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THE "GJOA" EXPEDITION,

I 903-1 907.

THE

NORTH WEST PASSAGE

ROALD AMUNDSEN.

ROALD AMUNDSEN'S

"THE NORTH WEST PASSAGE"

BEING THE RECORD OF A
VOYAGE OF EXPLORATION OF THE
SHIP ''GJOA" 1903-1907 BY ROALD
AMUNDSEN WITH A SUPPLEMENT
BY FIRST LIEUTENANT HANSEN
VICE-COMMANDER OF THE
EXPEDITION

WITH ABOUT ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-NINE
ILLUSTRATIONS AND THREE MAPS

Vol. II

E. P. BUTTON AND COMPANY
1908

lDl%0<d

CONTENTS.

PAGE

CHAPTER VIII.

PART 11.
The Inhabitants at the Magnetic North Pole . , i

CHAPTER IX.
Farewell to Gjoahavn 5 2

CHAPTER X.
The North West Passage 102

CHAPTER XL
The Third Winter 146

CHAPTER XII.
With the Eskimo and the Indians. On ski and

snowshoes through Canada and Alaska . .212

CHAPTER XIII.
Conclusion ....>..-• 250

SUPPLEMENT.

Towards King Haakon VII's Land. By First Lieutenant

Godfred Hansen, Vice-Commander of the Expedition 296

Contributors, etc., to the Expedition Fund . . 365

Index . 3^9

irriT Ti V A 2

ILLUSTRATIONS.

PAGE

" Gjoa's " first meeting with Whalers after completing the

North West Passage . . . . • Frontispiece

Nechilli Eskimo in their Snow Hut . - . . . n

Ahiva and Alo-Alo in Hunting Garb .

Praederik and Wife in their Snow Hut .

Ogluli Eskimo repairing his Sledge

Young Nechilli Archers

Nechilh Eskimo equipped for Seal Fishing

The *' Ilia " and the " Kiviuchyervi " .

Tattooed Arm. (Utkohikchyallik Eskimo woman)

Tattooed Thigh. (Nechilli Eskimo woman)

The " Owl" Trout Fishing

Nechilli Eskimo Visitors on Board

Lindstrom being instructed in the Nechilli Eskimo Method
of building Snow Huts

Scene on Deck. (Summer, 1904)

Festivities in the Cabin

Rejoicings ......

Lieutenant Hansen as Photographer .

Tonnich ......

The " Gjoa " in Summer. Gjoahavn, King William Land

Ichyuachtorvik Eskimo in his Kayak .

An Eskimo Ferry. (Kamiglu, 1905) .

The wrecked Whaler " Bonanza " at King Point

Eskimo at King Point ....

Roksi .......

Our Residence at King Point

The Register House at King Point

In Winter Quarters at King Point

The Colony at King Point . . .

16
21
28

32
35
36
37
39
49

53
67

7i» 73
85
89

III

"3
139
144
147
150
151
153
155

Illustrations.

Kunak and his Family. Summer at King Point

King Point ....•••

The Land between King Point and Key Point

The American Whaling Fleet at Herschel Island, 1905— 1906

Winter Life at Herschel Island, 1905 — 1906

Theatrical Performance at Herschel Island

Eskimo Tent at King Point

A Coffee Party at King Point

Gustav Wiik. (Winter, 1905)

Spring at King Point .

A Summ.er Scene at King Point

Anakto. An Eskimo from Herschel Island

Helmer Hansen. (Spring, 1905).

Wiik's Grave at King Point .

Manichya and Family at King Point .

View from Top of King Point. (Summer)

Mark, showing Position of Magnetic Instrument Stand (King

Point)

The first two Whalers arriving at King Point, July nth, 1906
Roald Amundsen leaving Eagle City, 1906
Jimmy, who took part in the Mail Trip
Kappa, who also took part in the Mail Trip
Tent used for the Mail Trip.
Lee Provost's Hut
Mound of Earth at Nome, containing 1,000,000 dols. worth

of gold ....
Fort Egbert, near Eagle City, Alaska
We lowered our Flag to half-mast — the last Tribute from his

Comrades ....
Summer at King Point
Vegetation at King Point .
Eskimo Graves at Herschel Island
Whalers' Graves at Herschel Island
Eskimo Huts at Herschel Lsland.
Tupsi. Eskimo Woman at Herschel Island

PAGE

157
159
160
161

165
167
171
174
183
188
191

193
199
201
203

207

209
210
213
216
217
220
243

244
247

252

254
258
260
261
262
263

Illustrations.

Manni. (Summer, igo6)
Anton Lund. (Spring, 1906)
After our Arrival at Nome .
Sports at Nome . . . .
" Gjoa " at Anchor off Nome
Lieutenant Hansen. (Spring, 1906)
Peder Ristvedt. (Spring, 1906) .
Our faithful Companions
On the way to Victoria Land
At Victoria Land

PAGE

267
286
287
289

293
301

305
315
322

343

CHART.

King Haakon VII's Coast and Queen Maud's Sea; Lieu-
tenant Hansen and Sergeant Ristvedt's sledge expedition
in 1905 ....... At the ejid of Volume

THE NORTH WEST PASSAGE

VOLUME II.

CHAPTER VIII.

PART II.

The Inhabitants at tfie Magnetic North Pole.

The seasons in these regions end just as abruptly as
they set in. The Eskimo awakes one morning to find
himself in the depth of winter, the sea is frozen over and
the snow in places has formed drifts several yards deep.
Now, there is no longer any excuse for delay in the
building of snow-huts ; they have all suffered enough
from the cold during the past night. Soon the whole
population of the colony is out selecting building sites.
The main thing is to find a sheltered place, screened to
som.e extent from the wind and not too far from water,
as otherwise every drop they require would have to be
procured at the cost of trouble and fatigue. The con-
dition of the snow also is an important consideration ; if
it is not favourable the hut will not turn out a first-class
job. The selection, therefore, of a good site for the hut
is a very responsible task for the paterfamilias, and it

Chapter VIII.

often takes him a long time to decide on it. He care-
fully tests the snow with an instrument specially intended
for the purpose, called a " hervon." This is a stick made
of reindeer horn, straightened out like a long walking-
stick. It is about four feet long. At one end there is a
handle of reindeer bone and at the other a musk-ox bone
ferrule (Fig. 3, p. 299, Vol. I). In the course of his examina-
tion he thrusts the " hervon " into the snow to " feel " its
condition. It requires a very delicate sense of touch,
developed by many years' practice and experience, to
"feel " the condition of the snow. Anyone, by sticking
a rod into the snow, can ascertain whether it is hard or
soft, but to determine the number and condition of the
various strata is a far more difficult task ; for it very
often happens that the snow drifts consist of layers swept
together at different times and in different weathers, con-
sequently they vary considerably in character. In one
and the same snow drift you may find snow that has
been beaten together into a compact mass by a storm,
together with snow that has settled down on it gently in
calm weather, forming a very loose layer, which is quite
unsuitable for building purposes. Over this again you
may get a hard stratum, and it needs the skill of an
Eskimo to distinguish the loose layers in the mass
of drifted snow. The ideal condition is attained when
the drift has a loose layer of snow about one foot thick
on the top, and a uniform mass of the requisite hardness
below to a sufficient depth for making the blocks
required ; yet the snow must not be too brittle, as in

The Inhabitants at the Magnetic North Pole.

that case the blocks are likely to crumble in course of
preparation.

In order to obtain a correct idea as to how a hut
should be built in the most approved style, we will pay
a visit to the master-builder, Atikleura. He is standing
just below the summit of the ridge beckoning to Nalungia
to intimate that he has found a suitable spot and that she
is to bring him his snow shovel. A glance at the site he
has selected shows that Atikleura is a practical man as
well as a^man of taste. The position is well sheltered
to the north, east, and west, and the crest of the ridge at
the back will prove a barrier to the biting north wind.
Towards the south the prospect is open and will have
the full benefit of the sunshine. Close by there is a small
lake or pond which will supply the most delicious drink-
ing water for the family. The country hereabouts
consists mainly of spacious plains and beautiful lakes.
Meanwhile Nalunma has arrived with the snow shovel.
This is made of a wooden board which Atikleura has
obtained by barter from tribes dwelling further south, as
there is no wood in Nechilli, nor does the smallest
piece of drift wood ever find its way to these latitudes.
The shovel is made in a very workmanlike manner, and
excellently suited for its purpose as long as the snow is
loose. For hard snow, of course, our iron spades would
be preferable. It is strengthened at the lower end with
reindeer bone. Now, the first thing that Atikleura does,
is to shovel away the upper loose layer of snow, in the
circumference within which he had planned to erect his

^ B 2

Chapter VIII.

hut. He does so with a true eye, as the large number of
huts he has built in his lifetime has given him good
practice. Then he draws out the knife which has
hitherto been suspended by a loop on the bone peg at
the back of his "anorak." It is quite a monster knife,
enough to frighten anyone who had not seen it before.
The blade is as large as that of an ordinary good sized
butcher's knife and is made of iron, which has also come
from the south ; the handle is about a foot long, and is of
wood or bone. Takino- the handle with both hands he
commences to cut out his ice blocks for building the hut.
These are cut out to a size about eighteen inches wide,
twenty-four inches long and four Inches thick. If cut out
in this way, the building site itself will yield sufficient
material for the whole construction.

It is a pleasure to see how a good builder cuts each

block so that it just fits where he sets it. Atikleura is a

veritable prodigy at this work. Not one of his blocks

ever breaks in pieces, although he appears to cut them

out without any particular care. Just a cut here and

there, then a kick, and the thin neat block stands

separated from the mass of snow. All the blocks from

Atikleura's hand are so exactly equal in size that they

look as if they had been accurately measured. The hut

Is built up in spirals in the form of a haycock or bee-hive,

so that one layer of blocks rests on the previous one and

extends a little further Inwards. In joining the blocks,

the sides must be fitted to each other so that the walls

are perfectly tight. The builder's skill can be gauged by

The Inhabitants at the Magnetic North Pole.

the tightness of the hut ; but even with Atikleura's skill it
is impossible to avoid some few small chinks here and
there. It is Nalungia's task to fill up these chinks. For
this purpose she works the shovelled-up loose snow until
it is as fine as gTated sugar, for it is only when it is in
this state that it can be used for making the joints tight.
It is thrown up against the blocks as soon as they are
placed in position and fills in every little hole and crevice.
The walls of the hut rise quickly. As the blocks are cut
out the ground is cleared downwards, and as they are set
into their places, they serve to increase the height of the
walls of the cleared site. Atikleura looks as if he had been
standing on his head in a fiour-tub ; he is covered with
snow all over ; his clothes, hair, and beard are white as
chalk. His long gloves prevent the snow from getting
into the sleeves of the " anorak."

Building the roof of such a snow hut is a very com-
plicated affair to the uninitiated. Many a snow-block
did I get on my head when I essayed this work. The
snow-blocks have to be set back gradually inwards, and
when the work is nearing completion, the last blocks
would appear to be literally suspended in the air, without
any base or support. The last block (or keystone) which
closes the roof, in the centre, is quite small, and in most
cases triangular. To fix it in its position from the
outside, it must first be juggled out through the hole
which it is eventually to fill. This looks impossible, but
the Eskimo achieves the impossible. With one hand
he raises his block to the outside, through the hole at

Chapter VIII.

the top, and while holding it he cuts it into the shape of
a wedge with the knife he holds in the other ; and when
he lowers it into the hole it fits it as if it had been
moulded for the purpose.

Nalungia, aided by Errera, has perseveringly plastered
over the outside of the hut with fine snow, so that
it simply looks like a snow-heap. The outlines of
the blocks are now quite concealed under the snow.
But the hut is perfectly tight, as the fine snow works
itself in wherever there is the slightest hole or crevice.
The master-builder himself is not yet visible ; he is still
busy in the interior of the hut, where he is now com-
pletely built in. At last his long-bladed knife protrudes
from the wall of snow, and with a rapid movement he
cuts a hole just large enough for him to creep through.
I am surprised to see how high up the wall he cuts the
hole, as in all the huts I have hitherto seen, this entrance
hole was quite down to the floor. Now Nalungia creeps
in through the aperture, and I follow her to see what
she is going to do in the way of further internal arrange-
ments. I am at once enlightened as to why the aperture
is made so high up ; Atikleura has cut it on a level with
the sleeping-berth, to expedite the work of "moving-in."
He has constructed the sleeping-berth as follows : — He
has first divided the hut by a row of snow-blocks into
two compartments, of which the inner one is twice as
large as the outer. He throws all the loose, refuse snow
lying in the hut, into the inner compartment, until it
reaches the level of the row of blocks, and there you

The Inhabitants at the Magnetic North Pole.

have the "bedstead " quite ready. At the opposite end
of the hut is another small erection, made of two blocks
set on edge, and a third laid across them, like a table
slab.

Now commences the moving in, through the aperture
above the sleeping-berth. Large quantities of skins are
thrown in and slung topsy-turvy upon the sleeping" place.
Next comes all the furniture — a drying grid, water
bucket, cooking pot, blubber lamp, provisions, blubber,
meat and hsh, and lastly the women's personal belongings
— which I dare not specify more fully. Now it looks as
if all were over and Mrs. Nalungia casts an enquiring
look at me, as much as to say, " Are you going to creep
out ? " I have no idea what is about to happen, but my
curiosity prompts me to remain, thinking that anything
much worse than I had seen before was hardly likely to
occur ; but I certainly was a little taken aback when the
hole over the sleeping berth was suddenly blocked up
again from outside and I was alone, with one lady, in a
closed-up hut. However, as Nalungia did not seem to
mind it in the least, why should I trouble ? Disregarding
me she set to work with a will. The heavy blubber
lamp was first raised upon the little snow table near the
wall opposite the sleeping berth. This lamp is made of
a kind of stone they obtain from the Utkohikchyallik
Eskimo ; it is carved in the form of a crescent and is
heavy and clumsy. It is placed upon three pieces of
bone inserted in the snow slab, so that the inner edge of
the crescent is turned towards the interior of the hut

Chapter VI 1 1.

while the outer edge is towards the wall. The blubber
bag- is now brought out and a piece of frozen blubber
taken from it ; this is beaten with a specially made club
of musk-ox bone until it is quite soft. Now she pro-
duces, from one of her repositories, a little tuft of moss
which she carefully soaks with seal-oil — ugh ! I remember
with horror those mysterious "light pastilles" — and
then she sets to work to get a light by rubbing pieces of
wood together. The "pastille " soon sends out the most
dazzling rays ; the crushed blubber is put into the lamp,
and a wick of moss is laid alono- the whole of the
inner straight edge ; this is sprinkled with seal-oil
and ignited by means of the burning tuft of moss. The
whole wick is now blazing and a brilliant flame lights up
the roomy hut. I ask myself what in the world she
wants with this brilliant flame, as she has now finished
arranging the hut, and I am almost on the point of up-
braiding her for this waste of precious oil, but I refrain,
as I remember that an Eskimo never does anything
without good reason. In fact it soon becomes apparent
that here, too, my judgment is premature. Gradually an
oppressive heat spreads from the mighty flame, and now
I understand that her object is to cause the newly-built
hut to settle well clown at the joints. As the result of
the heat thus produced, the snow blocks gradually close
up till they may be said to form one single continuous
wall.

While this is going on, Nalungia makes good use of
her time, and gets the sleeping berth into proper order.

The Inhabitants at the Magnetic North Pole.

The waterproof kayak skins are laid next to the snow ;
these have been taken from the kayaks in the autumn,
and will keep the moisture of the snow away from the
reindeer skins neatly arranged over them, and the
sleeping berth looks quite cosy. Again she turns her
attention to the lamp and trims the wick — this has to be
done frequently ; the saucepan is then filled with snow
and suspended over the flame by two cords, secured to
two bones fastened into the wall. The family may
want refreshment after this job. The drying grid, made
of reindeer bone, strung over with a network of sinew
thread, is now fixed up over the saucepan but not too
near the fire. The skins will not bear too much heat.
Finally, the "anauta," a small, round, thick, wooden
stick with a handle, used for beating the snow off the
clothes, is, by way of a finishing touch, driven into the
wall. Everything is now ready. And none too soon ;
for at this moment Atikleura is callings from outside
asking if he may come in. Nalungia casts a last
critical look round the walls, and tells him to wait a little.
He goes off muttering something which, translated,
would sound very much like "d — • — d womenfolk" or
somethinp" of the kind. Nalungfia looks as thoug-h she
meant to pay him out for his courtesy by keeping him
waiting a little longer, and it is quite another half hour
before she calls him in. Then an opening is made
through the wall, right down to the floor, large enough
for a man to creep through, and Atikleuras head
appears through it. A moment later he is inside the

Chapter VIII.

hut ; he takes off his soaking wet o-loves and throws
them towards his wife, who turns them inside out and
hangs them on the drying- grid ; then she takes his coat,
shakes it and well beats it with the "anauta," for it is
important to remove every little grain of snow to
prevent it melting and wetting the coat, which is then
rolled up and thrown on the bed. The outer trousers
are then treated in the same way and placed with the
coat next the " anorak." Atikleura stands there in his
under garb. This does not sound exactly " comme
il faut " according to our ideas, but it calls for no
comment among the Eskimo. He now walks up to the
sleeping place and sits down, not, as we might do,
on the edore, but well back so that he can rest his leg-s.
Now the footoear must be removed, and this is not
a very simple matter, as an Eskimo's footgear consists of
five different articles. Outermost are the low reindeer-
skin shoes, made with the hairy side inwards. For
a man of Atikleura's high descent these are half-soled
with sealskin. On the bottom of the sole there are
some perceptible ridges which, on closer inspection,
prove to be strips of skin sewn on to prevent the foot
from slipping. Next come the " kamiks," which at
this time of the year are exclusively of reindeer
skin. There are two pairs of these. The outer are
made of the hide from the reindeer's leg, which is
short-haired and very strong. They are made with the
hairy side inwards, and reach up to the knee, where
they are laced up with a thong. Underneath these is

The Inhabitants at the Magnetic North Pole.

another pair, exactly of the same length and appearance,
but with the hairy side outwards. These are made out
of the hide of a one-year-old reindeer, taken from the
abdomen, as the skin there is very fine and soft. Between
these two pairs of " kamiks " the Eskimo wears a pair of
short reindeer-skin socks, with the hairy side outward ;

NECHILLI ESKIMO IN THEIR SNOW HUT — COVERING THEIR FACES TO PREVENT
BEING PHOTOGRAPHED.

and, lastly, another pair of socks next to the skin, with
the hairy side inwards, so that altogether the feet have
five different coverings. When I first saw this 1 thought
that, after all, we were rather more hardy than the
Eskimo, as we only used three articles of foot-gear ; but
on my first sleighing tour I realised that it was not simply
for protection against cold that the Eskimo used all these

Chapter VIII.

articles, but, to a great extent, to protect the feet against
the hard snow and ice on which they are always walking.
With my triple foot-gear I became so footsore that I
could scarcely walk. Like the gloves, all the foot-gear
must be put up on the grid to dry. The inconvenience
of skin clothing is that, unless kept well aired, it is very
apt to absorb and retain any moisture. The Nechilli
Eskimo did not know of sedge-grass ; they put loose
reindeer hair into their boots and take it out at night ;
this was better than nothing, but not nearly so good as
our grass.

When Atikleura has removed his wet foot-o-ear, he
puts on a pair of dry '' kamiks " and a pair of low
seal-skin shoes — " kamileitkun " — corresponding to our
slippers. In winter these are used inside the hut only,
but during the transition period between winter and
spring they are worn outside. As far as the care of the
outer man is concerned, Atikleura is now ready, and is
therefore at liberty to think of the needs of the inner
man. And these are not trivial, after the trying day's
work. A fine salmon is served up, and all the members
of the family partake freely. Frozen though it is, it
seems to be highly relished, and very shortly there is
nothing left but the clean-stripped skeleton. The sauce-
pan, now full of fresh clean water — a few hundreds of
reindeer hairs, of course, are not looked upon as im-
purities— is emptied, and refilled with snow and suspended
again f)ver the fire. Water is the only drink the
Nechilli Eskimo know; no "half-and-half" of any

The Inhabitants at the Magnetic North Pole.

kind is to be had there. They now announce that there
is no more room in their stomachs for either salmon or
water, and the meal is finished. It is time to turn in.
Nalungia prepares the bed for the night, arranging the
beautiful soft skins ; Atikleura closes up the entrance
securely with a block of snow, slips in under the large
family bed rug, and there disrobes. Unlike the Greenland
Eskimo, these people, of either sex, never disrobe in the
presence of strangers, except in the greatest emergency.
The guest of the family is assigned a place at one side
of the hut — little Anni and Errera have turned in long-
ago— and the berth nearest the fireplace is reserved for
Naluno-ia. She extinguishes the lio-ht and arrano-es her
toilet in the dark. The large skin bed-rugs are their
only covering at night. Vigorous snoring soon announces
that they are asleep.

The scene outside is very different from the one
which we pictured in the summer. The tents have
all disappeared, and, in the peaceful moonlight, the low
cupolas of the snow huts are almost merged in the snow-
covered field. A stranger passing by would scarcely
suspect that quite a little world is slumbering there,
and, least of all, a world of glad and happy people,
happier, perhaps, beneath their lowly snow roofs than
many a rich and mighty one under a roof crowned with
turrets and battlements. Rancour and envy, calumny and
malice, are banished from the world of this ice desert ;
the peace of the night is unbroken, and the moonlit
atmosphere is pure around the abodes of these men.

Chapter VIII.

There are still a great many trifles to keep the
inmates busy in the hut next day ; in the hurry, in
which all was done yesterday, it was impossible to get
everything arranged as it ought to be, so that there is
still a good deal to be set right or improved. Nalungia's
first thought is to have a window in the hut. True, a
snow hut, even without a window, is light enough to
enable them to see to work by day, but with a window
it will certainly be much lighter and more cheerful, and
they will also be able to see and judge of the weather
without going out. Atikleura, who is by no means
heedless of the wishes of his wife, goes down to the
ice-bound lake and cuts out a suitable oblong slab for a
window, which he puts into the wall over the entrance
door, the most elegant window imaginable.

Time passes, and the moon, of high importance to the
Eskimo, soon reaches that particular position in the
heavens that permits the women to resume their sewing.
This is a busy time. There are skins to be dressed,
cut out, and sewn. To see an Eskimo woman cut out
garments is most amusing. She has no chalk for
marking out, but she has strong teeth. The skin is
folded to the required shape, a mark is bitten in with
the teeth, and the garment is then cut out with the
"olo." Many do not even trouble to bite marks, but
cut out 1)y guesswork, with the sure eye acquired by
years of experience. When the Eskimo woman sews
for her family or herself, the stitching is done in an
exemplary manner and the stitches are fine and small ;

The Inhabitants at the Magnetic North Pole.

but if she does sewing "to order," for a " Kabluna,"
then it is execrable, long coarse stitches that will not
hold for a day. Consequently, when we want service-
able clothes, we buy them second hand from the wearer.

It is an art to make skin clothes so that they are
comfortable, both as regards cut and make-up. The
Eskimo sew the skins together edge to edge, thereby
avoiding the thick seams produced by overlapping. On
board the " Gjoa " we had skin clothing made in Norway
and Siberia, but we should have been crippled in a single
day, had we worn these clothes with the seams next to
us, they are so thick and coarse. On the other hand,
I have repeatedly gone about in Eskimo clothes in warm
.summer weather, with the hairy side out and the seams
next to me, without the least discomfort.

At the end of October the Eskimo appear in their
new clothes. The " swells," Ahiva and Oyara and their
wives, always lead the fashion. A brand-new Eskimo
dress is really very attractive. They wear two tunics or
"anoraks," one with the hairy side inwards, and one
reversed. In design they are very much like a dress
coat. I do not know with whom the design originated.
Among the Nechilli Eskimo the tails of the " anorak "
are not very long, they scarcely reach below the knee ;
but some other tribes wear them reaching right down to
to the heels. The outer " anorak " is elaborately trimmed,
and is made of a thicker skin than the inner one. Both
garments hang loosely on the figure, so that the air can
circulate freely. They also wear two pairs of trousers,

Chapter VIII.

one with the hair outwards, and the other with the hair
inwards. The outside trousers are often decorated with
trimmings, while the inside ones, of course, are plain.
They are tight round the waist, but loose at the knee.

AHIVA AND ALO-ALO IN HUNTING GARB.

Both the "anoraks" and the trousers are often edged
with fringe.

Before the members of the expedition had become
quite accustomed to the Eskimo dress and had adopted it,
many of us thought it ridiculous for grown-up menfolk

The Inhabitants at the Magnetic North Pole.

like ourselves to q-q about wearino- frino-e to our clothes,
so we cut it off. But I had my scruples about this, as
I had already had evidence that nothing either in the
Eskimo's clothing or other arrangements was, in fact,
without meaning or purpose, so I kept my fringe and
put up with the ridicule. However, he laughs best who
laughs last ; one fine day the " anoraks " from which the
fringes had been cut off, commenced to curl up, and
if the fringe had not been put on again pretty quickly,
they would soon have looked like neckties.

There are merry doings in Nechilli at Christmas
time. Although they have no idea of our Christmas or
our reason for celebrating it, they have their winter
festival, fully corresponding to our Christmas just about
that time. The food depots are full of fish and reindeer,
and the days are given up to eating, drinking, and
amusement. They have built a large igloo, which serves
as a common assembly room and entertainment hall.
Some of these public igloos are quite palatial and will
hold over fifty people. The amusements consist of
gymnastics, conjuring, singing, and dancing. Gymnastics
are cultivated by men of all ages ; even old Kachkoch-
nelli takes his part, and acquits himself as well as the
younger men. Having no horizontal bar they had
improvised one with the means at their command ;
a long cable was formed by five sealskin straps laid,
together, and a second sealskin strap coiled tightly round
it : this constituted a very reliable rope. Now the
question was, how to get it fixed, and that was not so

VOL. II. 17 c

Chapter VIII.

easy, as a snow wall does not really afford any strong
hold. But the Eskimo know how to help themselves.
They drill holes in each of the two opposite walls, pass
the two ends of the rope out through these, and fasten
them to two wooden bars secured in the snow on each
side of the hut. Now this makes a capital elastic
"horizontal bar," and the display commences. I was
dumbfounded to see these people perform many of the
gymnastic feats I remembered from my boyhood, and
they really did them very gracefully. They were supple
and agile. I was tempted to display some of my former
agility, and show^ them what I had been capable of, but
I came to erief. It was of little use for me to excuse
myself on the ground that I was unaccustomed to a rope
in place of the familiar horizontal bar ; the failure of my
intended exhibition aroused general hilarity among all
present, both Eskimo and Kabluna.

For their conjuring tricks, they do not need this large
hut ; they can be performed anywhere. These perform-
ances, as a rule, have some special object : to drive away
sickness or to ensure a good catch, etc. In spite of
my persevering investigations, I was never able to find
out what the qualifications for a conjurer or " angekok "
are. There are various grades, some high, some lower
class, and some quite inferior. Kagoptinner thus was
a very great magician, in fact, as I have said before,
the greatest of the tribe. Old " Praederik " was also
one of the leaders, 1)ut not so great as Kagoptinner.
We were never permitted to be present at these perform-

The Inhabitants at the Magnetic North Pole.

ances, but once I succeeded, by pure accident, in getting-
a tolerably good insight into the affair. I was calling on
the " Owl " for a chat. Oatside his hut there were two
Eskimo, who addressed me as I was o"oinQf in ; I under-
stood it was something particular they wanted me for,
but it was not until later that I found out what it was.
On my way there I had heard loud shouting ; I took
it for singing, of a more weird description than usual,
and continued my walk towards the hut. I remained
at the inner entrance to the hut, which was so low that
I had to creep through it, and lie down on all fours, to
see what was o-oino- on. I soon saw that old " Praederik "
and his wife, a horrid old woman, one of the few I could
never get on with, were practising " sorcery." The
sleeping place on which they were, was almost in dark-
ness. As far as I could see by the dim reflection of the
little "light pastille" (a tuft of moss impregnated with
seal oil), which was the only light in the hut, I thought I
could faintly discern the outlines of the two individuals.
The " Owl " and Umiktuallu, with their families, were
spectators. They stood as far as possible away from the
performers, and all looked very solemn. Luckily I was
not observed at first, and was able to watch them all for
a time unnoticed. The old woman was shrieking
outrageously ; the yells of old " Praederik," which under
ordinary circumstances might have been considered a
very creditable performance in this line, were quite
drowned by hers. I could not see what else there was
going on on the bed-place, and a movement on my part,

19 c 2

Chapter VIII.

to get nearer the performers, led to my being discovered.
However, quite unconcerned, I raised myself quietly and
wished them o-ood evening. But I had far better have
abstained from doing so, for the old dame now uttered
such a terrific howl as to make me fly precipitately. I
have always had the greatest horror of women in that
state. However, a very few minutes after, the " Owl "
came out and told me that the performance was over, old
" Praederik " having now " run himself through with a
spear." I did not consider this very pleasant, as I quite
imagined him to be bady injured and dying, but the only
answer made by the " Owl " to my question as to his
condition, was an invitation to come inside the hut.
There the old rascal was sitting on the sleeping place,
apparently in the best of health and humming softly.
His wife did not appear to have quite recovered from
her frenzy, she was swinging her arms about and scowling
at me. I did not then venture any allusion to what had
been o-oino- on, but indulo-ed in a little oreneral conver-

o o o o

sation, and went on board. Later that nio-ht, old
" Praederik " came and showed me two holes in his
"anorak, one behind and one in front, as irrefutable
proofs of his having transfixed himself with his spear !
He was a very decent, honest fellow and I feel confident
that he really imagined he had. Nor was it to be
wondered at, that the mysterious howls uttered by the
better half had for a time deprived him of his sound
senses.

The Eskimo arc not altogether without forethought

The Inhabitants at the Magnetic North Pole.

for the future. Their stock of meat and fish will last
over Christmas and a little way into the new year.
According' to their law, seal-catching- must not commence
before the middle of January, and even then it is carried
on only on a small scale for some time, as the seals,
which have very sharp ears, can hear the huntsman's step
a long way off, while the layer of snow on the ground is
thin, and consequently they can keep out of his way.
Therefore, from the middle of January up to some time in
February is- their period of greatest privation. Thus it
happened during their stay at Gjoahavn in 1905 that, for
several days, just about this period, some of them were
absolutely starving. Nor could we help them much, for
if we gave anything to one they would all come, and we
should soon have had the whole colony to feed ; so I had
to lay down the law that no food was to be distributed —
and enforce it.

One night, after seal-catching had commenced, I was
invited to witness the "kelaudi," the Eskimo's favourite
festival, held in order to propitiate the higher powers to
induce them to favour a o-Qod catch. The air was clear
and frosty, and the vast silent desert was lit up by the
moon so brightly that one could easily have read by her
rays. In the midst of the many igloos of the camp, the
large gala igloo, erected for the occasion, towered above
the rest, with bright light streaming invitingly from all
its ice-windows. We arrived early, so as not to miss
anything. The hut looked very well inside, being
brilliantly illuminated with " light pastilles." A large

Chapter VIII.

ring of snow-blocks had been set up in the centre of the
floor. Some of the men of the colony had already
arrived, and entertained us as well as they could. They
were decked to-night in their lightest and most elegantly-
ornamented reindeer clothino-. Some of these were
actual masterpieces of taste and skill. By and by the
rest of the audience arrived — Anana, Kabloka, Onaller,
Alerpa, Alo-Alo, and whatever names the others are
called by, not to forget " Nalungia," there being at least
ten of that name. " Orna " (the she-eagle) was the last
of a row of at least twenty women, who all sat down
silently and demurely on the snow-blocks arranged in a
circle. They certainly did not look as if they were in a
festive mood, any of them. The men took up their places
at random around the women, and there was soon a
full muster of them. In contrast to the women, they
were all lively and full of fun and laughter. It looked
as if they were the only ones who were to enjoy them-
selves. At last the leading " senior " appears. To-night
it is Kachkochnelli who acts in this capacity. He is
arrayed in a light embroidered reindeer-skin dress, but
he is wearing a cap and gloves. He brings with him
the precious " kelaudi," the musical instrument of the
tribe, which consists of a hoop of wood like a barrel hoop,
covered with thin tanned reindeer skin, and fitted with
a handle ; the drum-stick is a small club of wood, covered
with sealskin.

The entertainment now begins. Kachkochnelli enters
the ring ; thereupon Anana lifted up her voice and started

The Inhabitants at the Magnetic North Pole.

something which I suppose I must call singing, though
I find it rather hard to use the word in this connection,
and the other women joined in. I have never heard
anything so monotonous, its effect is still worse when
chanted in chorus. But there must be some sort of fixed
tune in this chanting of four notes, because they all
manage to keep together. As the other women join in,
Kachkochnelli commences to dance and beat the drum.
It was not exactly a graceful dance. Keeping in one
spot, he raises first one, then the other leg, and sways
his body forward and backward, uttering loud yells. All
the time he vigorously belabours the drum with his
drumstick, striking it not on the skin, but on the frame.
The result of all these efforts is a deafening din.
Kachkochnelli's dance gradually becomes less and less
energetic, and after about twenty minutes he stops.
The women's chant, which has been keeping time with
the dancer's movements, dies away simultaneously with
the cessation of the dance. Then the next man enters
the ring. There does not appear to be any order of
precedence among the Nechilli, whoever happens to
sit nearest, and is willing to perform, comes up un-
ceremoniously into the ring, and the same dance, the
same yells, and the same chant are repeated, without
a shade of variation. But I noticed that the women
took turns in leadingr the singfino-. When Kirnir, an
Ichyuachtorvik Eskimo was dancing, it was a woman of
his tribe who acted as precentor, and when Nulieu, the
Ogluli Eskimo performed, an old cross-eyed Ogluli

Chapter Vlll.

woman led the singing. It also seemed to me as if the

tune varied slightly for the various tribes, but I should

not like to be certain on this point. As I have already

hinted, I have not a good ear for music.

I have seen this dance and chant described in several

books of travels, and all the authors are unanimous in

declaring that the performers worked themselves into

a state of frenzy. This I cannot endorse. According

to my very careful observation they were all quite

normal and in their full senses during the whole dance,

even when it was at its height. From the descriptions,

I had expected something far wilder, and was therefore

disappointed. It is altogether incomprehensible to me

in what the pleasure of this performance consists. The

performers looked bored, particularly the poor women,

who had to repeat the same notes ad infinitmn. In fact,

they seemed quite delighted when there were no more

volunteers, and immediately disappeared from the hut.

This performance lasted about three hours, and had

I known that it all consisted in a repetition of the first

" turn," I should have come away much earlier.

These dances were performed throughout the winter.

Frequently even after a fatiguing day at seal-hunting,

after ten hours' toil on the ice in storm and cold, they

would proceed direct to the dancing igloo for this mad

exercise. The children, particularly the little girls, also

had their own amusements of this sort. Two little

girls, standing face to face, raise their shoulders, bending

forward towards each other, and wriggle their bodies

The Inhabitants at the Magnetic North Pole.

about, rapidly uttering a great many unintelligible
sounds throug-h their noses. All this is done with the
profoundest gravity. Again they squat down opposite
each other, with their knees tucked up to their chin, and
hop up and down, mumbling some formula of words,
with the same profound gravity of countenance. Though
the pleasure of this game is, perhaps, not very great, to
judge from their expression, it is at any rate fairly good
gymnastic exercise. They also had a number of other
games, but did not seem to care much about them.

As I have said before, seal-catching does not really
begin nor assume any importance until some time in
February, when the snow falls heavily and accumulates
in drifts, yards deep on the ice, so that the seal cannot
hear the step of the huntsman. Then the Eskimo's time
of privation is over, the empty larder will soon be
replenished. Seal catching and reindeer hunting consti-
tute the staple industry of the Nechilli ; and as their
methods of seal catching are almost unknown to the outer
world, I will attempt to describe them as well as I can
from the observations I made during the excursions I
took in their company.

It is a raw, dark morning in February. A gale is blow-
ing from the north-west, and snow falling so thickly that
we look as though we had emerged from a flour bin. It
is scarcely 8 a.m., but there are lights in the igloos and
the whole camp is astir. There is every indication that
seal catching is about to begin, yet it is difficult for a

stranger to understand why they should propose to go

Chapter VI II.

out in this awful weather, when yesterday they were
walkinof and loitering" about in the bright sunshine, with
a dead-calm atmosphere. But the Eskimo's plans and
calculations are always a mystery to us ; he is governed
by his own laws, known to himself and to him alone.
However, they always have a reason.

OGLULI ESKIMO REPAIRING HIS SLEDGE.

It is nearly 9 a.m. before they have all finished dawd-
ling, for the Eskimo can dawdle, and that to perfection.
To-day they are all starting out together in one party ; at
other times they generally go out in small detachments.
They are not all equally well equipped. Kachkochnelli

is a man of method and order, who always keeps his

The Inhabitants at the Magnetic North Pole.

outfit in perfect condition, so that, by studying him, we
get a correct idea of what a proper seabcatcher's outfit
should be. The first thing- we notice is that he has his
skin clothing closely laced up all over, so as to be
impervious to the air. He finds the open clothing, used
at other times, too cold for a day like this. Suspended
from a button on his back is his indispensable snow knife,
partly covered by the hunting bag, the " tuttirea," which
hangs above it on a sealskin strap, passed over the
shoulders-and across the chest. The hunting bag contains
the following implements (see illustration of Eskimo imple-
ments, p. 299, Vol. I) : a harpoon, " helmiaki " (Figs. 13
and 14) with harpoon line, " togakchyea " (Figs. 13 and
14) ; two appliances for observing the seal with, called
" ilia " (Figs. 15 and 16) and " kiviuchyervi " (Figs. 17
and 18); a hole protector called " anokchyleoiritkun "
(Figs. 20 and 21) ; two small wooden pegs which serve
as rests for the seal spear called " na-a-makta " (Figs. 1 1
and 12) and a strap for hauling the seal up called
"okchyeun," besides some small pins of reindeer horn
to stitch up the incision made in the seal's body, called
" topota " (Figs. 7 and 8). This is the whole contents
of the bag. The bag itself is square, mostly of reindeer
skin, though frequently, for want of the latter, they are
also made of the skin of the Arctic fox. In one hand he
carries the remaining implements and weapons, the seal
spear called '' onaki " (Fig. 10), the hole-finders or
probes (Fig. 10) called " hervon " (Fig. 3), the hole

examiners called " hervatavra " (Fig. 6), and a spoon

Chapter VIII. .

called "ilaun" (Fig. 9). In former times, and even
until a few years ago, all these weapons and implements
were made exclusively of reindeer horn ; now some of
the parts are often made of iron.

