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diff --git a/old/67944-0.txt b/old/67944-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 3c466c9..0000000 --- a/old/67944-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,3492 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of A Boy’s-Eye View of the Arctic, by -Kennett Longley Rawson - -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 -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: A Boy’s-Eye View of the Arctic - -Author: Kennett Longley Rawson - -Contributor: Donald B. MacMillan - -Release Date: April 27, 2022 [eBook #67944] - -Language: English - -Produced by: Steve Mattern, David E. Brown, and the Online Distributed - Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This book was - produced from images made available by the HathiTrust - Digital Library.) - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A BOY’S-EYE VIEW OF THE -ARCTIC *** - - - - - -A BOY’S-EYE VIEW OF THE ARCTIC - - - - - [Illustration] - - THE MACMILLAN COMPANY - - NEW YORK · BOSTON · CHICAGO · DALLAS - ATLANTA · SAN FRANCISCO - - MACMILLAN & CO., LIMITED - - LONDON · BOMBAY · CALCUTTA - MELBOURNE - - THE MACMILLAN CO. OF CANADA, LTD. - - TORONTO - - - - -[Illustration: Kennett L. Rawson, June, 1925.] - - - - - A BOY’S-EYE VIEW - OF - THE ARCTIC - - BY - KENNETT LONGLEY RAWSON - CABIN-BOY OF THE _BOWDOIN_ - - _Introduction by_ - COMMANDER DONALD B. MACMILLAN - - New York - THE MACMILLAN COMPANY - 1926 - - _All rights reserved_ - - - - - Copyright, 1926, - BY THE MACMILLAN COMPANY, - - Set up and electrotyped. - - Published October, 1926. - - _Printed in the United States of America by_ - - THE FERRIS PRINTING COMPANY, NEW YORK - - - - - TO MY MOTHER - Bravest of them all. - - - - -Illustrated with photographs taken by the author, and others loaned -through the courtesy of Commander Donald B. MacMillan; National -Geographic Society, taken by Maynard Owen Williams, photographer of the -Expedition; Ralph P. Robinson, Mate of the _Bowdoin_; Onnig D. Melkon, -moving picture photographer of the Expedition; Alfred Brust, Staff -Photographer of the _Boston Herald_, and George Warren Lord, Staff -Photographer of the _Boston Post_. - - - - -INTRODUCTION - - -To the lecturer the introduction is the most interesting part of his -lecture, in that it is generally so complimentary that his feeling -of guilt and a sense of his own inferiority mars somewhat his whole -discourse. My cabin boy, Kennett Rawson, suffers no handicap in this -respect. His work is finished. Whatever I may write will not affect its -status. His narrative stands as a testimonial of the influence of good -and much reading. Very few will believe that such language is natural -for a fourteen-year-old boy. But we knew “Ken” in the forecastle of -the little _Bowdoin_, and teachers at Hill School who have watched his -progress for two years can assure you that the book is his own. - -How fortunate that a boy in his early teens could visit the scenes -of our early explorers, the headquarters of the great Peary, who, -by his work, has placed before American youth the finest example of -persistency, determination, and clean grit in all Arctic history. What -a privilege for young Rawson to stand where the immortal Elisha Kent -Kane stood with lifted ramrod and fluttering cap lining, the first to -step foot on historical Littleton Island, and to enter the Basin which -bears his name! - -From the heights about Etah he has looked across to the ice-covered -hills of Ellesmere Land and Cape Sabine where Greely and his men lay -dying in 1884 and where Peary fought a losing fight in 1900-1902. He -has seen the last of the _S. S. Polaris_, which steamed farther north -than ship ever steamed, now strewn about the beach rusting, rotting -away. But memories of her Commander, the most enthusiastic of all -Arctic explorers, will always live. - -Something more than pure sentiment. No boy can look upon such things, -can dwell upon the deeds of such men as Kane, Hayes, Hall, Greely and -Peary, without standing a little more erect, without visualizing his -own future and determining to have that future count for something -beyond material gain. - -With mingled feelings of apprehension, doubt as to the wisdom of my -decision, I signed Kennett Rawson on the ship’s papers as “Cabin boy, -Chicago, age 14,” the youngest white lad ever to go into the Far North. - -Under starlit skies and unruffled sea; in the semi-darkness of -his 10-11 watch, I watched him as he stood at the wheel “giving -her a spoke” now and then to keep her on her course, his small -sheepskin-covered form outlined against the black of the ocean. In -howling winds and with the _Bowdoin_ plunging and bucking head seas, -decks awash and life lines stretched, the same huddled form, eyes -on the compass card, doing his best, with never trace of quit, I, a -shipmate for four months, knew him. Young Rawson made good. For that -reason he goes back again with me in the Northland one week from -to-day, back to the big grey hills of Labrador with their outlying, -breaking reefs, to the inner reaches of its green bays, to its simple, -sincere people; to Greenland, once the home of the Norsemen, now the -land of the Dane and smiling half-breed; to Baffin Island, the Meta -Incognita of Martin Frobisher, the objective of many an old New England -whaling ship. - -May he enjoy this fourth cruise of the _Bowdoin_ as he did her third. -“The thoughts of youth are long, long thoughts,” and when those -thoughts or dreams are realized, doubly fortunate is youth. - - DONALD B. MACMILLAN. - - Freeport, Maine. - June 12, 1926. - - - - -CONTENTS - - - PAGE - - INTRODUCTION ix - - CHAPTER - - I. HERE ENDETH THE LESSON 1 - - II. UNDER WEIGH 14 - - III. IN THE LAND OF ADVENTURE 22 - - IV. A TRULY GLORIOUS FOURTH AND SOME VERY REAL FISHING 32 - - V. THROUGH THE PACK TO DISASTER 41 - - VI. THE HEROES OF HOPEDALE 49 - - VII. IN ESKIMO LAND AND IN TROUBLE 56 - - VIII. GREENLAND! 66 - - IX. ICE AND MORE ICE 76 - - X. WE TAKE THE AIR 89 - - XI. MY FARTHEST NORTH 107 - - XII. WE BREAK INTO SOCIETY 115 - - XIII. STORM AND STRESS AND--HOME! 130 - - - - -LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS - - - Kennett L. Rawson, June, 1925 _Frontispiece_ - - FACING - PAGE - - The journey of the _Bowdoin_, 1925 (map) 1 - - The _Bowdoin_ and her crew, Wiscasset, Maine, June 20, 1925. - John Jaynes, Engineer; Commander Donald B. MacMillan; - Ralph P. Robinson, Mate; Kennett L. Rawson, - Cabin Boy; John Reinartz, short wave radio expert; - Martin Vorce, Cook; Lieutenant Benjamin Rigg, U. S. - Coast and Geodetic Survey; Onnig D. Melkon, moving - picture photographer 12 - - Outward Bound, June, 1925 20 - - The _Bowdoin_ leaving the dock at Wiscasset 20 - - Rawson, MacMillan at the wheel, and Dr. Grosvenor. On - way to Sydney 27 - - “Yonder beneath the North Star lies our destination, Lad.” 27 - - Commander MacMillan, Dr. Grosvenor and Dr. Grenfell, - Battle Harbor 27 - - Maynard Williams (left), photographer, National Geographic - Society; Lieutenant Benjamin Rigg (right), U. S. Coast - and Geodetic Survey 61 - - The _Bowdoin_ passing an iceberg off west coast of Greenland 63 - - The _Bowdoin_ caught in a nip, at Melville Bay 63 - - Commander MacMillan with an Eskimo child; in flying costume; - in the ice barrel 90 - - Brother John’s Glacier and Alida Lake, Etah, North Greenland 90 - - The _Peary_ 94 - - Expedition plane at stern of _Bowdoin_ 94 - - Launching first plane at Etah 95 - - Eskimo kiddie with mother’s coat on 104 - - Even Eskimo boys of Ig-loo-da-houny have a sweet tooth 104 - - In-you-gee-to makes a coil of rawhide line out of skin of - which he is justly proud 105 - - The only Eskimo family in Etah 105 - - The _Bowdoin_ on the rocks in North Greenland 118 - - Head of 2000-pound walrus killed at Etah, North Greenland 118 - - Oomiak: Eskimo women’s boat, made of sealskins 119 - - South Greenland kayak 119 - - At Sukkertoppen 122 - - Dick Salmon with large cod jigged while stormbound in - Godthaab Fiord 123 - - A good Eskimo puppy 126 - - Typical winter home of South Greenland Eskimo 126 - - Eskimo girls of Holsteinborg, mixture of Danish, Spanish, - English and Eskimo 126 - - View of Godthaab with statue of Hans Egede, first missionary - to the Eskimos of Greenland 130 - - Norse Church at head of Godthaab Fiord, probably built - about 1100 A. D. 130 - - In rough weather off Nova Scotia, homeward bound 131 - - The _Bowdoin_ delayed by the storm at Monhegan 131 - - - - -A BOY’S-EYE VIEW OF THE ARCTIC - - - - -[Illustration: The journey of the _Bowdoin_, 1925.] - - - - -A BOY’S-EYE VIEW OF THE ARCTIC - - - - -I - -HERE ENDETH THE LESSON - - -One warm June evening I was sitting up in my room supposedly studying, -but actually all thoughts of study had long since gone where most -good resolutions go. Who can study on a mild June evening anyway? I -can study almost any other time, but on such occasions my thoughts -go fluie, and I am off to Treasure Island or with Jules Verne. I was -somewhere in those latitudes when a rap sounded on my door. I thought -just retribution had overtaken me in the form of a master; so I opened -a text book, scattered a few papers about for realistic effect and then -went to the door. - -“Long distance for you at the exchange,” said the messenger, who after -all was not a master. - -I slipped into my bathrobe and reported to the master on the hall. - -“Sir, long distance wants me at the exchange,” I said. - -“All right, here’s your permission slip. Get it signed when you are -through. And Rawson--don’t loaf on your way back.” - -“No, sir,” I said, and with this parting injunction I was off. - -I took down the receiver, got my connection and yelled “hello.” - -“Hello, Ken, that you?” It was Dad, and there was a note of excitement -in his voice. “Do you want to go to the Arctic with MacMillan this -summer?” - -I leaned against the panel. Was I still with Jules Verne? - -“What, Dad? Say it again.” - -Dad laughed. “Do you want to go to the Arctic with MacMillan this -summer?” - -“With MacMillan? With MacMillan?” I gasped! What was he trying to -put over? Well, at last it got across, and it didn’t take me long to -say yes. He then told me how it all happened, and my surprise and -wonderment increased at every word. At last he had to hang up, and I -went back to my room in a haze. I could hardly grasp the significance -of what I had just heard. A few minutes before I was merely a student -at The Hill; now I was an explorer. Well of course not quite that, -but something along that line, and anyway I was going on an Arctic -expedition and that’s all that mattered. - -I returned to my hall and reported to the master in charge. - -“Where is your slip?” he said rather shortly. - -“My slip? I forgot to have it signed. Oh, sir, MacMillan and I are -going exploring in the Arctic regions!” - -The master looked incredulous, but as I still retained the air of being -partly sane, he began to show real interest. - -“How did you happen to choose MacMillan?” he queried. - -“Oh, sir, I didn’t mean that, I meant that Commander MacMillan is going -to take me with him this summer,” I replied, rather embarrassed by my -outbreak. - -“Well, just how did you get in on a thing like this?” he asked. - -“For several summers I have sailed,” I said, “and I like the sea. Last -summer I was engaged in the scientific work of the Bureau of Fisheries -on a little schooner. We made a number of trips off shore, and I -gained quite a bit of experience. I liked the work so well that I told -father that I thought I should like to be an explorer instead of a -banker--father’s business. A friend of father’s, Mr. Joseph MacDonald, -being acquainted with these facts and also with Commander MacMillan, -conceived the idea that I ought to go on the forthcoming expedition -with the Commander. I fear he must have strained a point in telling of -my qualifications for a berth on the ship, but he finally persuaded -the Commander to take me. After this he broke the good news to father. -Then the two of them had the difficult task of convincing Mother that -I ought to go. My mother is like most mothers, only a little more so, -and it was quite a job to show her that the undertaking was not too -dangerous and that it would be a valuable experience. She was finally -won over, and so that’s how I am going.” - -“Well,” said the master, “some people do seem to have all the luck. -Go to your room quietly, and remember that we’re still keeping school -around here.” - -“Yes, sir,” I said, and I went out. He had forgotten all about the slip! - -If I worked hard, I had a chance of getting exempt from my examinations -at the end of the term. That meant I could go home seven days earlier -than otherwise. When I had calmed down, I made up my mind that no dust -was going to collect on my books from then on. Too much depended on my -plugging; so I tried to put away the thoughts of nice arctic coolness -on a hot June night and bury myself in my books. - -The days went quickly by. They were happy days filled with hard work -between which came rosy dreams of the future--the prelude to the great -adventure. But at last came the important day--the day on which the -list of exemptions from examinations was to be posted. I parked myself -outside the Dean’s office anxiously awaiting that list. No vacation -ever had seemed so far away, and the minutes were ninety seconds -long. At last a figure appeared from within, armed with the list and -a handful of thumbtacks. There was a wild mob there by that time, but -I was in the front row. I ran my eye down the alphabet. My fate was -before me. It was there--my name. Exempt in everything! With a yelp of -joy I rushed for my room feeling for my trunk key on the way. Somehow I -got my trunk packed, did the things that had to be done before leaving, -and that night at dinner I had everything ready for an early departure -in the morning. - -The next day, amid the good wishes of my somewhat envious school -friends, I bade farewell to The Hill and started for home. There I -would have a few days with my family and plenty of time to select my -outfit before going on to Wiscasset, Maine, to join the expedition. On -the train I did not buy any magazines. I just sat there and shot polar -bears and dodged icebergs; and what a grand and glorious feeling it was! - -The family were at the train to meet me, and we all had so much to say -that nobody could wait for the other person to finish. Mother was so -happy that I could go and so unhappy because I would not be home for -the vacation, that she didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Father was -so enthusiastic that he wanted to go himself. - -I had about a week before joining the expedition; this time I employed -in getting my equipment ready. I needed all manner of things, and -without a list which the Commander had furnished, we should not have -known what to get. Oilskins and rubber boots for wet weather were -very necessary, as were all sorts of warm things such as knit socks, -heavy underwear, flannel shirts, woolen trousers and a sheepskin -coat, to name but a few of the items. I also laid in a big stock of -five-and-ten-cent-store trinkets for trading with the Eskimos. The -Commander had suggested rings, necklaces, beads, perfume, soap and -various novelties, most of which certainly went like hot cakes with the -Eskimos. - -At last the day arrived on which I must leave home for the last time -until my return from the north, probably in a few months, but very -possibly not for several years, maybe never. The Arctic keeps one -guessing if it does nothing else. One never can tell what successes or -disasters the next day holds. - -The family were not coming east with me now, as it was necessary for -me to go on a few days early to help in the work of preparation. The -family, however, were coming on for the official farewell which was not -to be until a week later. On my way to Wiscasset, where the _Bowdoin_ -was being outfitted, I stopped in New York and joined forces with Dick -Salmon, another member of the expedition. We continued our journey -by steamer to Portland and there we caught a local to Wiscasset. The -afternoon of the fifteenth, the day on which we were supposed to -arrive, found us bumping along and wishing that the train would make -more speed. But after what seemed years, the end of our trip hove in -sight as we suddenly rounded a curve. With beating hearts we gathered -our luggage and prepared to disembark. The train halted just opposite -where the _Bowdoin_ was anchored, and we stared with interest and -admiration at our new home, for such she proved to be for the next -four months. We hailed a passing launch and her skipper put us aboard -our ship. We at once reported for duty to the mate, Mr. Robinson, -who was in charge of the loading. He seemed rather surprised when he -saw me, and he said, “Why, I was told you were a great, big fellow -weighing a hundred and sixty pounds.” As I fell some pounds short of -his expectation, I told him that somebody must have been kidding him. I -think we both knew who it was. I had strong suspicions, anyway. He at -last decided that if I could work, that would help matters quite a bit. -So he told me to be ready for work early next morning and meanwhile -to make myself at home and get acquainted with the members of the -expedition who already had arrived. - -I took a look around. The deck was piled high with boxes and barrels; -the running rigging was all askew on the deck--in short, chaos reigned -everywhere. This was far different from what I had pictured, and I -decided right then and there that when it comes to actual work, getting -the ship north was no more of a job than loading it. I also saw several -dishevelled workmen busily engaged in stowing the cargo in various -parts of the ship. I inquired from the mate who they were, and my -disillusionment was complete when he told me they were two scientific -experts with national reputations. I had always thought of scientists -as not quite human, people who sat around looking into instruments -and writing elaborate reports. But seeing them pitch in and work like -normal human beings did much to restore my confidence that they were -real he-men. - -I looked the ship over from stem to stern. She certainly is a beauty -with lines almost as clean-cut as a yacht. But her timbering would make -a yacht’s look like a melon crate. She has the most massive timbers -of any ship I ever saw, and I think I may safely say that she is the -strongest small vessel in existence. Another very excellent feature -for Arctic work is the way the hull is shaped. It is so rounded that -the ship rises when squeezed by the ice. This is the only way that an -Arctic vessel should be built; as no matter how strong the vessel may -be, she cannot withstand the pressure of heavy ice unless she is made -to rise. The bow also is sloping, so that she may rise a short way on -a cake of ice and crush it with her weight. At the point of impact -it is armored with a heavy iron plate to give additional strength. -A rather unusual feature for Arctic vessels is also incorporated in -the _Bowdoin_, namely, having the vessel reach its full beam a short -way abaft the mainmast which, in a schooner, is quite near the stern. -This serves to shunt the ice away from the propeller, and anything to -protect the propeller is very helpful, as the breaking of a propeller -in the ice is a disaster second only to having the ship crushed; -without strong means of propulsion one cannot get very far, and sails -are a poor substitute for a propeller. She has a semi-Diesel engine -which will run on anything from whale oil to kerosene. If we ran out -of fuel in the north, we would literally “harpoon our way home,” to -quote the Commander. In spite of all these features, she is only a -small vessel, eighty-eight feet over all, fifteen tons net. She is, I -believe, the smallest vessel ever to enter the Arctic. - -By the time we had finished our inspection, it was quitting time, and -our scientist-stevedores knocked off work and began to prepare to -go ashore. Dick and I soon became acquainted with them. They were -Lieutenant Benjamin Rigg, of the Coast and Geodetic Survey, and John -Reinartz, famous short wave radio expert; our hydrographer and radio -operator, respectively, both fine fellows, and we made a congenial -crowd at the inn that evening. We four were the first ones to arrive, -with the exception of the mate, the cook and the engineer. John Jaynes, -the engineer, was another very fine fellow, and we all liked John, -as we soon came to call him. In a few days we were all calling each -other by our first names and felt as if we had known each other all -our lives. John certainly could make an engine behave when it didn’t -want to, and he also could render valuable aid and advice on nearly -everything. - -The cook had gone home for a couple of days to wind up his affairs, and -he did not return until the day following. The mate, “Robbie,” as we -soon called him, was a real mate. His job was to get things done in a -hurry, and he did it. But in addition to his capability as a mate, he -was a real fellow, and no one had more of the respect and friendship -of the expedition than Robbie. The Commander was still in Boston -supervising the preparation of the _Peary_, the ship that