, then raise its body - upon its flippers and stare. - </p> - <p> - A number of men with rifles were always on the forecastle head and of this - number I was generally one. If some one did not try too long a shot and - frighten it, we always killed the seal. We had a large number of punts on - board and one was towed astern in the daytime and with it every seal was - picked up. They all counted. Some days we had very good sport and I - enjoyed it. - </p> - <p> - <i>April 6th. Sunday</i>. Huff day. We had plum pudding on Sundays and - Thursdays. The puddings were not round, but oval. The steward made - delicious sauce out of condensed milk and, of course, we had the Spartan - sauce with everything. The Captain was very consistent in his observation - of Sunday—no unnecessary work was done on that day. If there were - whales, we fished, but I never saw a man kept at work on Sunday if it - could be avoided. This day we did the usual shooting from the forecastle - head. The temptation to shoot first was dreadful. I dare say we picked up - fifteen or twenty seals. This was a sad Sunday because of the death of our - canary. I was in the cabin when Jack, the steward, discovered the fact. He - immediately took the seed box out of the cage to the pantry, filled it and - brought it back. Captain Fairweather came down shortly after to breakfast - and immediately noticed the absence of the bird, as it was always hopping - about and making a noise. Jack was called. A look of surprise came over - his face when asked about the canary and he immediately climbed on to the - seat and, looking into the cage, said, with tears in his eyes, "Oh, Sir, - the poor wee bird is deid;" adding, as he pulled out the drawer, "Well, it - is not for want of plenty to eat." I don't think for a moment that the - bird died of starvation, but Jack wanted to simplify the post-mortem - inquiry by eliminating that possibility. Our steward was a remarkable man - and eminently qualified by nature for his position. He could produce a - look of absolute innocence or of sympathy at a moment's notice; his <i>suaviter - in modo</i> would have fitted him for the diplomatic service; and as a - dreamer he was without a peer. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0017" id="linkimage-0017"> </a> - </p> - <div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> - <img src="images/0111.jpg" alt="0111 " width="100%" /><br /> - </div> - <h5> - <a href="images/0111.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </h5> - <p> - There is a great knack about dreaming. To make a reputation and keep it up - even on a whaler requires the judgment of a Delphic priest. - </p> - <p> - It was the presence of Jack, the steward, that gave the atmosphere of a - home to the <i>Aurora's</i> cabin and we all liked him. - </p> - <p> - <i>April 7th.</i> I saw a most interesting thing today. It was an old dog - hood; to call it Cystophora Cristata might give the describer some relief; - but it would convey no idea of this angry-looking creature as he reared up - and gazed at us. How we all resisted firing until he had exhibited - himself, I don't know; but when he was looking perfectly terrible and - fifty yards away, a dozen copper-nosed bullets found their billets about - his head and neck. He was 7 1/2 feet long and a tremendous size around the - shoulders. The bag on his head, when fully distended, must have stood - eight or nine inches, and extended from the muzzle to four inches behind - the eyes. The hood is only found on the male. It is considered ornamental - by the females of the same species, but horrible looking by all other - animals, I am sure. The beast added about 400 pounds to our little cargo, - but the animal, skin and all, certainly weighed seven or eight hundred. - During the day we killed quite a number of hoods, but the first was the - largest. We did not make much of a run, but dodged about and picked things - up. A young hood is rather blue-looking on the back and white underneath. - </p> - <p> - The engine slowed down at night, as usual. - </p> - <p> - <i>April 8th</i>. This was one of the most lovely days, with bright - sunshine, and there was dazzling ice in every direction. To the east of us - we saw a beautiful barque under canvas; she was playing our game, dodging - about and picking up seals. As she was not a steamer, and had a small - crew, she was consequently inexpensive to work; there was no reason why - she should not pay her owners well, especially if she got amongst the - hoods, five or six of which would yield a ton of oil. We kept out to her, - and finding she was the <i>Maud</i> of Dundee, I was sent on board to hear - the news. I was hospitably entertained by the captain, who gave me some - old Dundee papers, but those I brought from the <i>Aurora</i> were much - more recent. When I returned, I saw a funny thing happen. We had a - Newfoundland cook, Jack; he had a triangular face with the base up; a tuft - of hair grew from the apex and was the only decoration. With his long - shaved upper lip, he had an amusing look and he was a character. - </p> - <p> - The ship was bearing down towards ice upon which there was a young hood. - It had been injured and made no effort to escape. Thinking it dead, no one - fired and we were almost on to it when Jack, looking over the side, saw - it. He had not killed a seal that season, so, seizing a gaff, he leaped on - to the pan and we all cheered. As Jack lit on the ice, it broke in two. - The seal slid gracefully off its half, but Jack's half, almost submerged, - swung around under the ship's quarter, where the propeller was threshing - away. Jack paused for a moment between Scylla and Charybdis, and then - giving a wild leap, he disappeared in the sea as far from the propeller as - he could jump. It was most amusing to see this big man give his wild leap; - he was fished out by the punt astern. A small matter, like a man being - half drowned, always amused these simple people so much. - </p> - <p> - I have said that the Newfoundlanders were not over-fed on this trip. We - had, for cabin use, numerous quarters of Dundee beef lashed in our tops. - They kept splendidly up there. One morning the steward reported a quarter - of our Dundee beef stolen. One of the Newfoundland cooks was sent for at - once and I heard the conversation between the angry Captain and the - astonished cook. I heard the cook report every morning how he was on the - track of a thief: "Begorra, sor, I have my eye on him;" or, "Begorra, sor, - I could put my hand on the man," and so on until we got back without the - thief having been turned over; I heard afterwards that the cook certainly - could have at any moment put his hand on the man who took the beef. - </p> - <p> - <i>April 9th</i>. This was one of the most interesting days I spent. At - breakfast, I heard the captain and the mate discussing blinks, that is, - reflections. For instance, an ice blink at sea would mean a sort of - whitish reflection in the sky over an area of ice, or a water blink would - be a dark reflection in the sky over a dark area. We were surrounded by - ice and were approaching a dark blink. Was it water or seals? Before - breakfast was over, the report came from the crow's-nest that the seals - were ahead. I went aloft and saw an extraordinary sight. The ice ahead of - us appeared to be positively black with seals. They covered acres and - acres. We steamed right up to them and then about twenty men, with rifles, - went on to the ice and a lot of others followed to sculp and haul the - sculps to the ship. This ice was not solid but made up of thousands of - pans all detached. They were generally touching in places, but two or - three sprawls would bring any individual seal to some sort of a hole - through which it could escape; therefore, it had to be killed instantly or - it would disappear. The shooting began at once, the men kneeling down and - opening up at the nearest animals. Just as fast as they could consume - ammunition, they fired at seals close at hand, and, as these disappeared, - at those farther away. There was far too much shooting for much result. - Presently they began to get closer. A would kneel down and fire as fast as - possible so as to use as much ammunition as he could before B would pass - him. B would then rush past and begin shooting, and so on. Now, with - regard to this rushing about,—we were travelling on pans of ice of - all sizes, some a few feet square, some as large as a table, some twenty - times that size, but we certainly had to watch where we were going. When - the men scattered, they shot better, but it was much more dangerous, as - the express bullets were singing about everywhere. I had two men who took - me off to one side and who gave me the best shooting I ever enjoyed. The - seals were inclined to bask in the sun and enjoy themselves; so, if we - went about it quietly, we could easily stalk a pan and advance to within - fifty or seventy-five yards; then, if we shot carefully and only hit - heads, we would not disturb the others. Should we wound one, it would not - only go down itself but would frighten the others on the same pan. I shot - off a number of entire pans by quietly getting close and then picking them - off. - </p> - <p> - The seal, properly hit, just drops its head, while the others hold theirs - up for you. This was warm work and the barrel of the rifle became so hot - that I had constantly to put it on the snow to cool off. I watched some of - the Newfoundland men shooting when we started and saw several of them miss - every shot. All they did was to endanger their fellow men and wound an - occasional seal; of course there were some crack shots among them, but it - would have paid well to have tested the ability of all before serving out - rifles to them. As there was not a cloud in the sky, we were greatly - sunburnt and several had a touch of snow-blindness in spite of wearing - colored glasses. We probably picked up three or four hundred seals, and - had there been about eight or ten men who understood the use of firearms, - they would have killed a thousand easily. - </p> - <p> - The sealing cap worn by the Dundee men was very suitable. The peak was - covered with lamb's wool dyed black, so when turned down it absorbed a - great deal of the glare. Wool had to be wound around the metal work of the - colored glasses we wore on account of the cold. - </p> - <p> - <i>April 10th</i>. Nothing makes one rest like a hard day's work in the - open air. My shoulder was black and blue with firing and my ears rang with - the noise while my eyes smarted and my face burned, but I slept like a log - until seven bells. - </p> - <p> - The ship had not moved all night. We were off the coast of Labrador, but - out of sight of land. There was a great deal of ice everywhere and by dawn - we were steaming north as fast as possible in the effort to overtake our - game. By noon the seals were in sight and we went through the same - performance as the day before. I did not attempt it with the main body, - but with two good men went off in a slightly different direction. The - express was certainly a good rifle, and its trajectory very flat, when we - consider the powder. I examined a great many wounds that day and in every - case found the bullet had expanded well if it had hit anything hard. These - seals were nearly all bedlamers and we did not kill any hoods either of - these days, although we had picked up quite a number coming up the coast. - This was a shorter day, and we did not kill so many. It was quite late - when the ship took the last of her men on board, for they had become - scattered. One man had fallen in several times and was very much - exhausted. However, I was able to make him swallow some rum and he soon - revived. A sailor is very feeble and dissolution near at hand when a - little rum cannot be coaxed down with a spoon or other suitable instrument—even - then I would not advise leaving the bottle close to him while looking for - the spoon, lest, during his unconscious struggles, he should spill it. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0018" id="linkimage-0018"> </a> - </p> - <div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> - <img src="images/0121.jpg" alt="0121 " width="100%" /><br /> - </div> - <h5> - <a href="images/0121.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </h5> - <p> - <i>April 11th</i>. We were always on the lookout for the <i>Arctic</i>, - but saw nothing of her. Before leaving St. John's we heard that the <i>Thetis</i> - had been sold to the American Government for the Greely relief expedition, - so she would not appear among the sealers that year. Captain Fairweather's - brother was master of her, so he was disappointed. - </p> - <p> - We kept north in our effort to overtake the seals, the barometer falling a - little towards evening, and a swell coming in from the southeast. We were - well on the outer or eastern edge of the ice, as the Captain did not want - to take any chance of being jammed among heavy floes coming down the - coast. During the evening we had a most wonderful sunset. The sky was red - not only to the west, but nearly all over, and the reflection on the ice - was magnificent. The frozen sea is fascinating when the sun goes down and - before dark; also by moonlight, or bright starlight. - </p> - <p> - During the day the glare is too great but a moonlight night on a frozen - sea is the grandest sight possible. The weird sounds caused by the ever - restless ice are a fitting accompaniment. On this Friday night, the sounds - caused by the ever increasing sea, crunching the pack up, were rather - startling at times, but we kept pretty well out of it, so we were safe. - There was quite a little motion on board, owing to the swell, and we - steamed easy ahead all night, going full speed at daybreak, and by noon - had the satisfaction of finding our seals. We went oft, but not quite as - usual. The roll of the sea had crunched the pack up and broken all the - large sheets of ice, so we were obliged to jump from one pan to another - while they were rising and falling on the long swell of the Atlantic. - There was nothing sudden or uncertain about the motion. The long heavy - rollers lifted one up and lowered one down, and when between them, one - could not see very far. Now occurred a sort of stalking that I have never - seen described, i. e., running after a large wave and keeping perfectly - still when the following wave overtook one; then repeating the stalk, - always running in the trough between the two waves. In this manner I did - some efficient work and shot a great many seals. - </p> - <p> - Most of the time was spent watching where to put my feet; but, on feeling - the rise coming, I stood perfectly still and watched the seals. I was - regaled with accounts of men who had been injured and cut in two by this - sort of thing; but we did not meet with the slightest accident and every - one was picked up by sundown. The ship managed to follow through the ice - pretty well, picking up a few seals here and there, as they had been - sculped, so that we added several hundreds to our collection. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0019" id="linkimage-0019"> </a> - </p> - <div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> - <img src="images/0125.jpg" alt="0125 " width="100%" /><br /> - </div> - <h5> - <a href="images/0125.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </h5> - <p> - <i>April 13th. Sunday</i>. The day was fine and we picked up occasional - seals but did not find a herd. It was a complete day of rest for all - hands. The ice to the west of us looked very heavy and the Captain was - careful to avoid it. We lay to at night, but by daybreak on Monday morning - we were dodging north again. - </p> - <p> - <i>April 14th</i>. I had my first shot at a walrus, sea-horse, as it is - called. Shortly after breakfast the usual rifles were on the forecastle - head when the officer in the crow's-nest called down that he saw a walrus. - The ship was kept down on it, and presently we all saw the big animal with - his long white tusks. In this case, they were very long and could be seen - from a great distance. He was on a pan with open water all around, so we - steamed straight at him. As we approached, he raised himself higher and - higher on his flippers and disappeared after having received a fearful - fusillade, at less than a ship's length. I would have liked the chance of - examining his skin just to count the hits and see the effect. We heard the - thud of striking bullets, but the walrus gave a plunge and was seen no - more. - </p> - <p> - We did the usual amount of sealing from the ship, but had not any men on - the ice. Two or three times we had several punts out, but they did not - pick up very many. - </p> - <p> - <i>April 15th</i>. We dodged back and forth amongst the floating ice, - keeping a little closer to land but not seeing much of interest. There was - a very large floe which bore evidence of great rafting; between the - hummocks on it there was fresh water, regular ponds with connecting - channels. I was on this floe, as we shot a few seals on it, so tasted the - water, which was sweet and good. I have often seen quite big ponds on - floes fast to bergs, and we took water on board sometimes from these. - </p> - <p> - For the next few days we steamed south without seeing anything of - interest. The weather was cold, but fine, and the ice less as we neared - St. John's. We were careful after dark and generally steamed slow. The - crew were employed in cleaning up. - </p> - <p> - April 19th. Saturday. Arrived at St. John's in the morning and took our - usual berth. Our entire catch of seals for the two trips was 28,150, but - the crew were paid for 29,300 as there were some large old seals and they - counted more. - </p> - <p> - There was great news for us on our arrival. I have already mentioned the - sale of the <i>Thetis</i> to the American Government. We now received - orders from Dundee to take the place of the <i>Thetis</i> and proceed to - Davis Straits. The gear removed from this ship was being sent out to us by - an Allan boat. We were to keep our eyes open for the lost Greely, as a - reward had been offered by the United States for any whaler picking him - up. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0020" id="linkimage-0020"> </a> - </p> - <div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> - <img src="images/0130.jpg" alt="0130 " width="100%" /><br /> - </div> - <h5> - <a href="images/0130.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </h5> - <p> - I certainly never intended going on a long trip when sailing, and the - Captain told me I could leave if I wished, but there was a fascination - about the whole thing that I enjoyed. - </p> - <p> - The <i>Aurora</i> had been getting more comfortable all the time,—the - first awful experience of a fearful Atlantic winter passage with the ship - loaded, to the scuppers, then the crowded ship at the first sealing, and - the much pleasanter trip to Labrador. - </p> - <p> - Now I could see that the ship would be very comfortable with only her own - crew, and the deck clear of boats, as it would be on the next part of the - cruise, so I decided to go. It took a very short time to put our seals - out, and, as it was Saturday afternoon by that time, all the work ceased - until Monday morning. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0021" id="linkimage-0021"> </a> - </p> - <div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> - <img src="images/0134.jpg" alt="0134 " width="100%" /><br /> - </div> - <h5> - <a href="images/0134.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </h5> - <p> - I heard an amusing story about a man being nearly drowned in a tank of - oil. A sealer came in and four of her tanks nearest to the boiler had the - sculps break down into oil, owing to the heat. When the crew were - discharging cargo it was the custom for a man to jump into a tank and - throw the sculps out. Coming to the first of these tanks, and looking in, - some sculps could be seen, and, never suspecting that these were a few - floating on the surface, the man jumped in and disappeared under, but was - presently fished out, every one thoroughly enjoying the incident except, - of course, the leading man. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /> - </p> - <hr /> - <p> - <a name="link2HCH0006" id="link2HCH0006"> </a> - </p> - <div style="height: 4em;"> - <br /><br /><br /><br /> - </div> - <h2> - CHAPTER VI—SOMETHING ABOUT THE GREELY RELIEF EXPEDITION - </h2> - <p class="indent15"> - "But 'tis not mine to tell their tale of grief, - </p> - <p class="indent15"> - Their constant peril and their scant relief, - </p> - <p class="indent15"> - Their days of danger and their nights of pain; - </p> - <p class="indent15"> - Their manly courage e'en when deemed in vain." - </p> - <p> - <br /> - </p> - <p> - One of the interesting things about our trip to the Arctic Seas was the - possibility of seeing Greely or of possibly finding him or something about - him. I shall here give a brief outline of what had been done up to this - time towards rescuing the gallant explorer and his intrepid followers. - </p> - <p> - Every one I met in Newfoundland appeared to know a great deal about - Greely, because he had started from there three years before in a St. - John's ship, and because both of the previous relief expeditions had been - in St. John's ships, and a great many of the Newfoundland men had been - with them, and several of our crew at the sealing had been on the <i>Proteus</i>. - One heard the Greely expedition and its relief discussed every day. The - consensus of opinion was that as the navy had the matter in hand now, they - would succeed. The Newfoundlanders, being a maritime people, could not - understand how soldiers could be expected to make a success of a voyage of - discovery or relief, and the two previous relief trips had been - unfortunate. The <i>raison d'etre</i> of the Greely expedition was briefly - as follows: - </p> - <p> - At a certain scientific conference held in Europe a series of circumpolar - stations had been decided upon, from which, owing to their proximity to - the revolutionary axis of our globe, interesting and useful observations - could be made of physical phenomena. As these observations were to be made - at the same time in a great many different places, they would probably - prove of greater interest and value than those supplied intermittently by - expeditions. Now the United States was to have two stations, one at Point - Barrow on the Behring Sea side, and one at Lady Franklin Bay on the Davis - Strait side. A young officer in the American army, Lieutenant Greely, had - volunteered for and been selected to take charge of the Lady Franklin Bay - expedition. The steamer <i>Proteus</i>, a Newfoundland sealer, had been - chartered to convey the party north. She was a Dundee-built ship, about - the size of the <i>Aurora</i>, and her captain and crew were St. John's - men. They left St. John's on July 7,1881, having on board Lieutenant - Greely and twenty-four men, with supplies for three years. They made the - most unprecedented time going north. Crossing the dangerous Melville Bay - in thirty-six hours and getting to within a few miles of her destination - on August 4th, a few days later she landed the explorers, and having - successfully accomplished her mission she returned to her home port. - </p> - <p> - Melville Bay, the bugbear of many Arctic voyages, is a very different - thing when crossed in June by whalers from what it is in July and August; - but the whalers must reach their northern station by the end of June, so - cannot wait for the ice to drift south. - </p> - <p> - It was arranged that a relief expedition should go north in 1882 and - another in 1883, while the third in 1884 should convey the party back. Now - these two previous relief expeditions formed the topic of conversation in - St. John's when the inhabitants became tired of discussing seals and - politics, and I soon heard a good deal about them. For the first, in 1882, - our friend and late neighbor, the <i>Neptune</i>, had been chartered. She - was splendid in every way and did as much as any ship of the period could - have done towards making the thing a success; but the orders were to leave - two hundred fifty rations at Littleton Island and two hundred fifty at the - furthest point reached if the ship failed to get to Lady Eranklin Bay, and - that should they fail to reach the Bay, the balance of the stores were to - be brought back to St. John's. A private in the army had been selected to - take charge of this expedition. As he had been accustomed to obeying - orders to the letter, he deposited the two hundred fifty rations at - Littleton Island, and two hundred fifty at Cape Sabine, the most northern - point reached. Then, as they were unable to reach Lady Franklin Bay, he - carefully brought back all the balance of the cargo of food sent up for - the starving Greely, twenty days' provisions only having been left in the - Arctic and this according to orders and probably—"Well, though the - soldier knew some one had blundered." - </p> - <p> - The authorities were a little anxious now about the brave lieutenant, so - they began to make preparations for the 1883 relief, and this time they - chartered the <i>Proteus</i> and also sent a small navy ship called the <i>Yantic</i>, - a craft rather unfitted for Arctic work. The <i>Proteus</i> was commanded - by Captain Pike (the St. John's man who had made such a record taking - Greely up) and had her Newfoundland crew. This expedition was in charge of - a soldier, Lieutenant Garlington, as the Government wished it all to be an - army affair. Owing to an accident, a sergeant selected to go on the <i>Proteus</i> - was disabled, and Lieutenant Colwell, U. S. N., was added to the - expedition in his place. This was fortunate, as things turned out. One of - our quartermasters on the <i>Aurora</i> during the first sealing trip had - been one of the crew of the <i>Proteus</i>, and he gave me a lot of - interesting information about it. They left St. John's about the end of - June and had a nice passage to Disco. In fact, they found the road so open - that they reached Cape Sabine in about twenty-five days. As they were in a - hurry to reach their destination, Lady Eranklin Bay, little time was spent - here and no stores were landed. When the ship moved out into Kane Sea she - was caught almost at once in heavy polar ice. The officers soon realized - that the ship's position was serious, so began to take supplies out of the - hold. While so engaged the side of the ship burst in and she filled. The - pressure of the ice kept her from sinking for a few hours, then some - change of wind or tide opened the ice and down she went. A great lot of - provisions and stores had been thrown overboard on to the ice, much being - lost in so doing. After the ship went down her crew took their own boats - and the soldiers took theirs. Colwell, with the help of both parties, - succeeded in landing a lot of provisions and stores at Cape Sabine, and - here he cached five hundred rations. It was said that many of the soldiers - did not know how to row, and that some members of the crew of the <i>Proteus</i> - behaved very badly after the loss of the ship. They probably did not - consider that the saving of government supplies was any of their business, - and some of them even are said to have looted these supplies. After a rest - at Cape Sabine, the entire party proceeded south to meet the <i>Yantic</i>, - the supporting vessel. Very little attention had been paid to her, as she - was slow and ill adapted for the ice, and it was thought that she probably - would never attempt Melville Bay. However, she had crossed this and was - following them well, and the series of misunderstandings and - misinterpretations of orders which prevented the <i>Proteus</i> people - going south from meeting the <i>Yantic</i> coming north, makes a most - remarkable story. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0022" id="linkimage-0022"> </a> - </p> - <div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> - <img src="images/0140.jpg" alt="0140 " width="100%" /><br /> - </div> - <h5> - <a href="images/0140.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </h5> - <p> - Lieutenant Garlington and his party, being separated from the crew of the - <i>Proteus</i> for a time, crossed over to Littleton Island and left a - record of the loss of their ship. They then joined the others and - proceeded to Cape York. It was here decided to push on to the Danish - settlements as they did not think the Y antic would come as far north as - Cape York. In the meantime, the <i>Yantic</i> had passed up to Littleton - Island and picked up Garlington's record. She then zigzagged about looking - for the boats, and passing Cape York on her way down without calling, she - proceeded to Upernavik. As the boats were not there, her captain decided - to push on home as the season was getting late, so sailed to Disco. The - boat party at Cape York having decided to go south divided. Lieutenant - Colwell, taking a whale boat and crew, struck across Melville Bay, and - after a most difficult and dangerous passage succeeded in reaching - Upernavik the day after the <i>Yantic</i> had left. He followed her, - however, for a week, and overtaking her at Disco, brought her back to - Upernavik, where the balance of the <i>Proteus</i> people had arrived, and - from there they returned to St. John's. Now the result of all this had - been, in 1882, the deposit of ten days' provisions at Littleton Island and - ten days' provisions at Cape Sabine, the remainder being brought back. In - 1883 the <i>Proteus</i> had not deposited anything during her life, but - after her destruction Lieutenant Colwell had succeeded in caching at Cape - Sabine five hundred rations or twenty days' supplies saved from the <i>Proteus</i>. - The <i>Yantic</i> had been up to Littleton Island and back without leaving - anything behind. Another year had passed and now the rescue of Greely - became imperative. The affair had been handed over to the navy, and - Commander Schley was taking command. The Dundee ship <i>Thetis</i> and the - sealer <i>Bear</i> had been bought and added to the navy. A collier, the - <i>Lough Garry</i>, had been chartered to take coal up for the expedition, - and the <i>Alert</i>, given by the British Government, was also going. At - the same time a reward was offered for any whaler picking Greely up. The - relief ships, except the <i>Alert</i>, were coming to St. John's and would - sail about the same time as the whalers, and as we all knew a good deal - about the circumstances, we were certainly all deeply interested in the - outcome. It was generally believed among our people that Greely would now - be at Cape York or Carey Islands, and the <i>Aurora</i> stood as good a - chance as any other ship of getting there first. Commander Schley had - charge of the expedition and would sail on the <i>Thetis</i>, while - Lieutenant Emory would command the <i>Bear</i>, of which ship Lieutenant - Colwell would be an officer. - </p> - <p> - The whalers going to Davis Strait were— - </p> - <p> - Arctic, Narwhal, Aurora, Nova Zembla, Cornwallis, Polynia, Esquimaux, - Triune, Jan Mayen, Wolf of St. John's. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /> - </p> - <hr /> - <p> - <a name="link2HCH0007" id="link2HCH0007"> </a> - </p> - <div style="height: 4em;"> - <br /><br /><br /><br /> - </div> - <h2> - CHAPTER VII—THE BOTTLENOSE FISHING - </h2> - <p class="indent15"> - "The Arctic sun rose broad above the wave, - </p> - <p class="indent15"> - The breeze now sank, now whispered from his cave." - </p> - <p> - <br /> - </p> - <p> - Newfoundland looked more attractive in April than it did when we left, - doing about was pleasanter and we saw everything worth seeing in the - neighborhood of St John's. On board, great changes took place. All the - sheathing was torn off and the ship cleaned inside and out. Her - overhauling was complete. The rigging was set up, the masts were scraped - and oiled and the ship painted. The punts were all cleared away and our - beautiful whale-boats took their place. - </p> - <p> - The <i>Aurora</i> was peculiar in having two boats, one above the other, - on each quarter. We fished ten boats altogether, four down each side and - two upper quarter boats. - </p> - <p> - The crew of a whale-boat is six, a harpooner, a boat-steerer and four men - pulling. The harpooner rows until ordered by the boat-steerer to stand by - his gun. In the bow the harpoon-gun is mounted on a swivel, and fast to - the harpoon is the "foregoer." This is a very pliable, untarred rope, - about two and a half inches in circumference and eighteen fathoms long. It - is coiled in a tub, sitting on the port bow of the boat, while on the - starboard side, in a convenient rest, lies the hand-harpoon. - </p> - <p> - The bollard head, around which a turn of the line is taken, is an - important structure; it stands in the bow, beside the gun. Many a boat has - gone down through the line fouling at the bollard head. - </p> - <p> - To the "foregoer" or "foreganger," is attached the whale line. The term - "line" means, generally, one rope 120 fathoms long, and there are five of - these carried in each boat, one and a half being stowed amidships and the - rest aft. They are 2 1/2-inch ropes, and tarred. The greatest care must be - observed in coiling these lines, and by the line manager in the boat as - the line runs out. - </p> - <p> - A struck whale generally starts at about seven or eight miles an hour. - Should the rope, running out at this rate, uncoil unevenly, a kink in it - might foul one of the crew and instantly take him down. This has often - happened. - </p> - <p> - Each boat has several six-foot lances ready for use when the whale is - exhausted; the idea being, to sever with the long sharp lance some of the - large vessels, thus bleeding the animal to death. - </p> - <p> - The oars in a whale-boat work on mats on the gunwale, and a thole-pin is - used instead of rowlocks. An arrangement on the oar keeps it from slipping - through the grummet on the thole-pin, when it is let go. The mat is to - prevent noise. A little piggin is used for bailing the boat, and, when - hoisted on a boat hook, is the signal for more lines. The shaft of the - harpoon is made of soft, Swedish iron, so that it can be twisted in any - conceivable way without breaking. - </p> - <p> - A little barrel of bread and cheese is carried in each boat and this must - not be broached until after the boat has been away from the ship a - considerable time; water is also carried. The great long steering oar is - very important. With it a dexterous boat-steerer can do wonders. He can - sweep the boat around very quickly or can scull noiselessly up to a whale - when the oars or paddles would frighten it away. The steering oar works on - a pin and mat, as do the others. - </p> - <p> - The whale fisher has many incentives. As he is generally a man who has to - labor for a living, and as he is partly paid by the result of his work, - the capture of a whale means to him a good deal, probably several pounds. - This stimulates him. Again, the sooner he fills the ship, the sooner he - sails for home. While there is not much chance of filling the ship - nowadays, the securing of a good summer catch probably saves him a weary, - cold autumn, fishing on the west side. Last, but not least, the pursuit of - whales is often attended with great danger, which is one of the principal - factors of good sport. The average game hunter is not exposed to as great - risk as the average whaler. - </p> - <p> - What danger is there in the pursuit of any member of the deer or antelope - family, and what chance has the animal in these days of high power rifles? - Sometimes the whale has no chance for its life and the destruction of such - a huge creature is not exciting, but, generally, there is danger, as the - history of the industry proves. Hunting rhino or buffalo is better sport - than hunting deer because the former may charge and kill one. The whale - hunter may be snatched to instant death by a foul line, or starved to - death in an open boat, and these possibilities elevate the sport greatly. - </p> - <p> - One cannot help sometimes being sorry for the animal one has killed, the - excitement of the chase over and the beast lying dead, especially when - only the head is wanted, and when everything else must be left to spoil. A - dead whale means creature comforts to many poor people; and I, personally, - have had more qualms at the escape of a wounded buck than I have had over - all the whales we killed. - </p> - <p> - Fishing for bottlenose, the year before (1883), the <i>Aurora</i> lost two - men, and the <i>Esquimaux</i> lost one this year. While we were killing - our whales off Hudson Straits, he was snatched out of the boats and never - seen again. A few years before, this man's father was lost from the same - ship. - </p> - <p> - In approaching a black fish, the eye must be avoided. Going "eye on" is a - serious matter, as the whale is not such a fool as it looks, and the - tremendously powerful tail can smite with terrific force. The lifting - power of the tail has not been much studied; but a chance to observe it - occurred on the <i>Nova Zembla</i> some time ago when the mate got his - boat over one. Those who saw the accident say that the tail was lifted - without any apparent effort, throwing the boat many feet up and breaking - the bottom out of it. Fortunately the occupants were spilt out, and fell - clear of the danger zone, because the fish struck the boat again and - reduced it to match wood. - </p> - <p> - A week after our arrival, the <i>Aurora</i> had been pretty well cleaned - and greatly changed in appearance. A small spruce tree was fastened to - each masthead, the end of each yard-arm, and to the point of the jib-boom. - Every one now had an easy time until the actual sailing day. Quite a - number of vessels of all sorts had arrived, as the ice had disappeared - from the coast; amongst them was the Allen steamer <i>Newfoundland</i>, - from Halifax, bringing us English mail. The Greely relief ship <i>Bear</i> - had also come in. - </p> - <p> - <i>May 1st. Thursday</i>. The <i>Aurora</i> was receiving finishing - touches. We were lying at the south side but our launch had steam up and - took us across when we wanted to go. - </p> - <p> - <i>May 2</i>. Taking a gun, I went with Dr. Crawford, of the <i>Arctic</i>, - straight up the hill from the ship and found on the other side a growth of - little trees so dense as to be practically impenetrable in places. I shot - a hare crossing a little open place, and saw a splendid big hawk flying - about, but it never came within shot. Returning with the hare, the Captain - stopped me just as I was going on board. A hare was too unlucky, so I gave - it to a man on the wharf. Captain Guy was standing on the <i>Arctic</i> - and, seeing this, came on shore and cut the hare's feet off, throwing them - on to the <i>Aurora</i>; he was ever fond of a joke. The most unlucky - parts of this unlucky animal in no way interfered with our prosperity, - however. - </p> - <p> - <i>May 3rd.</i> As the <i>Lough Garry</i> had come in I went on board. She - was an ordinary iron or steel steamer of about 1,000 tons and had been - chartered to take 500 tons of coal north for the relief expedition. She - was not fortified or specially prepared in any way for the work, but still - she managed to get along very well as far as her services were required. - Going on board, I encountered the mate, who recognized me, he having been - the mate of the <i>Thetis</i> who had given me the information I sought - about whaling while in Dundee the autumn before. He showed me over the - ship and told me many interesting facts about a whaling voyage. - </p> - <p> - The <i>Esquimaux</i> sailed this day and the <i>Narwhal</i> had already - gone. The desire to find Greely was certainly starting us all north a - couple of weeks before the usual time. - </p> - <p> - <i>May 4th. Sunday.</i> The <i>Bear</i> sailed. She was unlike any other - ship going north this year, because she had her black funnel forward of - the main mast and her crow's-nest on the foremast. The <i>Arctic</i> had - her funnel in the same place, but her crow's-nest was on the mainmast. - Their rigs also differed. These are small matters, but we soon could - recognize any of the ships a long way off by their little peculiarities. - During the day I went on board the <i>Polynia</i>. She was ready for sea - and lying in the harbor. Captain Walker, who had command of her, was a - naturalist and sportsman and it was a pleasure meeting him. She proceeded - north before morning. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0023" id="linkimage-0023"> </a> - </p> - <div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> - <img src="images/0151.jpg" alt="0151 " width="100%" /><br /> - </div> - <h5> - <a href="images/0151.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </h5> - <p> - May 5th. Spent some time on board the <i>Arctic</i>. She was ready for sea - and looked clean and nice with her spacious decks and cabins—very - unlike a whaler. Her lines were graceful, and she had powerful engines, - but she could not have stood as much in ice as the <i>Aurora</i>. Captain - Guy told me about killing a whale with an old Eskimo harpoon buried in its - blubber. He gave me this interesting souvenir of my voyage and told me - about Captain McKay of Dundee killing a whale in which he found a harpoon - with which the fish had been struck forty-two years before. This iron is - now in the Dundee Museum. - </p> - <p> - <i>May 6th and 7th</i>. Took my last look at St. John's and made my cabin - comfortable. I had now been in it for three months, so knew exactly what - was required. - </p> - <p> - There does not seem to be any connection between a whaler and Florida - water; but still I venture to say that there was not a sailor on our ship - who had not from one to half a dozen bottles of this commodity. Some were - for trade with the Eskimos and some for their sweethearts at home. The - Captain had laid in a quantity of colored handkerchiefs and such things, - which the men were permitted to purchase afterwards from the slop-chest - for purposes of barter. The slop-chest was the ship's shop and was - superintended by the second mate. One could purchase a wonderful lot of - useful things from this institution. - </p> - <p> - <i>May 8th</i>. After breakfast, all being ready, the <i>Aurora</i> sailed - for the whale fishing. In Scotland, a fish means a salmon, but in - Greenland, a black whale is always spoken of as a fish, never anything - else. We sailed out of the narrows and turned north. It was blowing a - little from the southeast, so there was some swell. We got square sails on - the ship presently, and with this breeze on her quarter, made good time, - the engines going full speed. - </p> - <p> - Our intention was to try the bottlenose whale fishing off Resolution - Island at the mouth of Hudson's Straits, for a few days, then go over to - the Greenland side and follow the usual route. As there were many bergs - coming down and quantities of field ice at this season, we kept rather - well away from the coast, along which it came. At night the canvas was - taken off the ship and a bright lookout kept for ice. For the next three - days we steered north. The weather was fine and the sea smooth. Going up - the Labrador coast, we saw some heavy floes, but kept well to the east of - them and did not sight land. We did not see anything of interest, so it - was rather monotonous. - </p> - <p> - <i>May 12th</i>. It was a lovely morning when I came on deck, with the - wind from the southeast. We had our fore and afters set and were steaming - full speed. Astern of us was the <i>Nova Zembla</i> and we were towing - her, an act of brotherly love. - </p> - <p> - I had seen the ship in Dundee and was struck by her beauty. She and the <i>Jan - Mayen</i> were very handsome little ships, and she looked far better at - sea than in dock. We towed her part of the day. During the afternoon, the - wind died down and the evening was beautiful; not a breath of air, but - some swell rolling in from the southeast and the surface of the sea like - glass. The people to-day were employed coiling lines in boats and - arranging fishing gear as we might see the bottlenose whales any time. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0024" id="linkimage-0024"> </a> - </p> - <div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> - <img src="images/0155.jpg" alt="0155 " width="100%" /><br /> - </div> - <h5> - <a href="images/0155.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </h5> - <p> - May 13th. A beautiful calm day. The men were getting ready the whale-boats - and filling the bunkers. We were well off Cape Chidley, the northeast - corner of Labrador, in the morning. In the evening a school of bottlenose - whales was seen, and six boats were lowered away. Two of the boats - immediately filled as they had been out of the water so long, but the - others pulled after the whales. I was oh the bridge watching the sport. It - was splendid. The ship and boats rising and falling on a rather heavy - swell, the surface of the water like oil, the boats freshly painted, and - the harpoons glistening in the sun, presented an interesting picture of - the sea; while the school of very lively little whales rolling about like - porpoises and then disappearing, to come up suddenly, gave it animation. - </p> - <p> - The boats had several shots, but they were quick and difficult. One, - however, was captured by Alex. McKechnie, the second mate, and after a - short play, killed and brought alongside. This beast (Hyperoodon - Rostratus, or the northern sperm whale) is small, but of remarkable - appearance, having a long round beak, which protrudes from the lower part - of its large head. Its oil is very good; that flowing from the cancellous - bones of the head solidifying on deck at a comparatively high temperature, - and when solid, looking like spermaceti. Many of the men took bottles full - of this oil for use in future sprains and bruises. Late in the evening - another whale was killed by Thors, and, from the numbers we saw around, - there was no reason why the <i>Aurora</i> should not have picked up a - profitable cargo in this neighborhood, but the desire for the valuable - whalebone took us to the north. - </p> - <p> - <i>May 14th.</i> We were off Frobisher's Bay and after the little whales - again, and another was captured. I was not in the boats at all at this - fishing, as the movement of the whales was so fast that they capsized - boats frequently and only experienced oarsmen were wanted. I was told that - more men lost their lives at this than at the right whale fishing. We - learned afterwards that the <i>Nova Zembla</i> picked up seven here, while - the <i>Arctic bagged seventeen</i>. The whale killed in the morning by - McLean was over twenty feet long. The other two were smaller. The heads - were brought on board so I had a good look at them. - </p> - <p> - I saw white stalactites of spermaceti hanging from them to stalagmite - incrustations of the same on deck, and I noticed that the oil was free - from smell. - </p> - <p> - The neighborhood of Resolution Island was notorious for its awful - currents, and the rise and fall of tide about the western end of Hudson - Straits made navigation on these comparatively uncharted waters - exceedingly dangerous. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0025" id="linkimage-0025"> </a> - </p> - <div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> - <img src="images/0159.jpg" alt="0159 " width="100%" /><br /> - </div> - <h5> - <a href="images/0159.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </h5> - <p> - I once heard Captain Guy tell of a narrow escape he had in the - neighborhood of the upper Savage Islands. From the barrel, he saw a rock - ahead, and ordered the lead cast. Three fathoms was found, so he backed - off and anchored. In a few hours he was astonished to find an island where - the submerged rock had been, and he afterwards learned from a reliable - source that the rise and fall of tide at this place was over forty feet. - Caribou were abundant on the north coast of the straits, and musk-ox were - also found. Sometimes whalers coming down for the southwest fishing, in - the autumn, killed numbers of both. The caribou was the barren land - variety, and some of the heads were enormous. In this species the beam was - long and straggly, and the palmation was not very pronounced. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /> - </p> - <hr /> - <p> - <a name="link2HCH0008" id="link2HCH0008"> </a> - </p> - <div style="height: 4em;"> - <br /><br /><br /><br /> - </div> - <h2> - CHAPTER VIII—THE CHIEFTAIN DISASTER - </h2> - <p class="indent15"> - "We have fed our sea for a thousand years, - </p> - <p class="indent20"> - And she calls us, still unfed, - </p> - <p class="indent15"> - Though there is never a wave of all our waves - </p> - <p class="indent20"> - But marks our English dead." - </p> - <p class="indent30"> - — Kipling. - </p> - <p> - <br /> - </p> - <p> - It may be of interest to recount here the story of the <i>Chieftain's</i> - mishap, which was the worst accident of the year. - </p> - <p> - The <i>Chieftain</i> was one of the Dundee whaling fleet. When we left she - was fitting out for the Greenland sealing and bottlenose whaling. - </p> - <p> - Leaving Dundee on March 6th, under the command of Captain Gellatley, she - lost four of her boats, on May 26th, in a fog. - </p> - <p> - These made their way to Iceland. One, in charge of the captain, landed at - Primness. A second, in charge of Alex. Bain, a harpooner, arrived at - Tonsberg, having lost overboard her boat-steerer, David Buchan. A third - landed at Ramfarhofu with all alive. The fourth was picked up, and in her - there was but one survivor. When this boat left the ship there were three - men in her. One died and was duly committed to the deep; another fell into - a lethargy which continued so long that McIntosh, the survivor, though - hardly able to move his benumbed legs, crawled to the bow of the boat to - find out what was the trouble, but found him dead. - </p> - <p> - Fearing lest he might yield to the temptation of using the body for food, - by a great effort he succeeded in heaving it overboard. The boat was - picked up on the fourteenth day off the Iceland coast by a passing ship; - but McIntosh was compelled to have both legs amputated as mortification - had set in. It is terrible to think of what this brave fellow must have - endured drifting about in a small boat over this lonely and stormy sea, - half frozen and with hardly any food. - </p> - <p> - The following is the account given by Captain Gellatley of the cause of - the accident, and of his experiences during the awful trip to Iceland. - </p> - <p> - A school of whales was observed on Monday, 26th of May, and the afternoon - being fine, four boats went out in pursuit—one under the command of - Captain Gellatley; the second under the charge of Thomas Elder, the second - mate; John Taylor, specksioneer, was in charge of the third; and Alexander - Bain, harpooner, of the fourth. - </p> - <p> - In the course of a short time the captain's boat got fast to a whale, and - also the specksioneer's. The second mate assisted the captain. After some - time the whale was killed and towed to the ship, which was reached about - three o'clock in the morning. By this time a dense fog had settled down, - and after his crew had breakfasted, Captain Gellatley set out to look for - the three boats, giving directions that if the fog continued the vessel - should be kept in her position, so as to enable them to find her; but that - she was to bear down towards the boats if the mist lifted. Knowing the - bearings of the boats, Captain Gellatley came up to them after rowing for - fully two hours, and found that the whale was still alive and causing - great trouble. Three additional harpoons were fired into it, and in the - course of the forenoon it was killed, and the four boats started in the - direction of the ship with the whale in tow. In the meantime the weather - cleared, and the ship was descried at a distance of about five miles; but - in the course of half an hour the fog again came down, and it was so dense - that it was impossible to see more than a few yards ahead. Though they - pulled from half past ten o'clock in the forenoon until half past four in - the afternoon they failed to find the <i>Chieftain</i>, and no answering - signals were returned to their blasts of fog horns. It was then resolved - that one of the boats should proceed eastwards and another westwards for - some distance, but they returned without having been able to discover the - whereabouts of the ship, notwithstanding the most diligent search. At one - time a sound like a whistle was heard in one direction and again in - another, and the men got utterly fatigued by their protracted search, a - fresh breeze springing up and adding to their discomfort. About eight - o'clock in the evening a number of the men confidently declared that they - heard a ship's whistle sounding in a northeasterly direction, and the - second mate was sent away in the hope of finding the ship. Some time later - Captain Grellatley decided to follow in the same direction, and - accordingly the whale was buoyed and a lance with a handkerchief tied to - the end of the handle was stuck into the carcass for identification. The - three boats then followed in the course taken by the second mate, but they - could never catch up to him, though they repeatedly heard the blast of his - fog horn. Throughout the night the search was continued without success, - and on the morning of the 28th, the crews being fatigued, the three boats - were made fast to one another and a deep sea anchor thrown out for the - purpose of stopping their way and allowing the men to rest. In the course - of the morning James Cairns, an ordinary seaman, accidentally fell - overboard, but he was promptly rescued. On the 28th matters began to - assume a serious aspect. The crews had then been two days absent from the - ship, and their slender stock of food—a small keg of provisions and - a six pound tin of preserved meat in each boat—had become exhausted. - In consequence of their privations the men became affected with stupor, - and with the view of dispelling this the captain ordered the anchor to be - hauled in and the boats to be rowed towards the ice. This exercise had a - beneficial effect, and it seemed as if it were to result in a happy - rescue, for a barque was noticed sailing away to the windward. Signals - were made in the hope of attracting attention, but the crews were doomed - to disappointment, the fog, which had temporarily cleared, having again - fallen and obscured everything from sight. The weather, too, became - boisterous, and the boats were in imminent danger of being crushed by the - ice. To save the boats from destruction it was found necessary to row out - from under the lee of the floes, and during this time Captain Gellatley - narrowly escaped being drowned. Whale-boats are all steered by an oar, and - while the captain was steering, his oar was struck by a wave and he was - knocked overboard. Fortunately he was rescued before he had been long in - the water, but he suffered much from having to remain in his wet clothes - during the remainder of the time he was in the boat. All the men were by - this time complaining of the benumbed condition of their hands and feet, - and by the morning of Friday, 30th, it was hardly possible to keep them - awake. That morning the wind shifted to the westward, and as all hope of - falling in with the <i>Chieftain</i> had been given up, it was decided, as - the only chance of saving their lives, to endeavor to sail to Iceland, - which was calculated to be about two hundred miles distant. Each of the - boats possessed a compass, but there was neither mast nor sail, and in - their place a couple of boat-hooks were erected by way of a mast, with the - ramrod of the gun as a yard, and the line cover, a piece of canvas about - five feet by three feet, had to do duty as a sail. Thus equipped, and with - a supply of frozen snow and pieces of ice to quench their thirst, the - crews of the three boats set out on their perilous journey, the master - giving the directions for steering. They left the ice about five o'clock - in the morning, and were soon scudding along at a rapid rate, there being - a strong breeze blowing. About eight o'clock the boat which was in advance - was seen to shorten sail, and when the captain came up he was informed - that David Buchan, while steering, had been knocked overboard and drowned. - An attempt was then made to tow this boat; but the sea was running so high - that this jeopardized both. It soon became apparent that the boats would - be swamped if they continued in tow, and the captain was obliged to cast - the second one adrift, telling the crew they must either hoist sails and - make for Iceland along with him or run back for the ice. They preferred to - hold on their course, and the sail was again hoisted. The weather - continued moderate until between four and five o'clock in the afternoon, - when it shifted to the northward and began to blow hard. A heavy sea - arose, and through the night it was with the utmost difficulty that the - captain kept his boat afloat. At times she was nearly filled, and the men - had to keep almost constantly bailing out the water. The stormy weather - continued throughout the whole of Friday night and Saturday, and it was - found necessary to throw the whale lines overboard to lighten the boat. In - the meantime the condition of the men was becoming more and more alarming, - and the captain was forced to employ various devices to prevent them from - falling into a state of stupor, which would soon have proved fatal. To use - the oars was an impossibility on account of the heavy seas and the rate at - which the boat was sailing, and accordingly the captain persuaded the men - to hold up their oars by way of exercise. This had the desired effect for - some time, but by Sunday morning, the fourth day they had been without - food, they were all ready to give up in despair. Captain Gellatley had - been steering constantly from Friday morning till Sunday morning, and the - fatigue, combined with the privations he endured in common with his crew, - began to tell severely upon him. Only those who have had to steer such a - boat in a seaway can understand the irksome and laborious nature of the - work, and to this must be added the fact that he had to sit in a cramped - position the whole time, his legs being bent under him. The captain stated - that a peculiar sensation came over him, a haze gathered before his eyes, - and an attack of dizziness obliged him to call the boatswain to take his - place. After a brief space the boatswain, who was almost prostrated, had - to relinquish the task, and the boat was then hove to, and a deep sea - anchor, made up of a grappling iron and other articles, was thrown out, - with fifty fathoms of line, by which means the boat's head was kept - towards the sea. The weather was then moderating, but the waves continued - to break over the boat, and it was as much as the men could do to keep her - afloat. A few hours later and the gale sprang up afresh, and as there were - still no signs of land, the crew resigned themselves to the fate which - they deemed to be inevitable. From this state of despair they were - ultimately aroused by the news that the land and a schooner were in sight, - the sailmaker being the first to make the joyful announcement. This - intelligence reanimated the despairing men, and signals were made to the - schooner, but without succeeding in attracting the attention of the crew. - A direct course was then steered for the land, but owing to the gale ten - hours elapsed before it was reached. A new difficulty was then - encountered, there being no visible landing-place along that rock-bound - coast. A number of the islanders, however, had noticed the boat, and by - means of signs they directed the crew to steer for the only available - landing-place, a narrow passage with perpendicular rocks on either side, - and a horizontal rock forming a sort of bar. The tide was then ebbing, but - under the guidance of Captain Gellatley, the boat was safely steered into - the narrow harbor. By the assistance of the islanders the crew, who had - almost lost the power of their legs, were take to a farmer's hut - adjoining, where they were hospitably entertained with such cheer as the - house afforded; and the black bread and whale blubber which were set out - before them proved a feast to the famishing sailors. The point at which - they landed was Brimness, about ten miles distant from Langanaes, and - after they had recovered somewhat the islanders made arrangements for - transporting them on horseback to the nearest port. However, the Norwegian - smack, <i>Jemima</i>, of Elekkefjord, hove in sight, and on being - signalled, the captain, Bernard Olsen, readily agreed to take the crew to - Seydisfjord, where a steamer was shortly to sail for Scotland. On their - arrival at Seydisfjord on the 8th of June, the governor had them conveyed - to a hotel, and a messenger was dispatched for a doctor, who arrived in - the course of two days, his journey requiring twenty-four hours to - accomplish. Under his treatment Captain Gellatley and his crew made a - satisfactory recovery, and on the 12th they left Seydisfjord on board the - mail steamer <i>Thym</i>, for Granton. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /> - </p> - <hr /> - <p> - <a name="link2HCH0009" id="link2HCH0009"> </a> - </p> - <div style="height: 4em;"> - <br /><br /><br /><br /> - </div> - <h2> - CHAPTER IX—A GREENLAND SETTLEMENT - </h2> - <p class="indent15"> - "The shuddering tenant of the frigid zone - </p> - <p class="indent15"> - Boldly proclaims the happiest spot his own; - </p> - <p class="indent15"> - Extols the treasures of his stormy seas, - </p> - <p class="indent15"> - And his long nights of revelry and ease." - </p> - <p> - <br /> - </p> - <p> - We were now crossing Davis Straits and felt that the whaling voyage had - fairly begun. Reference was seldom made to the places already visited, but - those we expected to see were discussed, and stories told of previous - experiences there. Nothing was spoken of but Greenland and its - settlements. - </p> - <p> - The weather was very cold and on Thursday, May 15th, snow squalls reminded - us of our latitude. The wind was fair, however, and the ship made good - time under steam and some canvas. - </p> - <p> - <i>Friday, May 16th.</i> The morning was fine and the men of the watch - were employed coaling the bunkers; coal dust was thick in the 'tween-decks - and the tarts we had for tea were black with it as the galley opened oft - the Tween-decks. In spite of their color, however, they were better tarts - than any I ever tasted on shore. - </p> - <p> - As we expected to be on the Greenland coast the following day, a few - remarks about the country may not be out of place. - </p> - <p> - The west coast settlements had prospered under the fostering care of the - Moravian missionaries and the Danish Government and were divided into two - districts, the northern and the southern, Holstenborg, to which we were - bound, being the northern settlement of the southern district. The most - northern settlements of the northern district had native governors, but - the southern had Danish, and inspectors supervised the work of these. - </p> - <p> - One or two ships from Copenhagen visited the coast every year with - supplies, taking back oil and skins. - </p> - <p> - We have all sung about the icy mountains of Greenland, and most of us have - in a vague way connected the country with whales, without having any idea - of how great this whaling industry was some years ago. In the appendix it - will be seen that Great Britain alone sent one hundred and fifty-nine - ships to Greenland waters in 1819, and, of course, the Norwegians and - Dutch, the Danes, Germans and others also profited by the fisheries. Many - words in the modern whaler's vocabulary are of Dutch origin, as these - hardy people were conspicuous among the most daring followers of this - dangerous trade. - </p> - <p> - Greenland has a past, but its history, viewed through the mists of - centuries, and always more or less traditional, is anything but distinct. - </p> - <p> - The country was discovered toward the end of the tenth century; and a - banished Norwegian, called Erick, wintered at what is now called Erick - Sound, shortly after. The unscrupulous Erick, in order to promote - colonization, called the new country Greenland. A fleet of twenty-five - sail started for the country with colonists. Many were lost, but about - half of them settled there and were joined by others, forming quite a - colony. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0026" id="linkimage-0026"> </a> - </p> - <div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> - <img src="images/0173.jpg" alt="0173 " width="100%" /><br /> - </div> - <h5> - <a href="images/0173.