With the other hand he leads his dog by a reindeer
skin strap. However, they do not all take dogs. There
are about forty men in the party to-day, ranging in age
from fifteen to fifty. They have a great deal to talk
about. One would think they were living in a world
full of stirring events, and offering a variety of topics
for conversation and discussion, and not here in an
ice field, w^hlch had been lying silent and desolate for
aeons, and where life from day to day, yea, from
century to century, has gone on in changeless monotony.
They proceed in a body over the ridge, but as they
approach the ice they deploy in skirmishing order,
gradually extending the intervals as they advance, until
after a little time their line of march covers a consider-
able distance. Kachkochnelli presses ahead, humming
softly and talking to his dog. ' There is nothing remark-
able about the dog, neither a particularly high-raised
head nor intelligent eyes. Just " a wretched cur "
would perhaps be the best description of him. But
" you must not judge a dog by his coat." Wretched
as he is in appearance, I do not suppose his master
would exchange him for the finest pointer, Gordon
setter, or whatever else all those fine thorouo-fibred dog-s
may be called ; for he has this merit, which renders
him indispensable in these regions, that he knows how

The Inhabitants at the Magnetic North Pole.

to track the seal. Suddenly he darts out on one side,
stops and searches the snow carefully, and then lies
down fiat, leaving the digging operations to Kachkoch-
nelli, who at once probes about in the snow with the
"hole-finder," the same staff he used when testing the

YOUNG NECHILLI ARCHERS.

snow, with a view to building his igloo. Apparently
the very first probings are satisfactory, for he at once
slips the strap of his hunting bag over his head,
takes the knife from its button, and with it proceeds
to remove the layer of snow, covering the hole he
has found in the ice. But this is not done without a

Chapter VIII.

previous thorough examination (the seal has many
holes besides the one he resorts to for breathing), to
see whether the hole he has found is really a " breathing
hole " still in use, or only an old abandoned hole.
Kachkochnelli lies down flat on his stomach, in the snow,
and smells the hole. His keen sense of smell never
deceives him. To-dav, fortune favours him ; he has

NECniLLI ESKIiMO EQUIPPED FOR SEAL FISHING.

Struck a genuine " breathing hole," evidently frequently
resorted to by the seal. By a loud shout he intimates
to his nearest comrades that he has a "find." This shout
does not disturb the seal, yet the hunter takes care to
move about the snow with the utmost caution, for he
knows the seal is exceedingly timid of any sound of steps
on the ice. The holes which the seals keep open during

The Inhabitants at the Magnetic North Pole.

the winter are not large at the upper surface of the ice,
but only just large enough to enable the seal to put its
snout through to breathe. The hole gradually enlarges
downwards, attaining its largest dimensions at the lower
surface of the ice. Now^, the first thing the hunter does,
after havinof made sure he is on the rio-ht scent, is
to cover up the hole carefully with snow, so that the seal
may not scent danger, should he visit the hole while
preparations are in progress. A portion of the layer
of snow lying over the hole is removed by the hunter,
who then digs with his spoon through the remaining
snow, working his way right down towards the hole and
throwing the dug-up snow away to the side. When he
has got to a sufficient depth, he thrusts his " hole
examiner " into the hole, in order to examine its interior
more closely. Having done so to his satisfaction, he
plants the " hole finder " firmly in the hole with one hand,
and by shovelling snow round it with the other, fills up
the excavation. The hole-finder being now carefully
withdrawn, there is a narrow passage left in the snow,
reaching right down to the seal's breathing hole, a
passage of about the size of a halfpenny, yet large enough
for his observations. If it is early in the year, and the
layer of snow is thin, the hunter will immediately detect
the approach of the seal without any aids other than his
natural senses. But at this time of the year, when the
snow lies so deep, he must have recourse to his ingenious
devices. The appliances used for this purpose are the
"ilia" and the " kiviuchyervi " already referred to ;

VOL. II. 33 D

Chapter VIII.

either may be used. Kachkochnelli prefers the "ilia,"
and he also shows me how the " kiviuchyervi ' is used.
This latter is made of thick reindeer sinews, and is not
unlike a very small grapnel with two claws. To this
there is always attached, by a cord, a bunch of swan's-
down, securely fastened on, so that it may not get loose.
With extreme care he first pulls out a single piece of
down from the bunch, and attaches the ends of this,
with a little saliva, to the claws of the grappling-hook, so
that the swan's-down forms a curved line between them.
This is then lowered into the hole till the little cross-
piece rests on the surface of the snow. As the whole
appliance is not more than two inches long, it is easy to
see the extended swan's-down in the hole below. If the
wind is very rough, so that the wall of snow thrown up
does not fully protect the hole from drifting snow, the "hole
protector " is set over it. This looks something like
a very small candle shade, and is made of transparent
sealskin. ThrouQ-h this the hunter can watch the
swan's-down. But I have never seen this cover in use.
As soon as the seal comes within several yards of the
hole the agitation of the water extends to the hole and
sets the delicate swan's-down in motion. But the
hunter's sharp ear and sure judgment alone can deter-
mine the right moment when to strike with the spear
throuofh the hole.

The "ilia" affords a surer and more distinct indica-
tion of the seal's arrival at the hole, and the majority of
the Eskimo therefore prefer it to the " kiviuchyervi."

The Inhabitants at the Magnetic North Pole.

This second appliance consists of two exceedingly thin
rods made of reindeer hair, connected by a thin cord.
One of these rods is eight inches long, the other
is about twenty inches in length, and has a thin
disc of bone about as large as a sixpence at its lower
end. The cord joining these rods is fastened through

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^Hj^^^^fl^^B'

— i

■■■■

■■V

THE "ILLA" and the " KIVIUCHYERVI."

a hole at the top of each rod, and is about ten inches
long. The " ilia " is also more easy to fit up in the hole,
than the " kiviuchyervi," as swans-down is not a
material easy to handle in a storm and at a temperature
of — 58° Fahr. To fit up the "ilia" in the proper
position is quite a simple matter ; the shorter rod is
stuck into the snow by the side of the hole, the longer

35 D 2

Chapter VIII.

one is lowered into the hole itself. When the little bone
disc at the end of this rod comes down on the broken
thin ice that covers the water in the hole, it rests on this
ice, and thus supports the ''ilia" above the water, and
the thread which connects the two rods remains lying-
quite slack on the snow.

TATTOOED ARM (UTKOHIKCHYALLIK ESKIMO WOMAN)

During- all these preparations the hunter has had the
hunting bag lying under his feet as a mat, partly for
warmth and partly to muffle the sound on the snow, lest it
should scare the seal away. When the " kiviuchyervi "
or the "ilia" is in position over the hole, the seal spear
is got ready. This consists of three parts, of which the
middle one or shaft is about forty inches long by one
inch thick, and made of wood or bone. One end of

The Inhabitants at the Magnetic North Pole.

this shaft has attached to it a round projection, about
two feet long, now mostly made of iron, though spears
with reindeer horn projections are still used. But iron
is greatly preferred to reindeer horn as the whole spear
is more rigid and affords a surer thrust. This iron
or reindeer horn projection terminates in a point which

TATTOOED THIGH (NEGHILLI ESKIMO WOMAN)

fits into a recess in the harpoon. To the other end
of the shaft is attached the third part of the spear, which
serves to enlarge the hole after the seal has been caught.
This part may also be of iron or horn, but is most
frequently of horn though iron is preferred. This is
lashed to the shaft, and is curved and pointed at the
end.

The harpoon is now attached to the spear, and the

Chapter VIII.

harpoon line coiled up ready for running- out, and tucked
under a thin cord of reindeer sinew, extending the whole
length of the spear shaft. This cord is fastened at both
ends of the shaft. The harpoon is about three inches
long and is now usually made of Iron or copper. Only
the extreme point of the harpoon is sharpened, so that
the incision made in the skin of the seal may be as small
as possible. Close to the point there are two barbs,
curved back a little, so as to prevent the harpoon from
slipping out again when once it has penetrated. As soon
as the harpoon has entered the seal's body, it is torn away
from the spear, and all the strain is brought to bear on
the harpoon line, which is securely fixed through a hole
in the centre of the harpoon, so that the latter will tilt
over to a transverse position as soon as there is any
tension on the line. The harpoon line consists of plaited
reindeer sinews, and may be round or flat, but the crack
hunter always prefers it flat. If flat, it is five-eighths of
an inch wide and about thirteen feet long. It is always
made of specially selected strong sinews.

When the whole spear is ready and in order, it is
deposited on the two small wooden rests, " na-a-makta,"
fixed in the snow. The Eskimo now pulls off his long
gloves, slips the left arm out of his coat-sleeve and places
it across his chest underneath the coat, at the same time
pushing the right hand into the empty left sleeve.
Experience has taught him that this is the best way to
keep his hands warm and yet be ready for action at any
moment. The gloves are meanwhile held between the

The Inhabitants at the Magnetic North Pole.

legs. Then he bends his knees a little and leans forward,
keeping his eyes riveted on the hole. Everything seems
in his favour to-day. The slight oscillations of the " ilia "
show that the seal is approaching. Owing to the rocking
motion imparted by the agitation of the water to the thin,
broken ice on which it rests, the "ilia" bobs up and
down. The Eskimo draws himself up, and in a moment

THE "owl" trout FISHING.

both hands are back in position. With the right hand
he grasps the spear, with the left he seizes the coiled
line, and with every muscle tense, he prepares to strike.
As the seal puts his snout up into the breathing hole, he
pushes aside the fragments of thin ice, and the "ilia"
slips off and sinks, until checked by the cord which
connects it to the other rod fixed in the snow. This is
the signal. Concentrating all his strength, the Eskimo

Chapter VIII.

throws his spear. With unerring aim it darts down
through the narrow passage and into the hole in the ice.
It has caught ! Quick as lightning he withdraws the
shaft, sticks it into the snow by his side, and lets go
the coiled line held by a running loop round his left
hand. The seal runs out the line to its full length.
But, after havino- been under water for some time, and
being- short of breath, its streng-th soon begins to fail.
The Eskimo perceives this, takes the running loop
from his hand and slips it over his foot, so as to have
both hands free. He now hacks out the hole to a suffi-
cient width to permit of hauling the seal up through it,
and then pulls in the line. If the seal is not already
dead, the iron mount of the spear shaft is thrust through
its eye into the brain, and any resistance is prevented.

The strain of the rapid movements has hitherto been
sufficient to keep the bare hands warm. But now the
hunter puts on his gloves again. With the curved pike
at the other end of the spear he pierces a hole through
the upper lip and jaw of the seal, draws a strap through,
and hauls it up. The harpoon is drawn out, and the
hunter's work is done. Meanwhile, his nearest comrades
have come up and assisted in the hauling, if required.
With his knife he now makes a little incision in the seal's
belly, and removes the liver and kidneys, and all present
regale themselves on these dainties and a little blubber.
On a day like this, when the temperature is so low, the
flow of blood can be staunched by filling the incision in
the seal with a mixture of snow and ice, which freezes

The Inhabitants at the Magnetic North Pole.

instantly and closes up the aperture. In the spring, when
the temperature is higher, the incision is stitched up with
the reindeer horn pins (" topota "). When the seal is ready
for removal, all the dogs at hand are harnesseci to it by
straps, and the hunters return home with their booty.

On the way home a Polar bear is sighted upon a
hummock ; he is away from the wind, so that our dogs
do not get scent of him before he is sighted. Then they
break away, all five of them, rush madly at the bear,
and a battle royal follows. Bruin is quick when on his
hind feet, and quick on all fours ; he claws and strikes
and snaps, but the dogs dodge him by quick turning, and
he rarely gets near them. However, they do their duty,
and detain him by worrying him until the Eskimo come
up with levelled spears. Now the fight assumes a more
serious character. To attack a bear at close quarters
requires a brave man's courage, and the numerous scars
and wounds the Eskimo bear on their bodies show plainly
enough that they do not always get off scatheless in these
hunts. At last Umiktuallu gives Bruin the coup de grace,
and he collapses. The flesh is divided among all the
hunters, but Umiktuallu retains the skin.

On their return home the booty is handed over to the
housewives. The seal is not too large to be hauled into
the hut and skinned there. Nuyakke is a skilful woman,
and the seal is soon skinned and quartered. The flesh
and blubber are shared out equally among all ; nothing is
thrown away ; the skin and entrails belong to the one
who has killed the animal. The entrails, which to these

Chapter VIII.

people constitute the bonne bouche, are cleaned out and put
into the pot to warm ; it would be wrong to call it
" boiling." This is a happy time in the Eskimo hut,
thouofh the hut itself looks nothino- more than a mere
snow drift. Kachkochnelli lies extended at full length
on the sleeping berth, and hums or sings merrily, for
rest is delip"htful after a lono- and fatio-uino- hunt in storm
and cold. Nuyakke is busy with the cooking pot, and
Kallo and little Nulieiu stand by with longing eyes.
There is plenty of blubber, so there is no need to be
sparing of the flame. The light also reveals some little
faces in the doorway, but Nuyakke is a prudent house-
wife, M'ho knows that if she gives to all who beg, there
will be nothing left, and she pretends not to notice the
intruders. But, of course, she must cut off a few inches
of " tripe " for Kallo and Nulieiu.

The seal met with in the Nechilli's hunting field
is exclusively the small species of seal ; it is very fat,
and its flesh is delicious. The reason why the larger
species of seal never find their way there is that the
water is rather shallow. The tract right across Matty
Island to Boothia Felix and the Eta Sounds is too
shallow for the large species of seal. But the latter are
to be found plentifully enough on either side. In Ogluli
the Eskimo catch them in large numbers. Strangely
enough, these large and very powerful animals are
caught in the same way and with the same appliances
as the small seal. It seems incredible that one man

should be able to hold one of these large animals on a

The Inhabitants at the Magnetic North Pole.

strap. But it can be done at a pinch. Tolimao, a man
about 5 feet lo inches, strong and thick set, ranks fore-
most among these seal catchers. Last winter he
harpooned a huge specimen of the large seal. It was
tough work, but Tolimao had never let go before, and
he did not mean to "do so now. He duof his heels
firmly into the snow, threw himself back, and held fast
with both hands. The seal was too strong for him,
pulled him over, and dragged him down into the hole,
arms, head, and shoulders (of course, the breathing hole
of the large seal is considerably larger than that of the
small species) ; he did not slip in farther, but remained
thus lying in a heap right across the hole until his
comrades released him, but he never let go the line, and
the huge seal was his.

When the spring is at hand towards the end of March,
the time arrives when the seals bring forth their young.
Lest they should be overtaken unawares by the inter-
esting event when under four yards of ice, they commence
to enlarge one of their numerous breathing holes in good
time. They also dig their w^ay little by little into the
snow above the ice, until they eventually make an
excellent snow hut, with the ice for a floor, and the
mighty bed of snow above it for a roof. Here the
young are born. They are often scented by the dogs ;
if the cubs are large enough they will plunge into the
sea with the mother ; if they are newly born or too
young they fall a prey to the Eskimo.

Thus time passes away. June comes, and the snow

Chapter VIII.

melts away from the ice. Then the seal comes up upon
the ice to bask in the sun, and enjoy the sight of the
open sky and the clear day after months spent in the
gloomy deep. At this period the Eskimo catch large
numbers of seals. They espy them as dark specks far
out on the ice, and steal up to them ; to reach them is
an exceedingly difficult achievement. The hunter is
armed with spear, knife, spoon, and accessories, the
"topota." He, moreover, throws a small sealskin over
his shoulder, and goes out towards the dark speck as
far as he dare. Then he lies down and crawls. The
seal is just as wary upon the ice as he is under it, and
if there are no hummocks to serve the huntsman as a
screen his task is no easy one. With his eyes riveted
on his quarry, he wriggles forward ; if the seal raises
his head he must stop and lie flat on the ice till the seal
has become reassured. When he has got quite near he
places the sealskin under his elbow and glides forward
on this, to deaden the sound. If the seal shows signs
of alarm, the hunter tries to imitate its congeners by
grunting and scratching the ice with his spoon, thus
producing a sound like that made by the flippers of the
seal scraping the ice. In this way he steals up to the
animal, and, if he has been fortunate enough to avoid
scaring it till he is within throwing range, he suddenly
rises and throws his spear with a strong hand and a sure
aim. Of course, it is at this critical moment that many
seals escape, but a good many fall a prey to the hunter.
Our Nordland seal-catchers can tell many a tale of

The Inhabitants at the Magnetic North Pole.

hardships underg-one in seal hunts on the ice. Frequently
several consecutive days and nights are spent in seal-
hunting, and the seal-hunters carry provisions with them
and take their meals and camp over-night on the ice.
They are hardy fellows.

July comes round once more, the sky is blue, the sun
shines warm, and flowers abound on the hill-sides. In
Nechilli tent after tent has arisen, and the kayaks are
ready for launching.

I have never been able to find out exactly how the
various tribes divided their huntino--o-rouncls. But I
believe I am not far out in stating that the Ichyuachtorvik
Eskimo have their seal hunting-ground from Matty
Island northward, the Nechilli from Matty Island
southwards to Ogle Point on the mainland, and the Ogluli
from Ogle west through Simpson Strait and out into
Ogluli. Thus the Kilnermium Eskimo retain a very
large field, from the Coppermine River to midway into
Ogluli ; perhaps this tribe is more numerous than the
rest, or possibly this region is less rich in seals, but I
should scarcely think so. Very frequently it happens
that two tribes meet while out hunting. Such an
encounter, far from leading to strife and bloodshed, is
the signal for a round of festivities. Therefore the
boundaries between their respective hunting-grounds can
scarcely be very strictly drawn.

As regards computation of time, the Eskimo keeps
strict count within the space of the current year. If he
is to reckon by years (or, as he puts it, " summers and

Chapter VIII.

winters ") he gets sadly confused and arrives at the
strangest results. Old Kachkochnelli was once asked to
tell us the age of his daughter Alerpa or Kodleo. He
puzzled over it for a long time ; in the usual Eskimo
fashion he counted on his fingers, and paused now on
the middle-finger now on the thumb, with a deeply
pondering mien, At last he has solved this arithmetical
problem ; Alerpa, an adult, a fully developed woman,
according to his calculation, was seven years of age.
But he kept the most accurate count of the various
months of the year. We could, for instance, make an
appointment for a certain time many months ahead, and
the appointment was always kept.

According to the " Owl's " statements, the Eskimo
divides the year into thirteen months, called as
follows : —

1. Kapidra (January) signifies : '* It is cold, the

Eskimo is freezing."

2. Hikkernaun (February), " The sun is returning."

3. I kiakparid (March), " The sun is ascending."

4. Avonivi (April), " The seal brings forth her

young."

5. Nechyialervi [yidiy), " The young seals are taking

to the sea."

6. Kavaruvi (June), " The seals are shedding their

coats."

7. Noerui{^\Ay I), "The reindeer bring forth their

young."

The Inhabitants at the Magnetic North Pole.

8. Ichyavi I (July II), " The birds are brooding."

9. Ichyavi II (August), " The young birds are

hatched."

10. Amerairui I (September), " The reindeer is

migrating south."

1 1 . Amerairui II (October).

12. Akaaiarvi {^o^^vc^&x), "The Eskimo lay down

food depots."

13. Hikkeriiillun (December), "The sun disappears."

The difference between this and our own division of
the year into months is not so very great.

The seasons are computed according to the conditions
of the ice and snow

Opingan, spring (June and July), the season when the
snow disappears from the ice, and the ice breaks up.

Avra, summer, the season when there is no ice,
August and September.

Okeo, winter, the remaining eight months.

They have thus only three seasons. They do not
recognise any autumn.

The twenty-four hours of the day are divided into : —

Obla, morning.

Ono7i, eveninof.

Onoa, night.

As an instance of the accuracy with which they keep
count of time, I may mention that, on March 25th, 1905,
Talurnakto told me it was now a year since we first met.
As a matter of fact our first meeting with the Nechilli

47.

Chapter VIII.

took place on March i8th, 1904. This was not such a
bad computation, without a diary or almanack.

As reo-ards the relioious ideas of the Eskimo I will
not venture to give any account. The statements I could
obtain on this subject were exceedingly imperfect and
vao'ue, and left most thinofs to one's own imagination. If
these people had any belief in a higher being they at any
rate concealed it very jealously. They imagine a life
after death ; at any rate good men are assigned an abode
in the moon, the bad in the earth ; the stars are destined
for those who had something of both in their nature.
Natural phenomena, such as the aurora borealis, shooting
stars, thunder and lightning, rainbow, etc., they regarded
with complete indifference. Evidently they loved life,
but on the other hand they had not the slightest fear of
death. If they were sick or in misery they bade farewell
to life with a tranquil mind and strangled themselves.
Two such cases occurred during our sojourn among
them. During the voyage of the " Gjoa " we came into
contact with ten different Eskimo tribes in all, and we
had good opportunities of observing the influence of
civilisation on them, as we were able to compare those
Eskimo who had come into contact with civilisation with
those who had not. And I must state it as my firm con-
viction that the latter, the Eskimo living absolutely
isolated from civilisation of any kind, are undoubtedly
the happiest, healthiest, most honourable and most con-
tented among them. It must, therefore, be the bounden
duty of civilised nations who come into contact with the

The Inhabitants at the Magnetic North Pole.

Eskimo, to safeguard them against contaminating
influences, and by laws and stringent regulations protect
them against the many perils and evils of so-called civili-
sation. Unless this is done, they will inevitably be
ruined. All honour is due to the Royal Danish Trading
Company for the manner in which it has treated its
Greenland Colony. It is to be hoped that other nations
will follow the Danish example in this respect, and will
be fully alive to their responsibility in regard to these
splendid and doughty children of Nature up at the Pole.
My sincerest wish for our friends the Nechilli Eskimo
is, that civilisation may never reach them.

SI E 2

CHAPTER IX.

Farewell to Gjoahavn.

We noticed, with the most lively interest, that as the
spring days were approaching, the uniform snow, which
surrounded us on all sides, was little by little becoming
streaked and marked with the tracks of animals of
various kinds. We had seen a few tracks of foxes
all through the winter. One morning the first ptarmigan
had been there, executing some of their weird and per-
plexing joy dances, with their tripping downy feet.
Another day there was a fresh pattern among the
others, the track of a lemming, the first we had seen ;
it was straight at first, then zigzag, suggesting- fear of
an enemy^ then mixed up confusedly with fox tracks,
and here and there small red blood stains on the white
snow. We watched the changing surface of the snow
like a chart of approaching spring. On board we had
the snow and ice removed, and all the skylights and
ventilators opened. Light and air flowed in and
freshened the " Gjoa's " stuffy winter room.

We had now made such progress with our Eskimo
friends that we could talk and chat with them on any
subject. It must not be imagined that we could speak

Farewell to Gjoabavii.

the Eskimo language by any means ; we were probably
further from speaking it after living with them for
two years than we were in the beginning. If, for
instance, we met any strange Eskimo, as Ristvedt and
I did in the sledge trip in 1904, or as the Lieutenant
and Ristvedt did on Victoria Land in 1905, they could

Kimaller.

Anguju.

Lindstrom. Errera.

LINDSTROM BEING INSTRUCTED IN THE NECHILLI ESKIMO METHOD OF BUILDING

SNOW HUTS.

not understand a word of what we said, or we of what
they said. But with our old friends, as I have said,
we had formed a sort of language of our own, by
which we could easily understand one another. I say
" we," though I only mean six of us, as the seventh
obstinately persisted in his contempt for the foreign

Chapter- IX.

tongue, and always used his own, but the Eskimo under-
stood him all the same. They were at times more
intelligent than many white men.

Talurnakto was by this time quite one of ourselves,
and, in order to have him within reach at any time
of the nio-ht, we let him lie on the floor in front of the
Lieutenant's bunk. He snored so loudly that he woke
up the whole ship's crew, so the Lieutenant took him in
hand, and, at the first sign of snoring, he let fly a boot
at his head, whereupon he turned over and grunted.
Then he would begin again and get a fresh reminder ;
at the third or fourth reminder, as a rule, he stopped
snoring. When the Lieutenant left the ship, Talur-
nakto, much to his satisfaction, took the vacant berth.
As he lay in the bed, his round face outside the
blankets, with his evening pipe lit, and smoking rank
chewing tobacco, Talurnakto looked the picture of
content. The ventilation was so good, that the quality
of his tobacco did not trouble me, but when he laid down
his pipe and turned over to go to sleep he was soon
snoring so loudly one would have thought his head
would burst. I had previously provided myself with
missiles, and the struggle began ; books, boots, and the
like flew across the cabin, until at last it ended in
Talurnakto putting his head out and saying " Go natti "
(good night) ; he then settled down and slept quietly.
Talurnakto knew more Norwegian words than our
aforesaid comrade knew of Eskimo.

On going through the magnetic observations made

Farewell to Gjoahavii.

round the stations a doubt occurred to me as to the
possibility of our observatories being situated too near to
the ship, and that the large quantity of iron on board
might have exerted some disturbing influence. Wiik
and I then made numerous observations, the result of
which removed all doubt on this point. The distance
between the ship and the nearest observatory was about
500 yards, and this proved to be quite sufficient.

There was a good deal of other work in store for us
this spring-; we had to get ready to leave Gjoahavn, and
our houses had to be taken down as the boxes used in
buildinor them would have to be again utilised for
packing the tin cases in. All the instruments had to be
packed up, the stores brought on board, and the ship
itself made clear. We should have to wait, however,
until the spring really set in, and this would not be
before the month of June. In the meantime fresh
crowds of Eskimo were arriving, and among them
were a good many strange faces, attracted here by the
report of the great treasures to be found in Ogchoktu.
Many of them had travelled several hundred miles to
reach here. They had very litde with them as they
could not travel with heavy loads on these roads, but we
gave them wood and iron in exchange for the few seal-
skins they offered us, and they left highly contented.
Umiktuallu was a keen business man. He had noticed
that I liked to have neady sewn clothes, so he bought
garments from some of his friends and sold them to me
at a large profit. In the course of the winter he had

Chapter IX.

procured some powder and shot to use with his muzzle
loader. Since then, however, his brother, the " Owl,"
had lent him the Remington rifle I gave him, and now
Umiktuallu wanted to chanoe his muzzle-loadinor ammu-
nition for Remington cartridges, so he came to me and
asked if I would change it. He was a very clever
hunter, and as he promised me the meat of the deer he
killed I accepted the proposal. A couple of days after
he came on board to settle the business, and with the
most innocent look in the world handed me over all his
shot but kept back the powder. I pretended not to
notice anything and went to fetch the Remington
cartridges, leavino- Umiktuallu o-rinnino- all over his face
with glee at having, as he thought, so successfully
tricked me, I counted out the 400 cartridges, and
then quietly began to take out the powder. He stopped
me and said that he had no use for the balls without the
powder and caps. "No! No! No!" said I, "that is
just my case with you and your shot." He then pro-
duced the powder and the exchange was effected, but
Umiktuallu could not help laughing at his own failure.

One day the inventive Lund surprised me by showing
me a new gun. It was his masterpiece, as an inventor,
and was by no means badly constructed. Of course,
Ristvedt had had to give him a hand, but this did not
detract from the inventor's merit ; the weapon was really
a curiosity and might have claimed a place in any museum.
The barrel was a piece of iron piping which belonged to
the petroleum tanks in the engine room, and the gun

Karewell to Gjoahavn.

lock was an old one he had found in the old depot at
Beechey Island and had taken care of. Strange to say
on this lock was the name of Andreson, Gunmaker,
Tromso, It is impossible to say how this article got
there, it may have been brought by one of the Scotch
whalers that occasionally put into Beechey Island. Lund
had now an opportunity to utilise it. He made the stock
of the gun out of birch wood, of which we had a few
pieces on board. I cannot say that the weapon was
exactly a^handsome one. It was a muzzle-loader, and
we were all very excited to see how the trial would pass
off. The gun was placed some distance out on the ice
and a strino" tied to the trio-p-er, and from thence taken, to
the ship so that it could be fired off from on board. The
trial turned out quite successful, and Lund had the satis-
faction of presenting to his friend, Uchyuneiu, a gun
of his own manufacture. Uchyuneiu shot several deer
with this weapon, but said that he had to get very
near to kill them. Probably the bore was not quite
true.

One day the "Owl" came on board as happy and
contented as ever, and had a g-reat deal to tell us about
the seal fishing". The Eskimo were now catching as
many as sixteen seals a day, and passed every night
dancing, playing, and eating as much seal flesh as they
could stow away. I invited the " Owl " down into the
cabin and there we sat, he, Talurnakto, and myself,
chatting like good old friends. Suddenly, Talurnakto
told me that the "Owl" had broken his collar-bone;

Chapter IX.

I examined him and found this was correct ; the upper
part of the collar-bone having been fractured by a fall
on the ice. With Wiik's help I bound up the fracture
and enjoined the " Owl " to keep quiet for fourteen days,
and in order to control him I offered to let him remain on
board during that time. He gladly accepted. Talurnakto
was delighted to have the society of his good friend, and
these two passed many an hour together over the
" Fortress " game.

Easter was now approaching, and the cook made great
preparations for it. On Maunday Thursday my old
friend Atikleura came with his wife and child. We had
not seen each other for a year. He brought with him
the gun I had given him, polished, cleaned, and
brightened like new, and very carefully kept in a deer-
skin case which his wife had made for him. About the
time of the breaking-up of the ice in the previous year,
he had o-one over to Nechilli with his old father,
Kagoptinner, and family, to pass the summer and the
first part of the winter there. I ordered salmon from
him then, and he now came with seventy large fat
salmon cauo-ht durino- the autumn at Nechilli. He also
presented me with two large parcels of seal blubber, four
deer skins, and a bear skin. In exchange for this he
received a saw, a hatchet, a knife, and a hundred
cartridges. He beamed with delight. Nalungia received
needles, a thimble, some beads, and matches. Talking
about beads, Lieutenant Hansen and I had brought
with us a large supply of beads in the hope of being able

Farewell to Gjoahavn.

to do some business with them. Our disappointment
was therefore very great when we saw that the Eskimo
women did not care a fig for this style of adornment.
But Lieutenant Hansen's business talent came to his
assistance here. This was the first and I believe the
only time I ever perceived that he had this talent. He
began to make rings, brooches, necklaces, and other
things out of the beads, and one day we had a feast in
the cabin, and invited the Eskimo to partake of golden
syrup ancLdog's suet. When the merriment was at its
heiofht the Lieutenant distributed some of the ornaments
as presents to his guests, at the same time showing them
some photographs of Greenland Eskimo who were
covered with these trinkets. From that moment beads
went up in value, and when we left Ogchoktu, their
market value ruled very high.

One day, when I went over to visit the Eskimo, I met
in their camp a young Ogluli boy, named Ugvi, who had
taken part in the robbery of the store tent in the winter ;
as I had strictly forbidden the thieves to come to
Ogchoktu, he had till then kept himself concealed in
the huts, but now, as bad luck would have it, he ran
right into me. I took hold of his arm and said severely,
" Is that you, you little thief, don't you know that I have
forbidden you to come here ? " The boy did not move
a step or change a feature. He simply stood and looked
at me with a sly smile, but some of the older Eskimo
came and assured me that the boy should be sent away
immediately. Then I went to Atikleura's tent, and

Chapter IX.

shortly after he himself came in with the boy, who
happened to be a brother of Nalungia. She was
extremely distressed on hearing- he would have to ofo
away, and it was very touching- to see how carefully
she packed his provision sack for him with salmon and
other good things. I now saw that our authority in the
locality was absolutely undisputed, and in consideration
of the fact that we had not verv long- to stav there,
I informed Atikleura that the young rascal might remain
if he, Atikleura, would be responsible for his good
behaviour. This he immediately agreed to, and every-
one was satisfied. As a matter of fact, my own indigna-
tion at the theft was not very great ; it was done under
stress of want and hunger, and would not have happened
under ordinary circumstances. However, I enforced my
prohibition as regarded the adult thieves, and so, when
old Teraiu and his family came to settle amongst his
friends, he heard that the prohibition had not been
removed, and he immediately left the place. I mention
this to show with what respect we had succeeded in
inspiring these people, and, without boasting, I may say
that the result was obtained without brutality or harsh-
ness, but simply by always upholding justice and right.

Poor little Kabloka, the " Owl's " excellent little wife,
who was always ready to do whatever she was asked,
was now, after three years of wedded life, in an interest--
ino- condition. Notwithstanding this, she had travelled
twenty miles a day with her husband. Presumably proud

of the prospect, she had adorned the most prominent

Farewell to Gjoahavn.

part of her little body with a number of beads, and her
appearance was consequently very comical.

It was onlv now that we were on such o-ood terms with
the Eskimo that they really trusted us and imparted their
confidences to us. I had often asked them if they knew
anything about Franklin's Expedition, but I merely got
an evasive answer. At length, however, Uchyuneiu,
the Ogluli Eskimo, told me what he knew. He w^as
a very brave and intelligent fellow^, and his account
agreed very well with that which Schwatka had obtained
twenty-five years ago. One of the ships had driven
down towards Ogluli and was found by the Eskimo one
winter's day when they were seal fishing on the south
coast of Cape Crozier, the most westerly point of King-
William Land. They had then removed all the iron and
wood work they could remove, and when spring came
and the ice broke up the ship sank. At that time the
Eskimo had eaten something from some tins which were
like ours, and it had made them very ill : indeed some
had actually died. They knew nothing of the other
vessel ; in all probability it had been crushed by the ice
on the north side of the Royal Geographical Society
Islands. In accordance with this information we could
almost safely say that the only unnavigated portion of
the north-west passage^ extended from the point where
this vessel sank to Cambridge Bay on Victoria Land,
where Collinson wintered in 1852.

One day Talurnakto came on board radiantly proud

3.nd told us he had given Atikleura " a black eye." This

Chapter IX.

astonished and at the same time interested me, so I
endeavoured to ascertain how it had happened. Yes, it
was quite correct ; a crowd of men were gassing outside
Atikleura's hut when Talurnakto made some remark that
offended Atikleura, who then boxed the fat httle fellow's
ears. Under ordinary circumstances Talurnakto would
have taken his punishment quietly, but now he was half
a white man ; he lived on board, and was altoofether
a man of honour and dignity, so he could not afford to
take such an affront, and consequently he struck out at
Atikleura with all his might, hitting him in the eye.
There the matter ended, blow for blow, and that was
enough. The Eskimo regard these things with the
ofreatest coolness.

We were now getting towards the end of April and
the sun had already melted the snow at various places
inland. As in the previous year, the sight of the bare
fields was an indescribable enjoyment to our eyes and to
our feelings. On May ist the ice measured six feet "in
depth, as compared with twelve feet six inches in the
previous year. From April ist to May ist this year It
had decreased nearly an inch, whereas during the same
period in the previous year it had considerably increased.

There were very few ptarmigan this year, indeed it

was all we could do to obtain a sufficient supply for one

meal a-week. On the other hand there were plenty of

foxes. Ristvedt caught them in traps and probably

would have caught many more if he had had the time to

attend to his traps more frequently, but this he could not

Farewell to Gjoahavn.

do, and it often happened that he found that the remains
of the trapped animal had been eaten up by its own
relatives. Now, in the spring- season, the foxes had
a peculiar habit of going out on the ice to find out seal
holes ; here they rummaged about as well as they could
in the snow but did not get much more than a smell of
the seal.

When leaving home we had not taken with us any
shot guns, as we had been informed that we could easily
get them in Godhavn. Ristvedt was the only one who
had brought his fowling piece with him. When we
arrived at Godhavn we could not get a gun for love or
money, but the Governor and his assistant were kind
enouoh to lend us theirs. I obtained a sino-le barrelled

gun, and Lieutenant Hansen a double-barrelled gun,
although we were told they were not very good weapons,
but somethintr was better than nothing, and we o"ot some
use out of them. The Lieutenant had a good deal of
trouble with his gun ; he often shot the barrels off, and
eventually it looked more like a "shot revolver," and
was christened the " garden syringe." In the autumn of
1904 he put the gun away altogether ; then one day
Hansen found it, cleaned it up, and gave it to the
delighted Talurnakto, who felt sure he would make good
use of it, if he could only get near enough to the birds.
One afternoon Talurnakto came on board in tears.
The tears ran down his face as he told us that the
" garden syringe " had burst. He had fired off both
barrels at'once, and this was more than the old piece of

Chapter IX.

furniture could stand. When he saw that we took his
misfortune very hghtly, inasmuch as we told him that
he was lucky to get off with a whole skin, his tears very
soon changed to smiles.

My credit with the Eskimo was really very flattering.
We were quite out of knives, our best bartering medium,
although at the time we had four large excellent ice
saws of steel, and a great number of knives could be
made from these. As, however, our cutler was out on a
sledge trip, I had to give out warrants for knives for
future delivery, that is fourteen days after the return of
the cutler. Also, as regards ammunition, I was in the
habit of giving delivery warrants, payable by the smith,
who also had charge of the ammunition. In the
beofinninor the Eskimo were rather astonished at receiving-
a piece of paper instead of a knife or fifty cartridges, but
when they understood the meaning of it my paper was
always accepted as good payment. I made out several
of these warrants in the summer of 1904, and some of
them were only presented in the summer of 1905, but
they were immediately honoured to the great delight of
the possessors.