was to -carry the naval airplanes and aviators. He was not scheduled to arrive -in Wiscasset till Wednesday night; so we had several days before his -arrival. The rest of the personnel were coming up with the _Peary_ from -Boston. - -[Illustration: _Photo Brust._ - The _Bowdoin_ and her crew, Wiscasset, Maine, June 20, - 1925. - -Left to right: John Jaynes, Engineer; Commander Donald B. MacMillan; -Ralph P. Robinson, Mate; Kennett L. Rawson, Cabin Boy; John Reinartz, -short wave radio expert; Martin Vorce, Cook; Lieutenant Benjamin Rigg, -U. S. Coast and Geodetic Survey; Onnig D. Melkon, moving picture -photographer.] - -After a pleasant evening and a good sleep at the local inn, the -sleeping accommodations on the vessel not yet being arranged, Dick -and I repaired to the _Bowdoin_ early the next morning. My illusions -about life on the bounding billow had undergone a change since I had -seen scientists acting as stevedores. But it was still somewhat of a -surprise when the mate ordered Dick and me to go ashore and sort and -remove the sprouts from thirty bushels of potatoes that were lying in -a neighboring storehouse. We spread the potatoes on the dock under a -broiling sun and set to work. How good an iceberg would have looked at -that moment! Some ten bushels and five blisters later, as I attempted -to straighten up to see if my back had assumed a permanent wave, the -thought struck me that Gareth scrubbing pots in King Arthur’s kitchen -had nothing on me except that he gained immortality while I was getting -an awful pain in the back. But the joke was on him; he had no Arctic -expedition as a reward for his pains. At last, however, the potatoes -were divorced from their sprouts and carefully resacked. We both -decided that our shipmates should never know how much unbargained-for -sweat they were consuming with their tubers. The mate, who later -appeared, seemed to be satisfied with our labors, and this fact greatly -reassured me. Thus, as the old ship’s log might read: “This day came in -with bliss and worked around into blisters. So ends this day.” This, -with the exception of a very pleasant dance which the delightfully -hospitable Sewalls gave that evening. Bliss again! - - - - -CHAPTER II - -UNDER WEIGH - - -The next day was to be a very interesting one. In the first place -the Commander was coming in the evening, and secondly the cook was -arriving. The time-honored tradition on shipboard is that next in -importance to the captain comes the cook. My stomach was in full accord -with this theory, and I was anxious to see the arbiter of its destiny. -As soon as I got to know him I knew my trust had not been misplaced. -Martin Vorce was the best cook and had the finest disposition I ever -saw wrapped up in human form. There is no theory either about the -cook’s having the hardest work on the ship; it is straight fact. Mart -was always on the job, “blow high, blow low.” He had several bouts with -refractory dishes in rough weather, but he always came out on top. - -After the excitement incident to his arrival had died down, we were -aware of the approach of a vessel. At first we thought it was the -_Peary_, but as she was not due till the next day we decided it could -not be she. In a short time we saw that it was a navy tug loaded to -the gunwales with gasolene. She drew alongside the dock and began -discharging her cargo. First a mound of gasolene cases that seemed as -big as the great pyramid of Cheops was hoisted out; this was followed -by a fleet of barrels, and to cap the climax three Liberty engines made -their appearance. I thought if all that was stowed aboard the _Bowdoin_ -there would be no room for the rest of us. But beyond doubt, enough of -those cases would go aboard to keep me on the move for some time. My -prophecy was true. The remainder of that day and all the next I walked -back and forth across a narrow plank accompanied by the inevitable -case. Sometimes the case and I teetered dangerously near the edge; -at others we made an uneventful voyage. I almost hoped I might slip, -for in my reeking condition I felt a good swim would have been worth -ten years of my life. But I avoided this longed for disgrace through -gyrations worthy of a gymnast, and while there was no crowd to cheer me -on, I had the satisfaction of seeing the mound slowly diminish. - -After work was over for the day I became painfully aware that loading -gasolene had discovered a number of tender muscles of which school -athletics had never made me aware. But this condition did not prevent -my looking forward with zest to a dance that was to be given in honor -of the High School Graduation. This was to be held that evening, and -the outstanding feature of the graduation was that the graduates were -to receive their diplomas from the hand of the Commander, who had -especially cut short his stay in Boston in order to be present. - -With the big event of the evening in mind, we went below and -holy-stoned our gasolene-soaked hides religiously. Then we turned to -and attacked our first meal on shipboard, and we vowed that if all the -other meals were as good, we should never have cause to complain. - -After we had waded through our food, we started for the High School. -A short walk landed us there, and we nosed our way through the mob -gathered about the entrance. As we entered, the exercises were just -beginning, and the Commander was on the point of entering into his -presentation speech. We listened to his speech and the ones following -with interest mingled with impatience. Finally the graduates were -graduated, and the dance was on. Then came our long awaited opportunity -to meet the Commander. The mate led us over and presented us. I had -never before seen the Commander, but I had heard enough about him to -whet my curiosity to a degree where I wanted to know the man from the -myth. From the moment I met him I knew that I was serving under a -Commander who was a real leader and a man among men. This impression -has never left me, but has since been constantly strengthened. - -After we had chatted together for a few minutes, with characteristic -good humor, the Commander told the mate to see that we met all of the -sweet young things and had plenty of dancing, for it would be some time -before we danced again. We accepted the Commander’s suggestion as a -sacred duty, and obeyed it to the letter. - -“The morning after the night before” was rather a painful period, as -dancing until the midnight oil is low and then arising at the crack -of dawn does not incline one to rhapsodize over the sunrise. But that -morning, without the aid of our usual battery of alarm clocks, we were -awakened by the shrill blast of a steamer’s siren. We all tumbled into -our clothes as fast as our sleep-numbed bodies could make the grade. -The first person on deck yelled, “Here comes the _Peary_!” True -enough, in another moment we could make out the white lettering against -the black bow. We gave a lusty cheer as she sidled up to the dock, and -then stood by to make fast her lines. In a few moments she was safely -moored, and we were swarming aboard to examine our companion of the -long cruise. - -The first objects to attract our attention were the three navy -airplanes on the after deck. On these three canvas-swathed forms hung -all our hopes. If they failed, it would mean sure death for their -intrepid occupants. In their undress condition they did not look very -imposing, but in my imagination I already heard the roar of the mighty -engines tuning up in the lee of some sheltering icepan. I visioned the -flash of the white foam as they skimmed along for the take-off, and I -saw them recede into the western sky with an ever-diminishing whirr -of engines, outward bound on those flights from which we hoped so -much. Again I saw these proud argosies of the air, this time returning -triumphant with the secret of the ages disclosed. However, the cook’s -sudden cry for breakfast, mingled with the savory odors of bacon and -coffee effectually dissipated all this sort of dreaming. - -After breakfast we got acquainted with our shipmates on board the -_Peary_. There were eight naval aviators under the leadership of -Commander Richard E. Byrd, who has since distinguished himself in -his daring flight over the Polar Sea, and there were also several -scientists and photographers. The ship was under the general direction -of Commander E. F. McDonald, who was second in command of the -expedition and in charge of radio communication. Captain George Steele -was master of the ship and in direct charge of the navigating and -safety of the vessel. - -At this time arrived the remaining members of the _Bowdoin’s_ crew, -namely, Maynard Owen Williams, author and photographer, known to -many by his fine articles and pictures in the _National Geographic -Magazine_; and Onnig D. Melkon, motion picture expert, whose job was to -preserve a motion picture record of the expedition for later use in the -Commander’s lectures. These two completed the ship’s crew, and now with -our full complement we were counting the minutes till sailing time. - -At last the great day came. The departure was an event of national -importance. Town, state and nation were all officially represented. In -addition to these were thousands of interested citizens and visitors -come to wish us bon voyage. Among the latter were most of the families -of the crew, including my own. Two o’clock was the zero hour, and after -short exercises at the town hall, the Commander came aboard and gave -the long awaited order: “Cast off.” - -[Illustration: _Photo Geo. W. Lord._ Outward bound, June, 1925.] - -[Illustration: The _Bowdoin_ leaving the dock at Wiscasset.] - -Eager hands freed the lines and amid the roar of steam whistles and -cheers from the crowd we slowly headed seaward. Governor Brewster of -Maine had furnished a band and a tug to transport them, and as we -steamed outward they poured forth a brazen blare of melody. Alumni -and students of Bowdoin College, the Commander’s alma mater, had -chartered a steamer, and the enthusiastic, leather-lunged collegians -raked us fore and aft with a series of vocal salvos that would have -driven any team on to victory. The procession was headed by two naval -vessels especially designated by the Navy Department to do honor to -the occasion. In addition to this official recognition, a large number -of yachts from far and near had gathered to join in the celebration. -But as we reeled off the miles, our escorts gradually turned back one -by one, until by the time we neared the open sea, only a persistent -few remained. Even these had returned by the time we were fairly -launched forth on the long ocean roll, and the _Peary_, too, had -deserted us, as she was going to Boothbay to take on a final supply of -water, while we set our course in solitary state for Monhegan Island. -Just as the great lighthouse began to blink, we dropped anchor under -the lee of the island. Here the guests who had thus far accompanied us, -soon followed the anchor over the side and went up to the village inn -where we shortly joined them. There, in accordance with custom, the -hospitable islanders had prepared a delicious banquet for the members -of the expedition and their guests. There we ate well indeed but not -too wisely for mariners who were about to slip their cable in the -morning. - - - - -CHAPTER III - -IN THE LAND OF ADVENTURE - - -At noon the next day, Sunday, June 21st, we put to sea from the last -outpost of the United States that we should see until our return. As we -circled the islands, a fishing boat filled with enthusiastic members of -the Civitan Club, who had come all the way from Minneapolis to see us -off, came alongside and throwing huge codfish aboard shouted the last -farewells we heard in home waters from fellow citizens. - -In a few moments a Bay of Fundy fog had swallowed us up, and the -curtain had dropped on the last home setting. The day was fairly calm, -but there was a long, oily swell which rolled the boat like a lazy -pendulum. Moreover, the smoke from the exhaust was carried forward -across the deck by a light, following breeze. In a few hours I began -to notice a greenish pallor overspreading the faces of my shipmates, -and, guided by my own feelings amidships, I had an intuition that my -face was experiencing the same change. Soon a disheveled figure sprang -from the forecastle companionway and made a dash for the rail. In a -few moments another appeared bound for the same destination. I thought -this was very funny, when suddenly the ship fetched a great roll, and I -meditated with melancholy on my liberal indulgence at the dinner of the -night before. Without stopping for further speculations I too joined -in the mad scramble for the rail. Under the suasion of an unstable -equilibrium the gastric organs have certain generous periods when they -won’t keep a thing, and when they are in this mood they follow the -example of time and tide and wait for no man. This lack of a sense -of expediency on the part of these unfortunate organs caused several -similar embarrassing situations from time to time. After completing my -first session at the rail, I felt relieved--much relieved, and decided -I was all through with such foolishness; so I sat down to await my -trick at the wheel and to enjoy the adventures in mal de mer of the -other unfortunates. But again my mirth ended in another dash for the -rail. These upsets, however, did not permit of any laying off from -regular duties, since the work had to be done and there were none too -many of us to do it. Thus I stood my regular trick at the wheel, a -task with which I was familiar from previous voyages, kept my regular -watch and did whatever duties were assigned me despite a few protests -on the part of my stomach. This state of affairs continued for the next -three days until we reached Sydney, Nova Scotia. - -Early on the morning of the second day out we rounded Cape Sable, the -southernmost point in Nova Scotia, and laid a northerly course parallel -to the coast heading for Cape Breton Island where Sydney is located. -Here we were to take on water and fuel oil before squaring away for -“The Labrador.” - -Three days later on Wednesday morning, we reached Cape Breton Island -and made our way into the spacious harbor of Sydney. The _Peary_, -having preceded us, was lying at North Sydney loading coal and placing -iron plates over the lower portholes, that they might not be broken by -the ice. - -We made our way to a supply dock in the lower end of Sydney harbor and -began loading fuel and other supplies. Inasmuch as Sydney was the most -outlying stop on our journey to offer tonsorial and other luxurious -civilized conveniences, we availed ourselves of all the facilities -that the town afforded. For awhile the barber shop was the center of -interest, with the soda counter at the drug store running a close -second. It was while we were in a drug store that an unprecedented -thing happened. Mr. Raycroft, a friend of the Commander’s, who had -accompanied us up to Sydney, entered the store, started to make a -purchase, when suddenly he bolted into the street without a word of -explanation. In a few moments he returned looking a few shades paler, -and in reply to our anxious queries he told us that the unaccustomed -steadiness of the building had made him feel sick, and he felt an -urgent need of fresh air. That was the only case of “land sickness” in -the memory of the oldest inhabitant. - -After a voyage of general exploration about the town, we discovered -the product for which Sydney is famous, and that is lobsters. Under -the leadership of Ben Rigg, an ardent enthusiast on the subject of -shellfish, we raided every lobster joint in town. One may easily -imagine after our hollow days at sea that there was plenty of room for -food. After visiting about five places and exhausting their limited -supplies, we ended up about eleven o’clock in a Chinaman’s, where we -gorged on more of these luscious crustaceans and on chop suey. None of -us had nightmare, strange to say. - -After three days of the strenuous life in Sydney, our preparations -were complete, and we pulled out for the bleak and desolate Labrador, -leaving instructions with the _Peary_ to join us at Battle Harbor after -completing her coaling. - -We set sail for the Labrador with a feeling that we were at last -entering the great unknown. From what we had heard and read concerning -this region, none of us knew what to expect. But we had the best -possible person on board to enlighten us; namely, Doctor Wilfred -Grenfell, the famous Labrador missionary doctor. He was just returning -from a trip around the world and had arrived in Sydney preparatory to -going on to Battle Harbor. Being acquainted with the Commander, he came -down, and as the Doctor was planning to leave on the next steamer, the -Commander invited him to accompany us instead. In addition to Doctor -Grenfell we were accompanied by another distinguished guest, Dr. -Gilbert Grosvenor, President of the National Geographic Society, under -whose auspices we sailed. Having voyaged with us to Sydney, he was so -charmed with the life aboard ship that he continued with us to Battle -Harbor. Thus we were well equipped with celebrities, come what might. - -[Illustration: _Copyright, National Geographic Society._ - Rawson, MacMillan at the wheel, and Dr. Grosvenor. - On way to Sydney.] - -[Illustration: “Yonder beneath the North Star lies our destination, - Lad.”] - -[Illustration: Commander MacMillan, Dr. Grosvenor and Dr. Grenfell. - Battle Harbor.] - -After sailing for several days through the placid waters of the Gulf -of St. Lawrence, we found ourselves at the entrance of the Straits of -Belle Isle. Here we realized for the first time that we were really -getting north, when the word was passed around to look out for bergs. I -had heard much of the danger of icebergs, and an apprehensive shudder -spread over my frame as I imagined what would happen if we should run -on one unawares, for we were shrouded in one of the usual Straits fogs. -In a short while our straining eyes discerned a dark object loom out of -the fog on the starboard bow. At the time, I was at the wheel, and Dick -Salmon was on the lookout. I gripped the spokes at the thought of how -close this chill apparition was, but we were well to port, and in a few -moments it melted into the mist. - -A short time later after the excitement fomented by the berg had -subsided, we began to notice signs of the proximity of land. Robbie -clambered aloft into the crow’s nest to watch for shoal water, and -the rest of us clustered into the bow for the same purpose. Suddenly -out of the fog appeared a white line. It was breakers rolling across -a long point. A hasty chorus of shouts to the helmsman resulted in -an immediate altering of the course to parallel the land, instead of -heading straight at it as we were when we first sighted it. It was in -this dramatic manner that we made our acquaintance with The Labrador, -and it was in a setting typical of this rugged country. One usually -becomes acquainted with The Labrador by nearly running on it every time -one approaches it during the early summer months, for at that time the -land is almost perpetually shrouded in fog. Not long afterwards another -line of breakers indicated the presence of a new exponent of terra -firma. This disturber of the mariners’ peace was named Blanc Sablon, a -reminder of the old days of the French domination. This entire south -coast is sprinkled with French names and with French speaking people. - -As the fog was still too thick for safe navigating along this -treacherous coast, we put into the little settlement of Forteau. This -is one of Doctor Grenfell’s stations, and he made us very welcome -there. He also recommended the splendid trout fishing and issued us -honorary fishing licenses for the neighboring creeks, since he was -an honorary magistrate. Armed with this legal protection and also -with rods and gear, we sallied forth to a likely looking brook to try -conclusions with the wily denizens of the stream. It certainly seemed -good to get our sea legs straightened out as we strolled up and down -whipping the stream. After a few casts I felt a sudden tightening on -my line, and the reel began to sing. For a minute I let it run; then -I checked it abruptly in order to drive the hook well home. Then the -fight was on. The fish threshed wildly in a vain endeavor to free -himself, but I had him fast. There was about five minutes of play, and -then I reeled him in. He was a fine specimen, weighing very nearly -two pounds, and my hopes were high that we might obtain enough for -all hands. In a moment I heard a yell from Mart, and looking in his -direction I saw that he was holding aloft a trout fully as large as -my own. Then we went at it with all our might, but the God of Fortune -smiled no further, and at last tired and discomfited, we returned to -the ship. - -Early the next morning we were under weigh again for Battle Harbor. On -our way out as we rounded Cape Point Amour we sighted what seemed to -be a great cruiser sailing close to the Cape. As we drew nearer we saw -that she was too far in for a large ship, and still closer inspection -showed that she was hard and fast on the rocks. We then learned from -the Commander that this was the British