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </h5> - <p> - Christianity was introduced about 1121 and a bishop was appointed. By - degrees the colonists in the south formed other colonies, churches were - built, and the people prospered for a time. - </p> - <p> - Grant tells us in his history of Greenland that there were about one - hundred hamlets on these coasts. The colonies on the east coast have - disappeared. Some ruins have been found, but where are the people? Nothing - has been heard definitely from them since 1408, when the east Greenland - trade ceased. Some think that black death destroyed them, others say that - polar ice, coming down, closed the coast from intercourse with the parent - country, so that they starved. According to one Kojake, who has written on - the subject, they became eaters of human flesh, owing to a famine, but - afterwards they are said to have relished it. That they were nice about it - is evident when we read that they only consumed old people, forsaken - orphans and unnecessary persons. A rumor reached Norway in 1718 about a - vessel having been wrecked oft the coast of Greenland and of the crew - having been eaten voraciously by savages. The word voracious suggests - relish, and possibly these savages were descendants from the good, old - Norwegian stock, who ate unnecessary persons only a few hundred years - before and who had a bishop in 1121. - </p> - <p> - <i>May 17th. Saturday</i>. We expected to sight the land, so were on the - lookout. The weather was cloudy and there was a southeast breeze, so - everything was set and drawing. The clouds lifted about noon and in the - distance the snow-covered mountains of Greenland could be seen. At first - it was difficult to tell which was mountain and which cloud. By and by, - however, the forbidding coast grew distinct. - </p> - <p> - Our objective point was Holstenborg and the mate was in the crow's-nest - examining the shore for the Danish colors. Some small bergs were scattered - over the water and a narrow shore floe was fast to the coast. - </p> - <p> - To the north of us the Knights Reefs ran far out to sea and on these some - larger bergs had grounded. The ship was slowed down and all her canvas - stowed. Finally the engines were stopped, and after a little while, the - captain ordered the ship put about as he could not pick up the settlement. - I heard the order given and was greatly disappointed as I longed to see an - Eskimo. - </p> - <p> - Just then the mate called out that he saw a kayak coming off, so the ship - lay to and waited. I repaired to the fore top and presently saw two kayaks - coming toward us. There was quite a splash on, but the sun had now come - out and the scene interested me intensely. - </p> - <p> - The little boats were almost submerged and the occupants were wet and - glistened in the sunlight. - </p> - <p> - When they came alongside, I saw that the kayaks were about 15 feet long, - with little knobs of ivory decorating bow and stern, and were about 18 - inches wide at the widest part and covered with skin. - </p> - <p> - One Eskimo sat in each. The edge of the hole in which he sat was raised a - couple of inches and over this he had pulled his skin coat, wrapped a lash - around it and made it water-tight. The paddle was trimmed with ivory and - the dusky faces of the almond-eyed navigators were all smiles as they - looked at us and showed their white teeth. A whale boat was lowered and - each canoe lifted in, Eskimo and all, then they left their boats, shook - hands with every one around and went on to the bridge, where they remained - until the ship was at anchor off the village. - </p> - <p> - Holstenborg consisted of a church, which was also a schoolhouse, a shop - where the deputy governor lived, and the governor's house. There were a - number of native houses—awful places, built of turf. A long low - passage led to the door of each. As the weather was comparatively warm, - this passage was generally very wet, and when the door of the house - opened, the smell was overpowering. Inside sat women at work with their - needles, or dressing skins. When the ship came to anchor off the shore - floe, a boat-load of ladies came on board. A Greenland belle was a well - dressed person. Her hair was folded several times and then wound about - with a ribbon, so that it stood up upon the top of the head; the fold of - the hair above the ribbon was rather fanshaped, and the color of the - ribbon indicated whether the lady was married, single, or a widow. - Possibly there were degrees of wrapping, and shades of the color, - indicating the number of times she had been married, and the depths of - despair into which her various bereavements had reduced her. This simple - record of her past was an excellent arrangement in a country where there - were no society papers,—a sort of personal totem carried on the - head, so that he or she who ran might read. Of course, in lower latitudes, - where high civilization and divorce courts exist, shortness of hair would - render some records so incomplete that the Greenland method is never - likely to supplant the present ready references to be found amongst - interested and observing neighbors. A bodice was worn, made of some - cheerful colored stuff procured at the shop or from whalers. Tight fitting - trousers, made of bay seal skin and extending down to the knees, came - next, and very gaudy boots of colored skin. Down the front of each leg of - the trousers was a stripe 1 1/2 inches wide, of colored skin, and the - boots, especially around the tops, were very ornate. Many of the girls - were good-looking, and on their arrival a ball commenced in the - 'tween-decks which lasted while they were there; fiddles and concertinas - supplying the music. These instruments were played by whalers and Eskimos - equally well, and they knew the same airs. Most of our visitors had - articles to barter and they wanted bread in return more than anything - else, but accepted colored handkerchiefs and other trifles. - </p> - <p> - Slippers and tobacco pouches were their principal stock in trade, but - there were some down quilts, prettily bordered with the green necks of the - eider duck. Captain Fairweather and myself spent a pleasant evening with - the governor and his deputy, and it was interesting to hear the music of - civilization played on a piano by the wife of the latter. - </p> - <p> - Coming away, they gave us a lot of quaint ivories made by the natives, - from walrus tusks, such as brooches, pipes, paper knives, etc., etc. - </p> - <p> - <i>May 18th. Sunday</i>. I went on shore early, and seeing a lot of snow - buntings, spent some time looking for their nests, but without result. On - the sunny sides of the rocks the snow had gone; there was some dead grass, - but indeed the country was, for the most part, covered with it. There were - several pairs of ravens about, but I could not find their nests, so I - borrowed a pair of skies, and ascending a hill close by, enjoyed the - exhilarating sport of sliding down its snowy slope. During the afternoon I - made a house-to-house visitation in the native quarter and saw much of - interest. The older portion of the population I found at home, but the - youth and beauty of the place had gone on board the <i>Aurora.</i> About - dinner time I came on board and acquired a further collection of Eskimo - ware, including ladies' clothing, for which even my bed curtains were - bartered. It was late when I retired for the night, surfeited with the - pleasure of my first long day in Greenland. - </p> - <p> - <i>May 19th. Monday</i>. I wrote letters home this morning and sent them - on shore. During the summer they arrived via Copenhagen, having gone by - the Danish mail ship which visited the settlement every year. - </p> - <p> - By breakfast time we were under way. It was a beautiful day. There was a - breeze from the southwest, so the ship soon had all her canvas set and we - stood away, clear of the land. - </p> - <p> - The Knights Reef, running out to sea north of Holstenborg, had to be - weathered. On the heavy ice around there, we saw a number of walrus, but - did not disturb them. By noon we were sailing up the coast amid floe ice, - so the canvas was taken off and we steamed slowly through it. A sharp - lookout was kept for whales, as we were then on a very good ground for - spring fishing, sixty miles from Disco and sixty miles from Riffkol being - the neighborhood where the ships in olden times killed fine cargoes. - </p> - <p> - <br /> - </p> - <p class="indent15"> - "With Riffkol hill and Disco Dipping, - </p> - <p class="indent15"> - There you will find the whale fish skipping," - </p> - <p> - <br /> - </p> - <p> - is an old saying amongst whalers. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0027" id="linkimage-0027"> </a> - </p> - <div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> - <img src="images/0184.jpg" alt="0184 " width="100%" /><br /> - </div> - <h5> - <a href="images/0184.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </h5> - <p> - <br /><br /> - </p> - <hr /> - <p> - <a name="link2HCH0010" id="link2HCH0010"> </a> - </p> - <div style="height: 4em;"> - <br /><br /><br /><br /> - </div> - <h2> - CHAPTER X—POLAR BEAR SHOOTING - </h2> - <p class="indent30"> - "The shapeless bear - </p> - <p class="indent15"> - With dangling ice, all horrid, stalks forlorn, - </p> - <p class="indent15"> - Slow paced, and sourer as the storms increase, - </p> - <p class="indent15"> - He makes his bed beneath the inclement drift, - </p> - <p class="indent15"> - And with stem patience, scorning weak complaint, - </p> - <p class="indent15"> - Hardens his heart against the assailing want." - </p> - <p> - <br /> - </p> - <p> - <i>May 20th. Tuesday.</i> We were quite close to Disco in the morning. - However, the Captain decided not to go into the settlement, Godhaven, - where many other ships lay, but to go west, as the straits appeared - tolerably free from ice in that direction. Accordingly, about noon, we - turned our bows westward, having a solid looking floe to the north of us - and open water to the south. This was all good fishing ground and we might - have picked up a big whale, but we did not see a single spout while we - were in the neighborhood. - </p> - <p> - Birds were getting numerous, now that we were amongst the ice, and the - edge of the floe was lined with little auks in some places. They were - important-looking fellows, like diminutive penguins. - </p> - <p> - Disco looked wild and forbidding as we steamed away from it, with snow - lodged in all the sheltered places. - </p> - <p> - The island rose to a height of about three thousand feet and much of the - coast on the west side of it was precipitous and exposed, so that there - were always bare rock faces, which gave a patchy appearance to that place. - </p> - <p> - To the north of us, many big bergs could be seen, which had come - originally from Waggate Straits. Two tremendous ones were at one time - aground in this place, in very deep water. They were described by Crants, - who tells us that they were there for years. - </p> - <p> - We had steamed for some distance to the west, along the floe edge, when - the lookout called down that he saw a bear on an island of ice, a few - points on our starboard bow. I heard him, so immediately went for my - rifle. A boat was lowered and we rowed to the island. George Matheson, one - of our harpooners, and myself immediately landed, and the boat left us, - intending to row around the island so as to intercept bruin, should he - attempt to swim to the main floe. - </p> - <p> - As this was the first wild bear I had ever seen, I was unfamiliar with - their ways, but learned afterwards that unless the hunter came suddenly - upon one, or unless it had cubs, it would almost invariably retreat and - probably take to the water. Of course, it might not know the whereabouts - of the hunter, and in that case it would be as liable to go in his - direction as any other. - </p> - <p> - This particular animal was an exception to all rules; for before we had - gone very far we found that he was coming straight toward us. Owing to the - nature of the ice, he could not always be seen, but occasionally he would - stand up and take his bearings, when we could see each other. I was an - active youth, George was a heavy man in excellent condition, and if it - came to running, he would have had no chance with me, and no sensible bear - would pass him to pursue me. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0028" id="linkimage-0028"> </a> - </p> - <div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> - <img src="images/0188.jpg" alt="0188 " width="100%" /><br /> - </div> - <h5> - <a href="images/0188.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </h5> - <p> - Realizing these things, I had no misgivings, so knelt down and put out a - box of ten cartridges. The har-pooner, seeing my preparations, said: "For - God's sake, don't shoot." He had had experiences with wounded bears - before, which he did not wish to repeat. It seemed to me, however, that, - between the two of us, we had things our own way as we had had such - splendid practice at seals a short time before and our hands were in, so, - when bruin stood up to have a look at us, less than a hundred yards away, - I fired and hit him in the head. - </p> - <p> - I was intensely pleased as it was my first bear and also the first seen - that year by any of the ships. - </p> - <p> - We had, as spectators, the entire crew, as the ship was not far away and - every one on board was watching. A bear is considered lucky, considerable - trouble being taken to pick one up. As they looked very yellow in the - white ice, they were easily seen. Curiosity, no doubt, drew this one to - us, as we were kneeling down and not moving when he stood up to look. Had - we moved, he would probably have gone away. I kept the skull, the entire - occipital portion of which was shattered, although the skin wound was - small, as the copper-nosed bullets only expanded well on striking - something hard. - </p> - <p> - The boat came back for us and, after skinning the prize, we went on board. - As there was much heavy ice to the west, we steamed back towards Disco, - and a lead, opening to the north, later in the day, gave us a chance of - going a few miles in the right direction. - </p> - <p> - <i>May 21st. Wednesday</i>. We had come rather close to the land by - morning and were off Disco Fiord. There was very heavy ice coming down and - numbers of bergs about, so navigation was exceedingly difficult and - dangerous, and we made little or no progress until noon, when the ice - slackened and let us go ahead, the wind blowing from the north and - loosening it. In the evening it was very cold, with snow squalls. - </p> - <p> - I got an ivory gull this day (P. Eburnea) and also a glaucous gull (Larus - Glaucus). The ivory gull positively looked like ivory as it stood on the - ice, and the glaucous gull, with its great spread of snow-white wings, was - beautiful. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0029" id="linkimage-0029"> </a> - </p> - <div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> - <img src="images/0192.jpg" alt="0192 " width="100%" /><br /> - </div> - <h5> - <a href="images/0192.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </h5> - <p> - We were sorry that the ship did not stop at Godhaven, or Lieveley, as it - was generally called, because of its importance as a point of departure - for expeditions. They generally obtained dogs there, and whalers, for a - century and more, had made it a port to call, but this was a race for the - north and no time was to be wasted. We managed to work on our course all - afternoon and during the night, as the wind had slackened the ice. - </p> - <p> - <i>May 22nd. Thursday</i>. During the night, the ship had made - considerable progress, so at noon we were off Hare Island. After tea, we - were hooked on in a pool of water for several hours. I took my gun and - went out for a stroll, killing a number of little auks (Alca Allé or - Roach) and a Richardson's skua. These latter were called, by the sailors, - boatswain birds, because of the long feathers in the tail, resembling a - marlinspike. - </p> - <p> - As at this time we had the sun night and day, it made me exceedingly - restless. About ten P. M. we were fast again, so, taking my gun, I shot - some black guillemot (U. Grylle), these birds being very numerous. I - returned to the ship about midnight, when it was blowing rather hard. - </p> - <p> - <i>May 23rd. Friday</i>. The wind had died down by morning and the day was - beautiful. We were off Nugsuak Peninsula. There were many tremendous bergs - about and the floe was heavy. In the dim distance we saw a ship and made - our way towards her. To the east of us was the entrance to Hmanak Fiord, - one of the largest on the west coast of Greenland. From where we were, all - fiords looked alike, and it was impossible to tell islands from mainland. - It resembled a sea of ice out of which protruded rocks and hills, which, - excepting on the steep places, were covered with snow. - </p> - <p> - Black guillemot and little auks were everywhere in thousands, and it was - pretty to see rows of the latter along the ice edge. They stood shoulder - to shoulder, facing the water, and were very indifferent to our presence. - </p> - <p> - By night we had made little progress and the new ship was still far away. - We had been about with the whalers enough by this time to recognize any of - them a long way off by their rigging, smoke or funnel, so, long before we - reached this new vessel, we recognized that she was a stranger, and she - turned out to be the <i>Cornwallis</i>. When we left Dundee, she was - outfitting for the Greenland fishing, that is, for the voyage we ourselves - originally intended taking, after leaving Newfoundland. - </p> - <p> - The high price of whalebone, however, had induced her owners to send her - to Davis Straits instead. By tea time we were hooked on within a quarter - of a mile of her, and after that meal the Captain sent me on board to see - whether there was any mail for our ship. Climbing on board, I was amazed - to find my friend Armitage there, with a yellow beard and sea boots; I - would not have recognized him. He was greatly surprised to see me because - he believed that I had gone from Newfoundland to the Jan Mayen fishing, - not knowing of our altered arrangements. The <i>Cornwallis</i> was an old - barque, formerly in the South American trade. She had had engines put in, - and been fortified for Arctic ice. After I sailed from Dundee, Armitage, - in going around the docks, saw her. He went on board and, finding Captain - Nicol, arranged to sail with him later in the year. - </p> - <p> - Sending back to the <i>Aurora</i> mail and papers, also some fresh mutton, - which had been sent out to us, I remained on the <i>Cornwallis</i> and - heard the news. I saw her peculiar and useless engines. Captain Nicol said - they spoilt her for sailing and she steamed badly. - </p> - <p> - <i>May 24th. Saturday.</i> It was a beautiful Arctic day when I came on - deck before breakfast. Ahead of us, the world was white, not a break to be - seen anywhere, astern some open water. The <i>Cornwallis</i> was lying on - our port side a few hundred yards away, so that about eleven I went on - board, and, with Armitage, started off to look for something to shoot, - among the hummocks, three or four miles north of where we lay. We spent - hours tramping over the ice, but did not see a track, so we returned to - our ships about six P. M. This hummock belt extended east and west and had - been caused by the rafting of great floes. It was quite smooth from the - ship to the hummocks and also on the other side of them. Half a mile - beyond the ridge, however, there was a great berg which appeared to be - aground. - </p> - <p> - When I returned on board the <i>Aurora</i>, the Captain told me to go - below and have my tea and then to go with the mate back to where I had - been, because he had seen a bear close to us all the time we were there. - It certainly was curious that neither of us had seen him or his tracks. - When we were about a mile away from the ships, I saw Armitage hurrying - after us. I was anxious to wait for him, but the mate insisted on pushing - on, as it would be a fearfully unlucky thing for a member of another crew - to shoot a bear first seen by us. After a little, we reached a crack in - the ice, about two feet wide, so we stepped across and hurried on. - Armitage, coming up shortly after, was unable to cross as the crack was - then eight or ten feet wide and extended indefinitely in each direction. - So the situation righted itself, and my friend returned to the ship while - the mate and I kept on to where the bear had been seen and there we found - tracks in abundance, but no bear. After an hour's searching, we were - returning to the ship when we saw her jib hauled up as a signal for us to - go ahead again, the game having been spotted by the lookout in the crow's - nest. Returning to the hummocks, we saw the bear strolling from behind the - berg beyond. He was coming straight towards us, so we got down behind the - rafted ice and awaited his approach. It was decided that I should have the - first shot as the mate had killed so many. I allowed the bear to get about - a hundred and fifty yards away before firing, and then put a bullet into - him. I don't know where it hit, but he came down, to be up again at once - and to keep on coming. The mate fired and down he went again, and we kept - it up until the bear was hit many times. Sometimes he fell, sometimes he - bit at the place, and by the time he reached the ridge he was very lame - and badly shot up. He had gone some distance to the west of us, so I stood - up on a slab of ice and finished him, as we thought, by putting a bullet - in his shoulder and dropping him in his tracks. We hurried up our side of - the ridge until we arrived at where he was. Then, climbing over, I was - surprised to find him sitting up. This time my bullet finished him. Our - shooting was nothing to be proud of, and went to show how careful one - should be with bears, because if not hit right, they take a lot of lead. - This was about the only one of those killed that took more than one or, at - the most, two shots. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0030" id="linkimage-0030"> </a> - </p> - <div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> - <img src="images/0198.jpg" alt="0198 " width="100%" /><br /> - </div> - <h5> - <a href="images/0198.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </h5> - <p> - As neither of us had a hunting knife, we had a long job skinning him with - pocket knives. Then we started for the ship, towing the skin, but when we - reached the crack in the ice, it had opened about twenty-five yards, so we - were fairly caught. The mate, with his usual ingenuity, loosened a pan of - ice, and on this we crossed, using the butts of our rifles as paddles. - Arriving at the other side, we were met by two sailors, sent from the - ship, as we were being watched from the barrel, and they took the bear - skin in charge while we made our way on board. As it was late, we retired - as soon as we had had something to eat. - </p> - <p> - <i>May 25th.. Sunday.</i> In the morning, Armitage came on board and saw - the bear skin. He had never seen a polar bear on the ice, so was very much - disappointed that he had not been with us. - </p> - <p> - Both ships unhooked about ten A. M. and stood north through a lead. We - moved along fairly well and by evening were hooked on close to each other - in a hole of water with a good ice edge. - </p> - <p> - The <i>Bear</i> and <i>Triune</i> were now in sight, the latter having - come from Dundee direct. We were off Svartin Huk, a great peninsula, but I - only knew this by consulting the chart glued to the cabin table. - </p> - <p> - The <i>Cornwallis</i> was the "lame duck" of the fleet. Steaming in open - water, she had not more than half our speed, and in heavy ice she could do - little, as her power was so weak. Of course, she could wriggle her way - around floes and along tortuous leads fairly well, especially if some of - the better ships had just been through ahead of her and broken the trail. - The <i>Cornwallis</i> was the only one of the ships coming direct from - Dundee which carried a surgeon, but there were three on the Newfoundland - fleet. - </p> - <p> - <i>May 26th. Monday</i>. We both moved a few miles north this day, but the - ice was very heavy and the conditions for advance unfavorable. Some - distance astern, we saw the <i>Bear</i>, but she was not making much - headway and we all three were tied up by noon. - </p> - <p> - A ship, when anchored to a floe, has her bows against it and a cable out - to an ice anchor on one bow or on both, according to the weather. From the - jib-boom a rope ladder always hangs, so that one can easily get on to or - leave the floe. There is generally a man on the ladder when the ship - approaches the ice, and as she touches, he drops off! and, with an ice - drill, makes a hold for the ice anchor. - </p> - <p> - Bringing Armitage, we went to a crack up which looms were flying, and had - a pleasant afternoon shooting them. They were fast-flying birds, and the - knowledge of the fact that they would not be wasted gave zest to our - sport. Shooting guillemot rising off the water would not be much fun, but - picking off single birds as they passed was good practice. - </p> - <p> - The looms we saw in such thousands were, I believe, Uria Brunichii. - </p> - <p> - The ships were tied up when I turned in. - </p> - <p> - <i>May 27th. Tuesday</i>. The ice was slack, so we kept in a northerly - direction, making good headway. We left the <i>Cornwallis</i> and, - following a good lead, passed the <i>Narwhal</i>, which had been the - leading ship for some days. - </p> - <p> - During the evening, the <i>Bear</i> came after us, but we were able to - keep ahead. Captain Fair-weather decided to give Upernivik a wide berth, - as he once had had an unpleasant experience with the rocks of that - charming Greenland summer resort, so we kept going north all night. - </p> - <p> - There was a wonderful amount of life on board a whaler, on account of the - crew being so large. In the 'tween-decks, one generally found a number of - men at work, picking oakum, spinning rope yarn, or other yarns, and - weaving sennet. The carpenter and his assistant were found at work in one - place, the cooper busy in another, while the sailmaker sat and sewed. On - the deck, in some sheltered corner, one found the blacksmith at work, and - there were always jobs being done in the engine room. But it was easy - work, none of the dog's life one saw on other ships. - </p> - <p> - There are said to be runic monuments in the vicinity of Upernivik, and one - on Woman's Island is said to bear the date of 1135. The early travellers, - who are supposed to be responsible for these records, are also said to - have visited Lancaster Sound. - </p> - <p> - When one considers that Baffin circumnavigated the bay which bears his - name, in 1616, in a craft of fifty-five tons, and when one examines a - Viking ship of a thousand years ago and finds it a substantial clinker - built boat, a hundred feet long with fine beam, one sees no reason why a - twelfth century vessel could not make her way to Lancaster Sound. - </p> - <p> - <i>May 28th. Wednesday</i>. We had a day racing with the Bear. She managed - to pass us just before we reached Browns Island, and hooked on to the floe - some distance from us. After a little, the <i>Narwhal</i> joined us, and - later the <i>Cornwallis</i>. Armitage and I went off in our dingey and had - a few pleasant hours shooting looms. We shot a lot of them, which were - divided between the two ships. It took me some time to overcome a - prejudice and to become accustomed to seeing looms on the table in any - shape or form, but they were really much better than any ducks we killed, - because they were not at all fishy and our cook understood about skinning - them. They tasted rather like roast hare. - </p> - <p> - During the afternoon, the weather was thick and it was snowing. The coast - of Greenland, at this point, was fringed by hundreds of islands of all - sizes and shapes. They were everywhere and some had names while others had - not. One navigated there by rule of thumb, only moving when landmarks - could be seen, and avoiding visible dangers. Occasionally, something one - did not see, destroyed the ship, as there were hundreds of uncharted - rocks. In approaching a settlement, a native generally came on hoard and - pointed out the way, but the coast was a dangerous one and the ships only - kept close to it in order that they might avoid the terrible middle pack. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0031" id="linkimage-0031"> </a> - </p> - <div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> - <img src="images/0204.jpg" alt="0204 " width="100%" /><br /> - </div> - <h5> - <a href="images/0204.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </h5> - <p> - <i>May 29th. Thursday.</i> We were bumping along towards the west when I - came on deck, as the ice looked slacker in that direction, but we had to - return shortly after breakfast and, after thrashing around for most of the - morning, we managed to strike a good lead and gain a few miles. There was - no shooting, as the ship did not stop. - </p> - <p> - The <i>Cornwallis</i> kept near us all day, and the <i>Narwhal</i> was not - far away. As we were now on the edge of the notorious Melville Bay, it - became interesting. Greely's famous thirty-six hour passage was not going - to be repeated by us, that was evident. I recalled Cheynes' account of its - dangers, but we were so comfortable on board the <i>Aurora</i>, and meals - were served with such regularity, that it was only possible to realize the - danger by watching floes crunch into each other as they were pressed - together by irresistible forces. We hooked on at night with little in - sight but floes and bergs. - </p> - <p> - It is a wonderful thing to see a berg ploughing its way through a frozen - sea, slowly but surely, overcoming all obstacles, provided, always, that - the water was deep enough to keep its mighty base from grounding. On this - day there were dozens in sight. They were in every direction and one could - easily understand the hopelessness of a sailing ship's position, beset in - these waters, with a gale driving bergs down upon her. - </p> - <p> - <i>May 30th. Friday</i>. We were lying, hooked on to the floe, in the - forenoon, when I looked over the side and saw a beautiful male King eider - duck (S. Spectabilis) sitting on the water within ten feet of the - Captain's port. The Captain was in bed, as he had been in the crow's nest - for days, nearly all the time. His port was open and I did not want to - wake him, so, taking a gun, I went on the ice and, firing from there, - killed the bird without the report being heard in the cabin, and the dog, - Jock, went out and brought the bird in. It was the first King eider I had - shot and it looked beautiful in its spring plumage. The striking thing - about the bird was the enormous frontal processes bulging high above the - bill and brightly colored. These were soft and shrank rapidly as they - dried, losing their color. The plumage was a mixture of black, white, - pearl gray and sea green, making a gorgeous whole. The first bird one sees - of a beautiful species always excites more admiration than the others, and - so I was delighted with this and carefully skinned it. - </p> - <p> - The evening made no change in the conditions and we remained fast all - night. - </p> - <p> - <i>May 31st. Saturday</i>. All the ships were stuck in the morning. The <i>Cornwallis</i> - and <i>Narwhal</i> were some distance astern, the <i>Arctic</i> near the - shore, the <i>Nova Zembla</i> and <i>Polynia</i> close together to the - west of us. There were an immense number of bergs, some of them, no doubt, - aground, as there were many islands and rocks. We were lying off - Tassuisak, a not very populous place, and I was in hope that some natives, - seeing the ships, would come off. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0032" id="linkimage-0032"> </a> - </p> - <div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> - <img src="images/0208.jpg" alt="0208 " width="100%" /><br /> - </div> - <h5> - <a href="images/0208.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </h5> - <p> - During the afternoon, we got under way and poked about without moving much - further north. When we were crossing any open places, the ship steamed - very slowly and a man was kept forward, on the lookout for submerged - rocks. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /> - </p> - <hr /> - <p> - <a name="link2HCH0011" id="link2HCH0011"> </a> - </p> - <div style="height: 4em;"> - <br /><br /><br /><br /> - </div> - <h2> - CHAPTER XI—MELVILLE BAY - </h2> - <p class="indent15"> - "And hark! The lengthening roar continuous runs - </p> - <p class="indent15"> - Athwart the rifted deep, at once it bursts - </p> - <p class="indent15"> - And piles a thousand mountains to the clouds." - </p> - <p> - <br /> - </p> - <p> - <i>June 1st. Sunday</i>. Owing to a change of wind the ice had loosened - and during the night we managed to push on to Berry Island. The <i>Bear</i> - and <i>Thetis</i> appeared upon the scene during the afternoon, and we saw - the <i>Bear</i> strike a sunken rock. We hooked on to the small island - with several of the other ships, the <i>Bear</i> being on our starboard - side, and the <i>Narwhal, Arctic and Thetis</i> on the port. I saw - Commander Schley going on board the <i>Bear</i> and examining her with a - water telescope. His boat passed very close to our quarter and the Captain - spoke to him as he went. - </p> - <p> - The ships were all lying close to the shore floe with this low island in - front of them, and it looked as if they might be there some time, so I - went on shore with the surgeon of the <i>Arctic</i>. There was a camera - sitting on the ice near the <i>Thetis</i>, so the ships were evidently - being photographed. We wandered about the inhospitable place for a time - and came on board. The perpetual daylight made me very irregular in my - movements, coming and going at all hours; my day was regulated by my - meals. Those who had watches to keep slept and got up with their usual - regularity. - </p> - <p> - <i>June 2nd. Monday</i>. The day fine, and we were still tied up at the - island. I took a gun and went on shore after breakfast, but there was not - much to shoot. In a little valley I saw a quantity of dead grass sticking - out of the ice. On going over and examining, I found a number of <i>human - skeletons</i>. Wherever there was a big bunch of grass, there I found an - ice-covered skeleton. Probably they were Eskimos. When I returned to the - ship there were a number of natives on board. They came from Tassuisak and - had some seal skins to trade. - </p> - <p> - Some of our men had visited the <i>Arctic</i>. She had been in Godhaven, - so had much trade and our men procured some of it. Afterwards I bought a - kayak model from one of these. It was very beautifully made. The skin - tobacco pouches and slippers made by natives in Godhaven looked nicer than - any I saw from other settlements. - </p> - <p> - The southern Greenland towns were better than those further north, but the - whalers seldom called at any further south than Holstenborg. I went on - board the <i>Bear</i> for awhile during the evening with Dr. Crawford and - met Lieutenant Emory. During the day I saw several very beautiful glaucous - gulls. They are called burgomasters by the sailors. - </p> - <p> - <i>June 3rd. Tuesday</i>. Immediately to the north of where we lay there - were a great many icebergs. They presented a very fine appearance with the - sun shining on them. The <i>Thetis</i> and <i>Bear</i> started off amongst - these bergs. We tried to move out to the west, but did not accomplish - much; for when evening came we were no further north than when we started. - In the distance and to the west of us we saw a berg on the top of which - there was a black spot. What could it be? From the crow's nest the - telescope revealed nothing but a black spot on the icy slope. - </p> - <p> - There was a narrow lead going in this direction, so the mate and myself - went with a boat's crew to solve the mystery. We were able to take a whale - boat a long distance through the lead, and then we walked the rest of the - way. I had brought a rifle in case there should be a chance of a shot. On - getting up to the berg we found that it was not fast, but that owing to - its great depth in the water it had a motion independent of its floe. On - one side there had been a great slide, and up this we proposed going. - </p> - <p> - Just at this place the motion of the berg had ground up a lot of ice at - its base, and also some of the floe, so that one had very unstable footing - to jump to and from in crossing the surrounding fissure. - </p> - <p> - However, we all managed without mishap and ascended the slide to within - six or eight feet of the top. I was then pushed up this little cliff and - found that, with the exception of the place we had come up, the sides were - sheer precipices. It was necessary to traverse a snowy undulation before - the black object came into view. The mate joined me with some of the - others and it was exciting for a few minutes, but disappointing when we - found only a big black stone which the berg had picked up probably during - its glacial days. - </p> - <p> - The islands of ice often turn over owing to the frost splitting them when - the weather is cold. This frequent alteration of their centre of gravity - makes them very undesirable neighbors, especially in the autumn. While it - was disappointing finding only a stone when we expected something - wonderful, yet the view from the summit was magnificent. - </p> - <p> - Immediately around little but ice could be seen, with here and there some - black threads of water and many great bergs scattered about. - </p> - <p> - In the distance the coast of Greenland looked bold. It had been rather - high all the way up from Upernivik, but Cape Shackleton, rising to a - height of thirteen hundred feet, looked very imposing, being precipitous. - There was a great loomery on its cliffs, which was probably the home of - the thousands of those birds which we saw every day flying along the - cracks, or about the pools of open water. There was much less trouble - getting down the berg than getting up, but we were all tired when we - reached the ship as we were not accustomed to long walks. - </p> - <p> - <i>June 4th. Wednesday</i>. The morning was fine, and many ships were in - sight. During the night we had passed Cape Shackleton. To the south we saw - the <i>Thetis</i>, evidently in the rips off Horse Heade, with the <i>Bear</i> - astern of her. The <i>Nova</i> <i>Zembla</i> and <i>Triune</i> were - several miles to the west, and caught in the pack, while all the other - ships were together. During the morning the <i>Thetis, Bear</i> and <i>Polynia</i> - came up and joined us in our feeble attempt to push along. - </p> - <p> - Later in the day the weather turned cold and cloudy, but no storm came, - and the ice was very tight at bedtime. - </p> - <p> - <i>June 5th. Thursday</i>. A beautiful day with sunshine and blue sky. - Nearly all the ships were anchored to the ice or stuck in our immediate - vicinity. We were hooked on in a large lake and close to us there were a - number of great bergs. During the morning I took the dingey and rowed - amongst them, as there was no floe ice near. - </p> - <p> - The silence was very impressive, the only sound being that made by the - splashing of water as it trickled down the icy sides of the bergs, or the - cry of some seabird. I traced the base of one of these hoary giants a long - way into the depths, but the water of the Arctic sea is by no means clear, - owing to the vast numbers of animalculae which inhabit it. - </p> - <p> - I shot a big bag of little auks here, but was careful not to do any - shooting whilst close to the bergs, as the concussion might have brought - down ice. During the afternoon the floe opened a little, and the - expedition ships came close to us, but the <i>Nova Zembla</i> and <i>Triune</i> - still appeared to be held in the pack. We all watched like hawks for a - chance to reach the Duck Islands, now only a few miles ahead. Greely might - have been there. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0033" id="linkimage-0033"> </a> - </p> - <div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> - <img src="images/0216.jpg" alt="0216 " width="100%" /><br /> - </div> - <h5> - <a href="images/0216.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </h5> - <p> - <i>June 6th. Friday</i>. This was one of the most exciting days we had—eight - of us all on edge and each trying to get ahead of his neighbor. This - friendly rivalry added zest to the trip. We were quite close to the Duck - Islands, which made the starting point of the Melville Bay passage. - </p> - <p> - The day was glorious and we spent most of it fast to a floe. The exciting - thing was when late in the evening a crack occurred near the Arctic. It - was not more than a mile or two across the floe to the open water at the - Duck Islands, and this crack appeared to extend the whole way. When it was - wide enough the <i>Arctic</i> and <i>Aurora</i> immediately entered, but - before we had gone any distance, the ice closed astern of us, preventing - any of the others entering. For a short time we were caught, and it looked - like the nips, then the floe seemed to swing, closing behind us and - opening in front, so that we steamed away with a cheer, leaving the others - barred out. The <i>Bear</i>, after a short time, succeeded in breaking a - way for herself and the <i>Thetis</i>, and all the rest followed like - ducks. - </p> - <p> - I was aloft for a time watching this game of follow the leader and keenly - interested in this Arctic race. We entered the patch of open water about - midnight, and steaming across made fast to the ice at the islands. - </p> - <p> - <i>June 7th. Saturday</i>. It was wonderful how little we slept when there - was excitement. I enjoyed it' so much that I was afraid of missing - anything by going below, but after the race we had just finished, as we - had all hooked on, I felt that it was safe to turn in as there was nothing - but dense pack ahead. The <i>Arctic</i> and <i>Aurora</i> were lying very - close to the <i>Bear</i>, and the <i>Thetis</i> was not far off. We were - on the west side of the Middle Duck, the rest of the fleet being on the - other side. It was evident that there were no explorers here to be - rescued, for the approach of the fleet was rather imposing and they would - have seen it. - </p> - <p> - After a rest, taking a gun I made my way on shore. We were too early for - eggs, but there were plenty of ducks and the shooting was rather good. - Numbers of phalarope (Lobipes Hyperboreus) were about. They were graceful - little birds and no doubt bred here later. Coming back for the dingey I - rowed out to a point of ice past which there was a flight of ducks, but - was astonished to find the birds so shy in such a quiet place. Perhaps the - sight of the ships invading this sanctuary made them a little nervous. I - managed, however, to add considerably to my bag. There did not appear to - be any loosening of the ice, so none of the ships made any effort to move. - I went on board the <i>Arctic</i> during the afternoon and received a - supply of apples from Captain Guy. The surgeon returned with me and spent - the evening on the <i>Aurora</i>. As our boiler required some repair this - was attended to during the day and it made a wonderful difference to the - temperature of the cabin having no heat in the engine room for a few - hours. - </p> - <p> - <i>June 8th. Sunday</i>. A peaceful day and perfectly calm with some fog. - All the ships were hooked on to the floe. Crawford of the <i>Arctic</i> - came on board and we took our dingey and went to one of the islands. Some - men from the relief ships were there. They were shooting with eight bores, - the first time I had ever seen guns of that calibre; I saw them make some - long shots. We secured a few ducks, eider and long tailed. - </p> - <p> - During the afternoon we went on board the <i>Bear</i>, and again met - Lieutenant Emory and his officers. Lieutenant Colwell showed us the ship. - The arrangement of the berths in the cabin was splendid; they were - curtained off by drawing out poles, and by pushing these in the sleeping - quarters were reduced in size, and the saloon enlarged. - </p> - <p> - I should say that the <i>Bear</i> was the fastest ship of the fleet, - except, perhaps, the <i>Arctic</i>, which had powerful engines. The only - thing against the <i>Arctic</i> was her great length which made it - difficult to turn her about in small water holes, and to manouvre amongst - the ice as some of the others were able to do. - </p> - <p> - The <i>Wolf</i> and <i>Narwhal</i> had moved off and were caught in the - pack by bedtime. - </p> - <p> - We were then on the threshold of Melville Bay, the reputation of which was - most unsavory. - </p> - <p> - Perhaps the most interesting occurrence there during historic times was - the loss of nineteen ships and a total of £140,000 damage to the fleet on - June 19th, 1830. This event has been called the Baffin's Bay Fair, because - the one thousand men who suddenly found themselves homeless upon the ice, - made the best of their circumstances and enjoyed themselves immensely. - </p> - <p> - Before the ships went down they secured quantities of liquor and food and - afterwards established comfortable camps. There was an abundance of wood - from the wrecks, so they made bonfires around which they danced. The - curious part of it was that no lives were lost, and that the entire party - ultimately reached home safe. - </p> - <p> - There is an interesting oil painting of this event in the museum at - Peterhead. - </p> - <p> - <i>June 9th. Monday</i>. We seemed permanent fixtures now and felt that we - owned the place in spite of the ducks. I took the dingey with a boy and - pulled off to a long point of ice on the west side of the island not far - from where we lay. We were able to hide behind a heavy piece of ice with - the boat and I shot a number of ducks in the handsome plumage of that - season. Then landing, found numbers of old nests made of feathers and - down. They had been driven into crevices of rock by storms and one could - have collected a quantity of down. While on the island I saw and heard my - first finner whale. He was making a great noise as he breathed. Finners - have little oil and short bone, so they are not pursued. They are also - very quick in their movements and consequently dangerous. This one came up - several times in different water holes about the islands and then - disappeared. - </p> - <p> - At dinner we were discussing vegetables and all agreed that the best on - board the ship were the tinned carrots. They were simply boiled and put up - in pieces six or seven inches long. They were absolutely as fresh and - sweet as the day on which they were prepared. We called them Carnoustie - carrots, as they had come from that place. Our Dundee meat was excellent - at this time. We had a good supply of it, and very seldom saw salt beef or - salt pork on the cabin table during the voyage. - </p> - <p> - The steak for breakfast was served on a sort of metal basket; a handle - crossed the middle of this and on each side there was a lid. The steak was - under one lid and fried onions under the other. We also had hot rolls - every morning, although ship's bread was always on the table. - </p> - <p> - <i>June 10th. Tuesday</i>. Early in the morning the <i>Aurora</i> unhooked - and for a little while managed to push her way northwest. The <i>Wolf</i> - and <i>Narwhal</i> had gained by moving on. There was always a chance of a - lead opening and letting one through. We had reached the Duck Islands - first, by taking the lead while the others hesitated. We now entered the - pack further than we wished to and then spent some time trying to - extricate ourselves. - </p> - <p> - There was always danger of being beset in the pack and carried down the - straits again; in it there was no safe anchorage, as it might twist and - turn in any direction, and a low temperature might even freeze the ship - up, whereas following the shore floe gave one a lead of open water every - time the pack floated off, and should it be driven in the ship could - generally find a bay or indentation in which she was fairly safe. - </p> - <p> - In consequence of this the captains became nervous when they found - themselves beset in the pack. At night we were almost out of sight of the - islands. The <i>Wolf</i> and <i>Narwhal</i> were not far from us. - </p> - <p> - <i>June 11th. Wednesday</i>. Before morning we managed to work north some - distance. The <i>Wolf</i>, <i>Narwhal</i> and <i>Arctic</i> were close to - us. The relief ships during the day were joined by the <i>Triune, - Cornwallis and Nova Zembla</i>. - </p> - <p> - We all made some headway, but in the afternoon we were so nearly caught - once or twice that we steamed back towards the islands and arrived almost - at our old anchorage by the following morning. - </p> - <p> - <i>June 12th. Thursday.</i> In the morning a lot of us were back at the - old anchorage again, but the <i>Arctic</i> was still to the north, close - to the <i>Thetis and Bear</i>. The <i>Wolf and Narwhal</i> were out in the - pack to the west of us, but in the afternoon these last joined us. During - the day I shot a lot of ducks, all eider and king eider, afterwards - landing on a floe from which a peninsula ran out having a narrow isthmus - covered with very high hummocks. Crossing this isthmus to the peninsula - beyond, I came upon the perfectly fresh footprints of a bear and two cubs, - leading from the water to the big hummocks over which I had come and over - which my route back lay. Having only a sixteen bore and number four shot, - this discovery was disquieting for a time, as a bear with cubs might - fight. However, she did not materialize. - </p> - <p> - All the other ships were closer inshore during the evening, while we moved - west a little. During the night we moved off up a lead. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0034" id="linkimage-0034"> </a> - </p> - <div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> - <img src="images/0224.jpg" alt="0224 " width="100%" /><br /> - </div> - <h5> - <a href="images/0224.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </h5> - <p> - <i>June 13th. Friday</i>. We were hard and fast, the <i>Cornwallis, - Triune, Esquimaux and Narwhal</i> in sight close inshore. The <i>Arctic - and Wolf</i> out with the expedition ships. They were apparently beset. We - lay frozen up all day, with not even a duck to shoot. The Sugarloaf, a - high mountain on the Greenland coast, showed up well and made a good - landmark. - </p> - <p> - <i>June 14th. Saturday</i>. The day began with a heavy snow storm, but - shortly after breakfast it cleared off. The ice opened to the west, so we - steamed in that direction, leaving the fleet of older ships apparently - fast inshore, and we did not see any of them again for a long time. We - made very little headway at first, but found the ice slack after dinner - and managed to push through it. - </p> - <p> - Later a series of good leads opened up and we worked a long way north. - When I turned in, the relief ships with the <i>Arctic and Wolf</i> were in - sight ahead of us. - </p> - <p> - We passed a curious pillar of rock called the Devil's Thumb; it was a long - way off. Every one took off his hat to it as was the custom. - </p> - <p> - Steering amongst ice was sometimes very dangerous for the man at the - wheel, because the ship going astern was liable to bump her rudder against - the ice. This, of course, sent the wheel flying around. We had a man hurt - in this way by receiving a blow from the wheel during the afternoon. - </p> - <p> - <i>June 15th. Sunday</i>. We had good leads all the morning and were never - blocked for any length of time. By breakfast time we overtook the <i>Arctic - and Wolf</i> with relief ships. Then we all hooked on to a heavy floe in - an open pool of water. Very shortly we were off again, but it looked - dangerous, so we tied up. The <i>Wolf</i> was the first to be free. She - entered a lead and it closed behind her, exactly as it had done with us at - the Duck Islands. However, later in the day the pack drew off and we all - steamed along the edge of the shore floe, the <i>Thetis</i> bringing up - the rear. This was an exciting race, and no one turned in while the water - remained open. The <i>Wolf</i> had the lead, the <i>Arctic and Aurora</i> - being together. Occasionally some of us would diverge a little, but we - were in line pretty well all the time. - </p> - <p> - <i>June 16th. Monday.</i> I turned in when I found the way blocked and all - the ships tied up, as everything seemed frozen solid, except the pool in - which we lay. Seven bells awoke me to find things as they had been. - Captain Fairweather shot a Sabine gull after breakfast and I shot some - looms, which were picked out of the water by Jock the dog, who retrieved - very well. I went on board the <i>Wolf</i> with the Captain, and saw - Captain Burnette. During the evening the Arctic steamed off and we - followed with the <i>Wolf</i>, but the lead closed so we all were caught. - The Aurora. managed to push out into the loose ice in a little while, but - the Wolf remained and the Arctic was fairly in the nips. - </p> - <p> - The evening was fine and we saw land to the north and dozens of bergs to - the east of us. There was a crack running into the floe for two hundred - yards close to our ship. It was probably twenty-five yards wide at the - entrance. A great many looms flew up this and returned when they found it - a blind lead. The dingey was lowered and the Captain and myself had a few - hours' shooting and secured a great many. They were tied in bunches and - hung upon the chains connecting the quarter davits. - </p> - <p> - <i>June 17th. Tuesday</i>. All were frozen up. I tried stalking a seal, as - there were several in sight, but I could not get near any of them. The <i>Arctic</i> - was still nipped, the <i>Wolf</i> was with us and the relief ships a - little way east. During the evening we were all moving around, except the - <i>Arctic.</i> - </p> - <p> - We were ahead and the <i>Wolf</i> next, the <i>Bear</i> bringing up the - rear. Later the <i>Thetis</i> fell back, for she could not keep up. Cape - York was in sight and all four of us were rather close together. - </p> - <p> - With the <i>Aurora</i> leading, we kept this up all night, every one - greatly excited. In the small hours we were all up to a barrier. Among the - Arctic ice it would have been useless to roll the ship as we had done at - Newfoundland, the young ice on that coast being very different from the - Arctic floe met with in Melville Bay. - </p> - <p> - <i>June 18th. Wednesday.</i> The race for Cape York and the north was far - too exciting to permit of sleep, so for the following few days I never - undressed, but kept going up and down all the time. If we stuck I lay - down, and when the engine started I went up. - </p> - <p> - At one A. M. we were with the <i>Wolf</i> and relief ships, pounding away - at the floe which separated us from the open water at Cape York. The <i>Aurora</i> - was the first to break through, when we all gave a great cheer and - shouted, "The north water!" I immediately went forward, and sitting on the - jib-boom, realized that I was the nearest white man to Greely, possibly - the nearest to the pole. I sat there for a long time as we were steaming - fast towards the land through open water. - </p> - <p> - As we neared the shore the <i>Bear</i> passed us. She was a faster ship - and she reached the shore floe some minutes before us. - </p> - <p> - Seeing a party land on the ice from the <i>Bear</i>, we turned off - southwest. As the <i>Thetis and Wolf</i> were coming up, the Captain went - on board the former and bade the commander good-by, and good luck, then we - crept off to the southwest with the <i>Wolf</i>. The <i>Bear</i> having - spoken the <i>Thetis</i>, steamed west after us, the weather being rather - thick. - </p> - <p> - Finding the ice heavy to the west, we tried a lead to the north, but were - beset for some time. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0035" id="linkimage-0035"> </a> - </p> - <div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> - <img src="images/0230.jpg" alt="0230 " width="100%" /><br /> - </div> - <h5> - <a href="images/0230.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </h5> - <p> - The fog was so thick that nothing could be seen ahead. We saw nothing - further of the <i>Thetis</i> as she remained at Cape York to pick up the - party landed by the <i>Bear.</i> - </p> - <p> - I turned in for a time during the night, as the ship was beset by heavy - ice. We had now completed the passage of Melville Bay without accident and - nearly every one on board felt that the greatest danger of the voyage was - over, so we would work our way to the west and look for whales. In the - race from St. John's to Cape York we had been beaten by the <i>Bear</i> - only, and that by just a few minutes. The <i>Arctic, Thetis and Wolf</i> - were all close, but in the last lap the <i>Aurora and Bear</i> were neck - and neck almost to the winning post. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /> - </p> - <hr /> - <p> - <a name="link2HCH0012" id="link2HCH0012"> </a> - </p> - <div style="height: 4em;"> - <br /><br /><br /><br /> - </div> - <h2> - CHAPTER XII—CAPE YORK TO CAREY ISLANDS - </h2> - <p class="indent15"> - "And now there came both mist and snow - </p> - <p class="indent15"> - And it grew wondrous cold, - </p> - <p class="indent15"> - And ice, mast-high, came floating by - </p> - <p class="indent15"> - As green as emerald." - </p> - <p> - <br /> - </p> - <p> - I noticed a rather curious phenomenon while coming up the Greenland - coast, but thinking that there was probably some simple explanation, made - no note of it. One evening while in the passage at the foot of the stairs - I heard a peculiar whistling. It was like the noise one sometimes hears - when standing beside a telegraph pole. The steward was in the pantry and I - drew his attention to it. The sound was very distinct in the pantry, and - not noticeable in the saloon, which was on the same deck but a little - further aft. The steward said he had heard it before and we concluded it - was due to a vibration of the taut rigging conducted down the mizzenmast - to this particular place. The engine was silent at the time, otherwise the - noise of machinery would have drowned everything else. - </p> - <p> - I listened to the peculiar whistle several times after and always heard it - very distinctly in the pantry. The steward had sailed Arctic waters for - years, but he made no comment on this subject and never mentioned having - heard it on other ships, nor did any; one else on board the <i>Aurora</i> - speak of it at all; in fact, we were probably the only two who noticed it. - </p> - <p> - Years after I came across the following passage in "Old Whaling Days," by - Captain Barron: - </p> - <p> - "From latitude 69 N. to latitude 74 N. on the east side and in Melville - Bay, not far from the land, a strange phenomenon is heard resembling a - very weird whistling in a high note and gradually dying away to a very low - one. It is only heard when it is calm, and most distinctly when in a boat - or in a ship's lazarette which is nearly level with the water. On deck it - is seldom heard." The above interested me as it describes what I noticed. - Captain Barron believes it to be connected with the Aurora Borealis, which - he states can be heard but not seen when the sun shines on a summer's - night in the Arctic. - </p> - <p> - <i>June 19th. Thursday.</i> The engine starting up brought me on deck. The - fog had lifted and the <i>Arctic and Wolf</i> could be seen astern, while - the <i>Bear</i> was to the north of us. Some time after we were steaming - through a nice lead into open water ahead. I was on the bridge, where the - second mate was in charge, and the Captain was in the crow's nest, which - he seldom left. Presently we noticed the lead very narrow, being little - wider than the ship. A moment later we were among crunched up ice and - within twenty or thirty yards of the open water and the ship was slowing - up owing to her progress being impeded by the ice. The Captain called - down, "Get over there, some of you men, and push that ice out of the way - with poles." We were almost through, and it looked as though a few pieces - pushed away would relieve the situation. Specksioneer Lyon and twenty - others were immediately over, and began pushing. Almost at once Lyon - called up, "It's coming together, sir," and sure enough we were caught - between two points of great floes coming together and the <i>Aurora</i> - was in the greatest danger of being lost within the next few minutes. The - Captain immediately came down and began giving orders. All boats were - provisioned and lowered away. I rushed to my cabin and was rolling up my - blankets, when he brought the log, which he asked me to put with my - things. I took my bundles on deck with a rifle and gun, and by this time - the ship was so squeezed that my door would not open or shut, and she had - a heavy port list. As the <i>Arctic and Wolf</i> were a short distance - astern of us, there was no danger to life and I thoroughly enjoyed the - excitement of being shipwrecked so comfortably. With a bump the ship - righted herself greatly and presently, after straining and groaning, she - slipped up considerably. Her water line was now above the crunching ice - and she was for the time being tolerably safe. This all happened in a very - short time and it was a wonderful escape. I went on to the ice forward - with the mate and engineer; and while there the ship slipped up higher - still, so that she was almost out of the water. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0036" id="linkimage-0036"> </a> - </p> - <div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> - <img src="images/0236.jpg" alt="0236 " width="100%" /><br /> - </div> - <h5> - <a href="images/0236.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </h5> - <p> - The surgeon of the <i>Arctic</i> paid us a visit at this time and took the - two photographs here reproduced after some retouching. The first one shows - the ship in the nips; in it I happened to be in the foreground. In the - second she has slipped up and is almost out of the water. The mate, - engineer and myself were on the ice in front at the time. Sailors were a - little superstitious, and did not like their ship being photographed while - in distress, so these pictures were very hurriedly taken. For some hours - the <i>Aurora</i> rested in this position and we knew that eventually the - ice would open and let her into the water. Our principal anxiety was about - the stem post and rudder; but these fortunately escaped injury. Our - propeller had only two blades, so when the ship was sailing or stuck in - the ice the propeller was always stopped with the blades up and down. - While in this position the whole thing could easily be unshipped, and we - carried an extra one. As looms were flying about in numbers along the floe - edge just in front of the ship I shot a big bag of them. They fell into - the water, but drifted against the ice edge where I picked them up. The <i>Arctic - and Wolf</i> were pretty tightly caught astern of us, but they had not to - abandon the ships as we had. During the afternoon the pack was tighter - than ever and it made weird sounds at times. We had our meals on board and - were all very happy at our wonderful escape, especially the Captain, who - was determined to take home a cargo of whales in his own ship instead of - returning as passenger on one of the others. During the night a crack - occurred under the bows. This opened by degrees, letting the ship down. We - hoisted up our boats and the shipwreck was over. When whalers go into - Melville Bay they generally arrange a quantity of provisions so that it - can be easily reached in event of their suddenly having to leave the ship - as we had done. - </p> - <p> - <i>June 20th. Friday.</i> After our escaping from the nips, we steamed in - a northerly direction, with the <i>Arctic and Wolf</i> a heavy fog came - on. I was very tired, so went and lay down. - </p> - <p> - As the engine room was aft, a person in any of the staterooms could easily - hear the bell there being rung from the crow's nest. How long I had been - lying down, I don't know, but something awoke me. I knew, from the sound - of the engine, we were going fast ahead, but I heard the bell ring, "stop - her," and then immediately full speed astern. Knowing that something was - wrong, I rushed on deck; it was very thick and I heard some one say, "O my - God, we are lost!" and just then on the starboard side of the ship, I saw - a great berg towering above us. We just missed it! All was well! We - steamed dead slow for awhile and I realized that those who "went down to - the sea in ships" could have a great deal of excitement in two days. About - an hour after this a steam whistle blew right ahead. The fog instantly - lifted a little and there was the Arctic shooting across our bows. We both - stopped, and the Captain went over to her. When the Captain came on board - again the fog was gone and we were off Conical Rock. The ice was loose - here and the two ships kept together until we passed Cape Dudley Diggs. - Here we drifted farther apart, but were within sight of each other all the - way to Wolstenholm Island. - </p> - <p> - During the night we arrived at the island, but found that the <i>Rear</i> - had been there ahead of us, so we directed our course towards Carey - Islands, the ice being loose, but the weather pretty thick. - </p> - <p> - June 21st. Saturday. Heavy fog and plenty of ice, so our speed was slow. - Sometimes it cleared a little and we could see for several miles ahead. - There were numbers of birds about, principally guillemot and eider duck. - They probably had headquarters at Wolstenholm, and Carey Islands. Natives - repaired to Wolstenholm at this season of the year and collected eggs; but - Carey Islands were in the middle of the Sound and, I fancy, left pretty - well undisturbed. During the afternoon it became very thick, and for a - time we stopped steaming, as we could not make out the leads and there was - some heavy ice about. Late in the evening it cleared a little and we ran - in to Carey Island. The <i>Arctic</i> was ahead of us, and the <i>Wolf</i> - in the distance. I wrote some letters in the evening as I thought there - might be a chance of sending them on board the <i>Bear</i>. Our Captain - had decided to go from this place to the whaling ground, and leave the - Greely part of it to the expedition ships, as the owners would not thank - him for risking the vessel in higher latitudes and possibly missing his - chance for whales in Lancaster Sound. The <i>Arctic</i> had a boat on - shore, but saw nothing of explorers or records. The <i>Bear</i> left the - islands after midnight, but was not near us, so I had no chance of sending - my letters. This was the last we saw of the relief ships. They picked - Greely up within twenty-four hours at Cape Sabine. We knew nothing of it - until later, when we heard the news from some of the slower ships, which - met the expedition returning with the rescued, and their story was as - follows: June 22nd. After the <i>Bear</i> left Carey Islands, she joined - the <i>Thetis</i> and they proceeded to Cape Sabine, where they arrived - during the evening. From records found on Brevoort Island near Cape - Sabine, they knew where the explorer was, and he was picked up by - Lieutenant Colwell of the <i>Bear</i> almost at the place where he, - Colwell, landed after the loss of the <i>Proteus</i>. Of the twenty-five - who left with Greely a few years before, but seven were now alive, and the - story they told of starvation and death was in tune with others we have - all read of Arctic exploration and was doubly impressive when told to us, - situated as we were in the dreary regions where the tragedy had been - enacted. Greely had done his work well. His two years at Fort Conger had - been well spent. Lockwood had attained latitude 83° 24' in 1882, beating - all previous records. Most valuable magnetic observations had been made - and the interior of Grinnell Land had been explored. The orders to abandon - Fort Conger were carried out in 1883 and then their troubles began. Relief - had not come, depots of provisions had not been established, and in a very - dejected state they had arrived at Cape Sabine, where they established - their final camp, the history of which supplies Arctic literature with its - blackest chapter. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0037" id="linkimage-0037"> </a> - </p> - <div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> - <img src="images/0242.jpg" alt="0242 " width="100%" /><br /> - </div> - <h5> - <a href="images/0242.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </h5> - <p> - On June 22nd Schley arrived at Cape Sabine. No Arctic expedition had ever - done so well by this date, its first year. A week or two later there would - probably not have been one survivor. This relief expedition had been - perfectly successful in its gallant dash and had arrived not a minute too - soon. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /> - </p> - <hr /> - <p> - <a name="link2HCH0013" id="link2HCH0013"> </a> - </p> - <div style="height: 4em;"> - <br /><br /><br /><br /> - </div> - <h2> - CHAPTER XIII—CAREY ISLANDS TO LANCASTER SOUND - </h2> - <p class="indent15"> - "Here winter holds his unrejoicing court; - </p> - <p class="indent15"> - And through his airy hall the loud misrule - </p> - <p class="indent15"> - Of driving tempest is forever heard. - </p> - <p class="indent15"> - Here the grim tyrant meditates his wrath, - </p> - <p class="indent15"> - Here arms his winds and all-subduing frost. - </p> - <p class="indent15"> - Moulds his fierce hail and treasures up his snows - </p> - <p class="indent15"> - With which he now oppresses half the globe." - </p> - <p> - <br /> - </p> - <p> - <i>June 22nd. Sunday</i>. It was blowing very hard from the south, and - there was much ice, so we had a difficult time picking our way. The - weather was also bitterly cold. Again birds were very numerous. We were - making our way to Princess Charlotte's Monument on the west side, and it - was slow work. The <i>Arctic</i> was ahead of us and not moving on any - faster. We felt the loss of the relief ships. They were always a cause of - some excitement, and there was a chance of finding Greely so long as we - kept going north. Now that that interest was removed, I consoled myself - with the knowledge that we were nearing the magnetic pole, and would soon - be steaming up Lancaster Sound, the highway to the northwest along which - so many brave men had gone never to return. During the afternoon it became - more squally, and when I turned in we were making little headway, but the - wind was going down. - </p> - <p> - <i>June 23rd. Monday</i>. We were steaming in tolerably open water when I - came on deck. The <i>Arctic</i> was ahead. Birds were numerous—some - geese with hundreds of eider and guillemot. After breakfast we saw land - ahead, that is, to the west, and during the afternoon were within a mile - or so of it,—Princess Charlotte's Monument. There was much loose ice - to the south and a straight floe edge to the north of us, and to this we - hooked on two hundred yards to the east of the <i>Arctic</i>. We did not - care to go closer to the rocks lest the ice should come in on us. I saw - Dr. Crawford take the <i>Arctic's</i> launch and go ashore to look for - eggs. Returning a couple of hours after, steam went down and the <i>Arctic</i> - was obliged to unhook and go after them. It appeared that the boiler was - too exposed and the cold so intense that they simply could not keep steam - up. The launch had been keeping under the lee of the floe as much as - possible, and when steam went down she began to drift away from this into - rough water. For a few minutes things looked bad for her, as she was a - wretched sea boat with her heavy boiler and engine. During the night we - unhooked and worked our way towards the south. - </p> - <p> - <i>June 24th. Tuesday.</i> Day fine, but blowing from the south. A lot of - ice on the coast, and to the south and east all was white. We were now - where whales might be seen and preparations were made. Foregoers and lines - were tested, harpoons examined, guns cleaned and fired to make sure they - would work, lines coiled away in boats, and every one was on the lookout. - We never heard of Disco or Cape York now. All was Lancaster Sound and - Pond's Bay, with weird tales of cold days spent rock-nosing off Cape Kater - and in Cumberland Gulf. All these preparations did not hurry matters in - the least. The king of this country decided that we should remain for a - day or two where we were, and so in the evening we were hooked on almost - where the morning found us. - </p> - <p> - June 25th. Wednesday. About noon the wind died down and the currents, - setting south, took the ice off the coast so that we were able to crawl - along a little; but a few hours later we made fast to the land floe off - Cape Horsburgh, as the pack was drifting in again. We saw many walrus - here, but did not like to spend time at them, as we wanted to be the first - ship up the Sound. At tea time we moved along a little further and by - bedtime we tied up again. Some of our tanks were pumped out and cleaned, - ready for the anticipated oil. There were a number of seals in sight, but - they were left alone, as the time was precious. - </p> - <p> - June 26th. Thursday. As the ship was hard and fast I took a rifle and went - after some seals which were to be seen a mile away. Before going very far - I found myself climbing over hummocks of old ice which had drifted down - Jones Sound, and it was very difficult walking. On one side of a hummock - the snow would be perfectly smooth and frozen hard, while on the other - side it would be so soft that one at once went through the surface and had - to clamber along in several feet of it. - </p> - <p> - Again, one would come to a perfectly rotten and honeycombed piece of ice - underneath which there was a foot or two of water, and below the water - could be seen the solid old floe; this made walking so difficult that I - returned to the ship without getting a shot. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0038" id="linkimage-0038"> </a> - </p> - <div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> - <img src="images/0248.jpg" alt="0248 " width="100%" /><br /> - </div> - <h5> - <a href="images/0248.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </h5> - <p> - <i>June 27th and 28th</i> were uneventful. We moved little, and Cape - Horsburgh was in sight all the time, but on: - </p> - <p> - <i>June 29th, Sunday,</i> we had a good lead along the shore floe and were - steaming fast through it when I came on deck. A number of bears were seen - about noon, but the wind was from the south and the ice was coming in, so - we hurried along. As there were a number of them, they were probably - attracted by some dead beast. - </p> - <p> - Barron tells of seeing once about one hundred bears around a dead whale. - He also tells of men being devoured by these creatures. - </p> - <p> - In the days of muzzle-loaders there was more risk than there is now, - because if one came suddenly upon a bear with cubs and missed his shot, - there might not be time to load again. - </p> - <p> - Late in the evening we were off: Cape Warrender and were steaming amongst - loose ice at bedtime. Several narwhals were seen during the afternoon, but - we paid no attention to them. - </p> - <p> - <i>June 30th. Monday.</i> Steaming up the Sound towards a solid floe at - breakfast time with many white whales in sight. We steered south along the - ice edge, and seeing an Eskimo standing on it, we sailed up to him. He was - a very uncouth looking individual after the smartly dressed gentlemen on - the Greenland side. His clothes did not fit and he was otherwise careless - about his appearance. He had in his hand a narwhal's tusk, and as we came - close we heard him singing "Bonny Laddie—Highland Laddie." This he - had probably learned from his parents, they having learned it from the - whalers in sailing-ship days. In old times it was customary to lower the - boats and tow the ship through the leads to the above tune. I was told - this, so it may be true. The native came on board. He was much more like - an American Indian than a Greenland Eskimo. Before he had been many - minutes on board he was taken aft and relieved of his tusk by the second - mate, getting in return some trifle: the gentleman belonged to Navy Board - Inlet, on the south side, and not far away. - </p> - <p> - The Captain had had a lot of paddles made for some of the boats. It was - possible to approach whales with very little noise when the paddles were - used, so we tried them frequently for narwhal hunting. As there were - numbers of these creatures in sight, we had a couple of boats out after - them. A sharp lookout was kept from the crow's nest for whales coming up - the Sound. We hooked on to the ice about two miles from the south shore, - and put a boat out on either side of the ship and about a hundred yards - away. These boats were hooked on by laying the long steering oar on the - ice. Our narwhal hunters had no luck, so they came on board. - </p> - <p> - <i>July 1st. Tuesday</i>. We were fast to the ice with a boat on each side - all day. The Captain had a long interview with the native on the subject - of whales. He seemed to understand maps well, and was able to point out - where he had seen fish; from what I could make out, a good number had been - in the Sound. I spent the afternoon in a boat with the Captain trying to - get a narwhal. We saw dozens and came pretty close to several lots, but - did not get one good shot, although we fired several times. - </p> - <p> - The harpoons we used for this work were much smaller than the regular - whaling harpoon and were made of the same tough Swedish iron. - </p> - <p> - Before turning in I spent an hour on deck and heard narwhals and white - whales breathing about us all the time. Everything looked propitious. - </p> - <p> - <i>July 2nd. Wednesday.</i> I had a dream during the night that we had - succeeded in killing a narwhal and that our youngest harpooner, Gyles, had - killed it. Dreams were often recounted at the breakfast table, so I told - this, and, as luck would have it, before dinner Gyles killed our first - narwhal. My night visions were subsequently treated with great respect, - except by the steward, who felt, no doubt, that I was infringing a little - on his rights. A coldness sprang up between us such as only professional - jealousy can create, and which evinced itself the following day when he - did not ask me to help him to pick the raisins for the duff—Thursday - being duff day. The forenoon success gave quite an impetus to the narwhal - fishing, but no more were captured, as the elusive beasts always went down - just as we were almost within shot. - </p> - <p> - The narwhal (Monodon Monoceros) is to me the most beautiful of the whale - species. The one captured by us was twelve feet long without the tusk. - This measured four feet in length and about four inches around the base. - It ended in a rather sharp point and had a spiral groove running from - right to left. The horn, or rather tooth, protrudes from the upper jaw of - the male, generally on the left side. It only protrudes from the female - head as a freak. On the right side a small undeveloped horn is found - embedded in the skull of the male, but two undeveloped teeth are found in - the female. The narwhal is the only vertebrate animal in which bilateral - symmetry is not the rule. The body is whitish, marbled with blackish - brown, and about four of them yield a ton of oil. With an axe I easily - split the cancellous skull and removed the embedded tusk. We saw hundreds - of white whales this day (Delphinapterus leucas). These are cousins of the - narwhals, but generally a little larger. The <i>Aurora</i> had great luck - the previous year up Prince Regent's Inlet in getting a good catch of - them. This was managed by driving them ashore. They were skinned and the - skin made into leather. Each side counted as one skin. - </p> - <p> - They go in schools like porpoises, but generally only three or four - abreast, therefore, it takes a large school a considerable time to go - past. They are peculiar in having no dorsal fin, and their yellowish white - colour makes them rather conspicuous. - </p> - <p> - <i>July 3rd. Thursday.</i> 'Before breakfast a bear was seen in the water - and shot by McLean from a boat. Bears are always lucky and we knew that - something better would soon come. While at breakfast a female narwhal was - killed. It must have been fourteen feet long. I removed the two little - embedded horns. Narwhals were very difficult to capture with the - appliances in use at this time, the harpoon gun being only effective at - ten or fifteen yards. As the beast generally went down when one was about - twenty yards away, a long shot had to be taken with a very clumsy gun. - Very little of the narwhal showed above water, just the top of its head - and back. Of course there was a good sized animal immediately under the - water, so that a harpoon might miss the back and still lodge in the whale. - It was very cold and we had several snow showers. The bear was skinned and - the skin salted and put in a barrel, no attempt being made to dry or - otherwise cure any of the bear skins taken during the voyage. They were - kept green. - </p> - <p> - <i>July 4th. Friday</i>. During the night there was a fall of snow and a - breeze from the east had driven some loose ice up the Sound, and pieces - were constantly breaking off the floe. These drifted down the Sound with - the current; but when there was wind from the east much of this broken ice - would drift up and surround us. We were dodging about under canvas in the - morning, and the wind, which was bitterly cold, was going down. During the - forenoon we sailed up to the floe edge and hooked on about eight miles - from the south side, putting two boats on the bran, that is, one on each - side of the ship. The loose ice had drifted away, and as the afternoon was - very fine the Captain decided to try the unies, as the narwhals were - called, and I went with him. One does not generally see very many unies - together, but they were in fours and fives all over the place this - afternoon and very shy. Just as the boat would get within twenty-five - yards or so, off they would go. The Captain made a long shot at one and - got fast. For a few minutes the line ran out rapidly, but the shot had - been a long one and the harpoon drew, so we came on board disappointed. - </p> - <p> - Paddles were used instead of oars, as they made less noise. On the fishing - ground we avoided noise as much as possible and for this reason the ship - seldom steamed, but kept her fires banked and moved about under canvas. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /> - </p> - <hr /> - <p> - <a name="link2HCH0014" id="link2HCH0014"> </a> - </p> - <div style="height: 4em;"> - <br /><br /><br /><br /> - </div> - <h2> - CHAPTER XIV—OUR FIRST WHALE - </h2> - <p class="indent15"> - "Hoist out the boat at once and slacken sail." - </p> - <p> - <br /> - </p> - <p> - <i>July 5th. Saturday</i>. A beautiful day. After breakfast I was in a - bran boat on the starboard side of the ship and one hundred and fifty - yards away, when I heard a commotion on board, and in less time than it - takes to tell, all our boats, except the upper quarter ones, were in the - water and hurrying off: towards us. Our steering oar was holding the boat - to the ice, so it did not take long to get away, and we pulled hard for - several minutes before the boat-steerer whispered: "Avast pulling." At - this time the boats were scattered along the ice edge a hundred yards - apart. A whale had been seen coming up the Sound. We knew that it would - continue up under the ice, and failing to find a hole through which it - could breathe, it would turn and come to the surface near the edge of the - ice and close to some of the boats, and that unless we had very bad luck, - it was doomed. In a few minutes we saw it a quarter of a mile down the - Sound; it looked like two black islands, one the head and the other the - back. It lay there for several minutes and we could distinctly hear it - breathe. We saw the spout, then it sank slowly and disappeared. The - excitement was now' intense. The next time it would be beside a boat—which - boat? Would it come up under us or beside us? Perfect silence was observed - and the suspense of waiting for the first whale, I shall never forget. - Probably ten minutes passed, when up came the fish almost beside the boat - in which George Matheson was har-pooner. As he was already standing by his - gun, no order was given, and one sweep of the boat-steerer's oar gave him - his shot. The gun went off, the foregoer sprang into the air and every man - shouted: "A fall! a fall!" The whale hesitated a few seconds before going - down, and Matheson put in a hand-harpoon also. He was not ten feet from - the whale when he fired, and almost touching when he put in the - hand-harpoon. The fast boat now hoisted its jack and the fish went down - and started towards the south side of the Sound, past the ship's stern. We - pulled in this direction for all we were worth, the boat nearest the fast - boat standing by it so as to supply more lines if necessary. When we had - pulled hard for ten minutes, we slowed down, the boats keeping some - distance apart, and shortly after, fifty yards from us, the whale came up. - Immediately a second boat, the mate's, got fast, the huge creature going - down at once, and away we went again. When our quarry next appeared, about - fifteen or twenty minutes later, the nearest boat immediately began - lancing, and presently we were at it. Unfortunately we all had our backs - to the scene of action, except the boat-steerer and harpooner. The heavy - blast, every time it breathed, sounded uncomfortably close. In a few - minutes the boat-steerer called, "Back, all!" and we immediately backed - water, the whale hitting the water once or twice with his tail and going - down; again we were off, but not so far this time. When he next appeared - he rolled about a good deal and we were afraid to go close, so the second - mate fired a Welsh's rocket under one of his flukes and then we all backed - off. The rocket was fired from a harpoon gun. It had a charge of powder in - its trocar-shaped head, and a fuse running down the shaft. When this - exploded the whale plunged fearfully and lashed the water with his huge - horizontal tail. After this he was quiet and the water shot from his - blow-hole was blood-stained. We now closed in again, and lances were - plunged into his neck and churned up and down. Breathing became labored, - and after a final flurry, his spirit passed and his blubber and bone were - ours. What a cheer we gave! What a feeling of exultation! How near I felt - to happy, unconventional, primitive man at that moment! As the whale was - lying on its back with the flukes hanging out, a round hole was cut in - each of these, through which a piece of rope was run and the flukes - reverently folded across his breast; with a knife all lines attached to - harpoons were cut free so that the fast boats might haul them in. The tail - was fastened to the bow of a boat, and, getting in line, we all proceeded - to tow the fish back to the ship, which, by the way, made no effort to - help us, as the weather was fine and there was nothing in sight. Arriving - alongside, the tail was fastened forward and the head aft along the port - side. We went on board, and after dinner, as I sat smoking with the - Captain on the cabin skylight, I could not help feeling that the life of a - whaler was the only one for me. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0039" id="linkimage-0039"> </a> - </p> - <div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> - <img src="images/0260.jpg" alt="0260 " width="100%" /><br /> - </div> - <h5> - <a href="images/0260.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </h5> - <p> - At 1.30 P. M., all hands were called to flense the whale alongside. By - means of tackle made fast to the lower jaw, called the nose tackle, the - mouth could be opened and the tongue and the bone removed. The right whale - (Balaena Mysticetus), of which this was a specimen, supplies practically - all the whalebone. It grows from the sides of the upper jaw, three hundred - blades hanging down on each side. They are ten and twelve inches wide - where inserted into the gum, and narrow as they descend. The inner edge is - frayed and the outer unbroken. These frayed inner edges form a sort of - sieve through which the water passes when the whale shuts its mouth, but - through which the whale food cannot pass. - </p> - <p> - The bone from each side is brought on board generally in one piece, - sufficient gum being taken with it to hold the lamellae together. This is - divided with a wedge into smaller pieces of about a dozen lamellae each, - and subsequently each lamella is slit off with the wedge and freed from - gum and oil. The longest blades are those in the centre on each side and - they vary in length according to the size of the animal—twelve feet - being large. The size of a whale is estimated by the length of the longest - blade, "a twelve-foot fish" being one in which this measures twelve feet. - The bone is about a quarter of an inch thick and tears easily into long - pieces. It is an albuminous substance, containing calcium phosphate, and - can be moulded when heated by steam, retaining its shape if cooled under - pressure. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0040" id="linkimage-0040"> </a> - </p> - <div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> - <img src="images/0264.jpg" alt="0264 " width="100%" /><br /> - </div> - <h5> - <a href="images/0264.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </h5> - <p> - The busy part of a whaler during flensing is the deck between the main - mast and foremast. Between these masts is the blubber guy, a stout wire - rope to which blocks are strapped, and through these are rove the tackles - which haul the long strips of blubber on board as they are pulled off the - whale. - </p> - <p> - The specksioneer and all the harpooners except the mate get on to the - whale or into the mollie boats in attendance; they have spikes on their - boots to keep them from slipping; and they remove the blubber and bone - with their knives and spades. The mate of a ship is a busy man, but the - mate of our whaler flensing was, I think, the busiest person I ever saw. - Acting under the captain's directions and from his own initiative, he was - everywhere, giving orders and seeing them carried out. - </p> - <p> - In removing the blubber the first thing done is to start cutting a ribbon - of it around the neck, called the kant. This piece, probably two feet - wide, when pulled upon, turns the carcass, and from it, running towards - the tail, the long strips are cut and hauled on board. First the piece - around the neck is well started. Then with spades a strip is started. As - this is hauled on by the capstan the men with spades cut along each side - and it is simply peeled off. When the piece raised up is several hundred - pounds, it is cut off, hoisted on board, and the tackle refastened. When - the exposed part has been flensed, the neck piece or kant is again pulled - on by the windlass, which turns the whale over a little, and so on. When - all the blubber has been removed, the head tackle is cut out and the - carcass, or kreng as it is called, sinks as soon as the tail is cut off. - The tail is taken on board and used afterwards for chopping blubber on. - The blubber as it comes on board is cut into smaller pieces by the - boat-steerers and thrown into the 'tween-decks by the line managers, from - which it is taken a day or two later, cut small and put into tanks. - Flensing a fish is a very cheerful occupation and the ship is certainly - oily, but there is no unpleasant smell. As soon as a whale is killed, the - fulmar petrels (P. Glacialis) come in swarms, and they gorge themselves - with fat until they cannot sit up; then they become dreadfully ill and - begin all over again. There was always a current where we flensed and this - current would carry away a stream of overgorged birds, too full to do - anything but drift. I sat in a boat one day and amused myself catching the - birds as they paddled past until I had numbers in the boat. I found it - better, however, to leave them in the water, or to let them stagger about - among the men's feet at work. This was a ten-foot fish and would probably - yield thirteen tons of oil. The following is a copy of the scale used long - ago by whalers:— - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0041" id="linkimage-0041"> </a> - </p> - <div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> - <img src="images/0271.jpg" alt="0271 " width="100%" /><br /> - </div> - <h5> - <a href="images/0271.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </h5> - <p> - Of course there are exceptions to this old rule. - </p> - <p> - The afternoon clouded up while we were so busy, and by the time we had - finished, it was blowing. When I turned in there was some snow and it was - much colder. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0042" id="linkimage-0042"> </a> - </p> - <div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> - <img src="images/0269.jpg" alt="0269 " width="100%" /><br /> - </div> - <h5> - <a href="images/0269.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </h5> - <p> - <i>July 6th. Sunday.</i> I found the ship with the main yard aback, - dodging about in a rather choppy sea. The sky was cloudy and it looked - like winter. Three ships were in sight down the Sound, all under canvas. - We were quite close to the south side, as the captain believed that fish - would come up that way, and it proved that he was correct. After breakfast - a whale was seen blowing among some loose ice to the north of us. Six - boats put off in pursuit, while the ship followed. Two of the boats kept - straight to the ice while the other four, including Jack McLean's, in - which I was, kept around it. The sea was quite choppy and the air cold, - but we warmed up with the rowing. - </p> - <p> - The boats going straight to the ice were able to pass through and entered - open water beyond before we got around to it. The fish came up and gave - the second mate a long shot just as she was going down; but a harpoon - easily enters a whale's bent back so he got fast and "A fall! a fall!" was - joyfully shouted by us all. As we passed the fast boat we saw her jack - flying proudly and her bow enveloped in smoke as McKechnie tightened the - line around the bollard head. Gyles was standing by, so with the other - boats we pulled in the direction the fish had gone, and as we were getting - close to more loose ice, those of us who were rowing and consequently - looking astern saw the fast boat—which had been well down by the bow—right - herself and we knew that the iron had drawn. We pulled away however in the - hope of again getting fast, but this whale was only seen once more, a long - way off, and after a hard row through loose ice we gave up. The ship had - followed and she now picked us up. As the wind had gone down we sailed - back towards the south side and made fast to the solid floe, getting our - bran boats out before tea time. We picked up the fast boat on the way, she - having her lines on board. The weather looked very settled at bedtime and - the unusual exertion of the past two days made me sleep well. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0043" id="linkimage-0043"> </a> - </p> - <div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> - <img src="images/0273.jpg" alt="0273 " width="100%" /><br /> - </div> - <h5> - <a href="images/0273.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </h5> - <p> - <i>July 7th. Monday</i>. Summer had returned by morning and the making off - had already begun when I came on deck. We were lying almost opposite the - mouth of Admiralty Inlet and fast to a nice straight floe edge with not a - bit of loose ice any place. There was more life on deck at the "making - off" than there was at the flensing and every one was busy. The blubber - had been cut into pieces two or three feet square and put down the main - hatch. These big cubes of a faint orange color were taken on deck with the - winch, and any pieces of adherent flesh being removed they were cut into - blocks of a few pounds each. Along each side of the deck stood uprights; - on the top of each was a plate with spikes called a clash, and beside each - stood a harpooner with a long sharp knife. A block of blubber was lifted - by a man with clash hooks and stuck on the clash spikes, with the skin up. - The harpooner cut the skin off and the piece was then thrown into a heap - in front of the speck trough. The speck trough, which was about two and a - half feet square, was placed across the deck over the hatch; forward of - this stood the boat-steerers and in front of each was a block of whale's - tail resting on the opened back lid of the trough. Each man had a chopper, - and as the pieces of blubber from the heap were thrown to them, they - chopped them into little bits and swept them into the speck trough, from - which they were conducted to the tanks through a canvas tube attached to - an opening underneath. A man in the 'tween-decks directed this tube to the - tank he desired to fill. The bone was stowed down the quarter hatch. It - was always important to keep the ship clean and get the blubber away, as - there was no regularity about the appearance of fish. A number might come - at once, and several being killed, the crew could be blocked with work, - while again there might not be another seen for a month. - </p> - <p> - When the making off was over, the decks were scrubbed down. - </p> - <p> - <i>July 8th. Tuesday.</i> The <i>Arctic, Esquimaux and Narwhal</i> were - all in sight to the north of us. During the forenoon we lowered away for a - fish, six boats going after it. We saw the spout near the ice edge and - were ready for its return, but it came not, probably finding a breathing - place somewhere and after resting coming out north of us. We waited a long - time and had a tiresome row back. The native picked up by us when we first - came had been landed near the south shore, where he had his dogs. Now we - saw three coming along the floe and we picked them up, sledges, dogs and - all. They belonged to Navy Board Inlet. Hardly were they on board when all - hands were called and the boats were away, as spouting had been seen - astern. I was in one of the four boats between the ship and the south - coast, and we must have sat there half an hour before anything occurred; - in fact, we thought the fish had gone elsewhere. The men were all pretty - restless, when suddenly the water broke two boats from me and the report - of a gun was followed by the cry—"A fall." I saw the whale throw its - tail straight up as it went slowly down; then it started north and we - pulled past the ship in that direction and scattered out to wait its - reappearance. In the usual length of time the fish appeared in our midst - and another iron was put in. Away we went again in the best of spirits. Of - course, the fast boat in each case remained and moved only as towed by the - whale. I was in Watson's boat, and at the whale's next appearance we were - almost on the top of it and he immediately lanced, but the game stood very - little tickling of that sort and was soon off. Again it came up beside us, - and this time very breathless as it had such a short breathing spell - before. Three boats were at once busy with lances, and in a very short - time we registered a kill. When the lines were cut, and the flukes and - tail attended to, we returned to the ship, pulling to the shanty, - "A-roving, a-roving, since roving has been my ruin," and having the whale - in tow, we were very much elated by our afternoon's work, but there was a - great surprise in store for us. Arriving on board, the whale was made fast - and I went down to have some coffee. When I came up I found that the crew - of the first fast boat, having taken their line to the ice to facilitate - pulling it in, had utterly failed to get it beyond a certain point. - Thinking it had fouled something at the bottom, they were ordered to come - on board and take their line in with the steam winch. This was done, and - when after great pulling the very tight line was almost in, behold, there - was a dead whale at the end of it. One must be on board a whaler to - appreciate a pleasant surprise like this. It is not so much the extra - money, as the satisfaction of success. What had happened was this. - </p> - <p> - The first harpoon fortunately struck deep in the shoulder of whale No. 1, - which immediately sounded in shallow water and broke its neck. No. 2 was - not a fast fish at all when we first saw it. Now, we had a fish on each - side, and as soon as the crew had refreshed themselves with supper, the - work of flensing started with a will. When things were well under way I - turned in, very tired, and when I tumbled out four hours after, one fish - was on board. The men were now ordered to turn in for four hours, except, - of course, the lookout and a few nondescript people like myself and the - engineer. I learned another thing about the ways of the Arctic this - morning; directly the crew had turned in, the clock in the companion was - put forward an hour, and when two hours had passed it went on another - hour, then all hands were called and our second whale taken on board. This - fish was flensed in about three hours, the crew turning in, except a - boat's crew on the bran and the lookout. The <i>Esquimaux</i> came - steaming towards us during the night, which annoyed us greatly, as the - fish were coming up the south side and we thought our berth rather good. - She steamed past and hooked on five or six hundred yards south of us. The - Aurora immediately unhooked and passed her, while she repeated the - performance mid a storm of abuse from both barrels. Our Captain was afraid - to go closer to the shore, so we remained where we were. When we hooked on - first, the natives had left us, going north to the other ships. We now saw - a number of well loaded sledges coming up the south coast. It was evident - that they would board the <i>Esquimaux</i> first, so we would lose the - chance of bartering with them. Consequently, we sent a boat off to pick - them up and bring them on board. Our opponents saw what we were doing, so - sent a boat also. As it had a shorter distance to go than ours, it picked - up the whole caravan and brought it back. Our boat noticing a sledge far - away with two people in it, waited for them and brought them to the - Aurora. It happened that these two old natives owned all the barter on the - other sledges, and as we kept them on board, everything had to be turned - over to the Aurora by the other ship, greatly to their disgust. The - Captain obtained from them quite a lot of narwhals' tusks and bear skins. - The incident amused us very much. - </p> - <p> - <i>July 9th. Wednesday.</i> Two boats on the bran and the balance of the - crew washing down the ship. I had my first ride on an Eskimo sled. Giving - a native a plug of tobacco, he removed from his sled all the movable - things and I got on. Then addressing a few remarks to his dogs, off they - started. As the ice was smooth I enjoyed it at first, but we came to a - hummocky place where it was not so pleasant. I did my best to stop the - dogs, but they followed their leader, and finally I tumbled off and - returned to the ship, the dogs going on probably home. The runners of the - sledge were made of whales' jaws with bone cross pieces lashed to them. - When I went on board I found a boat just starting for a bear to the north - of us. I don't think I ever saw one any distance from the water; this was - along the floe edge and several miles away. Between us there was a - peninsula of ice on which there were some hummocks. I landed here to try a - stalk and the boat rowed around. For a time I did very well, the bear - wandering aimlessly and slowly about, but before I got within three - hundred yards of him, he had seen me and was off to the water. I fired - several times, but without effect. He plunged in and started to swim - across from the peninsula to the main floe. The boat had by this time - doubled the cape and bruin had a bullet in his head before he had gone - very far. We hauled him on to the ice and skinned him. The men cut some - steaks for themselves, but I never had the pleasure of trying polar bear, - as the Captain did not care for carnivorous animals as a food. - </p> - <p> - A great many white whales were now around. I wished we could have driven a - school of them up a fiord the way they drive the potheads up the Shetland - voes. When we returned we found that a narwhal had been killed, but we did - not like to disturb the right whales by hunting these very much. - </p> - <p> - As the ship was generally hooked on to the floe which extended across the - Sound, her bow was pointed up and her stern down, consequently astern - nearly always meant down the Sound, as the current setting in that - direction held the ship in that position. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /> - </p> - <hr /> - <p> - <a name="link2HCH0015" id="link2HCH0015"> </a> - </p> - <div style="height: 4em;"> - <br /><br /><br /><br /> - </div> - <h2> - CHAPTER XV—FLOE EDGE FISHING - </h2> - <p class="indent15"> - "Look through the sleet and look through frost, - </p> - <p class="indent15"> - Look to the Greenlands' caves and coast. - </p> - <p class="indent15"> - By the iceberg is a sail - </p> - <p class="indent15"> - Chasing of the swarthy whale; - </p> - <p class="indent15"> - Mother doubtful, mother dread, - </p> - <p class="indent15"> - Tell us, has the good ship sped?" - </p> - <p> - <br /> - </p> - <p> - <i>July 10th. Thursday.</i> We moved from our neighbor, the <i>Esquimaux</i>, - and dodged north under canvas, hooking on five or six miles away. The - Sound was frozen completely across this year, and during our stay, the ice - never opened. Probably we could have forced our way in had we been bent on - exploration, but the ice floe edge fishing was very desirable and suited - us exactly. - </p> - <p> - All hands were employed making off when I came up and we had a busy day - getting two whales into our tanks. Although they were not very large, it - took many hours and every one was tired when it was over. - </p> - <p> - The Sound being frozen over was a great disappointment to me as it - prevented our going up Barrow Strait, or visiting Beechy Island, where Sir - John Franklin spent his last winter. There I was, within a few miles of - the place consecrated to the memory of those heroes and doomed to return - home without seeing it. Up this waterway, Sir James Ross and McClure had - passed to make their great discoveries of the magnetic polar area and the - northwest passage. There had been, at one time or another, nearly all the - Arctic explorers, of whom I had ever heard. - </p> - <p> - As the clock in the companion had been moved about so much lately, and as - there was not a watch, on the ship, going, our ideas of time were vague in - the extreme. - </p> - <p> - <i>July 11th. Friday.</i> The weather was fine, and during the afternoon, - positively warm. The boats spent the day on the bran, but there were no - whales in sight. An interesting phenomenon was, however, in evidence, - namely, refraction. Byam Martin's Mountains looked wild and precipitous, - and the coast line appeared as a continuous high cliff, quite unlike the - land we had been beside for the past week. What I found most interesting - was to watch the <i>Narwhal</i>, which was lying not far off. At one - moment her hull stretched up, making her look like an old line of battle - ship, while her masts shrank down, then the hull would close down like a - concertina and the masts would stretch up to the sky. Pieces of ice and - little hummocks became great white chimneys and big icy mountains. I saw a - row of white masses far above the ice. They looked like puffs of smoke - from a battery, the guns being pointed up. Presently a white lump would - appear on the ice underneath each puff and in a minute they would become - connected and look like a row of top-heavy white pillars. The middle part - would then become attenuated until it resembled a white thread and then - the tops of the pillars would settle down and disappear. The changes were - kaleidoscopic and one could watch them by the hour. When the sun was warm, - we often had this phenomenon, owing to the different densities of the - various atmospheric strata. - </p> - <p> - <i>July 12th. Saturday.</i> Hearing "All hands" during the night, I - tumbled out of bed, picked up my bundle of clothes, ran on deck and got - into a lower quarter boat that was being lowered. Probably within sixty - seconds after being asleep I was pulling for dear life towards some loose - ice north of us, beyond which a whale had been seen. When we reached the - ice, we rested and put on some clothes. The fish was just as likely to - come up where we were as at any other place, so we did not want to - frighten him by disturbing the ice. After a wait of ten minutes, we saw - and heard the blast of a fish to the northeast. It had turned and was - going out again. We pulled through the ice with difficulty; it cannot be - pushed about by a whale boat, but we kept on in the direction in which the - whale was last seen. However it did not come up again where we could see - it, and so we returned to the ship. It was very cold coming back and had - begun to blow. - </p> - <p> - The sky was much overcast during the afternoon, and as it was blowing - hard, the boats were taken in before bedtime. - </p> - <p> - <i>July 13th. Sunday.</i> There was a regular little gale this day, so we - kept in open water, with the main yard aback and the fires banked. We - received news of the Greely party from the <i>Arctic</i> as she had spoken - some of the slower ships and heard it from them. - </p> - <p> - During the afternoon quite a choppy sea was on and ice was coming in as - the wind was blowing up the Sound. We dodged out through this ice and then - sailed north, sighting nearly all the other ships of the fleet. Sundays - were stormy days in this place, and to sit on a ship all day, listening to - her strain, and to the wind howling through the shrouds, was not pleasant, - especially when we were only killing time and accomplishing nothing. When - I turned in, we were still under canvas. - </p> - <p> - <i>July 14th, Monday</i>, was a gloomy day. We were hooked to the ice, - with a boat out on each side. The crew were busy filling the bunkers and - then cleaning up, also overhauling some fishing gear. The blacksmith was - employed straightening out harpoons. The iron of which they are made is - soft and tough. It bends and twists every way but does not break. - </p> - <p> - I amused myself polishing little tusks which I had taken out of the female - narwhals' heads. We were very restless, knowing that the <i>Arctic</i> had - more whales than we had. We heard from her that all the ships had fish a - few days before. - </p> - <p> - <i>Tuesday.</i> Two narwhals were killed, male and female. I was in a boat - with the Captain, but we did not get any. We used paddles instead of oars, - as we could approach more quietly with them. - </p> - <p> - <i>July 16th. Wednesday</i>. We were still hanging on to the ice with a - boat on the bran on each side. Again we pursued narwhals and secured - another fine male with a four-foot horn. There were such crowds of these - beautiful creatures that I wished the Captain would turn all hands after - them, but he was afraid of disturbing any whales which might be around so - we did not pursue them vigorously. Some white whales passed us, but we - were not far enough up the Sound for white whaling. - </p> - <p> - Narwhals are playful creatures and very noisy. The first thing any whale - does on coming up is to blow most of the air out of its lungs, and this in - a very noisy manner. For its size, the narwhal makes more noise than the - others. Before going down, they generally take a deep, noisy inspiration. - Nearly all the time we were in Lancaster Sound, if calm, we could hear - whales of some kind puffing and blowing around. I often saw narwhals raise - their tusks out of the water, and when black whales were taking a final - header, on starting for a long dive, they generally threw the tail up in - the air in a graceful manner. We did not like to see one going tail up, as - it meant that probably we had seen the last of that particular fish. - </p> - <p> - <i>July 17th, Thursday,</i> was a fine day with mirage in the morning; the - effects were wonderful. A small piece of ice, miles away, would look like - a berg. About noon we made out that the <i>Polynia</i> had a fish and this - was more than we could bear. We decided that there was a Jonah on board - and circumstances pointed strongly to one of the crew. A suit of his - clothes was procured, with his cap, half a pound of powder was packed into - it with a fuse attached and it was run up to the main yard arm. The - Captain went below and turned in, but rifles and ammunition were supplied - and we had a lively practice at the effigy for a time; then the fuse was - touched off and bang went Jonah. This performance cleared the atmosphere - forward completely, every one believing that the spell was broken and that - we would now find fish. In the cabin, Jack, the steward, greased the - horseshoe and that made the after guard feel better, and to crown it all, - a bear was killed during the evening, in the water near the ship. - Personally, I felt greatly encouraged by these ceremonies, and went to bed - feeling that at any moment "A fall! a fall!" might be heard. - </p> - <p> - If some misfortune happens to a whaler—such as having his harpoon - gun passed to him through the rigging, instead of around it, or if his - boat should start away from the ship stern first and not be brought back, - hooked on, hauled up and lowered again—then he would go after a - whale certain that he would miss it, whereas, should he dream the night - before that he had got fast to a fish, then he would approach it with the - utmost confidence. - </p> - <p> - <i>July 18th. Friday</i>. I had an undisturbed night and awoke to find it - blowing and the ship under sail. Going on deck, I found the topsails aback - and much loose ice about. After breakfast, all hands were away after a - whale seen among the loose ice. This was a hopeless kind of rowing, so we - scattered about, following different leads. We saw the fish blowing in - several different places, but could not get near it, so came on board. - During the afternoon, the wind went down and the loose ice drifted out - again, so we hooked on to the solid floe about three miles from the south - side and a boat was put on each side, as usual. Numbers of narwhals around - during the afternoon, induced a boat to follow them, and a big female was - secured with a calf. The undeveloped tusks of the latter were hollow like - cigarette holders. - </p> - <p> - <i>July 19th. Saturday</i>. I had not been asleep long when I heard "All - hands!" and, rushing up, went off in my usual boat, the lower quarter boat - on the starboard side. I heard that a fish had been seen spouting down the - Sound. In a few minutes, we all saw it off the south shore, a mile from - the ship. We gave way with a will and soon had the boats in open order - along the floe, where we thought it had passed under. Our patience was - rewarded when it came up between the mate and Watson. Mr. Adam, being the - nearer, swept down on its quarter and, as it made a back to sound, he gave - it both gun and hand in the shoulder. This was a big fish and a fine chase - began. I had seen the mate strike and I knew the irons would not draw. - Straight down the Sound we went, the wounded animal taking out much line. - </p> - <p> - Sometimes a fish goes deep and does not travel very far, but this one was - a traveller. We pulled for about twenty minutes or more and then halted, - the whale coming up ahead of us and going down again at once. The mate's - boat had signalled for more lines by putting a piggin on a boat-hook, and - another boat had stood by and bent on. Before long, the wounded one came - up and another iron was put in; it was well puffed after its run and - stayed up long enough to get some lances stuck in. A lance, cutting any - large vessel in the neck or thorax, would cause it to bleed to death very - quickly, but none of these lances touched vital parts, for the whale went - down in a very lively way with four or five sticking in it, and it must - have stayed down fifteen minutes, travelling fast all the time. When it - reappeared, we were on to it at once, and it soon began to blow blood and - give other evidences of approaching dissolution. Its plunges were - dangerous and the reports caused by striking the water with its tail, were - very loud. We always backed well off during one of these demonstrations, - but were on to it at once when they ceased. There was much more danger - from the flukes than the tail, as we were touching its sides with the - boats. After one or two terrific blasts of blood and water, and a great - flurry, it turned up its toes, and after the usual formalities, the long - tow to the ship began. Shanties were sung with vigor and we pulled with a - will. As I had not had anything to eat since ten P. M., the day before, - and as we had been working hard all night, I was ready for breakfast when - we reached the ship. The fast boats had come on board, taking their lines - in with the winch. After breakfast all hands were called and it took many - hours to flense this big fish, the bone of which was 10 1/2 feet. I - examined the flukes after the blubber had been removed from them; they - were like huge hands with nicely proportioned fingers. I entered in the - log the death of the fish, and a little picture of its tail. This is the - custom. In the log there was a paper model, which was held on the page - with the finger and traced around the edge with a pencil. Then it was - shaded, according to the ability of the artist, and the name of the - harpooner was written above. On each side was stated whether killed by gun - or hand, or both, and below was written the length of the bone. Should the - harpoon draw, and the whale be lost, half a tail was sketched. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0044" id="linkimage-0044"> </a> - </p> - <div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> - <img src="images/0289.jpg" alt="0289 " width="100%" /><br /> - </div> - <h5> - <a href="images/0289.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </h5> - <p> - During the flensing, one of our firemen, Bob Graham, appeared at the - engine room door with six pieces of rope yarn tied together, and to the - free end of each he had fastened a piece of blubber, just big enough to - pass comfortably through the throat of a mollie (as fulmars are called), - either way. Graham was an ingenious fellow and remarkable for his - fertility of resource; he was always amusing himself by devising little - surprises to make life pleasant for others. He threw this affair into the - sea and the six pieces of fat were instantly swallowed by the same number - of mollies. All went well until it became evident that the birds were not - of the same opinion as to the direction of their next move. This - performance seemed to me cruel at first, but after watching it for a - little while, I decided that the exercise was good for the fulmars and did - not hurt them. Of course, there were little disappointments connected with - it, but then creatures, higher in the social scale, have their - disappointments also. It is just possible that the bird which played the - game out and eventually swallowed all six pieces and the string, may have - had regrets, but from what I have seen of this particular species, I don't - think it suffered much. - </p> - <p> - When the flensing was over, every one was tired, and the men were ordered - to turn in, excepting the lookout, all having been busy during the day. As - whaling was a very irregular sort of life, it was the custom to sleep - while one could, and as I had done a lot of rowing during the previous - twenty-four hours, I sought my cabin. Our specksioneer, George Lyon, was - an old man, but he was absolutely indefatigable, and when this order was - given, he decided to go on the bran instead of to bed. Accordingly, he - raised a crew of volunteers, but being short one man, he thought of me. - There was one way of always bringing me on deck and that was to go to the - companionway and shout down the word "bear." This George did and I at once - appeared, rifle in hand. Seeing the boat being lowered, I tumbled in, and - in a minute we were away; I then asked where the bear was and the - specksioneer said that we might see one; so I knew his trick. We went some - distance south of the ship and, hacking the boat up to the ice, laid the - steering oar on it, which held us there, then we talked and smoked. - </p> - <p> - About midnight all was quiet, except for the heavy breathing of the - narwhals and white whales in the sea, and of those who slept in the boat; - it was easy enough to sleep, sitting at an oar. I was awake, the - boat-steerer was standing on the ice, and the man in the ship's barrel was - scanning the Sound for fish, when suddenly, without the slightest warning, - there was a great commotion in the water, at the side of our boat, and up - came a whale with a fearful blast. This first blast of a whale, which has - been holding its breath for a long time, sounds very loud, when one is - within ten feet of it. It reminds one of a train coming suddenly out of a - tunnel. The boat-steerer instantly pushed the boat well off, getting in at - the same time He then said "Give way," which we did. The whale was moving - very slowly, and one sweep of the boat-steerer's oar brought us around to - it, then I heard the orders, "Stand by your gun!" and "Avast pulling!" I - would have given anything for one look; but the lives of all the crew - depended upon each man doing as he was told, so I sat perfectly still and - leaned well away from the line running up the middle of the boat. - Presently there was a bang, and the line began running out, while every - one called "A fall." I was now in a boat, fast to a fresh whale, which was - an experience the average amateur rarely had. As the harpooner took a turn - of the line around the bollard head in the bows, and paid the line out - through his hands, the bow of the boat was dragged very low and the stern - tilted very high, but the speed we travelled at was not so great as I had - expected. The whale came up between the boat and the ship, and we were - being towed down the Sound. All the boats were away from the ship in a - minute. We called out the number of lines out, and they had no difficulty - in finding about where the whale was, and being ready for it when it came - up. A second iron was put in when it appeared and off it went again. The - water being absolutely free from ice, the chase was an easy one, as a boat - could generally go faster than a whale. All I had to do was to sit quiet - and keep well away from the line. As there was no ice to endanger the - boat, the line was put several times around the bollard head and kept very - tight, so we were towed much faster than if it had been loose. After the - whale was killed and all the lines cut free, we were called on board to - have or lines hauled in, after which the ship unhooked and steamed off to - pick up her boats. The sky was very much overcast when we brought the - whale alongside, and the tired crew, after getting some food, had to - flense at once, as a change of weather might have been serious. - </p> - <p> - The <i>Aurora</i> now looked as a successful whaler should—a big - whale in the 'tween-decks and another alongside tons and tons of blubber - lying about everywhere, and the passage between the engine room and - skylight, and the bulwarks, piled with bone. - </p> - <p> - Before the flensing was over, it had commenced to blow and it was quite - rough by the time we had finished. Then we unhooked and ran down the Sound - a little way, while the crew turned in for a watch. As our main yard was - aback, it required very few men to handle the ship. All night we were - dodging about. - </p> - <p> - <i>July 21st. Monday</i>. For some time, the clock had not been watched. - Had it been, it would have conveyed little information, because, when it - suited, it was put backward or forward. When a man going to bed saw by the - clock that it was midnight, and when he arose and saw by the same clock - that it was six, he probably felt refreshed. In the end, of course, it - would tell on him if the full amount of rest registered had not been - obtained; but for a time it worked very well. It certainly took a long - time to make off our two whales, and it gave us a substantial feeling to - be able to say, "Five fish on board." When the decks were cleared up, the - crew were ordered below, excepting the lookout, but shortly after, it came - on to blow hard and the sky was much overcast. Later, some rain fell, so - we unhooked and lay off the ice edge with the main yard aback. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /> - </p> - <hr /> - <p> - <a name="link2HCH0016" id="link2HCH0016"> </a> - </p> - <div style="height: 4em;"> - <br /><br /><br /><br /> - </div> - <h2> - CHAPTER XVI—WHALING IN LANCASTER SOUND - </h2> - <p class="indent15"> - "White, quiet sails from the grim icy coasts, - </p> - <p class="indent15"> - That bear the battles of the whaling hosts, - </p> - <p class="indent15"> - Whose homeward crews, with feet and flutes in tune, - </p> - <p class="indent15"> - And spirits roughly blithe, make music to the moon." - </p> - <p> - <br /> - </p> - <p> - <i>July 22nd. Tuesday.</i> During the night the rain changed into snow and - in the morning it was blowing a gale. In fact, it was a wild, winter's - day. We were amongst loose ice, with our main yard aback and there was no - open water to be seen anywhere. During the day the snow ceased but the - wind kept up until late in the afternoon, when we found ourselves in a - triangular pool of water, the sides of the triangle being about half a - mile long and the base, three or four hundred yards. The ship was anchored - to one side and she lay parallel with the base and twenty or thirty yards - away from it. This hole appeared to have been formed by large floes. It - was quite free from ice and afforded us an ideal harbor. - </p> - <p> - <i>July 23rd. Wednesday</i>. All hands turned out shortly after four in - the morning as a whale was seen at the apex of this triangle. One boat had - been left fast to the ship's stern. This went in pursuit and the others - lowered away, the one I was in being ordered to remain fast to a line from - the ship's stem. Long before the boats reached the whale, it sounded and - did not appear again, so they came on board, all but the one I was in. Our - bows were towards the ship's stern and the boat's side was twenty yards - from the ice edge. We had been there about an hour when, with a great - commotion, a tremendous whale came up between the ship and the ice edge. - Its head was alongside our boat before we realized what had happened; and - by the time we had slipped the line the leviathan had passed us, as it was - going fast. We could almost have touched him with the oars, but by the - time we turned the boat and were under way, down went the fish to look for - another breathing place elsewhere and we returned to our berths. Had the - bow of the boat been the other way, we could have fastened the whale - easily. - </p> - <p> - At eight bells, we came on board for breakfast. Just as I entered the - cabin, I heard the rushing on deck and, going up, found two boats off - after a whale. It had simply come up to breathe and, having breathed, it - went down again and disappeared from our harbor. One boat remained at the - apex of the triangle and the other returned; and, on the way, a fish came - up a hundred yards in front of it. They pulled hard and took a long shot - as it humped its back going down. They got fast and the whale went off! - under the ice. From the barrel, a small water hole could be seen half a - mile away, and to this several ran, carrying a rocket gun which could be - fired from the shoulder. Before they had gone very far, however, the - harpoon drew and, as there was no use firing rockets into a free fish, - they came on board again. It was now blowing pretty hard and very cold, - but we still kept a boat at the apex of the triangle and one beside the - ship. Now occurred a very exciting race. A whale came up half way along - one side of the hole, and was travelling slowly towards the base. The boat - at the apex followed, the one by the ship did not move, and every man on - board was watching what would happen. Reaching the base, the whale halted - to take a few long breaths before going down, the boat rapidly neared, the - whale humped its back and the boat had to fire. From where we were, we saw - the harpoon fly up into the air with the foregoer wriggling after it, then - it fell, missing the whale as completely as if it had not been fired at - it. I was sorry for that harpooner. He was a big man from Aberdeen, with a - yellow beard, and he was a nervous wreck when he came on board. This - fearfully bad luck was maddening, and we were all on edge; for, though the - place was swarming with whales, we never got one. Had we got fast to half - a dozen, we would have lost them all through lines being cut by the ice, - or fouling. - </p> - <p> - By the evening, the wind had gone down and the ice was slacker, the whole - east side of our pool moving away. - </p> - <p> - <i>July 24th, Thursday</i>, was a beautiful day after the storm and we had - open water astern once more. We unhooked after breakfast and steamed - slowly towards the south side again, and while steaming, we sighted a - whale down the Sound. The ship was anchored to the ice and the boats - distributed in the usual way. This whale did not come up after being first - seen until it was at the ice edge, when one of our boats got fast. It then - went under the floe—a most unusual proceeding when it had lots of - open water. We were along the ice edge, nearly a mile from the fast boat, - and wondering what would happen next, when, in a very small hole, 150 - yards from my boat, up came the head of the whale. The hole was not many - times larger than the head. The under surface of the lower jaw was towards - us. It had a very white appearance. The head turned around very slowly - presenting a wonderful sight. Gyles, the harpooner, in whose boat I was, - seized a rocket gun and, running to the hole, fired, and the head went - down as slowly as it came up. Presently the fish appeared in the open - water and was immediately harpooned again. Its experience under the ice, - or Gyle's rocket, had affected it so that it did not remain down but soon - came up again and submitted patiently to the lancing operation which ended - its life. This removed the gloom caused by the awful luck of the previous - day. We had now more than three tons of bone, and that alone would be a - fair voyage. The flensing began just as soon as the crew had food and was - not finished until bedtime. - </p> - <p> - <i>July 25th. Friday.</i> Every one was cheerful. Some of the hands were - cleaning bone, two boats were on the bran, and one after narwhals, as - there were many of them about. - </p> - <p> - I painted the figurehead, as the <i>Aurora</i> was looking a little - dissipated with her out-stretched arm unhooked. This was only in - commission when in port; consequently, it looked younger than her seagoing - arm, which was a fixture across her breast and which had stood the brunt - of many gales. - </p> - <p> - <i>July 26th. Saturday.</i> All hands were "making off" the fish. They - were at it early and had finished by noon, and then there was a general - clean up for Sunday, but strict watch was kept. There were only white - whales and some narwhals around. The tusks we took from those we killed - and those we had bartered for, always lay on the after grating, which - covered the well down which the auxiliary propeller went; there was never - enough motion to roll them off. - </p> - <p> - July 27th. The usual Sunday gale was blowing and we were dodging about - under canvas all day. I was out on a yard during a snow squall and found - it very exciting. This was my first attempt at taking in sails when there - was much wind. We spoke the <i>Narwhal</i>; she had seven whales and - reported the <i>Arctic</i> as having eight and all the rest well fished. - Towards evening we sailed to our favorite fishing ground on the south - side. - </p> - <p> - July 28th. Monday. All hands were away after a whale at six A. M. We had a - long pull, and lost her for a time amongst the loose ice. Rounding tins, - however, we reached her again and the mate got fast, McLean putting in a - second. We passed both boats and were in at the kill. When we had backed - off once for a flurry, I looked around and saw Watson lancing. I thought - the flukes would have smashed his boat, he took such awful chances. This - whale rolled about a great deal, and bristled with lances which she had - torn from the men's hands by rolling. She was also dreadfully tangled up - with lines which had caught on the lances. There is sometimes danger from - being caught under these lines and cut in two. When a dead whale is lying - on its back, the abdomen lies very low in the water, and, when freshly - killed, sinks with a man when he walks along it. As we were a long way - from the ship, she came after us and we soon had the whale alongside. The - capstan was used for taking on board the big blanket pieces. At the order, - "Heave away capstan," a shanty was struck up by the men marching around. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0045" id="linkimage-0045"> </a> - </p> - <div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> - <img src="images/0301.jpg" alt="0301 " width="100%" /><br /> - </div> - <h5> - <a href="images/0301.