In the beginning of May all the women suddenly
seemed to have got the peculiar idea that I set an
exceptionally high value on seal bladders. They used
these bladders for preserving reindeer fat during the
summer. Now they came in great numbers to the ship
with whole heaps of these bladders blown out. For a
time I accepted them, and gave them a few needles in

Farewell to Gjoahavn.

exchange, but at last it became too much for any one
man, so I had to tell them that there was no further
market for bladders. It was obvious that one of my
comrades must have put them up to this, and the result
was that afterwards the whole cabin was covered with
these blown-out bladders.

On May 9th we seriously began our spring work. In
this we were considerably helped by Talurnakto, who, by
the way, had just appeared in a new costume. Wiik had
given him a pair of sealskin trousers from Godhavn, and
they fitted him like a skin on a sausage, so that it was all
he could do to get them on in the morning ; however, he
wriggled in, then he bent his knees slightly by way of
experiment (bending them much was out of the question),
and he declared with satisfaction that they would make
splendid kayak trousers. In this he was correct, as there
would be no difficulty in keeping still in such garments.

Half of the sail roof over the vessel was removed, and
everything put in order to clear up the hold. Lindstrom's
underground sojourn was now at an end. The galley,
which had been all along in the hold, was now again
placed on deck. It was very nice to see the old box in
its place again, although its looks had by no means been
improved by its sojourn down in the dark hold. In the
course of the winter a good deal of damp had collected
in the hold, and we pulled down the draught screens to
dry it. Fifty casks of petroleum which were lying in the
bottom of the boat were now emptied into the fixed iron
tank. The empty casks were brought on shore, and

VOL. II. 65 F

Chapter IX.

there they stood, the admiration and ambition of the
Eskimo. It was my intention to make all our empty
casks, boxes, tins, old boards, and the like into ten heaps,
and to give a heap to each of the ten best and most
capable Eskimo ; but for the present they had to content
themselves with the sight and the odour thereof.

We first brouo-ht on board ten tons of larcre stones for
ballast. Now, in order to bring the stores on board, we
had first to procure cases, consequently we had to dis-
mantle our houses to re-acquire the materials used in
erecting them. We could dispense with the " Magnet "
most easily, but I wanted to retain the " Variation House "
as long as possible, so as keep the observations going.
Wiik now moved on board with all his traps and again
took up his old place in the cabin, and on May 15th we
commenced pulling down the " Magnet." The whole
station, with all its little houses, had become as dear to
us as a home, and it was with much regret that we dis-
mantled it. As the Magnet Hill lay there bare and
desolate as it was when we came, it looked more solitary
than ever, but behind this sad feeling there was another
stronger and brighter ; it was the beginning of our further
progress. Every case we carried down brought us nearer
to the breaking up and nearer to the goal of all our hopes
and longings. I cannot deny that I burned at the thought
of the time when we should show our Norwegian flag to
the first vessel on the other side of the North West
Passage. All sadness and sorrow yielded to this desire,
and we pulled the cases down with impatient eagerness.

Farewell to Gjoahavn.

Saturday, May 20th, was a great day on board the
" Gjoa." Till late in the evening the day passed as
usual. At 12 o'clock noon the sun stood in the south
as usual ; at 3.30 in the afternoon Lindstrom had finished
his usual siesta ; at 6.30 we took our supper and intended
retiring according to custom at 9.30. Wiik came from
Magnet Hill, where he had been taking meteorological
observations, and told us that some people were coming
along on the ice ; this was not an unusual occurrence,
but as he thought he had noticed, in spite of the great
distance, that it was a sledge with a lot of dogs, and
that it was travelling very rapidly, I sent out Talurnakto
to see what it was. Our Eskimo friends do not, as a
rule, travel " express," and as Talurnakto did not return,
we felt sure that it must have been an Eskimo family
now stopping to camp for the night. I therefore got
into my bunk, but I had not been there very long before
I heard hasty and unfamiliar footsteps on deck, and
immediately afterwards a man burst into the cabin.
" Go' morning ! You give me 'moke ! " was his greeting.
It was Atangala, with his broadest and most triumphal
smile. He stood before me and held out his hand, at
the same time asking me not to press it too hard as he
had hurt it. I cared little for his smile, hand, or 'moke,
1 merely wanted to see whether he had the mail. *' Have
you any letters ? " " Letters ? Yes, out there on the
sledge, a whole heap of them." He was both surprised
and hurt that we were in such a hurry about these letters,
but I hastily put on a few clothes, and we both went

chapter IX.

outside. In a hurry and scurry everyone got up, and
soon we stood beside Atangala's sledge ; at last he
broup-ht out a neat little soldered tin box from beneath
all kinds of odds and ends.

This ivas the mail ! ■ '

I shall not endeavour to describe my feelings when
holding this tin box in my hands, containing as it did
messages from the living tumultuous world. We well
knew that there could not be any direct message from
the dear ones at home, but here, at least, was news of
the great human community to which we all belonged,
and from which we had so long been cut off. The simple
word "mail " produced an indescribable sensation in us
all. We carried our treasure on board and gathered
around it. Lund immediately got the soldering-lamp
to work, and the box was soon opened. The first I found
was a letter from Major Moodie, Chief of the Royal
North West Mounted Police, and Chief Commander of
" The Arctic," beloneino- to the Canadian Government.
This ship was formerly the "Gauss," which had been
built and used for the German South Polar Expedition,
under the command of Erik von Drygalski. "The
Arctic " was investiorating- the conditions around Hudson

o o

Bay, and had wintered off Cape Fullerton, near Rowe's
Welcome, an arm of Hudson Bay. In this very friendly
letter he offered us every assistance, should we go near
him, and he also sent me five sledge dogs. From the
Captain of " The Arctic," Captain Bernier, I also received
a lono- and interesting letter. His information about the

Farewell to Gjoahavil.

American whalers on the north-west coast was very
acceptable to me, and of the greatest importance. The
Captain also sent us a quantity of newspaper cuttings
and photographs, which we greedily devoured. The
American whaler, " Era," was wintering at the same
place, and the commander. Captain Comer, sent me a
warm and friendly letter. He also sent me five dogs.
Hoping that Atangala might arrive before Lieutenant
Hansen's departure, I had asked for dogs, but as they
arrived -now six weeks after the departure of the expedi-
tion, and as we had no food for them, I was compelled to
send them back. Major Moodie very kindly undertook
to forward our mail home. I am unable to find words to
thank these three gentlemen for the kind helping hand
held out in such a warm and friendly manner.

Of all the news we obtained, the most interesting was
that about the war between Russia and Japan. We were
glad and thankful to learn that the Danish Government
had established a depot for us in Leopoldhavn, which
might still be of some use to us.

We sat up late through the night and discussed all this
news. In our hurry to get up we had not troubled to
dress very much, and, as we sat in eager groups around
the letters and newspapers, we formed a very amusing
picture. Atangala took advantage of the time and
opportunity, and had one " 'moke " after the other. This
time he was accompanied by his son, Arnana, a young-
man about twenty-five years old, a very fine fellow.
When at last I had time to attend to Mr. Atangala, he

chapter IX.

told me he had had a very fine trip, although he had run
rather short of food until he got near his home at
Chesterfield Inlet. Of course, he had to go home first.
Here he had encountered some musk oxen, and had
hunted them ; one day, when out shooting, one of the
cartridges had jammed in the barrel of the gun, and, in
endeavouring to get it out, the cartridge exploded, with
the result that Atangala lost his fore-finger. When he
reached home his friends and relations tried to persuade
him to give up carrying the mails and to remain at home
quietly and take care of his finger ; but he withstood all
temptations and continued his route. The recompense
he had in view, after successfully accomplishing it, was an
old gun and four hundred cartridges ; but I am inclined
to believe that it was not merely the payment which
impelled him to fulfil his task, but that he was stimulated
by a desire to prove that he was a man of his word, and in
circumstances like ours, such a man is doubly appreciated.
He consequently received a considerable addition to his
pay, and during his entire stay with us he was treated as
the honoured guest. He was especially delighted at the
praise I gave him for his integrity and sense of honour.
On May 23rd at 1 1 o'clock in the morning he started out
again for the south, together with the superfluous dogs
we were sending back, as also with the return mail. He
was to try and reach " The Arctic " before she could sail,
that is, before the ice broke up.

In the meantime we were at work with the stores.
The tin cases were removed and placed in wooden boxes,

Farewell to Gjoahavn.

numbered and entered in the store list. In two days this
was all ready and for the second time— presumably the
last — our stores were ready to take on board. The
Eskimo were very useful to us, and there were generally
a number of young fellows doing nothing whom we
immediately engaged. With the aid of three Eskimo I
saw to the work on land, whilst Lund and Hansen
directed everything on board. The work progressed
rapidly, the cases were carted out on sledges to the ship's
side, hoisted on board, lowered into the hold and then
stowed away. An exact plan was made of the stowage
so that we could find whatever we wanted at any
moment.

The deer had begun to return, and Talurnakto was
constantly hunting them. In the afternoon he returned,
home and then went off with the sledge to bring in what
he had shot. I had bought a dog from the Nechilli
Eskimo; its name was " Achkeamullea " ; a very easy
name to call out in a hurry, isn't it? It occurred to me
it was rather long, so I rechristened him "Akchya,"
Northern Light. I also kept one of the dogs Atangala
brought ; his name was worse, and I rechristened it
" Fix." Fix was as thin as a skeleton when he came,
but in a fortnight he was so fat he could scarcely move.
We fed both the dogs on the reindeer offal and used
them for bringing in the deer shot by Talurnakto.
However, during a fight with Fix, Akchya was ripped
open, and died soon after. It was a shortsighted act on
the part of Fix, as he now had to do all the work himself.

Chapter IX.

At the end of May the Eskimo concluded their winter
seal fishing, and returned to land to their summer occu-
pations, hunting and fishing. On their way they came
in large crowds to Ogchoktu, to visit us and, if possible,
to do some business with us. I utilised the occasion for
distributing our recompenses among them. My ten
heaps of wood and iron had been increased to eleven, as
there were, in fact, many who had been very loyal to us
all along, and had helped us assiduously and industriously,
and who mieht be assisted with advantao-e. It was a
great pleasure to see how happy they were with their
gifts ; Talurnakto, especially, was quite radiant ; he
walked up and down past his treasures with the dignified
and grave air of a rich man. Poor fellow ! If he again
o-oes into Akkla's hut as co-husband all his riches will
soon disappear.

On June ist, 1905, the self-registering instruments
were stopped, after nineteen months' uninterrupted
working. Wiik had carried out this work all by himself,
and did it with a care and accuracy beyond all praise.
This was Ascension Day, so no work was done. In the
afternoon I collected together all our Eskimo lady friends
to enrich them with our empty tins. There were some
hundreds of tins, and I had put them together in a large
heap in the middle of the hill. Then I had the women-
folk arranged round the heap in a ring and told them
that when I had counted three, they might " go for " the
heap and get all they could. The men arranged them-
selves behind their ladies : One ! two ! three ! and in

Farewell to Gjoahavn.

they rushed, using both hands and shovels ; they threw
the tins out backwards between their legs — they were not
hampered by skirts — and the men grabbed hold of the
flying tins, and so each collected his lot. Laughter and
noise, shrieks and shouts, tins flying, men rushing, and so
the heap was cleared.

The same afternoon there arrived a family consisting
of husband, wife, and three sons. The eldest of these
latter was a young fellow, twenty-five years old, who had
been lame from his childhood, and the parents drew him
along on a seal skin, as they had done for many years.
He was a bright fellow, slender, and well proportioned,
with long jet black hair. He was tattooed over the nose,
the only tattooed man I saw, and was looked up to as
a mag-ician. As we had more sledg-es than we needed,
I presented these people with one of them, so that it
would be easier for them to move the invalid about.
This made them indescribably happy, and the young man
himself hardly knew how to express his gratitude. He
then gave me what he valued most, his magician's sign,
a crown and a brow-band of deerskin, which I highly
valued, as it made a very notable addition to my
ethnographical collection.

Navya was re-engaged as needlewoman on board ; she
came after breakfast and remained till evening, and had
her meals on board. Her little son, Nanurlo, came with
her. She sat in the cabin and Wiik had her company
when he was eno-ao-ed enterino- his magnetic observa-
tions in the journals. In spite of her fifty years,

Chapter IX.

Navya was always as bright and cheerful as a young
o-irl, full of nonsense and an awful chatterbox. One
day when he had been called up on deck, and came
down again after a few minutes business, Navya had
" taken up the pen " and scribbled all over the page of
the journal, spoiling all his neat rows of figures. She
was very proud of what she had done, and was surprised
by the flood of invective Wiik let loose on his return ;
but it was impossible to be really angry with Navya for
long, and Wiik soon forgave her. She was exception-
ally clever as a needlewoman, and made clothes of all
my fine skins ; of the bear skins she made trousers, and
of the fine reindeer skins she made coats. For every
article she made she received some small object as
payment. What she preferred, indeed, what all the
ladies seemed to prize most, was our enamelled iron-
ware, as well as china and earthenware. They were
very fond of the white, and they would sit in the huts
for hours licking and polishing these articles.

The small boys had now, as in the previous year,
begun to take their places again on the ice, where they
fished for codlings. Now and then I went among them
and could not restrain myself at times from asking
them to lend me the line to try my luck. This
seemed to amuse them immensely, as they could not
imagine a grown-up man fishing for codlings of his
own free will.

On June 2nd we began to pull down the " Variation
House." Lund and Hansen were entrusted with this

Farewell to Gjoahavn.

work, and with the assistance of the Eskimo they made
rapid progress.

When I was leaving- the " Deutsche Seewarte," Pro-
fessor Neumayer had given me a photograph, which
I promised to place as near the Magnetic Pole as
possible. On my sledge trip to the Pole in the spring
of 1904 I had the photograph with me, but was unable
to find a convenient spot to place it on. The Eskimo
would, at the first opportunity, have plundered every-
thing we buried, if we had indicated its position by any
sign. I therefore took it with me to bury it on the spot
where we had carried out our chief work, beneath the
" Variation House." As the house had now been
removed, and the Eskimo had ransacked the site, I
took advantage of a moment when no one was there
and buried it. On the back of the photograph I wrote :
"In deep gratitude and respectful remembrance I deposit
this photograph on Neumayer Peninsula. " Gjoa " Expe-
dition, August 7th, 1905. — Roald Amundsen." This was
placed in a flat tin case and buried under the cemented
stone foundation on which the reg-isterino; instrument
had stood, and was then covered in with sand. An
oblong heap of earth of the same shape as the house
marks the spot where the " Goja " Expedition had its
self- registering instruments for nineteen months. If
any future expedition should come here and desire to
establish its instruments on exactly the same spot, this
tin case may serve them as a guide. Later, the
situation of the house was accurately determined by

VOL. II. 81 G

Chapter IX.

measurements, by Lieutenant Hansen. On the site
where our observatory for absolute magnetic measure-
ments had stood, just under the centre of the instrument
stand (which had occupied the same position the whole
time), we buried a piece of yellow limestone about one
foot long by six inches wide, with the letter G cut into
its upper surface. With a little searching it will not be
hard to find it again. If we had marked the spot by a
cairn, the Eskimo would probably have respected it for
some years, but there is no doubt they would have over-
thrown it eventually. Now that everything was on
board, we had to smarten up the ship, as we might
possibly be meeting people this year, and I should not
like them to say that we Norwegians do not keep our
ships in good trim. The " Gjoa " and the boats were
therefore painted and oiled all over, and they looked as
well as they did the day they left the wharf. All shared
eagerly in this work, and Ristvedt and Lund also made
an elegant accommodation ladder of iron and wood,
which attracted great attention when we arrived at San
Francisco. At any rate, no one shall be able to say,
from the state of our vessel, that we have wintered
for two years.

One June clay I went to the Eskimo encampment and
saw one of them sitting and eating with one of our table
knives. I immediately took it from him and asked him
where he got it. He told me it was a present from
Talurnakto. 1 immediately summoned the culprit before

me, and he admitted that he had taken the knife. It

Farewell to Gjoahavn.

had been accidentally thrown overboard, and he had
appropriated it. He did not endeavour to excuse
himself, and it was not a very serious matter, yet for
the sake of example, I forbade him to come to the ship
for eight days. He went off and strictly obeyed my
injunctions. When the time was up he came back as
smiling- and contented as ever.

We were now eagerly expecting the return of the sledge
expedition. As they had not returned after the lapse
of the first seven weeks, I concluded they had found the
depot on Cape Crozier in order, but, even so, they
should have been back by June i6th. Many Eskimo
had just come all the way from Ogluli, but none of them
had seen anything of the Expedition, and, consequently,
I began to be a litde anxious. Since the arrival of the
Eskimo in such large numbers we had begun to have a
night-watch. I instructed the watch to keep a sharp
look-out, and immediately to inform me if he saw
anything which might indicate the arrival of our
travellers.

The 24th, St. John the Baptist's Day, was to be a
holiday, and, as we had fixed Thanksgiving Day for the
same date, it became a holiday in a double sense. At
6.30 in the morning Lund, who had the watch, came
and woke me up, saying " Here are the boys." I was
not long dressing. It was a splendid morning, perfectly
calm, with a burning hot sun, and there were our two
comrades approaching from the direction of Fram Point.
I can hardly say how glad and relieved I was to see

83 G 2

Chapter IX.

them, and the rate at which they drove the dogs went
a long way to show that the animals were still in good
condition. The flag was immediately hoisted, together
with all the bunting we had on board, and everyone was
very festive. A more elaborate breakfast than usual
was prepared, and as we ate it we soon got a brief
outline of all the incidents of the journey. The Expedi-
tion had furnished them with hard as well as lio-hter
work, but more of the former. The depot at Cape
Crozier had been wholly destroyed by the bears, but they
had succeeded in killing four reindeer. The passage
across Victoria Strait had been exceptionally difficult.
The ice had been trying and the surface very irregular ;
some days, indeed, they did not cover more than two or
three miles, and they repeatedly had to go out of their
way. On the other side of the Strait they had encountered
a new tribe of Eskimo, the Kilnermium, from Coppermine
River ; they were out seal-fishing. Whilst these Eskimo
were almost destitute of iron they were better provided
with wood than the Nechilli ; their boats and sledges
especially were better. For nails and small knives they
bartered as much seal flesh and blubber as our comrades
needed. They passed one day with these people to get
a rest, which both man and beast had need of after their
arduous work on the ice. They then continued their
way along the unknown coast of Victoria Land. The
land was so low and flat that for the most part it was
difficult to distinguish the coast from the ice. They
charted the coast as they went along. They were con-

Farewell to Gjoahavn.

stantly shooting seal, reindeer, and bear, so that they had
ample stores practically all the time.

On Friday, the 26th, they turned back after having
constructed a cairn at the most northerly point they

REJOICINGS.

reached, and deposited a report in it. The return was
easier and more rapid, as they had no surveying to do.
On the return journey, the land seen by Dr. Rae in
Victoria Strait was carefully investigated. It proved to

Chapter IX.

be one group out of a mass of small islands — " The
Royal Geographical Society Islands." These islands were
charted as well as possible, and later we found this to
be of great importance to us in our further navigations.
The Ogluli Sea, between America, Victoria Land, and
King William Land, turned out to be very full of islands
and not clear and free as shown in the old maps. It is
important to bear this in mind, in the event of navi-
gating that part on a dark night.

On the return journey to Cape Crozier they were
lucky enough to have better ice, so that they made more
rapid progress. With the exception of a few sore feet
among the dogs, everything was in the best of order.
The trip had occupied eighty-four days, although they
had taken with them stores for only fifty days. The
result was excellent, I might even call it splendid, con-
sidering the many days of bad weather they had, all the
careful surveys they had made, and also the fact that
they had had to devote a good deal of the time to
hunting to keep up supplies. We learned all this during
the first breakfast ; after that, the day was spent in
rejoicing and festivity.

Towards the end of June it got very warm and the
channels began to open up. If it continued like this we
might have as favourable an ice year as in 1903. The
land was almost clear of snow already and the gnats were
tormenting us considerably.

On board we had to make various changes in our
arrangements after Ristvedt and Wiik had moved over

Farewell to Gjoahavn.

from the land. The Lieutenant and myself had to share
the cabin with them. As Wiik was now continuously
occupied in carrying out his observations, the cabin could
no longer be used as a dark room ; but as it was absolutely
necessary for the Lieutenant to have a dark room, the
problem was eagerly discussed and many proposals were
made for its solution. Lieutenant Hansen finished it
at length by using as a dark room one not originally
intended for that purpose — I need not particularise
further — "necessity is the mother of invention." The
store tent was now empty, as all the stores were on board.
This tent was now used for many different purposes ;
first as drying room for all our bird-skins. These were
hung up in it and soon dried in the continual draught.
Afterwards it was used as office and bath-room, and the
price of admission was so modest that it did not prevent
anyone from washing himself. All that was required was
to light the " Primus," see that it was put out afterwards,
and leave everything in order. There was no bath
attendant. We also arranged some long boards on which
we set out our observation books and magnetic curves in
order to go through them for the last time, and also to air
them before they were finally soldered down.

The " Owl," Umiktuallu, and Nulieiu, started on
June 2nd with their families westward to Kamiglu near
Eta Island in Simpson Strait, intending to go deer
hunting. I arranged with them that we were to stop the
ship when we were passing there to take on board the
reindeer meat. We gave them a long pole with a flag

Chapter IX.

to fix up so that it would be easier for us to see where
they were.

I had long promised Lindstrom he should have a
holiday one of these days to investigate the land in the
mystic interior. The Eskimo had talked much about
the river up towards the north, Kaa-aaga angi (the large
river) which, according to all reports, was swarming with
salmon. Several families had gone there, and had
reported that the fishing was splendid. So Lindstrom
fixed on Kaa-aaga angi, and his longing to leave his
galley for this river got stronger and stronger. At length
on July 4th he was ready. The expedition consisted of
himself and Talurnakto as second in command. For a
long time the others had referred to it as the " Expedition
for Investigating the Interior of King William Land." I
did my best to preserve a serious demeanour with regard
to this expedition. Lindstrom's real object was to
increase his zoological collection, and his comrades made
great fun of him, but no one could help laughing at these
two Arctic explorers as they moved slowly across the ice
under a shower of more or less complimentary observa-
tions from the boat. They were both of similar build,
tallest when lying down, and they trundled off side by
side, like two balls. Next day, Ristvedt and Wiik, who
when they got together, were capable of inventing the
most incredible tricks, went up to the Eskimo Encamp-
ment, and selected a walking specimen of the same type,
a youth of the name of Tonnich. This plump little
fellow was provided with^ a supply of stores containing

Farewell to Gjoahavn.

bad tinned meat, and was told to keep on till he came up
with Lindstrom and Talurnakto. He took with him a
long solemn letter to Lindstrom expressing deep anxiety
as to the "great scientific expedition " he was leading,

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.'^M

■^^

LIEUTENANT HANSEN AS PHOTOGRAPHER.

and at the same time hoping that the relief expedition
under Tonnich, the Eskimo, might find the two brave
travellers alive, and rescue them before it was too late.
When they returned on July 9th, they were received

Chapter IX.

with great ovation, and all kinds of undesirable attentions.
The result of the expedition consisted of forty eggs
and a few eider ducks. The scientific report was short.
Kaa-aaga angi was a river about as broad as the Nid
River, at Trondhjem, and the fauna and flora were
richest at the station. Lieutenant Hansen had in the
meantime been over to the Duke of Abruzzi's Point and
determined its position, but it is not pleasant to go for
sledge trips at this time of the year, and the Lieutenant
returned soaking wet.

In the the middle of July I discarded Eskimo apparel
and dressed again in my own clothes. I had worn
Eskimo dress continuously for twenty months, and had
had an opportunity of forming an opinion as to its
utility. For winter use in these regions, as previously
stated, light deerskin clothes. are the best, and they ought
to be made loose, althoucrh during- the most intense cold
and towards the springs, like the Eskimo, I wore a broad
belt of reindeer or wolf skin around the abdomen, to
keep the cold air from this sensitive part. In summer,
on the other hand, it is not advisable to wear deerskin
clothes, as they get soaked through when it rains.
I came to the conclusion that woollen underclothing with
sealskin outer clothing was the most suitable for summer
wear. I always wore deerskin stockings with the hair
inwards. I put sedge grass in the feet of the stockings,
and outside these I wore deerskin boots with the hairy
side outwards. Thus protected, the feet cannot be

injured in any way. The sedge grass absorbs the

Farewell to Gjoahavn.

moisture, so that if the grass is taken out at night and
dried, the boots will be kept pretty free from damp.
To make quite sure, the stocking may be turned inside
out at night.

At the end of July the Ogchoktu Swimming School was
started ; Wiik and Ristvedt being the teachers, and Hansen
and Lund the pupils. A fresh water pond near the boat
was used as the swimming-bath, and here they bathed every
evening as long as the weather was warm enough. The
temperature of the water was about 59° Fahr., which was
not bad for Polar regions. In the beginning they used
swimming ropes, but, as the pupils were rather quick at
learning, they were soon able to dispense with these.
Sometimes the Eskimo came and looked at them, and
went away convinced that the Kablunas were mad. One
would have thought that these people who lived so much
on the water could swim ; but no, not one of them could
swim a stroke, and if they fell into the water they sank
like stones. Later on we had a very sad proof of this.
It is, however, by no means unusual for seafaring people
to be unable to swim ; in support of this I need only
mention our own fishermen at home.

It had for some time past been decided that our faithful
companion, Talurnakto, should accompany us further west,
and afterwards possibly go home with us. Talurnakto felt
as if he were half a white man, and considered himself
quite above his kinsmen ; there were few among them
with whom he would condescend to converse. But now,
as the ice began to get thin and the time of departure

Chapter IX.

approached, Talurnakto seemed to have some misgivings.

He had fits of melancholy, and would remain sitting for

hours at a time. At first I did not take much notice of

it ; I thought it was probably a little love-sickness, or

something of the sort ; but one day, when he was sitting

in the cabin, he burst into tears, and, seeing that it must

be something more serious, I asked him what it was.

He sobbed bitterly, and it was a long time before I could

get anything coherent from him. Finally I found out

that he did not want to come with us to " Kabluna

nuna " — the land of the white men — as they might kill

him. I assured him that we were perfect angels, who

would do everything that was good for him, but it was of

no avail. He would not be convinced, and pointed to

some of the pictures of the Boer War. At length I told

him that if he did not wish to accompany us we could

not and would not force him to do so. At this he was

considerably relieved, and his old glad smile again

returned. He evidently thought we had him altogether

in our power — that we owned him, body and soul ; thus

the eighth member of the expedition was lost. As,

however, I considered it important to have an Eskimo

with us for the rest of the voyage, I made it known that

Talurnakto's place was vacant. Shortly afterwards the

vacant post was applied for by Tonnich, the stout young

fellow who was charged with the relief expedition to

Lindstrom. He was evidently very anxious to see more

southerly regions. Now, Tonnich was not exactly the

man I would have preferred ; he was heavy, clumsy, and

Farewell to Gjoahavn.

slow in his movements, but as no others applied and he
was always in very good humour, even for an Eskimo,
and his conduct had been exemplary, his application was
accepted. It was a very solemn moment when Tonnich
set foot on board as eighth man. A bucket of water,
scrubbing brush, and soap awaited him. To become a

white man it was absolutely necessary to be thoroughly
washed. Wiik supervised the cleaning operation on the
deck, so I was sure it was thoroughly done. His hair
was clipped and combed and dusted over with insecticide
powder, and after that he was clad in normal under-
He now considered that the preparations were

clothino-

Chapter IX.

completed, and wanted to go at once and submit himself
for inspection, but he was given to understand that this
was not the usual walking costume, and he was then
garbed in a brand-new suit of frieze, made in the prison
at home. No one ever felt prouder of their clothes than
Tonnich ; he laughed with joy, stroked the clothes, and
examined himself at all points.

A few days afterwards Talurnakto and two others
came with no less than seventy fine salmon, weighing
from six to eleven pounds each ; in fact, one weighed
over seventeen pounds. They were caught at Navyato,
and were quite fresh. They were a splendid addition
to our stores for the rest of the voyage, the only
difficulty being how best to preserve them. It would be
too monotonous to be eating salted salmon everyday,
so Lund proposed to smoke them. Smoked salmon !
the very idea made our mouths water, and Lund's
proposal was received with acclamation. He imme-
diately started " The Ogchoktu Smoked Fish Factory " ;
all he needed was a supply of empty barrels and cases,
A number of Eskimo boys were engaged to fetch fuel.
A very small kind of heather grew about here in places,
and the boys were sent to collect some. They returned
with several sacks full, and smoke was soon issuing from
the factory chimney. It was not long before the first
sample salmon was ready to be served. It surpassed
our utmost expectations. The smoked salmon was
excellent, and no better could have been obtained from
any first-class curing establishment at home.

Farewell to Gjoahavn.

On July 23rd we met with an accident which might
have had very serious results. It was Sunday, and
Lindstrom was about to prepare the midday meal. For
this he had to light the " Primus " stove, and was
kneeling over the apparatus as usual to get a better
purchase on the pumping arrangement, so that he had
his face quite close down to the burner ; just as he
had got it almost in order, it suddenly exploded in his
face. He had the presence of mind to seize the
apparatus and throw it out. It fell through the open
hatchway right down into the hold, but fortunately it
was empty. Those in the after-cabin heard a great
noise and rushed out ; matters looked very bad as the
flames burst out of the galley door, but the water hose
was lying close by on the deck, and so the fire was put
out in a minute. No injury was done to the galley, but
poor Lindstrom got badly scorched. I was sitting in
the fore-cabin chatting with Lund and we heard a litde
noise, but not more than I often heard when the boys
were wresding. Suddenly Lindstrom rushed in with
his face all red and swollen. It flashed on me that
there had been a battle for the first time, and that
Lindstrom had had a good thrashing. He was so
excited that it was some minutes before he could say
" Fire ! " Lund and I rushed out, but it was all
extinguished. Lindstrom's face and hands were badly
burned. He was rubbed over with egg unguent, but
the pain nearly drove him out of his senses. Later,
however, in the evening, it eased a little, and the Lieu-

Chapter IX.

tenant applied bandages. The next day Lindstrom's
good humour had returned, but his appearance was
dreadful ; he looked like a drunken, dissipated fellow,
and was nicknamed " Biffen " (beef) ; it was almost a
fortnio-ht before he looked himself ag^ain.

Durine this time Hansen had to take over the duties
of cook, and he performed them very satisfactorily.
In bakino- bread, indeed, he excelled the chief cook.
The fact was that whatever Hansen did he did
thoroughly, and when Hansen kneaded dough he
did it with such energy that you feared both for the
dough and the trough, although the result after the
baking was finished was the most delicious pastry.
Hansen cooked all his dishes to the accompaniment
of music ; he fried croquettes to the tune of " Vikinge-
balken " from " Frithjofs Saga," which was, indeed, his
only source ; cutlets were cooked to the accompaniment
of " Isfarten," and blood pudding to " Kong Rings
Dod," so vou could o-uess what the menu w^as thouofh
you were some distance away on shore.

Lieutenant Hansen and Talurnakto took a trip to
Pfeffer River, situated about twenty miles to the west
on King William Land, to collect fossils. The channels
were now so wide that we could row a boat alono- them.

On July 28th, for the first time this summer, the
harbour was free from ice. Out in the straits w^e saw
that the ice had a bluish tinge, but no cracks were
visible. In the previous summer the rivers had been
exceptionally full owing to the great quantities of snow.

THE "GJOA IN SUMMER. GJOAHAVN, KING WILLIAM LAND.

Farewell to Gjoahavn.

This year they flowed quiet and still, and exerted hardly
any influence on the breaking up of the ice, so we had
to depend on the sun and wind. There was hardly any
current ; but for a long time we had a scorching sun
every day, and the prospects were rather bright.
Towards the end of July the heat ceased definitely,
but now the wind came to our assistance. On the night
of July 31st a breeze blew up from the north-east with
squalls, and sleet fell so heavily that the whole land was
white. We had been very anxious about our departure
for some time, and were looking out for this north wind
with a o-ood deal of excitement. The best of the

summer was now over, and the nights, the worst enemy
to our further progress, had begun to be noticeable.
The ice out in Simpson Strait had up to the present
kept exceptionally quiet ; no channels had formed, and
the ice seemed just as compact and impenetrable as it
had been the whole winter. The bluish tinge was,
however, a sure sign that it would not need much force
to break it up. The only spot of open water was out-
side Ristvedt River, which was like a bay cut into the
ice, and here the o-ale would o-et a o-ood hold and beo-in
the breaking up in earnest. And so it happened ; in the
course of a few days the north-east wind worked
wonders. The ice went over to the south, and large
channels opened in it in many directions.

We were now free to set sail. With the exception of
the meteorological instruments and the dogs, which had
to remain on the land till the last moment, everything

VOL. II. 99 H 2

Chapter IX.

was on board. The hold was almost completely filled
with all our collections. Our most important belongings
stood in the main hatchway. First and foremost were
the two large re-soldered iron tanks in which were pre-
served all the observations we had made during these
two years. They were so arranged that if they were
thrown overboard they would float ; both had been
marked with the name of the ship. Round these we
arranged stores for fourteen days, as well as ammunition
and other articles packed in small cases, ready for
removal in the event of our being compelled to leave the
ship. Here also each of us had his sack of waterproof
and other clothing as well as such necessaries as would
be required under the circumstances. All our boats and
canvas-covered kayaks were perfectly arranged ready to
stand a gale. We had made the necessary preparations
for sounding our way as we went, till we came out on the
other side. We had further prepared three hand-
sounding lines, and I arranged a patent pulley on the
anchor chocks over which the lead-line ran easily. We
had previously distributed the watches as follows : one
man at the helm, one in the crow's nest and one at the
engine. We deck hands had to arrange matters so that
three of us were on deck whilst the fourth took his rest.
The engineers took watch in turn and the cook gave us
a helping hand whenever he could. We all knew that
we were going to have a rough time of it, but the
splendid relations which had always existed between us
so strongly united us that although we were only seven,
we were not easily discouraged.

Farewell to Gjoahavn.

From " Axel Steen's Hill " we had a splendid view to
the west over the Strait, and I went up there two or
three times a day during the next fortnight. On
August 1 2th we again got a fresh northerly breeze and
realised that if we were to get off, we must take
advantage of this. Lieutenant Hansen, Lund, and
myself went up to Steen's Hill in the morning. The
ice which up to the present had held fast to King
William Land along the coast from Booth's Point had
now let go its hold, and the channels were open. At
4 o'clock in the evening we were up there again. The
ice was still lying around Todd Islands but we thought
we could see open water beyond them.

The time had now come and we must make an effort.
The departure was fixed for 3 o'clock the next morning ;
the last preparations were made, the dogs were put on
board and after the observations at 9 p.m. the meteoro-
logical instruments were also brought on board.

It was with a very peculiar sensation that I went on
board for the last time. There was undoubtedly much
sorrow mingled with my gladness at leaving. Thanks
to my comrades I left Gjoahavn with nothing but happy
memories. We had never had a misunderstanding or
dispute of any kind. And now as I look back on all
that long period I inwardly recall good humour, song,
and laughter, and my memories are consequently
associated with feelings of gratitude to my comrades for
the pleasant days passed at Gjoahavn.

CHAPTER X.

The North West Passage,

Of problems connected with Arctic research, the naviga-
tion of the passage to the north of the American Continent
has been by far the most interesting to humanity. More
hves and treasure have been sacrificed in its solution than
in that of almost any other problem. As there is, however,
a whole library concerning the " North West Passage,"
I shall content myself with brief reference to it rather
than weary my readers with a historical essay on the
subject. I will confine myself to mentioning those
voyages and those explorers whose achievements were
of the greatest value in the planning and execution of
the " Gjoa " Expedition.

John Davis set sail in the year 1585, with the view of
discoverino- the North West Passage. The result was
the discovery of the strait between Greenland and
Labrador bearing his name. Bylot and Baffin made a
fair start in 161 6, circumnavigating Baffin's Bay and
defining the situation of Lancaster Strait. Dejnev, a
Pole, made his way past the north-eastern part of Asia
as far back as 1648, and discovered the strait between
that continent and America. But his discovery did not

The North West Passage.

become very widely known, and it was a Dane, Vitus
Behring, who was the first to make his way through the
same strait in 1728, and who had the real credit of dis-
covering fiehrino- Strait. A o-ood start towards the
North West Passage was made by these discoveries, but
much still remained to be done. In 1778, Captain
James Cook penetrated northwards through Behring
Strait, and discovered Icy Cape. After this the problem
was allowed to rest for a number of years, until attacked
again in 1817 by the able captain of an English whaler,
William Scoresby, Junior. He was of opinion that the
state of the ice had improved sufficiently to warrant fresh
attempts. It was thus that John Ross, a Captain in the
English Navy, opened the nineteenth century campaign
to conquer the North West Passage. In 1743 the
English Government had offered a reward of ^"20,000
for the solution of the problem, and now it renewed its
promise. John Ross left in 18 18 with the sailing vessels
"Isabella" and "Alexander," but fortune did not smile
on him. He sailed round Baffin's Bay, passed Smith
Sound, and then stood off to the south. At the entrance
to Lancaster Sound he suddenly turned homewards. He
insisted that the Sound did not exist, and that it was
merely a bay. The mountains which he thought he
sighted at the inner side of this bay he christened the
Croker Mountains. As, however, all his officers refuted
his assertions, and maintained that there was a channel,
Edward Parry, the capable chief ofhcer of Captain Ross,
was sent out in the following year. He not only proved

103

Chapter X.

the existence of the Sound, but made his way a long
distance westwards, wintering with his two ships, the
" Hecla " and " Griper," at Melville Island. This was a
giant stride, and the name of Parry must be recorded
among the foremost in the history of the North West
Passage. John Ross, meanwhile, had not lost heart.
In 1829 he again went northwards with the "Victory,"
a paddle-steamer. This was the first time a steamer was
used in the Arctic Ocean. It is, however, needless to
say that with large paddle-boxes it was impossible to
make much progress in the ice. John Ross passed four
winters on the eastern side of Boothia Felix, and was
finally compelled to get back in boats, as his vessel w^as
crushed in the ice. Very good results were obtained by
this expedition. In later years, his nephew, James Clark
Ross, the celebrated Polar explorer, found and deter-
mined the position of the Magnetic Pole. Our knowledge
of the geography of these regions was also considerably
extended, and John Ross regained, in a great nieasure,
his lost reputation. The greater portion of the North
American coast was mapped out by means of expeditions
in boats, particularly by Franklin in 18 19-1822 and
1 825-1 827. Dease and Simpson continued the work in
1 837-1 839. The whole of the North American coast
was thus, in the main, known, but the North West
Passage had not yet been discovered.