cruiser _Raleigh_ which had run -aground in a fog some years previous while endeavoring to make Forteau. -We felt a twinge of pity that such a fine ship should rust out her -heart on the bleak rocks of Labrador. - -Continuing on up the coast, sometimes in fog and sometimes in beautiful -clear weather, we were encompassed by a magnificent vista. On one -hand the bleak and rugged hills of the shore-line, and on the seaward -side a matchless panorama of schooners, dancing waves and icebergs. -The schooners tacking in and out under full sail among the glistening -bergs; the tall, majestic spires and turrets of the larger bergs -dwarfing the tallest mast into insignificance; the dancing wavelets -curtsying to the graceful schooners whose black hulls contrasted -sharply against the whiteness and marvellous shades of ultramarine blue -of the glacial ice, all combined to make an unforgettable picture. - -Just as the shadows of evening had begun to creep up from the west and -merge the glories of a perfect day into a matchless sunset, the rugged -outline of Battle Island appeared bathed in a purple glow that made the -hard unyielding rock look like rich dyed velvet. It was not long before -we dropped anchor between the sheer rock walls of Battle Harbor. - - - - -CHAPTER IV - -A TRULY GLORIOUS FOURTH AND SOME VERY REAL FISHING - - -Dr. Grenfell’s staff were down at the dock to welcome us, and they soon -made us realize that American hospitality is the same the world around. -Although Labrador is English territory, the hospital is manned and, -to improvise an expression, “womanned” by Americans. A doctor, three -nurses and three college men, all of whom had volunteered to serve for -the summer, made up the staff of the hospital. In every way possible -they strove to make our stay in Battle Harbor an enjoyable one, and -they certainly succeeded. - -While in this port we celebrated the glorious Fourth of July. The day -previous we had remembered with a start that the following day was the -Fourth! Dick Salmon suggested that we inaugurate the festivities with -a snowball fight, since there was a large deposit on the opposite side -of the tickle, so-called by the Newfoundlanders in speaking of a narrow -channel which indicates ticklish navigating. Dick’s cool suggestion -did not meet with a warm reception for obvious reasons, and we turned -in with our plans for the observance of the day somewhat nebulous. - -The next morning at an early hour I was awakened from a sound sleep by -the explosion of a firecracker uncomfortably close to my ear. I made a -nose dive for the floor muttering imprecations against the authors of -the outrage. Then realizing that the great day had come, I hurriedly -dressed and made my way to the deck where the celebrants greeted me -with such a penitent air that I did not engage in the retaliations I -had determined to employ. - -After clearing away the breakfast wreckage, the cook began making -the pots fly in a business-like manner, and soon savory odors -ascending from the galleys gave notice that a culinary masterpiece -was in the process of preparation. To the accompaniment of these -welcome sounds and odors, we swabbed down the deck and coiled down -the lines with despatch, and then sat back in the crisp sunlight in -languid anticipation of the approaching feast. At twelve-thirty the -cook’s warcry resounded through the vessel, and we tumbled down the -companionway to make the first table. Since there was not room for -us all at one sitting, our meals were served in two shifts. As “first -come, first served” was the order of the day, the competition was keen -indeed for the coveted places. I was fortunate enough to slide into the -last remaining seat much to the disgust of Melkon who had been keeping -his eye on the food all morning. Then came on the grub, and what -grub it was! Fish chowder flavored with onions, a magnificent roast -of beef--the last domestic meat we were to taste until our return--a -profusion of vegetables, plum duff and candy, with coffee and fruit -punch to wash it all down. Then there were cigars for those who desired -them; a pleasure in which several of us did not indulge. - -After this repast we repaired to the deck where we basked in the -mellow sunlight like a herd of well-fed walrus. At last one of our -more ambitious shipmates suggested that we have an outboard motor race -with a boat from the _Peary_. This suggestion was hailed with acclaim, -and we immediately set to work tuning up our engine. At this moment -arrived Chief Aerographer Francis in the _Peary’s_ cutter. Immediately -we hurled at him our challenge which he at once accepted and it was -not long before both boats were at the line ready for the starting -gun. Our interest was keen, and suggestions and advice poured over our -bulwarks like a Bay of Fundy tide. Soon they were off neck and neck. -For a time all progressed beautifully. Then the regular cadence of our -boat’s exhaust became faltering. The _Peary’s_ craft forged ahead. We -yelled like mad as our crew of two desperately spun the needle valve, -and tinkered with every other gadget on the craft. But to no avail. Off -went our opponent and with him our hopes of victory. When he crossed -the finish line, our crew was still wrestling with the refractory -engine, and we reluctantly presented Francis with the first prize, a -leaky rubber boot. He hove the boot at our heads and went off in high -dudgeon over our lack of appreciation of his superior prowess. - -All along the Commander had held forth on the delicacy of the Labrador -trout and salmon, and therefore great was our delight when one day the -mission people proposed a trip to the head of St. Louis Bay, where -was located a fine trout stream not far from the winter hospital. It -is necessary to maintain a winter station in addition to the summer -station at Battle Harbor, as the outer islands are untenable in winter -owing to their exposed position. The heavy pack ice comes in from -the sea, and savage winter gales lash the bleak and desolate islands, -rendering them impracticable for winter habitation. Every one moves -inland to the head of the great bays and settles down in a well -sheltered log cabin in close proximity to a forest of good firewood. -The hospital is no exception to this rule, and by the time the last -schooner has winged its way southward, the Battle Harbor station is -closed, and the winter hospital is put into service. We were all very -anxious to see the back country and looked forward to the trip with -keen expectancy, whetted by what we had heard from the Commander. - -Early the next day with the Commander’s permission, all hands, with the -exception of one or two who unfortunately had to keep the ship, gaily -sallied forth in the capacious mission boat. After traversing a space -of rough water, which caused embarrassment to several of the ladies, -hospital nurses who accompanied us, we entered the great bay and sailed -past shores at first barren of vegetation but growing progressively -greener as we penetrated inland. It was interesting to observe this -increase in plant life as we drew away from the blighting influence -of the frigid Labrador current, which makes this coast the bleak and -barren land it is. - -We arrived at the winter station a short time before noon and gave it -a thorough inspection. It seemed so nice and cosy tucked away in the -midst of a beautiful grove of pines on a picturesque arm of the bay, -that I almost wished I was a patient there. - -As the sun mounted higher and higher towards the zenith, I began to -wonder where lunch fitted into the program. This also seemed to be in -the minds of our hosts and Doctor Grenfell soon suggested that we have -lunch on the banks of St. Mary’s Creek and do our fishing afterwards. -The lunch was to be cooked “on location,” as they say in the movies, -and the pièce de résistance was to be a real old New England fish -chowder. To one who has never experienced a fish chowder--for it is an -experience--words are inadequate to describe it; and to one who has -experienced it any attempt at description is superfluous. Suffice it to -say we gorged ourselves to repletion. - -Even this heavy cargo of chowder did not hinder our getting under weigh -for the trout basin, and we were soon off with rod and gear. Williams, -however, who looked down on fishing with sophisticated contempt, -remained behind to amuse the ladies. As we moved off we last saw him -feverishly tossing dishes aloft, and only on our return did we learn -much to our relief that his brain had not been affected by the heavy -meal and that he was merely giving an exhibition of Bagdad juggling. - -A short distance up the stream we found a small series of rapids -between which were dark, enticing pools. Mart, our mentor in such -matters, declared the location favorable, and we were soon casting our -flies into the swirling eddies. Every now and then we could see the -silver flash of a fish break the white water of the rapids, but for a -considerable time no welcome tug at the line ensued. We were on the -point of moving farther upstream when suddenly I felt a violent jerk, -my reel sang and my rod assumed an excessive arc. I stood my ground and -watched the line pay out until I could see the nickel core of the reel. -I was on the point of dashing into the stream to relieve the danger -of having the line unreeve, when slowly the rod came straight and the -reel ceased to revolve. One of father’s old fishing axioms came to me: -“A slack line spells disaster.” I began reeling furiously, and for a -minute I felt that my fish was off. I was on the point of giving up -when again came a taut jerk. Away sped the fish with another thirty -feet of my line. I played him with all the cunning I could command, -until at last his silver scales sparkled in the shallow pool at my -feet. Just as I was about to draw him to shore, he flipped his tail -and was gone again. Once more I gave him his head. This time he dashed -towards a jagged clump of rocks, and I realized with dismay that unless -I took extreme measures I should soon have my line inextricably tangled -around the rocks. Taking a desperate chance I added a few more pounds -tension to the reel. The rod bent dangerously, and my breath came hard -with the suspense, but the rod held. He came short of the rocks by -several inches; then, exhausted by this desperate sally, he slackened -his efforts, and I began to reel him in. This time the struggle was -short, and in a few minutes he was gasping on the rocks at my feet, as -fine a specimen of brook trout as I ever saw! - -In my excitement I had not noticed that success had crowned the efforts -of my companions, and there were three or four other speckled beauties -divided among them. For a while longer we fished with signal good -fortune, but at last the dipping sun warned us that it was time to -think of returning to the ship. Gathering up our trophies we hastened -down to the shore where we rejoined the others, and in a short time we -were chugging along towards the ship, at the close of one of the finest -days we ever had in Labrador. - - - - -CHAPTER V - -THROUGH THE PACK TO DISASTER - - -It was with regret that at dawn on the day following we bade farewell -to Battle Harbor and the hospitable Grenfell workers and squared away -for Hopedale whence we would make the long leg to Greenland. While -on the way to Hopedale we crossed the mouth of Hamilton Inlet, a -great fiord or arm of the sea that penetrates the land for a hundred -miles. From this fiord extends a river containing one of the largest -waterfalls in the world, the Grand Falls of the Hamilton River. - -Early the next morning we were off Cape Harrison at the northern end -of the inlet. Here we began to notice scattered cakes of ice drifting -out to sea--“Gone abroad,” as the Newfoundlanders say. Soon the -scattered fragments became thicker, and a full-fledged field of pack -ice presented itself to our vision. - -The Commander ascended to the crow’s nest to survey the situation and -con the ship through the ice. As this pack barred the entrance to -Hopedale it was necessary to go through it, and the Commander seeing a -likely lead--a lane of open water between the ice cakes--ordered the -wheel put hard aport. The vessel rapidly swung around until her bow was -directed down the lead. “Steady!” was the next command from aloft, and -the helmsman spun the wheel in the opposite direction as hard as he -could until she checked in her swing. She rapidly traversed the lead -which soon terminated in a solid cake of ice. Straight on continued the -_Bowdoin_ like a hunter for a jump. Soon her rounded bow was almost -in contact with the ice, and in another second she had struck it fair -and square. Her prow leaped up on the pan, and I leaned over the prow -thinking that surely she would never be able to force her way through -such a large cake of ice. But driven by her powerful engine, her bow -glided straight up. Then she slowly came to a halt with her bow well -up on the ice. With breathless interest we watched to see whether she -had the weight to crush it. Just as we were preparing to back out and -hit it again, a thin line of black broke the even white. She had made -it! The great cake was rent asunder by our sturdy little vessel, and -she slowly gained way until she leaped forward with increasing rapidity -at the next obstacle which dared to bar her way. Thus we continued -weaving in and out, now to port and now to starboard, wherever a lead -opened, and where there was none smashing our way. Good judgment and -a knowledge of ice conditions are required in ice navigation on the -part of the man aloft, and the helmsman must possess the ability to -follow orders rapidly and efficiently and be able to keep the ship from -brushing the sides of narrow passages. Spinning that wheel frequently -and for all one is worth is no joke, and even in that cold, stripped -down to my underwear, I sweated like a pack mule before I had been at -it for long. - -All day we ploughed through the pack with the _Peary_ near by. She was -under a disadvantage in having a straight bow and in not maneuvering -as readily as we did, but her superior engine power in a large measure -compensated for this. As darkness slowly fell I was struck by the -absence of any friendly light twinkling a welcome through the dusk, -such as one sees in friendlier climes. Nothing but rocks, ice, sky and -water--not even a tree or fisherman’s hut to vary the monotony of those -barren cliffs. What a contrast to the ceaseless activity of The Hill -with its life and action, its cheering bleachers at the games and its -humming classrooms--never a moment there when one feels that sense of -utter detachment from one’s fellow man which oppressed me in viewing -the bleak Labrador. The utter desolation of it all brought thoughts -of School and Home with their warmth and life and cheer. Suddenly I -found myself shivering violently, and with a start I returned to the -immediate present. Turning away from the fading landscape I hastened to -the companionship of my mates in the warm, well-lighted forecastle. - -The following morning we were away early and were soon clear of the -last of the ice and were bound up Flagstaff Tickle on the way to -Hopedale, the southernmost settlement of the Eskimos. Despite the fact -that these waters are poorly charted, we experienced no difficulty in -keeping the channel until we were almost in Hopedale. Then out of a -clear sky, grim disaster descended upon us. We were skirting a small -reef which jutted a considerable way into the Sound when suddenly the -bow of the _Peary_ made an abrupt ascent; then she slowly assumed a -list. Immediately the Commander ordered the _Bowdoin’s_ helm put hard -down. In a moment more we were flying down wind to the aid of our -stricken companion. She had struck on a sunken ledge of rock which gave -no indication of its presence until the vessel’s keel had touched. At -once we came alongside, which our comparatively shallow draft rendered -safe, and after rigging a masthead line we steamed slowly away to see -if we could pull her off. Calm and cool as always, Captain Steele -ordered the lowering of a small boat in order to run out a kedge anchor. - -Meanwhile we ran out the slack in the line and gradually took up a -strain. But owing to a strong wind assisting the efforts of our engine, -no sooner had the line come taut than it snapped. Captain Steele was -now manfully striving to work his boat to windward. Seeing his plight -we steamed over to give the lifeboat a tow. In a few moments we had -it in the proper position, and let go the anchor. Then we ran down -and placed a line over the _Peary’s_ stern to try to haul her off in -that manner. During this time the lifeboat had returned and was hauled -up on a short bight astern while her crew disembarked. In the stern -of the small boat stood Commander McDonald awaiting his turn to get -aboard the _Peary_. In some unaccountable manner the lifeboat caught -under the counter of the ship, and a sea suddenly jammed her against -the plates. As she could rise no farther, the waves poured over her -gunwales and swamped her. McDonald shouted to those on deck to drop the -boat aft, but she had become so waterlogged that they could do nothing -with her, and each succeeding wave forced her farther and farther down. -All yelled for him to jump while the jumping was good, but he still -maintained his position in a manner reminiscent of the boy who stood -on the burning deck. In spite of the Commander’s heroic pose, the boat -gradually sank, and in a second more it began to roll over. With one -wild leap he left his sinking craft to its fate, caught a hold on the -bulwarks and was pulled aboard the _Peary_. - -In the meantime, the deck of the _Peary_ became a scene of wild -excitement. Everyone stood around on the deck with their bags packed, -apparently convinced that the boat was going down. But their fears were -vain. Under the combined influence of a rising tide, our pulling and -the kedge anchor, she began slowly to slide off the ledge, and in a -few moments she was once more safe afloat. - -We then went in search of the submerged lifeboat which had slowly -drifted away during the intervening time. We soon came upon her -drifting bottom upwards. To rescue the boat was somewhat of a problem, -since there was nothing visible to which we could make fast. By -skillful maneuvering, however, Captain MacMillan brought us alongside, -and we strove desperately to get a line on her. But the winds and the -waves unfortunately separated us, and we had the whole operation to -do over again. The next time we approached her a sudden gust of wind -swerved our bow just enough to hit her a crashing blow, seriously -damaging her. - -That misfortune, however, was not the worst that befell us that -afternoon, for, as we strove to clear the boat, our propeller struck -one of her spare fittings thereby stripping her internal gears. At -the time we were unaware of the damage, and the propellor continued -turning, seemingly uninjured. We at last managed to corral the -unruly lifeboat and then set our course for Hopedale. It had been a -harrowing afternoon, but all in all we had much to be thankful for. Our -misfortunes were nothing compared to what they would have been if the -tide had been falling, and the _Peary_ had been unable to float off. -For being a steel ship, she would have filled and become a total loss -when the tide began to flow. - - - - -CHAPTER VI - -THE HEROES OF HOPEDALE - - -Hopedale, with the exception of Makkovik, which harbors only two -families, is the southernmost settlement of the Eskimos and one of -the principal posts of the Moravian missions. Unknown to the world at -large, the Moravians have been carrying on a wonderful missionary work -on this desolate coast and great have been their services. In the first -place they have formed the one barrier between the primitive Eskimo -and the ruin which has been the inevitable accompaniment of contact -with the white race. Had it not been for these good Samaritans there -would not be a single Eskimo in Labrador to-day! For when all the -rest of the people who have dealings with the natives have striven to -encourage their destruction, these brave missionaries, and they alone, -have held firm for the right, have waged a never-ceasing fight against -all who threatened the welfare of their wards. No obstacle has proved -too great; no effort has been too tiring; not even a lack of funds has -deterred these indomitable evangelists from doing their duty where they -found it. They have converted the Eskimos to Christianity and endowed -them with the priceless gift of the true Christian spirit of brotherly -love. Aside from their religious work, they are the only agency for -carrying on education in Northern Labrador, both among Eskimos and -whites. Owing to their untiring efforts the Eskimos have been uplifted -from a state of complete ignorance and savagery to a status of -civilization and education. - -At their Makkovik station the Moravians maintain a boarding school for -boys, up there education being considered the heritage of the male -alone. At this school the children are given board and lodging and as -much education as their untrained minds can assimilate. This board, -lodging and education they receive for fifty