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </h5> - <p> - They sang so loud that we could often hear their weird songs coming over - the water from other ships similarly engaged. Our friends, the fulmar - petrels, were always with us upon occasions of this kind, and all that - were in the Sound, I think, spent the day with us. - </p> - <p> - The outer skin of the whale is about as thick as stiff paper, and black. - It peels off readily, and the men cut book markers out of it. Under this - comes a layer, nearly an inch thick, of rather gelatinous stuff, which the - Eskimos eat raw, then the blubber between this and the superficial fascia, - by which the body heat is preserved. It took us practically all the rest - of the day to flense. - </p> - <p> - <i>July 29th. Tuesday</i>. We had a visit from two natives; they were - prosperous looking people with a good sled and dogs. I admired the - protection from the sun which they wore. It was a piece of wood with a - slit cut in it. This was very efficacious, but unbecoming. We learned from - these people that many whales had been seen by them this year. They had - some bear skins with them for trade, and some walrus ivory. This was much - inferior to the narwhal ivory, which was very fine and was worth, at this - time, I think, one pound ten per pound, that of the walrus being only - worth half a crown. I had a long walk with a gun but did not see anything. - </p> - <p> - <i>July 30th. Wednesday</i>. All hands "making off." I tried to skin a - fulmar, but could not do it, it was so fat. I wanted a skin badly, but - this was too much for me. All the birds we killed were fat, a provision of - nature against cold. The men said, however, that they could not wear oil - soaked clothes in cold weather. - </p> - <p> - I was in the "crow's nest" a good while. It was most difficult to see - anything at a distance owing to the mirage. During the afternoon I tried - to shoot some narwhal near us. I shot at their heads with a rifle from the - boat, and although they had sometimes been killed with the rifle, so - little of the head showed when the beast was lying on the surface, that I - fancy they must have been shot from the ship, which stood high. - </p> - <p> - <i>July 31st</i>. Immediately after breakfast, four boats were away after - a whale. I remained on board and watched from the barrel. It was a long - pull and the whale got away amongst loose ice without giving the boats a - chance. We captured a female narwhal in the afternoon. - </p> - <p> - <i>August 1st. Friday</i>. Lovely day but very cold. In the morning I was - sitting on the after grating, scraping a bear's skull, when a hundred - yards or so astern of us arose a whale with the usual blast. The water was - like a mirror and the fish lay there for several minutes and breathed - heavily. No one spoke or moved. There in front of us was a fine whale, its - jet black head and back showing up well and reflected on the absolutely - glassy surface of the sea. When it slowly sank with its head towards us, - we knew it would go under the ice, but we would not lower away until we - were sure it was under. I was leaning over the after rail, peering into - the water, when I saw the whale coming slowly under where I was standing. - I first noticed a large, gray bow coming towards me; it was the under jaw, - and as it passed beneath the vessel I could see distinctly the large - round, dark spots on the huge lower lip. It passed a very short distance - under our keel. There was no movement of either flukes or tail. I watched - the great horizontal tail in the hope of seeing some movement. Only the - man in the "crow's nest" and I alone saw the fish passing under the ship, - and as soon as we were sure that it was safe, the boats went away as - noiselessly as possible and we waited for the result with bated breath. It - came up almost beside the ship and Jimmy Watson put in both gun and hand - harpoons, then came the joyful shout "A fall," and we started down the - Sound. As the fish was well fastened, it was safe to snub the line around - the bollard head of the boat; there was no fear of the irons drawing and - it made a heavy drag on the whale. The line, in running out, passes - through the hands of the har-pooner before going around the bollard head. - Of course, he wears several pairs of mittens, but these are generally torn - to pieces. Our friend shortly came to the surface rather exhausted, as the - line had been well snubbed, but Thor put another iron into him. This - smarted and one could have heard his tail strike the water miles away. He - lashed it with such force that no boat could go close; and before a rocket - could be fired into him, he was off. This time the drag was very heavy, - for he had two boats. It did seem absurd that this huge monster, more than - sixty feet long and forty around the waist, could be conquered by having - those little bits of harpoons stuck in with their little threads of lines - attached, but whales of this species are clumsy and stupid and turn very - slowly, and it is this inability to turn fast that proves their undoing. - Upon appearing the next time, a rocket was instantly fired into a vital - place and the final flurry came at once and made lancing unnecessary. The - row back was a pleasure, and our joyful shanties could be heard for a long - distance. We were alongside by midday, and after dinner, flensing - commenced. I amused myself again with the fulmars. Getting a boat, I laid - my left elbow over the side so that I could look between it and the - gunwale. Every time a fulmar came under, I darted my right hand over, - catching him by the neck and taking him on board. When I had a great flock - of them, I put them on the poop, around which there was a base board about - four inches high, and above this the iron railing. The birds had eaten so - much blubber that they could not get over the base board. One had to be - careful of bites, as they had the curved, pointed bills peculiar to the - albatross, shearwater and other birds of this tribe. It is curious that - the great albatross and diminutive storm petrel, the wren of the sea, - should belong to the same species. In a very short time, I saw the - advisability of throwing my flock of pets overboard. We did not go below - for supper until the fish was flensed. - </p> - <p> - <i>August 2nd, Saturday,</i> was cold and cloudy, but no wind. We were - hooked on with two boats on the bran; all hands making off during the - afternoon. - </p> - <p> - <i>August 4th. Monday</i>. Three of the four boats were after a whale - among some loose ice to the north of us. One boat got fast and all - immediately lowered away. When we reached the ice, navigation became - difficult and the fish came up where we could not touch it. Several boats - came out of the ice and tried to row around. Ours was one of these; then - we found that the harpoon had drawn and the whale had vanished. We pursued - some distance down the Sound and had nothing for our trouble but exercise. - </p> - <p> - <i>August 5th. Tuesday</i>. Much loose ice in the Sound, caused by wind - during the night. Narwhal were abundant, and two boats went after them - with no result. Later the ship unhooked and steamed east looking for open - water. I spent a long time in the "crow's nest," and, as there was no - mirage, got a beautiful view of the south coast—very wintry at bed - time. - </p> - <p> - <i>August 6th. Wednesday</i>. The rushing of feet overhead brought me to - the deck on a gloomy cold morning, and before I had time to add anything - to the clothes in which I slept, we were a mile from the ship. A whale had - been seen some distance to the north and four boats pursuing it. We paused - and put on some more clothes to keep out the keen Arctic air, and then we - went off again, as the whale had come up. Long before the leading boat got - near, it had disappeared, but we were not discouraged, so kept on, and - this hard work continued until we were far from the ship and getting - amongst pans of loose ice. The whale we were following was a fast - traveller and we were ultimately obliged to give up the chase and return. - The row back was long and wearisome, and when I reached the ship I had my - long delayed breakfast and retired, but the moment I turned in to my - berth, the rush above told of more whales in sight, so I went on deck. A - fish had been seen blowing a long way down the Sound and six boats were - away, but bed appealed to me more than another long pull, so I returned to - it and remained there until the following morning. Our boats did not get a - shot but had a long chase and did not return until very late. - </p> - <p> - The day was cold and the density of the atmosphere uniform, so I was able - to see all the other ships distinctly with the glass. Some swell had - broken up the edge of our floe and some pieces had been driven up the - Sound, so it looked more icy than any day since the time when all the - whales came. During the afternoon we hooked on to a large floe. The <i>Polynia - and Esquimaux</i> were near us, but to the south; the <i>Arctic</i> was - some distance down the Sound. Swarms of white whales were about us in the - open places. - </p> - <p> - <i>August 7th. Thursday</i>. The loose ice was gone. We had unhooked - during the night and steamed west to the fast floe. I went up to the - barrel and the Captain went down to get his pipe. While gazing at distant - things, I heard a noise on deck and, looking over, saw all hands lowering - away for two whales astern of us. I must have been looking in another - direction when they appeared, because the first I knew of it, was the - noise below. Our boats lay about half on each side and were playing the - usual waiting game. The Captain came up to the barrel and I went down, but - too late to enter a boat, as they had all gone, except the two upper - quarter boats. This was a great disappointment to me, as I had assisted in - killing every whale we had taken on board. After a while, one fish came up - on the south or port side and was fastened by the farthest south boat. The - whale went under the ice, but came out nearer the ship and was fastened - again. This proved the worst whale we had seen. It did not go down again - but rolled about so much and slapped the water with its flukes to such an - extent that the boats were rather afraid of it. This went on for a long - time, when the Captain called out that he would kill it himself, so he - came down and ordered the port upper quarter boat launched. All boats had - their gear ready, whether we used them or not. A crew of irregulars was - called, the Captain as harpooner, myself next, the sailmaker next, third - engineer, cooper, etc. The Captain went up at once and, driving a lance - into the whale's neck, began churning it up and down. The fish allowed - itself to sink a few feet, and the bows of the boat glided over it as the - Captain held on to the lance. Then coming to the surface again, it tumbled - the boat over on its starboard side and instantly gave a great blast from - its lungs. My oar came out of the water, so I let it go and, grasping the - seat with my right hand and putting my left on the whale's back, I got the - full charge of blood and water over my side and shoulder, as I was almost - over the blow-hole, and such was the force, that my thick pilot coat was - soaked with-blood, and also the thick coat underneath. I saw the - sailmaker, who was in front of me, turn around; his face was green, in - spite of the tan. He was almost in the water. The boat, fortunately, slid - off the slippery neck and a serious accident was averted. The great danger - would have been from being caught between the whale and the many lines it - had wound around itself. After this, a couple of rockets were put in and - the most troublesome fish of the season gave up its ghost. As all this - happened beside the ship, we were saved the usual tedious tow, and in an - hour flensing was commenced. It was six when we had all on board. The - second whale did not reappear—probably finding a breathing place in - the floe. The sky was overcast at bedtime and there was a bitterly cold - wind. Having the engines aft made a great difference to the temperature of - the cabin, as the bulkhead between the pantry and engine room was always - hot. - </p> - <p> - <i>August 8th. Friday</i>. We were off Cape Hay when I came on deck and - sailing east under topsails. This cape was a wonderful place for looms. - They bred there in thousands; but we did not land or go very close, so I - had no chance of seeing much. - </p> - <p> - Quite a number of the ships had already left the Sound, among others the - <i>Arctic</i>. Her captain, having secured thirteen black whales, had - decided to try his luck in Repulse Bay, Fox Channel, where he had had - former success. Owing to the amount of ice in the Sound and on the west - coast, he had come to this decision. Consequently he had sailed to - Hudson's Straits, passing from Frobisher Bay through Gabriel Straits and - encountering the dreadful current for which the neighborhood is noted. Ice - was met with about Salisbury Island, and beyond this he was unable to take - his ship, so he returned to Cumberland Gulf and from there home without - adding to his cargo. - </p> - <p> - Lancaster Sound was beginning to look and feel like winter, the weather - being very frosty. The mountains on the south side, which are about two - thousand feet high, were very white, as a number of snow storms had passed - over them. We were anticipating with pleasure a visit to Pond's Bay and - the points usually called at on the west coast. One can generally take a - ship by Navy Board Inlet through Eclipse Sound to Ponds Bay, but this year - the ice precluded such a trip. - </p> - <p> - We kept under sail, to save our coal, and ended off Wollaston Islands at - the entrance of Navy Board Inlet, without having seen any whales. Here we - hooked on to a large floe. - </p> - <p> - <i>August 9th. Saturday.</i> After breakfast all hands were called to make - off. It was a very cheerful performance, our men being in good spirits. - The day was bitterly cold, but work kept them warm. Ice formed where the - sun did not strike the water as there was hardly any wind to disturb it. - </p> - <p> - By dinner time the whale was made off and during the afternoon the watch - employed cleaning up. We remained hooked on all night. - </p> - <p> - Sunday was a bitterly cold day and blowing a little, so we went further - down the sound under topsails. About ten A. M. we sighted a whale and sent - four boats in pursuit. I was in the second mate's. After a long chase the - mate got fast. There was much ice about, so it was dangerous work for the - fast boat, as it was impossible to avoid the pieces when being towed, and - should the boat strike a floe it would be smashed at once and all hands - would have to jump. - </p> - <p> - When the fish came up first there was no boat near, but on coming up a - second time Watson got in an iron and we had a very lively run down the - Sound. With two harpoons in, there was a considerable drag on, and in a - short time she reappeared and a boat was soon lancing. - </p> - <p> - Our boat had been delayed by pieces of ice, so that it was late when we - arrived on the scene. However this was a very vital whale and difficult to - kill. I saw our specksioneer Lyon's boat almost smashed by one of the - flukes during a flurry. - </p> - <p> - The perfectly fearless old man was so absorbed in his lancing operations - that he did not notice the fluke coming, and but for the quick action of - his boat-steerer, an accident would have occurred. - </p> - <p> - The ship had followed us, so we had no towing when the battle was over, as - she picked the boats up, taking the whale with her to a floe where she - anchored. Two more boats had been lowered away when they heard "A fall" - called. One had gone to help the mate with more line, and the other had - taken part in the chase. - </p> - <p> - After having something to eat, flensing was the order of the day, our - cheerful crew singing with great spirit to the orders "Heave away capstan" - and "Heave away windlass." This, our tenth whale, was a heavy one and it - was late when we got it all on board. - </p> - <p> - The ship remained at the floe all night, drifting with it down the Sound. - </p> - <p> - <i>Monday, the 11th</i>, was a wintry day, bitterly cold and an overcast - sky. During the afternoon we had some snow squalls. We dodged about under - topsails, but did not see even a narwhal. It was evident that our chance - of catching white whales this year in Prince Regent Inlet was small. We - anchored to the ice off Cape Liverpool at night. - </p> - <p> - <i>Tuesday, August 12th</i>, all hands were engaged making off in the - morning and doing a general clean up during the afternoon. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0046" id="linkimage-0046"> </a> - </p> - <div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> - <img src="images/0315.jpg" alt="0315 " width="100%" /><br /> - </div> - <h5> - <a href="images/0315.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </h5> - <p> - <br /><br /> - </p> - <hr /> - <p> - <a name="link2HCH0017" id="link2HCH0017"> </a> - </p> - <div style="height: 4em;"> - <br /><br /><br /><br /> - </div> - <h2> - CHAPTER XVII—LANCASTER SOUND TO DUNDEE - </h2> - <p class="indent20"> - "To claim the Arctic came the sun, - </p> - <p class="indent20"> - With banners of the burning zone - </p> - <p class="indent20"> - Unrolled upon their airy spars. - </p> - <p class="indent20"> - They froze beneath the light of stars, - </p> - <p class="indent20"> - And there they float, those streamers old, - </p> - <p class="indent20"> - Those Northern Lights, forever cold." - </p> - <p> - <br /> - </p> - <p> - The neighborhood of Cape Byam Martin was considered good whaling ground, - so we spent the next few days cruising off it and the coast further down, - but without seeing anything of interest. Even seals were scarce. It was - remarkable how few we saw north of the Arctic circle. - </p> - <p> - By going aloft, one could always see, in some direction on the ice, a - black dot, which represented a seal, but after the tens of thousands seen - on the coasts of Newfoundland and Labrador, they were scarce indeed; in - fact, I never shot one during the whole northern trip. - </p> - <p> - We found Ponds Bay that paradise of the old whalers so full of ice that we - were unable to visit the natives, which was a great disappointment to us - all. It was a bad year for seeing much of the land as there was so much - ice coming down. - </p> - <p> - From the ship, the line of the shore looked straight, except off the bay, - but there were great fiords running into the land for miles. One of them, - known as "Hell's Kitchen," had been a noted place for whalers. Two - branches of it, named respectively, "Morris" and "Cooney" extended far - into the country, one of them having been navigated by Captain Guy for - about forty miles. - </p> - <p> - Ponds Bay was a celebrated place for salmon fishing, the whalers often - getting wonderful catches there, thereby improving their menu greatly. At - this time, the weather was very wintry, frost and snow reminding us of - where we were, and by the night of Sunday, the 17th, we were only off Cape - Bowen. - </p> - <p> - Monday was a beautiful day and we were fast to the shore floe, a long way - from the land. The Captain decided to improve the shining hour by having - the ship painted, so the boats were put upon the ice and the men employed, - cleaning and painting. The <i>Aurora</i> was comparatively new, so it was - very easy cleaning her, as her woodwork was good and she had been well - kept up. Even washing her down with the alkaline solution used gave her a - nice appearance. By evening, a great deal had been accomplished and inside - she looked very neat. - </p> - <p> - The little auks were numerous about here. One of our firemen killed three - with a broom handle and I shot a fine bag. There was a good flight of - ducks along the floe edge and I had several shots at them. As the birds - were young, they were worth having, being free from the fishy flavor - peculiar to their parents. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0047" id="linkimage-0047"> </a> - </p> - <div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> - <img src="images/0319.jpg" alt="0319 " width="100%" /><br /> - </div> - <h5> - <a href="images/0319.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </h5> - <p> - <i>August 19th.</i> We finished painting the boats, but left them on the - ice, excepting two from which the lines had not been removed. - </p> - <p> - Our fishing, so far, had nearly all been floe edge. We had not entered the - middle pack very far, where the whales were sometimes numerous at this - season. The enormous amount of ice made the Captain think twice about - pushing his ship, with her valuable cargo, into it, and so we kept quietly - down the coast, occasionally going out a little where the ice was loose, - but remembering Sir Leopold McClintock's winter in the middle pack with - the <i>Fox.</i> - </p> - <p> - The southwest fishing, to which we were now going, was generally - prosecuted in the autumn. The ships lay at anchor in some harbor, and - every morning the boats rowed out and watched for whales. It was cold, - dreary work and very unpopular with the men; but whales killed late in the - season were often large and well worth looking for. - </p> - <p> - <i>August 20th. Wednesday</i>. The boats were hoisted up this day and, - with the Captain, I went on the ice to look at the ship. It was cold and I - had on half-boots, a thick double-breasted monkey jacket, with leather - gauntlets and a leather sealing cap. We walked to where the painting had - been done and there admired the ship. She looked well, sitting rather down - by the stern. All the crew, practically, had been standing on this ice for - the last two days and nothing had happened: I went rather close to the - edge and the piece I was standing on gave way and I went down at once, but - on coming up, with one or two strokes, reached the ice edge. It took some - seconds for my clothes to soak as I had so much on, and by that time, one - of the men, Jock Fairly, came with a boat hook, by the help of which I was - pulled out. My clothes were so completely water-logged that, without - assistance, getting out would have been impossible. Again the gentle - warmth of the top of the boiler proved a comfort. - </p> - <p> - <i>August 21st. Thursday</i>. Hooked on, with a stiff breeze blowing and - the sky overcast. Ducks were flying in great numbers past a point half a - mile away, so, taking the dingey, I went off to it. There was no shelter - and, although every bird must have seen me, the silly things would not - leave the ice edge, but would just swing out far enough to make my shots - effective. This shooting both barrels into the "brown," as the ducks - passed, was not so much fun as getting them in pairs, but one soon picks - up a good bag, and as I was shooting for the pot, a bag was what I wanted. - When I came on board, the birds were tied in bundles and hung up on the - davit guys above the quarter boats. - </p> - <p> - August 22nd. During the afternoon, a bear was seen, so we went off in a - boat to capture it. As there was no solid ice, the beast had to get out of - and into the water so many times that he could not escape, and he was - killed from the boat by the mate. I landed and tried to stalk him, but he - left my pan and I could not follow him. - </p> - <p> - Two ships were in sight southeast of us. One of them was the <i>Cornwallis,</i> - which we had not seen for some time. I was anxious to get near her as - Armitage was on hoard, but she was a long way off. We always knew the - other, the <i>Esquimaux</i>, by her mizzentop, as she had once been a - full-rigged ship, although now a barque. - </p> - <p> - On Saturday, the wind blew a gale, which kept us dodging under the canvas; - but by Sunday the weather had improved. - </p> - <p> - During the morning we sailed up to the shore floe, as we saw some natives - there, and picked them up. They had tusks and dog skins for trade. We took - them, with their dogs and sledges, on board. One of them was a - good-looking, pleasant native, called Enu. He added greatly to my Eskimo - vocabulary during the next few days, and he told me that deer were - plentiful in certain places and that salmon abounded. We steamed south all - day, after picking up the natives, the weather being cold but fine. - </p> - <p> - <i>August 25th. Monday</i>. Steaming down the coast and the weather quite - fine. During the afternoon, a black spot inshore indicated the mouth of a - river. The shore floe at this point was a mile wide, but the ice was - smooth. A boat and the dingey with a net and ten men were sent to try to - catch some salmon. A number of men were sent to haul the boats across the - floe to the open water of the river mouth, and the natives came also. Mr. - Adam took the boat and I took the dingey. We had a boat's sail, plenty of - coal, two ship's kettles, coffee, sugar, salt, biscuits and tins of - mutton. Arriving at the open water, our helpers returned to the ship, and - the natives, after turning their sleds upside down, so that the dogs could - not run away with them, came with us in the boats. We rowed into a river, - which was about thirty or forty yards wide at the mouth, shallow and - placid. We went up a short distance and camped on the right bank. Above - our camp, the river was a nice-looking little salmon stream; but below, it - was more pretentious looking on account of its width. The net was drawn, - with no result. It was tried in another place without getting a fin. Then, - as it was growing late, we returned to camp. Tying two oars together, with - their blades crossed, we laid the end of the long steering oar between - these and this gave us an excellent frame for our tent, completed by - throwing the large square boat's sail over it and tucking two of the - corners underneath. Then a fine coal fire was started, a kettle of coffee - made, and an excellent hash prepared, by mixing tinned mutton, sea - biscuits, snow, pepper and salt. We enjoyed this thoroughly and I sat by - the camp fire afterwards and listened to these men tell tales of - happenings in former years. Thus, on the unhospitable shores of Baffin - Bay, I had my first experience of camp life. After awhile I noticed that - in spite of my clothing, my back was cold, so I turned it to the fire. - Then my face was nearly frozen, so I turned back. In the excitement of - starting, I had thrown a rug into the boat and not thought of blankets. - Now I began to wish I had brought some, for I spent a miserable night, - waking up very often with the cold. - </p> - <p> - <i>August 26th.</i> At last the tedious night came to an end, and - breakfast thawed us out and made things look more cheerful. The day was - fine, so the <i>Aurora</i> was safe, and preparations were made for - further fishing. Had the morning looked threatening, the ship would - probably have signalled us to come on board. I am a keen fisherman, but - the net did not appeal to me very much; so I decided to see what the - country looked like and, taking Enu with me, went up the river. The - bitterly cold night had caused some ice, so the men waited for a higher - sun to dissipate this before we left camp. I found the country flat, as a - whole, with low hills in the background. The native gave me to understand - that beyond these hills was the caribou country, but one dared not risk - going far from the ship, and so my chance of bagging a barren land head - was small. Little gulches led away from the river, on the exposed sides of - which there was no snow, but boggy ground and bad walking; while on the - shady sides the ground was frozen and covered with patches of snow. I saw - some places on the river which made me long to try the fly, and I am sure - good sport could have been obtained. After a very tiresome walk of some - hours, during which I did not see a bird or beast, I returned to camp. On - coming close, I saw a man walking from the river with a salmon in each - hand, the first two caught. They had tried a number of places and had - caught only these, so they sent them to camp for dinner. One was put in a - big ship's kettle to boil, and the other split and cut into pieces which - were hung around the fire on stakes made from driftwood. Each salmon - weighed about ten pounds, the flesh being very red, and while they did not - compare with those from home rivers, we considered them excellent, as they - were the first fresh fish we had had on the voyage. Leaving camp, I went - down to the boat and found they had just taken a splendid haul; the net - was shot several times and a grand total of 108 fish counted out. Dinner - was ready when we reached the fire and some more fish were staked out to - cook. - </p> - <p> - This delicate repast over, our things were carried down to the boats and - we made our way back as we had come. Seeing us from the ship, help had - been sent to bring the boats across the ice. - </p> - <p> - Many of the whalers fish for salmon every year and sometimes catch great - numbers. The best place is, as stated before, a river flowing into Ponds - Bay. Here several thousands are often taken. - </p> - <p> - The Eskimo dogs had eaten their harness and gone away, excepting two lame - fellows, and the natives made these pull them to the ship. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0048" id="linkimage-0048"> </a> - </p> - <div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> - <img src="images/0327.jpg" alt="0327 " width="100%" /><br /> - </div> - <h5> - <a href="images/0327.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </h5> - <p> - <i>August 27th. Wednesday.</i> Enu, with his menage, left for home, and - after breakfast we unhooked, and stood along the floe edge. From the - "crow's nest" I saw with the glass a number of Eskimo sledges travelling - north. They made no attempt to come near us, but kept close to the shore. - At noon we were going among some loose ice, so hooked on. I had a very - pleasant afternoon at the ducks and secured a good bag. All the birds - killed were young eider. In fact, on the voyage, I only killed three - varieties of duck, eider, king eider and long tail. - </p> - <p> - <i>August 28th. Thursday</i>. Two sledges with natives came off. There was - a very hungry woman with them. I saw her picking at everything soft on - board. She found the side of a box in which plug tobacco had been packed, - and picked it up; there were some leaves of tobacco adhering to it. I saw - her picking pieces of them and eating them. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0049" id="linkimage-0049"> </a> - </p> - <div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> - <img src="images/0331.jpg" alt="0331 " width="100%" /><br /> - </div> - <h5> - <a href="images/0331.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </h5> - <p> - Dividing the 'tween-decks from the lower forecastle, there was a partition - with a door. Just outside of this door stood a barrel into which the cook - threw refuse from the gallery, which was just within the forecastle. I saw - this polar American beauty put her arm into the barrel and bring forth a - duck's skin, which had a tremendous coating of fat. She seized the skin - with both hands and pulled the fat off with her teeth, devouring it - greedily. When she came to the neck, she chewed it, bones and all. There - were some most interesting children on board and they thoroughly enjoyed - the coffee and biscuit with which they were supplied by the Captain's - orders. We got some dog skins and small articles from these people, but - they had already been visited by some of the ships and their bear skins - and horns taken. - </p> - <p> - <i>August 29th</i>. On Friday the natives left us early. We unhooked and - sailed east, with a breeze from the south. We saw a bear and cub on the - ice, so lowered away and went after them. Both took to the water, and we - had to go around a large island of ice before we could reach them. I - landed on this, and running across, tried a shot at them in the water, but - they had gone too far and were behind hummocks of ice, so that I could not - see them. The boat then overtook them and the mate shot both. As nothing - more was seen among the loose ice we steamed to the floe edge and hooked - on. I bagged a few ducks in the evening. - </p> - <p> - <i>August 30th. Saturday</i>. We steamed down the coast and hooked on off - Cape Raper. Two natives came on board, and we bought a live fox from one - of them. It was young and blue, and spent the rest of the voyage walking - about the funnel casing, where its home was in a lime-juice box. The - natives left during the afternoon and we remained at the floe edge all - night. - </p> - <p> - It was a beautiful calm Sunday and the last day of August on which we - arrived at Cape Kater. The <i>Cornwallis</i> very soon afterwards came in - and I went on board at once. - </p> - <p> - They had had a most unsuccessful voyage as the ship had been spoiled for - sailing by having an engine put in which was of no use. They had killed a - whale and picked up a dead one, having one ton of bone from the two. - </p> - <p> - Poor old Captain Nichol was very much depressed. Every one said he was a - fine sailor; that his blood was tar and his flesh rope yams. They told us - that the other ships had done well, the <i>Nova Zembla</i> having eight, - the <i>Polynia</i> six and the <i>Esquimaux</i> ten whales when last seen. - </p> - <p> - Armitage came on shore with me and we visited some native habitations. - They were tents made of skin, and the sun beating on them made them warm - inside; but as there was not a particle of ventilation, the odor was the - worst possible. We saw in them the stone lamps in which the seal oil was - burned, moss being used as a wick; sometimes old tins served the purpose - instead of stone. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0050" id="linkimage-0050"> </a> - </p> - <div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> - <img src="images/0335.jpg" alt="0335 " width="100%" /><br /> - </div> - <h5> - <a href="images/0335.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </h5> - <p> - This country is generally called Baffin Land. There is, however, no reason - to believe that it is not divided up by channels into many islands. No - doubt passages exist connecting Davis Straits with Fox Channel. - </p> - <p> - Much of the coast line is uncharted, especially north of Fox Land. Fiords - running south from Eclipse Sound have been visited by whalers, but not - explored; possibly they could be traced to Fury and Hecla Straits. - </p> - <p> - Whaling stations have several times been established on the west coast, at - Exeter Sound and Cumberland Gulf—the first party wintering at the - latter place in 1852, to the detriment of the natives. - </p> - <p> - These improvident people with modern rifles would kill all the game they - could shoot, use what they required at the time and waste the rest, - whereas in old times they could just secure enough for their wants. - </p> - <p> - Again, children were brought up formerly in a hardy way, and taught how to - wrest a living from the inhospitable country. Now by loafing around a - settlement they acquire some of the pernicious habits of civilized men, - and learn to depend upon the European and his ship, forgetting that these - might be withdrawn at any time. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0051" id="linkimage-0051"> </a> - </p> - <div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> - <img src="images/0339.jpg" alt="0339 " width="100%" /><br /> - </div> - <h5> - <a href="images/0339.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </h5> - <p> - Monday was spent wandering about, but without seeing anything of interest. - The <i>Cornwallis</i> was still hooked on when we left Cape Kater, on - Tuesday. We kept away from the coast to look for a berg from which we - might water. The weather was clear and frosty, and at night the aurora - borealis was very beautiful. - </p> - <p> - <i>September 3rd. Wednesday.</i> We found a floe fast to the base of a - very large berg, and on this there was a lake of fresh water frozen over. - The ship being made fast, a hole was drilled in the ice and our water - tanks filled. - </p> - <p> - On the berg there was a white fox, but no shooting at it was allowed lest - the concussion should bring down masses of ice. By evening we moved away - and made fast to a floe far from our dangerous neighbor. The cold was - intense and bay ice formed around the ship. - </p> - <p> - I heard the thunder of splitting bergs several times during the night; - they sounded like avalanches among the Alps in the springtime. At this - season, especially on very cold nights, bergs often split and turn over - owing to water freezing in crevices formed by the warm summer sun, and for - this reason they are avoided as much as possible. We now spent five days - dodging about under canvas with fires banked. Part of the time we were off - Cape Hooper and part off Home Bay, but we did not see a single whale. - </p> - <p> - The weather was for the most part fine, but bitterly cold. If a mist arose - at night the ship presented a curious spectacle in the morning, her - rigging being coated with ice. - </p> - <p> - Our handy tradesmen during this period made some pretty things. The - carpenter presented the Captain with a neat model of a ship, while the - cooper turned out a tobacco box which was a work of art. - </p> - <p> - <i>September 8th. Monday</i>. We bore up for home. What cheerful news it - was! Passage sails were bent, boats taken in and placed on skids, bunkers - were coaled and all was life and bustle. Every one was happy. The voyage - had been a success, and we had not had a serious accident. - </p> - <p> - The "crow's nest" was sent down, nautical time adopted and the watch set. - To crown all, a fresh breeze sprang up, and with everything set and - steaming full speed we started down the Straits. - </p> - <p> - By bedtime we were in a heavy fog, so the canvas was taken off and the - engines slowed down. During the night the phosphorescence was very - beautiful. Pieces of ice thrown away by the propeller looked like balls of - fire, while the water immediately around the stern seemed all aflame. - </p> - <p> - For the next two days we had fog, so made little progress at night. During - the day the men were employed washing lines and stowing them away. Guns - and harpoons were cleaned and greased and the ship was thoroughly washed. - </p> - <p> - On the 11th, we had a strong gale with a dark and cloudy sky. It was - strange to be at sea and feel the motion of the ship after weeks of smooth - water amidst the ice. After this the sea was smooth, and we had fog all - the time until, off Cape Farewell on the 15th, the day being fine, the - ship was hove to and painted outside. A dense fog came down that night, - and we did not make another observation until off the Scottish coast. - </p> - <p> - On Saturday, September 20th, the fog was very dense and we steamed slowly - until noon, when it lifted for a short time and showed us the island of - St. Kilda. I was sorry we could not land here as it was a wonderful - breeding place for the fulmar petrels; but home was in sight, and Captain - Fairweather did not want to linger on a rock-bound coast, so we steered - north and on Sunday morning, the 21st, we were off the Butt of Lewis. - </p> - <p> - It was thick at times during the morning, but cleared in the afternoon and - gave us a view of the Orkneys. The Captain decided to go north of Orkney, - as he did not like the Pentland Firth with so much fog about. At night the - weather was perfectly clear. - </p> - <p> - <i>September 22nd. Monday.</i> On deck in the morning every one was - looking pleasant, and the ship neat. We were crossing the Moray Firth and - coming close to the Aberdeen coast. A fishing boat from Fraserborough was - hailed and an assortment of fish purchased for breakfast. These were paid - for with tobacco, and the pay was liberal. The first question asked by us - was, "Is England at war?" This being answered in the negative, greatly - pleased those of the crew who were naval reserve men. Eight bells struck - and my last breakfast on board the <i>Aurora</i> was served. After - breakfast we passed Peterhead, formerly a great port for whalers, and then - we steamed south close to the coast. The yellow fields of grain and - stubble, the cottages and the trees, looked to our snow-dazzled eyes like - Fairy Land. We passed Aberdeen and Stonehaven. We were close enough to see - Dunottar's grim ruin, then Montrose, and in a short time our pilot was on - board with all the news, and we were at home. - </p> - <p> - Of the Davis Straits ships in 1884 one was lost, the <i>Narwhal</i>; but - now, with the exception of the <i>Active and Aurora</i>, the weed-grown - ribs of the entire fleet rest beneath the waters of the cold northern seas - and the records of their crews' escapes and hardships would fill volumes. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /> - </p> - <hr /> - <p> - <a name="link2H_APPE" id="link2H_APPE"> </a> - </p> - <div style="height: 4em;"> - <br /><br /><br /><br /> - </div> - <h2> - APPENDIX - </h2> - <p> - Notice of arrival of whalers in <i>Dundee Advertiser</i> of September - 23rd: - </p> - <h3> - DUNDEE ADVERTISER, SEPTEMBER 23RD, 1884. - </h3> - <p> - THE ESQUIMAUX—THE LOSS OF TWO MEN. - </p> - <p> - The <i>Esquimaux</i>, Capt. Milne, arrived in the Tay last night from - Davis Straits, and will be docked with this morning's tide. The Esquimaux - was unsuccessful at the Newfoundland seal fishing, only 1,900 seals having - been secured; but she has brought a fair cargo from Davis Straits, - consisting of 11 whales, which will yield 140 tons of oil and 6 tons of - whalebone. Two fatalities have, unfortunately, occurred during the voyage. - Early in the season a young man named Allan Smith, a native of Dundee, was - dragged overboard by the line catching him after a bottle-nosed whale had - been struck, and he was never seen again. It is a painful circumstance - that Smith's father was lost from the same ship several years ago. Another - of the crew was lost during the passage home. He accidentally fell - overboard, and a boat was sent in search of him. After some time he was - picked up in semi-lifeless state, and all attempts to restore animation - failed. - </p> - <h3> - DUNDEE ADVERTISER, SEPTEMBER 23RD, 1884. - </h3> - <p> - DAVIS STRAITS WHALE FISHING—ARRIVAL OF AURORA. - </p> - <p> - The steamer Aurora, belonging to Messrs. Alex. Stephen & Sons, arrived - at Dundee yesterday afternoon from the Davis Straits whale fishing. The <i>Aurora</i>, - commanded by Capt. Jas. Fair-weather, has had a very successful voyage. At - Newfoundland 28,150 seals were secured during the two trips, the <i>Aurora</i> - being the only one of the Dundee fleet which was fortunate in securing a - good catch. On the 8th May she left St. John's for Davis Straits, and on - reaching Disco fell in with the <i>Thetis</i> and <i>Bear</i>, on their - way north in search of the Greely Expedition. The three ships thereafter - kept in company until they reached the north water, when Capt. Fairweather - steamed across to Lancaster Sound. An impenetrable barrier of ice blocked - the Sound, a circumstance which told in favor of the fishing, as a large - number of whales were secured at the edge of the ice. The crew were - successful in capturing ten, and also three bottle-noses, which will yield - 105 tons of oil and about 5 tons of whalebone. As the season advanced the - fishing was prosecuted along the west coast of Davis Straits, but without - success, owing to the immense quantities of ice, which seemed never to - have been driven out of the Straits this year. The frost came on unusually - early and very severe, 12 to 14 degrees being registered in August. Capt. - Fairweather bore up for home on the 8th Sept, and experienced a good deal - of foggy weather in crossing the Atlantic. He confirms the news previously - received of the catches of the fleet, and mentions that the <i>Polynia</i> - is the only vessel which has added to her cargo, which now consists of 6 - whales, equal to 60 tons of oil. The <i>Triune</i> sailed for home on the - 6th Sept. Capt. Fairweather has brought home a fine specimen of the Sabine - gull, a bird rarely to be met with in Davis Straits. It ought to be - mentioned that the crew of the <i>Aurora</i>, after receiving the news of - the <i>Chieftain</i> disaster from the pilot at the mouth of the river, - subscribed the sum of £20 185s. to the fund. - </p> - <p> - Whalers sailing from Dundee in 1884: - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0052" id="linkimage-0052"> </a> - </p> - <div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> - <img src="images/0345.jpg" alt="0345 " width="100%" /><br /> - </div> - <h5> - <a href="images/0345.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </h5> - <p> - A list of Greenland and Davis Straits ships sailing from Holland, from Dr. - Lang's book: - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0053" id="linkimage-0053"> </a> - </p> - <div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> - <img src="images/0346.jpg" alt="0346 " width="100%" /><br /> - </div> - <h5> - <a href="images/0346.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </h5> - <p> - Ships at Greenland and Davis Straits, with number of whales killed: - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0054" id="linkimage-0054"> </a> - </p> - <div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> - <img src="images/0347.jpg" alt="0347 " width="100%" /><br /> - </div> - <h5> - <a href="images/0347.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </h5> - <p> - The above list shows how the trade changed in a few years from London to - Hull, and it also shows how Scotland increased her fleet, while England - reduced hers. - </p> - <p> - In an old work—"McPherson's Annals of Commerce," is found the - following list of ships sent to the whaling: - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0055" id="linkimage-0055"> </a> - </p> - <div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> - <img src="images/0348.jpg" alt="0348 " width="100%" /><br /> - </div> - <h5> - <a href="images/0348.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </h5> - <p> - Whaling was now confined to Dundee Peterhead, and remained so until 1900, - when Peterhead sent her last whaler to sea, and since then the industry - has been carried on by Dundee alone. - </p> - <p> - In 1733 a bounty of twenty shillings a ton on ships over two hundred tons - was given by the English Government, and in 1749 this was doubled to - induce competition with the Dutch. - </p> - <p> - <br /><br /><a name="linkimage-0056" id="linkimage-0056"> </a> - </p> - <div class="fig" style="width:50%;"> - <img src="images/0349.jpg" alt="0349 " width="100%" /><br /> - </div> - <h5> - <a href="images/0349.jpg"><img src="images/enlarge.jpg" alt="" /> </a> - </h5> - <div style="height: 6em;"> - <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /> - </div> - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of A Voyage to the Arctic in the Whaler -Aurora, by David Moore Lindsay - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK VOYAGE TO THE ARCTIC *** - -***** This file should be named 51910-h.htm or 51910-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/1/9/1/51910/ - -Produced by David Widger from page images generously -provided by the Internet Archive - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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--- a/old/51910-h/images/enlarge.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/51910.txt b/old/51910.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 3edc4af..0000000 --- a/old/51910.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,5677 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of A Voyage to the Arctic in the Whaler Aurora, by -David Moore Lindsay - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - -Title: A Voyage to the Arctic in the Whaler Aurora - -Author: David Moore Lindsay - -Release Date: May 1, 2016 [EBook #51910] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK VOYAGE TO THE ARCTIC *** - - - - -Produced by David Widger from page images generously -provided by the Internet Archive - - - - - - - - - -A VOYAGE TO THE ARCTIC IN THE WHALER AURORA - -By David Moore Lindsay, F. R. G. S. - -"Our infant winter sinks, divested of its grandeur, should our eye -astonish'd shoot into the frigid zone." - -BOSTON: DANA ESTES & COMPANY PUBLISHERS - -1911 - - -[Illustration: 0001] - - -[Illustration: 0010] - - -[Illustration: 0011] - - -DEDICATED - -TO - -SIR THOMAS MYLES - -A VOYAGE TO THE ARCTIC IN THE WHALER AURORA - - - - -CHAPTER I--INTRODUCTION - -The following is little more than a diary of a voyage made by me on the -whaler _Aurora_ of Dundee in 1884. I cannot imagine its being read by -many, as the subject can only interest a few who have themselves gone -down to the sea in ships. - -The Arctic whaling industry is I fear becoming a thing of the past, and -this prompts me to have the record of our successful voyage printed. - -Some mention has been made of the Greely Relief Expedition, as the -relief ships were with the whalers during the passage to Cape York from -Newfoundland. - -We were not brought in contact with the _Chieftain_ at all during the -cruise, but I have told the story of her disaster, as it was the most -unfortunate occurrence of the year amongst the Arctic whalers, and for -the data I am very much indebted to the _Dundee Advertiser_ and to Mr. -Allen Bell and Mr. Harvey of that paper for the trouble they have taken -about it. I am also indebted to Mr. Robert Kinnis of Dundee for much -interesting whaling information in the Appendix. As that gentleman -possesses the records of all catches taken by British ships for more -than a hundred years, he is in a position to supply very valuable data -on the subject. - -Mr. Walter Kinnis kindly supplied me with many photographs, as did Dr. -Crawford, formerly of the _Arctic_, and Captain Murray of Dundee. - -It has given me great pleasure recalling the scenes described. As I -was very young at the time of the voyage they produced an indelible -impression. Often since have I longed for a few weeks in Lancaster -Sound, and to hear once more the inspiring shout "A fall!" - -Being fond of adventure, and having read as many works on the subject as -most boys of my age, it was with great pleasure that I looked forward -to hearing a lecture delivered by Commander Cheyne, R.N. I was then at -school, and our tutor thought it would be an education for us to hear -him. The lecture was to me intensely interesting and the illustrations -splendid. For days after I could not think of anything else. During -study at night, I used to spend a good deal of time looking at a map -of the Arctic seas, and picturing Melville Bay with its dangers. After -leaving school, and while at college, I read Walter Scott's "Pirate." It -told about the Orkneys and Shetlands, and its frequent allusions to the -whaling industry set me thinking. I found myself often repeating: - - "The ship, well laden as barque need be, - - Lies deep in the furrow of the Iceland sea. - - The breeze for Zetland blows fair and soft - - And gaily the garland is fluttering aloft. - - Seven good fishes have spouted their last, - - And their jawbones are hanging from yard and mast; - - Two are for Lerwick, and two for Kirkwall, - - And three for Burgh-Westra, the choicest of all." - -As there was no immediate chance of going to Greenland, why not see -Shetland? So when the summer holidays came, I made my way to Edinburgh -with two friends who had also read the "Pirate." - -We found that steamers sailed from Leith and that the best of the -fleet, the _St. Magnus_, would leave the next morning at six, so we -took passage in her and visited Orkney and Shetland, thoroughly enjoying -being off the beaten track. - -One day we sat on the Nab Head at Lerwick and looked over a calm sea. In -the distance a barque could be descried. Half an hour later we noticed -her much closer, although no sails hung from her yards. Then we -discovered that while barque rigged she could also steam, and when she -anchored we found that she was a whaler, the _Eclipse_ of the Peter -Head,--Captain Gray. We went on board and were shown over the ship. -Polar bear skins were stretched in frames drying, and we learned that -she had 3,500 seals on board and 17 bottle-nosed whales, and, what was -of far more consequence to me, that she carried a surgeon. - -Years passed; I was a student at the University of Edinburgh and had -every opportunity of learning about ships sailing from Scottish ports. - -One day in November, 1883, I went to Dundee and, leaving the Tay Bridge -station, made my way along the docks to a basin in which were several -whalers. They were discharging cargo, and it was unnecessary to see them -to know of their presence. Two of the ships, though small, were very -beautiful to look at. They were the _Jan Mayen_ and the _Nova Zembla_. -Others, the _Narwhal, Polynia, Esquimaux, Active_, etc., were not so -pretty, but they all had a fascination--they came from the romantic -Arctic, and I went on board each one. Then I visited another dock where -three ships lay together. They were the _Arctic_, the _Aurora_ and -the _Thetis._ It required no expert to tell that they were vessels -of superior quality. I went on board the one nearest the shore, the -_Thetis_, and interviewed the mate. He told me that all three ships -would carry surgeons. The _Arctic_ and _Thetis_ were bound for Davis -Straits, the _Aurora_ for Greenland. - -[Illustration: 0025] - -The office of the company, Wm. Steven & Son, was near by, so I left the -ship very much excited. Here was almost a chance to visit the Arctic -regions. Going over to the office, I learned that the captain of a -whaler selected his own surgeon, and that Captain James Fairweather of -the _Aurora_ had just been there. I obtained his address, and calling -a cab, was soon at his house. He was not in, but I waited. Seated in a -room on the floor of which polar bear rugs were stretched, I began to -realize that I was taking a rather serious step without consulting -my parents. Before long the Captain entered, and after a little -conversation, I arranged to sail as the _Aurora's_ surgeon the following -January. So without really meaning to go when I left my rooms in the -morning, I found myself in the railway carriage on the way back to -Edinburgh, booked for an unusual voyage. - -During the winter I told some friends what I intended to do, and one -of them at once went to Dundee and secured the _Arctic_, the captain of -which was an Irishman. Another was also desirous of going, but said he -would wait until I returned and told him how I liked it. However he too -went in the end and we met in the north. - -The _Aurora_ was bound for the Newfoundland sealing first and -afterwards for the Greenland whaling; that is to say, she would fish for -bottlenosed whales on the east side of Greenland in the seas around Jan -Mayen and Spitzbergen and make a shorter voyage of it than the Davis -Straits ships. - -To prepare myself for the experience I read what I could about -Greenland, and was fascinated by the prospect of seeing its icy -mountains and possibly some of its inhabitants; while the very word -Spitzbergen suggested to me polar bears and icebergs. In January, 1884, -a letter from the Captain told me he would sail about the end of the -month and requested me to be in Dundee by the 29th. - -[Illustration: 0029] - -I bought a lot of unnecessary clothing, such as pilot-cloth suits lined -with flannel. When the flannel became wet afterwards it wonderfully -altered the fit of the things, so I removed it with my knife. I also -laid in a supply of literature, arms and ammunition, and left the -Waverley station at six on the morning of the 29th. Arriving at Dundee, -I went to a hotel and then to the office, where I met the Captain, and -went with him to the place where the men were signing on. Here I heard -some one reading rapidly a lot about the nature of the voyage and what -we would have to eat. When I left the building, I was a legal member -of the _Aurora's_ crew for the coming cruise, and my rating was that of -surgeon, with pay as follows: - - - L. s. d - - Monthly pay 2 0 0 - - Oil money per ton 2 0 - - Bone per ton 4 0 - - Seal skins per 1,000 1 0 - - -I had to furnish my own cabin and to pay the market price for any trophy -of my own shooting which I wanted to keep. As our voyage was in pursuit -of Arctic animals and as I was a member of the crew sent for that -purpose, of course this was quite right. - -It was possible for me to increase the above pay by being in fast boats. -Let me explain what I mean: when a boat first strikes a fish it is -called a fast boat; and if the whale is killed, every one in the boat -receives what is called striking money. The harpooner gets ten shillings -for putting in the gun harpoon, and ten and six pence for the hand, or a -guinea for both, while every member of the crew receives half a crown in -either case. - -It was my good fortune during the following eight months to increase my -wages by two shillings and six pence in this way. Having fixed terms and -other details I went on board the ship which was to be my home for -some months to come. She was a pretty auxiliary barque of 386 tons -registered. Her engines were about a hundred horse power. She had a -top-gallant forecastle and a raised poop. Running forward from the poop -was the engine room skylight, which ended at the funnel casing, and -steps led from the poop to the main deck on each side of it. The funnel -was painted buff, the ship outside was black, and the bulwarks inside -white and blue. The bridge was across the engine room skylight and in -front of the mizzenmast, an iron railing around the poop, offering no -protection from the weather, while a companion opened aft in front of -our two wheels. The pretty little cabin was furnished in pitch pine and -leather. The Captain's room occupied the starboard side, while mine was -on the port, both opening into the cabin. Forward of my room was that -occupied by the first and second mates, and this looked into the passage -at the foot of the stairs. Forward of the passage was the pantry and -also the engineer's room. A locker in which things were stowed occupied -the stern and opened into the cabin. Forward of the cabin table was a -stove in which there was a cheerful fire, and in the square skylight -hung a bird's cage and a garland, also some plants. - -Finding out what I wanted for my room, I went into the town, ordered the -things and had them sent down. - -_January 30_. Two acquaintances, whose identity I may indicate by the -initials H. and P., turned up this day to see me off. I took them over -the ship, but they were not very enthusiastic. We afterwards went around -the docks and saw the other whalers getting ready for sea. Quantities -of marmalade and dozens of hams were being put on board the _Esquimaux_. -Two of the whalers had already departed, the _Narwhal_ and _Polynia_, -while others were not starting for a week to come; but as there were -uncertainties about the western ocean's passage in winter, Captain -Fairweather had decided not to wait longer than the 31st. - -It snowed a little, which made the docks look dreary. I met the -Captain's wife on board during the afternoon, also his brother, who had -command of the _Thetis_. - -The following day Armitage arrived. He brought me a big meerschaum pipe, -and was delighted with the ship, so pleased that he visited many others -to see if he could not secure a berth on one of them. But those carrying -surgeons had their medical officers engaged. We wandered around the -docks all the morning and at noon I went on board. - -The _Aurora_ left the dock at one P. M. and anchored for a short time in -the river to pick up a few belated and more or less incapable members of -the crew, and to land some stowaways. - -My friends stood on the dockhead with hundreds of others to see us off, -and as we passed through the gate, old shoes, oranges and other things -were thrown on board. - -[Illustration: 0033] - -I was walking about the poop with my hands deep in the pockets of my -pilot coat and looking at the sea of faces on the dock, when, stumbling -over a chain, down I came with a crash in the most ignominious way. -However a stumble and fall on board a whaler putting to sea generally -passes unnoticed; one would attract more attention by standing up all -the time! Thus the voyage began,--my position flat on deck, being in -keeping with the best traditions of the trade! - - - - -CHAPTER II--VOYAGE TO NEWFOUNDLAND - - - "A thousand miles from land are we, - - Tossing about on the roaring sea; - - From billow to bounding billow cast - - Like fleecy snow on the stormy blast." - - -|Steaming down the river we landed quite a lot of stowaways at Broughty -Perry about 4.30 P. M., just as it was becoming dark. Tea was served at -five,--my first meal on board the _Aurora_. - -The Captain and myself sat on the starboard side of the table. Wm. -Adam, the mate, Alexander McKechnie, second mate, and Wm. Smith, chief -engineer, sat on the other side. - -Immediately after tea, I went to my room as we were crossing the bar -and going out into a gale of wind. Everything was tumbling about, and -knowing that in a very short time I should lose all interest in my -surroundings, I began making things secure. - -There were two berths. My bed was in the upper as it had a porthole, and -most of my belongings were stowed in the lower. - -A lot of tobacco had become loose, so I put the little packages of it -between my bed and the side of the ship. The port was not screwed very -tight and leaked badly for a week or so. This saturated the tobacco and -generated an odor which added nothing to my comfort. The motion becoming -very pronounced, I turned in, and being tired, slept well. - -[Illustration: 0038] - -_February 1st_. Footsteps overhead and the singing of shanties on deck -awoke me at daybreak, but I was intensely ill, so stayed in bed all day. -My room was illuminated by a small light set in the deck overhead and by -a partially submerged port, so it was not cheerful. Above my head there -was a book shelf. I tried to read, but could not feel interested as it -was so very depressing to look forward to months and months of this -sort of thing. Matters grew worse as the day went on, the climax being -reached when rounding Duncansby Head; but respite came about midnight, -when we crept into Long Hope and let go our anchor. - -_February 2nd._ Shouting and crying awoke me in the morning, and opening -the door of my cabin, I saw the Captain teaching two boys that the sea -was a bad place to run away to. They had been under an upturned boat and -the seas coming on board had almost drowned them out. Each boy promised -that he would never do it again. They were given two tins of mutton and -a small sack of ship's bread, and put on shore. - -Long Hope is a well sheltered harbor, between the islands of Hoy and -South Walls. There was a pronounced smell of turf smoke about the place -and the land was half covered with snow. - -Two other whalers were at anchor near by, the _Narwhal_ and _Polynia._ -They had left Dundee ten days before us and bad been weather bound here -for that length of time. - -I brought my gun up as there were some Richardson's skuas flying about, -but I did not get a shot at one. The mate, however, shot a herring gull -with it and this was the first splash of the ocean of blood shed by us -during the voyage. - -Breakfast was a cheerful meal and the horrors of the North Sea were soon -forgotten. - -At noon, the tide being favorable and the wind having gone down greatly, -we all three steamed out into the Pentland Firth. The _Polynia_ was the -first to move; I heard her anchor chain clanking on board to a well-sung -shanty. We started next, and as there were some good voices forward we -tried to outdo the others. The _Narwhal_ followed, never to return, as -she was lost during the summer. - -Turning Brims Ness sharp, we kept on the Orcadian side of the firth; and -after passing Turn Ness, we laid our course for Cape Wrath. Across the -water we could barely make out Thurso. The land lies rather low about -the mouth of the Thurso river; but on the Hoy side the scenery was fine -and we soon sighted the Old Man of Hoy. During my trip to Orkney and -Shetland a few years before, I had spent several days on this island, -so was interested in seeing it now from the sea on this dismal -February afternoon. Its sombre cliffs are always grand, but the present -atmospheric condition made the scene impressive. - -[Illustration: 0043] - -The Old Man of Hoy, in the simple language of the guide book, is, "An -insular pillar composed of flagstones and shales. Across their denuded -edges there stretches the band of amygdaloidal lava which is capped by -the red sandstones to the height of four hundred fifty feet." I could -make out the Ward Hill, but clouds lay low on its summit. Near there -I had visited the celebrated Dwarfie Stone made famous by Scott in his -"Pirate." It is a huge block of rock twenty-two feet by seventeen and -seven deep. There is a passage in it with a bed like a ship's berth hewn -out on each side, and it had been, of course, the home of a Trold. - -I turned my back on this land of Trolds, and went down the quarter-hatch -to see the second mate serving out lime-juice, tea, coffee, tobacco and -sugar to the men. I heard their names called and had a good look at -them as they came up. Our crew was a fine looking lot and the most -respectable body of men one could find on any ship, unlike the New -Bedford or San Francisco South Sea whalers, which carried very mixed -crews of every color. - -Most of our men had spent the greater part of their lives in Greenland -waters, and though not well informed on current topics and very -superstitious, they were self-respecting to a degree and absolutely -fearless, and they were all of the same nationality. - -Of course, life on board a whaler is much pleasanter than on any other -sort of merchantman, because the ships are well found and the crews very -large so that, except when actually engaged in sealing or whaling, they -have an easy enough time. - -The captains in the trade were very humane men, many of them scientific, -and they treated their crews well. Amongst the harpooners were often -found men who had themselves commanded ships and whose stars, no doubt, -would again be in the ascendancy. - -A few unsuccessful years, or the loss of a ship or two, would probably -cost a man his command, and bad luck cannot be avoided. - -Before the second mate had finished serving out I retired, as the ship -was beginning to feel the heavy swell that was coming in, and by six P. -M. I was absolutely "under the weather," and it was blowing hard from -the northwest. We passed Cape Wrath about midnight. The following day a -strong gale was blowing with snow and the engines were slowed down. - -_February 4th_. Blowing a gale, reefed mizzen set and main topmast -staysail, with the engines slowed down. During the morning a man was -hurt. He was carried aft and held on the cabin table while I--very -ill--and also held, sewed his scalp and dressed the wound. - -_February 5th_. Strong gale. Ship under reefed mizzen and main staysail, -steaming slow. High sea running and sun obscured all day. - -This applies to the state of affairs on the 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th, -during all of which time I enjoyed the horrors of _mal de mer_. I saw -by the log that we had spent our days under fore and afters with a heavy -sea running, but I made no original observations, keeping in my berth -all the time, wondering during my conscious moments what brought me to -sea and vowing that I would never set foot on a vessel again if spared -this time. - -The ship's dog (Jock) was a rather sociable and sympathetic collie. He -spent a good deal of time with me, and I could not help admiring the old -chap when I knew that he really did not belong to any one, but always -turned up on the _Aurora_ about sailing time and made the voyage with -her. At St. John's, Jock had lots of friends and visited a good deal, -but he was always on board on sailing day. - -_February 11th_. A mere shadow of my former self, I got up and did not -feel ill. My wash basin was in one corner of the room. I put my head -against the corner above it and by sticking one foot against the side of -the door and another against the lower berth, was able to apply a little -water to my face, but the swing of the ship was so great that it swished -nearly every drop out of the basin. I dressed and went to breakfast, -feeling absolutely well and ravenously hungry. After breakfast, tucking -my breeches inside my sea boots, I went on deck. The door opened aft. As -I came out, the stem of the vessel sank low as the bows rose on the -sea, and I saw a black mountain of water rolling from us. Getting to the -mizzen rigging on the port side, I put my arms in the shrouds and stood -on a spar lashed on deck. It was very dark for the hour and blowing the -greatest storm that I had ever experienced, the wind fairly shrieking -through the rigging. - -We were steaming half speed and had a reefed mizzen and main staysail -set. Looking forward, I saw the little ship taking tons of dark water -over her bows. It came off the forecastle in a cataract, and rushing aft -between the engine room and bulwarks, it surged upon the poop. We only -had a few feet of free board and were making terrible weather of it. The -atmosphere was full of water, as the tops of the waves were blown off in -sheets. A great splash came over the quarter about this time and fairly -engulfed me. Then I learned that it was better to wear one's sea boots -inside instead of outside the trousers. - -This was sufficient for the day, so I retired below to change and dry. -During the evening, the Captain showed me our position on a chart which -was glued to the cabin table under the cloth. We were not yet half way -across. - -The 12th, 13th and 14th were all equally awful, but I had my sea legs -and a good appetite, so was thankful. The only pleasure I had was -standing on the bridge and watching the ship burying her bows into the -big seas and the water coming in tons over the forecastle and filling -the main deck. She was indeed a wet ship in bad weather. - -_February 15th_. The Captain said that he had never seen a lower -barometer. A great gale was blowing and the ship was hove to. Bags of -oil had been put out on the weather side, but the oil did not escape -with sufficient freedom so they were hauled in and a lot of punctures -made with a knife, but this did not improve matters much. It rendered -the sea comparatively smooth to leeward and there was not so much spray -flying, but