Franklin left England in 1845 with the " Erebus " and
the " Terror," and favourable results were confidently

looked for. Franklin had, during his two previous

104

The North West Passage.

expeditions, shown such signal capacity that success
seemed certain. But, as we know too well, these hopes
were not to be realised. Not a sinofle man of the
134 members of the Franklin Expedition ever returned.
The uncertainty of Franklin's fate became, during the
following years, a burning question to the whole world,
and many relief and search expeditions were sent out.
Many of these did good work ; but the expeditions of
Admiral Sir Richard Collinson and Dr. John Rae,
especially, were the most important steps towards the
final achievement of the navigation of the North West
Passage. Admiral Collinson sailed in 1850, on the
" Enterprise," into Behring Strait and examined the
West Coast of Prince Albert Land and WoUaston
Land, where he passed the winter. The following year
he proceeded through Dolphin and Union Strait into
Coronation Gulf and onwards through Dease Strait,
where he was again compelled to winter, in Cambridge
Bay, on the south coast of Victoria Land. His sound-
ings and survey of this narrow and foul channel were
very helpful to the " Gjoa " Expedition. Sir Richard
Collinson appears to me to have been one of the most
capable and enterprising sailors the world has ever pro-
duced. He guided his great, heavy vessel into waters
that hardly afforded sufficient room for the tiny " Gjoa."
But, better still, he brought her safely home. His
recompense for the heroism shown was, however, but
scant. His second in command. Sir Robert M'Clure,
who had had to abandon his vessel, the " Investigator,"

105

Chapter X.

in Mercy Bay, on the north-east coast of Bank's Land,
and who was then helped home by others, received all the
honour, and one-half of the promised reward went to
him and his men as discoverers of the North West
Passage. Both of these expeditions were of the greatest
importance as a guide to the navigation of the passage. .
M'Clure had proved that it was impracticable to make
the passage by the route he tried. To Collinson
belonged the still greater merit of pointing out a really
practicable way for vessels — as far as he reached. In
other words, M'Clure found a North West Passage
which was not navigable ; Collinson found one which
was practicable, although not suitable for ordinary
navigation.

Dr. John Rae was one of the Hudson Bay Company's
medical officers. He deserves great credit for his explora-
tion of North Eastern America. His work was of
incalculable value to the " Gjoa " Expedition. He
discovered Rae Strait, which separates King William
Land from the mainland. In all probability the passage
through this strait is the only navigable route for the
voyage round the north coast of America. This is the
only passage which is free from the destructive pack-ice.
The distinguished Arctic explorer. Admiral Sir Leopold
M'Clintock, pointed out this passage in his report on the
"Fox" Expedition in 1857- — ^59, and proved that if the
North West Passage were ever to be accomplished, it
would be througrh this channel. I followed the advice of
this experienced sailor and had no reason to regret it.

106

The North West Passage.

Precisely at 3 a.m. on August 13th, 1905, the windlass
played a lively tune on the deck of the "Gjoa." The
weather was not of the finest — thick fog and a light
contrary breeze. We therefore set the motor going full
speed ahead when leaving the harbour. The Eskimo
had assembled in the early morning on shore to wish
us a last " Manik-tu-mi ! " Talurnakto accompanied us
out towards Fram Point, and we could hear him calling
out his "God-da! God-da!" (good-day) long after he
was lost in the foo-.

We jumped, so to speak, right into the same doubtful

navigation as before, impenetrable fog, no compass, and

a very changeable breeze, which was therefore a poor

guide. The lead was thrown continually. I put Hansen

and Lund on the look-out in the crow's nest, they being

the best qualified men for the job, for the cards had to

be played judiciously in this game if one wished to come

out a winner. The Lieutenant and I myself took the

helm in turn, from which point we could better survey

the route. Ristvedt and Wiik looked after the engine.

The man attendino- to the soundinos had his full share

of work ; the lead flew up and down so rapidly that it

w^as almost a wonder it did not melt. Ten fathoms and

a clay bottom, was the report ; then again, eight fathoms,

stone ; ten fathoms and clay. The bottom along Simpson

Strait, off King William Land, was level ; sand and clay

alternated, and the depth was uniformly about ten

fathoms. In this manner we groped our way as far

as Booth Point, where we were compelled to stop, as we

107

Chapter X.

could not see our way clear to get through the ice, large
quantities of which were drifting in an easterly direction.
We anchored to leeward of a low rock outside the point,
where we were sheltered from the drifting^ ice. Now
and again the fog lifted a bit and we could see Todd
Islands ahead of us, surrounded by plenty of ice. To
the west of this group of islands we could see open water,
and the point was to reach it. At 3 o'clock in the after-
noon the fog quite cleared, so that we could gauge our
position properly. We were not far from Todd Islands,
consisting of three very low islets, large enough, however,
to collect a quantity of ice. It did not look very promising
from the masthead. There was, it is true, a strip of open
water between the bulk of the ice and the most distant
island ; but it was not reasonable to suppose that this
narrow channel extended far inwards, as the ice was
drifting at a great speed eastwards, and was probably
lying against the western side of the island. How-
ever, the best way was to go and see. The weather
had meantime become splendid, brilliantly clear, and
practically a dead calm. As we advanced and were
able to survey the southern point of the island, our
anxiety was increased as to whether the ice was lying
close up to the western side or not. A channel — so
narrow that at a distance it seemed barely to afford room
for a rowing boat to pass — was all the open space
between the main pack and the island. Then it was
a question whether the channel was deep enough.

Everything depended upon the configuration of the

108

The North West Passage.

island. " I think we shall get through," Lund called
out from the crow's nest. " I notice stones at the
bottom, but we can go close to the shore." This was
precisely what we had to do, to squeeze through.
Fortunately the west coast of the island was perpendi-
cular, with no shallow bottom near it. But it was only
a margin of a few inches, compared with the " Gjoa's "
beam, that prevented us from getting stuck. We all
heaved a sigh of relief when we had open water ahead of
us, to the-west.

The Lieutenant and Helmer Hansen, when making

their boat trip in 1904, had found two skeletons above

ground at Hall Point. These were skeletons of white

men ; two, no doubt, of Franklin's companions. They

buried the remains and built a cairn over their g-rave.

We passed the point just as the sun was setting, and

with our colours flying in honour of the dead we went

by the grave in solemn silence ; the sky and the land

then glowing with a soft red, golden light. Our

victorious little " Gjoa " was honouring her unfortunate

predecessors.

When I came on deck at 2 o'clock next morning we

were abreast of Douglas Bay. Tonnich, who knew the

locality, gave us the names of the various prominences

on the land. He had also noticed the camp where all

our Eskimo stayed. It was Kamiglu, a little elevation

of about one hundred feet. The tents stood out against

the sky, and we could also see the outline of the flagstaff

and the little flag. As heavy clouds of fog were now

109

Chapter X.

rolling in and becoming very dense over the narrowest
part of Simpson Strait, between Eta Island and the land,
we made a straight course for Kamiglu. The bottom
near the mainland was very uneven, and we therefore
cast anchor a good distance from land. As the fog was
thickening round our vessel, we started blowing the fog-
horn at intervals in order to attract the attention of the
Eskimo. And soon a kayak shot out of the fog and
a hearty " Manik-tu-mi " greeted us. It was Nulieiu,
and he was soon followed by others. They were all
pleased to see us again, and Lund and I jumped in the
dory to accompany them ashore. The fog was no obstacle
to the Eskimo. They laughed at us when we asked
if they could find their way, and they set off at full speed.
Although we had about three-quarters of an hour to row,
we went straight to their landing-place. For these
people to have been able to row a straight course with
such extraordinary precision, without a glimmer of day-
light, seems to show that they must be possessed of a
sixth sense.

The foo- was not so dense inland. Kamio-lu is a
peninsula with almost perpendicular sides all round, and
is only connected with the mainland by a narrow neck
between lagoons, both from the east and from the west.
Our friends had their habitations in seven tents on the
top, in a perfect Arctic paradise. Down below, in the
lagoons, they caught all the fish required, and there were
great herds of reindeer round the large lakes on the
plains. They had killed many and had plenty of meat ;

The North West Passage.

but most of it was kept in depots out in the open. They
were quite willing to fetch it, but as it would take several
hours, we abandoned the project and contented ourselves
with that obtainable in the camp. We went round bidding
good-bye to our old friends ; it might be a long while
before we met again. At the same time we collected all
the meat and dried salmon we could o-et. Standing

AN ESKIMO FERRY (KAMIGLU, 1905).

outside Umiktuallu's tent was his foster-son, Maniracha,
or Manni as we called him for short. He was attired in
a pair of sealskin trousers and a greasy old jacket he had
got in exchange for something on board. He looked, by
the way, as if he had forgotten his morning's ablution ;
that, however, might happen to anybody. Several
months ago Manni asked me, in Ogchoktu, if he might
be allowed to accompany me back to the land of the

VOL. II. 113 I

Chapter X.

white men. I took his request at that time merely as

a sign of his courage, without any serious meaning.

However, it seemed to be otherwise. He had just got

to know that Tonnich was with us and that he himself

was thus shut out ; and now he was standing outside the

tent crying bitterly. I approached him and asked if

he really was so keen upon accompanying us ; the tears

were simply streaming down the boy's face, and I was

really sorry for him when he assured me that this was

his only desire in life. Besides, I was ashamed of

breaking my promise and felt annoyed ; in fact, I would

much rather have had Manni along with me than

Tonnich. Manni was a quick and smart young fellow

and not over seventeen years of age. In this quandary

I told him that he might accompany me on board for

the present, and I would then see what could be done

for him.

At 7 o'clock in the morning the fog began to lift, and I

thought it better to get on board and proceed further, as

soon as the weather got clear enough. We rowed back

to our ship in the dory with thirty-six magnificent joints

of reindeer and a large quantity of dried salmon. The

" Owl," Manni and two more Eskimo accompanied us,

besides four others in their kayaks. Towards 8 o'clock

we got on board, the sky being then nearly clear. Only

over Eta was it still foggy. I settled with the Eskimo

and paid them in ammunition for the meat and salmon.

After that I consulted with my shipmates on the subject

of Manni. We all agreed upon taking him with us rather

114

The North West Passage.

than Tonnich, who, on arrival on board, had been dubbed
by the appropriate nickname of " Pork - Johnny."
Mr. Johnny then came before me, and I tackled him
thus : " Well, Johnny, is it true that you absolutely wish
to accompany us to the land of the Kablunas ? " To
this he replied immediately and with surprising frankness :
" No, not he ; he had no wish to do so ! " It was really
no easy matter to find out the intentions of these people.
Three days ago he would have sacrificed half of his life
to come along with us, and now, after living on board
like a prince, he had changed his mind. I took this
surprise-packet with equanimity, as the Manni question
was thus settled. Not entirely, however. His foster-
father, Umiktuallu, had still to have his say in the matter
— the same pleasant foster-father who had, previously,
killed another foster-son by stabbing him. I had first to
get his permission to take the boy along with me. And,
of course, I did not get his consent, Umiktuallu, who
had come on board, wanted payment for the boy. A file
and an old knife, however, satisfied him, so he did not
value his foster-son at a very exorbitant price after all.

By now the fog had entirely disappeared. We took a
last cordial farewell of the " Owl " and our other special
friends among the Nechilli tribe and set off. We had
before us a most lovely clear summer's day, mild, and
perfectly calm. Eta was lying right in the middle of
Simpson Strait like a giant who wanted to stay our
progress. The two sounds that lay between King

William Land to the north and the mainland to the south

115 I 2

chapter X.

were not wide. As my readers may remember, Lieu-
tenant and Helmer Hansen had ascertained that the
Northern Channel was impassable for the " Gjoa." We
centred our hopes, therefore, on the southern one. It
was not more than three-quarters of a mile wide, and we
knew it was foul. We had long talked about this passage
and shuddered at the thought of it. Now we had got to
it, and we proceeded with the greatest caution. None of
us will easily forget that morning watch. I believe this
was our most exciting passage. It was getting shallower
and shallower up towards the Sound, but our look-out
man reported deeper water beyond the reef we had to
pass. The lead was used continually, and the man at
the helm had no chance of going to sleep. The helm
went from board to board the whole time, just as if we
were in thick ice, and, though we managed to get through
the Eta Strait, I can vouch for it, as it was my turn at
the helm, that the passage did not, by any means,
resemble a bee-line. The shallowest water we found was
three fathoms.

During the lovely afternoon we had more breath-
ing space again ; it had become broiling hot and
the sea was perfectly calm. Small lumps of ice were
pitching and nodding here and there on the water, with a
blue-green reflection in the sun. The lead was still
going, but not so feverishly as during the forenoon.
The man at the helm was standing dozing and at ease.
We could now give some attention to Manni, who
hitherto had had to look after himself. I handed him

Ii6

The North West Passage.

over to Ristvedt, who had the afternoon watch lookinof
after the engine, to make him a Kabluna. Considering
the quantity of soap and insect-powder utiHsecl in the
process, I was convinced that Manni had had a proper
cleansing. We had not the heart to cut his lone
magnificent hair, but it was well combed, and we noticed
no life in it afterwards. His get-up became somewhat pic-
turesque : blue stockinette jacket, sealskin knee-breeches,
white stockings and the Lieutenant's old low-cut dress-
shoes. His head was covered with a lieht-blue bathing-
cap, which I had at some time or another bought at a
watering place. He won everybody's heart from the first
start. Manni's laughter banished the most surly airs, and
he was undoubtedly pleased with himself, too. He had,
it is true, reached the paradise of the Eskimo : the place
where you eat as much as you can possibly manage to
stow away. By the bye, I was somewhat anxious as to
the effect of the change of diet, but Manni did not suffer
any ill-effects in this respect. He also enjoyed a smoke
of tobacco.

During the evening some ice made its appearance
from the south, and presently the whole sea to the south
was covered. The edge of the pack extended in a
north-westerly direction, and compelled us to follow the
same course. We kept alongside it all the way, and
sighted a great many small islands in between. It was
Queen Maud's Sea which was so full of ice. I had
hoped to be able to pass the Nordenskjold Islands on

the southern side, and near land. This, however, was

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Chapter X.

out of the question. The Ice was so tightly packed
that we had to pass on the outside to make progress.
Fortunately, the depth of the water did not hamper us ;
we could find no bottom with the hand-lead. At
daybreak, on August 15th, we had before us the large,
newly-discovered group of islands extending as far as
our sieht could reach, in a north to south direction.
The position was clear to us. The ice surrounded the
whole group, and we could neither get round to the
north nor to the south — we had to go straight through.
From the aspect of the islands it was obvious that the
waters between them were foul and filled with all sorts
of nasty things. We had to get through a small stretch
of ice extending- all along- the eastern side of the islands,
and about half a mile outside. We took note of the
weakest point, went full speed ahead, all holding on
tight. Although the "Gjoa" was small she gave some
good thumps, and we got through without much trouble.
We now had to follow the open channel southwards to
find out whether there was a passage further south
between the islands. The lead was again used con-
tinuously, and we found the depth of water along the
east coast to be uniformly thirteen fathoms. The channel
now ceased, and branched off in the shape of a narrow
sound between some small rocks. The current had
probably formed this channel. The passage was not
very inviting, but it was our only one, and forward we
must ofo.

As we turned westward, the soundings became alarm-

118

The North West Passage.

ing, the figures jumped from seventeen to five fathoms,
and vice versa. From an even, sandy bottom we came
to a ragged, stony one. We were in the midst of a most
disconcerting chaos ; sharp stones faced us on every side,
low-lying rocks of all shapes, and we bungled through
zigzag, as if we were drunk. The lead flew up and
down, down and up, and the man at the helm had to
pay very close attention and keep his eye on the look-out
man who jumped about in the crow's nest like a maniac,
throwing- his arms about for starboard and port respec-
tively, keeping on the move all the time to watch the
track. Now I see a h\<^ shallow extendingr from one islet
right over to the other. We must get up to it and see.
The anchors were clear to drop, should the water be too
shallow, and we proceeded at a very slow rate. I was
at the helm and kept shuffling my feet out of sheer
nervousness. We barely managed to scrape over. In
the afternoon things got worse than ever ; there was
such a lot of stones that it was just like sailing through
an uncleared field. Though chary of doing so, I was
now compelled to lower a boat and take soundings ahead
of us. This required all hands on deck, and it was
anything but pleasant to have to do without the five
hours' sleep obtainable under normal conditions. But
it could not be helped. We crawled along in this
manner, and by 6 p.m. we had reached Victoria Strait,
leaving the crowd of islands behind us. The Sound we
had passed we christened Palander Strait, after the

able commander of the " Vega." The islands south

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Chapter X.

thereof were named Nordenskjold Islands, after the
leader of the " Vega " Expedition. The map of the
islands made by Lieutenant Hansen proved most
accurate.

Victoria Strait was full of ice-floes, but loose enough
to enable us to oet throuoh. Outside Lind Island it
was thick, but we managed to slip through a narrow
channel, getting out on the other side, and reaching open
water aorain. As we were settino- sail in the morning'
our gaff snapped. I then decided to seek refuge in
Cambridge Bay, so as to get it repaired. Victoria Land
was flat and monotonous. The Dease Strait is deep
enough if you keep a couple of miles from the coast.
There are shallows off all points and turnings.

We anchored on August 17th, at 5 a.m., on the west
side of Cape Colborne, and this was a significant day in
the history of our Expedition — for we had now sailed
the " Gjoa " thro2Lgh the hitherto tmsolved link in the
North West Passage. We now felt we had got back
again to fairly-known waters, so to speak. A sounding
was now and then given on the chart, and we felt much
more at ease, knowing that we had waters ahead of us
which had been ploughed by a large vessel.

Mount Pelly, mentioned by Collinson, is an excellent
landmark and easily recognised. Though not more than
800 feet high, it has a gigantic appearance as it rises in
its isolation from the plain. I had made up my mind to
row ashore and deposit a report, but it was blowing so
hard off shore that I had to abandon my project. We

The North West Passage.

repaired the gaff and carried out a few odd jobs. The
remainder of the day we had a rest, which we all sorely
needed after our toil. It is well, under such circum-
stances, to have a cook on whom you can fully rely ; we
could safely leave the care of the vessel to Lindstrom,
who was as good a sailor as he was a cook.

Next morning, at 3 o'clock, saw us on the move again.
Collinson's description of the waters was very helpful to
us. He had throughout done excellent and reliable
work. The sides of the large islands were steep, and
the water, therefore, deep and clear. We passed through
the Sound between Finlayson Island and the two small
islets, situate at a distance of about a mile. We noticed
the reef mentioned by Collinson, about two cable-lengths
to the south-west of the island. The sea was entirely
free from ice.

Our compass, which, after the passage through Eta
Strait, had begun to move again, now became quite
lively. But we had, of course, to accept its indica-
tions with the greatest caution. Next day we passed
Richardson Islands. They are high and steep, and quite
rich in vegetation. As islets and rocks fill the openings
between them, they are not easy to distinguish from one
another. In the afternoon we made for Miles Islands,
so as to anchor for the night. But the contrary current
and wind compelled us to give it up. There are several
more islands in this group than are marked on the map.
They are all steep towards the east, gradually sloping-
down towards the west. We lay to during the night of

Chapter X.

August 20th, near Douglas Island, and proceeded west-
wards as soon as daylight made its first appearance. It
turned out a difficult job to find the narrow sound leading
out into the Dolphin and Union Straits, between the
small islands situated here and Cape Krusenstern. We
therefore proceeded northward, right between Douglas
Island and Cape Krusenstern, in order to see if we could
locate the opening. We, however, got on to a large
shoal, which continued until it barred further progress
that way. In other words, we had to proceed south-
wards to get through. To make quite sure, we decided
to cast anchor off Douglas Island and do the necessary
survey from there. We anchored to the west of the
island, half a mile off the shore, in five fathoms of water,
with a stony bottom. Douglas Island is quite tiny and
fiat. There we found a little driftwood, carried out
through the Coppermine River. Some old heaps of
stone seemed to indicate that the Eskimo frequent the
island. Lieutenant Hansen took the necessary sights,
and, though we did not see any opening, we now knew
where it was.

To some, perhaps, it may occur that we could very
well have done this survey under canvas, and that it was
unnecessary to stop and retard our voyage on that
account. This may be so, but it must not be forgotten
that our position was not quite an ordinary one. Bearing
in mind our running aground at Matty Island, we had
quite decided not to risk a recurrence of that experience
if we could possibly avoid it. We would rather sacrifice

The North West Passage.

a few hours than jeopardise our vessel in these very

hazardous waters, with a ragged stone bottom and shallow

water under her keel, an unsafe compass, and a small

crew. We were, so to speak, standing on the threshold

of our goal, attempted unsuccessfully by so many before

us, and, taking this into consideration, it was an easy

task to restrain our impatience to get along as speedily

as possible and out of our difficulties.

At the first sign of daybreak we were at it again. We

were compelled to keep southwards to avoid the shoals

between the mainland and Douo-las Island. The water

was now getting deeper. Finding eventually that we

had orot far enouo-h to the south, we turned off to the

west, shaping our course towards the point where we

expected to find an opening. It was an exciting time.

Fortunately the deep water continued — we found nowhere

less than seven fathoms — we neared the mainland without

trouble, and found the passage all right. At 3 p.m. we

passed Liston and Sutton Islands, and stood off" into

Dolphin and Union Strait. My relief at having thus

got clear of the last difficult hole in the North West

Passage was indescribable. I cannot deny that I had

felt very nervous during the last few days. The thought

that here in these troublesome waters we were running

the risk of spoiling the whole of our so far successful

enterprise was anything but pleasant, but it was always

present to my mind. The whole responsibility for crew

and the vessel rested on me, and I could not get rid of

the possibility of returning home with the task unper-

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Chapter X.

formed. The thought was anything but cheering. My
hours of rest and sleep were principally spent, during this
time, in brooding over such thoughts, and they were not
very conducive to sleep. All our precautions and every-
body's careful attention notwitstanding, any moment might
have some surprise in store for us. I could not eat. At
every meal-time I felt a devouring hunger, but I was
unable to swallow my food. When finally we got out
of our scrapes and I regained my usual calm, I had
a most rapacious hunger to satisfy, and I would rather
not mention what I managed to dispose of

We could now discontinue the laborious watches of
eighteen hours a-day and revert to the normal arrange-
ment of six-hour watches. Barring a few small interrup-
tions in the shape of fog and contrary wind we made fair
progress westwards. We did not sight Clerk Island at
all, although the weather was clear, and it should have
been well within rano-e of vision. Its existence would,
therefore, seem somewhat doubtful. We encountered
small lots of ice now and then which reminded us that
we were in the Arctic regions and must be prepared for
eventualities.

On August 26th, at 4 p.m., we sighted a high land to
windward. The air was very misty, and as, according
to our reckoning, we should be abreast of Cape Parry,
I thought this was that we saw. During the early
morninof the air became clearer, and I knew then that
this land was not Cape Parry on the mainland of America,

but Nelson Head on Baring Land. The error was not

124

The North West Passage.

quite insignificant, to be sure. But my misgivings on
this head were appeased when told later by American
whalers of the ludicrous mistakes they often made in
these waters. There is probably a lot of iron in the
mountains here, and the compass therefore becomes
utterly distracted. Then there are strong currents, and
the united influence of these factors may confuse the
most conscientious navio-ator even more than it did when
we mistook Nelson Head for Cape Parry. We were, of
course, wholly unacquainted with the condition of things.
When we had found our bearings, we continued our
voyage at full speed, having a fair wind as well as the
current rio-ht behind us.

At 8 A.M. my watch was finished and I turned in.
When I had been asleep some time, I became conscious
of a rushing to and fro on deck. Clearly there was
something the matter, and I felt a bit annoyed that they
should go on like that for the matter of a bear or a seal.
It must be something of that kind, surely. But then
Lieutenant Hansen came rushing down into the cabin
and called out the ever memorable words : " Vessel in
sight, sir ! " He bolted again immediately, and I was
alone.

The North West Passage had been accomplished — •
my dream from childhood. This very moment it was
fulfilled. I had a peculiar sensation in my throat ; I was
somewhat overworked and tired, and I suppose it was
weakness on my part, but I could feel tears coming to
my eyes. " Vessel in sight ! " The words were magical.

125

Chapter X.

My home and those dear to me there at once appeared
to me as if stretchinaf out their hands — " Vessel in

sight ! "

I dressed myself in no time. When ready, I stopped
a moment before Nansen's portrait on the wall. It
seemed as if the picture had come to life, as if he winked
at me, nodding, "Just what I thought, my boy!" I
nodded back, smiling and happy, and went on deck.

It was a wonderfully fine day. The breeze had veered
round somewhat to the east, and with the wind abaft,
and all sails set, we made excellent headway. It seemed
as if the " Gjoa" understood that the hardest part of the
struggle was over, she seemed so wonderfully light in
her movements. Nelson Head was a long way off to
the north. The flat-topped promontory looked grand
in the morning sunshine, melting in the white snow, and
throwing dark-blue shadows into the parallel fissures of
the mountain side. A heavy, bright swell rocked the
vessel pleasandy, and the air was mild and soft. All
this was observed in a moment. But it did not arrest
our attention for long. The only objects between sky
and sea that possessed any interest for us then were the
two mastheads on the horizon. All hands had come
on deck, and all glasses were levelled at the approaching
vessel. All faces were wreathed in smiles. Not much

was said ; one of the telescopes was lowered " I

wonder ! " And it was raised again. Another one

lowered the telescope, and also remarked : " I wonder ! "
On the appearance of the unknown vessel we hoisted

126

The North West Passage.

our Norwegian flag. It glided slowly up under the gaff,
every eye watching it. Many pleasant words were
whispered to the flag, it seemed as if everybody wanted
to caress it. It had become a bit worn and ragged, but
it bore its wounds with honour.

" I wonder what he'll think when he sees it ? "

" He'll think it is a venerable old flag."

" Perhaps he's an American."

" I shouldn't be surprised if he were an Englishman."

" Yes, he will see by the flag what we are ! "

" Oh, yes — he will see we are boys from good old
Norway ! "

The vessels were approaching each other very rapidly.

" There ! up goes the American flag," sang out the
watchman. He had the long telescope which had been
placed on deck. This proved to be correct, and we
could now all see the Stars and Stripes under the vessel's
gaff. They had seen and recognised our flag by now,
that was certain. Dense steam was issuino- from the
vessel's side ; evidently they had a motor, the same as
we had, and were advancing rapidly.

It was time now to tidy ourselves a little in preparation

for the first meeting. Four of us were to go on board

the ship, the other three had to remain on the " Gjoa "

and look after our vessel. Our best clothes were

hurriedly got out. We dressed ourselves according to

our individual taste. Some preferred Eskimo costumes,

and others our Norwegian russet. One found that

sealskin boots looked best for the occasion, others pre-

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Chapter X.

ferred ordinary sea-boots. We also cleared up on deck

as well as we could. The American could certainly

scan our deck in every detail, from his crow's nest,

through his telescope, and we wanted to make as decent

an impression as possible. We were now so near each

other that the whole ship was visible from our deck.

It was a small, two-masted schooner, painted black ;

she had a powerful motor, and the foam at her bows

was spurting- high. She also carried sail. We got the

boats clear, hove to, and lowered the dory, the most

seaworthy of them. It was certainly not much to look

at, and the commander had no easy stern-sheets, with

a flag, to sit on. But the boat was in the style of the

vessel to which it belonged, and we were not on a

pleasure trip. The American had stopped his engine,

and was waiting for us. With two men at the oars we

were soon alongside of him. A line was thrown down to

us ; I cauo-ht it, and was ao-ain linked with civilisation. It

did not, however, make its appearance in any great glory.

The " Charles Hanson," of San Francisco, did not

seem to be rigged out in a very luxurious manner. A

ladder, by-the-bye, was superfluous, as the ship was deep

in the water. We took hold of the chain-wales and

crawled on board. Our first impression was most

peculiar. Every available space on deck was occupied

to such an extent that it was nearly impossible to get

along. Eskimo women in red dresses, and negroes in

the most variegated costumes were mingling together,

just as in a land of fable.

128

The North West Passage.

An elderly man with a white beard advanced towards
me on the quarter-deck. He was newly shaven, and
nicely dressed, evidently the master of the ship. " Are
you Captain Amundsen ? " was his first remark. I was
quite surprised to hear that we were known so far
away and answered in the affirmative, owning that I was
the man. "Is this the first vessel you have met ? " the
old man asked. And when I admitted it was so, his
countenance brightened up. We shook hands long and
heartily. ~ I am exceedingly pleased to be the first one
to welcome you on getting through the North West
Passage." We were then most courteously invited down
below to his cabin. There was not much room, though
slightly more than on board our own vessel, the " Gjoa."

Captain James McKenna, the master of the " Charles
Hanson," was a man of medium height, corpulent and
between fifty and sixty years of age. That he was an
old Arctic trader was evident from his looks. The deep
wrinkles and copper-coloured face told plainly of cold and
murky weather. His personality was jovial and agree-
able. He asked if we wanted anything, in which case
he was ready to help us to the best of his ability. The
only thing we missed so far was news from home. But
unfortunately he had none. That is to say he had some
old newspapers, but .... Old ! Yes to you ! To us
they are certainly absolutely fresh ! He brought out a
bundle, and by a wonderful coincidence my eye first
alighted upon a head-line which made me stare. " War
between Norway and Sweden." I swallowed the article

VOL. II. 129 K

Chapter X.

in hot haste, but It only gave a moderate amount of
information. Captain McKenna had left home long ago
and could give no more particulars. We sought further
information all over the ship, but no one knew any more
about it. This uncertainty was more unsettling than our
previous total ignorance, but it could not be helped ; we
had to put aside our anxiety and wait.

After a very good dinner Lieutenant Hansen and I
began, culling as much information as possible regarding
the navio-ation ahead of us. McKenna was the Senior
of the American whalers and knew the North American
Coast better than anyone else. What we prized particu-
larly was the set of American charts for the continuation
of our voyage. They were of a more recent date than
ours and contained many new items. With marginal
notes and indications of courses by the old, experienced
captain they were a real treasure to us. They were
somewhat worn and tattered, and we, therefore, packed
them up most carefully. Then about the condition of the
ice. Did he think we could continue in a westerly
direction without hindrance ? He told us that when
inward bound he had been hampered by ice near
Herschel Island, but that at the present late period of
the season we were hardly likely to meet any obstacles of
consequence. We would in any case reach Herschel
Island quite easily. He was certain of this, and as he
was himself going to winter on that island it might
happen that we would meet again. Before going into
winter quarters he intended making a trip as far as

The North West Passage.

Banks' Land to look for whales ; so far he had been
unlucky and got none. His motor was very powerful,
and he would probably catch us up on his return voyage
to Herschel Island. In addition he gave us every
possible information about the waters ahead of us. It
was pleasant to hear that the bottom along the whole
coast westwards was even, so that we could navigate
safely by the lead. We had not been spoilt by safe navi-
gation, so we looked upon the remainder of our voyage
as a mere- pleasure trip.

The breeze kept up well, and as I considered I could
not afford to lose more of it, we said good-bye to our
amiable host after a visit of two hours' duration. When
leaving he made us a present of a bag of potatoes and
another of onions. As it was a long time since we tasted
such luxuries, we gratefully accepted the gifts.

We were awaited on board with eager expectation.
For the present we agreed to look with great distrust on
the reported war between the two united kingdoms. The
potatoes and onions became the centre of joy, most of us
being fond of these vegetables. We then dipped our
flag, set all sail and continued our voyage. McKenna
proceeded eastwards to try his luck.

The next afternoon we passed Franklin Bay. " The
smoking rocks," mentioned in several previous reports by
travellers, were still active, thick smoke issuing therefrom.
The Bay was unfortunately full of ice, so that we were
unable to land and inspect the phenomenon more closely.
On the outskirts of this ice a bear was standing,

TIT K 2

Chapter X.

evidently watching us with interest, A fit of blood-thirsti-
ness naturally seized our hunters, and two of them
fetched out their rifles and took to a boat. When Master
Bruin smelt a rat he plunged into the sea and commenced
swimming away. He was soon caught up, however, and
shot. He was a comparatively small fellow, but the fur
was exceptionally beautiful. The great Nimrod himself
got the skin, and we gave the flesh to the dogs, who
revelled in it. The flesh of the bear is not bad, but we
had still plenty of reindeer-meat, so bear did not tempt
us. We then went on again, but the hunters soon dis-
covered more game. Two bears were lying on an ice-
floe, apparently asleep, as they showed no sign of life.
To the undoubted disappointment of our sportsmen I let
them alone, however. The wind was fair and we must
utilise it. There was plenty of ice, but still so loose that
we could force our wav throuo-h. However, we now had
six hours' darkness duriuQ; the nio-ht, and while this lasted
we could not possibly keep going with the present state
of the ice. As we made fast to the ice, in the evening,
it was calm. When daylight appeared, the ice was lying-
close up to Cape Bathurst, without a fathom of open
water. The ice was loose from north-east and also north
to east. I thought it better to wait and bide our time.
If the breeze from north-west eased off during the day I
had good hopes that the ice would drift from the land and
make way for us. Fog also made its appearance with
the north-west wind, and presently we could not see a
yard ahead of lis. Later in the day the wind eased off

132

The North West Passage.

as expected. The fog lifted, and by 5 p.m. we had it
very fine and clear. Soon after, the ice began to move,
but not in our favour, unfortunately. A great pack was
gliding down upon us from the east and threatened to
imprison us completely. The ice was still quite loose to
the north, but it could not be long before we should feel
the pressure of it as it advanced. In order not to be
shut in I decided to get steam up, proceed to the north-
west, and try if we could not go round the ice that way
and get under land again further west. We just managed
to squeeze out before the two packs of ice collided, but it
had now become so dark that we could discern nothino-.
We were compelled, therefore, to stop and use our old
tactics of lying-to.

Next morning we found that while lying-to we had
got a long way westward. But the loss was not very
important. We had had the opportunity of ascertaining
that we could not get along that way. We would
have to try to get back to our old position, where
any change must first be felt. The south-easterly
breeze became fresher, and we had plenty of hard work
beating our way back. But, when we reached our
previous position, it turned out, sure enough, that the ice
had dispersed, and we were thus able to proceed towards
Cape Bathurst. There we found a channel which was
not very broad, but being able to get close in shore we
manap-ed to q-qi throuQ-h. The coast here is a bold one.

At 5 A.M. we passed two American whalers, who had
their boats out lookingf for whales. We did not want to

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Chapter X.

disturb them in their work, and, besides, we had no
particular interest in talking to them. We therefore
passed them by. It was my intention to go as far as
Bailey Island, fill our water tanks at our ease, and pump
petroleum from the fore tanks into the engine tanks.
As, however, the wind was fresh from the south-east, and
we made good headway, I thought it just as well to
proceed. When passing Cape Bathurst we perceived a
large number of Eskimo on shore. They waved and
made signs to us, and even hoisted a flag. A large
wooden house was to us a o-reeting- from civilisation.

At 4 P.M. on August 30th we passed Bailey Island,
with a strong, fair wind, without sighting any ice.
McKenna advised us to keep near land all the time,
but, as things were shaping now, it was too tempting a
prospect to proceed right across to Herschel Island, and
thus shorten the voyage. This we accordingly did.

Off Cape Bathurst we encountered the muddy, brown
water which the Mackenzie River throws out. It is of
no use to watch from the crow's nest, here, for shallows
through these muddy waters, and the lead was our
only guide. The bottom was even, however. The
wind increased, and caused the sea to become a bit
rough ; and it was no ordinary sea, with blue billows
and white foam on the surface ; these billows were brown
and the foam yellow, full of sand and gravel. The
chart indicated a shallow of three and a half fathoms
in this neighbourhood, and we did not care to come into
contact with it in this kind of weather. The position

134

The North West Passage.

became a good deal worse, owing to numerous large
masses of scattered drift ice, which it was difficult to
steer clear of in the dark. All went well, however, and
at daybreak next morning everything was all right. The
breeze lasted all day. The weather, however, was dull,
and we had to admit that McKenna was right, as we
suddenly ran up against the big pack, rendering further
progress impossible. We kept a southerly course along
the edge of the ice. The depth was about eighteen
fathoms, but decreased further south. When, at 8 p.m.,
we had reached eight fathoms, and it became pitch
dark, we lay to till daybreak. During the night we
found five fathoms of water. At 4 a.m. we proceeded
westwards at a slow speed, using the lead all the time.
The fog was impenetrable, but we had noticed the night
before that we had a clear course to the west. However,
there were a few islands here, which made us cautious.
But, as we still kept at five fathoms after proceeding
slowly for half-an-hour, I concluded that we were far
enough away from land, and set all sail and put the
motor at full speed ahead. We were then getting along
splendidly. At 5 o'clock the fog lifted a bit, and we
sighted an island about a mile to the south. This must
be Hooper Island. At the same time we saw two
barques, which were waiting their chance. Soon after-
wards it became very dull again, with snow from the east.
The " Gjoa " made good speed, the foam spurting off
her. We used our fog-horn, hooting and tooting in
honour of the vessels coming along. We passed several

135

Chapter X.

points covered with ice, which compelled us to keep a
southerly course towards the Mackenzie River.