cents a week! Yet such is -the poverty of these people that most of the families find it well-nigh -impossible to pay even this modest sum. - -The school consisted of one bare classroom furnished with a few -rough desks and chairs, while across the hall a room comprised the -dormitory. I could not help comparing it to the elaborately equipped -plant which I had so recently left. At this primitive school there -were no spacious athletic fields, no huge, airy dormitories, no -stately towers, no gymnasium of any description. We, in this country, -can hardly conceive of a crack school, for that is what this one is -considered, not having at least a gymnasium. The children came to -learn and for no other reason. There were no dances, no gay parties -or entertainments and no competitive sports--in short, education was -reduced to terms of severest simplicity. None the less it is, I dare -say, more appreciated and more highly respected than it is in many -other places. - -The fearless regard of these missionaries for justice and impartiality -has been the shield and buckler of the simple aborigine against the -unscrupulous avarice of the trader and the demoralizing influence of -the depraved white. Much also have they done for the poverty-stricken -white settler, educating the children, bringing relief to the bereaved, -and keeping alive in the breasts of all the spirit of honesty and -idealism. In addition to their care for the things of the spirit, they -were the first to introduce medical aid to The Labrador. Truly have -they carried out in the broadest sense the words of the Master when -he said, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel unto every -creature.” - -What a glorious epic of Christian service has been their ministry -on this coast! Clear and strong as to the apostles of old came the -call of duty--that inspiring lodestone which has drawn forth the -noblest and best from the men of all ages. Home and kindred, material -rewards, ease and luxury were as naught before it. The stern dictates -of conscience to them comprised the sole path to joy and happiness. -But how little we realize the trials and deprivations that their -self-imposed exile necessitates; how many of the little things that -to us seem so necessary they must perforce do without. A prized -possession of one of the missionaries was an old camera dating back to -1870. This he displayed with great pride one afternoon while we were -taking tea at the mission. It consisted of a cumbersome old box on a -tripod, of which the only method of regulating the diaphragm opening -was by inserting brass plugs with a proper sized hole bored in them. He -handled this venerable machine with the affection born of long years -of association. While we were examining it, his kindly wife brought -forth with pride several bulky albums filled with the results of her -husband’s efforts. We opened these and great was our surprise to see -the beautiful quality and real artistry of these pictures. He was an -artist to the soul, and with proper equipment what pictures he might -have taken! - -No one better realized the strict economy under which these people -perforce must labor, than did the Commander, and it was at his -suggestion that the Zenith Radio Corporation, which had supplied -us with our radio equipment, donated several receiving sets for -distribution among the worthy missionaries. One of these we presented -to Mr. Perrit, the minister at Hopedale, and when he heard the music, -his gratitude and delight were so touching that we wished we might do -infinitely more for him and his cause. - -Never a strong sect, the Moravians have made up in zeal and quality -of service what they lack in money and numbers. With no prospect of -reward from the world, they have carried on year in and year out. Many -an opportunity for improvement have they seen slip for lack of funds, -but undaunted they have kept their faith and courage in spite of the -most disheartening discouragements. When one brother succumbed another -was always ready to fill the gap. Their service to humanity cannot be -over-rated. Theirs is the true understanding. - -But it seems that their long ministry soon may end. Never a strong -sect, in the last few years they have suffered from many ill-advised -attacks. During the war many of them were interned by the Newfoundland -government, and their bishop was deported--acts not unlike those -earlier perpetrated against the simple Acadian farmers. The great -fur-trading companies have been making every effort to crowd them out. -Last year unfortunately they were obliged to abandon their northernmost -station to the Hudson’s Bay Company, and it is not unlikely that unless -aid is soon forthcoming from some source, their remaining stations will -suffer a like fate. - -All true friends of Labrador who know of the labors of this noble -group will view with regret the passing of this earnest organization -which has accomplished so much for these simple children of the -north. My strong personal hope is that the necessary funds for the -perpetuation of this fine work may be realized. A few thousand dollars -will mean worlds of help to them, and when one sees, he realizes the -worth-whileness of giving to such a cause as is supported by these -apostles of the outposts of civilization. - - - - -CHAPTER VII - -IN ESKIMO LAND AND IN TROUBLE - - -No sooner were we at anchor in Hopedale Harbor than I noticed the -approach of several large boats filled with strange-looking, brown -folk, different from any I had ever before seen. For a moment I was -at a loss to explain them; then suddenly I remembered that we had -arrived in Eskimo Land. I stared with interest and surprise. These -were not the kind of people I had seen in pictures! These were not the -grotesque, fur-swathed barbarians that my mind had conceived. With the -exception of dark skin and rather high cheek-bones, they looked not so -very different from ourselves, and they lacked that ferocious look I -had seen stamped on their countenances in the Sunday supplements. As -they came alongside they greeted us with expansive grins and a babble -of good-natured banter which displayed their white teeth and black -flashing eyes. - -“Ochshinai! Taku oomiak-swa!” came from the boats, and I later learned -that this meant, “Hello, look at the big ship.” - -The Commander came on deck at this juncture and was greeted with -an enthusiastic outburst, for his generosity and kindliness are -remembered by more than one denizen of this isolated land. Immediately -he entered into conversation with them, as he is well acquainted with -the language. While he was thus engaged, Robbie appeared on deck and -took in the situation at one glance. He then descended into the cabin -with an inscrutable smile on his face. We did not realize what he was -about until he reappeared laden with tobacco and candy. At once he -was surrounded by a laughing, chattering mob striving to wheedle from -him some of the coveted articles. With a deliberate air, born of long -experience at this game, he began distributing these much-desired -treasures. To each one he presented one article, and saw that none was -slighted or obtained an undue share of the spoils, in spite of many -ingenious and good-natured attempts to defraud him. Each attempt was -regarded as a sporting proposition, and loud were the laughs among -the natives when one of their number was detected trying to “gyp the -system.” - -Soon Mr. Perrit, the head missionary, arrived and officially welcomed -us to Hopedale. Mr. Perrit is a strapping six footer with curly blonde -hair--a regular Viking. He is one of the most earnest missionaries on -the coast, and none has a greater and more well-deserved popularity -than he. He remained aboard for some time, and after his departure -we went ashore to consummate the purpose for which we had come to -Hopedale--namely, to obtain warm Eskimo clothing for the colder weather -to be encountered farther north. - -We soon had the storekeeper booked up with orders, and he immediately -set the entire female population to work chewing skins. The Eskimo -tailor differs considerably from the Broadway type. In the first place -it is a she instead of a he, and in lieu of shrinking the material she -chews it. Since the material consists of sealskin or other heavy hides, -it requires a thorough chewing to render it pliable. After the chewing -is completed, she cuts the skin to the proper size and shape by means -of an ooloo, or woman’s knife--a knife shaped like an old-fashioned -chopping knife. Then she takes the material and sews it together with -sinew from the back of a deer. This sinew has the useful property of -swelling when wet, and once it has been wet, it never again contracts. -This swelling completely closes the needle hole and renders the -garment water-tight. It is no easy task to wield a needle in this tough -hide, but these strong-fingered women turn out a very finished product. -The fit may leave something to be desired as the measurements are taken -by eye and the garment constructed accordingly, but they are warm and -comfortable. - -In addition to the clothes, we also laid in a supply of sealskin boots, -as the Labrador product is far superior to the Greenland variety. The -workmanship is more thorough, and the water-resisting qualities are -better. These boots are made of harp seal and are the best things going -for Arctic work. With a handful of grass in the sole to form insulation -against the cold and to act as a pad against pebbles or sharp ice, they -are as comfortable an article of footwear as one can desire. - -Another reason for our coming to Hopedale was to secure our old -interpreter, Abram Bromfield, who had been with the Commander on -numerous previous trips. Abie lived about thirty miles from Hopedale at -the head of a large bay known as Jack Lane’s Bay. Therefore, after we -had obtained our clothing, we set our course for his home. While on the -way we noticed that the vessel was not turning up her customary speed, -but as the engine was functioning perfectly we decided that it must -have been an illusion created by the effects of tide or wind. - -On our arrival at Jack Lane’s Bay, the Commander and McDonald took one -of the small boats and started up the Bay for Abie’s house. Early the -next morning they returned accompanied by the whole Bromfield family -who brought us several thick, tender, juicy venison steaks and a large -mess of fresh-caught trout. Old Sam Bromfield, Abie’s father, aged -seventy, also brought his accordion and gave us a rare treat by dancing -the good old folk dances and playing some of the songs of yesteryear. - -The following morning at two o’clock sharp, the mate slid back the -forecastle hatch and uttered the familiar cry, “All hands on deck!” In -spite of sleep-numbed brains and the well-nigh irresistible desire to -return to the alluring arms of Morpheus, we snapped back, “Yes, sir,” -and hit the deck with despatch. - -In getting under weigh my particular job was to stow the chain in the -chain locker, and in a few moments my ears were greeted with: “Stand -by the chain!” I made a dash over Dick’s bunk and dived into the -locker just in time to grab the chain as the great electric winch by -my ear was beginning its raucous clatter, and the muddy chain was -commencing its rapid descent. A few minutes later there lay at my feet -a huge mound of rusted links, and I heard the creak of the tackle with -which the anchor is brought to the cat-head. The engine-room telegraph -jangled; a sudden vibration indicated the throwing in of the clutch, -and I prepared to go on deck. Suddenly I noticed the absence of the -customary ripple which can be heard from the chain locker when the -vessel is under weigh. I listened intently, but no murmur of gurgling -water greeted my straining ears. Could the engineer have mistaken the -signal? No, the engine was running as usual. I dashed on deck wondering -what could be the trouble. The Commander stood by the wheel, on his -face a puzzled expression. The rest of the crew were bending over the -stern, vainly endeavoring to fathom the trouble. - -[Illustration: Maynard Williams (left), photographer, National -Geographic Society, Lieut. Benjamin Rigg (right), U. S. Coast and -Geodetic Survey.] - -It was still nearly as dark as midnight; just a faint touch of red in -the east. In a moment more the _Peary_ came sliding along through the -morning vapors like a great, grey ghost, her black smoke flickering -across the face of the waning moon like a dark forerunner of disaster. -Shortly our ears were assailed by a shrill blast from her siren. The -Commander realizing that there was something radically wrong with -our propulsive apparatus, ordered a boat lowered to take him over to -the _Peary_ that he might acquaint them with our predicament. In a -few moments he had spanned the intervening stretch of water, and we -saw the vessel stop as she came down on the boat. The Commander then -told Commander McDonald of our trouble and instructed him to continue -the voyage to Greenland and await our arrival at Disko Island, where -we would rejoin him as soon as our trouble had been adjusted. In -the meanwhile we had again let go the anchor to keep the _Bowdoin_ -from drifting; then we pulled a small boat under the stern for a -closer inspection. There the Commander joined us and took part in the -investigation. As we had surmised, the propeller was sadly damaged. -There was no other recourse but to beach the vessel and change the -propeller. With this end in view, the Commander despatched Dick Salmon -with one of our motor boats to enlist the aid of the Bromfields and -their staunch motor boat. It was decided that it would be advisable -to return to Hopedale where there were better facilities. - -[Illustration: The _Bowdoin_ passing an iceberg off west coast of -Greenland.] - -[Illustration: The _Bowdoin_ caught in a nip, at Melville Bay.] - -The day being calm, our sails were not of much assistance, and we had -to depend in the main on the Bromfield motor boat. How that little -motor ever stood the strain is more than I can understand, but stand it -she did, and after ten hours of slow progress we limped into Hopedale. -There, since the tide was right, we immediately beached the vessel -on an adjacent sand-spit and waited for the low tide to lay bare the -propeller. Unfortunately we had arrived at the period of neap or small -tides. The rise and fall was so small that the propeller was scarcely -more accessible at low tide than at high. Luckily, however, the tides -were increasing daily, and in about a week they would enter on the -period of spring, or large tides. Therefore, all we could do was to -wait philosophically for the much-needed higher water and pull the -vessel a little farther in on each high tide. - -But this philosophical calm which we had decided to cultivate was not -given an opportunity to flourish. Another infliction beset us. We were -welcomed back not only by the inhabitants but by a singing, stinging -scourge of blood-thirsty mosquitoes. This savage horde had but come -to maturity during the past few days, and they descended upon us as -did the locusts upon the Egyptians. Before we could stretch mosquito -nettings across the hatches, the whole interior of the vessel was -infested. We slapped and scratched; sprayed kerosene in all directions; -made crude swatters and attacked the noisome pestilence en masse, but -all to no avail. In every possible way we strove to devise some means -of wholesale annihilation. In the meantime we had stretched netting -across all the openings, but this was like locking the stable door -after the horse is stolen. We resorted to every conceivable method of -extinction and some inconceivable ones, but the insects continued their -attacks with unabated ferocity. Nowhere else have I ever encountered -such insectivorous persistence. They came from every nook and cranny. -But just as we were beginning to despair of discomforting our -persecutors, someone had the inspiration of burning plug tobacco. This -was an extreme and extravagant measure, dictated by desperation alone, -since tobacco was held second only to the safety of the expedition by -the devotees of the weed. Regretfully each contributed his quota of -tobacco as a burnt offering on the altar of Comfort. In a short time -the forecastle was thick with acrid, blue smoke. It was suffocating. -But it was efficacious, and soon the inside of the nettings was black -with insects struggling for deliverance. We withdrew the nettings, and -in a dense swarm they sought safety in flight. Drawing a thick, dizzy -breath of relief, we sat on the edges of our bunks and watched the -last stragglers disappear. The next problem was to rid the forecastle -of smoke, a task almost as difficult as the former problem, but -accomplished after much discomfort and effort. - -In the midst of the earlier confusion, one wiser than his fellows hit -upon what he considered a happy solution of the entire difficulty; to -wit, leaving both mosquitoes and smoke in undisputed possession of the -forecastle by going aloft and sleeping in the crow’s nest. Ten minutes -elapsed, when much to our surprise, we heard the rattle of the rigging -and muttered imprecations as our intellectual giant returned to our -humble company, covered with mosquitoes. Without stopping to answer our -jibes, he disappeared where the smoke was thickest. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII - -GREENLAND! - - -After enduring a week of insufficient tides and diabolical attacks on -the part of the mosquitoes, we at last managed to put in place the new -propeller. What a sigh of relief we all gave when the last nut was -screwed on and the little _Bowdoin_ was once more in trim to continue -her voyage. We were at last through with Labrador and Hopedale, and -ready to square away for that land of many myths--Greenland. - -Once more we wended our way through Windy Tickle and Jack Lane’s Bay, -where we bade farewell to the Bromfield family. Then with old Sam’s -fervent blessing still ringing in our ears, we swung our bow seaward -while the last rays of the setting sun streamed on ahead as if to guide -our wandering footsteps safe across the treacherous North Atlantic to -Godhavn--the harbor of God’s rest. - -For three days we sailed on “through many a fair sea circle” till at -last we drew nigh to Greenland. Each day the sun held longer in the -sky--in fact, after leaving Labrador, we had no real darkness, though -the sun set for a few hours each night. The sea was calm with the -exception of a few turbulent hours off Hudson’s Straits, when the tidal -influence of the bay produced a boisterous chop. The temperature was -not very low, and during the long sunny days it was nearly as warm as -in many a more favored clime. - -On and on we sailed, with nothing to break the vast desolation of -the sea, no friendly steamer’s smoke, no glistening sail, not even -an iceberg--only the great smooth mounds of water which rolled -majestically across the surface of the sea to be followed one upon -another in unending sequence, until it seemed that we were “alone on a -wide, wide sea.” - -The third day out we began to notice icebergs again. These shining -mountains of ice had traveled in the bosom of the Cape Farewell current -from their glacial birthplace on the east coast of Greenland around -the southernmost point of Greenland and thus far up the west coast, -whence they would swing across Davis Strait and drift down into the -North Atlantic in the Labrador current. In this Greenland current also -we saw several large trees floating along. These, we learned from the -Commander, had drifted across the Polar Sea from Siberia, utilizing -the same current by which Nansen strove to drift over the Pole in the -_Fram_. In a short while we also observed a considerable lightening of -the blue of the sky in the eastern quadrant of the horizon. This was -the “iceblink,” a reliable indication of the proximity of ice, which -produces a whitish reflection in the sky. Since the whole interior of -Greenland is solid ice, there could be no doubt from the direction in -which it appeared that it was the iceblink over the great Greenland -ice-cap. A consultation with the chart further verified our adjacence -to Greenland. In fact, we were not more than sixty miles from the -coast, which would put us about a hundred and fifty miles from the -ice-cap--a distance easily within the range of visibility of the -“blink.” All eyes were straining for the first sight of land, when -slowly the horizon began to dissolve, and a white wall of vapor came -rolling down upon us. Everything became clammy in the dismal drabness -that enveloped us. We should have to maintain unrelaxing vigilance -against the menace of icebergs. Moreover, it would prevent our seeing -the land until the next day at least, unless it speedily cleared away. - -All night we kept a careful watch and came through without a mishap, -in spite of the fog’s remaining as thick as burgoo. When the starboard -watch, my watch, came on deck at six o’clock the next morning, the fog -was beginning to burn off and slowly the visibility increased mile by -mile. Suddenly a bit of a breeze ruffled the surface of the sea; the -fog curtain suddenly lifted, as in a theatre, and the whole glorious -panorama of