tons of water tumbled over us and we spent a dreadful day. -I tried the deck for awhile, but it was dangerous. At night the ship was -laboring fearfully and continued to do so for days. - -_February 20th_. Another fearful day. I had occasion to visit the -topgallant forecastle to see the ship-keeper, who had hurt his knee. -There was a line from the forecastle door to the main rigging for -safety, as one was almost sure to be caught by a sea while going the -length of the deck. - -Two men came aft for me, and watching our chance, we reached the -forecastle safe. Coming back, I decided to try it alone, so waited until -a tremendous sea had broken over us, then before she had time to take -another, I made a dash, but a body of water splashed over the starboard -side and forced me to climb up the inside of the main rigging and stay -there until some of it swept off the deck. Towards night the wind began -to moderate a little. - -_February 21st_. Pitching and tossing as usual. Cloudy, but not much -wind; a nasty sea, however, and the canvas did not hold her steady. -Really in a heavy gale the storm holds a ship down to some extent. - -The next day, however, the weather had moderated, so I tried stoking and -managed quite well. I also tried changing a fire, which was not such a -success, but I kept steam up and it was an interesting experience. - -An end comes to all things. On the morning of the 23rd the ship for the -first time was on an even keel and some sun was shining through my deck -light. Hitherto attempts at washing had been unsatisfactory, as the -motion of the ship in a sea was so quick. Now, however, I indulged in -a complete toilet, and with a feeling of self-respect went on deck. The -day was cloudless and beautiful, the sea smooth as glass, and dotted -over it were white specks of ice. In a very short time the pieces of ice -became more numerous and larger, and when we were at breakfast we heard -and felt the ship crushing and bumping amongst them. By eleven A. M. a -breeze came up from the southeast and all sail was set, but by noon the -ship stuck hard and fast in the ice, and presented to me a wonderful and -beautiful sight. - -Every stitch of canvas was set and drawing, and the engine going full -speed, but still for a time we did not move. Now was my chance to walk -about on the frozen sea, so I went out with the dog and we both enjoyed -a race, keeping very close, however, for at any moment the Aurora might -move. We came on board when the mate called, as a crack was appearing -ahead of the ship. We were now two hundred twenty miles from St. John's, -and expected to be in ice all the way. During the afternoon I went up to -the foretop and Valentine thoroughly enjoyed a half hour gazing at the -wonderful scene. - -We were very seldom stuck for any length of time, a few bumps from the -ship being generally sufficient to open a crack. - -[Illustration: 0051] - -A great many of the men were on deck most of the day, and certainly -she was a heavily manned ship with her crew of sixty-five. Six of them -belonged to the engine room, eight were harpooners, who lived in the -topgallant forecastle, as did some of our tradesmen. Of these we had two -carpenters, a cooper, blacksmith, and sailmaker. The specksioneer also -lived there. He was the chief of the harpooners, a splendid old man -called George Lyon. Sixteen of our men were from Shetland, a quiet, -sober, industrious lot. - -Standing on the forecastle, I watched the ship crunching through several -miles of young ice. She never actually stopped once. Her bows would rise -up on it, then huge slabs would tilt on end as she glided on. Sometimes -a long crack would open and let her slide in to be almost stuck. By -degrees she would gain way and probably steam into an open pool, to -strike the opposite side with considerable force, thereby opening a -crack in which she would repeat the performance. The engine is the -secret of ice navigation. With canvas alone we would have been fast in -the ice much of the time, while with heavier engines we could have gone -through heavier ice. The night was fine, and we managed to keep moving -on our course. - -_February 24th_ was a glorious day. One would scarcely expect to find -such, weather in February in this neighborhood. - -In the morning we passed through rather smooth ice. Occasionally there -were large ponds and in many of these I saw seals. Sometimes they were -plunging about in numbers, but generally a few heads only were visible -looking at us inquisitively as we passed. There were no bergs in sight, -but during the afternoon we passed some rafted ice which was piled up -six or seven feet above the floes, and once we were fast for an hour in -a rather heavy place, when I again tried the walking, but there was snow -on the ice which was slightly frozen on the surface, and this made it -heavy as one went through the crust. Towards evening the sky became -cloudy; it was very cold, and snow was falling when I turned in for the -night. - -In the morning Cape Bonavista was in sight. It was my first view of this -New World. All land was beautiful to me after a month at sea and this -looked so attractive as we neared it that I wanted to settle on it for -the rest of my life. However, we passed on, and during the day steamed -through the narrows and tied up astern of the _Arctic_ on the south side -of St. John's harbor at what was known as Stevens Wharf. - -The _Arctic_ had sailed ten days after us and had made good weather of -it as she was a long ship of nearly double our tonnage, but of nothing -like our strength of build. - -The Resolute's Wooden Funnel lute had also arrived. The latter on the -way out had lost her funnel, so a pyramidal structure had been erected -of wood lined with tin; this answered very well for a time. Some of her -bulwarks had been carried away, especially forward of the main rigging -on the port side. She was a fine ship, strong and well engined, but the -North Atlantic in winter leaves its mark on the best. - -[Illustration: 0055] - -The _Resolute_ was owned in St. John's and commanded by a St. John's -captain; but she came out from Dundee, where she had been overhauled. - -So ended my first trip across the Atlantic, and, until then, the most -uncomfortable experience of my life. - - - - -CHAPTER III--NEWFOUNDLAND - - - "Such are the charms to barren states assyn'd, - - Their wants but few, their wishes all confin'd." - - -|Our first possession across the sea was Newfoundland, and I made the -voyage to it 400 years after John Cabot, the discoverer. The _Mathew_ of -Bristol first sighted Cape Bonavista, which was the first point seen by -the _Aurora_. Cabot was a Venetian sailing out of Bristol for a time, -and for his great discovery, which gave England her vast American -possessions, King Henry gave John ten pounds a year. Cabot is to-day -very well thought of, but nothing much is known of what became of him. -The name makes an attractive one for a Newfoundland dog. I have known -several of them bear it, and it is a sort of geographical education to -have them running around; but there is not any place of importance in -the world called after this great mariner. - -The coast of the country is forbidding, being rocky and bleak, except -around some of the bays; the most beautiful of those seen by me being -Bay of Islands on the west coast, which reminds one of Norway. Here -and in the valley of the Humber, which runs into it, there is some very -fertile land, and there are some scenes of peace and prosperity. But the -general impression I have obtained after several visits to the country, -is that life is a struggle for many of the inhabitants compared with -what it is in any other colony which we possess. Newfoundlanders are -true to the land of their birth, but one familiar with North America at -large would never think of advising a colonist to push his fortune in -this particular part of it, because the opportunities are comparatively -few and the winters are too long for any working man to remain idle. -In the interior the soil is as a rule shallow; there are thousands and -thousands of acres of barrens, hundreds of lakes of different sizes and -numbers of streams. Great areas of the country are grown over with small -timber, the trees being so close together in places that one can hardly -push through them. Much of the barren country is moss-grown and boggy, -so that it cannot be travelled over by horses or mules; therefore, when -one leaves the rivers, it is necessary to carry everything on one's -back, and, as a result, travel in the interior is not much indulged -in by the inhabitants. To add to the pleasure, mosquitoes and their -cousins, the black flies, are in swarms. The whole interior is a -deer forest of the first magnitude, teeming with caribou (Rangi-fer -tarandus). These animals weigh about 300 pounds, and they are very gray -about the head and shoulders. I have seen them standing among trees -which were grown over with bearded moss, when it was difficult to tell -the caribou from the trees. Some of the heads are splendid with a -great deal of palmation and not at all like Greenland or polar American -caribou in which the palmation is generally poor and the beam long and -straggling, probably due to a difference of environment. Migrating to -the northern part of the island in summer, they return in September and -October to winter in the south, and the sportsman intercepting them on -their autumnal trip can have his choice of heads. - -Another attraction is the salmon and trout fishing. The rivers, -especially on the west coast, are well stocked, white trout being -particularly numerous. - -St. John's harbor is entered through the narrows. On the left, going -in, there is the lighthouse; and on the right, or north side, the signal -station. On this side is the city, lying at the foot of low hills, its -principal street, Water Street, being parallel with the shore. From it -run side streets down to the wharves and up the hill to the residences -and churches. The Dundee ships lay on the south side, our yard being -nearest the narrows. From it a path led out to the lighthouse point. A -hundred yards from the ship one was on the hillside and without the pale -of everything, because only a narrow fringe of buildings separated the -south shore from the wilds. Along the water edge, between our ship and -the lighthouse, one passed lots of fish flakes. These were constructed -of a framework of vertical and horizontal poles covered over with spruce -boughs upon which the split codfish were laid after being salted. The -air circulated under and around them well and they soon dried. I saw -codfish being dried on the beach in Shetland, but they were only spread -on the shingle. There are no trees in Shetland from which poles could be -made, but there is less precipitation there than in Newfoundland, so the -fish dry well upon the shingle. It is over 300 years since the -Newfoundland fisheries began to be worked. They proved the country's -first attraction and there is nothing of the sort in the world like -them. For the five years 1871 to '75 the export of dried cod was -1,333,009 quintals of 112 pounds. The Basques first appeared on the -scene and a port on the west coast to-day bears their name, Port aux -Basques. As early as 1527 an English shipmaster, on entering St. John's -harbor, found eleven ships from Norway, one from Breton and ten from -Portugal, all fishing. - -In looking over the exports for 1881 one notices several interesting -items; one is, 4,127 tons of cod-liver oil, another item is 300 barrels -of cods' heads at $1.00 per barrel. I fancy, however, their use has -not become very general yet when we know that only 300 barrels were -exported, and that over sixty million cod were killed. When I speak of -the cod fishing, I mean the Labrador as well as the Banks fishery. -In fact, the former is probably the more fished of the two by the -Newfoundlanders. - -The day after our arrival our ship began discharging cargo, that is to -say, taking off our whale-boats and launch, and taking out all -supplies for the whaling voyage. Then they began sheathing the deck and -bulwarks--even the floor of the cabin was covered with plank. Bunks were -erected for the men in the 'tween decks, all stores removed from the -quarter hatch and bunks put in there for the quartermasters, and the -crow's-nest was hoisted up and made fast to the main mast, a few feet -below the truck. The crow's-nest or barrel was a most comfortable place. -One entered through a trap door in the bottom, and when this was closed -there was no draught. Around the edge of the barrel and sticking out -some distance there was an iron rail upon which the glass could rest, -the latter being kept in a canvas bag or pocket inside. From there the -ship was navigated, a wire going to the engine room and ringing the -bell, but orders to the man at the wheel were called down. While these -changes were taking place, in company with the surgeon of the _Arctic_, -I wandered all over St. John's and the neighborhood, and enjoyed the -hospitality of many residents. It was some distance around the end -of the harbor to the city, but we could skate across if we liked. The -weather was intensely cold and the land was covered with deep snow. - -The _Aurora_ having been converted into a sealer, and having taken on -board her supplies and exchanged her beautiful whale-boats for a number -of very crude looking punts, moved over to the north side of the harbor, -and waited for sailing day to take her crew on board. - -[Illustration: 0065] - -It may not be out of place to make a few remarks here about seals and -sealing generally. Most people know that seal fisheries exist, but -few have any idea of their extent. The ice-fields of Newfoundland -and Labrador produce more than anywhere else; but Greenland, Northern -Europe, the seas around Jan Mayen, Nova Zembla and Spitzbergen produce -also a great harvest, and the fur-bearing seals of the Aleutian Islands -must not be forgotten. Sealing on the east coast of Greenland is -entirely in the hands of natives, but the industry in other places is -chiefly prosecuted by Europeans and Americans. Lindeman tells us that -in 1720 the ports of the Weser sent out ships, that in 1760 Hamburg sent -nineteen which took 44,722 seals, that in 1862 five German ships took -17,000, five Danish 5,000, fifteen Norwegian 63,000 and twenty-two -British 51,000; so this gives one an idea of the extent to which Great -Britain was represented. In 1876 the Dundee ships alone took 53,000, -valued at over L34,000. It was the custom for the British sealers to -arrive in Bressa Sound, Shetland, about the end of February, and there -pick up a considerable part of their crews, getting to the ice about the -middle of March. The young seals were in good condition about this time -and had not yet taken to the water, so afforded an easy prey to their -foes. Around Newfoundland, sealing has gone on with great profit to all -engaged for probably one hundred and fifty years, and a glance at the -following table will give some idea of its extent: - - In 1805 81,088 were taken - 1818 145,072 - 1822 306,982 - 1831 686,836 - 1840 631,385 - 1850 598,860 - 1860 444,202 - 1872 278,372 - 1881 447,903 - -Roughly, about 350,000 every year, the greatest catch being 685,530 in -1844. - -Harvey tells us that in 1857 there were nearly four hundred vessels of -80 to 200 tons burthen engaged in the industry, employing altogether -13,600 men, and that the year's catch was worth $1,700,000. Now, about -eight to ten thousand men are engaged, and the seal fishing yields about -one-eighth part of the entire exports of the country. - -Steam was first used in 1863 and then the sailing ships began to -decrease in number. In 1884 more than thirty steamers were used, while -the sailing ships had become scarce. - -With the advent of steam, the Dundee owners began casting covetous eyes -at Newfoundland. The western ocean passage could be made early in -the year, and the sealing taken in en route to the whaling. It became -necessary to arrange with agents at St. John's, or to build yards where -the cargo of seals could be taken care of, leaving the vessel free to -proceed north. At this time six ships represented Dundee. - - _Arctic_, Captain Guy - - _Narwhal_, Captain Phillips - - _Aurora_, Captain Jas. Fairweather - - _Polynia_, Captain Walker - - _Esquimaux_, Captain Milne - - _Thetis_, Captain Alex. Fairweather - -The _Resolute_, Captain Jackman, could hardly be called a Dundee ship, -and it so happened that the Thetis went on other business this year; but -the above were the usual six. - -The seals forming our cargo from the Newfoundland ice were harps (Phoca -Greenlandica), so called on account of a peculiar mark on each side of -the adult, extending from near the shoulder to near the tail, and hoods -(Cystophora Cristata), so called on account of a large inflatable sac -on the nose of the male. On our trip to Labrador we secured quite a -number of hoods, but on our first trip our cargo was practically one -of harps. Both these species are migratory, coming south in winter and -working north in summer as the ice recedes. As the banks of Newfoundland -swarm with fish, they form a pleasant winter resort for the seals, and -are very convenient to the floes on which they spend February and March. -Harbor seals (Phoca vetulini) and square flippers (Phoca barbatus) are -also found on the coast. - -The breeding ice of the seal is the goal of every master in the trade, -but there are no rules for finding it. One may consider the influence of -currents and winds, and may navigate accordingly only to find the seals -are not found where expected. In our own case, the Captain told me the -day we left St. John's that he had no definite idea of where to go. -Nevertheless we awoke one morning to find ourselves surrounded by -hundreds of thousands. - -[Illustration: 0073] - -Young seals are born on the Newfoundland ice February 15th to 25th, and -are in perfect condition for the market by March 20th, as they have been -well fed by their mothers until then. They are a yellowish white when -born and remain so until they begin to take to the water, when the -longish white hair is rapidly shed and the young one quickly loses its -condition. - -Owing to the exciting nature of the work, a trip to the ice is the -desire of nearly every Newfoundland boy. The great danger is fog coming -down while the men are sealing far from the ship, and next comes the -danger of losing the ship and drifting about on the floes until possibly -death takes place from cold and starvation. - -In 1872 one hundred men perished, fifty going down with the _Huntsman_ -on the coast of Labrador. The _Bloodhound_ and _Retriever_ were lost -the same year, their crews escaping to Battle Harbor after terrible -hardships. - -Scoresby tells us of the classical disaster which occurred in 1774 about -sixty miles east of Jan Mayen. The sealing fleet, consisting of over -fifty vessels, met at the ice edge on March the 29th. - -The whole fleet entered the ice streams and their boats went off -sealing. A storm suddenly arose, destroying five of the ships and -injuring many more, while most of the sealers who were far from their -ships were never seen again, almost six hundred men being lost. One -could not talk to a sealer long without learning of some horrible -accident which had occurred to himself or a friend, and while some of -them were given to romance, there could be no question about the perils -they encountered or about their bravery and endurance. - -Toward the end of February, the sweilers, as they are called, began to -arrive in St. John's looking for berths. As the steamers afforded better -opportunities, the able men got them, while the older ones took to the -sailing craft, where life was not so strenuous. These men were dressed -very much alike and were most athletic; some of them were perfectly -wonderful in the way they jumped from pan to pan, barely touching some -of the smaller ones in passage. The owners did not overfeed the men on -these trips, providing them with sea biscuits and pinnacle tea chiefly, -pork and duff being served only three days a week and salt fish on -Fridays. The water from which the tea was brewed was obtained by thawing -pinnacles of ice. When ice floes came together they rafted one on to -the other and shattered fragments stuck up in all directions. Snow piled -upon these and was frozen. When water was wanted, a body of men with -axes went on the ice and broke off the pinnacles, which were taken on -board and stacked on deck. As water was required these were put into -a tank and steam turned on. Tea was made with this water, and molasses -added in place of cream and sugar. Our water for the cabin use was not -obtained from this source. - -On steamers the crew received one-third of the catch, on sailing ships -one-half. This was made to the Newfoundland men only on the Dundee -ships, the Dundee crew getting paid so much a month, as well as a -fraction of the catch. When a ship was amongst the white coats, as the -young seals were called, the crew lived well, as they ate the livers, -hearts and flippers of the seals. The men carried a supply of livers -and hearts in their belts and ate them frozen or cooked as opportunity -afforded. It is easy to see how little cooking can be done for a crew of -three hundred men on a small ship. I have often seen a man tie a cord -to a liver and drop it into a pot of tea sitting on the galley stove, -drawing it out when warmed up or when the owner of the pot came for his -tea. - -Sailing ships were allowed to leave port on March 1st, but steamers -could not clear for the sealing until March 10th, and the laws were very -strictly enforced. It was not unusual for a ship to have her pans of -seals pilfered by another ship during a fog, and this often led to legal -complications. I have frequently seen our men cut private marks on the -fatty sides of the sculps so that they might be identified afterwards. -Of course, any ship would pick up a pan which had lost its flag. -Sometimes the sweilers had great luck, being gone only a week or two and -coming back with their pockets full. A sculp was worth $2.00 to $3.00, -and as the men received one-third of all taken, it amounted to a good -deal for them, and as it came oft at a season when there was nothing -else being done, it added greatly to its value. - -Ships engaging in this work had to have their hold hulkheaded off so -that, should they encounter bad weather, the cargo would not shift. As -the _Aurora_ was tanked, that was all that was necessary. If the ship -were long in reaching port after taking her seals on hoard, the fat -might break down and the oil flood everything, unless the ship had -tanks. In our case the sculps were on board such a short time that they -were as fresh looking when landed as when taken. The fat was separated -from the skin on shore by a man with a long knife. He drew a sculp over -a board and caught the edge of it with his left hand; using the knife -with his right, in a few sweeps he removed all the blubber. This was -thrown into a sausage machine and afterwards steamed in tanks to extract -the oil, which was refined by exposure to the sun's rays. The oil was -used for machinery and in lighthouses, and the skins were made into -harness, boots, etc., farmers using the refuse for fertilizing purposes. - -When one saw this small army of fine looking, hard working and very poor -men, he could not help being sorry that their forefathers in emigrating -had not gone a little further and settled in Canada or the United -States, instead of on this inhospitable land. Think of how comparatively -easy their lives would have been, and what a return they would have -reaped for their work. Newfoundland meant to every one of them a life -of toil with not much more hope than the mother country could have given -them. Poor soil and a relentless winter mean this as a rule in a country -the mineral resources of which have not been developed. - - - - -CHAPTER IV--NEWFOUNDLAND SEALING - - - "The ice was here, the ice was there, - - The ice was all around; - - It cracked and growled, and roared and howled, - - Like noises in a swound." - - -_March 10th_. At five A. M. all was life on board the _Aurora_. On -awaking, I had coffee, which was in the cabin, and, muffling up well, I -went on deck, as it was bitterly cold. The night was cloudy and dark but -the ship was illuminated with torches, and on each side of the gangway -stood the mate and ice-master, calling the roll. The Newfoundland men -came on board as their names were called, about three hundred in all, -including the quartermasters, who lived down in the quarter-hatch. The -men all wore boots made of untanned seal skin, from which the hair had -been removed. They were very light and serviceable and came up to the -knee. Spikes were driven into the soles to prevent slipping on the ice, -and the decks were preserved from these by rough plank sheathing. -There was great wrangling and disputing, as many of the men had been -celebrating the occasion. - -At six A. M. we cast loose and by degrees broke our way from the wharf. -The scene, when the sun arose, was intensely interesting; all the -sealing ships were out, trying to crush their way towards the narrows, -and, as the harbor was entirely frozen over, this was hard work. Two -ships, the _Resolute_ and the _Polynia_, were behind us, and these last -sent two or three hundred to assist our Newfoundland crew in pulling on -a hawser over our bows, while our Scotch crew on board ran backwards -and forwards across the deck to make the ship roll. This rolling often -helped greatly when the ship put her bows in a crack. Our method was -to go full speed astern for a few yards, and then full speed ahead, the -eight or nine hundred men on the ice pulling for all they were worth at -the same time, and the _Aurora's_ men on board running across the deck -to keep up the roll. As there were thousands of men similarly employed -on and about the other ships, and as they were all singing, the scene -may be imagined. - -The _Nimrod_ and _Neptune_ were moving on, well ahead of us, and when we -got into their wake, the _Aurora_ moved along faster. It was eight -bells by the time we passed through the narrows; there the ice was much -looser, so we all pushed off in our various directions to look for the -breeding haunts of seals. Captain Fairweather kept a little nearer shore -than the others, and by evening there were only a few ships in sight. - -I retired early, as I had been up for many hours, and even the bumping -and thumping of the ship, as she went full speed ahead and full speed -astern every few minutes all night, did not keep me awake. - -_March 11th_. When I went on deck, a wonderful Arctic scene presented -itself. A snow storm was raging and the ship looked as though she had -been fast there for years. She was literally buried in snow, and the -weather was so cold that the snow had frozen on her yards and rigging. -The morning was dark and one could not see very far. Under the starboard -bow the ice was heavy, causing the ship to lie over to port. The wind -was from the southeast and had driven the ice in on us. There was a -great deal of creaking and crunching from moving floes and the wind made -a lot of noise in the rigging. By noon the weather had moderated and the -snow ceased; by night the wind was coming from the northeast and the -ice slackened, the ship being upon an even keel. Of course, snow was not -allowed to remain very long on deck, as our big crew had nothing to do -but shovel it off. - -I looked into the 'tween-decks and saw a horrible mess. The bunks were -full of men, many playing cards, as each bunk held four. They must have -been stifled. For light, lamps burning seal oil were used, and the reek -coming from the main hatch would almost have suggested fire. - -During the night, the ship got under way, and her bumping awoke me -several times. - -_March 12th_. In the morning, we were again beset. Hearing a noise on -deck, I went up. On the poop a lot of duffs were lying about like 64 -lb. shot. A crowd of angry men could be seen on the main deck and facing -them was the Captain. A big Newfoundland man came up the steps and, -breaking a duff in two, held it up and asked the Captain to look at -it. It was an awkward moment and called for immediate action. But the -Captain was a man of action, so he planted a blow between the man's -eyes and asked him to look at that; the man dropped back dazed and the -trouble came to an end at once. - -The Captain told a story at breakfast about a steward once saying -that more tea would not be required for the next voyage as he had been -boiling the leaves from the cabin and giving it to the crew. An order -was at once issued to serve out good tea of the proper strength instead. -Next morning all hands came aft to complain about the black stuff the -cook was serving out, and demanding that proper tea, such as they had -been having, should be served. - -The weather was now fine, and the world very white, the only visible -black being a pond of open water half a mile to the east of us. The wind -was again from the east and the cold intense; in fact, one could hardly -face it on account of small particles of ice driven by it. - -After breakfast I took my rifle and went to the lee side of the open -water. It was perhaps a fourth of a mile long and a hundred and fifty -yards wide. Every little while a few seals would bob up at one end of -the hole and then, giving a few plunges, disappear. I crouched behind a -pinnacle for shelter and, watching past the side of it, soon had a shot. -I fancied I heard the bullet strike, but the seal disappeared; -presently another came. This time I was sure that I saw the water -around bloodstained, but there was a ripple and it was difficult to see -anything lying low on it. I spent several hours at this work and was -perfectly certain I had hit many seals. On one occasion, I saw the side -of one I had shot, with the water breaking over it, but presently it -disappeared. I knew that at this season the animals would float, and as -I was on the lee side, why did they not drift down to me? Cold at last -drove me back to the _Aurora_, and, on relating my experiences, the -ice-master told me that I would find the dead animals at the weather -side of the hole, as the ice, drifting before the wind, would travel -faster than the dead and almost completely submerged seals. So taking -a man with me, I had the satisfaction of seeing seven big male harps -pulled out, the first I had ever killed and the first secured by the -ship. - -During the afternoon the ice eased off and the ship again proceeded. She -was getting along pretty well at bedtime, but not making any particular -course. - -March 13th. It was about five A. M. when the steward came to my room -and lit the lamp. He said we were among the "white coats" and he seemed -greatly pleased. I dressed and, going up, found bright moonlight. The -ship was hard and fast. In every direction I could hear sounds like the -crying of children. I could also see gangs of men on the ice and some -coming on board. The men had been taking advantage of the moonlight to -begin their work, and all were in splendid spirits, as a full ship meant -much to them. - -About six the whistle sounded for all hands to come on board for -breakfast, and after that they were organized into companies, commanded -by their own quartermasters, and proceeded about the slaughter in a well -regulated manner. Each man carried a spruce pole, on the end of which -was a sort of boat hook called a "gaff," and each also had a tow rope. -The method of proceeding was as follows: - -A company would go in a certain direction and then scatter. A man would -kill four or five whitecoats by hitting them on the head with his gaff. -He would pull them together and sculp them, that is, with his sculping -knife he would make an incision on the under surface of the body, -its entire length, through the skin and fat. How the skin, with its -subcutaneous fat, was very loosely adherent to the rest of the body -of the young seal, so with a very few sweeps of the knife the body was -separated and thrown away. He then made a few holes along each side of -the sculp, which was oblong, and through these laced his tow rope. When -the four or five had been thus arranged, he towed them to a selected -pan, where they were piled with the others, a pole was stuck up, bearing -a flag on which was the name of the ship, and this being done, the -sealers moved on and established another pan. - -While the St. John's men were busy with the sealing, the Scotch crew -remained on the ship, throwing the coal overboard. The ship, leaving -Newfoundland, took a lot of coal, as she did not know where she might -have to go or how long she might be away. In our case, we found the -seals at once, so the coal, being of no further use and of no value, -compared with the seals, was thrown overboard. - -I went aloft to have a look at our surroundings. We were in Bonavista -Bay, and in the distance I saw the _Neptune_ sealing. She was a large -ship and took an enormous cargo. It seemed too bad that these should -be the only two vessels in the midst of this harvest. I saw, with the -glass, seals by the thousand; they were principally to the north of us, -and it was evident that we would fill the ship, unless a gale broke up -the ice too soon. Astern, I noticed a patch of ice on which there were -lots of old harps. Getting my rifle and going over to the place, I found -a great many seal holes in the ice. I watched. A seal would stick its -head out of one and, seeing me, would instantly go down again. This was -going on all over the area before me. Sitting down, I decided to take -the first head presenting itself. By watching any given hole, one would -probably very soon have a shot, but it was more exciting to take the -heads as they came up. It was very quick shooting and good sport. Every -time I hit a seal, I killed it, because only the head could be seen. At -this season, the animals, being in prime condition, floated; but getting -one out of its hole was very difficult. If one turned it around and -seized the hind flippers, the fore flippers caught the ice, and there -was nothing to take hold of about its head. I found, that by sticking an -empty cartridge through the nose and catching this at each side, a man -could manage to pull the seal out by throwing himself back. I amused -myself at this game until eight bells, when I went on board for dinner -and found the Captain in splendid spirits. There was every chance of -his filling his ship and being first in, and I questioned whether these -honors had ever been obtained by any Scotch master at the Newfoundland -sealing before. After dinner, I took a man with me who pulled out the -seals and sculped them, hauling them to the ship, which remained fast. -The crew got on well with the coal and soon had several tanks cleaned -out and ready for the nearest pan, and by night we had about 2,500 on -board. I went aloft again and saw our pan flags flying in great numbers, -while the men were very busy several miles away. After dark, the sealers -came on board and reported having killed probably 10,000. Many of the -men had given themselves bad cuts with their sharp sculping knives, but -all were very happy, forward and aft. - -[Illustration: 0093] - -_March 14th_. Every one up at dawn. The ship was alongside a pan when I -came on deck, and the winch was going all the time, while the orders -"Heave away port," "Heave away starboard," were being constantly given, -and every few minutes a bunch of sculps would be hauled on board and -thrown below by the men on deck. When this pan was cleaned up, the -officer in the barrel directed the ship's course to the next, and so it -went, all day long, a portion of the crew working coal as usual. I went -aloft and saw our men, five or six miles away, piling up our cargo. In -the afternoon, I went off: in the direction the men were and fortunately -I had a gaff: with me. I had on very thick clothes and a pilot jacket -over all. When about a mile from the ship, and while walking over a -nice, smooth piece of ice, I noticed that it was bending under me. I -turned and was getting back to the hummocks, when I went through. -Fortunately, the gaff caught on both sides and I only went in up to my -arms, so was able to climb out. The cold of the water was intense and I -had a fright. Before reaching the ship, my clothes were frozen hard. One -great comfort about the _Aurora_ was that she was a steamer, so when any -accidents of this kind occurred, it was a great thing, having the top of -the boiler to retire to. Here one had warmth at any rate. As there was -nothing much separating the top of our boiler from the stoke hole, there -was a deposit of ashes and soot, but a little thing like that did not -much trouble a man fished out of a frozen sea. - -It was cold and dark when the sealers began coming on board and a fog -was settling down, so about nine P. M. we were quite uneasy over some -who bad not turned up. The whistle sounded frequently, and it was a -relief when the last appeared. Some were really very much exhausted and -were given rum. - -We took on board about five thousand seals and the men had killed many -thousand more. - -_March 15th_. A snow storm blowing, so the men could not go to the -sealing, and very little new work was accomplished. However, the ship -managed to reach a lot of her pans, and the Newfoundland men hauled the -sculps from others farther away, so that by night, four thousand more -were on board. Coal was worked energetically all day. - -The barometer was rising at night and the snow had ceased, so the -weather looked more settled. - -_March 16th_. Sealers away when I came on deck, and our own crew very -busy with the seals and coal. The ice showed a lot of leads and there -were seals in the open ponds, so I spent my time at them with the rifle -and had some good shooting. - -At dinner the mate told us we had taken on board over three thousand -sculps and by night two thousand more were added to these. About sixteen -thousand five hundred were now on board. - -I spent some time aloft. The glare from the ice was fearfully trying -as the sun was very bright. Owing to the open character of the ice, we -followed the sealers quite well. We found several of our pans broken -by the weight of seals on them; in every case we saw sharks in the open -water beside the broken pan. Once the ship had her engines going ahead -to keep her bows against the ice, while she took seals on board (I -was looking over the rail aft), when I saw a shark gliding up to the -propeller. It hit him on the side and cut a flap out about two feet -long. He swam about with this mass hanging from him for awhile and then -went back to the propeller, which finished him with an awful gash across -the neck. This was the only one I saw killed. - -The night was clear and the men had no difficulty in getting on board. - -[Illustration: 0099] - -March 17th. It was blowing and the ice was rather tight; there was also -some snow, so the sealers were employed bringing sculps on board, as -pans were being broken. I saw one split in two. Half the sculps had been -lost in the water, and there were numbers of sharks around. A man stuck -his gaff into one several times, and it did not appear to mind. It was -difficult getting the seals on board as the heavy snow squalls prevented -our seeing the leads. However, twenty-five hundred more were secured -from broken pans in our immediate neighborhood. The ship was drifting -south all the time; and the _Neptune_ was still in sight when it cleared -in the afternoon. - -_March 18th._ All hands up early and a good start made. Nearly all the -coal over the side. I watched the men bringing on board pinnacles in the -morning. As they had been sealing steadily for a week and had not paid -much attention to their toilets, sleeping in their clothes, etc., and -as each one had a fringe of frozen livers sticking in his belt, and -the sheathed decks were soaking in oil, the pinnacles had a chance of -acquiring a nutritious quality which must have given body to the tea -manufactured out of them. However, the men did not mind, and as our -cabin supply of water was all right, I did not mind either. - -The ship picked up a lot of pans and added five thousand more to our -collection. Towards evening it became foggy and cold, and we had several -frights about men being lost. One fellow came on board and stated that -he had seen so and so two miles from the ship, unable to proceed. Some -rum was given to him and with a couple of others he started off to bring -the exhausted one in. All were on board safely by nine P. M. There was -no doubt but that often the rum served out found its way into throats -that were far from being too weak to swallow, but such dreadful -accidents have occurred that one acts on the safe side. There was no -abuse of liquor on board the _Aurora_, but the Captain did not hesitate -to supply it when absolutely necessary. - -_March 19th._ A nice day for sealing, as there was no difficulty getting -about to the pans. We brought on board about two thousand, and the ship -was practically full. Now we began to clear out the 'tween-decks and to -throw the men's bunks overboard. They did not object to a few days of -supreme discomfort because they received one-third of the catch. We had -the bunkers filled with coal and a lot of sacks piled upon the poop, and -every available place was cleared out for this valuable cargo. The ship -began to look dirty, as she had scraped off her paint, and the coal dust -and oil bad been liberally applied. - -[Illustration: 0103] - -It began to blow in the afternoon, with snow squalls. All the men were -on board in good time. - -During the day I caught a young seal. It had shed nearly all its long -white hair and the short, silvery coat underneath looked very pretty. -I amused myself plucking the balance of the original coat. The seal -appeared to enjoy it. It was killed accidentally a few days later. - -_March 20th_. Blowing bard with snow squalls. A number of pans were -broken and many sculps lost, but we secured all we wanted; about one -thousand came on board and the 'tween-decks were nearly full. - -March 21st. A fine day, but the ship beset, so we cleaned up and -finished off the 'tween-decks; then we put all on deck that we thought -the ship would carry. This would not have been done had the ship had to -go any distance, but all the time we were sealing we had been drifting -south, so that we were now a very short distance from St. John's. The -Captain and mate would stand on the ice and look her over and then -decide that perhaps she would carry a few more, and so on, until there -was not much of the _Aurora's_ bull above the water. The ice opened -in the afternoon and we laid our course for St. John's, steaming -half speed. The ship was decorated with flags, the men cheering and -singing--at least two hundred of them without shelter; they stood upon -the forecastle head and among the sculps on deck. The wind had died away -and it was a beautiful afternoon. There were plenty of leads and the ice -becoming more open every hour. - -_March 22nd_. During the night we passed through Baccalieu Tickle and -in the morning we were close to the coast. As we steamed through the -narrows, the men climbed the rigging and cheered. We had accomplished -a wonderful thing. The ship was the first in of the year, and was also -full. Soon we were tied up at our old berth on the south side, and our -crew were busy discharging our cargo of about twenty-eight thousand -seals. Each young seal counted one in settling with the crew and each -old seal counted two; of course, an old seal took up much more room -than two young ones, and on a voyage like this, where the ship could be -filled with young, the crew were not anxious to kill old ones. On our -two trips, the _Aurora_ actually killed 28,150, but the crew were paid -for 29,300. - - - - -CHAPTER V--THE LABRADOR SEALING - - - "Now, Brothers, for the icebergs of frozen Labrador - - Floating spectral in the moonshine, along the low black - - shore! - - When the mist the rock is hiding and the sharp reef lurks - - below - - And the white squall smites in summer, and the autumn - - tempests blow." - - -|The work of discharging our cargo began at once--first the sculps -on deck, then those in the 'tween-decks and then those in the tanks. -Thereafter the ship was given a rough cleaning; new berths were erected -in the 'tween-decks and quarter-hatch but not so many as before. The -bunkers and tanks were coaled and then we cast about for a crew. All the -seals taken on this second cruise would have to be shot, so we did not -expect to bring back very many; but the _Aurora_ had her own Scotch -crew under pay, and they had to be fed, so she might as well be at sea -picking up a few seals as lying in the harbor waiting for May 1st. It -was not so very easy finding a crew as they would have little to eat and -could not possibly earn much money. However, at last we were ready and -on Wednesday, April 2nd, sailed. We had heard nothing of the _Arctic_, -and very little of any of the other ships. The _Neptune_ came in after -us with about 40,000, which was a tremendous cargo, but she was a big -ship. There was much more room with our reduced Newfoundland crew, and -we steamed out of the narrows for the second time with the ship very -much more comfortable than on the first occasion. - -[Illustration: 0107] - -I must say the appearance of the _Aurora_ at this time was disreputable -in the extreme. The paint had been scraped off by the ice, and the -filthy sheathing covered the decks, while the fragrant bilge water -flowed from her side in a pellucid stream. - -The Captain told me that he intended following the seals which were -going north towards Labrador and that he expected to fall in with great -herds of year-olds, called bedlamers. We left port after breakfast -and steamed out onto a calm sea, shaping our course north. During the -afternoon we saw patches of ice scattered about and when night came we -slowed down and kept a bright lookout. - -_April 2nd_ was a blustery day with occasional snow showers. There was -no sea, however, to tumble the ship about as there was a good deal of -ice. We were easily able to avoid the fields by steaming around them. -Some were very heavy looking, having quantities of rafted ice on them. -Towards night, it became calm and thick. - -_April 4th_. Steamed dead slow all night as it was thick. In the morning -the sea was calm but still foggy. This was pea-soup day. We always had -pea soup on Fridays; we also always had fish for breakfast; it was salt -cod. The salt was taken out in some way and then the fish was cut into -very small pieces and boiled with broken up sea biscuits and butter, -pepper, etc. I have never tasted anything so good since. In fact, I have -never since tasted anything so good as the food on the whaler after the -first month. There was an absurd arrangement about our meals; it was all -right at sea, but in Greenland, when we walked about during the night -perhaps as much as during the day, it was distressing. Breakfast was -at eight, dinner at noon, and tea at five; there was no regulation meal -between five P. M. and eight A. M. I modified this by having a special -meal at eleven P. M. At that time I took a pot of coffee from the galley -and retired to the pantry for a quiet half hour. - -_April 5th_. The day was fine. A good deal of ice was in sight and -occasional seals could be seen. When one was seen ahead, or a few points -on either bow, the ship bore down upon it. As we came close, the seal -would first raise its head to see what was coming, then raise its body -upon its flippers and stare. - -A number of men with rifles were always on the forecastle head and of -this number I was generally one. If some one did not try too long a shot -and frighten it, we always killed the seal. We had a large number of -punts on board and one was towed astern in the daytime and with it every -seal was picked up. They all counted. Some days we had very good sport -and I enjoyed it. - -_April 6th. Sunday_. Huff day. We had plum pudding on Sundays and -Thursdays. The puddings were not round, but oval. The steward made -delicious sauce out of condensed milk and, of course, we had the -Spartan sauce with everything. The Captain was very consistent in his -observation of Sunday--no unnecessary work was done on that day. If -there were whales, we fished, but I never saw a man kept at work on -Sunday if it could be avoided. This day we did the usual shooting from -the forecastle head. The temptation to shoot first was dreadful. I dare -say we picked up fifteen or twenty seals. This was a sad Sunday because -of the death of our canary. I was in the cabin when Jack, the steward, -discovered the fact. He immediately took the seed box out of the cage to -the pantry, filled it and brought it back. Captain Fairweather came down -shortly after to breakfast and immediately noticed the absence of -the bird, as it was always hopping about and making a noise. Jack was -called. A look of surprise came over his face when asked about the -canary and he immediately climbed on to the seat and, looking into -the cage, said, with tears in his eyes, "Oh, Sir, the poor wee bird is -deid;" adding, as he pulled out the drawer, "Well, it is not for want -of plenty to eat." I don't think for a moment that the bird died of -starvation, but Jack wanted to simplify the post-mortem inquiry by -eliminating that possibility. Our steward was a remarkable man and -eminently qualified by nature for his position. He could produce a look -of absolute innocence or of sympathy at a moment's notice; his _suaviter -in modo_ would have fitted him for the diplomatic service; and as a -dreamer he was without a peer. - -[Illustration: 0111] - -There is a great knack about dreaming. To make a reputation and keep it -up even on a whaler requires the judgment of a Delphic priest. - -It was the presence of Jack, the steward, that gave the atmosphere of a -home to the _Aurora's_ cabin and we all liked him. - -_April 7th._ I saw a most interesting thing today. It was an old dog -hood; to call it Cystophora Cristata might give the describer some -relief; but it would convey no idea of this angry-looking creature as -he reared up and gazed at us. How we all resisted firing until he had -exhibited himself, I don't know; but when he was looking perfectly -terrible and fifty yards away, a dozen copper-nosed bullets found their -billets about his head and neck. He was 7 1/2 feet long and a tremendous -size around the shoulders. The bag on his head, when fully distended, -must have stood eight or nine inches, and extended from the muzzle to -four inches behind the eyes. The hood is only found on the male. It is -considered ornamental by the females of the same species, but horrible -looking by all other animals, I am sure. The beast added about 400 -pounds to our little cargo, but the animal, skin and all, certainly -weighed seven or eight hundred. During the day we killed quite a number -of hoods, but the first was the largest. We did not make much of a run, -but dodged about and picked things up. A young hood is rather -blue-looking on the back and white underneath. - -The engine slowed down at night, as usual. - -_April 8th_. This was one of the most lovely days, with bright sunshine, -and there was dazzling ice in every direction. To the east of us we saw -a beautiful barque under canvas; she was playing our game, dodging about -and picking up seals. As she was not a steamer, and had a small crew, -she was consequently inexpensive to work; there was no reason why she -should not pay her owners well, especially if she got amongst the hoods, -five or six of which would yield a ton of oil. We kept out to her, and -finding she was the _Maud_ of Dundee, I was sent on board to hear the -news. I was hospitably entertained by the captain, who gave me some -old Dundee papers, but those I brought from the _Aurora_ were much -more recent. When I returned, I saw a funny thing happen. We had a -Newfoundland cook, Jack; he had a triangular face with the base up; a -tuft of hair grew from the apex and was the only decoration. With his -long shaved upper lip, he had an amusing look and he was a character. - -The ship was bearing down towards ice upon which there was a young hood. -It had been injured and made no effort to escape. Thinking it dead, no -one fired and we were almost on to it when Jack, looking over the side, -saw it. He had not killed a seal that season, so, seizing a gaff, he -leaped on to the pan and we all cheered. As Jack lit on the ice, it -broke in two. The seal slid gracefully off its half, but Jack's half, -almost submerged, swung around under the ship's quarter, where the -propeller was threshing away. Jack paused for a moment between Scylla -and Charybdis, and then giving a wild leap, he disappeared in the sea -as far from the propeller as he could jump. It was most amusing to see -this big man give his wild leap; he was fished out by the punt astern. A -small matter, like a man being half drowned, always amused these simple -people so much. - -I have said that the Newfoundlanders were not over-fed on this trip. We -had, for cabin use, numerous quarters of Dundee beef lashed in our -tops. They kept splendidly up there. One morning the steward reported -a quarter of our Dundee beef stolen. One of the Newfoundland cooks was -sent for at once and I heard the conversation between the angry Captain -and the astonished cook. I heard the cook report every morning how he -was on the track of a thief: "Begorra, sor, I have my eye on him;" or, -"Begorra, sor, I could put my hand on the man," and so on until we got -back without the thief having been turned over; I heard afterwards that -the cook certainly could have at any moment put his hand on the man who -took the beef. - -_April 9th_. This was one of the most interesting days I spent. At -breakfast, I heard the captain and the mate discussing blinks, that -is, reflections. For instance, an ice blink at sea would mean a sort -of whitish reflection in the sky over an area of ice, or a water -blink would be a dark reflection in the sky over a dark area. We were -surrounded by ice and were approaching a dark blink. Was it water or -seals? Before breakfast was over, the report came from the crow's-nest -that the seals were ahead. I went aloft and saw an extraordinary sight. -The ice ahead of us appeared to be positively black with seals. They -covered acres and acres. We steamed right up to them and then about -twenty men, with rifles, went on to the ice and a lot of others followed -to sculp and haul the sculps to the ship. This ice was not solid but -made up of thousands of pans all detached. They were generally touching -in places, but two or three sprawls would bring any individual seal to -some sort of a hole through which it could escape; therefore, it had to -be killed instantly or it would disappear. The shooting began at once, -the men kneeling down and opening up at the nearest animals. Just as -fast as they could consume ammunition, they fired at seals close at -hand, and, as these disappeared, at those farther away. There was far -too much shooting for much result. Presently they began to get closer. -A would kneel down and fire as fast as possible so as to use as much -ammunition as he could before B would pass him. B would then rush -past and begin shooting, and so on. Now, with regard to this rushing -about,--we were travelling on pans of ice of all sizes, some a few feet -square, some as large as a table, some twenty times that size, but we -certainly had to watch where we were going. When the men scattered, they -shot better, but it was much more dangerous, as the express bullets were -singing about everywhere. I had two men who took me off to one side and -who gave me the best shooting I ever enjoyed. The seals were inclined to -bask in the sun and enjoy themselves; so, if we went about it quietly, -we could easily stalk a pan and advance to within fifty or seventy-five -yards; then, if we shot carefully and only hit heads, we would not -disturb the others. Should we wound one, it would not only go down -itself but would frighten the others on the same pan. I shot off a -number of entire pans by quietly getting close and then picking them -off. - -The seal, properly hit, just drops its head, while the others hold -theirs up for you. This was warm work and the barrel of the rifle -became so hot that I had constantly to put it on the snow to cool off. -I watched some of the Newfoundland men shooting when we started and -saw several of them miss every shot. All they did was to endanger their -fellow men and wound an occasional seal; of course there were some crack -shots among them, but it would have paid well to have tested the ability -of all before serving out rifles to them. As there was not a cloud -in the sky, we were greatly sunburnt and several had a touch of -snow-blindness in spite of wearing colored glasses. We probably picked -up three or four hundred seals, and had there been about eight or -ten men who understood the use of firearms, they would have killed a -thousand easily. - -The sealing cap worn by the Dundee men was very suitable. The peak was -covered with lamb's wool dyed black, so when turned down it absorbed a -great deal of the glare. Wool had to be wound around the metal work of -the colored glasses we wore on account of the cold. - -_April 10th_. Nothing makes one rest like a hard day's work in the open -air. My shoulder was black and blue with firing and my ears rang with -the noise while my eyes smarted and my face burned, but I slept like a -log until seven bells. - -The ship had not moved all night. We were off the coast of Labrador, but -out of sight of land. There was a great deal of ice everywhere and -by dawn we were steaming north as fast as possible in the effort to -overtake our game. By noon the seals were in sight and we went through -the same performance as the day before. I did not attempt it with -the main body, but with two good men went off in a slightly different -direction. The express was certainly a good rifle, and its trajectory -very flat, when we consider the powder. I examined a great many wounds -that day and in every case found the bullet had expanded well if it had -hit anything hard. These seals were nearly all bedlamers and we did not -kill any hoods either of these days, although we had picked up quite a -number coming up the coast. This was a shorter day, and we did not kill -so many. It was quite late when the ship took the last of her men on -board, for they had become scattered. One man had fallen in several -times and was very much exhausted. However, I was able to make him -swallow some rum and he soon revived. A sailor is very feeble and -dissolution near at hand when a little rum cannot be coaxed down with a -spoon or other suitable instrument--even then I would not advise leaving -the bottle close to him while looking for the spoon, lest, during his -unconscious struggles, he should spill it. - -[Illustration: 0121] - -_April 11th_. We were always on the lookout for the _Arctic_, but saw -nothing of her. Before leaving St. John's we heard that the _Thetis_ had -been sold to the American Government for the Greely relief expedition, -so she would not appear among the sealers that year. Captain -Fairweather's brother was master of her, so he was disappointed. - -We kept north in our effort to overtake the seals, the barometer falling -a little towards evening, and a swell coming in from the southeast. We -were well on the outer or eastern edge of the ice, as the Captain did -not want to take any chance of being jammed among heavy floes coming -down the coast. During the evening we had a most wonderful sunset. -The sky was red not only to the west, but nearly all over, and the -reflection on the ice was magnificent. The frozen sea is fascinating -when the sun goes down and before dark; also by moonlight, or bright -starlight. - -During the day the glare is too great but a moonlight night on a frozen -sea is the grandest sight possible. The weird sounds caused by the ever -restless ice are a fitting accompaniment. On this Friday night, the -sounds caused by the ever increasing sea, crunching the pack up, were -rather startling at times, but we kept pretty well out of it, so we were -safe. There was quite a little motion on board, owing to the swell, and -we steamed easy ahead all night, going full speed at daybreak, and by -noon had the satisfaction of finding our seals. We went oft, but not -quite as usual. The roll of the sea had crunched the pack up and broken -all the large sheets of ice, so we were obliged to jump from one pan -to another while they were rising and falling on the long swell of the -Atlantic. There was nothing sudden or uncertain about the motion. The -long heavy rollers lifted one up and lowered one down, and when between -them, one could not see very far. Now occurred a sort of stalking that I -have never seen described, i. e., running after a large wave and keeping -perfectly still when the following wave overtook one; then repeating -the stalk, always running in the trough between the two waves. In this -manner I did some efficient work and shot a great many seals. - -Most of the time was spent watching where to put my feet; but, on -feeling the rise coming, I stood perfectly still and watched the seals. -I was regaled with accounts of men who had been injured and cut in two -by this sort of thing; but we did not meet with the slightest accident -and every one was picked up by sundown. The ship managed to follow -through the ice pretty well, picking up a few seals here and there, -as they had been sculped, so that we added several hundreds to our -collection. - -[Illustration: 0125] - -_April 13th. Sunday_. The day was fine and we picked up occasional seals -but did not find a herd. It was a complete day of rest for all hands. -The ice to the west of us looked very heavy and the Captain was careful -to avoid it. We lay to at night, but by daybreak on Monday morning we -were dodging north again. - -_April 14th_. I had my first shot at a walrus, sea-horse, as it is -called. Shortly after breakfast the usual rifles were on the forecastle -head when the officer in the crow's-nest called down that he saw a -walrus. The ship was kept down on it, and presently we all saw the big -animal with his long white tusks. In this case, they were very long and -could be seen from a great distance. He was on a pan with open water -all around, so we steamed straight at him. As we approached, he raised -himself higher and higher on his flippers and disappeared after having -received a fearful fusillade, at less than a ship's length. I would have -liked the chance of examining his skin just to count the hits and see -the effect. We heard the thud of striking bullets, but the walrus gave a -plunge and was seen no more. - -We did the usual amount of sealing from the ship, but had not any men on -the ice. Two or three times we had several punts out, but they did not -pick up very many. - -_April 15th_. We dodged back and forth amongst the floating ice, keeping -a little closer to land but not seeing much of interest. There was -a very large floe which bore evidence of great rafting; between the -hummocks on it there was fresh water, regular ponds with connecting -channels. I was on this floe, as we shot a few seals on it, so tasted -the water, which was sweet and good. I have often seen quite big ponds -on floes fast to bergs, and we took water on board sometimes from these. - -For the next few days we steamed south without seeing anything of -interest. The weather was cold, but fine, and the ice less as we neared -St. John's. We were careful after dark and generally steamed slow. The -crew were employed in cleaning up. - -April 19th. Saturday. Arrived at St. John's in the morning and took our -usual berth. Our entire catch of seals for the two trips was 28,150, -but the crew were paid for 29,300 as there were some large old seals and -they counted more. - -There was great news for us on our arrival. I have already mentioned the -sale of the _Thetis_ to the American Government. We now received orders -from Dundee to take the place of the _Thetis_ and proceed to Davis -Straits. The gear removed from this ship was being sent out to us by an -Allan boat. We were to keep our eyes open for the lost Greely, as a -reward had been offered by the United States for any whaler picking him -up. - -[Illustration: 0130] - -I certainly never intended going on a long trip when sailing, and the -Captain told me I could leave if I wished, but there was a fascination -about the whole thing that I enjoyed. - -The _Aurora_ had been getting more comfortable all the time,--the first -awful experience of a fearful Atlantic winter passage with the ship -loaded, to the scuppers, then the crowded ship at the first sealing, and -the much pleasanter trip to Labrador. - -Now I could see that the ship would be very comfortable with only her -own crew, and the deck clear of boats, as it would be on the next part -of the cruise, so I decided to go. It took a very short time to put our -seals out, and, as it was Saturday afternoon by that time, all the work -ceased until Monday morning. - -[Illustration: 0134] - -I heard an amusing story about a man being nearly drowned in a tank of -oil. A sealer came in and four of her tanks nearest to the boiler had -the sculps break down into oil, owing to the heat. When the crew were -discharging cargo it was the custom for a man to jump into a tank and -throw the sculps out. Coming to the first of these tanks, and looking -in, some sculps could be seen, and, never suspecting that these were a -few floating on the surface, the man jumped in and disappeared under, -but was presently fished out, every one thoroughly enjoying the incident -except, of course, the leading man. - - - - -CHAPTER VI--SOMETHING ABOUT THE GREELY RELIEF EXPEDITION - - - "But 'tis not mine to tell their tale of grief, - - Their constant peril and their scant relief, - - Their days of danger and their nights of pain; - - Their manly courage e'en when deemed in vain." - - -|One of the interesting things about our trip to the Arctic Seas was -the possibility of seeing Greely or of possibly finding him or something -about him. I shall here give a brief outline of what had been done up -to this time towards rescuing the gallant explorer and his intrepid -followers. - -Every one I met in Newfoundland appeared to know a great deal about -Greely, because he had started from there three years before in a St. -John's ship, and because both of the previous relief expeditions had -been in St. John's ships, and a great many of the Newfoundland men had -been with them, and several of our crew at the sealing had been on the -_Proteus_. One heard the Greely expedition and its relief discussed -every day. The consensus of opinion was that as the navy had the matter -in hand now, they would succeed. The Newfoundlanders, being a maritime -people, could not understand how soldiers could be expected to make a -success of a voyage of discovery or relief, and the two previous relief -trips had been unfortunate. The _raison d'etre_ of the Greely expedition -was briefly as follows: - -At a certain scientific conference held in Europe a series of -circumpolar stations had been decided upon, from which, owing to their -proximity to the revolutionary axis of our globe, interesting and useful -observations could be made of physical phenomena. As these observations -were to be made at the same time in a great many different places, they -would probably prove of greater interest and value than those supplied -intermittently by expeditions. Now the United States was to have two -stations, one at Point Barrow on the Behring Sea side, and one at Lady -Franklin Bay on the Davis Strait side. A young officer in the American -army, Lieutenant Greely, had volunteered for and been selected to take -charge of the Lady Franklin Bay