At 1 1 A.M. it cleared again, and we then sighted two
barques a long way behind us. They were making the
same course as w^e and soon overtook us. They turned
out to be the "Alexander" and the " Bowhead," of
San Francisco, commanded by Captain Tilton and
Captain Cook. The " Bowhead " was an old acquaint-
ance. She had been bought from Norway, being
previously used for many years in the Arctic trade, and
known as the " Haardraade." Both vessels hailed us
and proffered every assistance. We did not, however,
need any, so we thanked them for their kind offers and
let them pass. They informed us that they were now
leaving the ice, homeward bound. But they were to call
at Herschel Island first, and we mutually expressed our
hopes that we might meet again there in a couple of
days' time at the most. Our hopes were not, however,
fulfilled quite so soon as we then thought they would be.

During the night before September 2nd we again had
a most unpleasant time of it, with four fathoms of water,
plenty of ice, and pitch dark. We lay to as well as we
could, and in the morning we worked ourselves forward
to reach the open channel. This was not very wide, but
there was, fortunately, plenty of water close to the shore.
By 2 P.M. the wind increased with squalls, and we were
going at a great pace. Lund was in the crow's nest and
I was at the helm. We carried full sail ; in the smooth
sea we were not hampered by big waves, and we had

136

The North West Passage.

never made brisker headway with the " Gjoa." How-
ever, one had to be quick with the helm when surrounded
by ice, and when we got into the channel, in the course
of two hours and a-half, I could feel the effect of my
turn at the helm. My hands were full of blisters, and
my clothes were dripping wet from perspiration. The
lead was Q-oino- the whole of the time. Close to the
shore we found two fathoms of water. As the channel
was too narrow to beat to the windward, all we could do
was to make fast to the solid ice. We put out two ice
grapnels. The land near which we were moored was
Cape Sabine, about sixty feet high, steep towards the
sea and flat on the top. We left the cook in possession
and went ashore. The beach was quite covered with
driftwood ; enormous quantities were piled up, and
trunks fifty feet in length were by no means rare. All
this wood seemed most glorious to us. Our gaff had
been broken and repaired so many times that it was of
no further use, and here we had plenty of material for
gafifs. We separated along the shore and each of us
looked about for the best pieces. There was enough to
choose from. Even here on the hill, facing north,
where no sunshine penetrates, except for a short time
at night, we found some beautiful flowers. We col-
lected some large bunches of forget-me-nots and other
varieties for decorations on board. Then we walked
up to the top of the hill* to have a look further inland.
Long, billowy fields, covered with high grass, extended
so far as we could see, and in the valleys there were

137

Chapter X.

bushes exceeding • the height of a^man. To us this
looked Hke a paradise. A few ducks were lying off the
shore, but, to the disappointment of our hunters, we did
not discover any other animal life. We proceeded a
little further inland and hit upon a few discarded Eskimo
huts. A couple of old sledges and bows and a rusty
barrel of a muzzle-loader were articles that might have
been left here by either white men or by Eskimo.

Next morning the condition of the ice had not materi-
ally improved. But the wind had abated sufficiently to
allow us to proceed, by the aid of our motor, through
the narrow channel. We fetched on board the pole
intended for a new gaff, let go, and departed. About an
hour later our look-out reported from the crow's nest that
a boat was approaching us from land. At first we thought
it was an Eskimo boat, but soon discovered it was manned
by two white men and one Eskimo. We took them on
board, and, curiously enough, the first of the men
addressed us in Norwegian. He was a Norwegian,
named Christian Sten, who had been second mate on
board the schooner " Bonanza," of San Francisco. The
schooner left home simultaneously with us, and, like
ourselves, had passed the winter in these regions. The
vessel had, however, been damaged by ice and by
stranding, and a few days ago they were compelled to
run her ashore at King Point to save her from sinking.
Mr. Sten was now staying ashore, with one of the vessel's
harpooners and some Eskimo, to keep watch on the
ship's provisions and other equipment. Captain Mogg,

138

'IK

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f^^Bk

^ ^^^^^1

., ^--^

-*^

f A

^■1

■i

Ij^^^^^^^^^

^^1

O S

The North West Passage.

the commander, had gone with the remainder of the
crew to Herschel Island, in boats, to find some means of
Qfettino- southwards to San Francisco on board another
ship. We could now see the wreck under the bold cape
before us. Mr. Sten told us the ice was lying close to
King Point, and that for the present we could get no
farther. He did not doubt, however, but that the ice
would slacken. He had seen it break up as late as
October 9th.

We arrived at noon, and found the state of the ice as
described by Sten. We approached a large sheet of
solid ice lying outside the wreck, and made fast to it.
Little did we dream then that King Point was to be our
residence for the next ten months. We rowed ashore to
have a look at the " Bonanza " and at Sten's little colony.
Captain Tilton, of the " Alexander," was the oldest com-
mander of the company to which the " Bonanza" also
belonged, and, when sailing past, two days previously,
he had given instructions to Sten to assist us with any-
thing we might need. We were well provided, but, as
such a friendly offer was made us, we profited by it to
obtain a few things we could do with. We changed
some canned provisions, as we w^anted to try the
American varieties, and Sten, on the other hand, wished
to try the Norwegian. We obtained various other little
articles, and I wish here to express my sincere gratitude
for all the help afforded us by Sten and the " Bonanza."
Sten had spent many winters on the North-American

coast, and was in a position to give us much useful

141

Chapter X.

information about the country and the fairway. He also
knew the Eskimo living here, which was of great
importance.

Manni had by this time accustomed himself to the life
on board ; he was dressed entirely as a Kabluna, and, as
he was an exceptionally clever huntsman, I had made
him a present of a carbine and a shot gun, of which he
was very proud ; he looked after them most carefully.
I asked him if he would now like to leave us and go
ashore, but he positively declined, I took him with me
to visit the Eskimo staying with Sten, and, as it turned
out, they easily understood each other. A word now and
then might differ, but, taken altogether, their language
was identical. These Eskimo, one man and three
women, hailed from the Kotzebue Sound locality, near
Behring Strait ; they had come there with the whalers.
They called themselves Nunatarmiun Eskimo. The
inhabitants on this coast called themselves Kagmallik
Eskimo ; but civilisation had had its corrupting influence
on them, so that, instead of several hundred families,
their number was reduced to a handful. The Kagmallik
Eskimo were taller and of a finer build than the
Nunatarmiun.

Sten was busy building a house for himself on a small
spot on the slope close to the provision and other stores
that had been landed. We also paid a visit on board
the " Bonanza." She had capsized near the land. The
foremast had been cut away, but the mainmast was still
standing. A hawser was stretched from this to the

142

The North West Passage.

same ice where we had run one ashore. The hold was
full of water, and a quantity of casks and barrels were
floating about. Much material had been cut out of the
vessel. With permission, we also took what we required,
especially cordage, blocks, lanterns, &c. We also
accepted, with pleasure, a small stove. Should we have
to pass another winter here, which now appeared likely,
it would come in very handy. Certainly, we had plenty
of material to build ovens with, and a blacksmith capable
of doing it. However, it was better to get one ready
made and save the labour. It suited our palates also
to ofet a chanofe of diet. The canned American fruit,
especially, was a great success on board the " Gjoa."
We, also, were useful to Sten. He had a lot of work
to do and needed assistance. He might, of course, get it
later on from the Eskimo, but it was preferable to get
it over before snow commenced to fall.

We were not the only ones waiting for a change in
the condition of the ice. A large number of Eskimo,
who had left Herschel Island in boats for the Mackenzie
River, were held up by the ice about four miles west
of us. From the top of King Point we could see the
rigging of a schooner, in the direction of Key Point,
fifteen miles to the west. This vessel belonged to the
Eskimo. They had bought it in exchange for furs and
used it as a whaler. They had now run her ashore.
However, they got her off before the ice closed up, and
succeeded in reaching Herschel Island. The Eskimo
living here are capable seamen, whalers, etc., and the

143

Chapter X.

Americans do not therefore bring a large crew, as they
can find plenty of hands on the spot who are both more
capable and manageable than their own.

Ristvedt and Manni were out hunting and brought
home a great many ptarmigan. The Lieutenant and I set
nets and procured many a meal of fresh fish. Lund was

ESKIMO AT KING POINT.

working like a nigger to finish the new gaff, ready for
our departure. Wiik and Hansen, at my request,
volunteered to help Sten in building the house. The
point was to get the roof on before the advent of the
.snow. Their help was an acquisition, and they also
appreciated the change of duties, and more particularly

diet. The days passed without any noticeable change

144

The North West Passage.

in the ice. We had to accustom ourselves to the proba-
bility of remaining here for the winter. Our main
concern was whether our anchorao-e was a safe one. The

bay outside was very shallow and full of ice firmly planted
on the bottom, so there was little prospect of being much
squeezed. Sten had also told us that three whalers had
wintered here without discovering any movement of the
ice. The channel was still open to the east, so that
we could get out to Shingle Point, fifteen miles farther
east, where- there was said to be a small harbour. But
this was rather uncertain, and as we had company and
help on the spot, we decided to remain where we were.

New ice, several inches thick, was now forming every
night, and our fate was soon sealed for another winter.'
On Saturday, September 9th, we were able to walk on
the ice, and we must therefore regard this as the opening
chapter of our third winter.

VOL. II. 145

CHAPTER XL

The Third Winter.

On the very day the ice was strong enough to bear,
we received our first visitor. It was Mr. Fraser, a
missionary, coming from Herschel Island and bound
to Fort McPherson, the Hudson Ray Company's most
northern station on the Mackenzie River. As conductor
he brought with him an Eskimo, named Roksi. They
had had to stop on account of the ice, and were now
living in a tent on the shore, about four miles west of us.
He reported that five vessels had been shut in by the
ice in the harbour on Herschel Island. There were six
other vessels to the east of us, exact positions uncertain.
Thus no less than twelve vessels were here in the ice,
and only three of them were prepared for wintering.
This did not sound very promising. Roksi was a
Kagmallik, and, as his father had been a chief, he
considered himself a most important person. His kins-
men, however, were by no means overawed by his
pretended noble birth, and only laughed at him. These
Eskimo had the nasty custom of punching holes in their
under lips, at the corners of the mouth, and of inserting

therein a pair of large bone buttons by way of ornament.

146

The Third Winter.

The more civilised among them had, however, taken off
the buttons. The holes would then contract and form
nasty scars.

On Monday, September iith, we started building
ourselves a house. This winter we were ofoingf to have
two, both constructed of driftwood. One was for us to
live in, the other to serve as an observatory for the

CHR. STEN.

magnetic variation instruments. Our residence was to
contain two rooms, a bedroom for four men and a
combined kitchen and dining-room. All of us preferred
living ashore. To avoid the humidity on board, I found
it answered best to remove the entire cooking depart-
ment ashore. Besides, our cook and Sten had become

intimate friends, and we wished to profit by this as much

147 L 2

Chapter XI.

as possible. Sten was, I may say, a splendid cook.

He had an excellent large oven in his house, which

was now completed, and he could prepare some wonderful

dishes. The Lieutenant and I were to remain on board

together with Manni, to look after the ship. The

architect and the smith undertook the erection of our

residence. They decided to build it on the model of

a Lapp turf-hut, this being the most practical form. As

assistants they had Hansen and Wiik. The most level

spot on the slope was chosen for the site. The whole

morning was spent in collecting materials. By the

afternoon the two long walls had been completed.

Meanwhile the Lieutenant and I made ourselves as

comfortable as possible on board. The oven, which

we had annexed from the " Bonanza," was erected, and

this supplied us with all the warmth we had so missed

during the past winters. We had, however, to saw and

chop wood for the oven, but it did not take long to teach

Manni this work. It was as well he should have some-

thine to attend to. His duties were furthermore made

to include keeping the cabin clean, i.e., sweeping away

most of the dust, etc., every morning. Formerly we had

had no time to do this more than once a week, and then

it did not look very nice. The Lieutenantand I looked

after the fishing. Every morning we made an opening

in the ice and pulled up the fish we required. We

generally secured between twenty and thirty " whitefish,"

a species found in abundance along the North American

coast. It much resembles a large herring. The Lieu-

14S

The Third Winter.

tenant had rigged up one of our sailcloth boats on
a lake and was hunting ducks successfully. Manni also
hunted on shore and brought home geese, ducks, and
grouse, so we had plenty of fresh food all the time.

By September 15th our house was roofed in. The
two rooms were of about equal size. Bunks for four
men had been put up in the inner one. In front of each
bunk there was a form, and a small table occupied the
middle of the floor. Wiik had a folding table to himself,
on which-he could evolve magnetic curves. One of our
petroleum tanks was used for an oven, prepared by
Ristvedt for the purpose. A funnel was made of iron
plate obtained from the " Bonanza." The outside room
was dinino- room and kitchen combined. The kitchener
was made out of a petroleum tank. Sten supplied us
with a plate with six holes in it, as he had a double
supply. Out of these articles our clever blacksmith
made the most wonderful caboose " that ever was." If
the Lieutenant wanted to get something extra special or
wonderful made he would go up and see Sten in the
kitchen. He had no baking oven ; he continued to
bake bread on the " Primus" as before, and, as it may
interest housewives, I may mention that our brave
Lindstrom made the finest and lightest wheaten loaves
imaginable for three successive years in a little oven on
the top of the " Primus." To bake eight large loaves
required about half a pint of petroleum. At the side of
the " caboose " there was a long table where all eight of
us could sit down to our meals. A small dresser and a

149

Chapter XL

box, to keep sundries in, completed the furniture of the
dininor saloon. Outside the dinino- room there was
a small entrance hall where one could brush off the
snow before walking- in. The house was built facing;
north and south. The floor was made of a few boards
we had brought along with us for this purpose. But
although the ground was the most level one on the bank,
the floor had a slight slant which Lindstrom especially

OUR RESIDENCE AT KING POINT

complained of. It is true he had to be about there all

day. We covered the house inside with sail cloth. The

outside was covered with moss. When the snow fell

and completely covered us in we should have a fine

house. Light was obtained through skylights facing

east. A shed made of sail-cloth along the eastern wall

served for the storage of wood.

When our house was roofed in, Wiik and Ristvedt

150

The Third Winter

started on the Variation House. The ground for this
was selected about two hundred yards from the other
house on a small open point terminating- abruptly towards
the sea, to the north. A tent was at first erected here
in which Wiik, through various observations, determined
north and south, the direction of the mao-netic meridian

THE REGISTER HOUSE AT KING POINT. THE STAKES MARK THE WAY
IN A SNOWSTORM.

whereon the house was to be built. There was a lon^
acclivity to the south, terminating in extensive plains.
We marked the road so far, by means of poles, in case of
possible snowstorms.

During this time I had frequent visits, especially from
Eskimo who, like ourselves, were shut in by the ice.

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Chapter XL

The missionary also came now and again. When he
decided to abandon his trip to Fort McPherson he came
one day, accompanied by Roksi, to say good-bye.
I invited them to dinner, and at table, Roksi, who spoke
English pretty well, told us that the Eskimo in this
neighbourhood had a word for " thanks," viz.,
" koyenna." The missionary would insist that this
word was introduced by the Christian Mission, which
Roksi, however, denied. The missionary became some-
what engrossed in the argument, and mentioned that at
any rate such words as " Amen " and " Hallelujah "
were introduced by the Mission. " Not at all," said
Roksi, " we said Amen and Hallelujah long before the
Mission came here ! " It was said with the o-reatest
assurance, and we all roared with laughter.

After finishing our building operations we covered the
vessel with sails and made our final preparations for the
winter. This time we made the entrance aft, on the
starboard side. A small cabin door from the " Bonanza"
M^as inserted in the sail-cloth, and a big, wide staircase
was fitted up in front of it, from the ice, so that we were
now fixed up in first-class style.

One day the first large caravan of Eskimo passed us.
They were part of those that had got stuck with their
boats, and they were now proceeding towards Fort
McPherson on sledges. They formed a motley, even
festive-looking procession as they came driving along,
between the " Gjoa " and the " Bonanza," in their dog-
sledges with their merry harness-bells ; it reminded us

152

■^

The Third Winter.

somewhat of our Christmas sledge-parties in Norway.
These Eskimo drove in a different manner to our friends
the Nechilli. The dogs were generally harnessed in
single file, but sometimes two abreast, and so that they
could not get out of their allotted position. This, of
course, had its advantages as well as disadvantages.

Kunak's House.

Sten's House.

THE COLONY AT KING POINT.

Sten had covered his house with turf, and Kunak the
Eskimo had completed his house, alongside Sten's.
When the winter started with snowstorms in earnest, it
found the colony on King Point quite prepared. We
were twenty souls, all told, encamped together here for
ten months. Lieutenant Hansen, Manni and I stayed
on board the " Gjoa." The other five " Gjoa " men lived

Chapter XL

in our house. Sten's house was situate fifty yards further
west. It was built of planks and boards from the
"Bonanza" and looked for all the world like a villa
residence. It consisted of two rooms, Sten lived in the
inner one with his wife, Kataksina, and their little
daughter Annie. It was both spacious and comfortable.
The outer room was used as kitchen and living room by
both families. The harpooner, Jimmy, and his wife, had
a large comfortable bed close to the kitchener. It may
have been a little warm at times ; I refer to the days when
the bread was being baked, with a temperature of 1 1 2°,
But the Eskimo Nein and his wife, who were berthed on
a wooden trap door right above the kitchener, were worse
off still ; it was a wonder to me that they could stand
it. However, they were soon going out hunting and
would be spending most of the winter in the fields.
These two rooms were lighted by a huge skylight in the
roof. Outside the kitchen there was a large hall, divided
in two, one part serving as workshop and one for storage
of provisions. The workshop led into a large, roomy
shed built of planks and old sails. A door from this led
out into the open. Everything was practically and
conveniently arranged.

Kunak had constructed his little cottage so that it
joined Sten's. There was only one room, and the
furniture consisted of two beds, a table, and an oven.
This cannot be considered excessive accommodation,
seeing that Kunak had to house his old mother, his
wife, and two children. He frequently had visitors,

156

The Third Winter.

and then diere might be as many as ten persons in his
room.

There were about as many dogs as people in our
colony.

We collected wood for the winter most assiduously.
There was plenty about, and to prevent it being buried

KING POINT. SHORE STREWN WITH DRIFTWOOD.

in snow we piled it up on end in big heaps, and had it
carried home as required. An important discovery was
made, which was especially welcome to our cook ; the
sea-water was quite fresh, and it was excellent in every
respect, both for drinking and cooking purposes. This
seems strange, certainly, but it is owing to the great
Mackenzie River, which is not far off.

159

Chapter XL

We were somewhat plagued by colds. Manni, espe-
cially, suffered so much from them that we had to keep
him in bed for several days at a time, notwithstanding
his protests. He also suffered from haemorrhage from
the nose, hardly a day passing without it.

I had lono- been watchins^ the ice, to see if its condition
would soon permit of our reaching Herschel Island, and

THE LAND BETWEEN KING POINT AND KEY POINT.

so making inquiries about the post, which was to leave
there in the near future. All of us were, of course, most
anxious to get news from home. I had arranged with
Sten to accompany me ; he wished to go to Herschel
Island and have a talk with the whalers. The Eskimo
west of us had promised to let us know when the ice
would bear. The portion near Key Point did not acquire

1 60

The Third Winter.

the necessary stability very easily, as a rather large river
emptied itself into the sea there.

On Sunday, September 24th, an Eskimo passed on
his way to Herschel. If he could get along, we ought
to manage it. On the following Tuesday, therefore, we
made a start, the first thing in the morning, with a sleigh
and a good team of dogs. The road was not very good,
as the new snow had not properly set. Every now and
then we had to plod through loose drifts. Four miles to
the west we came across the first camp of Eskimo, com-
prising several tents. All their boats had been dragged
ashore, and they were subsisting on fish caught under the
ice. There was another camp a couple of miles further
west. These Eskimo, by the bye, are more civilised
than the Nechilli. Hospitality is a leading feature
with them. When visiting them they always offered us
tea and fresh wheaten bread. The Eskimo here on the
Alaska coast certainly are bigger tea drinkers than any
other people. We kept mostly on the ice, near land,
where the route was smoothest and best. As we were
not in training, we made a halt the first day at Key
Point, fifteen miles from King Point and twenty miles
from Herschel. We put up our tent at the Point, col-
lected some wood, and made ourselves comfortable. I
had brought Manni along with me, to show him the big
vessels and the many Kablunas. The Eskimo, Neiu,
also accompanied us.

Next morning we continued our journey. The sledging
on the ice here was abominable, there being half-a-foot

VOL. II. 163 M 3

Chapter XL

of water under the snow. We were wading in slush,
and our reindeer-skin boots were soaked through. But
we managed to get along, and at half-past four in the
afternoon we trooped into Herschel Harbour. It was
quite an unusual sight that met my eyes here. Five
large vessels were lying side by side, and there was a
multitude of people on the ice between them. Our arrival
attracted considerable attention. Sten and Neiu, of
course, were already known to most of them, but Manni
and I in Nechilli costume were something of a novelty.
We were quickly surrounded by a motley crowd —
mulattos, negroes, yellow, and white men ; their clothes
were also of a very miscellaneous description. Most of
the Eskimo were dressed as Kablunas, and most of the
Kablunas as Eskimo. By the word " Kabluna," the
Eskimo here mean all people of a strange race. When
referring to negroes, however, they add " maktok," and
describe them as " maktokkabluna," which means the
" black white."

I had made up my mind to put up with Captain Tilton,
on board the "Alexander," and there I went. I was
received with the greatest cordiality, and conducted into
a snug, homely cabin. Captain Tilton was a tall,
powerful man, who looked older than he actually was,
with sparse hair and a white moustache. The other
captains soon appeared on board. All of them bore the
usual traces of the conditions of life obtaining in these
regions. They were corpulent, and their hair thin.

That things on board some of these American whalers

164

The Third Winter.

were not as they ought
to be there can be but
little doubt ; but, havingf
no positive proofs, I
prefer not to mention
the many and queer
tales I heard during my
sojourn here. I was,
however, from the first
start treated with the
greatest courtesy by
Captain Tilton. He
was ready to assist me
in every way, although
he was not too well pro-
vided himself. My visit
to the whalers was plea-
sant throuo-hout. The
receipt of a letter from
home was the greatest
pleasure I had. It was
an old one to be sure,
written nearly a year
and a half before, but
none the less welcome
on that account. I also
had a letter from Consul
Henry Lund, in San
Francisco ; and the cap-

Chapter XI.

tains told me how much this gentleman had done for
me. They had, all of them, instructions from their owners
to assist me in every possible way.

Before leaving Herschel I paid a visit to the local
missionary, Mr. Whittaker. He lived on shore, with his
wife and two daughters, in a house which, besides pro-
viding accommodation for himself, also had a schoolroom
and a chapel for the Eskimo. I was present at one of
the services, and it was a real pleasure to hear the
Eskimo sing. As a practical man, which every mis-
sionary should be, Mr. Whittaker had studied his people
and found that they were fond of singing ; he therefore
introduced as much singing as possible into his services
and gave sermons that were short but to the point. The
consequence was that the services were well attended.
The missionary was a real English sportsman, tall, slim,
and powerful, qualifications that might come in useful in
these regions. It happened also that the minister had to
act as policeman. The Eskimo have the nasty habit, as
soon as they get hold of spirits, of immediately getting
drunk, and then they are not easy to keep in order.
However, Mr. Whittaker certainly held a most difficult
post in a place composed of many doubtful elements
which, in various ways, hamper the work of a minister
and a missionary. I imagine that both he and his family
were very glad when their time was up in the spring and
they were able to go south. The two little girls were
six years and nine years old respectively, and they were
exceptionally pretty children. Both of them spoke

1 66

The Third Winter.

English and Eskimo fluently. Unfortunately, the
younger one was taken ill and died in the spring. It
was a touching sight to see the parents carrying the little
one with them on a sledge as they left the island.

Manni had amused himself royally. He had company
all the time and had joined in the "hola-hola " or Eskimo
dance. The Eskimo here, however, are so greatly
influenced by the " Kablunas " that they lose much of
their interest. Manni had been treated to the best of
everything. He had had his fill of reindeer and seal,
as well as of whale-blubber, and his fill was no trifle.
The Eskimo lived in poor, low, little wooden huts on
land. They did not look very healthy, and when the
visit terminated, Manni was suffering from a bad cold.

The post was to leave via Fort McPherson for Fort

Yukon on October 20th. It was to wait there and bring

back telegrams to the different captains. There was not

much probability of our getting the return mail before

the month of May, when it reaches Fort McPherson via

Edmonton and is forwarded thence by Indians to

Herschel Island. This seemed to me too long to wait,

and I therefore asked the whalers if they had any

objection to my accompanying the post on October 20th.

If I got down there myself, I thought I could arrange

matters. My wish was readily complied with, and

everything I required was placed at my disposal.

Captain William Mogg, the commander of the stranded

vessel " Bonanza," was also going to accompany the post

and try to reach San Francisco, intending to return next

169

Chapter XI.

year by another ship. It was really a venturesome plan
for such an elderly man, who, moreover, was not
accustomed to such trips.

On September 29th, at 9 a.m., we started on our
return journey to the " Gjoa." Mogg followed, to get
some of his provisions from King Point. Without any
great effort we kept going all day, and arrived there at
II P.M. The northern lights were magnificent during
the night. We called upon our neighbours at the
nearest Eskimo camp, and had tea and wheaten
bread. We here encountered a sledge expedition, sent
out by Captain McKenna to Herschel Island. We
learned that the " Charles Hanson " had got stuck in
the ice off Toker Point, on the far side of the entrance to
the Mackenzie River. As to the other vessels, the sledge
party knew that four of them had reached Bailey Island,
but they knew nothing about the fifth one. The wildest
rumours and stories were in circulation all the winter
about the disappearance of this ship. It was a small
schooner, no bigger than the " Gjoa," called the " Olga."
The last time she was seen she was going northwards,
and there was much anxiety lest she might have been
crushed in the ice or have drifted towards the Pole.

On reaching home we had covered thirty-six miles,
which, unaccustomed as we were to walking, was a pretty
stiff task.

Good work had been done during my absence both on
board and ashore. Lund had arranged a new meteoro-
logical box, constructing it so that no fog could penetrate

170

The Third Winter.

it. Next day, with Ristvedt's assistance, I fixed up all
the meteorological instruments, so that we could begin
our observations on October ist. The building of
our observatory for the magnetic variation instruments
was making good progress, and was completed by
October 2nd. They had been obliged to blast away
four to five feet of the frozen soil, and the whole
observatory was thus subterranean with the exception
of the roof, which was visible. Boards from the
" Bonanza's " cabin were used as materials for this
house, the whole of it being covered with roofing felt
and old sails.

Eskimo were now hurrying past every day in both
directions. It was not all pleasure to have these strangers
constantly coming and going. One day, for instance, no
less than four families arrived simultaneously and fixed
up their tents close to the " Bonanza." They began by
letting loose the dogs, and as these were by no means
overfed, they at once started, as might be expected, in
search of provender. Captain Mogg had packed his
sledge in readiness to leave next morning. Among other
provisions he had some frozen fish, with which he intended
to treat his fellow-skippers, as they had not yet had any.
The dogs, as a matter of course, broke through the
packing of the sledge and gobbled up the fish. Sten's
larder was also broken into during the night by the
thieves, and, according to his statement, they had stolen
250 frozen fish. In our wood shed they found a pair of
brand new sealskin trousers, belonging to Lund, and

173

Chapter XL

these they had devoured. There was a great commotion
next morning on the discovery of the loss. I was hiding
behind a pile of drift wood watching the fat little Captain
Mogg, when he came down to have a look at his sledge.
He dived his head into the empty fish-box, swearing
like an American trooper. Sten, with his carbine

A COFFEE PARTY AT KING POINT.

shouldered, was parading up and down in front of his
house like a sentinel, but the Eskimo in their tents were
laughing and singing, and preparing to depart, ignorant
to all appearance of the occurrence. Sten was clearly
waiting for them. I walked slowly up to him, assuming
the most jovial expression I could command. " Well,
Sten, good morning. How goes it ?" Sten turned

174

The Third Winter.

round angrily : " The d — - — ^d swine have stolen
250. . . . But not a single Eskimo shall get away
from here before making restitution." Sten hailed from
the neighbourhood of Sandefjord. However, the Eskimo
continued their preparations quietly and at their ease.
When I came out again after breakfast, they were
already a long way off, on the ice. I then asked Sten
if he had received payment or restitution for his fish.
No, not exactly, but every one of the Eskimo had
guaranteed to bring fish back in the spring. He did
not eo further into details as rerards the nature of their
guarantee, but I suspect it was not worth very much.
The incident was regrettable because Sten was always
ready to be of assistance to anyone. When he heard of
my decision to accompany the post, he at once started to
make me a new sledge. I had already plenty of sledges,
and good ones too, but I did not like to refuse his kind
offer. As a sledge would hardly be much used on my
post journey, it did not matter very much how it was
built. His wife, Kataksina, sewed new boots and clothes
for my journey, and I think he employed other Eskimo
also for the occasion.

As it was a matter of importance to secure sufficient
supplies of fresh food for the winter, I decided to send
out our Nimrods, Hansen and Ristvedt, on a hunting
expedition. The Eskimo, Neiu, had, presumably, had
enough of the heat from Sten's kitchener, and accepted
with pleasure an appointment as guide to the expedition.
They were fitted out for two months, taking with them

175

Chapter XL

two of ours and four of Stem's dogs. I myself kept four
for my journey. Our three lady dogs had, unfortunately,
been heedless of time, and were daily expecting some
interesting^ events, so we could not make use of them on
this occasion.

During the first half of October we did unusually well
at fishing. Our regular catch was thirty to forty a-day.
We cleaned the fish as soon as we lifted it out of the
net and hung it on the rigging, where it froze immediately.
Everything considered, the " Gjoa's " rigging was a
pleasing sight at this moment. It would have gladdened
the heart of many a fishmonger and poulterer to have
seen the splendid assortment of grouse, ducks, geese, and
fish dangling there. We styled it : " Jensen's in the
Torvgaten."

Manni had now become a pupil of Lieutenant Hansen.
He was learnino- to write and to tell the time. He did
not show any special talent, but he learned to write his
name pretty quickly, and to tell the time to within five
minutes, anyway. He made quicker progress at draughts.
He acquired its secrets so well that his master and
teacher had to submit to be beaten at times. While
these games were in progress I was, as a rule, sitting in
the cabin, reading, to the pleasing accompaniment of the
subdued and well-considered observations to which the
play gave rise. But when by some chance Manni won
then there was a roar which for a while rendered impos-
sible any attempt at literary enjoyment in his immediate

vicinity.

176

The Third Winter.

However, previous to my departure, everyone was busy
letter-writing. Each, of course, had one to write to his
people at home. All the letters were finally put into a
brass case and soldered up. You want a very substantial
envelope up here. On the evening of October 20th my
whole outfit was ready. The sledge, constructed by Sten,
was shining with varnish and metal mountings. The
perfectly new-sewn tarpaulin, made by his wife, added
to the appearance of luxury. The weight on the sleigh
was only 2 cwt. now. It would, undoubtedly, be
heavier when leaving Herschel. I took Manni with me
to let him have his first glimpse of civilisation. Besides,
he was a good helpmate to take when travelling in these
regions.

On October 21st, at 6 a.m., we said good-bye to our
comrades, and departed. It was a lovely day. The
road was excellent, as the cold weather had not
thoroughly set in as yet. We kept along the shore, which
was nearly bared by the wind, and proceeded at a great
pace. Both of us were attired in Nechilli costumes,
but it was not long ere we had to divest ourselves of our
outer clothing. When we had trotted nearly as far as
Key Point, we noticed something strange, shooting up
from the inner side of the bay, right across our course.
It looked very much like a balloon being dragged along
on the ice. As it approached we saw it was a sledge,
carrying sail. The sail fetched the sledge along In the
fresh breeze at such a speed that our dogs had to be
careful to avoid beln^ run over. The sledo-e cauo-ht us

VOL. II. 177 N

Chapter XL

up and followed our course. We tried to keep up with
them, but dropped farther and farther behind. There
were four Eskimo on the sledge. Suddenly they stopped,
and the driver turned to me and proposed that we should
tie our sledges together and harness all the dogs to them.
I willingly accepted his offer, and the coupling-up was
arranged in a few minutes. The two sledges, when
combined, sailed away before a strong fair wind, towards
Herschel Island. The amiable Eskimo driver ran
alongside our sledge, and we conversed together. He
was an exceedingly agreeable fellow. He spoke English
quite well. He was of the type that inspire confidence,
and reminded me of my excellent friend, the " Owl," at
Ogchoktu. My pleasure was therefore equal to my
surprise when Jimmy, that was his name, informed me
that he was going to take the post from Herschel Island
to Fort Yukon. In answer to my questions as to how
long a time the journey would take, and what the road
was like, he frankly told me he did not know, as he had
never done the trip before. He had received instructions
from the white men to take the post and was going
to do so. I was informed afterwards that none of the
other Eskimo had ventured to undertake this journey.
As a reward for his services, Jimmy had been promised a
whaling-boat, which, to an Eskimo, represents the summit
of his ambition. With the acquisition of a whaling-boat
they consider themselves fully set up for the remainder
of their lives.

At 3 r.M. we reached Herschel Island.

178

The Third Winter.

Things went on quietly and regularly after my
departure. Lieutenant Hanson took over the command
during my absence, A number of hunting expeditions
were sent out, and they never returned empty-handed.
Kunak, who lived next door to Sten, was sent off to the
mouth of Mackenzie River to hunt for elk, which are
very abundant there. He continually sent elk-meat
home, and Sten shared it with us. Other Eskimo also
called and sold us elk-meat and a large quantity of
hares.

The weather was unusually severe this winter.
Christmas came, and by the united efforts of the
colony it was celebrated with mirth and festivity.
Snow and storm, however, continued their game
without cessation in the new year and rendered our
existence as unpleasant as only such visitations could.
Everything is enveloped in an impenetrable haze ; the
snow is blinding and it penetrates into every chink
and crevice. One night Manni had to go from our
house to the ship. It was a rough night, one of the
worst, and as Manni did not return when expected the
Lieutenant became anxious about him. He went ashore
to look for him and found him in Sten s house. He had
lost his way, even at this short distance.

The mail arrived at the beginning of March, There
were some newspapers and also a despatch from me sent
through the Royal North West Mounted Police, who
left Dawson City on December 25th, From these papers
and from my communication they received full particulars

179 N 2

Chapter XI.

of events at home, and moreover all had news from
their friends.

On March 12th at 6 p.m. I was back on board and
brought newspapers and letters for all. I found every-
thing- in perfect order. Lieutenant Hansen had during
my absence taken the meteorological observations and
Wiik had kept up the magnetic work without interrup-
tion. Before leaving I had given instructions to deliver
ten cases, or 24 cwt. of flour to the whalers, as they
were badly provided with this commodity. It was a
matter of congratulation to us that the "Gjoa" could
offer the Americans this assistance after two and-a-half
years' sojourn in the ice.

The day following my return was observed as a
holiday. There was much to be thankful for. Shortly
after this Ristvedt went, with Jimmy, to Herschel Island
to consult a doctor. He had got a grain of sand in
one of his eyes and was unable to get it out again.
On March i6th we took stock of our provisions and
ascertained that we had plenty. Ristvedt returned a
couple of days afterwards, relieved of his complaint and
much impressed by the hospitality shown him by Captain
McGregor of the " Karluk," and his wife.

We availed ourselves of the first fine weather to build

ourselves a large airy house on the top of the hill, as a

depot for our collections. When the sun commenced to

shine in real earnest, we were going to put out our skins

and plants and give them an airing. We were quite as

anxious about these collections as we were about our

180

The Third Winter.

own lives. On March 22nd we had a maximum tem-
perature of 32*36° Fahr. — just above freezing point — for
the first time this winter. Spring began to make itself felt,

Neiu had just come home with ninety hares. I decided
to let a couple of our huntsmen accompany him and his
wife on their next hare-hunting expedition. We were
not short of shot guns, the whalers having provided us
with a supply. The day after their departure some
Eskimo arrived, and sold us 150 lbs. of elk's meat and
forty hares. In other words, we had abundance of fresh
meat.

Wiik had not been very well the last few clays, though
It did not appear to be anything at all serious. He com-
plained of a poor appetite. On the 26th he had acute
pains in his right side. I gave him some medicine, which
relieved him. The next day he had to stay in bed, the
pains having returned. I presumed it was a touch of
pleurisy, as, from what he told me, he had suffered
from that before. I started treating him with cooling
bandao-es, accordino- to " Uckermann's Medical Guide."
During the night of the 28th he had a good sleep,
and by the morning was In the best of spirits :
laughing and joking constantly. However, the pains
recurred In the afternoon. I then took off his cooling
bandages and put on a mustard plaster. His pulse at
night was steady at 104° and his temperature registered
103°. I was called next morning at 4 o'clock. We had
an electric bell between the house and the ship, and I had
given instructions to be called should any change occur.

Chapter XI.

Wiik now complained of more intense pains. His right
side was slightly swollen. The mustard plaster had pro-
duced no effect, probably it was too old. I then applied
a mustard bag, and this at once commenced to act. His
temperature remained at 103°. Later in the day I thought
I saw a considerable improvement in our patient. He
slept for some time, now and again, and was not in pain.
I gave him some fever medicine which did him good. By
noon the temperature was 102 '5°. He asked for some
food and ate well, under the circumstances. At 9 p.m.
his temperature was 101°, pulse 116, but steady. I took
off the mustard bag ; it had acted very well, and I
opened the blisters, dressing them with lint and boracic
vaseline.