glaciers, mountains, and fiords burst upon our startled -gaze. This coastal scenery on “The Greenland” is as magnificent as -any Alpine scenery. Peaks tower five or six thousand feet sheer from -the depths, with deep blue fiords cleaving their base, and glittering -glaciers suspended from their peaks like diamond pendants. - -The Commander soon determined our position as being off the town of -Holsteinborg--a deduction aided by our sighting a peculiarly shaped -mountain peak known as the Kin of Sal. Hence we were not much more than -a hundred miles from Godhavn, which we should therefore reach early the -next day if the Weather Man remained affable. - -At five o’clock the next morning I was awakened by the clank of the -anchor chain running through the hawse pipe. In an instant I was on -my feet and in two more I was in my clothes and out on deck, this -feat being made easier as the result of long practice attending -school roll-call. I took a look around. The harbor was spacious with -high cliffs towering on either side, with here and there an iceberg -hard aground. Safe and snug in the lee of one of these bergs lay -the _Peary_, a welcome sight, indeed, to our eyes. In a few minutes -Commander McDonald hove in sight paddling an Eskimo kayak and loudly -assailing us with a running fire of unacademic Eskimo. Shortly he -came aboard and disappeared into the after cabin. Not long afterwards -Commander Byrd and Floyd Bennet appeared in an inflated rubber boat, -the oddest looking craft I ever saw afloat. They were soon alongside -and came aboard to consult with the Commander. - -Across from the _Peary_ lay a large Danish collier. She had come -out from Copenhagen to distribute along the coast at the various -settlements the local coal which is mined in Greenland. This coal is -obtained at a town called Umanak, where the _Peary_ was going in a -few hours to bunker up before cutting loose from the last outposts of -civilization. - -Across the bay an interesting sight met our eyes. It was an old hulk, -battered and twisted until it little resembled a ship. This we learned -was the historic old _Fox_, the famous exploring vessel of Sir Leopold -McClintock. On board of her he set out in 1857 to discover the fate of -Sir John Franklin and his men, who had disappeared into the Northwest -Passage in 1845. No word of them was ever received until Sir Leopold -solved the mystery. - -Meanwhile the British admiralty attempted to discover the fate of -the lost navigators. When three years had elapsed and no news of -the expedition’s whereabouts was received, they despatched Admiral -Sir Edward Belcher with a relief squadron to go to his assistance. -During the following year he searched diligently, but could discover -no traces of the location of the expedition. When the full import of -this disaster which had befallen Sir John and his one hundred and -twenty-eight men in those bleak, ice-ridden waters of the Northwest -Passage was at last realized, the entire civilized world stood aghast. -From all sides poured in proffers of aid, and messages of condolence -and hope deluged Lady Jane Franklin, the brave wife of Sir John. It -was in response to an appeal from Lady Franklin to the President of the -United States that the first American Arctic Expedition was organized. -Henry Grinnell, a rich ship merchant, played an important part in the -organization and financing of this noble philanthropy, and in tribute -to his high ideals, the expedition was named in his honor. Lieutenant -Edward J. DeHaven went as commander, and Elisha Kent Kane as surgeon, -of whom we shall hear much, further on, in connection with the second -Grinnell Expedition. - -But all of these expeditions returned unsuccessful. The admiralty lost -interest in the undertaking, and the names of Sir John and his men -were crossed from the navy register, thereby concluding all admiralty -participation and further attempts at rescue. Lady Franklin, however, -was not content to consider her husband as irretrievably lost until -every effort had been made to discover the circumstances of his -disappearance. To this end she self-sacrificingly pledged her personal -fortune to the cause, and in spite of disheartening reverses, she -gamely continued sending forth expedition after expedition. At last -her funds became nearly depleted, and still no success had crowned -her efforts. But she determined to make one final attempt with the -last of her fortune. She therefore enlisted the aid of Sir Leopold -McClintock, “the greatest of Arctic sledge men,” as he was called by -his contemporaries. They determined to purchase the little steam yacht -_Fox_ to transport the expedition. She was the best that could be -obtained for the money, but far from being as large as they desired. - -In 1857 the expedition sailed from England for Godhavn. There they made -their final adjustments before squaring away for the treacherous ice of -Melville Bay. They made their way to this bay, and there on the 13th of -August the pack came in solid around them, and they were locked fast -for the year. For six months they remained in the pack and were carried -nearly a thousand miles to the southward before they broke out in the -spring. The vessel was so badly damaged after her experience in the ice -that it seemed imperative to return to England immediately, but Sir -Leopold, remembering Lady Jane’s faith in the expedition, courageously -ordered his battered ship headed northward once again. Once more he -managed to make Godhavn in spite of his crippled condition, and there -with the primitive instruments obtainable he instituted such crude -repairs as were possible. - -Once again he headed north, and this time without mishap he made his -way through Melville Bay and to the head of Lancaster Sound, thence -southward to Bellot Strait where they wintered. In rambling about the -shore they came upon a number of bleached skeletons and miscellaneous -camp articles. These upon examination proved to bear the stamp of His -Majesty’s Ships _Erebus_ and _Terror_, Sir John’s ill-fated vessels. -Following up these traces Sir Leopold soon determined that Sir John -and all his men had perished in retreating from their ships, which had -remained fast in the ice until the dwindling store of supplies forced -the expedition to the desperate expedient of attempting a retreat to -the Hudson’s Bay Company posts down Bach’s Great Fish River. - -Sir Leopold then returned to Godhavn and after remaining a short while -in that port he sailed away for England. There his great discoveries -satisfied the tired heart of Lady Franklin, and the curiosity of the -British public. - -Years later the vessel was sold to the Danish Government and employed -in the Greenland trade. In 1915 she was damaged in the ice and towed -into Godhavn. She was then beached and left to rot out her days in the -ignominious fashion in which we found her. - - - - -CHAPTER IX - -ICE AND MORE ICE - - -After we had been in port a good part of the morning, the _Peary_ -hoisted anchor and started towards the mouth of the harbor, and we -needs must follow suit. In the meantime we had loaded up with water -and had had a brief rest from our sea voyage. We wanted to reach Etah -on August 1st at the latest, and as it was then well along in July it -was necessary to make as much haste as was convenient. Therefore, we -pushed straight on from Disko Island to South Upernavik as fast as wind -and tide would permit us. There the _Peary_ joined us loaded deep with -coal--the last she would obtain until her return from the far north. - -At this town we saw our first exhibition of the remarkable dexterity of -the Greenlanders in their frail skin-boats, known as “kayaks.” These -craft are about eighteen feet long and twenty inches wide. In them the -natives can go out in any kind of a sea, and if a wave capsizes the -boat they can right themselves with a few skilled strokes of their -paddles, or if they lose the paddle, a twist of the body will suffice. -To keep water from seeping in while they are head downward, a tight -sealskin shirt is worn. This laces tightly at both wrists and around -the head, thus forming a water-tight seam. Furthermore, it tightly -buttons to the cockpit coaming of the kayak, making another water-tight -fit. Thus the man constitutes almost a part of the boat, and the -marvellous feats they perform with this rig can be appreciated only by -witnessing these aquatic demonstrations. - -We were all very anxious to land to see how the people lived, but on -account of the prevalence of whooping cough, the government would not -permit us to do so. At Godhavn also this condition prevailed, and we -had been allowed to go ashore only for water. Our desire to land was -further whetted by a view of many gaudily dressed maidens emerging -from church, as the day was Sunday. They were all decked out in -elaborate finery, and through the glass they seemed quite attractive. -But discipline is discipline, and we were obliged to forego any closer -association with these alluring sirens. - -The morning after the _Peary_ arrived from the coal mines, we set sail -for Melville Bay. The very prospect of entering this dread stretch -of water was a challenge. Here in the _Fox_, McClintock had been -imprisoned in the ice for a year and drifted for over a thousand miles. -In 1834, thirty-four whaling vessels were crushed in the pack. Thoughts -of such events were far from comforting, and I could not help wondering -how our little vessels would fare in the relentless ice. If they were -crushed we would be left to retreat as best we could to Upernavik. To -become imprisoned for a year would also necessitate the abandonment -of the vessels as we had been able to make room for only four months’ -provisions, because of the space occupied by the aeroplane equipment. -But I had confidence in our craft and in our leaders, and I looked -forward with an untroubled mind to the thrilling work of ice navigation -(such is the assurance of youth). - -The Commander had determined to take what is known as the Middle -Passage which is directly through the centre of the pack. Therefore, we -pushed out boldly from Upernavik and laid our course straight for Cape -York--the northern terminus of the Bay and the goal of all who attempt -its navigation. - -Without sighting any ice we sailed along for some hours. We soon -entered a dense fog, and the visibility became very poor. In a short -while we began to pass innumerable icebergs. Weaving in and out among -the bergs, always vigilant, always tense, we continued on into the -Arctic wastes. During this anxious period I was on lookout, and my -every minute was occupied in watching for the bergs and directing the -helmsman how to avoid them. Out of the white background of the fog -these sinister mountains of ice would emerge, first as a thin black -line on the sea’s surface; then taking shape until high above they -towered, grey and lustreless. On all sides they appeared, until the -sea was like a boulder-strewn plain through which we threaded our mazy -way. Now and then one would disintegrate or capsize with a mighty roar -suggestive of a bombardment of artillery, and we would rise and fall on -the ensuing swell. - -After we had been in this field of bergs for some time, I began to -notice occasional little cakes of ice. Soon these increased in number -until there was a regular fleet of them. Then as suddenly as they -had appeared they disappeared, and we were in open water with only a -fugitive berg here and there. I thought to myself that the ancient -mariners had greatly exaggerated the terrors of the ice field when -just as it seemed thickening to a degree where our progress would -really be impeded, it suddenly was dissipated. But this superior -contempt for the old salts did not long hold sway. Gradually a dark, -ragged line broke the even white of the enshrouding mist. My first -thought was that it was a low berg or “growler” as they are called, -but it continued opening out along the horizon until I saw that it was -too large for a single berg. Then in a flash it dawned on me that here -was the Arctic pack! I watched attentively. Shortly it merged into -well-defined pans with thin leads between. - -Immediately the Commander clambered aloft to survey the situation. -Seeing a favorable opening he directed the helmsman to head her for it. -In another second we had passed the outer portals of the pack and had -at least entered upon the great ordeal of the expedition. Here even -the delay of several weeks would defeat the aims of the expedition, -as the short northern summer would be over and the season for flying -terminated. If the winds blew from the southward our situation would -be precarious in the extreme, and only a kind providence could keep us -from an untimely end. Even a few hours of ice pressure against the -_Peary’s_ sides might easily open her seams, and leave her a leaking -hulk. - -Our watch continued working the vessel through the leads until -midnight, when the port watch came on deck. As I lay in my forecastle -bunk in the eerie half-light of the northern midnight I could hear the -crash of the vessel smashing her way forward through the fog over the -encroaching pans. My berth was well up in the bow, and as each blow -smote the planking it seemed as if the next surely would stave the bow. -But the sturdy oak withstood all onslaughts, and soon the dread sounds -became sweet music, and I fell asleep. - -When I came on deck the next morning, the vessel was lying moored to a -pan as the fog had become so thick that it was impossible to discern -the weak spots in the ice. As the fog showed no signs of lifting, -the Commander proffered a suggestion. We were to go on a seal hunt! -Therefore, we took down our guns and set forth at once. I went along -with Abie, as I figured that he would know where to find the quarry -from his long association with them in Labrador. For some time we -tramped across the ice. Then Abie suddenly turned with a signal for -silence. I followed the direction of his eyes and saw a small dark -object floating in the open water of the lead. Silently he unlimbered -his rifle, took deliberate aim, and dispatched a ball through the -animal’s head. His was a perfect shot and made in the one essential -spot, since it is necessary to shoot a seal through the head or its -dying reflex action will expel the air from its lungs thus causing it -to sink. After we saw that the shot had been properly placed and the -animal was going to float, I dashed back to the ship to obtain a small -boat and a harpoon. The harpoon was soon procured and I sprang into -the boat. Just then Byrd and McDonald sauntered over from the _Peary_. -Seeing what was up they climbed in with me to recover the prize. I -rowed as hard as I could down the lead, since I was fearful that our -trophy would sink. A short pull brought us to the spot, and one of the -men seized the harpoon and lunged with all his might. But he struck -the seal across the hair and the harpoon glanced off, while under the -impetus of the blow the seal sank about ten feet. My heart sank with -him. Slowly, however, he emerged, and this time with Abie bellowing -advice, the harpoon was firmly affixed and we drew our victim out on -the ice. It was a young seal, not much larger than a roasting pig. Abie -decided that it would make tender eating; so he set about skinning it. -After the skinning and cleaning was completed, we stowed the seal in -the boat and departed for the ship. - -Meanwhile several of the other boys had scattered over the floes, -Dick Salmon being hull down some distance away. As the fog had begun -to rot out, it was decided to get under weigh immediately. Therefore -the recall signal was sounded from the _Peary’s_ siren, and the boys -came scurrying back. Poor Dick, however, had an intervening lead open -between him and the vessel; so he was forced to hang up until he -could find a place to cross. Seeing his plight, the Commander ran the -_Bowdoin_ down towards him, and just as the lead again closed he came -down on him and picked him up. - -We were now nearly in the centre of the pack, and with clearer skies -our hopes of getting clear of the pack began to rise. Steadily we -forged to the northward through the thick pans. So far there had been -little wind, and the ice had not packed together very heavily. Towards -evening, however, under the influence of the tide, the ice began to -pack, and the _Bowdoin_ was caught in a nip. We were jammed as if in -a vise, between two great floes of ice. Robbie was in charge as the -Commander had gone aboard the _Peary_ to con her through the ice. -Immediately Robbie ordered us out on the ice to try to break away the -jagged edges which threatened to impale us. We pounded away with heavy -timbers and managed to break off several sharp points, thus making an -easier berth for the vessel. But try as we would, we could neither go -forward nor backward. The _Peary_ observing our situation swung around -and came ramming back to our aid. With the tremendous blows of her -massive bow, she planed off great pieces of the floes until finally she -broke through to our relief. In a short time, however, she herself was -inextricably caught. The pressure was considerable, and the _Peary_ -assumed a list of five or six degrees. - -Dr. Koelz soon came over to the _Bowdoin_ in royal bad humor, -complaining that the grinding of the ice against the side of the -_Peary_ had prevented him from sleeping. Furthermore, on trying to -leave his cabin, the pressure had so contracted the vessel that he -found his door so jammed it would not open, and the combined efforts -of three men were necessary to liberate the Doctor who came aboard the -_Bowdoin_ for refuge. Long afterwards we discovered that the vessel -had contracted several inches from the tremendous pressure. - -In a few hours the tide again shifted, and to our great relief the -vessel was freed of the pressure. Then we again got under weigh, and -were soon ploughing along at a good rate of speed, considering the -handicaps under which we labored. At this time we began to wonder where -we were, as for some days we had been unable to determine our position -by observation, because of the thick weather. - -For five days we had been at sea. We had encountered heavy fogs, -icebergs and the savage pack, and we had come through safe and -undaunted. Now as the weather was clearing, our wonder as to where we -were increased. Had some fell current swept us far from our course? -Had our many zigzags in the ice carried us in circles? Where were we -indeed? The weather continued to clear until we could discern the blue -sky overhead and the pale iceblink all around. Then the Commander, with -his glass clapped on the northern horizon, suddenly became aware of a -dark streak in the even white of the iceblink. - -“Land clouds,” said the Commander, as he swept them with his -binoculars. - -Land clouds they indeed seemed to be, and all eyes were thenceforth -strained to catch a view of the land itself. Meanwhile the man aloft -had been saying little and looking much. Suddenly rang out the -long-hoped-for cry, “Land ho!” - -In thirty seconds every man who could scramble to a place in the -rigging was there, and each was eager to spy out the distant peaks -which soon came into view. Immediately we put on full speed in order -to reach them before the ice should again become impassable. As if -some wayward spirit had sensed our wish, the floes came crunching and -sliding into a compact mass, rendering futile all attempts to proceed. -We were therefore regretfully forced to lose more precious hours. These -hours were doubly precious as it was already July 31st, and every hour -counted if we were to reach our destination on our scheduled date, -August 1st. - -As I looked out over the slowly drifting ice, with its unending white -broken only by the thin dark lines of the ever-opening and closing -leads, towards the rugged cliffs on the far horizon, standing like grim -sentries at the portals of the North, I wondered why we had come. Why -had this company left all that was dearest to them; their loved ones; -their congenial firesides; the labors in which until so recently they -had been engrossed? Why had we endured the perils of wind, and sea and -ice, borne discomforts and hardships, sacrificed personal ease and -safety? For what had we sailed three thousand miles across tractless -seas? For a moment it seemed utter folly to have come all this distance -for things that at best appeared vague and indistinct! We had all -been in comfort and safety at home. For what conceivable reason would -intelligent men turn their backs on these pretentious inducements? -For a moment I pondered. Suddenly in my mind’s eye I saw another ice -waste not dissimilar to this one, and I visioned other hills, this -time in the west, hills on which no human eye had rested--our quest. -Then three small specks clove the deep blue of the eastern sky. Soon -the hum of engines echoed from berg and hummock, and they resolved -into aeroplanes--our planes. Nearer they soared, over the first range -of hills. Then they wheeled about and soon receded into the endless -vault of heaven whence they had come. My heart leaped within me. I knew -why we had come. In our blood surged the age-old spirit of adventure -which drove the first Viking to the Arctic