expedition. The steamer _Proteus_, a -Newfoundland sealer, had been chartered to convey the party north. She -was a Dundee-built ship, about the size of the _Aurora_, and her captain -and crew were St. John's men. They left St. John's on July 7,1881, -having on board Lieutenant Greely and twenty-four men, with supplies for -three years. They made the most unprecedented time going north. Crossing -the dangerous Melville Bay in thirty-six hours and getting to within a -few miles of her destination on August 4th, a few days later she landed -the explorers, and having successfully accomplished her mission she -returned to her home port. - -Melville Bay, the bugbear of many Arctic voyages, is a very different -thing when crossed in June by whalers from what it is in July and -August; but the whalers must reach their northern station by the end of -June, so cannot wait for the ice to drift south. - -It was arranged that a relief expedition should go north in 1882 and -another in 1883, while the third in 1884 should convey the party -back. Now these two previous relief expeditions formed the topic -of conversation in St. John's when the inhabitants became tired of -discussing seals and politics, and I soon heard a good deal about them. -For the first, in 1882, our friend and late neighbor, the _Neptune_, -had been chartered. She was splendid in every way and did as much as any -ship of the period could have done towards making the thing a success; -but the orders were to leave two hundred fifty rations at Littleton -Island and two hundred fifty at the furthest point reached if the ship -failed to get to Lady Eranklin Bay, and that should they fail to reach -the Bay, the balance of the stores were to be brought back to St. -John's. A private in the army had been selected to take charge of this -expedition. As he had been accustomed to obeying orders to the letter, -he deposited the two hundred fifty rations at Littleton Island, and two -hundred fifty at Cape Sabine, the most northern point reached. Then, as -they were unable to reach Lady Franklin Bay, he carefully brought back -all the balance of the cargo of food sent up for the starving Greely, -twenty days' provisions only having been left in the Arctic and this -according to orders and probably--"Well, though the soldier knew some -one had blundered." - -The authorities were a little anxious now about the brave lieutenant, so -they began to make preparations for the 1883 relief, and this time -they chartered the _Proteus_ and also sent a small navy ship called the -_Yantic_, a craft rather unfitted for Arctic work. The _Proteus_ was -commanded by Captain Pike (the St. John's man who had made such a record -taking Greely up) and had her Newfoundland crew. This expedition was in -charge of a soldier, Lieutenant Garlington, as the Government wished it -all to be an army affair. Owing to an accident, a sergeant selected to -go on the _Proteus_ was disabled, and Lieutenant Colwell, U. S. N., -was added to the expedition in his place. This was fortunate, as things -turned out. One of our quartermasters on the _Aurora_ during the first -sealing trip had been one of the crew of the _Proteus_, and he gave me a -lot of interesting information about it. They left St. John's about the -end of June and had a nice passage to Disco. In fact, they found the -road so open that they reached Cape Sabine in about twenty-five days. -As they were in a hurry to reach their destination, Lady Eranklin Bay, -little time was spent here and no stores were landed. When the ship -moved out into Kane Sea she was caught almost at once in heavy polar -ice. The officers soon realized that the ship's position was serious, so -began to take supplies out of the hold. While so engaged the side of -the ship burst in and she filled. The pressure of the ice kept her from -sinking for a few hours, then some change of wind or tide opened the ice -and down she went. A great lot of provisions and stores had been thrown -overboard on to the ice, much being lost in so doing. After the ship -went down her crew took their own boats and the soldiers took theirs. -Colwell, with the help of both parties, succeeded in landing a lot of -provisions and stores at Cape Sabine, and here he cached five hundred -rations. It was said that many of the soldiers did not know how to row, -and that some members of the crew of the _Proteus_ behaved very badly -after the loss of the ship. They probably did not consider that the -saving of government supplies was any of their business, and some of -them even are said to have looted these supplies. After a rest at Cape -Sabine, the entire party proceeded south to meet the _Yantic_, the -supporting vessel. Very little attention had been paid to her, as she -was slow and ill adapted for the ice, and it was thought that she -probably would never attempt Melville Bay. However, she had crossed this -and was following them well, and the series of misunderstandings and -misinterpretations of orders which prevented the _Proteus_ people going -south from meeting the _Yantic_ coming north, makes a most remarkable -story. - -[Illustration: 0140] - -Lieutenant Garlington and his party, being separated from the crew of -the _Proteus_ for a time, crossed over to Littleton Island and left -a record of the loss of their ship. They then joined the others and -proceeded to Cape York. It was here decided to push on to the Danish -settlements as they did not think the Y antic would come as far north -as Cape York. In the meantime, the _Yantic_ had passed up to Littleton -Island and picked up Garlington's record. She then zigzagged about -looking for the boats, and passing Cape York on her way down without -calling, she proceeded to Upernavik. As the boats were not there, her -captain decided to push on home as the season was getting late, so -sailed to Disco. The boat party at Cape York having decided to go south -divided. Lieutenant Colwell, taking a whale boat and crew, struck across -Melville Bay, and after a most difficult and dangerous passage succeeded -in reaching Upernavik the day after the _Yantic_ had left. He followed -her, however, for a week, and overtaking her at Disco, brought her back -to Upernavik, where the balance of the _Proteus_ people had arrived, and -from there they returned to St. John's. Now the result of all this had -been, in 1882, the deposit of ten days' provisions at Littleton Island -and ten days' provisions at Cape Sabine, the remainder being brought -back. In 1883 the _Proteus_ had not deposited anything during her life, -but after her destruction Lieutenant Colwell had succeeded in caching at -Cape Sabine five hundred rations or twenty days' supplies saved from the -_Proteus_. The _Yantic_ had been up to Littleton Island and back without -leaving anything behind. Another year had passed and now the rescue of -Greely became imperative. The affair had been handed over to the navy, -and Commander Schley was taking command. The Dundee ship _Thetis_ and -the sealer _Bear_ had been bought and added to the navy. A collier, the -_Lough Garry_, had been chartered to take coal up for the expedition, -and the _Alert_, given by the British Government, was also going. At -the same time a reward was offered for any whaler picking Greely up. The -relief ships, except the _Alert_, were coming to St. John's and would -sail about the same time as the whalers, and as we all knew a good deal -about the circumstances, we were certainly all deeply interested in the -outcome. It was generally believed among our people that Greely would -now be at Cape York or Carey Islands, and the _Aurora_ stood as good a -chance as any other ship of getting there first. Commander Schley -had charge of the expedition and would sail on the _Thetis_, while -Lieutenant Emory would command the _Bear_, of which ship Lieutenant -Colwell would be an officer. - -The whalers going to Davis Strait were-- - -Arctic, Narwhal, Aurora, Nova Zembla, Cornwallis, Polynia, Esquimaux, -Triune, Jan Mayen, Wolf of St. John's. - - - -CHAPTER VII--THE BOTTLENOSE FISHING - - - "The Arctic sun rose broad above the wave, - - The breeze now sank, now whispered from his cave." - - -|Newfoundland looked more attractive in April than it did when we left, -doing about was pleasanter and we saw everything worth seeing in the -neighborhood of St John's. On board, great changes took place. All -the sheathing was torn off and the ship cleaned inside and out. Her -overhauling was complete. The rigging was set up, the masts were scraped -and oiled and the ship painted. The punts were all cleared away and our -beautiful whale-boats took their place. - -The _Aurora_ was peculiar in having two boats, one above the other, on -each quarter. We fished ten boats altogether, four down each side and -two upper quarter boats. - -The crew of a whale-boat is six, a harpooner, a boat-steerer and four -men pulling. The harpooner rows until ordered by the boat-steerer to -stand by his gun. In the bow the harpoon-gun is mounted on a swivel, and -fast to the harpoon is the "foregoer." This is a very pliable, untarred -rope, about two and a half inches in circumference and eighteen fathoms -long. It is coiled in a tub, sitting on the port bow of the boat, while -on the starboard side, in a convenient rest, lies the hand-harpoon. - -The bollard head, around which a turn of the line is taken, is an -important structure; it stands in the bow, beside the gun. Many a boat -has gone down through the line fouling at the bollard head. - -To the "foregoer" or "foreganger," is attached the whale line. The term -"line" means, generally, one rope 120 fathoms long, and there are five -of these carried in each boat, one and a half being stowed amidships and -the rest aft. They are 2 1/2-inch ropes, and tarred. The greatest care -must be observed in coiling these lines, and by the line manager in the -boat as the line runs out. - -A struck whale generally starts at about seven or eight miles an hour. -Should the rope, running out at this rate, uncoil unevenly, a kink in it -might foul one of the crew and instantly take him down. This has often -happened. - -Each boat has several six-foot lances ready for use when the whale is -exhausted; the idea being, to sever with the long sharp lance some of -the large vessels, thus bleeding the animal to death. - -The oars in a whale-boat work on mats on the gunwale, and a thole-pin -is used instead of rowlocks. An arrangement on the oar keeps it from -slipping through the grummet on the thole-pin, when it is let go. The -mat is to prevent noise. A little piggin is used for bailing the boat, -and, when hoisted on a boat hook, is the signal for more lines. The -shaft of the harpoon is made of soft, Swedish iron, so that it can be -twisted in any conceivable way without breaking. - -A little barrel of bread and cheese is carried in each boat and this -must not be broached until after the boat has been away from the ship a -considerable time; water is also carried. The great long steering oar is -very important. With it a dexterous boat-steerer can do wonders. He -can sweep the boat around very quickly or can scull noiselessly up to a -whale when the oars or paddles would frighten it away. The steering oar -works on a pin and mat, as do the others. - -The whale fisher has many incentives. As he is generally a man who has -to labor for a living, and as he is partly paid by the result of his -work, the capture of a whale means to him a good deal, probably several -pounds. This stimulates him. Again, the sooner he fills the ship, the -sooner he sails for home. While there is not much chance of filling the -ship nowadays, the securing of a good summer catch probably saves him a -weary, cold autumn, fishing on the west side. Last, but not least, the -pursuit of whales is often attended with great danger, which is one -of the principal factors of good sport. The average game hunter is not -exposed to as great risk as the average whaler. - -What danger is there in the pursuit of any member of the deer or -antelope family, and what chance has the animal in these days of high -power rifles? Sometimes the whale has no chance for its life and the -destruction of such a huge creature is not exciting, but, generally, -there is danger, as the history of the industry proves. Hunting rhino or -buffalo is better sport than hunting deer because the former may charge -and kill one. The whale hunter may be snatched to instant death by a -foul line, or starved to death in an open boat, and these possibilities -elevate the sport greatly. - -One cannot help sometimes being sorry for the animal one has killed, the -excitement of the chase over and the beast lying dead, especially when -only the head is wanted, and when everything else must be left to -spoil. A dead whale means creature comforts to many poor people; and I, -personally, have had more qualms at the escape of a wounded buck than I -have had over all the whales we killed. - -Fishing for bottlenose, the year before (1883), the _Aurora_ lost two -men, and the _Esquimaux_ lost one this year. While we were killing our -whales off Hudson Straits, he was snatched out of the boats and never -seen again. A few years before, this man's father was lost from the same -ship. - -In approaching a black fish, the eye must be avoided. Going "eye on" is -a serious matter, as the whale is not such a fool as it looks, and the -tremendously powerful tail can smite with terrific force. The lifting -power of the tail has not been much studied; but a chance to observe it -occurred on the _Nova Zembla_ some time ago when the mate got his -boat over one. Those who saw the accident say that the tail was lifted -without any apparent effort, throwing the boat many feet up and breaking -the bottom out of it. Fortunately the occupants were spilt out, and fell -clear of the danger zone, because the fish struck the boat again and -reduced it to match wood. - -A week after our arrival, the _Aurora_ had been pretty well cleaned and -greatly changed in appearance. A small spruce tree was fastened to each -masthead, the end of each yard-arm, and to the point of the jib-boom. -Every one now had an easy time until the actual sailing day. Quite a -number of vessels of all sorts had arrived, as the ice had disappeared -from the coast; amongst them was the Allen steamer _Newfoundland_, from -Halifax, bringing us English mail. The Greely relief ship _Bear_ had -also come in. - -_May 1st. Thursday_. The _Aurora_ was receiving finishing touches. We -were lying at the south side but our launch had steam up and took us -across when we wanted to go. - -_May 2_. Taking a gun, I went with Dr. Crawford, of the _Arctic_, -straight up the hill from the ship and found on the other side a growth -of little trees so dense as to be practically impenetrable in places. -I shot a hare crossing a little open place, and saw a splendid big hawk -flying about, but it never came within shot. Returning with the hare, -the Captain stopped me just as I was going on board. A hare was too -unlucky, so I gave it to a man on the wharf. Captain Guy was standing -on the _Arctic_ and, seeing this, came on shore and cut the hare's feet -off, throwing them on to the _Aurora_; he was ever fond of a joke. The -most unlucky parts of this unlucky animal in no way interfered with our -prosperity, however. - -_May 3rd._ As the _Lough Garry_ had come in I went on board. She was -an ordinary iron or steel steamer of about 1,000 tons and had been -chartered to take 500 tons of coal north for the relief expedition. She -was not fortified or specially prepared in any way for the work, but -still she managed to get along very well as far as her services were -required. Going on board, I encountered the mate, who recognized me, he -having been the mate of the _Thetis_ who had given me the information -I sought about whaling while in Dundee the autumn before. He showed me -over the ship and told me many interesting facts about a whaling voyage. - -The _Esquimaux_ sailed this day and the _Narwhal_ had already gone. The -desire to find Greely was certainly starting us all north a couple of -weeks before the usual time. - -_May 4th. Sunday._ The _Bear_ sailed. She was unlike any other ship -going north this year, because she had her black funnel forward of the -main mast and her crow's-nest on the foremast. The _Arctic_ had her -funnel in the same place, but her crow's-nest was on the mainmast. Their -rigs also differed. These are small matters, but we soon could recognize -any of the ships a long way off by their little peculiarities. During -the day I went on board the _Polynia_. She was ready for sea and lying -in the harbor. Captain Walker, who had command of her, was a naturalist -and sportsman and it was a pleasure meeting him. She proceeded north -before morning. - -[Illustration: 0151] - -May 5th. Spent some time on board the _Arctic_. She was ready for sea -and looked clean and nice with her spacious decks and cabins--very -unlike a whaler. Her lines were graceful, and she had powerful engines, -but she could not have stood as much in ice as the _Aurora_. Captain Guy -told me about killing a whale with an old Eskimo harpoon buried in its -blubber. He gave me this interesting souvenir of my voyage and told -me about Captain McKay of Dundee killing a whale in which he found a -harpoon with which the fish had been struck forty-two years before. This -iron is now in the Dundee Museum. - -_May 6th and 7th_. Took my last look at St. John's and made my cabin -comfortable. I had now been in it for three months, so knew exactly what -was required. - -There does not seem to be any connection between a whaler and Florida -water; but still I venture to say that there was not a sailor on our -ship who had not from one to half a dozen bottles of this commodity. -Some were for trade with the Eskimos and some for their sweethearts at -home. The Captain had laid in a quantity of colored handkerchiefs and -such things, which the men were permitted to purchase afterwards from -the slop-chest for purposes of barter. The slop-chest was the ship's -shop and was superintended by the second mate. One could purchase a -wonderful lot of useful things from this institution. - -_May 8th_. After breakfast, all being ready, the _Aurora_ sailed for the -whale fishing. In Scotland, a fish means a salmon, but in Greenland, -a black whale is always spoken of as a fish, never anything else. We -sailed out of the narrows and turned north. It was blowing a little from -the southeast, so there was some swell. We got square sails on the ship -presently, and with this breeze on her quarter, made good time, the -engines going full speed. - -Our intention was to try the bottlenose whale fishing off Resolution -Island at the mouth of Hudson's Straits, for a few days, then go over to -the Greenland side and follow the usual route. As there were many bergs -coming down and quantities of field ice at this season, we kept rather -well away from the coast, along which it came. At night the canvas was -taken off the ship and a bright lookout kept for ice. For the next three -days we steered north. The weather was fine and the sea smooth. Going up -the Labrador coast, we saw some heavy floes, but kept well to the east -of them and did not sight land. We did not see anything of interest, so -it was rather monotonous. - -_May 12th_. It was a lovely morning when I came on deck, with the wind -from the southeast. We had our fore and afters set and were steaming -full speed. Astern of us was the _Nova Zembla_ and we were towing her, -an act of brotherly love. - -I had seen the ship in Dundee and was struck by her beauty. She and the -_Jan Mayen_ were very handsome little ships, and she looked far better -at sea than in dock. We towed her part of the day. During the afternoon, -the wind died down and the evening was beautiful; not a breath of air, -but some swell rolling in from the southeast and the surface of the sea -like glass. The people to-day were employed coiling lines in boats and -arranging fishing gear as we might see the bottlenose whales any time. - -[Illustration: 0155] - -May 13th. A beautiful calm day. The men were getting ready the -whale-boats and filling the bunkers. We were well off Cape Chidley, the -northeast corner of Labrador, in the morning. In the evening a school of -bottlenose whales was seen, and six boats were lowered away. Two of the -boats immediately filled as they had been out of the water so long, but -the others pulled after the whales. I was oh the bridge watching the -sport. It was splendid. The ship and boats rising and falling on a -rather heavy swell, the surface of the water like oil, the boats -freshly painted, and the harpoons glistening in the sun, presented an -interesting picture of the sea; while the school of very lively little -whales rolling about like porpoises and then disappearing, to come up -suddenly, gave it animation. - -The boats had several shots, but they were quick and difficult. One, -however, was captured by Alex. McKechnie, the second mate, and after -a short play, killed and brought alongside. This beast (Hyperoodon -Rostratus, or the northern sperm whale) is small, but of remarkable -appearance, having a long round beak, which protrudes from the lower -part of its large head. Its oil is very good; that flowing from the -cancellous bones of the head solidifying on deck at a comparatively high -temperature, and when solid, looking like spermaceti. Many of the men -took bottles full of this oil for use in future sprains and bruises. -Late in the evening another whale was killed by Thors, and, from the -numbers we saw around, there was no reason why the _Aurora_ should not -have picked up a profitable cargo in this neighborhood, but the desire -for the valuable whalebone took us to the north. - -_May 14th._ We were off Frobisher's Bay and after the little whales -again, and another was captured. I was not in the boats at all at this -fishing, as the movement of the whales was so fast that they capsized -boats frequently and only experienced oarsmen were wanted. I was told -that more men lost their lives at this than at the right whale fishing. -We learned afterwards that the _Nova Zembla_ picked up seven here, while -the _Arctic bagged seventeen_. The whale killed in the morning by McLean -was over twenty feet long. The other two were smaller. The heads were -brought on board so I had a good look at them. - -I saw white stalactites of spermaceti hanging from them to stalagmite -incrustations of the same on deck, and I noticed that the oil was free -from smell. - -The neighborhood of Resolution Island was notorious for its awful -currents, and the rise and fall of tide about the western end of -Hudson Straits made navigation on these comparatively uncharted waters -exceedingly dangerous. - -[Illustration: 0159] - -I once heard Captain Guy tell of a narrow escape he had in the -neighborhood of the upper Savage Islands. From the barrel, he saw a rock -ahead, and ordered the lead cast. Three fathoms was found, so he backed -off and anchored. In a few hours he was astonished to find an island -where the submerged rock had been, and he afterwards learned from a -reliable source that the rise and fall of tide at this place was over -forty feet. Caribou were abundant on the north coast of the straits, and -musk-ox were also found. Sometimes whalers coming down for the southwest -fishing, in the autumn, killed numbers of both. The caribou was the -barren land variety, and some of the heads were enormous. In this -species the beam was long and straggly, and the palmation was not very -pronounced. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII--THE CHIEFTAIN DISASTER - - - "We have fed our sea for a thousand years, - - And she calls us, still unfed, - - Though there is never a wave of all our waves - - But marks our English dead." - - -- Kipling. - - -It may be of interest to recount here the story of the _Chieftain's_ -mishap, which was the worst accident of the year. - -The _Chieftain_ was one of the Dundee whaling fleet. When we left she -was fitting out for the Greenland sealing and bottlenose whaling. - -Leaving Dundee on March 6th, under the command of Captain Gellatley, she -lost four of her boats, on May 26th, in a fog. - -These made their way to Iceland. One, in charge of the captain, landed -at Primness. A second, in charge of Alex. Bain, a harpooner, arrived at -Tonsberg, having lost overboard her boat-steerer, David Buchan. A third -landed at Ramfarhofu with all alive. The fourth was picked up, and in -her there was but one survivor. When this boat left the ship there were -three men in her. One died and was duly committed to the deep; another -fell into a lethargy which continued so long that McIntosh, the -survivor, though hardly able to move his benumbed legs, crawled to the -bow of the boat to find out what was the trouble, but found him dead. - -Fearing lest he might yield to the temptation of using the body for -food, by a great effort he succeeded in heaving it overboard. The boat -was picked up on the fourteenth day off the Iceland coast by a passing -ship; but McIntosh was compelled to have both legs amputated as -mortification had set in. It is terrible to think of what this brave -fellow must have endured drifting about in a small boat over this lonely -and stormy sea, half frozen and with hardly any food. - -The following is the account given by Captain Gellatley of the cause of -the accident, and of his experiences during the awful trip to Iceland. - -A school of whales was observed on Monday, 26th of May, and the -afternoon being fine, four boats went out in pursuit--one under the -command of Captain Gellatley; the second under the charge of Thomas -Elder, the second mate; John Taylor, specksioneer, was in charge of the -third; and Alexander Bain, harpooner, of the fourth. - -In the course of a short time the captain's boat got fast to a whale, -and also the specksioneer's. The second mate assisted the captain. After -some time the whale was killed and towed to the ship, which was reached -about three o'clock in the morning. By this time a dense fog had settled -down, and after his crew had breakfasted, Captain Gellatley set out to -look for the three boats, giving directions that if the fog continued -the vessel should be kept in her position, so as to enable them to find -her; but that she was to bear down towards the boats if the mist lifted. -Knowing the bearings of the boats, Captain Gellatley came up to them -after rowing for fully two hours, and found that the whale was still -alive and causing great trouble. Three additional harpoons were fired -into it, and in the course of the forenoon it was killed, and the four -boats started in the direction of the ship with the whale in tow. In the -meantime the weather cleared, and the ship was descried at a distance of -about five miles; but in the course of half an hour the fog again came -down, and it was so dense that it was impossible to see more than a -few yards ahead. Though they pulled from half past ten o'clock in the -forenoon until half past four in the afternoon they failed to find the -_Chieftain_, and no answering signals were returned to their blasts of -fog horns. It was then resolved that one of the boats should proceed -eastwards and another westwards for some distance, but they returned -without having been able to discover the whereabouts of the ship, -notwithstanding the most diligent search. At one time a sound like a -whistle was heard in one direction and again in another, and the men got -utterly fatigued by their protracted search, a fresh breeze springing -up and adding to their discomfort. About eight o'clock in the evening a -number of the men confidently declared that they heard a ship's whistle -sounding in a northeasterly direction, and the second mate was sent -away in the hope of finding the ship. Some time later Captain Grellatley -decided to follow in the same direction, and accordingly the whale was -buoyed and a lance with a handkerchief tied to the end of the handle was -stuck into the carcass for identification. The three boats then followed -in the course taken by the second mate, but they could never catch up to -him, though they repeatedly heard the blast of his fog horn. Throughout -the night the search was continued without success, and on the morning -of the 28th, the crews being fatigued, the three boats were made fast to -one another and a deep sea anchor thrown out for the purpose of stopping -their way and allowing the men to rest. In the course of the morning -James Cairns, an ordinary seaman, accidentally fell overboard, but he -was promptly rescued. On the 28th matters began to assume a serious -aspect. The crews had then been two days absent from the ship, and their -slender stock of food--a small keg of provisions and a six pound tin -of preserved meat in each boat--had become exhausted. In consequence of -their privations the men became affected with stupor, and with the view -of dispelling this the captain ordered the anchor to be hauled in and -the boats to be rowed towards the ice. This exercise had a beneficial -effect, and it seemed as if it were to result in a happy rescue, for a -barque was noticed sailing away to the windward. Signals were made -in the hope of attracting attention, but the crews were doomed to -disappointment, the fog, which had temporarily cleared, having again -fallen and obscured everything from sight. The weather, too, became -boisterous, and the boats were in imminent danger of being crushed by -the ice. To save the boats from destruction it was found necessary to -row out from under the lee of the floes, and during this time Captain -Gellatley narrowly escaped being drowned. Whale-boats are all steered by -an oar, and while the captain was steering, his oar was struck by a wave -and he was knocked overboard. Fortunately he was rescued before he had -been long in the water, but he suffered much from having to remain in -his wet clothes during the remainder of the time he was in the boat. All -the men were by this time complaining of the benumbed condition of -their hands and feet, and by the morning of Friday, 30th, it was hardly -possible to keep them awake. That morning the wind shifted to the -westward, and as all hope of falling in with the _Chieftain_ had been -given up, it was decided, as the only chance of saving their lives, -to endeavor to sail to Iceland, which was calculated to be about two -hundred miles distant. Each of the boats possessed a compass, but there -was neither mast nor sail, and in their place a couple of boat-hooks -were erected by way of a mast, with the ramrod of the gun as a yard, and -the line cover, a piece of canvas about five feet by three feet, had to -do duty as a sail. Thus equipped, and with a supply of frozen snow and -pieces of ice to quench their thirst, the crews of the three boats set -out on their perilous journey, the master giving the directions for -steering. They left the ice about five o'clock in the morning, and -were soon scudding along at a rapid rate, there being a strong breeze -blowing. About eight o'clock the boat which was in advance was seen to -shorten sail, and when the captain came up he was informed that David -Buchan, while steering, had been knocked overboard and drowned. An -attempt was then made to tow this boat; but the sea was running so high -that this jeopardized both. It soon became apparent that the boats would -be swamped if they continued in tow, and the captain was obliged to cast -the second one adrift, telling the crew they must either hoist sails and -make for Iceland along with him or run back for the ice. They preferred -to hold on their course, and the sail was again hoisted. The weather -continued moderate until between four and five o'clock in the afternoon, -when it shifted to the northward and began to blow hard. A heavy sea -arose, and through the night it was with the utmost difficulty that the -captain kept his boat afloat. At times she was nearly filled, and the -men had to keep almost constantly bailing out the water. The stormy -weather continued throughout the whole of Friday night and Saturday, and -it was found necessary to throw the whale lines overboard to lighten -the boat. In the meantime the condition of the men was becoming more and -more alarming, and the captain was forced to employ various devices to -prevent them from falling into a state of stupor, which would soon have -proved fatal. To use the oars was an impossibility on account of the -heavy seas and the rate at which the boat was sailing, and accordingly -the captain persuaded the men to hold up their oars by way of exercise. -This had the desired effect for some time, but by Sunday morning, the -fourth day they had been without food, they were all ready to give up -in despair. Captain Gellatley had been steering constantly from -Friday morning till Sunday morning, and the fatigue, combined with the -privations he endured in common with his crew, began to tell severely -upon him. Only those who have had to steer such a boat in a seaway can -understand the irksome and laborious nature of the work, and to this -must be added the fact that he had to sit in a cramped position the -whole time, his legs being bent under him. The captain stated that a -peculiar sensation came over him, a haze gathered before his eyes, and -an attack of dizziness obliged him to call the boatswain to take his -place. After a brief space the boatswain, who was almost prostrated, had -to relinquish the task, and the boat was then hove to, and a deep sea -anchor, made up of a grappling iron and other articles, was thrown out, -with fifty fathoms of line, by which means the boat's head was kept -towards the sea. The weather was then moderating, but the waves -continued to break over the boat, and it was as much as the men could do -to keep her afloat. A few hours later and the gale sprang up afresh, and -as there were still no signs of land, the crew resigned themselves to -the fate which they deemed to be inevitable. From this state of despair -they were ultimately aroused by the news that the land and a schooner -were in sight, the sailmaker being the first to make the joyful -announcement. This intelligence reanimated the despairing men, and -signals were made to the schooner, but without succeeding in attracting -the attention of the crew. A direct course was then steered for the -land, but owing to the gale ten hours elapsed before it was reached. -A new difficulty was then encountered, there being no visible -landing-place along that rock-bound coast. A number of the islanders, -however, had noticed the boat, and by means of signs they directed the -crew to steer for the only available landing-place, a narrow passage -with perpendicular rocks on either side, and a horizontal rock forming a -sort of bar. The tide was then ebbing, but under the guidance of Captain -Gellatley, the boat was safely steered into the narrow harbor. By the -assistance of the islanders the crew, who had almost lost the power -of their legs, were take to a farmer's hut adjoining, where they were -hospitably entertained with such cheer as the house afforded; and the -black bread and whale blubber which were set out before them proved -a feast to the famishing sailors. The point at which they landed was -Brimness, about ten miles distant from Langanaes, and after they had -recovered somewhat the islanders made arrangements for transporting -them on horseback to the nearest port. However, the Norwegian smack, -_Jemima_, of Elekkefjord, hove in sight, and on being signalled, the -captain, Bernard Olsen, readily agreed to take the crew to Seydisfjord, -where a steamer was shortly to sail for Scotland. On their arrival at -Seydisfjord on the 8th of June, the governor had them conveyed to a -hotel, and a messenger was dispatched for a doctor, who arrived in -the course of two days, his journey requiring twenty-four hours to -accomplish. Under his treatment Captain Gellatley and his crew made a -satisfactory recovery, and on the 12th they left Seydisfjord on board -the mail steamer _Thym_, for Granton. - - - - -CHAPTER IX--A GREENLAND SETTLEMENT - - - "The shuddering tenant of the frigid zone - - Boldly proclaims the happiest spot his own; - - Extols the treasures of his stormy seas, - - And his long nights of revelry and ease." - - -|We were now crossing Davis Straits and felt that the whaling voyage had -fairly begun. Reference was seldom made to the places already visited, -but those we expected to see were discussed, and stories told of -previous experiences there. Nothing was spoken of but Greenland and its -settlements. - -The weather was very cold and on Thursday, May 15th, snow squalls -reminded us of our latitude. The wind was fair, however, and the ship -made good time under steam and some canvas. - -_Friday, May 16th._ The morning was fine and the men of the watch were -employed coaling the bunkers; coal dust was thick in the 'tween-decks -and the tarts we had for tea were black with it as the galley opened -oft the Tween-decks. In spite of their color, however, they were better -tarts than any I ever tasted on shore. - -As we expected to be on the Greenland coast the following day, a few -remarks about the country may not be out of place. - -The west coast settlements had prospered under the fostering care of the -Moravian missionaries and the Danish Government and were divided into -two districts, the northern and the southern, Holstenborg, to which we -were bound, being the northern settlement of the southern district. The -most northern settlements of the northern district had native governors, -but the southern had Danish, and inspectors supervised the work of -these. - -One or two ships from Copenhagen visited the coast every year with -supplies, taking back oil and skins. - -We have all sung about the icy mountains of Greenland, and most of us -have in a vague way connected the country with whales, without having -any idea of how great this whaling industry was some years ago. In the -appendix it will be seen that Great Britain alone sent one hundred -and fifty-nine ships to Greenland waters in 1819, and, of course, the -Norwegians and Dutch, the Danes, Germans and others also profited by -the fisheries. Many words in the modern whaler's vocabulary are of Dutch -origin, as these hardy people were conspicuous among the most daring -followers of this dangerous trade. - -Greenland has a past, but its history, viewed through the mists -of centuries, and always more or less traditional, is anything but -distinct. - -The country was discovered toward the end of the tenth century; and a -banished Norwegian, called Erick, wintered at what is now called Erick -Sound, shortly after. The unscrupulous Erick, in order to promote -colonization, called the new country Greenland. A fleet of twenty-five -sail started for the country with colonists. Many were lost, but about -half of them settled there and were joined by others, forming quite a -colony. - -[Illustration: 0173] - -Christianity was introduced about 1121 and a bishop was appointed. By -degrees the colonists in the south formed other colonies, churches were -built, and the people prospered for a time. - -Grant tells us in his history of Greenland that there were about one -hundred hamlets on these coasts. The colonies on the east coast have -disappeared. Some ruins have been found, but where are the people? -Nothing has been heard definitely from them since 1408, when the east -Greenland trade ceased. Some think that black death destroyed -them, others say that polar ice, coming down, closed the coast from -intercourse with the parent country, so that they starved. According to -one Kojake, who has written on the subject, they became eaters of human -flesh, owing to a famine, but afterwards they are said to have relished -it. That they were nice about it is evident when we read that they only -consumed old people, forsaken orphans and unnecessary persons. A rumor -reached Norway in 1718 about a vessel having been wrecked oft the coast -of Greenland and of the crew having been eaten voraciously by savages. -The word voracious suggests relish, and possibly these savages were -descendants from the good, old Norwegian stock, who ate unnecessary -persons only a few hundred years before and who had a bishop in 1121. - -_May 17th. Saturday_. We expected to sight the land, so were on the -lookout. The weather was cloudy and there was a southeast breeze, so -everything was set and drawing. The clouds lifted about noon and in the -distance the snow-covered mountains of Greenland could be seen. At first -it was difficult to tell which was mountain and which cloud. By and by, -however, the forbidding coast grew distinct. - -Our objective point was Holstenborg and the mate was in the crow's-nest -examining the shore for the Danish colors. Some small bergs were -scattered over the water and a narrow shore floe was fast to the coast. - -To the north of us the Knights Reefs ran far out to sea and on these -some larger bergs had grounded. The ship was slowed down and all her -canvas stowed. Finally the engines were stopped, and after a little -while, the captain ordered the ship put about as he could not pick up -the settlement. I heard the order given and was greatly disappointed as -I longed to see an Eskimo. - -Just then the mate called out that he saw a kayak coming off, so the -ship lay to and waited. I repaired to the fore top and presently saw two -kayaks coming toward us. There was quite a splash on, but the sun had -now come out and the scene interested me intensely. - -The little boats were almost submerged and the occupants were wet and -glistened in the sunlight. - -When they came alongside, I saw that the kayaks were about 15 feet long, -with little knobs of ivory decorating bow and stern, and were about 18 -inches wide at the widest part and covered with skin. - -One Eskimo sat in each. The edge of the hole in which he sat was raised -a couple of inches and over this he had pulled his skin coat, wrapped -a lash around it and made it water-tight. The paddle was trimmed with -ivory and the dusky faces of the almond-eyed navigators were all smiles -as they looked at us and showed their white teeth. A whale boat was -lowered and each canoe lifted in, Eskimo and all, then they left their -boats, shook hands with every one around and went on to the bridge, -where they remained until the ship was at anchor off the village. - -Holstenborg consisted of a church, which was also a schoolhouse, a shop -where the deputy governor lived, and the governor's house. There were a -number of native houses--awful places, built of turf. A long low passage -led to the door of each. As the weather was comparatively warm, this -passage was generally very wet, and when the door of the house opened, -the smell was overpowering. Inside sat women at work with their needles, -or dressing skins. When the ship came to anchor off the shore floe, a -boat-load of ladies came on board. A Greenland belle was a well dressed -person. Her hair was folded several times and then wound about with a -ribbon, so that it stood up upon the top of the head; the fold of the -hair above the ribbon was rather fanshaped, and the color of the ribbon -indicated whether the lady was married, single, or a widow. Possibly -there were degrees of wrapping, and shades of the color, indicating the -number of times she had been married, and the depths of despair into -which her various bereavements had reduced her. This simple record of -her past was an excellent arrangement in a country where there were no -society papers,--a sort of personal totem carried on the head, so that -he or she who ran might read. Of course, in lower latitudes, where high -civilization and divorce courts exist, shortness of hair would render -some records so incomplete that the Greenland method is never likely to -supplant the present ready references to be found amongst interested and -observing neighbors. A bodice was worn, made of some cheerful colored -stuff procured at the shop or from whalers. Tight fitting trousers, made -of bay seal skin and extending down to the knees, came next, and very -gaudy boots of colored skin. Down the front of each leg of the trousers -was a stripe 1 1/2 inches wide, of colored skin, and the boots, -especially around the tops, were very ornate. Many of the girls were -good-looking, and on their arrival a ball commenced in the 'tween-decks -which lasted while they were there; fiddles and concertinas supplying -the music. These instruments were played by whalers and Eskimos equally -well, and they knew the same airs. Most of our visitors had articles -to barter and they wanted bread in return more than anything else, but -accepted colored handkerchiefs and other trifles. - -Slippers and tobacco pouches were their principal stock in trade, but -there were some down quilts, prettily bordered with the green necks of -the eider duck. Captain Fairweather and myself spent a pleasant evening -with the governor and his deputy, and it was interesting to hear the -music of civilization played on a piano by the wife of the latter. - -Coming away, they gave us a lot of quaint ivories made by the natives, -from walrus tusks, such as brooches, pipes, paper knives, etc., etc. - -_May 18th. Sunday_. I went on shore early, and seeing a lot of snow -buntings, spent some time looking for their nests, but without result. -On the sunny sides of the rocks the snow had gone; there was some dead -grass, but indeed the country was, for the most part, covered with it. -There were several pairs of ravens about, but I could not find their -nests, so I borrowed a pair of skies, and ascending a hill close by, -enjoyed the exhilarating sport of sliding down its snowy slope. During -the afternoon I made a house-to-house visitation in the native quarter -and saw much of interest. The older portion of the population I found -at home, but the youth and beauty of the place had gone on board the -_Aurora._ About dinner time I came on board and acquired a further -collection of Eskimo ware, including ladies' clothing, for which even -my bed curtains were bartered. It was late when I retired for the night, -surfeited with the pleasure of my first long day in Greenland. - -_May 19th. Monday_. I wrote letters home this morning and sent them on -shore. During the summer they arrived via Copenhagen, having gone by the -Danish mail ship which visited the settlement every year. - -By breakfast time we were under way. It was a beautiful day. There was -a breeze from the southwest, so the ship soon had all her canvas set and -we stood away, clear of the land. - -The Knights Reef, running out to sea north of Holstenborg, had to be -weathered. On the heavy ice around there, we saw a number of walrus, -but did not disturb them. By noon we were sailing up the coast amid floe -ice, so the canvas was taken off and we steamed slowly through it. A -sharp lookout was kept for whales, as we were then on a very good ground -for spring fishing, sixty miles from Disco and sixty miles from Riffkol -being the neighborhood where the ships in olden times killed fine -cargoes. - - "With Riffkol hill and Disco Dipping, - - There you will find the whale fish skipping," - -is an old saying amongst whalers. - -[Illustration: 0184] - - - - -CHAPTER X--POLAR BEAR SHOOTING - - - "The shapeless bear - - With dangling ice, all horrid, stalks forlorn, - - Slow paced, and sourer as the storms increase, - - He makes his bed beneath the inclement drift, - - And with stem patience, scorning weak complaint, - - Hardens his heart against the assailing want." - -_May 20th. Tuesday._ We were quite close to Disco in the morning. -However, the Captain decided not to go into the settlement, Godhaven, -where many other ships lay, but to go west, as the straits appeared -tolerably free from ice in that direction. Accordingly, about noon, we -turned our bows westward, having a solid looking floe to the north of -us and open water to the south. This was all good fishing ground and -we might have picked up a big whale, but we did not see a single spout -while we were in the neighborhood. - -Birds were getting numerous, now that we were amongst the ice, and the -edge of the floe was lined with little auks in some places. They were -important-looking fellows, like diminutive penguins. - -Disco looked wild and forbidding as we steamed away from it, with snow -lodged in all the sheltered places. - -The island rose to a height of about three thousand feet and much of the -coast on the west side of it was precipitous and exposed, so that there -were always bare rock faces, which gave a patchy appearance to that -place. - -To the north of us, many big bergs could be seen, which had come -originally from Waggate Straits. Two tremendous ones were at one time -aground in this place, in very deep water. They were described by -Crants, who tells us that they were there for years. - -We had steamed for some distance to the west, along the floe edge, when -the lookout called down that he saw a bear on an island of ice, a few -points on our starboard bow. I heard him, so immediately went for my -rifle. A boat was lowered and we rowed to the island. George Matheson, -one of our harpooners, and myself immediately landed, and the boat left -us, intending to row around the island so as to intercept bruin, should -he attempt to swim to the main floe. - -As this was the first wild bear I had ever seen, I was unfamiliar with -their ways, but learned afterwards that unless the hunter came suddenly -upon one, or unless it had cubs, it would almost invariably retreat and -probably take to the water. Of course, it might not know the whereabouts -of the hunter, and in that case it would be as liable to go in his -direction as any other. - -This particular animal was an exception to all rules; for before we had -gone very far we found that he was coming straight toward us. Owing to -the nature of the ice, he could not always be seen, but occasionally he -would stand up and take his bearings, when we could see each other. I -was an active youth, George was a heavy man in excellent condition, -and if it came to running, he would have had no chance with me, and no -sensible bear would pass him to pursue me. - -[Illustration: 0188] - -Realizing these things, I had no misgivings, so knelt down and put out -a box of ten cartridges. The har-pooner, seeing my preparations, said: -"For God's sake, don't shoot." He had had experiences with wounded bears -before, which he did not wish to repeat. It seemed to me, however, that, -between the two of us, we had things our own way as we had had such -splendid practice at seals a short time before and our hands were in, -so, when bruin stood up to have a look at us, less than a hundred yards -away, I fired and hit him in the head. - -I was intensely pleased as it was my first bear and also the first seen -that year by any of the ships. - -We had, as spectators, the entire crew, as the ship was not far away -and every one on board was watching. A bear is considered lucky, -considerable trouble being taken to pick one up. As they looked very -yellow in the white ice, they were easily seen. Curiosity, no doubt, -drew this one to us, as we were kneeling down and not moving when he -stood up to look. Had we moved, he would probably have gone away. I kept -the skull, the entire occipital portion of which was shattered, although -the skin wound was small, as the copper-nosed bullets only expanded well -on striking something hard. - -The boat came back for us and, after skinning the prize, we went on -board. As there was much heavy ice to the west, we steamed back towards -Disco, and a lead, opening to the north, later in the day, gave us a -chance of going a few miles in the right direction. - -_May 21st. Wednesday_. We had come rather close to the land by morning -and were off Disco Fiord. There was very heavy ice coming down and -numbers of bergs about, so navigation was exceedingly difficult and -dangerous, and we made little or no progress until noon, when the ice -slackened and let us go ahead, the wind blowing from the north and -loosening it. In the evening it was very cold, with snow squalls. - -I got an ivory gull this day (P. Eburnea) and also a glaucous gull -(Larus Glaucus). The ivory gull positively looked like ivory as it stood -on the ice, and the glaucous gull, with its great spread of snow-white -wings, was beautiful. - -[Illustration: 0192] - -We were sorry that the ship did not stop at Godhaven, or Lieveley, as it -was generally called, because of its importance as a point of departure -for expeditions. They generally obtained dogs there, and whalers, for -a century and more, had made it a port to call, but this was a race for -the north and no time was to be wasted. We managed to work on our course -all afternoon and during the night, as the wind had slackened the ice. - -_May 22nd. Thursday_. During the night, the ship had made considerable -progress, so at noon we were off Hare Island. After tea, we were hooked -on in a pool of water for several hours. I took my gun and went out for -a stroll, killing a number of little auks (Alca Alle or Roach) and a -Richardson's skua. These latter were called, by the sailors, boatswain -birds, because of the long feathers in the tail, resembling a -marlinspike. - -As at this time we had the sun night and day, it made me exceedingly -restless. About ten P. M. we were fast again, so, taking my gun, I shot -some black guillemot (U. Grylle), these birds being very numerous. I -returned to the ship about midnight, when it was blowing rather hard. - -_May 23rd. Friday_. The wind had died down by morning and the day was -beautiful. We were off Nugsuak Peninsula. There were many tremendous -bergs about and the floe was heavy. In the dim distance we saw a ship -and made our way towards her. To the east of us was the entrance to -Hmanak Fiord, one of the largest on the west coast of Greenland. From -where we were, all fiords looked alike, and it was impossible to tell -islands from mainland. It resembled a sea of ice out of which protruded -rocks and hills, which, excepting on the steep places, were covered with -snow. - -Black guillemot and little auks were everywhere in thousands, and it was -pretty to see rows of the latter along the ice edge. They stood -shoulder to shoulder, facing the water, and were very indifferent to our -presence. - -By night we had made little progress and the new ship was still -far away. We had been about with the whalers enough by this time to -recognize any of them a long way off by their rigging, smoke or funnel, -so, long before we reached this new vessel, we recognized that she was -a stranger, and she turned out to be the _Cornwallis_. When we left -Dundee, she was outfitting for the Greenland fishing, that is, for -the voyage we ourselves originally intended taking, after leaving -Newfoundland. - -The high price of whalebone, however, had induced her owners to send her -to Davis Straits instead. By tea time we were hooked on within a quarter -of a mile of her, and after that meal the Captain sent me on board to -see whether there was any mail for our ship. Climbing on board, I was -amazed to find my friend Armitage there, with a yellow beard and sea -boots; I would not have recognized him. He was greatly surprised to -see me because he believed that I had gone from Newfoundland to the Jan -Mayen fishing, not knowing of our altered arrangements. The _Cornwallis_ -was an old barque, formerly in the South American trade. She had had -engines put in, and been fortified for Arctic ice. After I sailed from -Dundee, Armitage, in going around the docks, saw her. He went on board -and, finding Captain Nicol, arranged to sail with him later in the year. - -Sending back to the _Aurora_ mail and papers, also some fresh mutton, -which had been sent out to us, I remained on the _Cornwallis_ and heard -the news. I saw her peculiar and useless engines. Captain Nicol said -they spoilt her for sailing and she steamed badly. - -_May 24th. Saturday._ It was a beautiful Arctic day when I came on deck -before breakfast. Ahead of us, the world was white, not a break to be -seen anywhere, astern some open water. The _Cornwallis_ was lying on -our port side a few hundred yards away, so that about eleven I went on -board, and, with Armitage, started off to look for something to shoot, -among the hummocks, three or four miles north of where we lay. We spent -hours tramping over the ice, but did not see a track, so we returned to -our ships about six P. M. This hummock belt extended east and west and -had been caused by the rafting of great floes. It was quite smooth from -the ship to the hummocks and also on the other side of them. Half a mile -beyond the ridge, however, there was a great berg which appeared to be -aground. - -When I returned on board the _Aurora_, the Captain told me to go below -and have my tea and then to go with the mate back to where I had been, -because he had seen a bear close to us all the time we were there. It -certainly was curious that neither of us had seen him or his tracks. -When we were about a mile away from the ships, I saw Armitage hurrying -after us. I was anxious to wait for him, but the mate insisted on -pushing on, as it would be a fearfully unlucky thing for a member -of another crew to shoot a bear first seen by us. After a little, we -reached a crack in the ice, about two feet wide, so we stepped across -and hurried on. Armitage, coming up shortly after, was unable to cross -as the crack was then eight or ten feet wide and extended indefinitely -in each direction. So the situation righted itself, and my friend -returned to the ship while the mate and I kept on to where the bear had -been seen and there we found tracks in abundance, but no bear. After -an hour's searching, we were returning to the ship when we saw her jib -hauled up as a signal for us to go ahead again, the game having been -spotted by the lookout in the crow's nest. Returning to the hummocks, -we saw the bear strolling from behind the berg beyond. He was coming -straight towards us, so we got down behind the rafted ice and awaited -his approach. It was decided that I should have the first shot as the -mate had killed so many. I allowed the bear to get about a hundred and -fifty yards away before firing, and then put a bullet into him. I don't -know where it hit, but he came down, to be up again at once and to keep -on coming. The mate fired and down he went again, and we kept it up -until the bear was hit many times. Sometimes he fell, sometimes he bit -at the place, and by the time he reached the ridge he was very lame and -badly shot up. He had gone some distance to the west of us, so I stood -up on a slab of ice and finished him, as we thought, by putting a bullet -in his shoulder and dropping him in his tracks. We hurried up our side -of the ridge until we arrived at where he was. Then, climbing over, I -was surprised to find him sitting up. This time my bullet finished him. -Our shooting was nothing to be proud of, and went to show how careful -one should be with bears, because if not hit right, they take a lot of -lead. This was about the only one of those killed that took more than -one or, at the most, two shots. - -[Illustration: 0198] - -As neither of us had a hunting knife, we had a long job skinning him -with pocket knives. Then we started for the ship, towing the skin, but -when we reached the crack in the ice, it had opened about twenty-five -yards, so we were fairly caught. The mate, with his usual ingenuity, -loosened a pan of ice, and on this we crossed, using the butts of -our rifles as paddles. Arriving at the other side, we were met by two -sailors, sent from the ship, as we were being watched from the barrel, -and they took the bear skin in charge while we made our way on board. As -it was late, we retired as soon as we had had something to eat. - -_May 25th.. Sunday._ In the morning, Armitage came on board and saw the -bear skin. He had never seen a polar bear on the ice, so was very much -disappointed that he had not been with us. - -Both ships unhooked about ten A. M. and stood north through a lead. -We moved along fairly well and by evening were hooked on close to each -other in a hole of water with a good ice edge. - -The _Bear_ and _Triune_ were now in sight, the latter having come from -Dundee direct. We were off Svartin Huk, a great peninsula, but I only -knew this by consulting the chart glued to the cabin table. - -The _Cornwallis_ was the "lame duck" of the fleet. Steaming in open -water, she had not more than half our speed, and in heavy ice she could -do little, as her power was so weak. Of course, she could wriggle her -way around floes and along tortuous leads fairly well, especially if -some of the better ships had just been through ahead of her and broken -the trail. The _Cornwallis_ was the only one of the ships coming -direct from Dundee which carried a surgeon, but there were three on the -Newfoundland fleet. - -_May 26th. Monday_. We both moved a few miles north this day, but the -ice was very heavy and the conditions for advance unfavorable. Some -distance astern, we saw the _Bear_, but she was not making much headway -and we all three were tied up by noon. - -A ship, when anchored to a floe, has her bows against it and a cable out -to an ice anchor on one bow or on both, according to the weather. From -the jib-boom a rope ladder always hangs, so that one can easily get on -to or leave the floe. There is generally a man on the ladder when the -ship approaches the ice, and as she touches, he drops off! and, with an -ice drill, makes a hold for the ice anchor. - -Bringing Armitage, we went to a crack up which looms were flying, and -had a pleasant afternoon shooting them. They were fast-flying birds, and -the knowledge of the fact that they would not be wasted gave zest to our -sport. Shooting guillemot rising off the water would not be much fun, -but picking off single birds as they passed was good practice. - -The looms we saw in such thousands were, I believe, Uria Brunichii. - -The ships were tied up when I turned in. - -_May 27th. Tuesday_. The ice was slack, so we kept in a northerly -direction, making good headway. We left the _Cornwallis_ and, following -a good lead, passed the _Narwhal_, which had been the leading ship for -some days. - -During the evening, the _Bear_ came after us, but we were able to keep -ahead. Captain Fair-weather decided to give Upernivik a wide berth, as -he once had had an unpleasant experience with the rocks of that charming -Greenland summer resort, so we kept going north all night. - -There was a wonderful amount of life on board a whaler, on account of -the crew being so large. In the 'tween-decks, one generally found a -number of men at work, picking oakum, spinning rope yarn, or other -yarns, and weaving sennet. The carpenter and his assistant were found at -work in one place, the cooper busy in another, while the sailmaker -sat and sewed. On the deck, in some sheltered corner, one found the -blacksmith at work, and there were always jobs being done in the engine -room. But it was easy work, none of the dog's life one saw on other -ships. - -There are said to be runic monuments in the vicinity of Upernivik, -and one on Woman's Island is said to bear the date of 1135. The early -travellers, who are supposed to be responsible for these records, are -also said to have visited Lancaster Sound. - -When one considers that Baffin circumnavigated the bay which bears his -name, in 1616, in a craft of fifty-five tons, and when one examines a -Viking ship of a thousand years ago and finds it a substantial clinker -built boat, a hundred feet long with fine beam, one sees no reason why a -twelfth century vessel could not make her way to Lancaster Sound. - -_May 28th. Wednesday_. We had a day racing with the Bear. She managed to -pass us just before we reached Browns Island, and hooked on to the floe -some distance from us. After a little, the _Narwhal_ joined us, and -later the _Cornwallis_. Armitage and I went off in our dingey and had -a few pleasant hours shooting looms. We shot a lot of them, which -were divided between the two ships. It took me some time to overcome a -prejudice and to become accustomed to seeing looms on the table in -any shape or form, but they were really much better than any ducks we -killed, because they were not at all fishy and our cook understood about -skinning them. They tasted rather like roast hare. - -During the afternoon, the weather was thick and it was snowing. The -coast of Greenland, at this point, was fringed by hundreds of islands -of all sizes and shapes. They were everywhere and some had names while -others had not. One navigated there by rule of thumb, only moving when -landmarks could be seen, and avoiding visible dangers. Occasionally, -something one did not see, destroyed the ship, as there were hundreds of -uncharted rocks. In approaching a settlement, a native generally came on -hoard and pointed out the way, but the coast was a dangerous one and the -ships only kept close to it in order that they might avoid the terrible -middle pack. - -[Illustration: 0204] - -_May 29th. Thursday._ We were bumping along towards the west when I -came on deck, as the ice looked slacker in that direction, but we had to -return shortly after breakfast and, after thrashing around for most -of the morning, we managed to strike a good lead and gain a few miles. -There was no shooting, as the ship did not stop. - -The _Cornwallis_ kept near us all day, and the _Narwhal_ was not far -away. As we were now on the edge of the notorious Melville Bay, it -became interesting. Greely's famous thirty-six hour passage was not -going to be repeated by us, that was evident. I recalled Cheynes' -account of its dangers, but we were so comfortable on board the -_Aurora_, and meals were served with such regularity, that it was only -possible to realize the danger by watching floes crunch into each other -as they were pressed together by irresistible forces. We hooked on at -night with little in sight but floes and bergs. - -It is a wonderful thing to see a berg ploughing its way through a frozen -sea, slowly but surely, overcoming all obstacles, provided, always, that -the water was deep enough to keep its mighty base from grounding. On -this day there were dozens in sight. They were in every direction -and one could easily understand the hopelessness of a sailing ship's -position, beset in these waters, with a gale driving bergs down upon -her. - -_May 30th. Friday_. We were lying, hooked on to the floe, in the -forenoon, when I looked over the side and saw a beautiful male King -eider duck (S. Spectabilis) sitting on the water within ten feet of the -Captain's port. The Captain was in bed, as he had been in the crow's -nest for days, nearly all the time. His port was open and I did not want -to wake him, so, taking a gun, I went on the ice and, firing from there, -killed the bird without the report being heard in the cabin, and the -dog, Jock, went out and brought the bird in. It was the first King eider -I had shot and it looked beautiful in its spring plumage. The striking -thing about the bird was the enormous frontal processes bulging high -above the bill and brightly colored. These were soft and shrank rapidly -as they dried, losing their color. The plumage was a mixture of black, -white, pearl gray and sea green, making a gorgeous whole. The first bird -one sees of a beautiful species always excites more admiration than the -others, and so I was delighted with this and carefully skinned it. - -The evening made no change in the conditions and we remained fast all -night. - -_May 31st. Saturday_. All the ships were stuck in the morning. The -_Cornwallis_ and _Narwhal_ were some distance astern, the _Arctic_ near -the shore, the _Nova Zembla_ and _Polynia_ close together to the west -of us. There were an immense number of bergs, some of them, no doubt, -aground, as there were many islands and rocks. We were lying off -Tassuisak, a not very populous place, and I was in hope that some -natives, seeing the ships, would come off. - -[Illustration: 0208] - -During the afternoon, we got under way and poked about without moving -much