On March 30th I made the following entry in my log-
book : " Wiik is making good progress towards recovery.
Temperature this morning 102° with regular pulse of 116.
Temperature this evening just below 100°, pulse 114,
regular. Appetite improving. Evacuation all right." I
was in really good spirits that night at the prospect of a
speedy recovery. I was not called up in the night and
was, therefore, certain of finding our patient practically
well again ; when I went ashore for breakfast next
morning, I was greviously disappointed. He had an
acute attack of shiverino- in the nio;ht. Lindstrom, who
was lying next to him, at once covered him over with
a lot of clothes. As this had no effect, Wiik asked
Lindstrom to lie on him. Lindstrom did so, and the

attack began to subside. Lindstrom then got the fire lit

182

The Third Winter.

in the kitchener and thus raised the temperature in the
room. He did not ring for me, as a tremendous snow-
storm was raging at the time. Lindstrom, of course, did

GUSTAV WIIK (winter, 1905).

wrong, but he acted with the best intentions. Probably
I should have been unable to do anything. When I
arrived on the scene in the morning his temperature was
102°, pulse 116. When I took the temperature again at

183

Chapter XI.

1 1 A.M. it was down to ioi"5°, but the pulse alarmed me ;

instead of being steady as before it had now become very

irregular. I then got Jimmy, who had accompanied me

to Alaska, to prepare himself for a journey to Herschel

Island to fetch a doctor. A heavy snowstorm was

blowing from the north-west, and Jimmy insisted on

waiting till 2 a.m., as it was too late in the day to get

there before dark. I wrote a letter to Captain Tilton, on

whose vessel the doctor resided, and also one to the

doctor himself, explaining how matters stood. Wiik's

condition meanwhile became more critical ; I used all my

power of persuasion to get Jimmy to start at once, but

the weather was so bad that not even an Eskimo would

venture outdoors.

At about 5 P.M. when making the final preparations

for Jimmy's journey next morning, the bell rang very

loudly, all of a sudden. There was something in the

ring that spelt disaster, and I ran off at full speed. But

I was only just in time to see our dear friend breathe his

last. It was an inexpressibly sad moment. I closed the

eyes of our late comrade, and we remained sitting there

for a while in silence and sorrow.

Wiik was everybody's friend. His humour and

jocularity had afforded us many happy hours. Death

must always be a gruesome guest, but to us, in our

position, far away from friends and relations, it was, if

possible, more depressing than it would otherwise have

been. As soon as possible we resumed work, the great

consoler and helper.

184

The Third Winter.

As I was not quite sure of the nature of the malady
I thought it wise to remove everything from the house.
Sten offered us accommodation in his house, and I grate-
fully accepted the kind offer. We made our kitchen
arrangements in his house and had all our meals there.
Lindstrom and Lund moved into our cabin, aft, until
they could get things arranged in the deck-house,
forward. Our house was thus entirely deserted, and we
nailed it up.

Sten went to Herschel Island a couple of days after-
wards. When he came back he reported that it would
have been useless to send there for the doctor, as at the
time he was overwhelmed with work. A couple of
poisoning cases in particular had claimed his personal
attention night and day.

Lund had the black-painted coffin ready on April 3rci,
and Wiik's body was placed in it. We deposited it on
two stools in the outer room, screwed on the lid, and
covered it with a flag. We had to keep the coffin until
the sun had softened the frozen ground sufficiently to
enable us to bury him. All chimney-pipes and other
small openings were left uncovered, for the sake of
ventilation, and the house nailed up again.

Our two sportsmen returned on April 5th. They had
heard of the death of our comrade from some Eskimo.
They brought with them 237 hares on their sleighs.
They reported that there was an enormous quantity of
them. The huntsmen caught them by forming them-
selves into a chain right across a long strip of under-

18s

Chapter XI.

wood and drove the hares before them with shouts and
yells. The stupid animals would not break cover and
finally got all huddled up together and fell an easy prey.
These hares are not much smaller than ours. We
reckoned one hare for every two men.

The first thing the whalers do when preparing to
winter up here is to build a cold store. It may sound
somewhat superfluous to have a refrigerator in the Arctic
Sea, but it comes in very useful in the summer. We had,
however, omitted to build one in time, so we had to look
about for a storeroom for all the fresh meat we had on
hand. We seized on the plan which we had found to
answer before, we went on board the " Bonanza " to see
if there was anything suitable. We were not disappointed
this time either. There was a capital, spacious cellar
below the cabin floor. During the autumn it had filled
with water and was now frozen. In other words, we had
the most magnificent cold-storage cellar, all complete and
ready for use. We bundled up the hares and hung them
there ; so we had fresh meat whenever we wanted it.

The first messenger of spring was a raven, which
arrived on the scene on April 4th.

Lindstrom very soon moved up to his friend Sten.

This was a practical step, inasmuch as most of his work

had to be done there. A firm friendship had sprung up

between the two stoutest fellows in the colony. When

we went aboard after supper it rarely happened that any

of us returned ashore until the next morning. Lindstrom

and Sten were then in undisputed possession of the house.

186

The Third Winter.

One night I had forgotten my pipe and I went back to
fetch it. As I entered the wood-shed I heard roars
of laughter inside. Ahem, I thought, perhaps I ought
to have looked into this before ; what is it that makes
these two so inseparable up here ? Regular orgies,
evidently. " Can-can " with the girls .... I suddenly
appeared before them like a God of Thunder, ready
to punish the guilty, and there they were, playing a
game of cards, as happy as a couple of schoolboys. I
enjoyed- the spectacle for a time, and then left with my
pipe and my own reflections.

The hunters returned on April 12th, this time with
seventy-one hares and five ptarmigan. Manni was an
excellent fellow. He was always happy, careful, and
kind. What he loved was hunting, and he was nearly
always in the field. As he was going with Ristvedt and
Hansen this time, I gave him strict instructions to give
up chewing tobacco. I never liked this nasty habit, and
it seemed very undesirable that the boy should acquire it.
Ristvedt and Hansen both chewed tobacco just as others
would eat bread and butter, especially when out hunting.
They tried to tempt Manni, but he would not touch their
tobacco. I had given him permission to smoke, but
I told him also that too much of it might be dangerous.
And he was very moderate. As I was always afraid of
his catching cold, I told him to change his clothes when
he came home. Ristvedt reported that Manni always
changed everything on his return home. Notwithstand-
ing this, he had got a thorough cold now ; he had

187

Chapter XI.

probably caught it from the Eskimo, who don't take the
slightest care of themselves.

Easter came and went without any special celebrations
on our part. A cigar each on Easter Day was the
principal luxury indulged in. Mr. Howard, Inspector
of the Royal North-West Mounted Police, passed us on

SPRING AT KING POINT.

April 14th. He was accompanied by a sergeant, an
Indian, and an Eskimo, and he was in uniform ; it
looked very peculiar up here. He came from Fort
McPherson and was on his way to Herschel Island
as a representative of the Canadian authorities. A
sleigh also arrived from Herschel Island with some
things belonging to Mr. Whittaker, the missionary.

188

The Third Winter.

It was going fifteen miles further east, to Shingle
Point.

Spring had commenced, and with that the traffic. On
the following day a sleigh arrived from the east. The
party consisted of some Eskimo and a white man sent
by McKenna ; they were going to procure some sugar
for him. The white man had rather a crazy look about
him. He had had one of his big toes rather badly
frostbitten, and was treated by Lieutenant Hansen.
He told Sten subsequently that he had been in the
company of the second engineer of the " Charles
Hansen," but that the latter was taken ill on the road,
so he had been obliged to leave him behind after
covering him over with a blanket. This information
seemed rather scant. Charley, as the fellow called
himself, had nothing on his ' feet excepting a pair of
ordinary stockings and sealskin kamiks. This was very
little in these regions. When he reached Herschel
Island it turned out that he had deserted from McKenna
together with the second engineer, who apparently had
died somewhere on the shore. His meeting with the
Eskimo, who were going to fetch the sugar, was purely
accidental.

Lieutenant Hansen and Ristvedt went off to Herschel
about the middle of the month to see if we could secure
two more men. I wanted to have another man in the
caboose, as Lindstrom prefers to look after the engine,
and also another man on deck.

Meanwhile, rumours had reached us that reindeer had

Chapter XI.

been seen in the neighbourhood. I, therefore, told off
Hansen, with a family of Eskimo, to go hunting. All
our dogs, with the exception of Nicodemus, which I had
from Eagle City, were in a miserable condition, partly
owing to fighting and partly to other misfortunes.
Hansen's expedition was, therefore, dubbed the
" Invalid Corps." As a matter of fact, he returned the
very first night, and reported that the petroleum had
leaked out and spoilt all his bread. The only thing we
could do was to give the "Invalids" a fresh supply of
bread and let them make another start next day.

Mr. Whittaker arrived on April 22nd with his wife
and daughter. They remained with us the night and
proceeded next morning. Ptarmigan now made their
appearance in big crowds ; the hills seemed alive with
them, they were so plentiful, but they were so shy
that it was almost impossible to get within shooting
rano-e. Manni somehow managed to bring home as
many as four brace in a day. This lad made progress
in his studies every day, but never acquired much of
the white men's language, His greatest advancement
was in the games of draughts and patience. It was
often difficult to find anything to keep him occupied,
when he had finished his regular day's work of cleaning,
wood chopping, water carrying, and hunting. It
generally ended in a game of draughts with the Lieu-
tenant or a single-handed patience.

Lieutenant Hansen and Ristvedt soon returned from

Herschel Island, where they had been handsomely treated

190

The Third Winter.

as the guests of Captain McGregor of the " Karluk."
The American whalers with their customary kindness
consented to let me have two men, whom I might fetch
on June ist.- With these two new arrivals our accom-
modation on board would be inadequate ; we should
have to increase it. A word about this to Lund was
enough ; he had his plan ready at once. We agreed

^^^^^^H^BBBEHK^^j^^^SBi^^lEiBH^^

A SUMMER SCENE AT KING POINT.

upon building a small room on either side of the cabin

stairs, one for Hansen and one for Lund. The few

boards we had brought with us from Christiania, already

used for the observatory on King William Land and

in our residence here at King Point, were again to be

pressed into the service. There was just sufficient for

these two small berths. The rooms were not large, nor

191

Chapter XL

were the fittings luxurious, but when ready, decorated
and painted, they looked really nice and cosy.

The snow decreased noticeably every day as we
neared the end of April. There were large numbers of
"hicksies," a kind of earth rat, on all the bare spots.
They were very fat, and looked as if they had done
nothino- but feed all the winter. Their skin is used
a good deal for coat linings, and the animal is therefore
much sought after. It takes at least sixty skins to line
a coat.

Manni's hunting during the spring consisted chiefly in
catchino; " hicksies." Some he shot and some he causfht
in snares. He placed snares outside their holes and lay
down at a distance, holding a string. When the rat
looked out to see what was the matter Manni pulled the
string and the little creature had the noose round its
neck. The weather kept warm. The temperature
remained above freezing point. Pools of water com-
menced to form on the ice.

After about eight days' hunting Hansen returned

with fourteen reindeer. The Eskimo, Anakto, had

brought most of these down with one of our Krag-

Jorgensen carbines. The Krag-Jorgensen guns have

made a good all-round reputation for themselves this

winter, far better than the Winchesters. Hansen had

enouoh to do to o-et on board all the meat the Eskimo

procured for us, so he could not take part in the chase.

A large number of Eskimo were now hunting on behalf

of the whalers, and to compete successfully on this

192

ANAKTO. AN ESKIMO FROM HERSCHEL ISLAND.

The Third Winter.

difficult ground we needed to be Eskimo ourselves.
The reindeer were very shy and timid beyond measure.

I was very much surprised one day at the end of
April to receive a visit from a man I had met and
shaken hands with near Rampart House, on the Porcu-
pine River, away in Alaska, when I was on what
I called my post-journey. His name was Mr. Darrell.
He was a most remarkable man, possessed of rare vigour,
courage, and perseverance. He may have been about
forty, short but powerfully built, and very fair. When
any of the American whalers, who wintered off Bailey
Island, wanted to send their post southwards, they had
it sent along to Fort McPherson by Eskimo, with a
request to the commander there to be good enough to
forward it on to Fort Yukon by Indians. Owing, how-
ever, to the heavy fall of snow in the course of the
winter none of the Indians dared to undertake the
journey across the mountains between Peel River, a
tributary of the Mackenzie River, and Porcupine River.
Mr. Darrell was at that time employed by the Hudson
Bay Company. Hearing of the Indians' refusal and
being fully aware of the importance to the whalers of the
interests involved, he decided to take the post himself
He fitted himself out with a toboggan and dogs, and
started off without a single companion. It may seem
a foolhardy undertaking, but Darrell had journeyed
by sledge before, and probably had his own reasons
for preferring to travel by himself rather than in company,
which at times might be somewhat doubtful. The moun-

VOL. II. 195 O 2

Chapter XI.

tain ranges between Peel River and Porcupine River

are, as a rule, no worse to cross than most others.

But the Indians were right, the enormous snowfall had

created serious difficulties. Mr. Darrell soon came to

the conclusion that his dogs were useless. They simply

scraped and rolled about in the snow. He promptly

decided to leave them, and went on alone, dragging the

toboggan behind him. The toboggan, of course, was

small, and the outfit as light as possible, yet it must have

been hard work, but he got through. He rested a

couple of days at Rampart House, a small trading

station on the Porcupine River, and laid in fresh

supplies. It was a couple of days' journey from there

that I met him with the post on my way to Eagle City.

He came jogging along alone with his toboggan, and

was due to reach Fort Yukon in a week's time. We did

not have a long conversation that time, but he told me

he would return via Herschel Island, and I invited him

to stay with us as long as he remained. He thanked

me, and I never thought I should see him again, yet, on

April 29th, he came quietly marching up with his

toboggan exactly as I had left him on Porcupine River.

He made us happy by remaining with us for a couple of

days, and then left quietly and unassumingly to continue

his journey as before. I stood looking after him as he

disappeared from view, and I thought, if you got together

a few more men of his stamp, you could get to the moon.

Shortly afterwards I received a letter from him, on a

small slip of paper, brought me by an Eskimo from the

196

The Third Winter.

fort. It did not say much. He thanked me, and men-
tioned but briefly that he was near losing his Hfe on the
latter part of his journey. The Eskimo who brought me
the letter told me a few circumstances which the un-
assuming man had not mentioned. He had lost his
way at the entrance to Mackenzie River — anyone not
thoroughly acquainted with the locality would easily
mistake the route — and he was saved at the last moment
by some Eskimo.

On the morning of May 2nd I was awakened by
somebody falling down the cabin stairs. This had often
happened, as the staircase was steep, and I merely
opened my eyes to see which of us it was this time.
There on the floor was an Indian giving vent to a flow
of language I quite failed to appreciate. When he had
finished I quietly asked him in English what brought
him there. He answered in very good English that
he had brouo-ht the mail for me. I was soon wide-awake
and trot hold of the two letters he had brouo-ht. This
was the first regular mail that year for Herschel Island
via Edmonton and Fort McPherson. Lieutenant
Hansen and I were the fortunate ones ; we had a letter
each. Mine was from my brother. It was a bit old, but
not less acceptable on that account. If people could only
picture to themselves how much letters are prized in such
circumstances, I fancy the number of letters written
would be much grreater.

Hansen laid in his load of meat regularly once a week.
Eventually we had accumulated between 1,500 and

197

Chapter XI.

1, 600 lbs. of reindeer-meat, so we were well supplied.
The Eskimo sold us the meat at 5 cents a pound, which
was the current price locally, and they also had their own
supplies.

The mail-carriers returned from Herschel Island on
May 6th and were to proceed direct to the Fort. We
gave them food and plenty of provisions for their journey.
They took away with them a couple of letters and a
despatch I wanted sent off as quickly as possible. It
was my notification of poor Wiik's death. I was very
anxious lest his mother might hear news through some
other source that everything was going well with the
Expedition, before she received the sad news from me, as
that would make the blow all the harder and the dis-
appointment all the bitterer, when she learned the truth.
I left the telegram open and sent it to Mr. Firth, the
manager of Fort McPherson, accompanied by a letter in
which I explained the circumstances and my reasons for
wishing to have the telegram dispatched at the very
earliest opportunity. I asked him to advance the
necessary outlay for the same. The telegram never
reached its destination. The mail from the Fort arrived
at Herschel, in August, but there was not a word for me
from Mr. Firth.

The month of May was lovely. As soon as spring
weather set in in earnest we got all our things out to air
and dry. This was very necessary, as a dirty snowy
winter like the one just ended makes everything damp.
Lindstrom stretched some fishing nets over stools and

198

The Third Winter.

spread our collections out to dry. Even the empty egg-
shells had a thorough airing.

HELMER HANSEN (SPRING, J905).

The two new men eno-ao-ed from the whalers arrived
on May 8th. I was certainly somewhat astonished as I
did not expect them before June ist. They had their
discharges in proper order. One of them was a
Norwea"ian, Ole Foss, hailino- from Fredriksstad. He

199

Chapter XI.

made a very favourable impression and showed himseh',
during the whole of his service on board the " Gjoa,"
to be a capable, reliable and decent fellow. The other
one was a young American, named Beauvais. He was
to relieve Lindstrom in the galley.

Dr. Wioht had written to ask me if he mio-ht come
south with the " Gjoa." He had received news of illness
in his family, and wanted to get home as soon as possible.
As it was most likely that the " Gjoa " would get back
to civilisation before any of the whalers, I wrote to the
doctor and told him he was welcome. Now, however,
we should be quite full up.

I had decided to convert the magnetic observatory
into a mausoleum for Wiik. It was suitable for the
purpose in every respect. Wiik had built it and used
it himself, and was very fond of it. It was situate on
the best and most open position facing the Arctic Sea.
By May 8th we had completed our work in the frozen
oTound.

Next day, May 9th, at half-past ten in the- morning,
w^e assembled for the funeral. Every flag was flying at
half-mast. We carried the coffin out of the house, and
secured it with ropes on one of our sleighs. We then
drew it as far as the mausoleum. Once again our
comrade was on his way from the house to the observa-
tory, but this time he would never return. We halted
outside the entrance, while I said my farewell to Wiik
and read the Lord's Prayer. The ceremony was brief,
but I think it will long be remembered by us all. The

The Third Winter.

coffin was brought in, placed on two small wooden stools,
and covered with a Norwegian flag. The room was
then filled with drift-wood, and walled up. Later in
the summer we erected a high cross on the northern side
of the grave, put turf on it, and covered it with flowers.
The American whalers promised me to tend it every
year and keep it in order.

wiik's grave at king point.

The hills were now getting green, and the brooks
beoan to trickle and murmur. The water from the
brooks tastes appreciably better than the ice-water, and
the water we took from the sea was sometimes so brackish
that we had to give up using it. No drinking water is
equal to that which trickles fresh and clear through
the soil.

Chapter XL

It sometimes happens that seemingly trivial yet very
interesting observations are made quite unconsciously.
One day, when the thermometer stood at 21 "2° below
freezing-point, I put a liqueur-glass filled with water on
the ship's rail. I was in the habit of taking a glass with
me to the observation-box to moisten one of my
thermometers. The rail was painted green, and I was
surprised to notice that the water in the glass did not
freeze, notwithstanding the sharp frost we then had.
When I removed the glass, and placed it on a white
surface, the water at once commenced to freeze. The
sky was cloudy all the time.

On getting our residence vacant again we fitted up our
bath there and used it regularly. I had the first bath ;
then it was Manni's turn. The others had made him
believe he was to be boiled. He therefore went to the
bath with considerable misoivino-s. When he found that
he had been made a fool of, he laughed heartily.

Neiu, the Eskimo, had come to loggerheads with Sten
over a bag of flour. Being offended, he cleared out of
the house and set up his tent on the shore among the
driftwood. He hunted from there, and one day he
brought home a lynx he had shot some way out on the
ice. We concluded that the lynx must have had a fit of
insanity.

May 17 th was celebrated as usual as a gala day, with
flags and a banquet.

There was a good deal to do, however, this spring.
The change from petroleum to wood necessitated several

The Third Winter.

alterations : we had to alter the galley. A petroleum
tank was fixed up as a kitchener and provided with
a chimney pipe which bent and twisted out into the air
with the most fantastic contortions. This work of art
was conceived in a most ingenious spirit, the intention
being to secure a good draught in whatever quarter the
wind came from. It was excellent in theory, certainly,
but in practice, this chimney with its cowl, had an
annoying yet unfailing tendency to collide with the main-
sail. An^y yachtsman will appreciate this.

The hold had to be completely re-stowed, and all our
collections, etc., had to be brought on board. The
Lieutenant continued reading most diligently with
Manni, and I could not help admiring his patience.
I can still hear them : a, b, = ab ; b, a, = ba, abbaba.
After half a-year's assiduous work they were still at
" abbaba," and Manni would even now make mistakes in
this difficult word. I had lately fancied that Manni
feels inclined to remain here with the Eskimo. I did
not like to lose him, but on the other hand I was averse
to keep him against his will. So I asked him one day if
he would rather join the Eskimo again, and Manni said
"Yes." The following day I went to see an Eskimo
named " Manichya," a very capable man, and asked him
if he was prepared to take Manni. Manichya was
delighted. He had only one child, a daughter, and an
addition to the family like Manni was not to be despised.
Manni left the " Gjoa " the same day, equipped with
clothes, tobacco, matches, soap, two guns and ammunl-

205

Chapter XL

tion. He jumped and danced with joy. But I could

not help thinking that the good fellow's life in future

would be different to what it had been with us. Work

from morning till night and perhaps little to eat when he

came home hungry. The first thing his new parents did

was to cut his heavy, magnificent hair. He looked

pitiful after this ordeal. Next day he went away with

them westwards to hunt seals. About three weeks

afterwards he came and visited us. He brought me

a few birds. He had "gone off" considerably already,

and his bright eyes had a sad expression in them. His

appetite was simply terrifying ; he swallowed everything

we put before him. When ready to leave he came

round to bid each one of us good-bye. I could guess by

his looks what he wanted, but I preferred that he should

himself ask to be taken back. A fortnight later he

returned. Again he brought a large bundle of birds

for me. But his appearance was now deplorable.

His cheeks were hollow, pale, and thin, and I there and

then said " Would you like to come back to us again ? "

I shall never forget the glad and thankful smile he gave

me as an answer, and thereupon the lost sheep returned

to us. We had all of us become so fond of Manni that

it was a matter of satisfaction all round to have him on

board again. Even the Eskimo-hater, Lindstrom, smiled

that day. Manichya was certainly a bit surprised to

learn that Manni had again become a Kabluna, but he

made no difficulties.

The only way now to keep our reindeer-meat was to

206

The Third Winter.

dry it. I got the Eskimo women to bone a large portion
of our joints and hang them up, This dried meat was
very useful.

Spring came much earlier here than at King William
Land. All the birds of passage had arrived by May 20th.
There was a peculiarity about the seals here. The males

"Gjoa." ''Bonanza."

VIEW FROM THE TOP OF KING POINT. SUMMER.

smelt so unpleasantly that even the dogs would not touch

their flesh. This was probably due to the pairing season ;

but, although these seals were of the same species as

those at King William Land ("snadd"), we did not

notice this smell in them there.

At the end of May the Lieutenant and I moved ashore,

as the cabin was going to be painted. This painting

207

Chapter XI.

was Lindstrom's first job as " handy man," and he did it
very well. Beauvais took over the kitchen, It was
very agreeable to be ashore and wake up in the glorious
air, while the birds were singing beautifully. June was
cool at first. The maximum temperature on the first of
the month was 297°. The dogs had now finished their
term of service, and I made Sten a present of them.
The only one I kept was Silla, and her little son Ole.
I had promised to take Nicodemus with me to San
Francisco, so he, too, came with us.

On June 6th we moved back on board again into our
snug cabin. Our Royal Family was in the best frame
that King Point could produce, and the picture was hung
on the middle of the wall, surrounded by a decoration of
flags, with " Alt for Norge " (All for Norway) under-
neath it. It all looked exceedingly pretty. On one side
of this picture there was a chart on which was marked
the " Gjoa's " course through the North West Passage.
On the other side was Nansen's likeness.

When the snow had melted off the ice along the
shore, the ice itself soon began to disappear. It was
all formed out of fresh water from Mackenzie River,
mixed with a good deal of mud, so that it melted
quickly. It very soon became quite porous and difficult
to walk on.

Our best time was at an end, as gnats now made their
appearance again. They arrived on the evening of the
28th, during a storm from the south-east. They got
worse every day, and if we had not had some gauze

208

The Third Winter.

material, which we used as mosquito nets, we should
hardly have survived this plague.

I brouo-ht all the mao-netic instruments on board on
June 30th, Where the stand had been, I erected
a wooden slab, marked " Gjoa, 1905 — 06." The

mark, showing position of magnetic instrument stand
(king point.)

meteorological observations were brouQ-ht to a close the
same nio-ht.

On July 2nd we had a strong gale from the south
with a temperature of 64'4°. We cast off from the ice
and proceeded alongside of the " Bonanza." This old
wreck had given us many a helping hand, and was
CToino- to do so asfain. When the land-lead increased

VOL. II. 209 P

Chapter XL

we hauled astern of the " Bonanza," where the ice left
us at peace ; it was drifting to and fro on the tides.
With everything on board we now drew seven feet

"Alexander." "Jeannette "

THE FIRST TWO WHALERS ARRIVING AT KING POINT.
(JULY IITH, 1906.)

forward and 8 feet 10 inches aft. The main pack of
ice was drifting out and in, and sometimes threatened
to come right up to us near the shore. Fortunately it
did not. We could see much open water beyond it, but

The Third Winter.

there was nothing for us to do out there before the
whalers turned up. If they could not get on, certainly
we could not. There was a great movement of Eskimo
during these days.

Finally, on the evening of July loth, we sighted three
whalers in the open water outside the ice. It was still
doubtful whether they would succeed in squeezing
through. But one of them continued eastwards along
the ice and entered the channel near us about 5 o'clock
next morning.

Our opportunity had now come, and everything was
clear for a start.

p 3

CHAPTER XII.

With the Eskimo and the Indians. On Ski and
Snow Shoes through Canada and Alaska.

When I arrived at Herschel Island on October 2ff^
1905, the preparations for the approaching mail trip
were not yet completed. The captains had invited me
to come a few days beforehand so that I might be there
to see after the equipment and discuss the route
with my companions. Again I went on board the
"Alexander," where I was received with the usual
hospitality.

Captain Mogg was to go south with me, and he had
been requested by the other captains to see to the
dispatch of the mail. In other words, he was the leader
of the Expedition and I was to go as his guest. Captain
Mooror was an old Polar traveller, and had also made
several sledge trips inland, although it was certainly
several years since he made his last. He showed
the greatest enthusiasm, and worked hard with the
preparations. I had brought several things from the
" Gjoa," but Captain Mogg did not see the desirability
of taking them with us. As his guest I could not
enforce my wishes, so I decided not to make any com-

With the Eskimo and the Indians.

ment but to leave myself to be entirely guided by the
experience of the leader. There was, however, a tin of
about 14 lbs. of pemmican. which I was rather annoyed

ROALD AMUNDSEN LEAVING EAGLE CITY. I906.

at having to send back because Captain Mogg would
not admit that pemmican was the best provision for
sledge trips. Here, again, I gave in, as the Captain

213

Chapter XII.

quite put his foot down on my good pemmican, and

I considered it best not to begin the trip with any

disagreement. I had enough pemmican and fish meal

to last my five dogs quite a month, and Mogg had some

dried fish for his seven dogs ; but it was obvious that he

could not carry enough of this food with him. As,

however, we calculated on reaching the Indians in three

weeks we found that, by feeding the dogs all together,

we should have enough, as by that means we could cut

down the rations a little. Our own stores consisted of

beans and pork, which were cooked together, frozen and

packed in small portions, as also wheat biscuits, rice,

sugar, butter, tea, coffee, chocolate, milk, figs, raisins,

and spice. It was certainly a much richer list of stores

than I was accustomed to, but I had my doubts as to

whether in solidity this variety could compare with the

simpler stores we used for our sledge trips. We also

took with us a tent and tent poles, stove, lamp, sleeping

bags, and many other luxuries. As we should not

be able to use the sledges very long, for when we

reached the loose deep snow in the mountains we should

have to adopt the toboggan (the Canadian forest sledge),

we lashed two of these to our load. The toboo-ran is

made like a ski, twelve feet longr, and six times as broad

as an ordinary ski, but with a considerable curve. This

was the first time I had seen this means of travelling,

and I was anxious to see how it would turn out in

practice.

On the evening of the 23rd everything was ready for

214

With the Eskimo and the Indians.

starting, and the extensive correspondence of the fleet
of whalers was put on Mogg's sledge under lock and
key. The Eskimo and Mogg had skin clothes like the
local Eskimo ; I was in Nechilli dress. Manni com-
plained of pains in both legs after the long and tire-
some trip from King Point to Herschel Island, and he
begged to be allowed to return to the " Gjoa " ; so not
caring to take him against his wish, I obtained a seat for
him on a sledge that was returning to King Point the
next day.^

The last evening we all assembled in the cabin of the
"Alexander." Captain William Mogg, our leader, was
a man with a big body, a little head, and small thin
legs, and when he moved he gave one the impression
that he was stumbling forward. He was English by
birth, but had left home at an early age, and eventually
became a whaler. During our stay on Herschel Island,
Jimmy, the Eskimo, bore out the very favourable impres-
sion he had made on me when I met him for the first
time on the ice. I had pictured Jimmy's wife to myself
as a charming young creature, but Kappa might more
easily have been taken for his mother than his wife.
Kappa had come with a whaler from Kotzebue Sound
to Herschel, and had met Jimmy, who was a Kagmallik.
They were legally married both at Herschel Island and at
Fort Yukon, so that it would have been difficult for them
to get a divorce. Kappa, in her skin clothing covered
over with calico, looked like a hay-rick. I took her

to be over forty, but as a matter of fact, she was con-

215

Chapter XII.

siderably younger. We got very friendly, and I regarded
her as an elderly aunt.

JIMMY, WHO TOOK PART IN THE MAIL TRIP.

At 9 o'clock in the morning of October 24th we
were ready for starting, and a number of men from

216

With the Eskimo and the Indians.

the crews of the whalers turned up to see the mail go
off. A breeze was blowing from the north-east, with

KAPPA, WHO ALSO SHARED IN THE MAIL TRIP.

a temperature of — 4° Fahr., but as we were going
south-west, it did not trouble us very much. We went

217

Chapter XII.

over the even snow covering of the ice at a dashing pace.

In front of my sledge I had five dogs, all well broken in,

and as it was considerably lighter than the other, I soon

took the lead. The other sledge was drawn by seven

dogs, but some of them were better than others, and

they had not been broken in together, the consequence

being that they gave Jimmy and Kappa plenty of

trouble. Mogg was on my sledge. Dog-driving here is

so arranged that the o-uide runs in front of the team

and shows the way. We first followed the east side of

the Island as far as the south-easterly corner ; here we

crossed over the narrow sound on to the mainland. The

snow had not yet covered the ground uniformly, so that

grass tufts were often in the way. However, I strapped

on my ski and had no further trouble. The others used

snow-shoes. Here in Alaska the snow-shoes are

narrower than the broad Canadian ones, and have a

curved point, which is of great help in travelling.

I never learnt to use the Canadian snow-shoes properly,

but on these Alaska ones I got along very well.

We had first to mount a steep ridge, and not being in

trim, it was rather hard work for us all. At last we

reached the top, and the descent on the other side was,

of course, much easier. At the foot of the slope we

came on to the frozen bed of Herschel Island River.

We had to follow the whole course of this river. Its

delta here was a perfect chaos of sandbanks and gravel

heaps, and it was very difficult to keep the right course,

but both Jimmy and Mogg were well acquainted with

218

With the Eskimo and the Indians.

the region, as they had been here on many a reindeer-
hunting trip. This is one of the best hunting grounds, and
thousands of slain animals are carted from here in the
course of the year down to the sea to the whalers. This
year the chase would be hotter than usual, as many
badly provisioned ships are wintering here. Further
towards the south, the bed of the river was clearer and
more defined. In many spots the ice was clear, and now
and then patches of ground stood up in our way, spoiling
the runners of my sledge. Owing to lack of other
material, we had had to cover the runners with gralvanised
iron, but this turned out even worse than I expected.
It got quite worn through, and the projecting jagged
pieces made it very hard travelling for the dogs.
I endeavoured to remedy this by smoothing the runners
with a stone, but as we were not very far from our
halting-place, I deferred repairs and endeavoured to
keep up as well as I could with the others, whose runners
were in good condition. At half-past four in the after-
noon we reached the mound in the river on which Jimmy
had decided to make our first camping spot, as he knew
that drift wood was always to be found there. The first
day of a sledge run is always very tiring, and we were
longing for a rest. In order that the necessary prepara-
tions might be effected rapidly, we so divided the work
that Jimmy and Kappa undertook to erect the tent,
assisted by Mogg, who took all that was necessary from
the sledges, whilst I collected wood. On this particular

evening it was very easy work, as small wood was lying

219

Chapter XII.

about all over the bank, as if it had been cut for us ;
but collecting fuel at night would not always be quite
so easy.

When I was ready, I helped the others to put up the
tent, though it was done on a system quite unknown to
me. Their tent consisted of the canvas and — eighteen
tent poles. The place was first cleared of snow as far

TENT USED FOR THE MAIL TRIP

as possible, the snow being banked round the tent like a
wall. Then they inserted the poles, which were really
thick willow twigs, and bent them so as to form an arch.
Twelve of these poles were arranged opposite each other,
lengthwise of the tent, and six crosswise. When they
are all driven in firmly, they are bent over and lashed
together, so that each pair forms a complete arch ; then
the canvas is stretched over, and the tent is ready, pre-

With the Eskimo and the Indians.

senting- the appearance of a hayrick, or igloo. This kind
of tent has one advantage : the poles can be bent together
hio-her or lower, according to the weather, and made
capable of resisting any wind ; but, In other respects. It
is by no means a handy system for such a trip as ours.
First of all it takes too much time to set up, and,
secondly, all the necessary lashings must be done with
the bare hands. The interior of the tent is never high
enough to stand upright in — In fact, ours was never more
than four and a half feet high — but we got accustomed to
it In time ; then there was the transport. Possibly a
ready-made tent Is more difficult to pack than this flat
canvas, but even that Is doubtful — but then the eighteen
poles ! They looked like bristles with bent tops, and
when, after much trouble, they were finally packed away
on the sledge, they made It look like a hedgehog, and
were constantly getting caught In something or other on
the way. Jimmy was a quiet man, but, whenever he had
to pack these eighteen poles he swore, both in Eskimo
and English, to his heart's content. An ordinary three-
pole triangular tent Is far preferable to this mushroom
tent, and, while travelling by land. It Is easy to find a
valley or other shelter from the wind, thus doing away
with the importance of the only ostensible advantage it
possesses.

Jimmy and Kappa were, however, well accustomed to
this kind of tent, and had it fixed up In a comparatively
short time. Mogg took from the sledges what was
necessary for supper and for the night, and Kappa put

Chapter XII.

the tent in order whilst Jimmy made a fire. Mogg did
the cooking that evening, and, in the meantime, we
munched a few" dried figs, of which we each had a
handful, and they were very acceptable. When the dogs
had been fed and the sledges carefully tied up for the
night, we shook the snow off our clothes and went in.
There was not much room, but I took the inside place,
next the stove, close to one of the long walls, with Mogg
next to me ; Jimmy and Kappa lay along the other wall.
I had to double my legs up ; if Mogg wanted anything,
he simply rolled over ; and as to the Eskimo, long
practice had made them contortionists. After the meal
was finished, we all went peacefully to sleep.

I awoke the next morning at half-past four and looked
round me, but none of my companions seemed to be
troubling about the morning arrangements as yet ;
indeed, the uniform snoring of the trio indicated the
very reverse. I took matters quietly and let the time
pass on. Shortly afterwards Mogg awoke, looked at
the clock and then at me, but I pretended to be in a
profound sleep, so Mogg joined in the trio again. A
quarter of an hour later the Eskimo awoke ; they
whispered a few words to each other and then turned
over to sleep again. I calculated that the morning's
work would occupy about two hours. If we were to get
off at a reasonable time someone must begin, and as
my companions were immovable, I turned out and set
to work. I understood that the pleasant post of cook
for the morning was intended for the guest, and I was

With the Eskimo and the Indians.

allowed to retain the position the whole time. It was
fortunate that the Expedition had someone who could
get out of the sleeping bag in the morning. The
morning work was not very complicated, and principally
consisted in warming up what was left over from the
previous night. Whilst I was occupied with this I had
time both to think and write. The others v/ere snoring
so loudly that they shook the tent. When I was nearly
ready I began to wake up my companions ; this took
some time, as the heat from the stove seemed to act
like a narcotic on them ; but at last they got up and we
breakfasted ; then we loaded our sledges, took the tent
down, and drove on.

Several of the older ship's officers at Herschel Island
had expressed their fear that we were beginning our
trip too early ; from the experience they had gained in
many sledge trips, they did not think the rivers would
be quite frozen over yet, and we soon found they were
right. The river began to curve through sharp rocky
passes and at many spots was open, so that the passages
were exceptionally narrow. It was a delight to me
to see real rocks again after the lapse of two years.
The steep banks reached some four hundred feet high,
and consisted of solid rock as opposed to the earth hills
and moss heaps we had travelled over. I also knew
that on this day we should reach the wooded district,
and I was very excited at every turn in our course.
When at length the first fir tree stood out against the
sky up on the ridge — a very diminutive, battered little

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Chapter XI I.