seas; which sent Columbus -across the terror-strewn western ocean; which lured Sir John Franklin -to his lonesome grave. I felt my blood flow fast. The same old urge -had gripped me, and obedient to its demands I, too, had joined the -adventurous throng and seen home and ease fade astern as the vessel’s -prow pointed for the unknown lands over the horizon’s edge. - - - - -CHAPTER X - -WE TAKE THE AIR - - -Early on the morning of August 1st, we broke through the last of the -pack of Cape York and laid our course around the shore ice as yet -unbroken from the Cape. In a short time we had rounded it and were -finally out of Melville Bay, a departure which caused no sorrow on -the part of any of us. The body of water which we had now entered was -known as Smith Sound, a name given it by William Baffin in honor of one -of his supporters. It stretches from Cape York to beyond Etah where -it opens out into Kane Basin. Usually the Sound is free from pack ice -except on the western side where a heavy stream of it flows to the -southward. - -For several hours we sailed without seeing a sign of any living thing -save a few birds. Suddenly two kayaks darted out from the shore. With a -few deft strokes of the paddle their occupants brought them alongside, -and we heard the musical hail “Ochshinai!” followed by a demand for -“bacca.” In response to their hail Robbie tossed them two plugs -which they aptly caught, waved their arms with delight and yelled, -“Quoin-amik!” (Thank you!). As we sailed away, we could see them -lovingly caressing their prizes. - -The wind freshened as we bent our course to the north and we were soon -bowling along with a bone in our teeth. The coast flashed by. Soon Cape -Alexander, “the Cape Horn of the North,” which lies half-way between -the Pole and the Arctic Circle, hove in sight. As we rounded this -wicked old promontory, the customary vicious squall snapped at us. We -were soon past the cape, however, and once again entered smooth waters. -Here we could see the walrus breaking water all about us, and every now -and then a savage, white-tusked face would leer at us as we scudded -along. Now and then almost beneath our bows an entire herd would blow -and disappear in a mass of white water. At nine o’clock that night, we -worked our way into Foulke Fiord, and there dead ahead lay the haven of -our hopes, the goal of our endeavors--Etah! - -[Illustration: Commander MacMillan: with an eskimo child; in flying -costume; in the ice barrel.] - -[Illustration: Brother John’s glacier and Alida Lake, Etah, North -Greenland.] - -There in the bright light of the Arctic night glistened the tranquil -waters of the fiord, and the crumbling cliffs reflected a ruddy -welcome. Far away up the fiord sparkled a great glacier, an arm of -the huge inland Mer de Glace. Close at hand bubbled and splashed a tiny -stream which tumbled down among the rugged boulders from the melting -snow above and trickled across the coastal intervale which was rich -with lush grass. We stood there staring and straining our eyes for some -sign of the expected village. All we saw on the slope above the fringe -of grass was the hillside in which there were two holes in the ground, -the remains of igloos of a former age, only these and nothing more! - -In a few moments we had rounded Provision Point, so named from its use -as a supply depot on the Commander’s previous expeditions. Thinking -this location favorable for an anchorage, he immediately ordered the -anchor dropped. A quick heave with the anchor chain announced the -successful completion of the outward voyage. We of the ship personnel -had consummated our mission; now it was for the aviators to accomplish -theirs. - -The clatter of the anchor chain acquainted Melkon with the fact that we -had arrived. - -“What kind of postage stamps do they use here?” he called up the -companionway. - -Receiving no enlightenment on this subject, he started up on deck. -Poking his head above the hatch he inquired with a puzzled expression -on his face: - -“Why, where is the post office?” - -The Commander extended his arm shorewards with a dramatic gesture and -said simply and significantly: - -“Look!” - -Melkon took one long look at those two holes in the ground and scanned -that stern and rock-bound coast. Then it dawned upon him that we were -now in the real Arctic, far beyond the last pale of civilization and -its appurtenances. With a subdued air he replied: - -“Ah, now I understand.” - -We had rather expected to find a considerable encampment of Eskimos -and were somewhat disappointed to see that the country was apparently -depopulated. But in a short time from the upper end of the fiord by the -glacier we saw two kayaks approaching. Soon the Commander recognized -their occupants as Noo-ka-ping-wa and In-you-gee-to, both old friends -and companions of the Commander’s on former sleighing expeditions. -They were delighted to see the Commander, and informed us that they -represented the entire male population of the town with the exception -of old Ak-kom-mo-ding-wa, who was coming as rapidly as his advanced -years would allow. He soon appeared in a dilapidated canvas canoe, -a gift of some explorer. He had abandoned the kayak in favor of the -canoe, as the smaller craft’s cramped quarters no longer felt as -comfortable as of yore. He was a comical old loafer, and his behavior -caused us much amusement. His lazy habits and good-natured disposition -soon gained for him the sobriquet of, “The Beloved Vagabond.” - -Next morning at five o’clock sharp, we were roused out for an early -start at constructing a landing place for the planes. After a hasty -breakfast we piled into the boats and rowed over to the beach which -had been chosen for the assembling of the planes. It was strewn with -boulders and small rocks, and the only way of ridding the beach of them -was to pry them out and roll them away. At this task everybody was soon -engaged from the Commander down. All morning we labored, and by noon -the sand was well cleared of them. - -Our next task was to construct the runway for hauling the planes up to -the beach, since the wheels would otherwise sink in the soft sand. For -this purpose we requisitioned the sides of the cases in which the wings -had been packed. To get them ashore was somewhat of a problem, and we -tried several methods before we hit upon the ultimate one of lashing -two boats together, thus forming a raft of sufficient stability upon -which to load them. - -After landing the planes, crosspieces were nailed under them, and these -were weighed down with heavy rocks to keep the whole apparatus from -floating away with the tide. When the runway was completed, the Navy -men began bringing in the wings. In a short time the first fuselage was -slung over the side of the _Peary_, into the water, and then brought -ashore lashed between two boats in order that it might not tip over. - -When the plane had grounded on the runway, all hands tailed on her -tackle and walked her up the beach. Then the wings were set up, and the -aviators secured them to the fuselage while we supported them on our -backs. Having been assembled, the plane was then rolled back into the -water and taken off to its anchorage. - -[Illustration: The _Peary_.] - -[Illustration: Expedition plane at the stern of the _Bowdoin_.] - -In three days all of the planes were assembled and ready to go. It -indeed gave us a thrill to see them soaring up from the waters of -Etah Fiord and flying over a land and sea which never before had seen -the shadow of a bird larger than a glaucous gull. The Eskimos also -looked on with wide-eyed wonder, and many were the “Ahs” and “Naveos” -as the great birds left the water amidst clouds of spray and went -skimming over berg and glacier. - -[Illustration: Launching first plane at Etah.] - -We had got away to a propitious start for our flying, and the prospects -for success in the fullest measure seemed bright. Our hopes rose all -too soon, however, for at this point old Torngak, the evil spirit of -the North, angered at this invasion of his realm, took a hand in the -proceedings. With driving snow and squalls he came sweeping down on us -before we had been in Etah three days. Then his tactics changed, and -he blanketed us in fog. For but three days of the entire summer did -he sulk in his tent; during the remainder of the time he was either -hovering in the offing or engaged in active offense through driving -storms or insidious fog. But in spite of these handicaps, on every -occasion at all suitable for flying the Commander and the aviators were -away in their endeavor to penetrate the unknown area. To do this it was -necessary to lay down a base between Etah and the Polar Sea. The planes -were of the type known as amphibian, equipped to land either in the -water or on the land. Equipped with skids they might possibly utilize -the ice. An examination of the drift ice of Smith Sound precluded all -possibility of its being used as an aviation field, covered as it was -with pools of water, cracks, and pressure ridges. The ice covered the -mountains of Ellesmere Land, threatening disaster to any plane which -had to make a forced landing. - -It was therefore necessary to rely on the water of the fiords, which -should afford a safe, ice-free landing place. Time after time the -aviators searched for open water, but fate was against them, and at -nearly every visit the waters were choked with cakes of ice large -enough to puncture a plane. Several times they found an apparently -ice-free spot, but in a few hours the ice would return, rendering -it impossible to again utilize that point for a base. The Commander -had confidently believed from his sledging experience, and from the -testimony of the Eskimos, that these fiords would be free of ice. The -unforeseen presence of the ice can probably be explained, however, -by the unprecedentedly short and cold summer we were experiencing. -Not even in the memory of the oldest Eskimo had such unfortunate -meteorological conditions prevailed. - -In addition to the remarkable summer, or rather lack of summer, -with which we were embarrassed, the usual run of engine trouble and -other mishaps fell to our lot. One morning I was sitting down in -the forecastle when the alarming news became known that a plane was -sinking. Robbie and John Jaynes immediately took energetic measures -to save the plane, and all hands came tumbling on deck. At the moment -I arrived, the plane had sunk until the water was level with the -propeller shaft of the inverted motor. She lay poised for a final -plunge to the depths, and John and Robbie were desperately striving -to get a line on the shaft. Rocheville, a Navy mechanic, lay aft on -the tail gallantly trying to counter-balance the weight of the water -forward and bring the plane on a level keel. The line was soon made -fast, and just in time, as in another second she would have taken the -last plunge. All hands then tailed on the line, and gradually the plane -emerged. In a short time the deck was above water, and the aircraft -was in a position to be bailed out. It was a fortunate rescue, but the -plane never flew again in spite of our efforts. - -The days not occupied in overhauling the planes or not rendered -worthless by storms were devoted to flights over Ellesmere Land in -search of a base. The presence of drifting ice, however, had dealt -our planes a deathblow. By the 20th of August the Commander realized -that the planes could not add to the results he had obtained with dog -sledges in 1914. At best they might put him at the edge of the Polar -Sea, but they would never carry him out over the unexplored district on -which he had previously traveled off shore one hundred and fifty miles. - -In the realm of science, however, the expedition produced notable -results. Lieutenant Benjamin Rigg of the Coast and Geodetic Survey -obtained valuable sets of magnetic and tidal observations at nearly -every point at which we tarried. The first automatic tidal recorder -to be used in the far north was also put in operation by him. Dr. -Koelz, the expedition’s naturalist, also did some very valuable work. -His collection of fish and bird specimens was large and contained -many rare species. The National Geographic photographers obtained -excellent photographs of Arctic scenes and people. For the first time -far northern scenes were recorded by the new natural color process of -photography. All-together the scientific results more than justified -the expedition and made up for the unfortunate termination of the -flying. - -On this strip of coast upon which Etah is located dwells a group of -people--the northernmost race in the world. These people are known -to the white race as Eskimos, which means “meat eaters,” but among -themselves the appellation Innuit, “the people,” is applied. - -They are a very strange group and little is known about them. It is -thought that they are of Mongolian origin. Whence they came and by what -path, however, has always remained a mystery and is apparently little -closer to solution now than formerly. At the present time they are -distributed along the Arctic coasts of America, Greenland and Eastern -Asia. - -The particular branch of the race which lives on the North Greenland -shore was unknown until 1818, when Sir John Ross worked his little -vessel through the ice of Melville Bay to Cape York. As he lay off -the Cape he observed several black dots moving towards him over -the ice. These soon resolved into Eskimos, and dog sleds. On their -nearer approach he entered into a conversation with them through an -interpreter from South Greenland. He then told them he came from far -to the south. Upon the receipt of this information they assumed an -incredulous air and informed him that surely no one could live in the -south as all their ice drifted off in that direction and by this time -that region must be absolutely choked with it. - -For many years these “Arctic Highlanders,” to use the rather poetical -name Ross gave them, remained unvisited. In 1850-51, however, Saunders -wintered among them in the ship _North Star_. He was the first man ever -really to live with them. To-day on the bay named after his ship, Knud -Rasmussen, the explorer, maintains a trading station. - -Two years after the departure of Saunders, the little brig _Advance_ -with Elisha Kent Kane, “America’s first Arctic explorer,” in command, -rounded Cape York, and gallantly beat up Smith Sound to Renssaeler -Harbor. While Kane was there the Eskimos sledged up to see him. With a -gun on his shoulder he went forth to meet them, with so great suspicion -did he regard them. But they appeared peaceable and he had no occasion -to employ the firearm. Kane brought back the first reliable reports on -the Eskimos. However, he did not make much use of their knowledge and -skill, nor of their dog teams, in his explorations. Seven years after -Kane, in 1860, Dr. Isaac Israel Hayes, one of Kane’s men, revisited -Etah and entered into extensive relations with the natives. For the -first time did the Eskimos aid in the work of exploration in which they -were later to take so conspicuous a part with Peary and MacMillan. But -Hayes never fully trusted them, and for awhile he considered himself -and his men the objects of a conspiracy on the part of the Eskimos to -murder them all. - -After Hayes, with the exception of a winter which the crew of the -_Polaris_ spent just north of Etah, the Eskimos remained unvisited -until the arrival of Peary. Peary quickly realized the great value of -the Eskimo and his sturdy team of dogs. He gained their confidence -and esteem. Without experiencing any of the evils which the earlier -expeditions had expected from the Eskimos, he worked with them for -eighteen years. It was largely due to the skill and energy of the -Eskimos and the power in their sturdy dogs that Peary eventually -conquered the Pole. In 1876 Markham, of the English North Pole -Expedition, reported to his government that he considered it impossible -to attain the Pole. He relied on the unaided labors of his men to pull -the sledges, a terrific task which well demonstrated the bravery and -stamina of the British. In a little over a month, Markham and his men -traveled seventy-three miles from the ship, advancing their sledges by -man power alone, and nearly dying with exhaustion. Peary in three days -by the aid of Eskimos and dog sledges exceeded this distance with ease. -This clearly shows the superiority of the Eskimo method of travel. -Peary never had cause to regret his employment of the Eskimo, and they -did not play him false in spite of the beliefs of the older explorers. - -Four years after the Pole had been conquered, the American flag again -entered Smith Sound. This time it snapped in the breeze over the head -of one who would bring it new renown. Upon the scene had appeared the -fit successor of the great Peary--MacMillan. With the aid of Eskimos -and dog teams in the spring of 1914 he turned his steps westward -over Ellesmere and Axel Heiberg Land. One hundred and fifty miles he -penetrated the Polar Sea towards the land which Peary had seen. But -he found this land had been nothing but a mirage, and regretfully he -and his Eskimos turned their steps homeward. For four years he lived -among them, and studied their way of living, and his researches greatly -extended our knowledge concerning them. Thus at last the Eskimo came -into his own as the helpmate and companion of the white man on his -trips in the Arctic regions. - -On the 1925 MacMillan expedition I had the opportunity of observing -them and their interesting customs. At the time of year in which I -was among them they were living in sealskin tents or tupiks. The rock -igloos had been abandoned for their summer airing. The Eskimos removed -the dome of their arched rock igloos on the arrival of warm weather. -This airing of the igloos is about the only sanitary act the natives -perform. They rarely if ever wash themselves or their clothes. - -Their methods of food preservation also are rather distasteful to a -civilized person. After walrus or other meat has been secured, it is -cut up and then stacked in a pile. Then over all is placed a large -number of rocks. In this way it is stored until there is need of it. In -a few days these caches can be located by the smell alone. - -But at all things requiring a good eye, a cool head and a steady hand, -they excel. A good example of this is the way in which they make their -rope. It is made by taking the skin of a seal which has been so skinned -that the hide comes off in concentric bands. Then one of the natives -pulls the band along while another holds a knife. Even a small tremble -in the hand of the one holding the knife would cut through the thin -line, ruining it, but so accurate is their handiwork that the lines -vary in width hardly at all and the rope seems so uniform that one -would think it had been made in a machine. They also skin small seals -in such a way that the skin pulls off absolutely whole with but one -perforation. This skin is so carefully removed from the flesh that it -will hold air without leaking! - -They display the greatest ingenuity in the manufacture of all their -instruments and utensils. The point in their harpoons, and the way -they employ the sealskin bag to float the walrus which sinks when it -is killed, all show the innate skill and ingenuity in the race. They -are never at a loss and never “stumped.” Once someone was repairing -a sledge, and he could not find a drill. An Eskimo stepped forward -and coolly shot a hole through the runner. They are like that in -everything, always alert, always on the job. - -[Illustration: Eskimo kiddie with his mother’s coat on.] - -[Illustration: Even Eskimo boys of Ig-loo-da-houny have a sweet tooth.] - -Their philosophy of life is also interesting. The hard struggle they -wage against the inhospitable environment in which they live has -not made them an ill-tempered, sullen race. On the contrary, they -are always laughing and smiling. A good joke is much enjoyed. On one -occasion several of our photographers wanted pictures of live ducks -on the nest. The Eskimos learning of this wish took a dead duck and -propped it up on a nest with walrus whiskers so that it looked quite -lifelike. Then they motioned to the photographers who cautiously crept -forward, making every effort to keep from making a noise. The Eskimos -meanwhile nearly died laughing. They are little inclined to worry. Old -Panikpa admirably summarized their outlook on life when asked if he was -not worried on a very dangerous strip of ice. “No,” he replied, “I let -Peary do all the worrying.” - -[Illustration: In-you-gee-to makes a coil of rawhide line out of skin -of which he is justly proud.] - -[Illustration: The only Eskimo family in Etah.] - -One may think them unintelligent and mentally deficient, but they -have keen intellects and they use some very clever devices, in one -instance utilizing advanced engineering principles. In the building of -their circular rock igloos they employ the cantilever principle--an -engineering method used in some of our greatest bridges. One would -not expect an Eskimo to know a principle which our greatest engineers -employ. - -Altogether these children of the ice are a group of people from whom -we may learn much. Though they are one of the world’s