further north. When we were crossing any open places, the ship -steamed very slowly and a man was kept forward, on the lookout for -submerged rocks. - - - - -CHAPTER XI--MELVILLE BAY - - - "And hark! The lengthening roar continuous runs - - Athwart the rifted deep, at once it bursts - - And piles a thousand mountains to the clouds." - - -_June 1st. Sunday_. Owing to a change of wind the ice had loosened and -during the night we managed to push on to Berry Island. The _Bear_ and -_Thetis_ appeared upon the scene during the afternoon, and we saw the -_Bear_ strike a sunken rock. We hooked on to the small island with -several of the other ships, the _Bear_ being on our starboard side, and -the _Narwhal, Arctic and Thetis_ on the port. I saw Commander Schley -going on board the _Bear_ and examining her with a water telescope. His -boat passed very close to our quarter and the Captain spoke to him as he -went. - -The ships were all lying close to the shore floe with this low island in -front of them, and it looked as if they might be there some time, so -I went on shore with the surgeon of the _Arctic_. There was a camera -sitting on the ice near the _Thetis_, so the ships were evidently being -photographed. We wandered about the inhospitable place for a time and -came on board. The perpetual daylight made me very irregular in my -movements, coming and going at all hours; my day was regulated by my -meals. Those who had watches to keep slept and got up with their usual -regularity. - -_June 2nd. Monday_. The day fine, and we were still tied up at the -island. I took a gun and went on shore after breakfast, but there was -not much to shoot. In a little valley I saw a quantity of dead grass -sticking out of the ice. On going over and examining, I found a number -of _human skeletons_. Wherever there was a big bunch of grass, there -I found an ice-covered skeleton. Probably they were Eskimos. When I -returned to the ship there were a number of natives on board. They came -from Tassuisak and had some seal skins to trade. - -Some of our men had visited the _Arctic_. She had been in Godhaven, so -had much trade and our men procured some of it. Afterwards I bought a -kayak model from one of these. It was very beautifully made. The skin -tobacco pouches and slippers made by natives in Godhaven looked nicer -than any I saw from other settlements. - -The southern Greenland towns were better than those further north, but -the whalers seldom called at any further south than Holstenborg. I went -on board the _Bear_ for awhile during the evening with Dr. Crawford -and met Lieutenant Emory. During the day I saw several very beautiful -glaucous gulls. They are called burgomasters by the sailors. - -_June 3rd. Tuesday_. Immediately to the north of where we lay there were -a great many icebergs. They presented a very fine appearance with the -sun shining on them. The _Thetis_ and _Bear_ started off amongst these -bergs. We tried to move out to the west, but did not accomplish much; -for when evening came we were no further north than when we started. -In the distance and to the west of us we saw a berg on the top of which -there was a black spot. What could it be? From the crow's nest the -telescope revealed nothing but a black spot on the icy slope. - -There was a narrow lead going in this direction, so the mate and myself -went with a boat's crew to solve the mystery. We were able to take a -whale boat a long distance through the lead, and then we walked the rest -of the way. I had brought a rifle in case there should be a chance of a -shot. On getting up to the berg we found that it was not fast, but that -owing to its great depth in the water it had a motion independent of its -floe. On one side there had been a great slide, and up this we proposed -going. - -Just at this place the motion of the berg had ground up a lot of ice -at its base, and also some of the floe, so that one had very unstable -footing to jump to and from in crossing the surrounding fissure. - -However, we all managed without mishap and ascended the slide to within -six or eight feet of the top. I was then pushed up this little cliff and -found that, with the exception of the place we had come up, the sides -were sheer precipices. It was necessary to traverse a snowy undulation -before the black object came into view. The mate joined me with some of -the others and it was exciting for a few minutes, but disappointing when -we found only a big black stone which the berg had picked up probably -during its glacial days. - -The islands of ice often turn over owing to the frost splitting them -when the weather is cold. This frequent alteration of their centre of -gravity makes them very undesirable neighbors, especially in the -autumn. While it was disappointing finding only a stone when we expected -something wonderful, yet the view from the summit was magnificent. - -Immediately around little but ice could be seen, with here and there -some black threads of water and many great bergs scattered about. - -In the distance the coast of Greenland looked bold. It had been rather -high all the way up from Upernivik, but Cape Shackleton, rising to -a height of thirteen hundred feet, looked very imposing, being -precipitous. There was a great loomery on its cliffs, which was probably -the home of the thousands of those birds which we saw every day flying -along the cracks, or about the pools of open water. There was much less -trouble getting down the berg than getting up, but we were all tired -when we reached the ship as we were not accustomed to long walks. - -_June 4th. Wednesday_. The morning was fine, and many ships were in -sight. During the night we had passed Cape Shackleton. To the south we -saw the _Thetis_, evidently in the rips off Horse Heade, with the _Bear_ -astern of her. The _Nova_ _Zembla_ and _Triune_ were several miles to -the west, and caught in the pack, while all the other ships were -together. During the morning the _Thetis, Bear_ and _Polynia_ came up -and joined us in our feeble attempt to push along. - -Later in the day the weather turned cold and cloudy, but no storm came, -and the ice was very tight at bedtime. - -_June 5th. Thursday_. A beautiful day with sunshine and blue sky. -Nearly all the ships were anchored to the ice or stuck in our immediate -vicinity. We were hooked on in a large lake and close to us there were -a number of great bergs. During the morning I took the dingey and rowed -amongst them, as there was no floe ice near. - -The silence was very impressive, the only sound being that made by the -splashing of water as it trickled down the icy sides of the bergs, or -the cry of some seabird. I traced the base of one of these hoary giants -a long way into the depths, but the water of the Arctic sea is by no -means clear, owing to the vast numbers of animalculae which inhabit it. - -I shot a big bag of little auks here, but was careful not to do any -shooting whilst close to the bergs, as the concussion might have -brought down ice. During the afternoon the floe opened a little, and the -expedition ships came close to us, but the _Nova Zembla_ and _Triune_ -still appeared to be held in the pack. We all watched like hawks for -a chance to reach the Duck Islands, now only a few miles ahead. Greely -might have been there. - -[Illustration: 0216] - -_June 6th. Friday_. This was one of the most exciting days we had--eight -of us all on edge and each trying to get ahead of his neighbor. This -friendly rivalry added zest to the trip. We were quite close to the Duck -Islands, which made the starting point of the Melville Bay passage. - -The day was glorious and we spent most of it fast to a floe. The -exciting thing was when late in the evening a crack occurred near the -Arctic. It was not more than a mile or two across the floe to the open -water at the Duck Islands, and this crack appeared to extend the whole -way. When it was wide enough the _Arctic_ and _Aurora_ immediately -entered, but before we had gone any distance, the ice closed astern -of us, preventing any of the others entering. For a short time we were -caught, and it looked like the nips, then the floe seemed to swing, -closing behind us and opening in front, so that we steamed away with a -cheer, leaving the others barred out. The _Bear_, after a short time, -succeeded in breaking a way for herself and the _Thetis_, and all the -rest followed like ducks. - -I was aloft for a time watching this game of follow the leader and -keenly interested in this Arctic race. We entered the patch of open -water about midnight, and steaming across made fast to the ice at the -islands. - -_June 7th. Saturday_. It was wonderful how little we slept when there -was excitement. I enjoyed it' so much that I was afraid of missing -anything by going below, but after the race we had just finished, as -we had all hooked on, I felt that it was safe to turn in as there was -nothing but dense pack ahead. The _Arctic_ and _Aurora_ were lying very -close to the _Bear_, and the _Thetis_ was not far off. We were on the -west side of the Middle Duck, the rest of the fleet being on the other -side. It was evident that there were no explorers here to be rescued, -for the approach of the fleet was rather imposing and they would have -seen it. - -After a rest, taking a gun I made my way on shore. We were too early for -eggs, but there were plenty of ducks and the shooting was rather -good. Numbers of phalarope (Lobipes Hyperboreus) were about. They were -graceful little birds and no doubt bred here later. Coming back for the -dingey I rowed out to a point of ice past which there was a flight -of ducks, but was astonished to find the birds so shy in such a quiet -place. Perhaps the sight of the ships invading this sanctuary made them -a little nervous. I managed, however, to add considerably to my bag. -There did not appear to be any loosening of the ice, so none of the -ships made any effort to move. I went on board the _Arctic_ during the -afternoon and received a supply of apples from Captain Guy. The surgeon -returned with me and spent the evening on the _Aurora_. As our boiler -required some repair this was attended to during the day and it made a -wonderful difference to the temperature of the cabin having no heat in -the engine room for a few hours. - -_June 8th. Sunday_. A peaceful day and perfectly calm with some fog. All -the ships were hooked on to the floe. Crawford of the _Arctic_ came on -board and we took our dingey and went to one of the islands. Some men -from the relief ships were there. They were shooting with eight bores, -the first time I had ever seen guns of that calibre; I saw them make -some long shots. We secured a few ducks, eider and long tailed. - -During the afternoon we went on board the _Bear_, and again met -Lieutenant Emory and his officers. Lieutenant Colwell showed us the -ship. The arrangement of the berths in the cabin was splendid; they were -curtained off by drawing out poles, and by pushing these in the sleeping -quarters were reduced in size, and the saloon enlarged. - -I should say that the _Bear_ was the fastest ship of the fleet, except, -perhaps, the _Arctic_, which had powerful engines. The only thing -against the _Arctic_ was her great length which made it difficult to -turn her about in small water holes, and to manouvre amongst the ice as -some of the others were able to do. - -The _Wolf_ and _Narwhal_ had moved off and were caught in the pack by -bedtime. - -We were then on the threshold of Melville Bay, the reputation of which -was most unsavory. - -Perhaps the most interesting occurrence there during historic times was -the loss of nineteen ships and a total of L140,000 damage to the fleet -on June 19th, 1830. This event has been called the Baffin's Bay Fair, -because the one thousand men who suddenly found themselves homeless upon -the ice, made the best of their circumstances and enjoyed themselves -immensely. - -Before the ships went down they secured quantities of liquor and food -and afterwards established comfortable camps. There was an abundance of -wood from the wrecks, so they made bonfires around which they danced. -The curious part of it was that no lives were lost, and that the entire -party ultimately reached home safe. - -There is an interesting oil painting of this event in the museum at -Peterhead. - -_June 9th. Monday_. We seemed permanent fixtures now and felt that we -owned the place in spite of the ducks. I took the dingey with a boy and -pulled off to a long point of ice on the west side of the island not far -from where we lay. We were able to hide behind a heavy piece of ice with -the boat and I shot a number of ducks in the handsome plumage of that -season. Then landing, found numbers of old nests made of feathers and -down. They had been driven into crevices of rock by storms and one could -have collected a quantity of down. While on the island I saw and heard -my first finner whale. He was making a great noise as he breathed. -Finners have little oil and short bone, so they are not pursued. They -are also very quick in their movements and consequently dangerous. This -one came up several times in different water holes about the islands and -then disappeared. - -At dinner we were discussing vegetables and all agreed that the best on -board the ship were the tinned carrots. They were simply boiled and put -up in pieces six or seven inches long. They were absolutely as fresh and -sweet as the day on which they were prepared. We called them Carnoustie -carrots, as they had come from that place. Our Dundee meat was excellent -at this time. We had a good supply of it, and very seldom saw salt beef -or salt pork on the cabin table during the voyage. - -The steak for breakfast was served on a sort of metal basket; a handle -crossed the middle of this and on each side there was a lid. The steak -was under one lid and fried onions under the other. We also had hot -rolls every morning, although ship's bread was always on the table. - -_June 10th. Tuesday_. Early in the morning the _Aurora_ unhooked and -for a little while managed to push her way northwest. The _Wolf_ and -_Narwhal_ had gained by moving on. There was always a chance of a lead -opening and letting one through. We had reached the Duck Islands first, -by taking the lead while the others hesitated. We now entered the pack -further than we wished to and then spent some time trying to extricate -ourselves. - -There was always danger of being beset in the pack and carried down the -straits again; in it there was no safe anchorage, as it might twist and -turn in any direction, and a low temperature might even freeze the ship -up, whereas following the shore floe gave one a lead of open water every -time the pack floated off, and should it be driven in the ship could -generally find a bay or indentation in which she was fairly safe. - -In consequence of this the captains became nervous when they found -themselves beset in the pack. At night we were almost out of sight of -the islands. The _Wolf_ and _Narwhal_ were not far from us. - -_June 11th. Wednesday_. Before morning we managed to work north some -distance. The _Wolf_, _Narwhal_ and _Arctic_ were close to us. The -relief ships during the day were joined by the _Triune, Cornwallis and -Nova Zembla_. - -We all made some headway, but in the afternoon we were so nearly caught -once or twice that we steamed back towards the islands and arrived -almost at our old anchorage by the following morning. - -_June 12th. Thursday._ In the morning a lot of us were back at the old -anchorage again, but the _Arctic_ was still to the north, close to the -_Thetis and Bear_. The _Wolf and Narwhal_ were out in the pack to the -west of us, but in the afternoon these last joined us. During the day I -shot a lot of ducks, all eider and king eider, afterwards landing on a -floe from which a peninsula ran out having a narrow isthmus covered with -very high hummocks. Crossing this isthmus to the peninsula beyond, I -came upon the perfectly fresh footprints of a bear and two cubs, leading -from the water to the big hummocks over which I had come and over which -my route back lay. Having only a sixteen bore and number four shot, this -discovery was disquieting for a time, as a bear with cubs might fight. -However, she did not materialize. - -All the other ships were closer inshore during the evening, while we -moved west a little. During the night we moved off up a lead. - -[Illustration: 0224] - -_June 13th. Friday_. We were hard and fast, the _Cornwallis, Triune, -Esquimaux and Narwhal_ in sight close inshore. The _Arctic and Wolf_ out -with the expedition ships. They were apparently beset. We lay frozen up -all day, with not even a duck to shoot. The Sugarloaf, a high mountain -on the Greenland coast, showed up well and made a good landmark. - -_June 14th. Saturday_. The day began with a heavy snow storm, but -shortly after breakfast it cleared off. The ice opened to the west, -so we steamed in that direction, leaving the fleet of older ships -apparently fast inshore, and we did not see any of them again for a -long time. We made very little headway at first, but found the ice slack -after dinner and managed to push through it. - -Later a series of good leads opened up and we worked a long way north. -When I turned in, the relief ships with the _Arctic and Wolf_ were in -sight ahead of us. - -We passed a curious pillar of rock called the Devil's Thumb; it was a -long way off. Every one took off his hat to it as was the custom. - -Steering amongst ice was sometimes very dangerous for the man at the -wheel, because the ship going astern was liable to bump her rudder -against the ice. This, of course, sent the wheel flying around. We had -a man hurt in this way by receiving a blow from the wheel during the -afternoon. - -_June 15th. Sunday_. We had good leads all the morning and were never -blocked for any length of time. By breakfast time we overtook the -_Arctic and Wolf_ with relief ships. Then we all hooked on to a heavy -floe in an open pool of water. Very shortly we were off again, but it -looked dangerous, so we tied up. The _Wolf_ was the first to be free. -She entered a lead and it closed behind her, exactly as it had done with -us at the Duck Islands. However, later in the day the pack drew off and -we all steamed along the edge of the shore floe, the _Thetis_ bringing -up the rear. This was an exciting race, and no one turned in while the -water remained open. The _Wolf_ had the lead, the _Arctic and Aurora_ -being together. Occasionally some of us would diverge a little, but we -were in line pretty well all the time. - -_June 16th. Monday._ I turned in when I found the way blocked and all -the ships tied up, as everything seemed frozen solid, except the pool -in which we lay. Seven bells awoke me to find things as they had been. -Captain Fairweather shot a Sabine gull after breakfast and I shot some -looms, which were picked out of the water by Jock the dog, who retrieved -very well. I went on board the _Wolf_ with the Captain, and saw Captain -Burnette. During the evening the Arctic steamed off and we followed -with the _Wolf_, but the lead closed so we all were caught. The Aurora. -managed to push out into the loose ice in a little while, but the Wolf -remained and the Arctic was fairly in the nips. - -The evening was fine and we saw land to the north and dozens of bergs to -the east of us. There was a crack running into the floe for two hundred -yards close to our ship. It was probably twenty-five yards wide at the -entrance. A great many looms flew up this and returned when they found -it a blind lead. The dingey was lowered and the Captain and myself had a -few hours' shooting and secured a great many. They were tied in bunches -and hung upon the chains connecting the quarter davits. - -_June 17th. Tuesday_. All were frozen up. I tried stalking a seal, as -there were several in sight, but I could not get near any of them. The -_Arctic_ was still nipped, the _Wolf_ was with us and the relief ships -a little way east. During the evening we were all moving around, except -the _Arctic._ - -We were ahead and the _Wolf_ next, the _Bear_ bringing up the rear. -Later the _Thetis_ fell back, for she could not keep up. Cape York was -in sight and all four of us were rather close together. - -With the _Aurora_ leading, we kept this up all night, every one greatly -excited. In the small hours we were all up to a barrier. Among the -Arctic ice it would have been useless to roll the ship as we had done at -Newfoundland, the young ice on that coast being very different from the -Arctic floe met with in Melville Bay. - -_June 18th. Wednesday._ The race for Cape York and the north was far -too exciting to permit of sleep, so for the following few days I never -undressed, but kept going up and down all the time. If we stuck I lay -down, and when the engine started I went up. - -At one A. M. we were with the _Wolf_ and relief ships, pounding away -at the floe which separated us from the open water at Cape York. The -_Aurora_ was the first to break through, when we all gave a great cheer -and shouted, "The north water!" I immediately went forward, and sitting -on the jib-boom, realized that I was the nearest white man to Greely, -possibly the nearest to the pole. I sat there for a long time as we were -steaming fast towards the land through open water. - -As we neared the shore the _Bear_ passed us. She was a faster ship and -she reached the shore floe some minutes before us. - -Seeing a party land on the ice from the _Bear_, we turned off southwest. -As the _Thetis and Wolf_ were coming up, the Captain went on board the -former and bade the commander good-by, and good luck, then we crept off -to the southwest with the _Wolf_. The _Bear_ having spoken the _Thetis_, -steamed west after us, the weather being rather thick. - -Finding the ice heavy to the west, we tried a lead to the north, but -were beset for some time. - -[Illustration: 0230] - -The fog was so thick that nothing could be seen ahead. We saw nothing -further of the _Thetis_ as she remained at Cape York to pick up the -party landed by the _Bear._ - -I turned in for a time during the night, as the ship was beset by heavy -ice. We had now completed the passage of Melville Bay without accident -and nearly every one on board felt that the greatest danger of the -voyage was over, so we would work our way to the west and look for -whales. In the race from St. John's to Cape York we had been beaten by -the _Bear_ only, and that by just a few minutes. The _Arctic, Thetis -and Wolf_ were all close, but in the last lap the _Aurora and Bear_ were -neck and neck almost to the winning post. - - - - -CHAPTER XII--CAPE YORK TO CAREY ISLANDS - - - "And now there came both mist and snow - - And it grew wondrous cold, - - And ice, mast-high, came floating by - - As green as emerald." - - -|I noticed a rather curious phenomenon while coming up the Greenland -coast, but thinking that there was probably some simple explanation, -made no note of it. One evening while in the passage at the foot of the -stairs I heard a peculiar whistling. It was like the noise one sometimes -hears when standing beside a telegraph pole. The steward was in the -pantry and I drew his attention to it. The sound was very distinct in -the pantry, and not noticeable in the saloon, which was on the same deck -but a little further aft. The steward said he had heard it before and we -concluded it was due to a vibration of the taut rigging conducted down -the mizzenmast to this particular place. The engine was silent at the -time, otherwise the noise of machinery would have drowned everything -else. - -I listened to the peculiar whistle several times after and always heard -it very distinctly in the pantry. The steward had sailed Arctic waters -for years, but he made no comment on this subject and never mentioned -having heard it on other ships, nor did any; one else on board the -_Aurora_ speak of it at all; in fact, we were probably the only two who -noticed it. - -Years after I came across the following passage in "Old Whaling Days," -by Captain Barron: - -"From latitude 69 N. to latitude 74 N. on the east side and in Melville -Bay, not far from the land, a strange phenomenon is heard resembling a -very weird whistling in a high note and gradually dying away to a very -low one. It is only heard when it is calm, and most distinctly when in -a boat or in a ship's lazarette which is nearly level with the water. On -deck it is seldom heard." The above interested me as it describes what -I noticed. Captain Barron believes it to be connected with the Aurora -Borealis, which he states can be heard but not seen when the sun shines -on a summer's night in the Arctic. - -_June 19th. Thursday._ The engine starting up brought me on deck. The -fog had lifted and the _Arctic and Wolf_ could be seen astern, while the -_Bear_ was to the north of us. Some time after we were steaming through -a nice lead into open water ahead. I was on the bridge, where the second -mate was in charge, and the Captain was in the crow's nest, which he -seldom left. Presently we noticed the lead very narrow, being little -wider than the ship. A moment later we were among crunched up ice and -within twenty or thirty yards of the open water and the ship was slowing -up owing to her progress being impeded by the ice. The Captain called -down, "Get over there, some of you men, and push that ice out of the -way with poles." We were almost through, and it looked as though a few -pieces pushed away would relieve the situation. Specksioneer Lyon and -twenty others were immediately over, and began pushing. Almost at once -Lyon called up, "It's coming together, sir," and sure enough we were -caught between two points of great floes coming together and the -_Aurora_ was in the greatest danger of being lost within the next few -minutes. The Captain immediately came down and began giving orders. All -boats were provisioned and lowered away. I rushed to my cabin and was -rolling up my blankets, when he brought the log, which he asked me to -put with my things. I took my bundles on deck with a rifle and gun, and -by this time the ship was so squeezed that my door would not open or -shut, and she had a heavy port list. As the _Arctic and Wolf_ were -a short distance astern of us, there was no danger to life and I -thoroughly enjoyed the excitement of being shipwrecked so comfortably. -With a bump the ship righted herself greatly and presently, after -straining and groaning, she slipped up considerably. Her water line was -now above the crunching ice and she was for the time being tolerably -safe. This all happened in a very short time and it was a wonderful -escape. I went on to the ice forward with the mate and engineer; and -while there the ship slipped up higher still, so that she was almost out -of the water. - -[Illustration: 0236] - -The surgeon of the _Arctic_ paid us a visit at this time and took the -two photographs here reproduced after some retouching. The first one -shows the ship in the nips; in it I happened to be in the foreground. In -the second she has slipped up and is almost out of the water. The mate, -engineer and myself were on the ice in front at the time. Sailors were -a little superstitious, and did not like their ship being photographed -while in distress, so these pictures were very hurriedly taken. For some -hours the _Aurora_ rested in this position and we knew that eventually -the ice would open and let her into the water. Our principal anxiety was -about the stem post and rudder; but these fortunately escaped injury. -Our propeller had only two blades, so when the ship was sailing or stuck -in the ice the propeller was always stopped with the blades up and down. -While in this position the whole thing could easily be unshipped, and -we carried an extra one. As looms were flying about in numbers along the -floe edge just in front of the ship I shot a big bag of them. They fell -into the water, but drifted against the ice edge where I picked them up. -The _Arctic and Wolf_ were pretty tightly caught astern of us, but they -had not to abandon the ships as we had. During the afternoon the pack -was tighter than ever and it made weird sounds at times. We had -our meals on board and were all very happy at our wonderful escape, -especially the Captain, who was determined to take home a cargo of -whales in his own ship instead of returning as passenger on one of the -others. During the night a crack occurred under the bows. This opened -by degrees, letting the ship down. We hoisted up our boats and the -shipwreck was over. When whalers go into Melville Bay they generally -arrange a quantity of provisions so that it can be easily reached in -event of their suddenly having to leave the ship as we had done. - -_June 20th. Friday._ After our escaping from the nips, we steamed in a -northerly direction, with the _Arctic and Wolf_ a heavy fog came on. I -was very tired, so went and lay down. - -As the engine room was aft, a person in any of the staterooms could -easily hear the bell there being rung from the crow's nest. How long I -had been lying down, I don't know, but something awoke me. I knew, from -the sound of the engine, we were going fast ahead, but I heard the bell -ring, "stop her," and then immediately full speed astern. Knowing that -something was wrong, I rushed on deck; it was very thick and I heard -some one say, "O my God, we are lost!" and just then on the starboard -side of the ship, I saw a great berg towering above us. We just missed -it! All was well! We steamed dead slow for awhile and I realized that -those who "went down to the sea in ships" could have a great deal of -excitement in two days. About an hour after this a steam whistle blew -right ahead. The fog instantly lifted a little and there was the Arctic -shooting across our bows. We both stopped, and the Captain went over to -her. When the Captain came on board again the fog was gone and we were -off Conical Rock. The ice was loose here and the two ships kept together -until we passed Cape Dudley Diggs. Here we drifted farther apart, but -were within sight of each other all the way to Wolstenholm Island. - -During the night we arrived at the island, but found that the _Rear_ had -been there ahead of us, so we directed our course towards Carey Islands, -the ice being loose, but the weather pretty thick. - -June 21st. Saturday. Heavy fog and plenty of ice, so our speed was slow. -Sometimes it cleared a little and we could see for several miles ahead. -There were numbers of birds about, principally guillemot and eider -duck. They probably had headquarters at Wolstenholm, and Carey Islands. -Natives repaired to Wolstenholm at this season of the year and collected -eggs; but Carey Islands were in the middle of the Sound and, I fancy, -left pretty well undisturbed. During the afternoon it became very thick, -and for a time we stopped steaming, as we could not make out the leads -and there was some heavy ice about. Late in the evening it cleared a -little and we ran in to Carey Island. The _Arctic_ was ahead of us, and -the _Wolf_ in the distance. I wrote some letters in the evening as I -thought there might be a chance of sending them on board the _Bear_. -Our Captain had decided to go from this place to the whaling ground, and -leave the Greely part of it to the expedition ships, as the owners would -not thank him for risking the vessel in higher latitudes and possibly -missing his chance for whales in Lancaster Sound. The _Arctic_ had a -boat on shore, but saw nothing of explorers or records. The _Bear_ left -the islands after midnight, but was not near us, so I had no chance of -sending my letters. This was the last we saw of the relief ships. -They picked Greely up within twenty-four hours at Cape Sabine. We knew -nothing of it until later, when we heard the news from some of the -slower ships, which met the expedition returning with the rescued, -and their story was as follows: June 22nd. After the _Bear_ left Carey -Islands, she joined the _Thetis_ and they proceeded to Cape Sabine, -where they arrived during the evening. From records found on Brevoort -Island near Cape Sabine, they knew where the explorer was, and he was -picked up by Lieutenant Colwell of the _Bear_ almost at the place where -he, Colwell, landed after the loss of the _Proteus_. Of the twenty-five -who left with Greely a few years before, but seven were now alive, and -the story they told of starvation and death was in tune with others we -have all read of Arctic exploration and was doubly impressive when told -to us, situated as we were in the dreary regions where the tragedy -had been enacted. Greely had done his work well. His two years at Fort -Conger had been well spent. Lockwood had attained latitude 83 deg. 24' in -1882, beating all previous records. Most valuable magnetic observations -had been made and the interior of Grinnell Land had been explored. The -orders to abandon Fort Conger were carried out in 1883 and then their -troubles began. Relief had not come, depots of provisions had not been -established, and in a very dejected state they had arrived at Cape -Sabine, where they established their final camp, the history of which -supplies Arctic literature with its blackest chapter. - -[Illustration: 0242] - -On June 22nd Schley arrived at Cape Sabine. No Arctic expedition had -ever done so well by this date, its first year. A week or two later -there would probably not have been one survivor. This relief expedition -had been perfectly successful in its gallant dash and had arrived not a -minute too soon. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII--CAREY ISLANDS TO LANCASTER SOUND - - - "Here winter holds his unrejoicing court; - - And through his airy hall the loud misrule - - Of driving tempest is forever heard. - - Here the grim tyrant meditates his wrath, - - Here arms his winds and all-subduing frost. - - Moulds his fierce hail and treasures up his snows - - With which he now oppresses half the globe." - - -_June 22nd. Sunday_. It was blowing very hard from the south, and there -was much ice, so we had a difficult time picking our way. The weather -was also bitterly cold. Again birds were very numerous. We were making -our way to Princess Charlotte's Monument on the west side, and it was -slow work. The _Arctic_ was ahead of us and not moving on any faster. -We felt the loss of the relief ships. They were always a cause of some -excitement, and there was a chance of finding Greely so long as we kept -going north. Now that that interest was removed, I consoled myself with -the knowledge that we were nearing the magnetic pole, and would soon be -steaming up Lancaster Sound, the highway to the northwest along which so -many brave men had gone never to return. During the afternoon it became -more squally, and when I turned in we were making little headway, but -the wind was going down. - -_June 23rd. Monday_. We were steaming in tolerably open water when I -came on deck. The _Arctic_ was ahead. Birds were numerous--some geese -with hundreds of eider and guillemot. After breakfast we saw land ahead, -that is, to the west, and during the afternoon were within a mile or so -of it,--Princess Charlotte's Monument. There was much loose ice to the -south and a straight floe edge to the north of us, and to this we hooked -on two hundred yards to the east of the _Arctic_. We did not care to -go closer to the rocks lest the ice should come in on us. I saw Dr. -Crawford take the _Arctic's_ launch and go ashore to look for eggs. -Returning a couple of hours after, steam went down and the _Arctic_ was -obliged to unhook and go after them. It appeared that the boiler was too -exposed and the cold so intense that they simply could not keep steam -up. The launch had been keeping under the lee of the floe as much as -possible, and when steam went down she began to drift away from this -into rough water. For a few minutes things looked bad for her, as she -was a wretched sea boat with her heavy boiler and engine. During the -night we unhooked and worked our way towards the south. - -_June 24th. Tuesday._ Day fine, but blowing from the south. A lot of ice -on the coast, and to the south and east all was white. We were now where -whales might be seen and preparations were made. Foregoers and lines -were tested, harpoons examined, guns cleaned and fired to make sure -they would work, lines coiled away in boats, and every one was on the -lookout. We never heard of Disco or Cape York now. All was Lancaster -Sound and Pond's Bay, with weird tales of cold days spent rock-nosing -off Cape Kater and in Cumberland Gulf. All these preparations did not -hurry matters in the least. The king of this country decided that we -should remain for a day or two where we were, and so in the evening we -were hooked on almost where the morning found us. - -June 25th. Wednesday. About noon the wind died down and the currents, -setting south, took the ice off the coast so that we were able to crawl -along a little; but a few hours later we made fast to the land floe off -Cape Horsburgh, as the pack was drifting in again. We saw many walrus -here, but did not like to spend time at them, as we wanted to be the -first ship up the Sound. At tea time we moved along a little further -and by bedtime we tied up again. Some of our tanks were pumped out and -cleaned, ready for the anticipated oil. There were a number of seals in -sight, but they were left alone, as the time was precious. - -June 26th. Thursday. As the ship was hard and fast I took a rifle and -went after some seals which were to be seen a mile away. Before going -very far I found myself climbing over hummocks of old ice which had -drifted down Jones Sound, and it was very difficult walking. On one side -of a hummock the snow would be perfectly smooth and frozen hard, while -on the other side it would be so soft that one at once went through the -surface and had to clamber along in several feet of it. - -Again, one would come to a perfectly rotten and honeycombed piece of ice -underneath which there was a foot or two of water, and below the water -could be seen the solid old floe; this made walking so difficult that I -returned to the ship without getting a shot. - -[Illustration: 0248] - -_June 27th and 28th_ were uneventful. We moved little, and Cape -Horsburgh was in sight all the time, but on: - -_June 29th, Sunday,_ we had a good lead along the shore floe and were -steaming fast through it when I came on deck. A number of bears were -seen about noon, but the wind was from the south and the ice was coming -in, so we hurried along. As there were a number of them, they were -probably attracted by some dead beast. - -Barron tells of seeing once about one hundred bears around a dead whale. -He also tells of men being devoured by these creatures. - -In the days of muzzle-loaders there was more risk than there is now, -because if one came suddenly upon a bear with cubs and missed his shot, -there might not be time to load again. - -Late in the evening we were off: Cape Warrender and were steaming -amongst loose ice at bedtime. Several narwhals were seen during the -afternoon, but we paid no attention to them. - -_June 30th. Monday._ Steaming up the Sound towards a solid floe at -breakfast time with many white whales in sight. We steered south along -the ice edge, and seeing an Eskimo standing on it, we sailed up to -him. He was a very uncouth looking individual after the smartly dressed -gentlemen on the Greenland side. His clothes did not fit and he was -otherwise careless about his appearance. He had in his hand a narwhal's -tusk, and as we came close we heard him singing "Bonny Laddie--Highland -Laddie." This he had probably learned from his parents, they having -learned it from the whalers in sailing-ship days. In old times it was -customary to lower the boats and tow the ship through the leads to -the above tune. I was told this, so it may be true. The native came on -board. He was much more like an American Indian than a Greenland Eskimo. -Before he had been many minutes on board he was taken aft and relieved -of his tusk by the second mate, getting in return some trifle: the -gentleman belonged to Navy Board Inlet, on the south side, and not far -away. - -The Captain had had a lot of paddles made for some of the boats. It was -possible to approach whales with very little noise when the paddles were -used, so we tried them frequently for narwhal hunting. As there were -numbers of these creatures in sight, we had a couple of boats out after -them. A sharp lookout was kept from the crow's nest for whales coming up -the Sound. We hooked on to the ice about two miles from the south shore, -and put a boat out on either side of the ship and about a hundred yards -away. These boats were hooked on by laying the long steering oar on the -ice. Our narwhal hunters had no luck, so they came on board. - -_July 1st. Tuesday_. We were fast to the ice with a boat on each side -all day. The Captain had a long interview with the native on the subject -of whales. He seemed to understand maps well, and was able to point out -where he had seen fish; from what I could make out, a good number had -been in the Sound. I spent the afternoon in a boat with the Captain -trying to get a narwhal. We saw dozens and came pretty close to several -lots, but did not get one good shot, although we fired several times. - -The harpoons we used for this work were much smaller than the regular -whaling harpoon and were made of the same tough Swedish iron. - -Before turning in I spent an hour on deck and heard narwhals and white -whales breathing about us all the time. Everything looked propitious. - -_July 2nd. Wednesday._ I had a dream during the night that we had -succeeded in killing a narwhal and that our youngest harpooner, Gyles, -had killed it. Dreams were often recounted at the breakfast table, so -I told this, and, as luck would have it, before dinner Gyles killed our -first narwhal. My night visions were subsequently treated with -great respect, except by the steward, who felt, no doubt, that I was -infringing a little on his rights. A coldness sprang up between us such -as only professional jealousy can create, and which evinced itself the -following day when he did not ask me to help him to pick the raisins for -the duff--Thursday being duff day. The forenoon success gave quite -an impetus to the narwhal fishing, but no more were captured, as the -elusive beasts always went down just as we were almost within shot. - -The narwhal (Monodon Monoceros) is to me the most beautiful of the whale -species. The one captured by us was twelve feet long without the tusk. -This measured four feet in length and about four inches around the base. -It ended in a rather sharp point and had a spiral groove running from -right to left. The horn, or rather tooth, protrudes from the upper jaw -of the male, generally on the left side. It only protrudes from the -female head as a freak. On the right side a small undeveloped horn is -found embedded in the skull of the male, but two undeveloped teeth are -found in the female. The narwhal is the only vertebrate animal in which -bilateral symmetry is not the rule. The body is whitish, marbled with -blackish brown, and about four of them yield a ton of oil. With an axe I -easily split the cancellous skull and removed the embedded tusk. We saw -hundreds of white whales this day (Delphinapterus leucas). These are -cousins of the narwhals, but generally a little larger. The _Aurora_ had -great luck the previous year up Prince Regent's Inlet in getting a -good catch of them. This was managed by driving them ashore. They were -skinned and the skin made into leather. Each side counted as one skin. - -They go in schools like porpoises, but generally only three or four -abreast, therefore, it takes a large school a considerable time to go -past. They are peculiar in having no dorsal fin, and their yellowish -white colour makes them rather conspicuous. - -_July 3rd. Thursday._ 'Before breakfast a bear was seen in the water -and shot by McLean from a boat. Bears are always lucky and we knew that -something better would soon come. While at breakfast a female narwhal -was killed. It must have been fourteen feet long. I removed the two -little embedded horns. Narwhals were very difficult to capture with the -appliances in use at this time, the harpoon gun being only effective -at ten or fifteen yards. As the beast generally went down when one was -about twenty yards away, a long shot had to be taken with a very clumsy -gun. Very little of the narwhal showed above water, just the top of its -head and back. Of course there was a good sized animal immediately under -the water, so that a harpoon might miss the back and still lodge in the -whale. It was very cold and we had several snow showers. The bear was -skinned and the skin salted and put in a barrel, no attempt being made -to dry or otherwise cure any of the bear skins taken during the voyage. -They were kept green. - -_July 4th. Friday_. During the night there was a fall of snow and a -breeze from the east had driven some loose ice up the Sound, and pieces -were constantly breaking off the floe. These drifted down the Sound with -the current; but when there was wind from the east much of this broken -ice would drift up and surround us. We were dodging about under canvas -in the morning, and the wind, which was bitterly cold, was going down. -During the forenoon we sailed up to the floe edge and hooked on about -eight miles from the south side, putting two boats on the bran, that is, -one on each side of the ship. The loose ice had drifted away, and as -the afternoon was very fine the Captain decided to try the unies, as the -narwhals were called, and I went with him. One does not generally see -very many unies together, but they were in fours and fives all over the -place this afternoon and very shy. Just as the boat would get within -twenty-five yards or so, off they would go. The Captain made a long shot -at one and got fast. For a few minutes the line ran out rapidly, but -the shot had been a long one and the harpoon drew, so we came on board -disappointed. - -Paddles were used instead of oars, as they made less noise. On the -fishing ground we avoided noise as much as possible and for this reason -the ship seldom steamed, but kept her fires banked and moved about under -canvas. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV--OUR FIRST WHALE - - - "Hoist out the boat at once and slacken sail." - - -_July 5th. Saturday_. A beautiful day. After breakfast I was in a bran -boat on the starboard side of the ship and one hundred and fifty yards -away, when I heard a commotion on board, and in less time than it takes -to tell, all our boats, except the upper quarter ones, were in the water -and hurrying off: towards us. Our steering oar was holding the boat to -the ice, so it did not take long to get away, and we pulled hard for -several minutes before the boat-steerer whispered: "Avast pulling." At -this time the boats were scattered along the ice edge a hundred yards -apart. A whale had been seen coming up the Sound. We knew that it would -continue up under the ice, and failing to find a hole through which it -could breathe, it would turn and come to the surface near the edge of -the ice and close to some of the boats, and that unless we had very bad -luck, it was doomed. In a few minutes we saw it a quarter of a mile down -the Sound; it looked like two black islands, one the head and the other -the back. It lay there for several minutes and we could distinctly hear -it breathe. We saw the spout, then it sank slowly and disappeared. -The excitement was now' intense. The next time it would be beside -a boat--which boat? Would it come up under us or beside us? Perfect -silence was observed and the suspense of waiting for the first whale, I -shall never forget. Probably ten minutes passed, when up came the fish -almost beside the boat in which George Matheson was har-pooner. As he -was already standing by his gun, no order was given, and one sweep of -the boat-steerer's oar gave him his shot. The gun went off, the foregoer -sprang into the air and every man shouted: "A fall! a fall!" The -whale hesitated a few seconds before going down, and Matheson put in a -hand-harpoon also. He was not ten feet from the whale when he fired, -and almost touching when he put in the hand-harpoon. The fast boat now -hoisted its jack and the fish went down and started towards the south -side of the Sound, past the ship's stern. We pulled in this direction -for all we were worth, the boat nearest the fast boat standing by it so -as to supply more lines if necessary. When we had pulled hard for ten -minutes, we slowed down, the boats keeping some distance apart, and -shortly after, fifty yards from us, the whale came up. Immediately a -second boat, the mate's, got fast, the huge creature going down at once, -and away we went again. When our quarry next appeared, about fifteen or -twenty minutes later, the nearest boat immediately began lancing, and -presently we were at it. Unfortunately we all had our backs to the scene -of action, except the boat-steerer and harpooner. The heavy blast, every -time it breathed, sounded uncomfortably close. In a few minutes the -boat-steerer called, "Back, all!" and we immediately backed water, the -whale hitting the water once or twice with his tail and going down; -again we were off, but not so far this time. When he next appeared he -rolled about a good deal and we were afraid to go close, so the second -mate fired a Welsh's rocket under one of his flukes and then we all -backed off. The rocket was fired from a harpoon gun. It had a charge of -powder in its trocar-shaped head, and a fuse running down the shaft. -When this exploded the whale plunged fearfully and lashed the water with -his huge horizontal tail. After this he was quiet and the water shot -from his blow-hole was blood-stained. We now closed in again, and lances -were plunged into his neck and churned up and down. Breathing became -labored, and after a final flurry, his spirit passed and his blubber and -bone were ours. What a cheer we gave! What a feeling of exultation! How -near I felt to happy, unconventional, primitive man at that moment! As -the whale was lying on its back with the flukes hanging out, a round -hole was cut in each of these, through which a piece of rope was run and -the flukes reverently folded across his breast; with a knife all lines -attached to harpoons were cut free so that the fast boats might haul -them in. The tail was fastened to the bow of a boat, and, getting in -line, we all proceeded to tow the fish back to the ship, which, by the -way, made no effort to help us, as the weather was fine and there was -nothing in sight. Arriving alongside, the tail was fastened forward and -the head aft along the port side. We went on board, and after dinner, as -I sat smoking with the Captain on the cabin skylight, I could not help -feeling that the life of a whaler was the only one for me. - -[Illustration: 0260] - -At 1.30 P. M., all hands were called to flense the whale alongside. By -means of tackle made fast to the lower jaw, called the nose tackle, the -mouth could be opened and the tongue and the bone removed. The right -whale (Balaena Mysticetus), of which this was a specimen, supplies -practically all the whalebone. It grows from the sides of the upper jaw, -three hundred blades hanging down on each side. They are ten and twelve -inches wide where inserted into the gum, and narrow as they descend. The -inner edge is frayed and the outer unbroken. These frayed inner edges -form a sort of sieve through which the water passes when the whale shuts -its mouth, but through which the whale food cannot pass. - -The bone from each side is brought on board generally in one piece, -sufficient gum being taken with it to hold the lamellae together. This -is divided with a wedge into smaller pieces of about a dozen lamellae -each, and subsequently each lamella is slit off with the wedge and freed -from gum and oil. The longest blades are those in the centre on each -side and they vary in length according to the size of the animal--twelve -feet being large. The size of a whale is estimated by the length of the -longest blade, "a twelve-foot fish" being one in which this measures -twelve feet. The bone is about a quarter of an inch thick and tears -easily into long pieces. It is an albuminous substance, containing -calcium phosphate, and can be moulded when heated by steam, retaining -its shape if cooled under pressure. - -[Illustration: 0264] - -The busy part of a whaler during flensing is the deck between the main -mast and foremast. Between these masts is the blubber guy, a stout -wire rope to which blocks are strapped, and through these are rove -the tackles which haul the long strips of blubber on board as they are -pulled off the whale. - -The specksioneer and all the harpooners except the mate get on to the -whale or into the mollie boats in attendance; they have spikes on their -boots to keep them from slipping; and they remove the blubber and bone -with their knives and spades. The mate of a ship is a busy man, but the -mate of our whaler flensing was, I think, the busiest person I ever saw. -Acting under the captain's directions and from his own initiative, he -was everywhere, giving orders and seeing them carried out. - -In removing the blubber the first thing done is to start cutting a -ribbon of it around the neck, called the kant. This piece, probably two -feet wide, when pulled upon, turns the carcass, and from it, running -towards the tail, the long strips are cut and hauled on board. First -the piece around the neck is well started. Then with spades a strip is -started. As this is hauled on by the capstan the men with spades cut -along each side and it is simply peeled off. When the piece raised up is -several hundred pounds, it is cut off, hoisted on board, and the tackle -refastened. When the exposed part has been flensed, the neck piece or -kant is again pulled on by the windlass, which turns the whale over -a little, and so on. When all the blubber has been removed, the head -tackle is cut out and the carcass, or kreng as it is called, sinks -as soon as the tail is cut off. The tail is taken on board and used -afterwards for chopping blubber on. The blubber as it comes on board -is cut into smaller pieces by the boat-steerers and thrown into the -'tween-decks by the line managers, from which it is taken a day or two -later, cut small and put into tanks. Flensing a fish is a very cheerful -occupation and the ship is certainly oily, but there is no unpleasant -smell. As soon as a whale is killed, the fulmar petrels (P. Glacialis) -come in swarms, and they gorge themselves with fat until they cannot sit -up; then they become dreadfully ill and begin all over again. There was -always a current where we flensed and this current would carry away a -stream of overgorged birds, too full to do anything but drift. I sat in -a boat one day and amused myself catching the birds as they paddled past -until I had numbers in the boat. I found it better, however, to leave -them in the water, or to let them stagger about among the men's feet at -work. This was a ten-foot fish and would probably yield thirteen tons of -oil. The following is a copy of the scale used long ago by whalers:-- - -[Illustration: 0271] - -Of course there are exceptions to this old rule. - -The afternoon clouded up while we were so busy, and by the time we had -finished, it was blowing. When I turned in there was some snow and it -was much colder. - -[Illustration: 0269] - -_July 6th. Sunday._ I found the ship with the main yard aback, dodging -about in a rather choppy sea. The sky was cloudy and it looked like -winter. Three ships were in sight down the Sound, all under canvas. We -were quite close to the south side, as the captain believed that -fish would come up that way, and it proved that he was correct. After -breakfast a whale was seen blowing among some loose ice to the north of -us. Six boats put off in pursuit, while the ship followed. Two of the -boats kept straight to the ice while the other four, including Jack -McLean's, in which I was, kept around it. The sea was quite choppy and -the air cold, but we warmed up with the rowing. - -The boats going straight to the ice were able to pass through and -entered open water beyond before we got around to it. The fish came up -and gave the second mate a long shot just as she was going down; but a -harpoon easily enters a whale's bent back so he got fast and "A fall! a -fall!" was joyfully shouted by us all. As we passed the fast boat we -saw her jack flying proudly and her bow enveloped in smoke as McKechnie -tightened the line around the bollard head. Gyles was standing by, so -with the other boats we pulled in the direction the fish had gone, and -as we were getting close to more loose ice, those of us who were rowing -and consequently looking astern saw the fast boat--which had been well -down by the bow--right herself and we knew that the iron had drawn. We -pulled away however in the hope of again getting fast, but this whale -was only seen once more, a long way off, and after a hard row through -loose ice we gave up. The ship had followed and she now picked us up. -As the wind had gone down we sailed back towards the south side and made -fast to the solid floe, getting our bran boats out before tea time. We -picked up the fast boat on the way, she having her lines on board. The -weather looked very settled at bedtime and the unusual exertion of the -past two days made me sleep well. - -[Illustration: 0273] - -_July 7th. Monday_. Summer had returned by morning and the making off -had already begun when I came on deck. We were lying almost opposite the -mouth of Admiralty Inlet and fast to a nice straight floe edge with not -a bit of loose ice any place. There was more life on deck at the "making -off" than there was at the flensing and every one was busy. The blubber -had been cut into pieces two or three feet square and put down the main -hatch. These big cubes of a faint orange color were taken on deck with -the winch, and any pieces of adherent flesh being removed they were -cut into blocks of a few pounds each. Along each side of the deck stood -uprights; on the top of each was a plate with spikes called a clash, -and beside each stood a harpooner with a long sharp knife. A block of -blubber was lifted by a man with clash hooks and stuck on the clash -spikes, with the skin up. The harpooner cut the skin off and the piece -was then thrown into a heap in front of the speck trough. The speck -trough, which was about two and a half feet square, was placed across -the deck over the hatch; forward of this stood the boat-steerers and in -front of each was a block of whale's tail resting on the opened back lid -of the trough. Each man had a chopper, and as the pieces of blubber from -the heap were thrown to them, they chopped them into little bits and -swept them into the speck trough, from which they were conducted to the -tanks through a canvas tube attached to an opening underneath. A man in -the 'tween-decks directed this tube to the tank he desired to fill. The -bone was stowed down the quarter hatch. It was always important to keep -the ship clean and get the blubber away, as there was no regularity -about the appearance of fish. A number might come at once, and several -being killed, the crew could be blocked with work, while again there -might not be another seen for a month. - -When the making off was over, the decks were scrubbed down. - -_July 8th. Tuesday._ The _Arctic, Esquimaux and Narwhal_ were all in -sight to the north of us. During the forenoon we lowered away for a -fish, six boats going after it. We saw the spout near the ice edge and -were ready for its return, but it came not, probably finding a breathing -place somewhere and after resting coming out north of us. We waited a -long time and had a tiresome row back. The native picked up by us when -we first came had been landed near the south shore, where he had his -dogs. Now we saw three coming along the floe and we picked them up, -sledges, dogs and all. They belonged to Navy Board Inlet. Hardly were -they on board when all hands were called and the boats were away, as -spouting had been seen astern. I was in one of the four boats between -the ship and the south coast, and we must have sat there half an -hour before anything occurred; in fact, we thought the fish had gone -elsewhere. The men were all pretty restless, when suddenly the water -broke two boats from me and the report of a gun was followed by the -cry--"A fall." I saw the whale throw its tail straight up as it went -slowly down; then it started north and we pulled past the ship in that -direction and scattered out to wait its reappearance. In the usual -length of time the fish appeared in our midst and another iron was put -in. Away we went again in the best of spirits. Of course, the fast boat -in each case remained and moved only as towed by the whale. I was in -Watson's boat, and at the whale's next appearance we were almost on -the top of it and he immediately lanced, but the game stood very little -tickling of that sort and was soon off. Again it came up beside us, and -this time very breathless as it had such a short breathing spell before. -Three boats were at once busy with lances, and in a very short time -we registered a kill. When the lines were cut, and the flukes and tail -attended to, we returned to the ship, pulling to the shanty, "A-roving, -a-roving, since roving has been my ruin," and having the whale in tow, -we were very much elated by our afternoon's work, but there was a great -surprise in store for us. Arriving on board, the whale was made fast and -I went down to have some coffee. When I came up I found that the crew -of the first fast boat, having taken their line to the ice to facilitate -pulling it in, had utterly failed to get it beyond a certain point. -Thinking it had fouled something at the bottom, they were ordered to -come on board and take their line in with the steam winch. This was -done, and when after great pulling the very tight line was almost in, -behold, there was a dead whale at the end of it. One must be on board -a whaler to appreciate a pleasant surprise like this. It is not so much -the extra money, as the satisfaction of success. What had happened was -this. - -The first harpoon fortunately struck deep in the shoulder of whale No. -1, which immediately sounded in shallow water and broke its neck. No. 2 -was not a fast fish at all when we first saw it. Now, we had a fish on -each side, and as soon as the crew had refreshed themselves with supper, -the work of flensing started with a will. When things were well under -way I turned in, very tired, and when I tumbled out four hours after, -one fish was on board. The men were now ordered to turn in for four -hours, except, of course, the lookout and a few nondescript people like -myself and the engineer. I learned another thing about the ways of the -Arctic this morning; directly the crew had turned in, the clock in the -companion was put forward an hour, and when two hours had passed it went -on another hour, then all hands were called and our second whale taken -on board. This fish was flensed in about three hours, the crew turning -in, except a boat's crew on the bran and the lookout. The _Esquimaux_ -came steaming towards us during the night, which annoyed us greatly, as -the fish were coming up the south side and we thought our berth rather -good. She steamed past and hooked on five or six hundred yards south of -us. The Aurora immediately unhooked and passed her, while she repeated -the performance mid a storm of abuse from both barrels. Our Captain was -afraid to go closer to the shore, so we remained where we were. When -we hooked on first, the natives had left us, going north to the other -ships. We now saw a number of well loaded sledges coming up the south -coast. It was evident that they would board the _Esquimaux_ first, so -we would lose the chance of bartering with them. Consequently, we sent a -boat off to pick them up and bring them on board. Our opponents saw what -we were doing, so sent a boat also. As it had a shorter distance to go -than ours, it picked up the whole caravan and brought it back. Our boat -noticing a sledge far away with two people in it, waited for them and -brought them to the Aurora. It happened that these two old natives -owned all the barter on the other sledges, and as we kept them on -board, everything had to be turned over to the Aurora by the other ship, -greatly to their disgust. The Captain obtained from them quite a lot of -narwhals' tusks and bear skins. The incident amused us very much. - -_July 9th. Wednesday._ Two boats on the bran and the balance of the crew -washing down the ship. I had my first ride on an Eskimo sled. Giving -a native a plug of tobacco, he removed from his sled all the movable -things and I got on. Then addressing a few remarks to his dogs, off they -started. As the ice was smooth I enjoyed it at first, but we came to a -hummocky place where it was not so pleasant. I did my best to stop the -dogs, but they followed their leader, and finally I tumbled off and -returned to the ship, the dogs going on probably home. The runners of -the sledge were made of whales' jaws with bone cross pieces lashed to -them. When I went on board I found a boat just starting for a bear to -the north of us. I don't think I ever saw one any distance from the -water; this was along the floe edge and several miles away. Between us -there was a peninsula of ice on which there were some hummocks. I landed -here to try a stalk and the boat rowed around. For a time I did very -well, the bear wandering aimlessly and slowly about, but before I got -within three hundred yards of him, he had seen me and was off to the -water. I fired several times, but without effect. He plunged in and -started to swim across from the peninsula to the main floe. The boat had -by this time doubled the cape and bruin had a bullet in his head before -he had gone very far. We hauled him on to the ice and skinned him. The -men cut some steaks for themselves, but I never had the pleasure of -trying polar bear, as the Captain did not care for carnivorous animals -as a food. - -A great many white whales were now around. I wished we could have driven -a school of them up a fiord the way they drive the potheads up the -Shetland voes. When we returned we found that a narwhal had been killed, -but we did not like to disturb the right whales by hunting these very -much. - -As the ship was generally hooked on to the floe which extended across -the Sound, her bow was pointed up and her stern down, consequently -astern nearly always meant down the Sound, as the current setting in -that direction held the ship in that position. - - - - -CHAPTER XV--FLOE EDGE FISHING - - - "Look through the sleet and look through frost, - - Look to the Greenlands' caves and coast. - - By the iceberg is a sail - - Chasing of the swarthy whale; - - Mother doubtful, mother dread, - - Tell us, has the good ship sped?" - - -_July 10th. Thursday._ We moved from our neighbor, the _Esquimaux_, and -dodged north under canvas, hooking on five or six miles away. The Sound -was frozen completely across this year, and during our stay, the ice -never opened. Probably we could have forced our way in had we been bent -on exploration, but the ice floe edge fishing was very desirable and -suited us exactly. - -All hands were employed making off when I came up and we had a busy day -getting two whales into our tanks. Although they were not very large, it -took many hours and every one was tired when it was over. - -The Sound being frozen over was a great disappointment to me as it -prevented our going up Barrow Strait, or visiting Beechy Island, where -Sir John Franklin spent his last winter. There I was, within a few miles -of the place consecrated to the memory of those heroes and doomed to -return home without seeing it. Up this waterway, Sir James Ross and -McClure had passed to make their great discoveries of the magnetic polar -area and the northwest passage. There had been, at one time or another, -nearly