Christmas tree, hanging out of a crevice — it produced a
wonderful sensation, reminding me that we were now
out of the Polar regions and on more homely human
ground : at that moment I could have left everything
that was in my charge and scrambled up the rock to
catch hold of that crooked stem and draw in the scent
of the fir trees and the woods.

Now and then in the narrow passes we encountered
strong southerly gusts of wind which overturned dogs,
sledges, and men on the slippery ice that offered no
foothold. This was very tiring, and considerably delayed
us. After running in front of the sledges all that day,
a little rest was very agreeable in the evening, when we
had found a good camping place on a little head of land
looking on to a small pine wood. At first I had a good
deal of trouble to collect wood. The Eskimo who
constantly travel this route had so stripped the woods
of dry timber that you had to search high and low to
find enougfh for the nio-fit. I started with the axe on
my shoulder, but was very conscious that my legs had
already done good service that day, The snow lay
deep between the trees and made very heavy walking ;
certainly I had my ski on, but I must admit that under
conditions such as these, snow shoes have their
advantages. They are easier to put on and take off,
and one can twist and turn more quickly in such country
as this, but at other times I would not have been
without my ski on any consideration. The Eskimo here

had often seen ski. When wintering at Herschel Island

224

With the Eskimo and the Indians.

many of the crew passed the time running on ski in the
hills. There were often Norsemen among them who
could show the Eskimo some first-class ski running.
For practical -use, however, as for example, on such a
trip as we were undertaking, they placed no reliance on
ski. They often looked at them, and turned them
round, but shook their heads at them, although before
I separated from my companions they began to have
some respect for my ski.

The next day we were stopped by water on the ice :
it was not the open river, but water flowing on the
surface. This inundation of the ice occurred frequently,
even in the severest frost. We kept going till we were
knee-deep in water, but at mid-day we had to give up
and go on land and pitch our tent. We were in a narrow
pass with high sides, and in the evening a splendid
northern light spread its quivering strips of colour from
one rock to the other. The next day the water had
frozen, and with a little care we made some further pro-
gress. It was very wild scenery, large fissures showing
in the rocks, filled with broken stones, large and small.
The rocks extended right up to the river. They were
not very high, but increased in height as we advanced.
We followed the course of the river, the land rising so
gradually as to be unnoticeable.

On the morning of the 27th we passed over a little
side valley, running out westwards. Here the landscape
suddenly appeared like a piece of genuine Norwegian
scenery, timbered and rocky. The little valley was

VOL. II. 225 Q

Chapter XII.

closely covered with trees, and from the lowest point

there rose a huge snow cone to a height of quite

2,000 feet, while in the bosom of the valley nestled two

little tents, like pictures from a fairy scene, with the

smoke rising peacefully from the chimneys. Of course,

we could not pass these simple folk without speaking to

them, so we approached them ; indeed, it might be they

had fresh meat to sell us. We found the Eskimo

occupied with their morning duties. As a rule, none

of the Eskimo get up very early, they prefer to keep

late nights. W' ith their usual hospitality we were invited

to partake of tea and fresh bread ; the Eskimo make

this very quickly : some flour, water, and baking powder

are mixed in a pan and soon converted into excellent

Polar cake ; with a little syrup this is by no means bad.

While chatting over the tea they told us that the river

was open immediately ahead of us, and that we would

have to pass over a ridge of land in order to get to the

ice on the other side. They knew the country, and

offered to euide us if we waited until the next dav. We

were easily persuaded to agree to this. These people

consisted of four Eskimo, two men and two women.

Thev were there huntino-. and on the dav before had

had the good fortune to kill a reindeer and a mountain

ofoat. The mountain o[-oat is a verv beautiful animal,

brilliant white, with spiral horns, but shy and swift as

lightning, so it is not very easily caught. When the feast

was over we went to fix up our tent, and the hunters

started off in another direction. We spent most of the

226

With the Eskimo and the Indians.

rest of the day in feasting on the fresh meat we had pur-
chased. From the beg-innino" of mv career as a sailor I
had noticed that the rations deak out to us were much too
small for a man to do any real hard work on, so I always
utilised every opportunity, and I did so now, of laying
in as good a foundation as possible to make up for the
shortage in the days to come. Jimmy had made the
same observation as regfards his inner man, and had
made the same plans as I had. Like all women folk.
Kappa ate but little, and Mogg had heartburn and could
not eat anything. We had a good deal of trouble with
the doQfs, who everv now and then beo-an to hg-ht with
the strange dogs, so that we had to go out and separate
them. In the evening the hunters came home with two
reindeer, and said they had seen a herd of sixteen.
They told us that the deer generally remained in these
regions throuo-hout the whole of the winter. We bartered
for a large joint, which we cut up into small pieces and
took with us.

The next dav we had a o-ood stiff climb to o-et over
the ridge of land ; it was steep and full of roots and
stumps, but fortunately they were not very large, and
after a eood deal of hard work we ao-ain reached the
river ice. By 1 1 o'clock in the morning we were at
Blow-hole, a notorious narrow pass between rocks
1,500 feet high — the very mention of which causes a
shudder. The ice was all strewn with pieces of stone
blown from the rocks, and it would have been no laughing
matter to have been hit by one of these flying pieces. It

227 Q 2

Chapter XII.

was blowing so hard that I had to lie down flat on the
ice, and the dogs rushed helter skelter with the sledges.
Those acquainted with the region said it was very mild
weather for the place, so I had to be grateful that it was
not what they called really bad.

Some time after we met an Eskimo family with two
toboggans. The man was a special friend of Jimmy and
known as one of the cleverest hunters around Herschel
Island. He had no less than sixty reindeer lying spread
out in the fields and was now on his way to Herschel to
get help to cart them in. It was only i o'clock in the
afternoon when we met these Eskimo but we agreed to
stop and pitch our camp together and partake of their
reindeer. Jimmy and I winked at each other behind our
leader's back, happy at the chance of having another
good meal. This was the second time we made a
voluntary stop in the middle of the day, but I made no
objection, as the river was open in several places further
up and so we were in no hurry. Both man and beast
required to be properly fed and we could make room for
a little more meat on the sledg-es. Moogr had taken a
whole sack of tea with him and this proved very useful,
as the Eskimo here would sell their immortal souls for a
pound of tea.

As we advanced towards the south the landscape
assumed a milder character, the rocks rounded off and
sloped uniformly down towards the banks of the river.
Here too the snow was firm and gave a good foot-hold
for us as we ran in front of our sledo-es. We crossed a

228

With the Eskimo and the Indians.

o-reat number of reindeer tracks and now and then the
track of a wolf. The latter prefer more southerly
regions when there is food enough, and this was the case
this year. When we occasionally encountered water on
the ice we pulled on our water-proof boots and managed
to get along fairly well. On the 30th we reached the
source of the river, a large lake surrounded by high
mountains ; I estimated the highest of these at about
4,000 feet, and here the Eskimo family we had recently
met had established a depot. In these regions they
establish their depots on quite a different system to that
adopted by our Nechilli friends. They erect a platform
on four standards about the height of a man ; they then
lay the food on this and well cover it with pine branches,
so that Mr. Fox can come along and sniff and jump as
much as he likes ; he gets about as much taste out of it
as out of the famous sour grapes.

Mogg showed me a hill at the foot of which a tragedy
was enacted some years ago. A number of the crew of
the whaling fleet had conspired together and deserted
with the sledges laden with stores, weapons, and ammu-
nition. Some officers were sent out with a number of
Eskimo to overtake and arrest the deserters, and it was
just at this spot they were discovered, as they were
building snow huts for themselves. They were com-
manded to surrender, but answered by opening fire, and
a fight began. Two deserters were shot, two others
surrendered, and the rest fled to the woods. One would

have thought that nothing but certain death awaited

229

Chapter XII.

these fugitives, here in the midst of winter and without
either food or clothing, yet five of them, after terrible
sufferings, reached Fort Yukon ; the rest, however,
perished on the way.

We crossed the water and pitched our tent on the
other side. The following day a walk of two or three
hours brought us to a pine-covered headland, where we
halted and changed our sledges for the toboggans, and
commenced transferringf the loads. I thought I should
never find room for all my load on that little toboggan,
nor should I have done so, if I had had to do the
loading myself, but Jimmy managed it. There is an
art in packing a toboggan. The load must not be too
high, or it will turn over ; it must not be too broad,
or it will project at the sides and act as a brake ; conse-
quently the load must be packed low and narrow — not a
very easy job when one has much to pack, and, besides,
the toboggan should be slightly back-loaded. We stood
the sledges up against a couple of trees, and also left
behind us a quantity of other articles we found we could
dispense with, intending to collect them on our return
journey. When on the river we had crossed the borders
of Canada, and were now in Alaska. We completed
our work early in the afternoon, and were able to enjoy
a little rest in the tent. It was a very pleasant evening ;
we spread the floor of the tent with fresh pine branches,
and the dried wood burned brightly and cheerfully in the
stove. Some pot or other was always over the fire ; we
could never have too much water. We had a pack of

230

With the Eskimo and the Indians.

cards widi us, and Jimmy and Kappa were enthusiastic
players. They knew a great many different kinds of
games of which I understood nothing, but they grew
so enthusiastic over them that they screamed and roared
hke children. When it began to get warm, and it varied
now between 86° and ioo° Fahr., it was always both
desirable and pleasant to take off one's skin clothing
to prevent it getting wet. For decency's sake we kept
our shirts on, though we should have preferred to
dispense ^with them, but we had to consider Kappa,
as being one of the fair sex. The lantern was sus-
pended from the middle of the roof and gave a very
cheerful light ; Mogg and I wrote up our diaries. One
thing Jimmy and Kappa taught me, which I had never
practised on a sledge trip before, and that was to wash
myself every morning, and, if I forgot it. Kappa would
at once appear with soap and water. Strange to say,
they could not imagine anyone beginning the day without
washing.

At 8 o'clock the next morning we continued on our
way, but Jimmy's knowledge of the road ended here ;
however, we pushed on very confidently. The mountains
in front of us were given on the map as 9,000 feet high,
but with all due respect I take the liberty of estimating
them at not more than 5,000 feet. On November 3rd
we stood on the summit, which forms the watershed
between the rivers flowing south and those flowing
towards the Polar seas. The country was all mountainous

here, and the wooded districts lay a little lower down on

231

Chapter XI L

either side. There could not have been much wind on
the mountain, as the snow was loose and deep, conse-
quently the work of the dogs was very heavy. My dogs
especially fared badly, as my toboggan was very roughly
made of spruce wood, which soon splintered up under-
neath and turned into a sort of harrow ; but the other
one, made of birch, was as smooth as ice. Our marching
order was as follows : Kappa and Jimmy took the lead,
to show the way and make a track for the dogs, then
came Mogg, who acted as a steam-roller, as he floundered
about and made a splendid track. They travelled on
snowshoes and made a track just wide enough for the
toboggans ; then came the dogs with the first toboggan
and I followed with mine. I now saw the utility of the
tackle they generally use, whereby the dogs are harnessed
up in single file and are forced, whether they like it or
not, to keep to the track, and this is of very great
importance to those who follow.

When up on the hill we looked down into a little
valley and saw that it led to Porcupine River, and once
there we would be all right. There was a steep descent
to the valley, but the snow was soft and I anticipated
having a good, pleasant slide. I unharnessed the dogs,
stretched myself out on the toboggan, and let her go.
But I had reckoned without the dogs. When they saw
the toboggan start they ran forward to get into their
places again ; they got in front, but they did not find
their places. Down the mountain side we went altogether

— toboggan, dogs, and I, one over the other, till we

232

With the Eskimo and the Indians.

stopped at the bottom of the valley. For the most of
the way I had had the dogs and the toboggan on top
of me, and was mad at the stupid creatures for having
spoilt my slide. I got up and brushed off the snow from
myself and saw Mogg, who had found his own way
down, standing a little distance off, splitting his sides with
laughter. On the summit of the hill, Kappa and J Immy
were screaming with delight. I thought of venting my
wrath on the dogs and giving them a good thrashing,
but eventually decided to join in the general laughter.
The Eskimo, with their heavy toboggan, were wiser
than I. They took hold of it on each side and let it
down quietly.

The little valley led first towards the south-east, then
due south, and eventually it led again into the mountains ;
so it did not extend very far. The sun shone brightly
in the mid-day sky right in front of us, showing us the
way. By going straight towards it we should pass over
the mountains to Porcupine River. In cases of this
kind, the Eskimo are invaluable ; they at once see, from
the general lie of the land in which direction progress
will be easiest. This time, however, there was a
difference of opinion between Jimmy and Kappa, but
Kappa's arguments seemed to be the most convincing
and Jimmy at last yielded to them. Later, however,
we found that Jimmy was right, though Kappa, of
course, would not admit it.

It began to be very cold up here in the mountains.
We had no thermometer with us, but judging from the

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Chapter XI I.

drift snow I calculated the temperature to be considerably
below — 2 2° Fahr. We now started in the early-
morning when it was dark, the Aurora Borealis every
now and then lighting us on our way. I often regretted
now that I had not brought my snow shoes with me, as
ski often cut into the deep snow and catch in the twigs
or in the large grass tufts ; even toboggans are not very
practical on this kind of ground as they are constantly
turning over and causing much annoyance and dis-
comfort. Finally on the 4th we reached a real river bed.
Certainly it was not very wide, merely a brook, but
sharply defined with high banks. And here we travelled
splendidly over the ice. The dogs went at full gallop.
However, the brook soon twisted and curved so much
that we had to take short cuts by crossing the land, and
on the following day we came upon a broad river bed.
We found out later that this was Coleen River, one
of the many tributaries of the Porcupine River. Here
it was excellent travelling, there being a couple of inches
of snow on the ice, and I thought I would show them
what could be done on ski. Mogg, who had to trudge
on snow shoes over the mountains, because the dogs
were not capable of pulling him along, now took a seat
on my toboggan ; and on a track like this, my dogs
could have dragged double his weight. So off I went.
Jimmy was leading, but the snow shoes did not glide
along like the ski, and I quickly passed him. " Well
Jimmy, what do you think of ski now?" I was soon
a long way in front. Travelling over the ice was not

234

With the Eskimo and the Indians.

altogether without danger as the river was open in
places ; these could always be seen from a distance, but
sometimes the ice is so thin that it is very easy to drop
through if you are not very careful. Now the high
peaked mountains gradually disappeared behind us and
we came into large woods.

The first two or three hours in the morning were
always the hardest both for man and beast — especially for
the latter — as they were stiff from the previous day's
work and rather lazy, but Jimmy soon whipped them up
and made them lively, and then we went along smardy.
We had, however, been compelled to reduce the dogs'
rations and the effect of this was soon apparent ; they
grew thin and lost strength. We ourselves had still
provisions for some days, assuming that we used them as
carefully as before.

On November 7th, at 3.30 in the afternoon, Jimmy
suddenly stopped ; his sharp eyes had discovered some-
thing unusual away on the ice. He rushed to the spot
and called out to us, " Itkillich tomai ! " — tracks of
Indians ! His voice had an echo of gladness in it.
Now our troubles would soon be over and we should
have plenty to eat. We followed the track and soon
came to a wooden hut. My excitement was intense, for
I was at last to see real Indians, who, in boyhood's days,
had so filled my imagination with vivid scenes. I ex-
pected to see the door open and a copper-coloured fellow
emerge, with feathers in his hair, swinging his tomahawk
over his head, and yelling " Ugh!" to us. Or perhaps

235

Chapter XII.

he was lurking behind one of the trees in the wood.

The door opened, and out came a quiet man in black

clothes and wearing a black hat. He stood quietly and

looked at us. We greeted him in a friendly way in

English, and he also answered us amiably in the same

language. Shortly afterwards his wife appeared. It

might all have been an incident from a walking tour at

home ; they looked exactly like a couple of peasants

from the Norwegian highlands. We remained with them

for a couple of days, and fed up the dogs as well as

ourselves. They sold us some frozen fish and some elk

meat in exchange for tea and candles.

On the loth we pushed further along the same river

course. Birch trees began to appear here and there, and

many other things showed that we were getting further

south. On the afternoon of the 12 th we saw the track

of a tobogfo-an and of snow-shoes. We followed these

until dark. We pitched our camp and followed the

tracks the next morning, but lost them owing to fog

setting in. At 10 o'clock in the morning, Jimmy told us

he could see a wooden hut on the bank ; his eagle eye

had not deceived him, and when we reached the hut we

found two women there, but the fancies of my boyhood

received a rude shock ; surely the squaws of the brave

Mohicans, or even those of the sly Iroquois, could never

have looked like these ! One of the women had the

under lip hanging right down to her breast, and the other

held her head on one side and regarded us with a very

surly look. They were two horrid guys. The meeting

236

With the Eskimo and the Indians.

between them and Kappa was very effusive. They
greeted one another and chattered together as only old
cronies can, and none of them understood a word of what
the other said, not a jot. We got a bundle of dried fish
from them in exchange for some tea and biscuits. The
husband of one of the women and the son of the other
had gone away two days before to see a merchant at
Porcupine River. The friendly ladies explained to our
great satisfaction that by following the tracks of the men
we could take a short cut and save two days' journey.
The one with the surly look accompanied us to put us on
the track. It was difficult enough to clamber up the
hill to the wood where the track was ; repeatedly we had
to carry the toboggan bodily, but once on the top the
track was splendid. Our guide left us and we started off
at a good speed. Here, again, I found further cause to
praise the harness more than ever. If the dogs had had
separate traces they would certainly have run one on
each side of a tree and brought us to a standstill ; but
now running the toboggan in a smoothed-out track was
mere child's play, and there was no need for me to be in
front of the dogs to encourage and lead them. Every-
thing went automatically. So I pushed on to catch up
with the Eskimo. Mogg lay face downwards on his
load singing and humming. Everyone was in good
spirits at the idea that we would be in Fort Yukon
in a week. When I overtook the Eskimo I heard
the quiet Jimmy shouting for joy whilst Kappa held on
to the back of the toboggan and danced with delight.

237

Chapter XII.

Towards the evening of the 14th the dogs got scent
of man and food, and they began to run as they
had never run before. It was rather steep going down,
but it was impossible to hold the dogs in. I was in
front on ski, and every curve and ledge I whizzed over
made me shudder for the loads behind me. Finally
I reached Porcupine River near the little Indian colony,
where lived the merchant already referred to. Poor
Moeof arrived last. He had had a most anxious time
holding on to the load, and in reply to my question
declared he had had no time to admire the beauties of
the wooded landscape. In order to prevent any fighting
between our dogs and those of the Indians we set up the
tent at some distance from the colony. The merchant
turned out to be an Indian. He was a very fine fellow,
about six feet high, with dark hair and full moustache.
He was dressed in black and wore a white fox-skin
collar. His stock of goods was not very varied, — some
dry salmon, that was all. He thought we could cover
the rest of the way to Fort Yukon in four days. We
boueht some salmon from him, and both we and the
dogs had a good meal. The next day we left the brave
John Alvert, such was his name, and continued our
journey.

Had we known it we could have considerably
shortened our way by now and then cutting across
the land, but not knowing this we had to follow the
twisting bed of the river the whole time. We passed

several log huts which were uninhabited. There must

238

With the Eskimo and the Indians.

be a ^reat number of hares In these regions as the snow
was often trampled hard with tracks, and occasionally we
found a dead hare ; probably we had disturbed some
bird of prey at meal-time. When the dog's got scent of
such a tit-bit they started off at full speed ; of course it
was only the first who got the prey, but this never taught
the others anything. They rushed ahead each time with
unabated energy and renewed hope. Even stout Fix,
who was the last dog in the team, ran as if he would
break his harness. Fix was one of the dogs Atalanga
had brought to Ogchoktu, when he brought our first
mail. But later on during our stay in Eagle City, Fix
got so fat that I had to leave him behind ; he was
incapable even of following the sledge.

On the 1 8th we again saw fresh tracks, and as they led
inland we followed them. In the evening the dogs
began to get very lively, they must have got scent of
something, and that something quite out of the common,
judging from the rate at which they dashed along. At
5 o'clock we sighted a house, and half-an-hour later we
were with the Indians in Salmon Creek. We occasioned
quite a stir when we arrived. The first thing we noticed
was that there was only one man and a number of
women. The fact was that all the men had gone to
Fort Yukon to trade ; " Old Thomas " alone remained
behind. He invited us in and told us he had several
times travelled the same way as we had and it eventually
transpired that he and Mogg were old acquaintances from
Herschel Island. Exceptional hospitality was shown us ;

239

Chapter XII.

the one room which was aheady occupied by five people
was vacated and placed at our disposal. There were
two stoves in it, and these were kept continually
going. Old Thomas was a remarkable fellow. He
spoke four languages, English, French, Eskimo, and
Indian, and had a great deal to tell us about his many
wanderings. Mogg, who was more kindly disposed to
Eskimo and the Indians than to his own people, presented
him with a little of everything, tobacco, tea, matches, etc.,
and when we started the next morning, the old man
declared that Mr. Mogg was an angel. I did not say
how far I agreed with this opinion.

While we were made perfectly welcome, the dogs had
made themselves at home very unceremoniously. Good-
ness only knows how, but somehow they had attacked
the depot and helped themselves to its contents so freely
that in the morning they could hardly move. We should
really have reached Fort Yukon that evening, but owing
to the overfed condition of the dogs, they could not get
along very quickly and we had to pitch our tent for the
last time. The next morning we met four Indian
tobogganers. These were men of the colony returning
home. They looked very smart in their bead
embroidered clothing. The harness on the dogs was
also embroidered and adorned with litde bells. Indeed
they regarded their clothes as of great value, and once
when I inquired the price of a jacket, I was asked
thirty-five dollars for it ; but clothes are generally dear in
Alaska.

240

With the Eskimo and the Indians.

At 1.30 in the afternoon of November 20th we arrived
at Fort Yukon, which is situated on a steep river bank,
where the Porcupine joins the Yukon River. I cannot
say that the fortress made any great impression on me.
Two white merchants Hved there, and I must mention
the excellent and very kind Mr. Jack Carr ; otherwise
the colony consisted of some thirty odd Indian huts.
The business of the merchant is to barter for furs with
the Indians. There is also a school and a mission here.
I had reluctantly to take off my fine Nechilli dress, as
it was the object of too much attention on the part of the
numerous youths, who followed me in large groups
wherever I went.

Glad as I was to arrive, I was disappointed with Fort
Yukon. I had built my hopes on finding a telegraph
station here, but, unfortunately, the nearest station was
Eagle City, 200 miles to the south, higher up the river.
There was no help for it. I wanted to get into com-
munication with home, and to do that I must go on
to Eagle City. Jimmy and Kappa remained behind.
Kappa was fairly worn out after the journey and wanted
rest. Moofor and I therefore eng-ag-ed an Indian as
guide, this being still necessary at that time, in the
narrowest portion of the Yukon River. The river is
full of islands, forming a network of sounds and channels
which one must be acquainted with to find one's way
through, and the mails were not regular enough to make
a sufficiently reliable track. The mail leaving Fort
Yukon has its terminal point in Circle City ; there it

VOL. II. 241 R

Chapter XII.

is taken over by another mail carrier, who takes it
further south. But the whole of the postal communica-
tion between Fort Yukon and Dawson City, via Eagle,
is effected by four carriers, who use sledges and dogs.
Between Eagle and Dawson Cities horses are also used.
The total distance from Yukon to Dawson is estimated
by the carriers at 300 miles.

I arrived at Yukon with only about half of my
toboggan. Two of the four boards were worn out,
so I had to buy a new one from an Indian. Our load
was light now, as we no longer needed tent or other
equipments. The little we carried with us was on my
toboggan ; the guide, Charlie, had his own toboggan, and
Mogg travelled on his. We started at a fine speed up
the river, and it was evidently Charlie's ambition to show
us what sort of people the Indians were. He was ahead,
and ran in front of his dogs as hard as he could. How-
ever, what with the light load and their long training,
my dogs were not to be beaten ; they kept well up to
Charlie's toboggan, and I followed behind on my ski.
Mr. Charlie out-distanced none of us. In the evening
we came to a wooden hut, put up for the mail carriers.
It was very comfortable and cosy, and divided into two
rooms, one for the toboggans, and in the other were
two bedsteads, two chairs, a table, and a stove. The
bedsteads were covered with fresh pine branches, and
were very attractive after our twenty-miles travelling.
The next day we passed a little hut, where a wood-
cutter lived. Of course, we looked in. Mr. Lee Provost

242

With the Eskimo and the Indians.

was quite an exceptional fellow. He seemed to be
endowed with all the good qualities of mankind, and his
personality and open hospitality made such an impres-
sion on us that we remained the night with him.

On the 26th we arrived at Circle City and said good-
bye to our guide ; and we were not sorry to do so, as he
was an impertinent and conceited fellow, whose principal
desire was to show us that he had learned from the

LEE PROVOST S HUT.

missionaries that white folk and coloured folk were
equals. Owing to this he managed to make himself
very disagreeable, showing that good teaching may
sometimes turn out badly.

Circle City must be regarded as " quite a little town,"
as witness its liquor shops and dancing saloon, to say
nothing of the fighting and drunkenness resulting there-

243 i^ 2

Chapter XII.

from. We were lucky enough to find out that the
mail-carrier, Mr. Harpar, was starting southward next
morning, and, of course, it was a great advantage to us
to accompany him. The mail-carriers in Alaska are
splendid sledge drivers ; their dogs are of the best, but
very different to the Polar dogs. As a rule, they are

MOUND OF EARTH CONTAINING 1,000,000 DOLS. WORTH OF GOLD. NOME.

short haired and long legged ; their long legs are an
advantage in the deep snow, and, as they sleep indoors,
they do not need any thick coat.

From Circle City, towards the south, one meets with
the so-called Road Houses, small log huts providing
" food and lodgings for travellers." They are situated

along the river at intervals of about twenty miles, and

244

With the Eskimo and the Indians.

generally consist of three rooms, the room for the guest,
the kitchen, and a little room for the proprietor. All
arrivals are packed into the first room. Those who have
not their own beds with them must share with another ;
but people in these parts, after travelling all day and
arriving very tired, are not very particular. F'or us, who
had come from the northern regions, these " hotels " were
perfect wonders of comfort and elegance, but they were
also very expensive. The sleeping place, whether you
slept alone or shared it, cost a dollar. Each meal,
I "50 dollars. One day's board and lodging, with three
meals, came to more than 20 Norweoian kroners
{22s. 6d.). But the prices of everything are exception-
ally high in Alaska, and, when gold is discovered in the
neighbourhood, they go up by leaps and bounds. These,
high prices are naturally occasioned by the difficulties
and cost of transport. In Fairbanks, on the Tanana
River, where the last great discovery of gold was made,
a pair of snow-shoes fetched forty dollars, and a dog was
worth fifty dollars. Even these prices are insignificant
as compared with those which were paid on the occasion
of the rush to Klondyke. I have been informed, on
reliable authority, that 2,500 dollars were once offered
for a team of five dogs — and the offer was refused.
Everything else was on the same lines.

I now approached Eagle City with great excitement.
At last I was to be in direct communication with home,
and get all the news from my own fatherland. As we
rounded the last point, there, only two miles away, lay

245

Chapter XI I.

Eagle City, with its blue smoke standing out darkly
against the bright sky. You can imagine how over-
powering is the thought that within a few hours you will
be in touch with the dear ones at home. When we got
near the town, we left the ice and drove into the city to
the telegraph office, which was situated within the walls
of Fort Egbert. Fort Egbert was occupied by two
companies of the 3rd Infantry Regiment, and the officers
received me most kindly. I despatched my precious
telegram, which was only just in time, as shortly after-
wards the wires broke down, owino- to the intense cold.

I remained two months in Eagle City, waiting the
mail from home. I shall never forget that time, as it is
associated with some of my most cherished and pleasant
recollections. I was the gruest of Mr. Frank N. Smith,
Manaofer of the laro-e firm of the " Northern Commercial
Company." We have a saying that "when three days
old, guests and fish get stale," but this saying could never
apply in Mr. Smith's house, and now, after the lapse of
time, while writing these lines, my mind is still filled
with the warmest and most heartfelt gratitude to this
household.

On February 3rd I again started for the north. I had
now received all the news from home, including letters
and papers, and was glad to get away.

On my way back I again met with liberal hospitality

in Alaska. Mr. Jack Carr, of Fort Yukon, whose guest

I was for three days, did all in his power to facilitate my

journey over the mountains. I also owe a debt of

246

With the Eskimo and the Indians.

gratitude to Mr. Daniel Cadzow, of Rampart House, on
the Porcupine River, the last point of contact with
civilisation, where I passed some pleasant days before I
started back for the mountains. Nor must I forget to
thank the two brave mail-carriers on the Yukon River ;
they always did all in their power to help me, and were
exceptionally kind.

I then started for the north. The whip cracked, the
dogs pulled, and we were off northwards — to the " Gjoa "
and my comrades.

249

CHAPTER XIII.

Conclusion.

The first vessel to enter the open channel off the shore,
was the " Bowhead," Captain Cook. She anchored off
Cape Sabine to pick up driftwood, there being a large
quantity at that point. When the other two vessels saw
that the " Bowhead " had succeeded in getting- round into
the open channel, they followed, but were unable to get
in until the afternoon. Looking across the ice, we could
see they were the " Alexander" and " Jeannette," of San
Francisco. As I had to see Captain Tilton before my
departure, with a view to arranging matters connected
with Dr. Wight's transfer from the " Alexander "to the
" Gjoa," we lay there for the time being, and waited.
We had enough to do as it was. During the last few
days Lindstrom had baked a large quantity of white
bread and stowed it away in casks. By this means we
should have soft bread for some time to come. His oven
in the house on shore was still full of bread, and we could
not leave until our " Handy Man " returned. We utilised
the remaining hours collecting wood, in addition to what
we had already. We stowed wood in every possible and
impossible nook and corner of the boat. We were lying

250

Conclusion.

on the starboard side of the wreck, quite Hghtly moored
and ready to get under way at any moment. It was a
beautiful afternoon and the sea was perfectly calm. The
dogs were lying on the forecastle, basking in the sun.
Had they anticipated what was impending, they would
scarcely have been lying so quietly. We had become
fond of our swift animals, notwithstanding their vices and
all the trouble and anxiety they caused us.

The Eskimo had assembled on board the " Bonanza "
to see us off ; they were all there, Kataksina, with little
Anni on her back, as well as Kunak and Neiu with their
wives and sons. We were now waiting with growing
impatience, there was nothing more for us to do. At
last, the two stout friends came upon the forecastle, each
carrying a loaf of bread. Sten intended going out with
us to meet the " Alexander," and returning with her. It
was an anxious moment when the two corpulent gentle-
men stood poised on the narrow gangway ; we looked on
with our hearts in our mouths, trembling for the safety
both of themselves and their loaves ; then the command
was given : " Cast off! Full speed ahead! " And the
good ship " Gjoa " started on the last and final stage of
her long voyage. As we passed Wiik's grave, we lowered
our flag to half mast and paid a last tribute of friendship
to his memory. Then the flag was run up again, and we
ploughed ahead.

The beach presented an animated scene. All our good
friends and acquaintances, both white men and Eskimo,
were there, busy collecting drift wood, and they kept

251

Chapter XIII.

cheering and waving so that we had to dip our flag again
and again in response. Meanwhile the " Alexander "
was drawing near and I gave the order to " Stop," so as
to wait for her. As the vessel approached, Captain Tilton

WE LOWERED OUR FLAG TO HALF-MAST — THE LAST TRIBUTE
FROM HIS COMRADES.

shouted to us several times, but we could not understand

a word. He must have been in a hurry, as he did not

stop, but continued his course towards King Point.

Having, as I have stated, promised Dr. Wight to take

him on board, we could not do otherwise than turn round

252

Conclusion.

and follow her. It was no oreat distance after all. The
" Alexander " and the " Jeannette " were lying to, and
when we got alongside we also lay to. As soon as we
had put Sten ashore and had taken the Doctor on board,
we hastened to resume our voyage. Off Cape Sabine we
stopped and sent a boat over to the " Bowhead," still
lying there, to get some sperm oil. It was Dr. Wight
who had advised this, on account of Manni who had been
unable to sfet rid of his cold.

After we had been under way for a couple of hours or
so, the engineer came and reported that the whole engine-
room was flooded with water. Heigho ! it must be the
effect of the water on the vessel, she must have sprung a
leak. We at once sounded the pumps but found that
she had no more water in her than usual. Eventually we
found that the sole cause of the mischief was some old
ice we had on board ; it had suddenly melted and formed
a channel communicating between the main hold and the
engine room, all the water rushing aft. We escaped this
time with nothing more than a fright. The engine
worked well and we made three knots. A slight puff of
wind from the east with a swell, indicated that the bay at
the mouth of the Makenzie River was open. At last we got
round to the outside of the ice and set our course towards
the west. The wind freshened, and the swell was heavy.
When I came on -deck at 6 a.m. next morning, we had
King Point on our beam abaft. I took up my telescope
and singled out the familiar spots, the wreck, the houses
and the cross. This cross rose high up against the clear

253

Chapter XIII.

sky, and seemed to give us a message of " Love to all at
home."

It was blowing a fresh breeze from the south-east, and
we went smartly ahead westward. When we came to
Herschel Island we found it surrounded with ice. But
what did that matter to us ? We had no business on the

■

ppHH^^^^^

^- ^..^.^

^^^^^^^^B^^^^^^^_![^!i!9IHHft '^' ' "^H^MaL^' ~

SUMMER AT KING POINT.

island, and laughed at the sapient skippers whose last
advice to us was that we should run into the harbour and
remain lying there quietly for at least a fortnight ; but
now we could see ahead of us, beyond the island, that
the condition of the ice was most favourable, and we
laughed at the sages. But, alas, it is not well to dis-

254

Conclusion.

regard the voice of experience. We had not proceeded
far on our beautiful course when we found that the open
water was merely a kind of inlet in the ice to the west,
a mere cul-de-sac. We had to return promptly and try
to make our way into the harbour. A fresh westerly
wind opportunely laid the harbour open for us, but we
had to run so close in under the north-east point of the
island that we had barely nine feet of water. However,
we managed to squeeze through, and at 2.30 a.m. of
July 13th we cast anchor.

This afforded us a very good, though brief,
opportunity of studying Herschel Island without its pall
of snow. The island is small and is covered all over
with moss. It is separated from the mainland by a narrow,
shallow sound. When Franklin passed here in 1826, he
did not observe the excellent harbour on the east side of
the island. Hence he says that the narrow sound is the
only place of refuge for a vessel between this and the
Mackenzie River. Franklin did not at that time anti-
cipate the great importance Herschel Island was destined
to assume. The harbour is good in all winds. It is true
that a south-west wind would blow right into the harbour,
but it could hardly do any damage, although it has
happened, in very exceptional weather, such as is not
experienced more than once in a generation, that boats
have been driven ashore. It was Franklin who dis-
covered and named the island, but it is the bold
American whalers who have made it what it is. They
were exceedingly badly off for harbours on the North

255

Chapter XIII.

American coast, and the discovery of Herschel Island

was therefore of great importance to whalers. It was

in 1889 that they pushed through to this island. It had

taken many years to get so far, and a good many lives

were lost in the attempts. The first calamity that befell

the struesflinof whalers' fleet was due neither to foul

weather nor to ice. During the war between the

Northern and Southern States in 1865, a man-of-war

belonpfinsf to the Southern States went north and burnt

thirty ships and destroyed about three million dollars'

worth of property. In 1876, thirty vessels got stuck

fast in the ice off Barrow Point. Some seventy men

of the crews abandoned their vessels to save their lives,

but nothing was ever heard of any one of them. Later on,

in 1897, a number of vessels were crushed by the ice.

Lastly, in 1905, the ice set in towards the coast a month

earlier than usual, stopping all traffic. But no vessels

were lost on that occasion, as all managed to find a

harbour of refuge. On the whole, the hunt for the

precious bowhead whale has been a very costly one.

Of the bowhead whale, the whalebone alone is used ;

all the rest goes to the fishes. But then the present

average value of the whalebone taken from one whale is

10,000 dollars. Whale hunting is not by any means

easy or free from danger. The bowhead whale is very

wary, and is scared away by the least noise. As soon as

a whale is sighted, the propeller is stopped and sails

alone are used. While the whale is still a long way off,

a boat is lowered to begin the actual hunt. Oars must

256

Conclusion.

not be used ; it must be propelled by sails only. The
little boat is steered direct to the huge monster, the
harpooner standing in the bows ready to throw his
harpoon. Shooting is out of the question, as a shot
would scare away all the whales for miles around. Tonite
is used as an explosive. If the whale is not killed by
the first throw, he darts off madly, and ample rope must
be given him if the harpooners are to follow him, just as
in hunting the bottle-nosed whale between Jan Mayen
and the Faroes. If there is ice in the fairway, the
hunters must be on the alert. If it becomes necessary
to cut the harpoon line, this means an absolute loss of
something like ^i,8oo. When killed, the whale is
towed to the vessel. The head is cut off and taken on
board, and the carcass is sent adrift. Then the whale-
bone is taken out and the head is hove overboard.

The first bowhead whale, Balena mysticetus, was caught
in the Behring Sea in 1843. Five years later the first
whaler passed through Behring Strait, and was soon
followed by many others. In 1905 the whaling fleet
comprised fourteen vessels, all, except the " Bonanza,"
being fitted with auxiliary engine power. This year,
the brig "Jeannette" scored the largest catch, eleven
whales. For sixty years this trade has been carried on
at enormous profits, but attended by grave perils and by
the loss of many a life. All these lives and all this
property are risked year by year to supply the markets
of the world with the whalebone of the bowhead whale.
I inquired what this costly material is used for, and I

VOL. II. 257 S

Chapter XIII.

learned that it is chiefly used for the manufacture of
corsets. A ladyhke figure is an expensive thing ; but
I think that, after my experience as a Polar resident, I
would vote in favour of dress reform.