most primitive -peoples, they are in some respects the peers of those who are generally -considered to be the most highly civilized. - - - - -CHAPTER XI - -MY FARTHEST NORTH - - -While we were in Etah, Dr. Koelz, the expedition’s naturalist, decided -that he would like to travel a few miles up the Greenland shore to -collect specimens. As he needed someone to help him row the dory and -run the outboard motor which he intended to use, I volunteered to go -with him. This arrangement being approved by the Commander, we cast off -from the ship at about ten o’clock on the night of August 15th. With -us journeyed two Eskimos, Panikpa and Kanga, who wished to reach the -Eskimo settlement of Anoritok which is just beyond Refuge Harbor, the -Commander’s headquarters in 1923-24. - -We made our way down Etah Fiord in the calm of the Arctic night, with -scarcely a breath of wind ruffling the surface of the water. Soon we -were off Sunrise Point where Hayes and his men used to walk from their -ship to observe the sunrise after the long, five-month, winter night. - -We now emerged from the shelter of the cliffs. As we did so we were -hit by a savage squall. It was too late to retreat into the fiord as -turning about was a maneuver fraught with danger. All we could do was -to plug ahead off the lee shore under the shelter of an iceberg and -then square away for the north. This I did and in a few moments we -were clear of the berg and then away we went before wind and sea. A -very steep, choppy sea, probably fourteen or fifteen feet high, was -running in from the southward. Under ordinary conditions a sea of that -height would not be cause for any great concern, but these waves had -nearly vertical faces and the crests were breaking continually. The -only thing to do was to keep the dory running off before the sea as she -would be capsized or swamped if she turned broadside on for even the -briefest interval. I held the tiller stick in both hands and kept our -little vessel’s head pointing straight to leeward in spite of incessant -attempts on the part of the waves to “broach her to.” - -The Eskimos were quite frightened when they saw those big seas. Old -Panikpa kept waving for us to go closer to the shore. But even one -glance at that unbroken line of jagged rocks and leaping surf convinced -both Koelz and myself that it would be suicidal to attempt a landing -on that stretch of shore-line. - -All went well for about ten minutes. Then as I glanced aft over my -shoulder I saw a tremendous comber seemingly hang directly over my -head. I thought to myself that if we ever came out of that one with -the boat still floating we would be lucky. The water mounted higher -and higher on the stern as the dory’s tail cocked skyward until it was -just level with the top of the coaming. Then with a swish the crest of -the wave came crashing down over the counter. The engine was drenched -and immediately stopped. I was soaked through and through and there -were several inches of water in the boat. We started to swing broadside -on, in the trough of the sea. One more wave would have finished us -for good, and with a dead engine this was all too probable, in fact -inevitable if the boat should swing enough to present her side to the -sea. I yelled to Koelz to grab the oars and keep her off side before it -until I got the engine going. Koelz with great presence of mind fitted -the thole pins and soon had the oars shipped. In a few seconds we were -again slowly moving along on our course, owing to skillful handling by -the Doctor. In a few moments the engine was in running order and we -were bowling along as merrily as before. - -In a short time we were in calm water in the channel between Littleton -Island and the mainland. It was named by Inglefield, the first man to -penetrate upper Smith Sound. In the channel between the island and the -mainland lies the wreck of the old _Polaris_ which broke the world’s -record for farthest north, in 1871. On this island, Sir Allen Young, -in the _Pandora_, left mail for the British North Polar Expedition. On -the first Greely Relief Expedition of 1882, Beebe deposited a cache -of provisions there. It has always received prominent mention in all -Arctic journals dealing with this region, and Dr. Koelz and I were -interested in seeing it at close quarters. - -The wind was still blowing with great force, so hard in fact that I -shut down the motor and rigged a sail with a tarpaulin and an oar, -which made the boat go even faster than it did with the motor. In a few -moments we were through the channel and bound up the coast for Cape -Hatherton. For several hours we continued under sail until at last we -were pretty close to the Cape. We then cut in for the shore and made -our way through loose ice to the beach. We landed at five o’clock in -the morning after a rather exciting voyage, to say the least. - -Sleep now appeared about the most desirable sensation possible for -human beings to experience and rolling our blankets on the hard -ground we went to it. We slept for what seemed years, but we awakened -eventually. Now the question was whether it was morning, afternoon or -night. The never-setting midnight sun gave but little clew to the time, -and our watches had stopped! The time went on and soon we did not know -what day it was. This was an awful fix, as we would not know when the -days we had planned to remain in this vicinity had elapsed. But we did -not let the time question bother us, and we started to accomplish the -tasks we had set ourselves. - -Our primary object was to collect as many bird and fish specimens as -possible, which we set about to do immediately. But another wish which -we entertained, though it was subordinate to the first, was to make -as high a latitude on the Greenland coast as our meager equipment -and time, spared from our real objective, would warrant. With this -goal in mind we set forth on what we considered to be our second day -out from the ship. The gas which we had saved by sailing rendered a -considerable trip under engine power practicable. Thus we set forth -from our camp with all the gasolene we had, beyond a surplus to enable -us to buck a storm if we had to on the way back to the ship from the -camp. In an hour or so we were around Cape Hatherton and bound on up -the coast. There was not much pack ice in sight except far to the -westward, and the iceblink gave promise of more to the northward. A -breeze from that direction also hindered our advance, but by noon -we were off the mouth of Refuge Harbor. Here we were on the edge of -Kane Sea, and we could see the glittering Polar pack slowly drifting -southward. We crossed the entrance to the harbor in a few moments, and -I hove away to round Cairn Point. At this juncture Koelz espied several -large floes moving in towards the entrance of the harbor. Beyond them -there were wide levels of half a mile or so between the scattered pans -of the pack. - -I was hoping that my companion might express a wish to go on to -the most northern Eskimo village in the world--Anoritok, some five -miles beyond Refuge Harbor, where some of the Smith Sound natives -happened to be living. Possibly we might have done this had it not -been for running ice off Cairn Point which Koelz considered a bit -dangerous. Reluctantly we gave up the idea and headed back for Refuge -Harbor. There the ice had not broken out as it usually does, and if -the _Bowdoin_ had been there she might have had great difficulty in -reaching the open water beyond. - -After a leisurely lunch we started back to our camp and arrived there -some time in the evening, probably as the sun was bearing pretty well -north. The next two days we spent in collecting specimens, and then -Koo-e-tig-e-to arrived with a letter from the Commander requesting -us to return to the ship, as he would have to start south in a short -while and wanted us there in plenty of time. So once again our little -boat put to sea; this time bound south--away from the glorious land of -the midnight sun and the glittering ice fields. Our stay in the Arctic -fairyland had been all too short. I realized with sorrow that in a few -days we would be bound for civilization and the pleasant days in Etah -and north of there would be but a memory. - -On the way to Etah we stopped at Polaris beach where the crew of the -_Polaris_ wintered after the wreck of their ship. There we found some -old pieces of iron belonging to that ship. We also stopped for a few -moments on Littleton Island. But in a short time we had left the island -and Cape Ohlsen astern. Cape Ohlsen recalls the name of one of Kane’s -men who died close by. We were thankful that the bones of none of our -men lay bleaching on this inhospitable coast. Thus we started onward -filled with memories, until with a start I found we were off Sunrise -Point. In a few moments we were in Etah and aboard the ship after a -most enjoyable trip up the coast. We learned that it was August the -20th, thus we had been away five days. - - - - -CHAPTER XII - -WE BREAK INTO SOCIETY - - -The formation of new ice on the surface of Etah Fiord grimly brought -home to us the dread reality that the relentless Arctic winter was -now all but upon us. To flee before this dire warning was our only -recourse, and the Commander ruefully gave the word to pack up and -make all speed for home. The elements had barred our way to the great -unknown area of the Polar Sea, but we had at least carried the outer -ramparts through our new and untried means of attack by air. Now the -time for temporizing had passed, and we must fly before young ice, -snowstorms and September winds. - -Thus it was with regret that we broke out the anchor from the mud of -Etah Harbor on the morning of August 21st, and headed out through the -channel, and across the walrus grounds towards Cape Alexander. There -the usual squall met us, and this time with such force that we were -forced to go into McCormick’s Bight, (Pandora Harbor), to await the -abatement of the storm. - -In a few hours it calmed down sufficiently to permit us to round the -Cape, and we set our course for Ig-loo-da-houny. At this place we -arrived at about six in the evening, and dropped anchor to await the -arrival of the _Peary_ which was still at Etah loading aboard the last -of our equipment. - -At Ig-loo-da-houny was encamped a considerable number of Eskimos, -including several valuable assistants of Peary’s. Among these was -Oo-bloo-ya, a very noted aide of Peary’s on nearly all his trips in -the eighteen years of his work. Also sojourning at this settlement was -Sipsoo of the heroic starvation party of 1906, which broke the world’s -record of farthest north. Koo-la-ting-wa of the successful Polar trip -also was present. Even Ah-pellah, assistant to the notorious Dr. -Frederick Cook, on his now famous Polar hoax of 1907-1909, was eking -out his existence at this spot. Indeed a notable group of Eskimos. - -That evening in the forecastle we gave a motion picture show for the -Eskimos, exhibiting some of the Commander’s Arctic pictures, and -several reels of Melkon’s pie-throwing comedy. The only one amused -by the comedy was Melkon, since its crass horseplay was too broad for -the Eskimo sense of humor. But when there flashed on the screen the -pictures of themselves and their environment, they shouted and yelled -with the sheerest childlike delight. And when the half-dozen belles saw -themselves depicted, their joy was greater than that of any Hollywood -Magdalene of seven husbands. - -The next day the Commander flew down to Karna to see his old friend -and companion of many previous expeditions, E-took-a-shoo. When -E-took-a-shoo saw the plane come skimming along the land in front of -his tupik he was flabbergasted. But when the Commander invited him -to fly back to Ig-loo-da-houny, he simply said, “Wait till I get my -mittens.” Then with utter confidence in his own safety while he was at -the Commander’s side, he mounted into this strange machine and flew -back to Ig-loo-da-houny with as little concern as if he had been on his -own sledge. - -In the meanwhile the _Peary_ had arrived to load on the remaining -plane, and we got under weigh for Karna to return E-took-a-shoo to his -home. On the way to Karna we had to sail through a long stretch of -uncharted water. The Commander had scrutinized it from the air, and -apparently it was safe and free from obstructions. - -We were unconcernedly sailing along when suddenly there was a grinding -shock, and the vessel trembled from stem to stern. The bow lurched -skyward, and we came to an abrupt stop. At the time, the Commander -was below donning his oilskins, as a driving sleet was coming on. In -two jumps he was on deck, and with one swift glance he took in our -predicament. Immediately he reversed the engine, but we were hard and -fast aground. The all important question faced us: “Was the tide rising -or falling?” In a few moments it was apparent that it was falling. The -Commander at once ordered us to throw overboard the thirty barrels of -gasolene which constituted our deck load. This was but the work of a -few moments. Then a kedge anchor was run astern to see if we might -heave her off. But the tide was falling very rapidly and all of our -efforts were frustrated. It was now apparent that we should have to -wait until the tide rose again,--a matter of twelve hours or so. - -[Illustration: The _Bowdoin_ on the rocks in North Greenland.] - -[Illustration: Head of 2000-pound walrus, killed at Etah, North -Greenland.] - -Meanwhile the barrels were slowly drifting away down wind, and the -Commander perceived that if they were to be saved immediate measures -were necessary. Therefore he despatched us in the small boats to -recover them. We tumbled over the side into the dories and were soon -scudding before the curling seas which lay between us and the barrels. -Once among the barrels, we swung our boat’s nose into the wind, and -the laborious process of salvaging the barrels was begun. Koelz held -us steady with the oars, and I set to work putting lines on the -barrels. Leaning over the stern of a pitching dory in a rough chop and -striving to maintain a grip on a heavy steel drum which was rising and -falling in opposite sequence to the boat, was indeed a task not to be -underestimated. It was necessary to lift the barrel partly out of the -water with one hand and float a clove hitch under it with the other -hand. Every pitch of the boat nearly wrenched my arm from its socket. -The icy water almost froze my hands, and soon they were white and numb. -We stuck to this work, however, until all barrels had been gathered -and tethered into rafts. These were then anchored to prevent further -drifting and left to be later picked up by the vessel. - -[Illustration: Oomiak: Eskimo women’s boat, made of sealskins.] - -[Illustration: South Greenland kayak.] - -After three exhausting hours of this toil, they were all securely -bound together and anchored. Then we returned to the ship. By this -time the tide had fallen so far that she lay on her side at an acute -angle. In fact, the incline was so great that it was impossible to -stand on the deck. We had to walk along the bulwarks, and to cross -the decks necessitated pulling oneself up by a rope. In the cabin one -had to stand on the side walls, and the galley stove was so tilted -that to cook on it was impossible. We had to make a meal of cold willy -and other preparations which required no cooking. Despite the soggy -coldness of it all, food never did taste better! - -The hours dragged slowly by as we waited for the tide to rise. The -_Peary_ had been summoned to our aid, and she soon came hugging the far -side of Herbert Island. Taking soundings as she went, she came nosing -up within a few hundred feet of the _Bowdoin_. By the time she arrived -the tide had begun to rise, and the water was slowly creeping up the -deck of our ship. We clapped shut the portholes and battened down the -hatches, and waited. By inches the tide rose, and the vessel began -to show signs of stirring. We began taking up on the kedge anchor. -The _Peary_ was ready for immediate action, when a most astounding -phenomenon took place. About a half-mile away lay a huge million ton -iceberg. Suddenly we heard an ear-rending roar. We looked towards -the great berg. Slowly it up-ended with great fragments hurtling in -every direction, then rocked from side to side as it regained its -balance. In a few seconds a monstrous swell came rolling towards us -from this cataclysm, and we were lifted gently from the ledge and swept -gracefully into the open water beyond. We stared aghast; could we -believe our senses? Yes, there could be no doubt of it, we were free -of the ledge. We looked after the great receding wave and felt that at -last the baneful spell of Torngak had been shattered! - -Quickly we hauled aboard the barrels, set things to rights and made all -sail for Cape York. There we arrived early on the morning of August -27th, and we indeed realized that we had left none too soon, for the -winds were white with winter snow. The Commander stopped for a brief -visit and to present a few gifts to the Eskimos encamped there; then -we squared away for South Greenland. Across the now ice-free Melville -Bay we flew with a roaring boreal wind, speeding our progress home. -For three days we ran dead before it with huge seas coming up from the -stern and rolling under our vessel. - -After we left Cape York, the midnight sun was with us no longer, and -we had darkness for the first time in over a month. It indeed seemed -strange to see the icebergs again bathed in a sunset flush, gleaming -in the distance like old Greek temples of delicate pink marble. As -twilight shaded into darkness and the stars blossomed once more in -the heavens, we sat long on the quarter deck drinking in the infinite -beauty of the night, silent save for the murmur of the water beneath -the prow. - -[Illustration: At Sukkertoppen.] - -At last, late in the evening of August 30th, after a remarkably rapid -run from Cape York, we made our way into the harbor of Holsteinborg in -Danish Greenland. We had heard much about this port from our companions -who had made previous voyages, especially regarding the attractions of -its maidens. Our expectations were aroused, and great was our chagrin -when the governor refused us permission to land. The Commander came to -the rescue, and after he had wirelessed to the Governor-general, he at -last obtained consent for the expedition to go ashore. This permission -was extended only until nightfall, however. Thus any participation in -the much-heralded Greenland dances was frustrated. We went ashore, -nevertheless, and were at least permitted to take photographs of -the Greenland belles dressed in their barbaric finery. In return for -their smiles we presented them with some beads and trinkets. Then we -left them and went for a visit to the halibut canning factory which -is this hundred-man-town’s only industry. Here are preserved annually -several hundred thousand cans of the most delectable fish for shipment -to Denmark. - -[Illustration: _Photo Melkon._ - -Dick Salmon with large cod jigged while stormbound in Godthaab Fiord.] - -Here we waited a brief time for the _Peary_, and on her arrival we got -under weigh for Sukkertoppen, a town of six hundred, and the largest -in all Greenland. We were hospitably welcomed by Governor Langskov, -who extended us a cordial welcome and the freedom of the city. His -welcome was in strong contrast to the chilly reception farther up the -coast, and we felt that we had once more arrived among friends. In -every way possible, he and his charming family entertained us, and we -did our best to return their hospitality. That night we gave the entire -population a treat by showing our choicest films at the schoolhouse. - -To thread our way through the unlighted town was a hazardous -proceeding. Since the way to the schoolhouse was little better than a -swampy trail, and ankle deep in mud over a considerable portion of its -length, we had our troubles. Once we nearly walked off the sea-wall; -again we nearly skidded down an abrupt and rocky hill. But at last we -arrived at the schoolhouse which was pitch dark, owing to the fact that -the oil lamps had not yet arrived. After considerable trouble, however, -with the aid of a feeble flashlight, we managed to set up the projector -and the screen. Then the population arrived, and the show began. - -Being more nearly civilized, these people took far more interest in -our regular cinema dramas than did the northern Eskimos, in fact these -people are not really Eskimos at all, but three-quarters European. - -After the pictures we went up to the Governor’s house for refreshments. -There we were delightfully entertained by the Governor, his genial wife -and his charming daughter, and there we were served with Danish coffee, -which we all agreed was the most aromatic coffee we had ever drunk. -Moreover it was enriched with real cow’s cream--the first we had had -since leaving Sydney. The cow that gave this cream is probably one of -the northernmost cows in the world, but the cream showed no sign of -having been affected by the latitude, and it tasted better than it -used to at home. - -The following morning, Sunday, the Commander announced that we had all -been invited to attend the church service. This, we