all the Arctic explorers, of whom I had ever heard. - -As the clock in the companion had been moved about so much lately, and -as there was not a watch, on the ship, going, our ideas of time were -vague in the extreme. - -_July 11th. Friday._ The weather was fine, and during the afternoon, -positively warm. The boats spent the day on the bran, but there were no -whales in sight. An interesting phenomenon was, however, in evidence, -namely, refraction. Byam Martin's Mountains looked wild and precipitous, -and the coast line appeared as a continuous high cliff, quite unlike the -land we had been beside for the past week. What I found most interesting -was to watch the _Narwhal_, which was lying not far off. At one moment -her hull stretched up, making her look like an old line of battle ship, -while her masts shrank down, then the hull would close down like a -concertina and the masts would stretch up to the sky. Pieces of ice and -little hummocks became great white chimneys and big icy mountains. I saw -a row of white masses far above the ice. They looked like puffs of smoke -from a battery, the guns being pointed up. Presently a white lump would -appear on the ice underneath each puff and in a minute they would become -connected and look like a row of top-heavy white pillars. The middle -part would then become attenuated until it resembled a white thread -and then the tops of the pillars would settle down and disappear. The -changes were kaleidoscopic and one could watch them by the hour. When -the sun was warm, we often had this phenomenon, owing to the different -densities of the various atmospheric strata. - -_July 12th. Saturday._ Hearing "All hands" during the night, I tumbled -out of bed, picked up my bundle of clothes, ran on deck and got into a -lower quarter boat that was being lowered. Probably within sixty seconds -after being asleep I was pulling for dear life towards some loose ice -north of us, beyond which a whale had been seen. When we reached the -ice, we rested and put on some clothes. The fish was just as likely -to come up where we were as at any other place, so we did not want to -frighten him by disturbing the ice. After a wait of ten minutes, we saw -and heard the blast of a fish to the northeast. It had turned and was -going out again. We pulled through the ice with difficulty; it cannot be -pushed about by a whale boat, but we kept on in the direction in which -the whale was last seen. However it did not come up again where we could -see it, and so we returned to the ship. It was very cold coming back and -had begun to blow. - -The sky was much overcast during the afternoon, and as it was blowing -hard, the boats were taken in before bedtime. - -_July 13th. Sunday._ There was a regular little gale this day, so we -kept in open water, with the main yard aback and the fires banked. We -received news of the Greely party from the _Arctic_ as she had spoken -some of the slower ships and heard it from them. - -During the afternoon quite a choppy sea was on and ice was coming in as -the wind was blowing up the Sound. We dodged out through this ice and -then sailed north, sighting nearly all the other ships of the fleet. -Sundays were stormy days in this place, and to sit on a ship all day, -listening to her strain, and to the wind howling through the shrouds, -was not pleasant, especially when we were only killing time and -accomplishing nothing. When I turned in, we were still under canvas. - -_July 14th, Monday_, was a gloomy day. We were hooked to the ice, with -a boat out on each side. The crew were busy filling the bunkers and -then cleaning up, also overhauling some fishing gear. The blacksmith was -employed straightening out harpoons. The iron of which they are made is -soft and tough. It bends and twists every way but does not break. - -I amused myself polishing little tusks which I had taken out of the -female narwhals' heads. We were very restless, knowing that the _Arctic_ -had more whales than we had. We heard from her that all the ships had -fish a few days before. - -_Tuesday._ Two narwhals were killed, male and female. I was in a boat -with the Captain, but we did not get any. We used paddles instead of -oars, as we could approach more quietly with them. - -_July 16th. Wednesday_. We were still hanging on to the ice with a boat -on the bran on each side. Again we pursued narwhals and secured another -fine male with a four-foot horn. There were such crowds of these -beautiful creatures that I wished the Captain would turn all hands after -them, but he was afraid of disturbing any whales which might be around -so we did not pursue them vigorously. Some white whales passed us, but -we were not far enough up the Sound for white whaling. - -Narwhals are playful creatures and very noisy. The first thing any whale -does on coming up is to blow most of the air out of its lungs, and this -in a very noisy manner. For its size, the narwhal makes more noise -than the others. Before going down, they generally take a deep, noisy -inspiration. Nearly all the time we were in Lancaster Sound, if calm, we -could hear whales of some kind puffing and blowing around. I often saw -narwhals raise their tusks out of the water, and when black whales were -taking a final header, on starting for a long dive, they generally threw -the tail up in the air in a graceful manner. We did not like to see one -going tail up, as it meant that probably we had seen the last of that -particular fish. - -_July 17th, Thursday,_ was a fine day with mirage in the morning; the -effects were wonderful. A small piece of ice, miles away, would look -like a berg. About noon we made out that the _Polynia_ had a fish and -this was more than we could bear. We decided that there was a Jonah on -board and circumstances pointed strongly to one of the crew. A suit -of his clothes was procured, with his cap, half a pound of powder was -packed into it with a fuse attached and it was run up to the main yard -arm. The Captain went below and turned in, but rifles and ammunition -were supplied and we had a lively practice at the effigy for a time; -then the fuse was touched off and bang went Jonah. This performance -cleared the atmosphere forward completely, every one believing that the -spell was broken and that we would now find fish. In the cabin, Jack, -the steward, greased the horseshoe and that made the after guard feel -better, and to crown it all, a bear was killed during the evening, in -the water near the ship. Personally, I felt greatly encouraged by these -ceremonies, and went to bed feeling that at any moment "A fall! a fall!" -might be heard. - -If some misfortune happens to a whaler--such as having his harpoon gun -passed to him through the rigging, instead of around it, or if his boat -should start away from the ship stern first and not be brought back, -hooked on, hauled up and lowered again--then he would go after a whale -certain that he would miss it, whereas, should he dream the night before -that he had got fast to a fish, then he would approach it with the -utmost confidence. - -_July 18th. Friday_. I had an undisturbed night and awoke to find it -blowing and the ship under sail. Going on deck, I found the topsails -aback and much loose ice about. After breakfast, all hands were away -after a whale seen among the loose ice. This was a hopeless kind of -rowing, so we scattered about, following different leads. We saw the -fish blowing in several different places, but could not get near it, so -came on board. During the afternoon, the wind went down and the loose -ice drifted out again, so we hooked on to the solid floe about three -miles from the south side and a boat was put on each side, as usual. -Numbers of narwhals around during the afternoon, induced a boat to -follow them, and a big female was secured with a calf. The undeveloped -tusks of the latter were hollow like cigarette holders. - -_July 19th. Saturday_. I had not been asleep long when I heard "All -hands!" and, rushing up, went off in my usual boat, the lower quarter -boat on the starboard side. I heard that a fish had been seen spouting -down the Sound. In a few minutes, we all saw it off the south shore, a -mile from the ship. We gave way with a will and soon had the boats in -open order along the floe, where we thought it had passed under. Our -patience was rewarded when it came up between the mate and Watson. Mr. -Adam, being the nearer, swept down on its quarter and, as it made a back -to sound, he gave it both gun and hand in the shoulder. This was a big -fish and a fine chase began. I had seen the mate strike and I knew -the irons would not draw. Straight down the Sound we went, the wounded -animal taking out much line. - -Sometimes a fish goes deep and does not travel very far, but this one -was a traveller. We pulled for about twenty minutes or more and then -halted, the whale coming up ahead of us and going down again at once. -The mate's boat had signalled for more lines by putting a piggin on a -boat-hook, and another boat had stood by and bent on. Before long, the -wounded one came up and another iron was put in; it was well puffed -after its run and stayed up long enough to get some lances stuck in. A -lance, cutting any large vessel in the neck or thorax, would cause it -to bleed to death very quickly, but none of these lances touched vital -parts, for the whale went down in a very lively way with four or five -sticking in it, and it must have stayed down fifteen minutes, travelling -fast all the time. When it reappeared, we were on to it at once, and -it soon began to blow blood and give other evidences of approaching -dissolution. Its plunges were dangerous and the reports caused by -striking the water with its tail, were very loud. We always backed well -off during one of these demonstrations, but were on to it at once when -they ceased. There was much more danger from the flukes than the tail, -as we were touching its sides with the boats. After one or two terrific -blasts of blood and water, and a great flurry, it turned up its toes, -and after the usual formalities, the long tow to the ship began. -Shanties were sung with vigor and we pulled with a will. As I had not -had anything to eat since ten P. M., the day before, and as we had been -working hard all night, I was ready for breakfast when we reached the -ship. The fast boats had come on board, taking their lines in with the -winch. After breakfast all hands were called and it took many hours to -flense this big fish, the bone of which was 10 1/2 feet. I examined the -flukes after the blubber had been removed from them; they were like huge -hands with nicely proportioned fingers. I entered in the log the death -of the fish, and a little picture of its tail. This is the custom. In -the log there was a paper model, which was held on the page with the -finger and traced around the edge with a pencil. Then it was shaded, -according to the ability of the artist, and the name of the harpooner -was written above. On each side was stated whether killed by gun or -hand, or both, and below was written the length of the bone. Should the -harpoon draw, and the whale be lost, half a tail was sketched. - -[Illustration: 0289] - -During the flensing, one of our firemen, Bob Graham, appeared at the -engine room door with six pieces of rope yarn tied together, and to the -free end of each he had fastened a piece of blubber, just big enough to -pass comfortably through the throat of a mollie (as fulmars are called), -either way. Graham was an ingenious fellow and remarkable for his -fertility of resource; he was always amusing himself by devising little -surprises to make life pleasant for others. He threw this affair into -the sea and the six pieces of fat were instantly swallowed by the same -number of mollies. All went well until it became evident that the birds -were not of the same opinion as to the direction of their next move. -This performance seemed to me cruel at first, but after watching it for -a little while, I decided that the exercise was good for the fulmars -and did not hurt them. Of course, there were little disappointments -connected with it, but then creatures, higher in the social scale, have -their disappointments also. It is just possible that the bird which -played the game out and eventually swallowed all six pieces and -the string, may have had regrets, but from what I have seen of this -particular species, I don't think it suffered much. - -When the flensing was over, every one was tired, and the men were -ordered to turn in, excepting the lookout, all having been busy during -the day. As whaling was a very irregular sort of life, it was the custom -to sleep while one could, and as I had done a lot of rowing during the -previous twenty-four hours, I sought my cabin. Our specksioneer, George -Lyon, was an old man, but he was absolutely indefatigable, and when -this order was given, he decided to go on the bran instead of to bed. -Accordingly, he raised a crew of volunteers, but being short one man, he -thought of me. There was one way of always bringing me on deck and -that was to go to the companionway and shout down the word "bear." This -George did and I at once appeared, rifle in hand. Seeing the boat being -lowered, I tumbled in, and in a minute we were away; I then asked where -the bear was and the specksioneer said that we might see one; so I -knew his trick. We went some distance south of the ship and, hacking the -boat up to the ice, laid the steering oar on it, which held us there, -then we talked and smoked. - -About midnight all was quiet, except for the heavy breathing of the -narwhals and white whales in the sea, and of those who slept in the -boat; it was easy enough to sleep, sitting at an oar. I was awake, the -boat-steerer was standing on the ice, and the man in the ship's barrel -was scanning the Sound for fish, when suddenly, without the slightest -warning, there was a great commotion in the water, at the side of our -boat, and up came a whale with a fearful blast. This first blast of a -whale, which has been holding its breath for a long time, sounds very -loud, when one is within ten feet of it. It reminds one of a train -coming suddenly out of a tunnel. The boat-steerer instantly pushed the -boat well off, getting in at the same time He then said "Give way," -which we did. The whale was moving very slowly, and one sweep of the -boat-steerer's oar brought us around to it, then I heard the orders, -"Stand by your gun!" and "Avast pulling!" I would have given anything -for one look; but the lives of all the crew depended upon each man doing -as he was told, so I sat perfectly still and leaned well away from the -line running up the middle of the boat. Presently there was a bang, and -the line began running out, while every one called "A fall." I was now -in a boat, fast to a fresh whale, which was an experience the average -amateur rarely had. As the harpooner took a turn of the line around the -bollard head in the bows, and paid the line out through his hands, the -bow of the boat was dragged very low and the stern tilted very high, but -the speed we travelled at was not so great as I had expected. The whale -came up between the boat and the ship, and we were being towed down the -Sound. All the boats were away from the ship in a minute. We called out -the number of lines out, and they had no difficulty in finding about -where the whale was, and being ready for it when it came up. A second -iron was put in when it appeared and off it went again. The water being -absolutely free from ice, the chase was an easy one, as a boat could -generally go faster than a whale. All I had to do was to sit quiet and -keep well away from the line. As there was no ice to endanger the boat, -the line was put several times around the bollard head and kept very -tight, so we were towed much faster than if it had been loose. After the -whale was killed and all the lines cut free, we were called on board to -have or lines hauled in, after which the ship unhooked and steamed off -to pick up her boats. The sky was very much overcast when we brought -the whale alongside, and the tired crew, after getting some food, had to -flense at once, as a change of weather might have been serious. - -The _Aurora_ now looked as a successful whaler should--a big whale in -the 'tween-decks and another alongside tons and tons of blubber lying -about everywhere, and the passage between the engine room and skylight, -and the bulwarks, piled with bone. - -Before the flensing was over, it had commenced to blow and it was quite -rough by the time we had finished. Then we unhooked and ran down the -Sound a little way, while the crew turned in for a watch. As our main -yard was aback, it required very few men to handle the ship. All night -we were dodging about. - -_July 21st. Monday_. For some time, the clock had not been watched. Had -it been, it would have conveyed little information, because, when it -suited, it was put backward or forward. When a man going to bed saw by -the clock that it was midnight, and when he arose and saw by the same -clock that it was six, he probably felt refreshed. In the end, of -course, it would tell on him if the full amount of rest registered had -not been obtained; but for a time it worked very well. It certainly took -a long time to make off our two whales, and it gave us a substantial -feeling to be able to say, "Five fish on board." When the decks were -cleared up, the crew were ordered below, excepting the lookout, but -shortly after, it came on to blow hard and the sky was much overcast. -Later, some rain fell, so we unhooked and lay off the ice edge with the -main yard aback. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI--WHALING IN LANCASTER SOUND - - - "White, quiet sails from the grim icy coasts, - - That bear the battles of the whaling hosts, - - Whose homeward crews, with feet and flutes in tune, - - And spirits roughly blithe, make music to the moon." - - -_July 22nd. Tuesday._ During the night the rain changed into snow and in -the morning it was blowing a gale. In fact, it was a wild, winter's day. -We were amongst loose ice, with our main yard aback and there was no -open water to be seen anywhere. During the day the snow ceased but the -wind kept up until late in the afternoon, when we found ourselves in a -triangular pool of water, the sides of the triangle being about half -a mile long and the base, three or four hundred yards. The ship was -anchored to one side and she lay parallel with the base and twenty or -thirty yards away from it. This hole appeared to have been formed by -large floes. It was quite free from ice and afforded us an ideal harbor. - -_July 23rd. Wednesday_. All hands turned out shortly after four in the -morning as a whale was seen at the apex of this triangle. One boat had -been left fast to the ship's stern. This went in pursuit and the others -lowered away, the one I was in being ordered to remain fast to a line -from the ship's stem. Long before the boats reached the whale, it -sounded and did not appear again, so they came on board, all but the one -I was in. Our bows were towards the ship's stern and the boat's side was -twenty yards from the ice edge. We had been there about an hour when, -with a great commotion, a tremendous whale came up between the ship and -the ice edge. Its head was alongside our boat before we realized what -had happened; and by the time we had slipped the line the leviathan had -passed us, as it was going fast. We could almost have touched him with -the oars, but by the time we turned the boat and were under way, down -went the fish to look for another breathing place elsewhere and we -returned to our berths. Had the bow of the boat been the other way, we -could have fastened the whale easily. - -At eight bells, we came on board for breakfast. Just as I entered the -cabin, I heard the rushing on deck and, going up, found two boats off -after a whale. It had simply come up to breathe and, having breathed, -it went down again and disappeared from our harbor. One boat remained at -the apex of the triangle and the other returned; and, on the way, a fish -came up a hundred yards in front of it. They pulled hard and took a long -shot as it humped its back going down. They got fast and the whale went -off! under the ice. From the barrel, a small water hole could be seen -half a mile away, and to this several ran, carrying a rocket gun -which could be fired from the shoulder. Before they had gone very far, -however, the harpoon drew and, as there was no use firing rockets into a -free fish, they came on board again. It was now blowing pretty hard and -very cold, but we still kept a boat at the apex of the triangle and one -beside the ship. Now occurred a very exciting race. A whale came up half -way along one side of the hole, and was travelling slowly towards the -base. The boat at the apex followed, the one by the ship did not move, -and every man on board was watching what would happen. Reaching the -base, the whale halted to take a few long breaths before going down, the -boat rapidly neared, the whale humped its back and the boat had to fire. -From where we were, we saw the harpoon fly up into the air with -the foregoer wriggling after it, then it fell, missing the whale as -completely as if it had not been fired at it. I was sorry for that -harpooner. He was a big man from Aberdeen, with a yellow beard, and he -was a nervous wreck when he came on board. This fearfully bad luck was -maddening, and we were all on edge; for, though the place was swarming -with whales, we never got one. Had we got fast to half a dozen, we would -have lost them all through lines being cut by the ice, or fouling. - -By the evening, the wind had gone down and the ice was slacker, the -whole east side of our pool moving away. - -_July 24th, Thursday_, was a beautiful day after the storm and we had -open water astern once more. We unhooked after breakfast and steamed -slowly towards the south side again, and while steaming, we sighted a -whale down the Sound. The ship was anchored to the ice and the boats -distributed in the usual way. This whale did not come up after being -first seen until it was at the ice edge, when one of our boats got fast. -It then went under the floe--a most unusual proceeding when it had lots -of open water. We were along the ice edge, nearly a mile from the fast -boat, and wondering what would happen next, when, in a very small hole, -150 yards from my boat, up came the head of the whale. The hole was not -many times larger than the head. The under surface of the lower jaw was -towards us. It had a very white appearance. The head turned around very -slowly presenting a wonderful sight. Gyles, the harpooner, in whose -boat I was, seized a rocket gun and, running to the hole, fired, and the -head went down as slowly as it came up. Presently the fish appeared in -the open water and was immediately harpooned again. Its experience under -the ice, or Gyle's rocket, had affected it so that it did not remain -down but soon came up again and submitted patiently to the lancing -operation which ended its life. This removed the gloom caused by the -awful luck of the previous day. We had now more than three tons of bone, -and that alone would be a fair voyage. The flensing began just as soon -as the crew had food and was not finished until bedtime. - -_July 25th. Friday._ Every one was cheerful. Some of the hands were -cleaning bone, two boats were on the bran, and one after narwhals, as -there were many of them about. - -I painted the figurehead, as the _Aurora_ was looking a little -dissipated with her out-stretched arm unhooked. This was only in -commission when in port; consequently, it looked younger than her -seagoing arm, which was a fixture across her breast and which had stood -the brunt of many gales. - -_July 26th. Saturday._ All hands were "making off" the fish. They were -at it early and had finished by noon, and then there was a general clean -up for Sunday, but strict watch was kept. There were only white whales -and some narwhals around. The tusks we took from those we killed and -those we had bartered for, always lay on the after grating, which -covered the well down which the auxiliary propeller went; there was -never enough motion to roll them off. - -July 27th. The usual Sunday gale was blowing and we were dodging about -under canvas all day. I was out on a yard during a snow squall and found -it very exciting. This was my first attempt at taking in sails when -there was much wind. We spoke the _Narwhal_; she had seven whales and -reported the _Arctic_ as having eight and all the rest well fished. -Towards evening we sailed to our favorite fishing ground on the south -side. - -July 28th. Monday. All hands were away after a whale at six A. M. We -had a long pull, and lost her for a time amongst the loose ice. Rounding -tins, however, we reached her again and the mate got fast, McLean -putting in a second. We passed both boats and were in at the kill. When -we had backed off once for a flurry, I looked around and saw Watson -lancing. I thought the flukes would have smashed his boat, he took such -awful chances. This whale rolled about a great deal, and bristled with -lances which she had torn from the men's hands by rolling. She was also -dreadfully tangled up with lines which had caught on the lances. There -is sometimes danger from being caught under these lines and cut in two. -When a dead whale is lying on its back, the abdomen lies very low in the -water, and, when freshly killed, sinks with a man when he walks along -it. As we were a long way from the ship, she came after us and we soon -had the whale alongside. The capstan was used for taking on board the -big blanket pieces. At the order, "Heave away capstan," a shanty was -struck up by the men marching around. - -[Illustration: 0301] - -They sang so loud that we could often hear their weird songs coming over -the water from other ships similarly engaged. Our friends, the fulmar -petrels, were always with us upon occasions of this kind, and all that -were in the Sound, I think, spent the day with us. - -The outer skin of the whale is about as thick as stiff paper, and black. -It peels off readily, and the men cut book markers out of it. Under this -comes a layer, nearly an inch thick, of rather gelatinous stuff, which -the Eskimos eat raw, then the blubber between this and the superficial -fascia, by which the body heat is preserved. It took us practically all -the rest of the day to flense. - -_July 29th. Tuesday_. We had a visit from two natives; they were -prosperous looking people with a good sled and dogs. I admired the -protection from the sun which they wore. It was a piece of wood with a -slit cut in it. This was very efficacious, but unbecoming. We learned -from these people that many whales had been seen by them this year. They -had some bear skins with them for trade, and some walrus ivory. This was -much inferior to the narwhal ivory, which was very fine and was worth, -at this time, I think, one pound ten per pound, that of the walrus being -only worth half a crown. I had a long walk with a gun but did not see -anything. - -_July 30th. Wednesday_. All hands "making off." I tried to skin a -fulmar, but could not do it, it was so fat. I wanted a skin badly, but -this was too much for me. All the birds we killed were fat, a provision -of nature against cold. The men said, however, that they could not wear -oil soaked clothes in cold weather. - -I was in the "crow's nest" a good while. It was most difficult to see -anything at a distance owing to the mirage. During the afternoon I tried -to shoot some narwhal near us. I shot at their heads with a rifle from -the boat, and although they had sometimes been killed with the rifle, so -little of the head showed when the beast was lying on the surface, that -I fancy they must have been shot from the ship, which stood high. - -_July 31st_. Immediately after breakfast, four boats were away after a -whale. I remained on board and watched from the barrel. It was a long -pull and the whale got away amongst loose ice without giving the boats a -chance. We captured a female narwhal in the afternoon. - -_August 1st. Friday_. Lovely day but very cold. In the morning I was -sitting on the after grating, scraping a bear's skull, when a hundred -yards or so astern of us arose a whale with the usual blast. The -water was like a mirror and the fish lay there for several minutes and -breathed heavily. No one spoke or moved. There in front of us was a fine -whale, its jet black head and back showing up well and reflected on the -absolutely glassy surface of the sea. When it slowly sank with its head -towards us, we knew it would go under the ice, but we would not lower -away until we were sure it was under. I was leaning over the after rail, -peering into the water, when I saw the whale coming slowly under where -I was standing. I first noticed a large, gray bow coming towards me; -it was the under jaw, and as it passed beneath the vessel I could see -distinctly the large round, dark spots on the huge lower lip. It passed -a very short distance under our keel. There was no movement of either -flukes or tail. I watched the great horizontal tail in the hope of -seeing some movement. Only the man in the "crow's nest" and I alone saw -the fish passing under the ship, and as soon as we were sure that it was -safe, the boats went away as noiselessly as possible and we waited for -the result with bated breath. It came up almost beside the ship and -Jimmy Watson put in both gun and hand harpoons, then came the joyful -shout "A fall," and we started down the Sound. As the fish was well -fastened, it was safe to snub the line around the bollard head of the -boat; there was no fear of the irons drawing and it made a heavy drag -on the whale. The line, in running out, passes through the hands of the -har-pooner before going around the bollard head. Of course, he wears -several pairs of mittens, but these are generally torn to pieces. Our -friend shortly came to the surface rather exhausted, as the line had -been well snubbed, but Thor put another iron into him. This smarted and -one could have heard his tail strike the water miles away. He lashed it -with such force that no boat could go close; and before a rocket could -be fired into him, he was off. This time the drag was very heavy, for -he had two boats. It did seem absurd that this huge monster, more than -sixty feet long and forty around the waist, could be conquered by having -those little bits of harpoons stuck in with their little threads of -lines attached, but whales of this species are clumsy and stupid and -turn very slowly, and it is this inability to turn fast that proves -their undoing. Upon appearing the next time, a rocket was instantly -fired into a vital place and the final flurry came at once and made -lancing unnecessary. The row back was a pleasure, and our joyful -shanties could be heard for a long distance. We were alongside by -midday, and after dinner, flensing commenced. I amused myself again with -the fulmars. Getting a boat, I laid my left elbow over the side so that -I could look between it and the gunwale. Every time a fulmar came under, -I darted my right hand over, catching him by the neck and taking him on -board. When I had a great flock of them, I put them on the poop, around -which there was a base board about four inches high, and above this the -iron railing. The birds had eaten so much blubber that they could not -get over the base board. One had to be careful of bites, as they had the -curved, pointed bills peculiar to the albatross, shearwater and -other birds of this tribe. It is curious that the great albatross and -diminutive storm petrel, the wren of the sea, should belong to the same -species. In a very short time, I saw the advisability of throwing my -flock of pets overboard. We did not go below for supper until the fish -was flensed. - -_August 2nd, Saturday,_ was cold and cloudy, but no wind. We were -hooked on with two boats on the bran; all hands making off during the -afternoon. - -_August 4th. Monday_. Three of the four boats were after a whale among -some loose ice to the north of us. One boat got fast and all immediately -lowered away. When we reached the ice, navigation became difficult and -the fish came up where we could not touch it. Several boats came out of -the ice and tried to row around. Ours was one of these; then we found -that the harpoon had drawn and the whale had vanished. We pursued some -distance down the Sound and had nothing for our trouble but exercise. - -_August 5th. Tuesday_. Much loose ice in the Sound, caused by wind -during the night. Narwhal were abundant, and two boats went after them -with no result. Later the ship unhooked and steamed east looking for -open water. I spent a long time in the "crow's nest," and, as there was -no mirage, got a beautiful view of the south coast--very wintry at bed -time. - -_August 6th. Wednesday_. The rushing of feet overhead brought me to the -deck on a gloomy cold morning, and before I had time to add anything to -the clothes in which I slept, we were a mile from the ship. A whale -had been seen some distance to the north and four boats pursuing it. We -paused and put on some more clothes to keep out the keen Arctic air, -and then we went off again, as the whale had come up. Long before the -leading boat got near, it had disappeared, but we were not discouraged, -so kept on, and this hard work continued until we were far from the ship -and getting amongst pans of loose ice. The whale we were following was -a fast traveller and we were ultimately obliged to give up the chase and -return. The row back was long and wearisome, and when I reached the ship -I had my long delayed breakfast and retired, but the moment I turned in -to my berth, the rush above told of more whales in sight, so I went on -deck. A fish had been seen blowing a long way down the Sound and six -boats were away, but bed appealed to me more than another long pull, -so I returned to it and remained there until the following morning. Our -boats did not get a shot but had a long chase and did not return until -very late. - -The day was cold and the density of the atmosphere uniform, so I was -able to see all the other ships distinctly with the glass. Some swell -had broken up the edge of our floe and some pieces had been driven up -the Sound, so it looked more icy than any day since the time when all -the whales came. During the afternoon we hooked on to a large floe. The -_Polynia and Esquimaux_ were near us, but to the south; the _Arctic_ was -some distance down the Sound. Swarms of white whales were about us in -the open places. - -_August 7th. Thursday_. The loose ice was gone. We had unhooked during -the night and steamed west to the fast floe. I went up to the barrel and -the Captain went down to get his pipe. While gazing at distant things, I -heard a noise on deck and, looking over, saw all hands lowering away for -two whales astern of us. I must have been looking in another direction -when they appeared, because the first I knew of it, was the noise below. -Our boats lay about half on each side and were playing the usual waiting -game. The Captain came up to the barrel and I went down, but too late to -enter a boat, as they had all gone, except the two upper quarter boats. -This was a great disappointment to me, as I had assisted in killing -every whale we had taken on board. After a while, one fish came up on -the south or port side and was fastened by the farthest south boat. The -whale went under the ice, but came out nearer the ship and was fastened -again. This proved the worst whale we had seen. It did not go down again -but rolled about so much and slapped the water with its flukes to such -an extent that the boats were rather afraid of it. This went on for a -long time, when the Captain called out that he would kill it himself, so -he came down and ordered the port upper quarter boat launched. All boats -had their gear ready, whether we used them or not. A crew of irregulars -was called, the Captain as harpooner, myself next, the sailmaker next, -third engineer, cooper, etc. The Captain went up at once and, driving -a lance into the whale's neck, began churning it up and down. The fish -allowed itself to sink a few feet, and the bows of the boat glided -over it as the Captain held on to the lance. Then coming to the surface -again, it tumbled the boat over on its starboard side and instantly gave -a great blast from its lungs. My oar came out of the water, so I let it -go and, grasping the seat with my right hand and putting my left on the -whale's back, I got the full charge of blood and water over my side and -shoulder, as I was almost over the blow-hole, and such was the force, -that my thick pilot coat was soaked with-blood, and also the thick coat -underneath. I saw the sailmaker, who was in front of me, turn around; -his face was green, in spite of the tan. He was almost in the water. The -boat, fortunately, slid off the slippery neck and a serious accident was -averted. The great danger would have been from being caught between -the whale and the many lines it had wound around itself. After this, -a couple of rockets were put in and the most troublesome fish of the -season gave up its ghost. As all this happened beside the ship, we were -saved the usual tedious tow, and in an hour flensing was commenced. -It was six when we had all on board. The second whale did not -reappear--probably finding a breathing place in the floe. The sky was -overcast at bedtime and there was a bitterly cold wind. Having the -engines aft made a great difference to the temperature of the cabin, as -the bulkhead between the pantry and engine room was always hot. - -_August 8th. Friday_. We were off Cape Hay when I came on deck and -sailing east under topsails. This cape was a wonderful place for looms. -They bred there in thousands; but we did not land or go very close, so I -had no chance of seeing much. - -Quite a number of the ships had already left the Sound, among others the -_Arctic_. Her captain, having secured thirteen black whales, had decided -to try his luck in Repulse Bay, Fox Channel, where he had had former -success. Owing to the amount of ice in the Sound and on the west coast, -he had come to this decision. Consequently he had sailed to Hudson's -Straits, passing from Frobisher Bay through Gabriel Straits and -encountering the dreadful current for which the neighborhood is noted. -Ice was met with about Salisbury Island, and beyond this he was unable -to take his ship, so he returned to Cumberland Gulf and from there home -without adding to his cargo. - -Lancaster Sound was beginning to look and feel like winter, the weather -being very frosty. The mountains on the south side, which are about -two thousand feet high, were very white, as a number of snow storms had -passed over them. We were anticipating with pleasure a visit to -Pond's Bay and the points usually called at on the west coast. One can -generally take a ship by Navy Board Inlet through Eclipse Sound to Ponds -Bay, but this year the ice precluded such a trip. - -We kept under sail, to save our coal, and ended off Wollaston Islands at -the entrance of Navy Board Inlet, without having seen any whales. Here -we hooked on to a large floe. - -_August 9th. Saturday._ After breakfast all hands were called to make -off. It was a very cheerful performance, our men being in good spirits. -The day was bitterly cold, but work kept them warm. Ice formed where the -sun did not strike the water as there was hardly any wind to disturb it. - -By dinner time the whale was made off and during the afternoon the watch -employed cleaning up. We remained hooked on all night. - -Sunday was a bitterly cold day and blowing a little, so we went further -down the sound under topsails. About ten A. M. we sighted a whale and -sent four boats in pursuit. I was in the second mate's. After a long -chase the mate got fast. There was much ice about, so it was dangerous -work for the fast boat, as it was impossible to avoid the pieces when -being towed, and should the boat strike a floe it would be smashed at -once and all hands would have to jump. - -When the fish came up first there was no boat near, but on coming up a -second time Watson got in an iron and we had a very lively run down the -Sound. With two harpoons in, there was a considerable drag on, and in a -short time she reappeared and a boat was soon lancing. - -Our boat had been delayed by pieces of ice, so that it was late when we -arrived on the scene. However this was a very vital whale and difficult -to kill. I saw our specksioneer Lyon's boat almost smashed by one of the -flukes during a flurry. - -The perfectly fearless old man was so absorbed in his lancing operations -that he did not notice the fluke coming, and but for the quick action of -his boat-steerer, an accident would have occurred. - -The ship had followed us, so we had no towing when the battle was over, -as she picked the boats up, taking the whale with her to a floe where -she anchored. Two more boats had been lowered away when they heard "A -fall" called. One had gone to help the mate with more line, and the -other had taken part in the chase. - -After having something to eat, flensing was the order of the day, -our cheerful crew singing with great spirit to the orders "Heave away -capstan" and "Heave away windlass." This, our tenth whale, was a heavy -one and it was late when we got it all on board. - -The ship remained at the floe all night, drifting with it down the -Sound. - -_Monday, the 11th_, was a wintry day, bitterly cold and an overcast sky. -During the afternoon we had some snow squalls. We dodged about under -topsails, but did not see even a narwhal. It was evident that our chance -of catching white whales this year in Prince Regent Inlet was small. We -anchored to the ice off Cape Liverpool at night. - -_Tuesday, August 12th_, all hands were engaged making off in the morning -and doing a general clean up during the afternoon. - -[Illustration: 0315] - - - - -CHAPTER XVII--LANCASTER SOUND TO DUNDEE - - - "To claim the Arctic came the sun, - - With banners of the burning zone - - Unrolled upon their airy spars. - - They froze beneath the light of stars, - - And there they float, those streamers old, - - Those Northern Lights, forever cold." - - -|The neighborhood of Cape Byam Martin was considered good whaling -ground, so we spent the next few days cruising off it and the coast -further down, but without seeing anything of interest. Even seals were -scarce. It was remarkable how few we saw north of the Arctic circle. - -By going aloft, one could always see, in some direction on the ice, a -black dot, which represented a seal, but after the tens of thousands -seen on the coasts of Newfoundland and Labrador, they were scarce -indeed; in fact, I never shot one during the whole northern trip. - -We found Ponds Bay that paradise of the old whalers so full of ice that -we were unable to visit the natives, which was a great disappointment -to us all. It was a bad year for seeing much of the land as there was so -much ice coming down. - -From the ship, the line of the shore looked straight, except off the -bay, but there were great fiords running into the land for miles. One of -them, known as "Hell's Kitchen," had been a noted place for whalers. Two -branches of it, named respectively, "Morris" and "Cooney" extended far -into the country, one of them having been navigated by Captain Guy for -about forty miles. - -Ponds Bay was a celebrated place for salmon fishing, the whalers often -getting wonderful catches there, thereby improving their menu greatly. -At this time, the weather was very wintry, frost and snow reminding us -of where we were, and by the night of Sunday, the 17th, we were only off -Cape Bowen. - -Monday was a beautiful day and we were fast to the shore floe, a long -way from the land. The Captain decided to improve the shining hour by -having the ship painted, so the boats were put upon the ice and the men -employed, cleaning and painting. The _Aurora_ was comparatively new, so -it was very easy cleaning her, as her woodwork was good and she had been -well kept up. Even washing her down with the alkaline solution used gave -her a nice appearance. By evening, a great deal had been accomplished -and inside she looked very neat. - -The little auks were numerous about here. One of our firemen killed -three with a broom handle and I shot a fine bag. There was a good flight -of ducks along the floe edge and I had several shots at them. As the -birds were young, they were worth having, being free from the fishy -flavor peculiar to their parents. - -[Illustration: 0319] - -_August 19th._ We finished painting the boats, but left them on the ice, -excepting two from which the lines had not been removed. - -Our fishing, so far, had nearly all been floe edge. We had not entered -the middle pack very far, where the whales were sometimes numerous at -this season. The enormous amount of ice made the Captain think twice -about pushing his ship, with her valuable cargo, into it, and so we kept -quietly down the coast, occasionally going out a little where the ice -was loose, but remembering Sir Leopold McClintock's winter in the middle -pack with the _Fox._ - -The southwest fishing, to which we were now going, was generally -prosecuted in the autumn. The ships lay at anchor in some harbor, and -every morning the boats rowed out and watched for whales. It was cold, -dreary work and very unpopular with the men; but whales killed late in -the season were often large and well worth looking for. - -_August 20th. Wednesday_. The boats were hoisted up this day and, with -the Captain, I went on the ice to look at the ship. It was cold and I -had on half-boots, a thick double-breasted monkey jacket, with leather -gauntlets and a leather sealing cap. We walked to where the painting had -been done and there admired the ship. She looked well, sitting rather -down by the stern. All the crew, practically, had been standing on this -ice for the last two days and nothing had happened: I went rather close -to the edge and the piece I was standing on gave way and I went down at -once, but on coming up, with one or two strokes, reached the ice edge. -It took some seconds for my clothes to soak as I had so much on, and by -that time, one of the men, Jock Fairly, came with a boat hook, by -the help of which I was pulled out. My clothes were so completely -water-logged that, without assistance, getting out would have been -impossible. Again the gentle warmth of the top of the boiler proved a -comfort. - -_August 21st. Thursday_. Hooked on, with a stiff breeze blowing and the -sky overcast. Ducks were flying in great numbers past a point half a -mile away, so, taking the dingey, I went off to it. There was no shelter -and, although every bird must have seen me, the silly things would not -leave the ice edge, but would just swing out far enough to make my shots -effective. This shooting both barrels into the "brown," as the ducks -passed, was not so much fun as getting them in pairs, but one soon -picks up a good bag, and as I was shooting for the pot, a bag was what I -wanted. When I came on board, the birds were tied in bundles and hung up -on the davit guys above the quarter boats. - -August 22nd. During the afternoon, a bear was seen, so we went off in a -boat to capture it. As there was no solid ice, the beast had to get out -of and into the water so many times that he could not escape, and he was -killed from the boat by the mate. I landed and tried to stalk him, but -he left my pan and I could not follow him. - -Two ships were in sight southeast of us. One of them was the -_Cornwallis,_ which we had not seen for some time. I was anxious to get -near her as Armitage was on hoard, but she was a long way off. We always -knew the other, the _Esquimaux_, by her mizzentop, as she had once been -a full-rigged ship, although now a barque. - -On Saturday, the wind blew a gale, which kept us dodging under the -canvas; but by Sunday the weather had improved. - -During the morning we sailed up to the shore floe, as we saw some -natives there, and picked them up. They had tusks and dog skins for -trade. We took them, with their dogs and sledges, on board. One of them -was a good-looking, pleasant native, called Enu. He added greatly to -my Eskimo vocabulary during the next few days, and he told me that deer -were plentiful in certain places and that salmon abounded. We steamed -south all day, after picking up the natives, the weather being cold but -fine. - -_August 25th. Monday_. Steaming down the coast and the weather quite -fine. During the afternoon, a black spot inshore indicated the mouth of -a river. The shore floe at this point was a mile wide, but the ice was -smooth. A boat and the dingey with a net and ten men were sent to try -to catch some salmon. A number of men were sent to haul the boats across -the floe to the open water of the river mouth, and the natives came -also. Mr. Adam took the boat and I took the dingey. We had a boat's -sail, plenty of coal, two ship's kettles, coffee, sugar, salt, biscuits -and tins of mutton. Arriving at the open water, our helpers returned -to the ship, and the natives, after turning their sleds upside down, so -that the dogs could not run away with them, came with us in the boats. -We rowed into a river, which was about thirty or forty yards wide at the -mouth, shallow and placid. We went up a short distance and camped on the -right bank. Above our camp, the river was a nice-looking little salmon -stream; but below, it was more pretentious looking on account of its -width. The net was drawn, with no result. It was tried in another place -without getting a fin. Then, as it was growing late, we returned to -camp. Tying two oars together, with their blades crossed, we laid the -end of the long steering oar between these and this gave us an excellent -frame for our tent, completed by throwing the large square boat's sail -over it and tucking two of the corners underneath. Then a fine coal fire -was started, a kettle of coffee made, and an excellent hash prepared, -by mixing tinned mutton, sea biscuits, snow, pepper and salt. We enjoyed -this thoroughly and I sat by the camp fire afterwards and listened -to these men tell tales of happenings in former years. Thus, on the -unhospitable shores of Baffin Bay, I had my first experience of camp -life. After awhile I noticed that in spite of my clothing, my back was -cold, so I turned it to the fire. Then my face was nearly frozen, so -I turned back. In the excitement of starting, I had thrown a rug into -the boat and not thought of blankets. Now I began to wish I had brought -some, for I spent a miserable night, waking up very often with the cold. - -_August 26th._ At last the tedious night came to an end, and breakfast -thawed us out and made things look more cheerful. The day was fine, so -the _Aurora_ was safe, and preparations were made for further fishing. -Had the morning looked threatening, the ship would probably have -signalled us to come on board. I am a keen fisherman, but the net did -not appeal to me very much; so I decided to see what the country looked -like and, taking Enu with me, went up the river. The bitterly cold night -had caused some ice, so the men waited for a higher sun to dissipate -this before we left camp. I found the country flat, as a whole, with low -hills in the background. The native gave me to understand that beyond -these hills was the caribou country, but one dared not risk going far -from the ship, and so my chance of bagging a barren land head was small. -Little gulches led away from the river, on the exposed sides of which -there was no snow, but boggy ground and bad walking; while on the shady -sides the ground was frozen and covered with patches of snow. I saw some -places on the river which made me long to try the fly, and I am sure -good sport could have been obtained. After a very tiresome walk of some -hours, during which I did not see a bird or beast, I returned to camp. -On coming close, I saw a man walking from the river with a salmon in -each hand, the first two caught. They had tried a number of places and -had caught only these, so they sent them to camp for dinner. One was put -in a big ship's kettle to boil, and the other split and cut into pieces -which were hung around the fire on stakes made from driftwood. Each -salmon weighed about ten pounds, the flesh being very red, and while -they did not compare with those from home rivers, we considered them -excellent, as they were the first fresh fish we had had on the voyage. -Leaving camp, I went down to the boat and found they had just taken a -splendid haul; the net was shot several times and a grand total of 108 -fish counted out. Dinner was ready when we reached the fire and some -more fish were staked out to cook. - -This delicate repast over, our things were carried down to the boats and -we made our way back as we had come. Seeing us from the ship, help had -been sent to bring the boats across the ice. - -Many of the whalers fish for salmon every year and sometimes catch great -numbers. The best place is, as stated before, a river flowing into Ponds -Bay. Here several thousands are often taken. - -The Eskimo dogs had eaten their harness and gone away, excepting two -lame fellows, and the natives made these pull them to the ship. - -[Illustration: 0327] - -_August 27th. Wednesday._ Enu, with his menage, left for home, and after -breakfast we unhooked, and stood along the floe edge. From the "crow's -nest" I saw with the glass a number of Eskimo sledges travelling north. -They made no attempt to come near us, but kept close to the shore. At -noon we were going among some loose ice, so hooked on. I had a very -pleasant afternoon at the ducks and secured a good bag. All the birds -killed were young eider. In fact, on the voyage, I only killed three -varieties of duck, eider, king eider and long tail. - -_August 28th. Thursday_. Two sledges with natives came off. There was -a very hungry woman with them. I saw her picking at everything soft -on board. She found the side of a box in which plug tobacco had been -packed, and picked it up; there were some leaves of tobacco adhering to -it. I saw her picking pieces of them and eating them. - -[Illustration: 0331] - -Dividing the 'tween-decks from the lower forecastle, there was a -partition with a door. Just outside of this door stood a barrel into -which the cook threw refuse from the gallery, which was just within the -forecastle. I saw this polar American beauty put her arm into the barrel -and bring forth a duck's skin, which had a tremendous coating of fat. -She seized the skin with both hands and pulled the fat off with her -teeth, devouring it greedily. When she came to the neck, she chewed it, -bones and all. There were some most interesting children on board and -they thoroughly enjoyed the coffee and biscuit with which they were -supplied by the Captain's orders. We got some dog skins and small -articles from these people, but they had already been visited by some of -the ships and their bear skins and horns taken. - -_August 29th_. On Friday the natives left us early. We unhooked and -sailed east, with a breeze from the south. We saw a bear and cub on the -ice, so lowered away and went after them. Both took to the water, and -we had to go around a large island of ice before we could reach them. I -landed on this, and running across, tried a shot at them in the water, -but they had gone too far and were behind hummocks of ice, so that I -could not see them. The boat then overtook them and the mate shot both. -As nothing more was seen among the loose ice we steamed to the floe edge -and hooked on. I bagged a few ducks in the evening. - -_August 30th. Saturday_. We steamed down the coast and hooked on off -Cape Raper. Two natives came on board, and we bought a live fox from one -of them. It was young and blue, and spent the rest of the voyage walking -about the funnel casing, where its home was in a lime-juice box. The -natives left during the afternoon and we remained at the floe edge all -night. - -It was a beautiful calm Sunday and the last day of August on which we -arrived at Cape Kater. The _Cornwallis_ very soon afterwards came in and -I went on board at once. - -They had had a most unsuccessful voyage as the ship had been spoiled for -sailing by having an engine put in which was of no use. They had killed -a whale and picked up a dead one, having one ton of bone from the two. - -Poor old Captain Nichol was very much depressed. Every one said he was -a fine sailor; that his blood was tar and his flesh rope yams. They told -us that the other ships had done well, the _Nova Zembla_ having eight, -the _Polynia_ six and the _Esquimaux_ ten whales when last seen. - -Armitage came on shore with me and we visited some native habitations. -They were tents made of skin, and the sun beating on them made them warm -inside; but as there was not a particle of ventilation, the odor was the -worst possible. We saw in them the stone lamps in which the seal oil was -burned, moss being used as a wick; sometimes old tins served the purpose -instead of stone. - -[Illustration: 0335] - -This country is generally called Baffin Land. There is, however, no -reason to believe that it is not divided up by channels into many -islands. No doubt passages exist connecting Davis Straits with Fox -Channel. - -Much of the coast line is uncharted, especially north of Fox Land. -Fiords running south from Eclipse Sound have been visited by whalers, -but not explored; possibly they could be traced to Fury and Hecla -Straits. - -Whaling stations have several times been established on the west coast, -at Exeter Sound and Cumberland Gulf--the first party wintering at the -latter place in 1852, to the detriment of the natives. - -These improvident people with modern rifles would kill all the game -they could shoot, use what they required at the time and waste the rest, -whereas in old times they could just secure enough for their wants. - -Again, children were brought up formerly in a hardy way, and taught how -to wrest a living from the inhospitable country. Now by loafing around a -settlement they acquire some of the pernicious habits of civilized men, -and learn to depend upon the European and his ship, forgetting that -these might be withdrawn at any time. - -[Illustration: 0339] - -Monday was spent wandering about, but without seeing anything of -interest. The _Cornwallis_ was still hooked on when we left Cape Kater, -on Tuesday. We kept away from the coast to look for a berg from which we -might water. The weather was clear and frosty, and at night the aurora -borealis was very beautiful. - -_September 3rd. Wednesday._ We found a floe fast to the base of a very -large berg, and on this there was a lake of fresh water frozen over. The -ship being made fast, a hole was drilled in the ice and our water tanks -filled. - -On the berg there was a white fox, but no shooting at it was allowed -lest the concussion should bring down masses of ice. By evening we moved -away and made fast to a floe far from our dangerous neighbor. The cold -was intense and bay ice formed around the ship. - -I heard the thunder of splitting bergs several times during the night; -they sounded like avalanches among the Alps in the springtime. At this -season, especially on very cold nights, bergs often split and turn over -owing to water freezing in crevices formed by the warm summer sun, and -for this reason they are avoided as much as possible. We now spent five -days dodging about under canvas with fires banked. Part of the time we -were off Cape Hooper and part off Home Bay, but we did not see a single -whale. - -The weather was for the most part fine, but bitterly cold. If a mist -arose at night the ship presented a curious spectacle in the morning, -her rigging being coated with ice. - -Our handy tradesmen during this period made some pretty things. The -carpenter presented the Captain with a neat model of a ship, while the -cooper turned out a tobacco box which was a work of art. - -_September 8th. Monday_. We bore up for home. What cheerful news it was! -Passage sails were bent, boats taken in and placed on skids, bunkers -were coaled and all was life and bustle. Every one was happy. The voyage -had been a success, and we had not had a serious accident. - -The "crow's nest" was sent down, nautical time adopted and the watch -set. To crown all, a fresh breeze sprang up, and with everything set and -steaming full speed we started down the Straits. - -By bedtime we were in a heavy fog, so the canvas was taken off and -the engines slowed down. During the night the phosphorescence was very -beautiful. Pieces of ice thrown away by the propeller looked like balls -of fire, while the water immediately around the stern seemed all aflame. - -For the next two days we had fog, so made little progress at night. -During the day the men were employed washing lines and stowing them -away. Guns and harpoons were cleaned and greased and the ship was -thoroughly washed. - -On the 11th, we had a strong gale with a dark and cloudy sky. It was -strange to be at sea and feel the motion of the ship after weeks of -smooth water amidst the ice. After this the sea was smooth, and we had -fog all the time until, off Cape Farewell on the 15th, the day being -fine, the ship was hove to and painted outside. A dense fog came down -that night, and we did not make another observation until off the -Scottish coast. - -On Saturday, September 20th, the fog was very dense and we steamed -slowly until noon, when it lifted for a short time and showed us the -island of St. Kilda. I was sorry we could not land here as it was a -wonderful breeding place for the fulmar petrels; but home was in sight, -and Captain Fairweather did not want to linger on a rock-bound coast, so -we steered north and on Sunday morning, the 21st, we were off the Butt -of Lewis. - -It was thick at times during the morning, but cleared in the afternoon -and gave us a view of the Orkneys. The Captain decided to go north of -Orkney, as he did not like the Pentland Firth with so much fog about. At -night the weather was perfectly clear. - -_September 22nd. Monday._ On deck in the morning every one was looking -pleasant, and the ship neat. We were crossing the Moray Firth and coming -close to the Aberdeen coast. A fishing boat from Fraserborough was -hailed and an assortment of fish purchased for breakfast. These were -paid for with tobacco, and the pay was liberal. The first question asked -by us was, "Is England at war?" This being answered in the negative, -greatly pleased those of the crew who were naval reserve men. Eight -bells struck and my last breakfast on board the _Aurora_ was served. -After breakfast we passed Peterhead, formerly a great port for whalers, -and then we steamed south close to the coast. The yellow fields of grain -and stubble, the cottages and the trees, looked to our snow-dazzled eyes -like Fairy Land. We passed Aberdeen and Stonehaven. We were close enough -to see Dunottar's grim ruin, then Montrose, and in a short time our -pilot was on board with all the news, and we were at home. - -Of the Davis Straits ships in 1884 one was lost, the _Narwhal_; but now, -with the exception of the _Active and Aurora_, the weed-grown ribs of -the entire fleet rest beneath the waters of the cold northern seas and -the records of their crews' escapes and hardships would fill volumes. - - - -APPENDIX - - -Notice of arrival of whalers in _Dundee Advertiser_ of September 23rd: - - -DUNDEE ADVERTISER, SEPTEMBER 23RD, 1884. - -The Esquimaux--The Loss of Two Men. - -The _Esquimaux_, Capt. Milne, arrived in the Tay last night from Davis -Straits, and will be docked with this morning's tide. The Esquimaux was -unsuccessful at the Newfoundland seal fishing, only 1,900 seals having -been secured; but she has brought a fair cargo from Davis Straits, -consisting of 11 whales, which will yield 140 tons of oil and 6 tons -of whalebone. Two fatalities have, unfortunately, occurred during the -voyage. Early in the season a young man named Allan Smith, a native -of Dundee, was dragged overboard by the line catching him after a -bottle-nosed whale had been struck, and he was never seen again. It is -a painful circumstance that Smith's father was lost from the same ship -several years ago. Another of the crew was lost during the passage home. -He accidentally fell overboard, and a boat was sent in search of -him. After some time he was picked up in semi-lifeless state, and all -attempts to restore animation failed. - - -Dundee Advertiser, September 23rd, 1884. - - -DAVIS STRAITS WHALE FISHING--ARRIVAL OF AURORA. - -The steamer Aurora, belonging to Messrs. Alex. Stephen & Sons, arrived -at Dundee yesterday afternoon from the Davis Straits whale fishing. -The _Aurora_, commanded by Capt. Jas. Fair-weather, has had a very -successful voyage. At Newfoundland 28,150 seals were secured during the -two trips, the _Aurora_ being the only one of the Dundee fleet which was -fortunate in securing a good catch. On the 8th May she left St. John's -for Davis Straits, and on reaching Disco fell in with the _Thetis_ and -_Bear_, on their way north in search of the Greely Expedition. The three -ships thereafter kept in company until they reached the north -water, when Capt. Fairweather steamed across to Lancaster Sound. An -impenetrable barrier of ice blocked the Sound, a circumstance which told -in favor of the fishing, as a large number of whales were secured at -the edge of the ice. The crew were successful in capturing ten, and also -three bottle-noses, which will yield 105 tons of oil and about 5 tons of -whalebone. As the season advanced the fishing was prosecuted along the -west coast of Davis Straits, but without success, owing to the immense -quantities of ice, which seemed never to have been driven out of the -Straits this year. The frost came on unusually early and very severe, 12 -to 14 degrees being registered in August. Capt. Fairweather bore up for -home on the 8th Sept, and experienced a good deal of foggy weather in -crossing the Atlantic. He confirms the news previously received of the -catches of the fleet, and mentions that the _Polynia_ is the only vessel -which has added to her cargo, which now consists of 6 whales, equal -to 60 tons of oil. The _Triune_ sailed for home on the 6th Sept. Capt. -Fairweather has brought home a fine specimen of the Sabine gull, a bird -rarely to be met with in Davis Straits. It ought to be mentioned that -the crew of the _Aurora_, after receiving the news of the _Chieftain_ -disaster from the pilot at the mouth of the river, subscribed the sum of -L20 185s. to the fund. - -Whalers sailing from Dundee in 1884: - -[Illustration: 0345] - -A list of Greenland and Davis Straits ships sailing from Holland, from -Dr. Lang's book: - -[Illustration: 0346] - -Ships at Greenland and Davis Straits, with number of whales killed: - -[Illustration: 0347] - -The above list shows how the trade changed in a few years from London to -Hull, and it also shows how Scotland increased her fleet, while England -reduced hers. - -In an old work--"McPherson's Annals of Commerce," is found the following -list of ships sent to the whaling: - -[Illustration: 0348] - -Whaling was now confined to Dundee Peterhead, and remained so until -1900, when Peterhead sent her last whaler to sea, and since then the -industry has been carried on by Dundee alone. - -In 1733 a bounty of twenty shillings a ton on ships over two hundred -tons was given by the English Government, and in 1719 this was doubled -to induce competition with the Dutch. - -[Illustration: 0349] - - - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of A Voyage to the Arctic in the Whaler -Aurora, by David Moore Lindsay - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK VOYAGE TO THE ARCTIC *** - -***** This file should be named 51910.txt or 51910.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/1/9/1/51910/ - -Produced by David Widger from page images generously -provided by the Internet Archive - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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