learned, was to be -conducted entirely in the Eskimo language, for the people there still -speak Eskimo though they have lost nearly all other similarity to the -real Eskimos through their having bred with Europeans. - -At ten o’clock we heard the church bells ringing, and the Commander -called all aboard for those going ashore. A short row put us at the -dock, and in a few moments we were at the church. The population was -there arranged in respectful lines awaiting our arrival before entering -the church--one of many courtesies accorded us in this hospitable -settlement. - -We entered the church. It was not far different from those at home. -An organ at the left, the ornate altar in the center, a pulpit at -the right, and behind the altar several oil paintings representing -Biblical scenes comprised the main part of the furnishings. Garbed in -his ecclesiastical robes, the Lutheran minister intoned the opening -chant; then the congregation struck up a hymn, the tune of which I had -often heard in the old Hill School chapel. But the words had all been -translated into Eskimo, and a bizarre effect was produced through the -combination of the familiar music and the outlandish words. We found -the service most interesting until the sermon. That lasted for nearly -an hour, and to sit on hard board benches and listen to words, the -import of which we had no conception, was to say the least trying! - -After the service and lunch on the ship, we went to the house of Mr. -Neilson, the chief trader. There we shared the hospitality of Mr. -Neilson, and his attractive wife and daughter, this being one of many -pleasant occasions that we spent in their home. - -We had now experienced many of the delightful customs and courtesies -which so endear the memory of days spent in Greenland, but one desire -that still remained with us was to attend a Greenland dance such as -we had seen depicted in the Commander’s films. Great was our delight, -therefore, when the village lads and lasses the next day accosted us -with the word “danswa.” Through the interpreter we learned that this -combination of Eskimo-Danish meant “big dance.” - -[Illustration: A good Eskimo puppy.] - -[Illustration: Typical winter home of South Greenland Eskimo.] - -[Illustration: Eskimo girls of Holsteinborg, Mixture of Danish, -Spanish, English and Eskimo.] - -That evening we put on our best clothes and glossiest sealskin -boots--the Greenland dancing pump de rigeur. After our toilet was -complete, we repaired to the cooper’s shop, then utilized as a dance -hall. We made our way through the assembled crowd, and entered the -long, low room which was lighted by only three or four smoky candles. -All decked in their most elaborate finery, the girls were ranged along -the wall, and a short distance removed from them stood the young -bucks. Against the white sila-paks of the males, the colorful feminine -costumes made a pleasing contrast. This costume consisted first of all -of a pair of elaborately dyed and embroidered sealskin boots, with -tops of fine linen on which is sewed lace. These reach almost to the -hips. Tucked into the top of these are tight-fitting sealskin pants -with a broad, colorful strip of leather running down the front. Around -the upper part of the body was fitted a bodice lined with eiderdown, -and over this was a facing of ornate velvet. Around their necks and -reaching half-way to the waist was a wide, artistically beaded collar -of which no two were alike in design and workmanship. About their heads -each wore a ribbon. A red ribbon was worn by the maidens; a blue ribbon -by the married ones, and a black ribbon by the widows. For one who was -a mother, but who was not in the last two categories, a green ribbon -was worn--a later learned fact which explained why some of us were -greeted with smiling refusals to accept green ribbon in exchange for -furs and trinkets. - -Soon arrived the Governor and his lady and their daughter, as did also -Mr. Neilson and his family. This was the signal for the dance to begin, -and the orchestra struck up a lively tune. The orchestra, by the way, -consisted of a wheezy accordion which seemed reasonably in tune except -on the very high C’s. This accordion was manipulated by a relay of -players who spelled each other while each took his turn at dancing. - -The dancing itself consisted of a series of gyrations and whirls which -made the Charleston appear like Walter Camp’s setting up exercises in a -home for old ladies. It is made up of measures of everything from the -hornpipe to the hula hula--fragments of dances contributed by sailors -from the seven seas, and well suited to the cosmopolitan blood of many -of these children of mischance. - -The fun was fast and furious, and the night merrily tripped along -“on light fantastic toe” until at last the candles guttered in their -sockets and went out, leaving the party whirling about in the -darkness. This incident in no way dimmed the enjoyment of the occasion, -and there was many a close shave and tight squeeze before the party -broke up. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII - -STORM AND STRESS AND--HOME! - - -After several days of the gay and intimate life of this “Venice of the -North,” so-called because of its many waterways and numerous islands, -and the Latin temperament of its inhabitants, we regretfully set sail -for Godthaab. There we loaded fuel oil and also visited some very -interesting Norse ruins dating back to the year 1000 A.D. These were -sixty miles up a fiord, not far from the spot where Nansen came down -from the ice-cap after his first crossing of Greenland. On the way to -these ruins we had a most delightful sail in the midst of the Alpine -scenery we had observed on our first sighting of Greenland. We spent an -interesting day rambling about these ruins, after which we returned to -Godthaab. - -[Illustration: View of Godthaab with statue of Hans Egede, first -missionary to the Eskimos of Greenland.] - -[Illustration: Norse church at head of Godthaab Fiord, probably built -about 1100 A. D.] - -Upon our return to Godthaab we were received and delightfully -entertained by Governor Simony and his wife. There we met many of the -notables of the settlement, and we also visited the “university,” -a sort of a glorified high school comprising a gymnasium and an -academic building. - -For several days a frightful hurricane delayed our departure for -home, but at last came clear weather, and we pointed our nose to the -southward. We were homeward bound! - -[Illustration: In rough weather, off Nova Scotia, homeward bound.] - -[Illustration: _Photo Brust._ - -The _Bowdoin_ detained by the storm at Monhegan.] - -Sixteen hours out of Godthaab the barometer took an ominous drop, and -a heavy wind and sea rolled up from the southeastward. Soon we were -forced to heave to under storm canvas. The seas were tremendous. Great -mountains of water came hurtling over the deck nearly sweeping away our -deck cargo, in fact one barrel of gasolene drifted over the rail, so -deep was the water on deck, and the boats were also engulfed, held only -by their stout lashings. Drenched to the skin and chilled to the bone -we worked at tightening the lashings on the barrels, and soon all was -secure. - -Below decks everything was sadly awry. The hatches were battened down, -thereby excluding the entrance of all air, and the deck, which had been -strained in the ice, leaked badly, and trickles of water soaked both -our bunks and ourselves. To these discomforts was added the noxious -fumes of coal gas which came from the galley stove. Owing to these -upsetting conditions all hands became seasick, and taking a trick at -the wheel became the sheerest agony. When my trick came, I struggled -into my clothes, donned my oilskins, and made my way to the deck on -unsteady feet. Staggering over the seething deck I made my way aft and -took over the wheel from my pallid and gagging colleague. All alone -I sat there for two hours with the great mounds of water crashing -over the bow and sweeping aft in a rushing torrent. It was indeed an -awe-inspiring spectacle, and in spite of my upset insides I could not -help but admire the grandeur and wild beauty of it all. It brought home -to me the insignificance of man in the face of nature aroused. - -As I looked out over the rolling green of the angry water it somehow -brought back to me the quiet peace and orderly beauty of the -close-cropped lawns of The Hill. I contrasted my present woebegone -state to that of a few months previous when I wandered book in hand in -the shadow of its stately cloisters, with nature at rest and with no -responsibility. A sudden wild lurch of the vessel recalled my mind to -my present task, and I again concentrated my attention on wheel and -compass. - -For three days we fought on through a bleak and stormy sea towards -Labrador. Those three days were the worst I ever experienced at sea, -and few of the other members of the crew, even the Commander himself, -could remember worse, but at last the bold headland of Cape Mugford -broke the dreary expanse of tumbling billows. This sight of land was -a tonic to our sea-racked bodies, and with renewed buoyancy we pushed -on. By nightfall the sea had moderated, and life took on a cheerier -tinge. Once again the sizzle and sputter of cooking food was sweet -music to our ears, and for the first time in days there was an inward -response to the savory odors which came from the galley. Even Doctor -Koelz emerged from his refuge behind the ice-box and consented to take -a glass of water, a sure sign that we were once again in calm weather. -After he recovered his equilibrium, his first thought was for his pet -goose which he kept in a cage on deck. He dashed up to see how it -had fared, but alas! the poor goose had been drowned. The Doctor was -stricken with grief, and all hands joined him in mourning the loss of -his pet. - -After a peaceful night’s run we arrived early the next morning at Jack -Lane’s Bay and at once made our way up to Abie’s home. There we spent -the day recuperating and getting thoroughly rested. At dawn on the day -following we were once more under weigh. A few hours put us in Hopedale -where we unloaded the troublesome gasolene. Then we headed out through -Flagstaff Tickle for the open sea and Battle Harbor. During this run I -experienced one of the finest nights of the entire voyage. It was cold -with frost forming on the ropes and on the deck. The perfect clarity -of the sky and the magnificence of the flashing stars along with the -beautiful full moon, with the wavering aurora in the north formed a -picture of such brilliance and splendor that I was loath to go below at -the end of my watch. - -The next day we reached Battle Harbor. We had made a fine run down -The Labrador, but we could not afford to loiter as the season was far -advanced, and we were two weeks behind schedule. Therefore early the -next morning we were once again on the way on the next to the last lap -headed for Sydney. Here we were greeted by a delegation of newspaper -men and Mr. Hildebrand of the National Geographic Society. They -welcomed us back to civilization in regal style. But we could not long -linger in their pleasant company, and in five hours we were once again -leaving Sydney astern--_headed for Home_! - -We were flying on around Scateri wafted southward by a fair wind. But -as we neared Halifax the wind hauled to the southwest and swept upon us -with a force unparalleled by any hurricane that even the Commander had -ever seen. It was far worse than any through which we had previously -passed. In an astonishingly short time the surface of the sea was a -series of steep and treacherous ridges which struck us from every side. -Luckily the mainsail had been taken in before dark, but the foresail -and jumbo were still up. The Commander immediately despatched Melkon -and Dick Salmon to take in the jumbo, while he gripped the wheel. I was -busily engaged in rescuing the loose articles on deck when suddenly -a towering sea crashed over the bow, and leaving the wheel to me the -Commander dashed forward to the aid of the two men there. I seized the -wheel and put her hard over to hold her bow in the wind. The engine was -running full blast. The force of the wind and the sea was so great that -the vessel was literally pushed backward and began shipping seas over -the stern. - -This was indeed a most precarious situation with the seas breaking -aboard from all sides, and seeing that the engine could not hold the -vessel in the wind against the seas, I eased her off a few points to -relieve the grim danger of being pooped,--a danger almost unprecedented -for a vessel heading into the seas. This easing off had the desired -effect, and as the boys had taken in the staysail, I was able to fill -away the foresail, and we were soon bounding along again in comparative -safety. It took all my strength to hold that bucking wheel against the -terrific forces striving to throw it up. Suddenly the cover of the -wheelbox was lifted out from under me by the force of the wind and went -flying off to leeward, and as the deck was heeled at such a terrific -angle that it was practically impossible to stand on it with the seas -breaking around my knees, I got into the wheelbox and thus managed to -keep going. - -Soon the Commander, Dick and Melkon returned from forward, and we -settled down to ride it out as best we might. Suddenly an ominous -slatting sounded through the shrill scream of the wind in the -rigging. Holding our hands before our faces to shield them from the -cutting spray, we fought our way forward to investigate. A hasty -glance revealed that our foresail had been blown loose from the gaff -laceline. This was a dangerous situation as the sail was likely to -thrash to pieces. The Commander immediately gave the word to call all -hands. In a moment Robbie came piling up from the cabin, and under his -direction we started to haul down the sail. The Commander held the -vessel in the wind while we labored. Five of us seized the downhaul, -but we were ineffectually dragged back and forth across the deck by the -terrible thrashing of the sail. At last I managed to catch a turn over -a belaying pin, and then inch by inch we swayed it down. Luck was with -us, and down it came without tearing. We were greatly relieved to have -this important sail safe on deck with no further damage than the broken -laceline. It required fast work to save it. This filled out an active -and exciting evening. - -Now the only reasonable course of action was to heave to and wait for -the storm to abate, as it could not long blow with the fury it now -displayed. But the little _Bowdoin_ was slowly driven out to sea, since -even with her engine going at full speed she was no match for the force -of the gale. There she was flung about through the night, and there was -little rest for our tired watch. - -Morning at last dawned, and with it came sunlight and calmer weather, -and by the time we again came on deck the vessel had resumed her -course. The sparkling miles flew by, and before dark we were off Cape -Sable. All day we had held our own in a race with the _Peary_, which -had joined us off Halifax after the storm. But at Cape Sable the wind -fell calm, and she soon forged ahead and was lost in the night. - -All that night and all the next day the _Bowdoin_ ploughed steadily -onward, and at four o’clock the next afternoon Matinicus Rock, the -farthest outpost of Maine, hove in sight, shortly to be followed by our -goal--Monhegan Island. Not long afterwards we rounded the Island, and -just before sundown we dropped anchor in Dead Man’s Cove. - -We had hoped to make an early start on Saturday morning for Wiscasset -where we were expected by many of our friends and well-wishers. But at -three o’clock in the morning we were awakened by the shrill scream of -a storm humming through the rigging. This storm later developed into -the great gale of October 10th, known to every fisherman on the coast. -We did not, however, immediately despair of being able to make the run -to Wiscasset. When we roused out at breakfast time the wind had shown -no sign of abating, and one look out to sea sufficed to demonstrate -that any thought of departure that day was but an idle wish. I put my -head above the level of the hatch and glanced about. The vessel was -wallowing in a heavy swell which came rolling into Dead Man’s Cove -from the west. The anchor chain stood out as taut and stiff as a bar -of iron. The vessel’s stern tailed dangerously close to the wicked -rocks astern which reared their ugly heads through a wall of breaking -seas and flying spume. As the morning wove on, the storm increased -in violence and our situation became precarious. Twice the sturdy -fishermen of Monhegan bucked their way out from the inner harbor to -warn us that our anchorage would soon become untenable, and it behooved -us to get out while we still could. Eventually our stern approached -within a few feet of the rocks, and the Commander decided we should -have to go around the island into the inner harbor. To take the vessel -out in the teeth of that roaring hurricane with a bent propeller such -as we had, was a feat not lightly to be undertaken. - -But as it was imperative, the Commander reluctantly gave the order -to up anchor. Inch by inch our powerful winch brought the chain -aboard. Soon it was up and down and the engine was started. Then a -few more revolutions of the windlass and we were clear. The engine -telegraph stood at full speed and yet the vessel barely moved. We -watched breathlessly. Would she make it? Slowly the gap between us and -the rocks widened. The vessel plunged her bow deep in the seas. All -undaunted the little _Bowdoin_ crept to windward. At last we rounded -the outermost cape and with a sigh of relief the Commander put up the -helm and we fairly blew to leeward around the remaining stretch of -coast. - -In a few moments we were safe once more in the inner harbor and the -shrieking seventy-five mile an hour gale was powerless to tear us from -our moorings. We were indeed fortunate to make a safe harbor as many a -great ship disappeared in that hurricane and was never seen again. From -all parts of the Atlantic seaboard reports rained in of shipwreck and -disaster. - -All that day and all the next the gale raged with unmitigated severity. -On Sunday, however, the barometer began to rise and patches of blue sky -showed through the leaden pale overhead. These signs that the weather -would soon be on the mend were welcome to all hands, from the crew to -the visitors. It appeared probable that a start might be made Monday -morning. As it would still be rough, the ladies who had joined us at -Battle Harbor were requested to go up to Wiscasset on the _Peary_ that -they might be spared the discomforts of a trip on the smaller vessel. - -Monday morning arrived and the _Peary_ gave a long toot on her siren -and pulled out from the dock. She passed quite close to us and we -observed that her decks were nearly deserted. Where were the ladies? In -a few moments we knew. Boat after boat appeared, loaded to the gunwales -with their numbers. Not more than a handful had gone on the _Peary_; -contrary to all instructions they had refused to go on our consort, -and insisted on going on the _Bowdoin_. We stared aghast at their -temerity to disobey the Commander’s request. They came aboard with an -air of assurance which showed that a well-planned conspiracy had been -launched, but their disobedience was left unnoticed, strange to say. I -think perhaps it would be more correct to those who have had experience -with the wily sex to say, “As might have been expected.” A good many of -them were soon seasick, but in a short time we had come into the quiet -waters of Boothbay Harbor. Up the green bordered channels we picked our -way, our decks crowded with cheering visitors. Slowly we reeled off the -miles until at last we entered the Sheepscot, and then--then with flags -flying we proceeded up the river, and at last amidst the roar of steam -whistles and the cheers of the multitude assembled on the shore, the -Commander uttered those long awaited words: “Let go.” - -Soon the visitors had departed, and we were left alone on our -sturdy little ship. We had sailed six thousand miles, crossed the -Arctic Circle twice, fought through the dread reaches of Melville -Bay, launched our planes over the unknown Arctic, and returned all -unscathed. Now all was ended: “Timakeza,” as the Eskimo would say. - -Two days later, as my train rumbled over the bridge, I looked out and -saw the little _Bowdoin_ lying quiet and peaceful in the tranquil -waters of Wiscasset, her long voyage over. As she receded into the -distance I recalled the happy days spent under the shadow of her masts, -and in my heart the hope was born that once again I might tread her -deck and feel the long ocean roll beneath my feet--outward bound! - - - - -TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES: - - - Italicized text is surrounded by underscores: _italics_. - - Obvious typographical errors have been corrected. - - Inconsistencies in hyphenation have been standardized. - - Illustrations have been moved to the nearest paragraph breaks. In some - cases, these breaks are on different pages. 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