In spite of the early morning hour, all the Eskimo in
the harbour were astir. After the departure of the
whaling fleet, we were the only " lions " in the place, and

VEGETATION AT KING POINT.

were treated with the greatest deference. After some
hours' sleep, we went up to the highest point of the
island to survey the ice conditions. There was much
ice lying to the westward. Along the coast there was an
open channel in the ice, but it was impossible for us to
judge from where we stood whether it was wide enough
for us. At any rate, if would be a great advantage to get

258 , .

Conclusion.

into the open channel, so as to be in a position to make
the most of any opportunity that might present itself.
The only means of access to the open channel was the
narrow sound between the island and the coast. We
had heard many contradictory reports as to the depth of
the sound, but, to make certain, Lieutenant Hansen
went out into the sound, accompanied by Hansen, the
Doctor, and Foss, with an Eskimo to act as pilot. This
pilot did not prove to be of much use. Each time he
took soundings and found the water shallow he simply
called out, "Water very small!" which was intelligible
enough, but afforded little information to those abaft.
The results of the examination showed that the bottom
was very unequal. Even if it were possible to thread
one's way by twists and turns along a navigable channel,
it would, after all, be too risky, and we decided to bide
our time. On the way back, the party met a number of
Eskimo who had had good hauls in fishing, and we
bought a large quantity of fresh fish from them.

We now arranged that one of us should go every day
up to the highest point of the island to inspect the ice
conditions. The highest point lay quite over to the
west of the island, a stiff walk of close on two and a half
miles, over very difficult ground. But, as for the vegeta-
tion on this island. King Point was a desert compared
to it. It was, so to speak, carpeted with flowers, and
Lindstrom was in clover. Early and late he might be
seen with his green botanical collecting-box on his back,

and he always brought some rare specimens home. The

259 s 2

Chapter XIII.

richest flora was found at the back of the cemetery.
The burial-place on Herschel Island was divided into
two parts : one for whale hunters and one for Eskimo.
The whale hunters' graves were all well kept and adorned
with painted crosses. But the Eskimo's presented a
most remarkable appearance. It was as if a tradesman
kept his store of goods there, for the Eskimo put their
dead into ordinary wooden boxes and deposit them in

ESKIMO GRAVES AT HERSCHEL ISLAND.

rows on the bare ground. Only very few had placed
these boxes on wooden trestles ; the majority lay on the
ground. I could not help wondering how they were able
to identify the remains of those dear to them.

When the whale hunters arrived at the island it was
inhabited by about 500 Kagmallik Eskimo ; now there
are only very few, and the great majority of these are
a mixed race. They live in small wooden huts ; very

260

Conclusion.

unhealthy as far as I could judge. Besides, there are
a number of large storage sheds and small depots. The
former missionary's house is now occupied by Major
Howard and his staff. This man has the by no means
lip"ht task of maintaining order amono- some hundreds
with only one man under him. He also has to collect

whalers' graves at herschel island.

duty from the A mericans who, of course, are on Canadian

territory here.

Manni went out assiduously to shoot ducks ; these are

to be found in large numbers. I forbade him to go

inland as I did not care to have him infected with any

of the Eskimo's various diseases with which civilisation

had gifted them. For instance, syphilis was very

261

Chapter XIII.

prevalent among them. But what strikes the stranger
most is the rising generation here. They bear the stamp
of a very varied admixture of races ; a pure Eskimo
type is exceedingly rare among them. The children
differ greatly, not only in facial type, but also in their
dress ; for instance, I saw a little girl with a red frock,
black shoes, and a "baby hat," which suited her

ESKIMO HUTS AT HERSCHEL ISLAND.

admirably. Surely she was not an Eskimo ? Then the

mother came upon the scene, and, though not a full-bred

Eskimo, she was certainly a half-breed. The child was

the third generation of race admixture. The mixture of

Eskimo and negro has a most ludicrous effect, I cannot

find a name for the specimen I saw, but it was exceedingly

comical.

The Eskimo on Herschel Island have grown so accus-

262

TUPSI. ESKIMO WOMAN AT HERSCHEL ISLAND.

Conclusion.

tomed to white men's food that if they cannot obtain it
they deem it a great hardship. If the flour supply
runs short they feel the want of it very severely, and
this year even the white men have been so badly off in
this respect that there has been little to spare for the
Eskimo. Just at the time I refer to the poor people
were waiting the arrival of the tender of the whaling
fleet, which was to bring food for all. The tender did
not get further than Point Barrow, where the whalers
met her and collected the supplies ordered ; so the
Eskimo were bitterly disappointed this autumn.

Although the missionary was away, religious services
were held every Sunday. An old chief named Tomach-
sina conducted the service and Dr. Wight played the
organ.

Here we came across the first vegetables of this region,
" Kagmallik Potatoes " as the whale hunters called
them. These are the roots of Polygomnn bistoi^ta, and
do not taste badly, either raw or cooked. In the Eskimo
language they are called " masku " ; they resemble carrots
with a skin like a potato, and have a slightly sweetish
taste. The Eskimo gathered sackfuls of them and sold
them to us.

On July 20th the wind was north-easterly, and all the
whale hunters had told us this was the most favourable
wind for driving the ice away from the land. It soon
increased to a gale. But the daily look-out returned and
reported that the ice was closer in than ever. On the

2 1 St I rowed ashore with Ristvedt, Lund, and the Doctor

265

Chapter XIII.

to see whether this wind had in fact produced any effect

on the ice. We proposed to row a couple of miles along

the east coast so as to find an easier ascent to the top.

While on our way we met Manni, who had started out

after breakfast, and we called out to him something or

other, I do not remember what. We pulled the boat up

on to the landing place and went up to our look-out.

The ice looked promising ; the north-east wind had

begun to take effect. As we were approaching the boat

on our way back, Lund suddenly exclaimed : " I think

they have hoisted the flag on board. What can it mean ?

But they have not hoisted it right up to the top ! " The

telescope was brought out and we saw that the flag was

half-mast high on the " Gjoa." There can be no more

unpleasant sight than a flag at half-mast. We tried to

console ourselves with the idea that possibly it referred to

one of our Eskimo friends on shore. Yet w^e could not

feel assured on this point. I at once thought of Manni,

and I believe the others did also. We flew down the

slope, left our boat there and made our way overland till

we were just off our ship. We had already been

observed and were taken aboard by a boat sent for us.

We were right, it was Manni. He was drowned.

When we got aboard, the Lieutenant told me that

while he was standing on deck talking to one of the lads,

he saw Manni standing upright in his little boat, taking

aim at a bevy of ducks. They were so much accustomed

to seeing him under similar conditions that they took no

particular notice of him. But a moment after when they

266

Conclusion.

looked that way, the boat was empty and water was
spouting up from the sea by its side. Manni had fallen
overboard. Quick as lightning Hansen and Foss were
into another of the ship's boats, while the Lieutenant flew

MANNI (summer, I906).

Up to the crow's nest to direct their movements. Barely
five minutes could have elapsed when the boat reached
the spot. But Manni had disappeared. The canvas boat
was lying upright on her keel, full of water. The oars

267

Chapter XIII.

were drifting on the sea but the lad and his gun were
gone. A heavy wave had struck the boat as he stood
upright in her looking after the birds, and he had fallen
overboard. He never rose again. Another sad illustra-
tion of the unfortunate fact that none of the Eskimo ever
learnt swimming. I at once reported the misfortune to
the Chief of the Police and asked him to provide for the
funeral, if the body should drift ashore. But the Eskimo
thought Manni's body would never be found as the
current would carry it out to sea. It was a heavy blow
to all of us to lose Manni under these sad circumstances,
We had all become fond of him and were very anxious to
take him with us to civilised regions and see what we
could rhake of him there.

Next day I was again on our look-out. It seemed as
if the ice was steadily continuing to recede to the west.
But, after all, it might only be the same bay from which
we had been obliged to return. As long as the north-
easter was blowing right into it, it might be risky for us
to try to get ahead that way again, and after consultation
with my comrades, I decided to wait till the wind lulled.
On July 23rd, at i a.m., the wind dropped, and we at
once got all clear for starting. The anchor was weighed.
There was still a little wind in the north-east, but it was
quite sluggish. We followed the ice, which extended in
a continuous mass from the south-west point of Herschel
Island towards the west alono- the mainland. Landward
of this ice there was an open channel along the coast,
and what we had to do was to try to find a way into this

268

Conclusion.

channel. There were several inlets extending far into the

ice. One of these extended to a distance of about fifteen

miles from the harbour ; there was only a narrow belt of

ice separating it from the open channel off the coast, and

it could not possibly be long before this barrier would be

broken ; but for the present we could not get through

that way, and we therefore continued our westward

course. The edge of the ice soon began to bear off

towards the north, but that was not the course we wished

to take. We went on until we all realised that we had

again been trying to get through a bay in the ice,

another cul-de-sac. So at 1 1 p.m. on the 24th we had

once more to turn back to Herschel Island. We had to

beat our way up to the harbour against the north-east

wind, and it took us a long time to get in. We old tars

took this calmly enough, but the new hands w^ere sorely

disappointed. The Doctor, particularly, was in a state

of nervous excitement. At last, at 2.30 a.m. on the 26th,

we were again lying at our old anchorage. Immediately

after breakfast the " look-out " went ashore. He returned

later in the day and reported great changes for the worse.

We were now expecting a regular storm to blow from the

land, but it did not come. After noon we sent Hansen

on a tour along the east coast of the island to look out for

Manni's body. But he returned without success.

Some of the bread Lindstrom had baked had g-ot

mouldy and had to be thrown overboard. The bread

made with syrup kept well. Lindstrom was now the

" Second Engineer," as also the Ship's Baker. Down

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Chapter XIII.

in the engine-room we had fitted up quite a Httle bake-
house, from which he supplied many French rolls and
loaves. He had only one objection to establishing him-
self altogfether in the eno-ine-room : the " First Engineer,"
Ristvedt, "was so unreasonably fond of cakes."

On the 30th the first whaler entered the harbour.
This was the bark " Belvedere," which had run short of
food and fuel. On August ist the look-out reported very
favourable ice conditions, and I decided to weigh anchor
at once and make another attempt to get out of the ice.
We were under weigh at 4.30 p.m., and an hour later were
overtaken by the " Belvedere," which passed us to the
west. She was anxious to push on ahead, as scurvy had
broken out among the crew. We followed the border of
the ice. At 9 p.m. on August 2nd we moored to the ice
seven miles from the coast and ten miles from Demarca-
tion Point. We took advantage of the time we were
lying moored to procure a supply of fresh water, of which
there was an abundance in a large deep pond that had
formed on the ice. We lay there all through August 3rd,
quite hemmed in by ice. It was our King's birthday,
and we hoisted the flag in honour of the occasion. We
celebrated the day with such festivities as we could afford
to indulge in ; little more than a few extra beans in our
coffee and a few currants in the wheat cake. We had
nothing much else to make a feast with. But it may
well be that our King did not enjoy his food any better
on that day than we did, as we lay in the ice flying our

flag in his honour.

270

Conclusion.

The next nisfht was rather an anxious one. The ice
began to press, but It did not come to anything serious.
The rudder was forced up a Httle, but it was soon set
right again. About 6.30 a.m. on August 4th, the ice-
pressure slackened and we got free. There was a fog,
and the wind was in the west ; the worst quarter we could
have had It from. There was nothing left for us but to
return to Herschel Island, and at 2.30 a.m. we lay, for
the third time, at our old anchorage. The " Belvedere "
had already returned, and knew just as much as
we did, that Ice was lying to the north-west. The
schooner "Herman" had also arrived, and later, at
night, the " Kaluk " arrived. The vessels began to
collect, awaiting the arrival of the tender that was to
bring fuel and provisions. During the two following
days the barques "Treasure" and " Bowhead " came In,
and now there were seven boats lying In the harbour.
The whalers had decided to He there till August loth.
If the tender did not arrive by then, they Intended going
to Barrow Point to meet her.

On August 9th the second mall from Edmonton and

Fort McPherson arrived. It came by boat, and brought

us the latest news. Of course, great sensation was caused

by the news of the earthquake and fire In San Francisco.

A Mr. Steffensen, who came with the mall, told us that a

Danish expedition, under Mr. Mikkelsen, was on Its way

here, and that he was to join It. The object of the

expedition was to search for land In the north. We were

rejoicing In our Intentions to search for land In the south.

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Chapter XI 1 1.

On the same day a gale sprang up from the . north.
At I P.M. the long-expected and anxiously awaited
** Olga " entered the harbour. She had wintered in
Minto Inlet, in Prince Albert Land, where they had
met some Eskimo, Probably these were Kilnermium
Eskimo, from the Coppermine River, of the same tribe
that Hansen and Ristvedt had met on their sledging
expedition in 1905. The "Olga" had lost several of
her crew, and it was particularly unfortunate that both
engineers had died, so that the crew could not get their
engine to work. They had to depend entirely on their
sails. The crew were two w^hole days out in their com-
putation of time. They had seen a large number of
whales, but were too few in number to make any catches.
At 7 p,M. the " Bowhead " set out to find some of these
numerous whales.

The north-east wind was still blowing fresh next day,
and, being rather tired of Herschel, I decided to run
into our old bay in the ice, to see whether the long-
continued north-east wind had not opened a way for us
through the narrow strip of ice we had observed on the
previous occasion. After taking on board a large supply
of driftwood, which the Eskimo, Manichya, had collected
for us, we weighed anchor and ran out, A strong current
to the west carried us out quickly. We held to the
south-west all day long, in the hazy atmosphere, without
being able to get a full view across the ice. At night the
fog set in, thick as a wall. We very soon got from twelve

fathoms into seven and a half fathoms, and thought we

272

Conclusion.

wefe not far from land. We found some ice here, lying
fast to the shallow bottom, and we moored to it to await
clear weather. We estimated that we were about two
miles from land. Next morning we had to shift our
mooring to some other ice, as that to which we had been
moored had got afloat and was drifting away. At 6 p.m.
the fog lifted and revealed a gladdening sight We had
got into the open channel along the coast, and had a clear
course to the west as far as we could see. To the north
the ice was still lying heavy and close. We therefore
started the engine and got under way. It looked now as
if the evil spell was at last broken. The open channel
was at first very narrow, but became wider on the follow-
ing day. However, the fog was so thick that we could
not see much. A slight north-westerly breeze compelled
us to tack, the engine not being powerful enough to make
headway right in the teeth of the wind. Otherwise, it
was just under such conditions that the engine did excel-
lent service. If we had had to depend on the sails alone
while beating up this narrow channel, filled with ice, and
with a sluggish breeze, it would have taken us a wretchedly
long time. When we were in danger of being caught in
the ice, and everything depended on our rushing ahead
in front of it, the engine was of the greatest assistance.
And as this sort of thing happened continually, we were
indebted to the engine for saving us much loss of time.

Off Icy Reef we repeatedly neared the shore and
observed a large bright white surface, which looked like
a lagoon or lake, but it could not be that, as the ice

VOL. II. 273 T

Chapter XIII.

upon it would have melted ere now. It must have been
the glacier near Icy Reef, of which we had heard on
Herschel Island from a man who came from Camden
Bay to buy provisions. It was not large, but, as far as
we saw, it was the only one on the whole north coast.
Moreover, the fairway around Icy Reef is full of ice-
blocks and fragments of fresh ice. However, we had
no time to go ashore and investigate the phenomenon.

On the 14th, at 10 a.m., we passed Manning Point,
which is visited by many Eskimo. We observed there,
in fact, a number of huts and stacks of driftwood, but
no livinof soul. During the afternoon watch the ice was
constantly forcing us towards the south. I did not like
this, because Collinson describes Camden Bay, where
we thought we were at present, as being shallow
and foul. In fact, we got into two or three fathoms
of water there, but soon found ourselves out in open
water ag-ain and able to sfo further over towards the
north, where the water deepened quickly. At night the
north-easterly breeze increased to a gale, so that we had
to reef sails. Owing to the fog, the stiff gale, and more
particularly to our uncertainty as to our actual where-
abouts, I decided to go up to some ground ice and await
further events. Suddenly land came in sight right ahead
of us ; we thought it was the Flaxman Islands, but,,
of course, we could not be certain.

The work on board was sometimes rather varied,,
there being so few hands. This evening, for instance,
Lindstrom had to make the meteorological observations,,

274

Conclusion.

take soundings, bake bread, and attend the engine. All
the others were equally hard-worked, each in his own
way. It is certain that our voyage would never have
been accomplished had the men not been tractable and
willing. In difficult situations we shared trouble and
hardships in brotherly unity, and all rejoiced with one
heart when difficulties were surmounted.

The ice to which we had moored was, In fact, pack-ice.
It was full of large old hummocks, showing that it had
not always been so still and quiescent as now. It
appeared to me to be less in bulk and presumably newer
than the ice off Greenland.

All the following day we lay still, owing to the fog.
When it parted for a moment the Lieutenant at once
took our bearings and found that we were actually lying
three nautical miles north of Flaxman Islands. Next
morning the wind lulled, and the fog cleared sufficiently
to enable us to see each other. We then cast off, and
went cautiously ahead under small sail and engine-power.
We proceeded four nautical miles, constantly taking
soundings. The ice was very manageable, and we made
good progress. At 4 p.m. we passed one of the many
small sand-banks lying along the coast. At 5 p.m. the
ice became impracticable toward the west, and I decided
to seek a passage inside the nearest bank. According
to what the whalers told us, we should find sufficient
depth. But the difficulty was to get through to the inner
side. The whalers had told us we could find a way
in between some of the banks, but in the fog it was

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Chapter XIII.

quite impossible to distinguish one sandbank from

another, so we were obliged to feel our way cautiously.

We made everything clear to drop anchor rapidly,

should it become necessary, and set our course inward.

The bottom began to shallow up, and when we found

nine feet of water we dropped anchor, so that we might

explore in a small boat. Our soundings showed that

this inlet was blocked. From the masthead I saw

another inlet, and this was passable with a minimum

depth of three and a quarter fathoms. Inside the banks

we found quite open water, as the sandbanks prevented

the ice from getting in.

At 5 A.M. we had Cross Island on our beam, where

a cross had been raised as a landmark. At 9 a.m. we

found ourselves in deeper water, from five to seven

fathoms, and therefore were evidently out in the open

sea again. We had gained a good deal by thus passing

inside the belt of outlying banks ; the ice on the outside

might have detained us a long time. The waters about

here are notorious for large accumulations of ice. The

fog lifted very rarely. At noon we were right off one

of the Thetis Islands, but could not very well tell which.

To the west of the outlying banks the sea was clear and

free from ice. Off Harrison Bay we again encountered

ice, and were compelled to bear to the south. In the

course of the night we travelled across the bay, and

found we were in the " Pacific Shoal," with two and three

quarters fathoms of water, under the lee of Cape

Halkett. The ice lay close all the way and compelled

276

Conclusion.

us to keep very near in shore. In passing Smith Bay
we had to keep to the inside, as, in fact, we had been
compelled to do in passing all the other bays. The
whalers had not sailed Smith Bay. We found it clear,
and with an even bottom. The least depth we found
was off Cape Halkett, but further in the bay, and to the
westward, we found four and five fathoms. At 6 p.m.
we sighted Cape Simpson and had thus got across the
bay. The ice seemed to lie right up to the shore at the
Cape ; the whole east side was also filled with ice, but on
the shoreward side there was an open channel, wide
enough to admit us. We tried to enter it, but had to
turn back as the water suddenly became very shallow,
and we then made fast to some ground ice. However,
we could only find a very small mass of ice to moor to,
and the position was rather dangerous. The wind kept
in the east all night, but the next day there seemed to
have been a great change in the ice. We now made
another attempt to get into the open channel along the
shore, but an abrupt shallowing up from two to one and
a-half fathoms induced us to retire with all possible
speed. The ice on the seaward side was closely packed
and again we had to make fast to the ground ice, which
this time was very small, and the " Gjda " had very little
to depend on. At night the easterly wind freshened to
a stiff gale. The ice lying to windward of us, which had
been protecting us from the sea, now drifted away, leaving
our little piece of ground ice at the mercy of the heavy
rolling sea. The sky was overcast, it was dark as

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Chapter XIII.

night, and the sea poured in a stream across the surface
of the ice. At the same time a large quantity of loose
ice got adrift, some of it floating towards the ground ice
and some of it towards the boat. We endeavoured to
ward off the shocks of its impact as far as possible by
means of boat-hooks. Luckily we had got both ice
anchors out, and they were needed. There was a great
probability of the ground ice, to which we were moored,
breaking up, and we were ready to drop the anchors at
once should this happen. But in the darkness of the
night it was not easy to keep the chains from being
fouled by the drifting masses of ice. At last the day
broke, and rarely have we welcomed daylight with greater
joy and relief than we did after this terrible night. But
before we could quit our unpleasant surroundings we had
to get the ice anchors loose, and it needed a brave and
active man to manao-e this on the small ice-floe to which
the anchors were fixed. I selected Helmer Hansen for
the work. He knew no fear, and was as nimble as
a squirrel ; as a rule he did at the first attempt what
others could not do till the second. True, he did not
get back with a dry skin, but Hansen had had a drenching
before, and did not mind it much.

The east wind had worked great changes in the ice ;
we got up to within three fathoms of its edge and followed
it. There were hummocks of considerable height on a
shoal three miles from Cape Simpson. As the weather
was still very hazy and the gale was stiffening to a

hurricane, we sought shelter in the lee of some ground

278

Conclusion.

ice close by, and made fast to it. Nothing is more risky
than to let the vessel lie near ice which cannot be over-
looked ; it is easy to get caught in a bay inside a mass of
ice without any outlet, and so have a chance of an
involuntary trip to the North Pole. And on these
borders of the Arctic Ocean the risk is greater than
anywhere else. The current that Nansen so splendidly
utilised, the current that has carried hundreds of American
vessels northwards, and in 1879 carried away the
" Jeannette," under De Long, runs strongest near Point
Barrow, and sets towards the north-east, sometimes with
almost torrential rapidity.

While we were working up against the ice we were
unfortunate enough to strike one of the propeller blades
against a projecting piece. The engine stopped abruptly,
and, notwithstanding all efforts on the part of the
engineers, we could not get it to work. The propeller
blades were not damaged but the shaft had got warped.
We took the matter quietly and soothed our anger by
the consoling reflection that it might have happened
to us very much earlier. The ground ice to which
we now made fast was large and safe, and we were
protected against any contingency. We were just out-
side Fatigue Bay, During the night the ice pressed
closely ; at times it was firmly packed, at others it was
loose. The wind lulled, and at 6 a,m. we cast off and
proceeded westward. Heavy masses of ice drifted past
us and we had to dodge between them. While the

mainsail was being set, the gaff broke and we were in a

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Chapter XIII.

very awkward predicament, no engine and no sail ; in
fact, without the mainsail the vessel was incapable of
manoeuvring. We put the trysail up, and we got on
pretty well, running before the wind. An hour later the
gaff was spliced and the mainsail set again. Now we
went smartly ahead to the west among scattered ice, but
I did not like seeing so much ice between us and the
shore. About noon the ice closed in so much that we
made scarely any further progress to speak of. We came
to some ice which we thought was frozen to the bottom,
and made fast to it. The weather continued foggy. As
our moorings appeared to be drifting westwards, we were
compelled to get disengaged. At 2 p.m. the fog lifted
and we sighted the mastheads of two ships beyond a long
low point of the coast. This point must have been Cape
Barrow. The vessels were lying to leeward on the west
side, waiting for a chance to get ahead. The drift ice
separating us from the open channel along the coast began
to get looser, and we decided to force our way through.
The prospect of getting into communication with the
vessels was a further inducement. At 3 p.m. we headed
towards a much looser pack of ice ; we cast off and with
all sail, made straight for the loosest part. I had sent up
Lund, the most experienced of us all, into the crow's-
nest. Now that we were entirely dependent on our sails,
the presence of experienced and tried whale-hunters on
board was of inestimable value. To manoeuvre a sailina-
ship in closely packed ice requires many years' experience ;
anyone can make headway with a steamer. Luckily we

280

Conclusion.

had a small stretch of open water in front of us, so that
we had got up some speed before we came up to the ice.
The " Gjoa " struck it with a heavy thud, turning every-
thing on deck topsy-turvy, but her bow parted the ice.
We all worked franctically with boathooks to clear the ice
away as well as we could, and the boat pressed forwards
under full sail. Thus we forced our way ahead, inch by
inch until there was very little left of it. The ship then
took a fresh start for the last assault ; it seemed as if the
old "Gjoa" knew she had reached a critical moment.
She had to tackle two large masses of ice that barred her
way to the North West Passage ; and now she charged
again into them to force them asunder and slip through.
The lads attacked the ice on both sides with boathooks,
a tough desperate fight. The ice yielded a fraction of an
inch at a time, but at last it gave way. A wild shout of
triumph broke forth when the vessel slipped through.
The barrier was broken, we were out in open waters, with
a clear homeward track before us.

With joy beaming on our faces we headed westward in
the open channel, under full sail. We were now gradually
getting into the track of the ships we had sighted, which
meant news from home, from our dear ones, and from the
outer world. We knew that on board those ships letters
awaited us. Bank after bank lay along the coast, forming
large lagoons. At 6.30 p.m. a thick misty rain come on,
entirely obscuring our view. Again we had to lie up
against some ice. An hour later, it got lighter again and

we now saw the mastheads of five vessels. It did not

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Chapter XIII.

take us long to get under sail again, and we were soon
well under way. Luckily the wind had kept in the north-
east all the time, so that we had not felt the want of our
engine. There was plenty of water ; the shallowest
sounding being two and a-half fathoms. At lo p.m. we
rounded Barrow Point, the north-west point of America.
It was late at night, yet we thought we really must hoist
our flag, and we did so.

The ships had already sighted us, as a boat was coming
towards. It was Einar Mikkelsen, the leader of the
Anglo - American Polar Expedition. His ship, the
" Duchess of Bedford," was lying here waiting for a
favourable wind, to take her eastward. We ran close
inshore and anchored. What with steam sirens going
and flags saluting, there was plenty of stir and excite-
ment. The " Harold Dollars," the tender of the whaling
fleet, and the schooner " Monterey " came up to us, and
greetings and congratulations poured in. The tender had
been lying here a long time and had given up all idea of
going any further, which under the circumstances was not
to be wondered at. The " Monterey " was one of the two
vessels that had managed to slip out through the ice
before the autumn. Her crew was now whaling, and did
not trouble about eastward reg-ions. A steam launch
from the American Revenue cutter " Thetis," lying two
miles off, came and brought further visitors. Subse-
quently I went aboard the tender to inquire after the mail.
Whom should I meet there but my old friend, Mogg, my

travelling companion in Alaska. He was ice pilot on

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Conclusion.

board. A large parcel of letters and a present of apples
and cigars were the welcome reward awaiting me. No
one on board the " Gjoa " turned in very early that night.
All the letters had to be read and all the news discussed.
Every one of us had good news from home.

The first thing we had to attend to now was to procure
material for repairing our gaff ; the last repair was merely
temporary. Next morning I procured four good planks
from the tender, and we at once set to work to mend the
eaff ; it did not take us lono-. But when it was finished,
with air its lashings, it certainly presented a rather
patched-up appearance. It was so big that I was almost
afraid our winch would not be able to work it. I was on
board the tender, again at night, and bought from the
amiable Captain a quantity of provisions and other things
to cheer us durino- the remainder of our time on board :
fruit, cigars, and a quantity of American canned goods,
which we highly appreciated. When I got on board the
" Gjoa " again, a heavy ice-fioe had drifted on to us, and
was pressing against our chain. We managed to weigh
anchor, set sail, and get clear. Being under sail, we
thought we might as well proceed on our voyage at once,
and, doubtless to the surprise of the other vessels, we
sailed away to the west. The " Treasure " and
"Karluk" were just coming in from Herschel Island.
At 1 1 P.M. we passed the " Thetis," making for the
other vessels, to maintain order. Of course, we ran
up our flag, always pleased to exchange becoming-
courtesies with other vessels. But the commander of

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Chapter XI 1 1.

the " Thetis " thought otherwise ; the American flag
was not hoisted.

The breeze from the north-east still continued, but it
was very slack. We had a few squalls with rain. Off
Cape Belcher we bade a last good-bye to the ice ; it was
lying about in small floes. From that time we saw no
further trace of it. I was quite prepared to find that we
had sprung a leak in our last encounter with the ice ;
but, on the contrary, the boat was tighter than ever.
Instead of two hundred strokes of the pump in one watch,
we now needed barely forty. But the old leakage
reappeared soon after.

On August 24th we were becalmed for the first time.
So long as we had a good wind, it was easy enough to
pretend we could do just as well without an engine ; but
things were different now, and, unable to restrain our
annoyance, we vented it on the engineer. " Now then,
Smith, why haven't you got the ' coffee-mill ' going ? "
Jeers and jibes poured down through the engine-room
skylight on the heads of the unfortunate engineers, who
were perspiring in their efforts to repair the defect, if
possible.

Since we left the Greenland coast we had never seen
a walrus ; here we saw several, but never any consider-
able number of them. The temperature rose daily as
we proceeded southward, and we much enjoyed the
change. However ardent a Polar explorer one may be,
it would be futile to deny that a genial temperature is
very agreeable after having been deprived of it for some

284

Conclusion.

time. Now and then we saw some sea-fowl — auks and

others — emero-inof from the waves. Even the sio-ht of a

jelly-fish was hailed with joy, this being another sign that

we had reached milder regions.

On August 30th, at 1 1 a.m., we sighted Cape Prince

of Wales. This marks the eastern entrance to Behring

Strait. But, as the summit was shrouded in fog, we

could not be sure whether this was the point. From this

cape a long, narrow sand-bank extends twenty-five miles

to the northward. There is deep water on both sides, so

that it is not easy to determine by soundings on which

side of the vessel the sand-bank is situated. Unless we

were lucky, we might easily get between the shoal and

the shore, and in that case our position might become

rather serious under existing conditions. There was a

high sea running, with a succession of squalls, and the

" Gjoa " pitched heavily. To be on the safe side we

steered for the open sea as soon as we sighted land. At

1.30 P.M. the weather cleared, and we sighted Fairway

Rock, a peculiar hayrick-shaped rock, rising sheer out

of the sea. We could not have had a better landmark,

and we were now able to get into our course again.

When we got down into the Strait, we caught a slight

glimpse of the Diomedes Islands. These look barren

and inhospitable, yet they are the abode of a whole

Eskimo tribe, who are all, both men and women, very

popular with the whalers. There is no harbour there,

but when going north the whalers always call in to

barter for various supplies. They are also glad to

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Chapter XIII.

engage Eskimo from there, as they are considered able
hands.

ANTON LUND (SPRING, I906).

As we passed between the islands and the shore, we
" old hands " gathered on deck and drank the first cup

286

Conclusion.

to celebrate the final accomplishment of the North West
Passage by ship. I had hoped to have a little festivity
to mark this notable event, but weather did not permit.
The event was celebrated by a simple toast, nothing
more. We could not even hoist the flag, as it would
have been quickly blown to tatters.

I had intended to reach Cape York before it was dark,
and lie there for the night, but we did not get so far.

We lay about ten miles off Cape York with double-
reefed rnainsail, reefed forestaysail and standing jib.
Cape Prince of Wales sheltered us to a great extent from
the seas. When we shook out the reefs at daybreak our
gaff broke. This time it was the great weight of the
gaff itself which was the main cause of the catastrophe.
Our only hope now was that the wind would hold out
till we reached Nome, and could procure a new gaff.
The old one was beyond repair. We headed south
towards Nome under trysail and any other sails we
could carry. Originally, I had no intention of calling
at Nome, but after the accident with the gaff we had no
choice. I had received a letter at Point Barrow inviting
us to call in on our way south and accept the hospitality
of the town of Nome. This suited us well now. We
took the shortest route, passing eastward along the Nome
coast : during the afternoon the wind gradually lulled
down to a faint breeze, and we made very little headway.

" Well, Lund," I said, as I was sauntering on deck
that beautiful afternoon, " you are equal to any emergency,
can't you get the mainsail set ? " This was too much

VOL. II. 291 U 2

Chapter XIII.

for Lund's pride, and soon after that the mainsail was
up. The "Gjoa" did not look quite as trim as a
pleasure yacht, but, at any rate, we travelled a good
d^al faster, and ran ahead smartly before the light
breeze. The houses in Nome were soon visible on the
horizon ; if the breeze would only last another hour, we
should be there. But fate had decreed it otherwise, and
a dead calm set in. They ought to be able to see us from
the town now, so we hoisted our flag. An occasional
slight puff of wind carried us a little way ahead, but it
did not amount to much. As daylight faded, we saw
that the lamps were being lighted in the town, and our
position was a very tedious one. Suddenly a steam
launch appeared in front of us, and we heard whistling,
shouting, and cheering, — the American's mode of express-
ing enthusiasm. Dark as it was, we could still discern
the Norwegian flag floating side by side with the Stars
and Stripes on the launch. So we had been recognised.
The reception they gave us at Nome defies my powers
of description. The heartiness with which we were
welcomed, the unbounded enthusiasm of which the
" Gjoa " was the object, will always remain one of my
brightest memories of our return. Nome has no harbour ;
it lies on the open coast. We were, therefore, obliged
to anchor well off the shore, and keep ready to weigh
anchor as soon as the wind rose. After we had anchored,
Lieutenant Hansen and I went aboard the launch to
greet our amiable hosts and hostesses, and we were taken

ashore. An electric searchlight on the shore played on

292

Conclusion.

the boat all the time. As we approached the shore, we
were so dazzled by the powerful light shining right into
our eyes that we could not see anything. The boat
touched land. I really cannot say how I got ashore,
but a jubilant roar of welcome issued from a thousand
throats, and through the darkness of the night a sound
burst forth that thrilled me through and through, bring-
ing tears to my eyes ; it was the strains of our national

air —

" Ja vi elsker dette landet."
(Yea, we cherish this our country.)

295

SUPRLEMENT.

Towards King Haakon VII's Land.

By First Lieutenant Godfred Hansen, Vice-Commander
of the Expedition.

Introduction.

While sailing through the narrow, shallow straits of the
North West Passage we were all fully occupied with
the navigation of the ship in the strictest acceptance of
the word, consequently the cartographical work under-
taken during the "Gjoa" Expedition was carried out on
sledge and boat trips, some of which it fell to my lot to
lead.

The most important were : —

1. A sledge trip to Point Richardson on the American
mainland in March, 1904, on which we discovered two
islands in Simpson Strait which were called after
Commander A. P. Hovgaard. The trip lasted ten days,
and my companion, Ristvedt, and I had to draw the
sledge ourselves, because the dogs which had been
spared by the dog sickness were away on a sledge trip
with Captain Amundsen.

2. A boat trip westwards to Cape Crozier. The

object was to investigate the conditions in the narrow

296

Towards King Haakon VII's Land.

parts of Simpson Strait with reference to the passage of
the " Gjoa " during the next summer, and at the same
time to take a depot of pemmican and dog's food of
about 500 lbs. out to Cape Crozier. The trip lasted
from August 6th to the middle of September, 1904.
Hansen accompanied me and sailed the boat.

On the way we found some skulls and bones of two
white men. They were lying scattered over the low
foreshore at Point C. F. Hall, and had been placed by
this Arctic explorer under a stone cairn. Close by we
found the stone on which he had cut the words
" Eternal Honour to the Discoverers of the North-West
Passage." We collected the bones together again and
covered them over with stones, on the top of which we
placed Hall's stone.

3. A sledge trip in the spring of 1905 to Victoria
Land, and along its unknown east coast.

In what follows I shall endeavour to describe this
trip more in detail. Ristvedt accompanied me. I owe
a good deal to his equanimity, his constant good humour,
his indomitable energy, as well as to his excellent
shooting.

Before starting I drew up the following report for
Captain Amundsen : —

To the Chief of the Norwegian "Gjoa" Expedition.

I beg to inform you of the preparations for the sledge
trip ordered by you for charting the unknown western
stretch of coast along M'Clintock Channel.

297

Supplement.

The Expedition consists of two men with two sledges
and twelve dogs.

The stores for the men have been determined mainly
in accordance with your normal list, and are as follows : —

Normal list for daily consumption per man —

Margarine .
Chocolate .
Bread .
Pemmican .
Green stuffs .
Pea flour
Dried bilberries
Sugar .
Coffee.
Salt and pepper

Grammes.

3°

200

300
200

25
25

Total

800

The list of provisions for two men for seventy days will therefore be
as follows : —

Kilos.
Margarine ....... 4

Chocolate .
Bread .
Pemmican .
Green stuffs .
Pea flour
Dried bilberries
Sugar .
Coffee .
Salt and pepper

28
42
28

Total

113

Towards King Haakon VI Fs Land.

The depot established in the summer of 1904 on Cape
Crozier consists of : —

100 kilos, of fish and suet melted together, and
130 kilos, of pemmican for dog's food.

If the journey from Gjoahavn, Ogchoktu, to Cape
Crozier takes seven days, and a depot of stores sufficient
for seven days is left there for the return journey, we get
supplies sufficient for fifty-five days.

If the Cape Crozier depot is destroyed, then we can
only continue for thirty-four days from that point, but in
that case it will be necessary to kill four dogs.

The itinerary is as follows : —

The Expedition will be ready to start on April ist. We
shall work along Simpson Strait to Cape Crozier where a
report will be deposited ; thence the course will be due
east towards the highest island in the group marked
" land seen by Rae." This group of islands will be sur-
veyed and the course shaped due north over Driftwood
Point, Cape Alfred and Pelly Point, to Collinson's
Farthest, and from thence out into the unknown towards
Glenelg Bay. The distance as the crow flies is about
850 miles, so that the Expedition may be expected back
in Gjoahavn at the beginning of June.

If, on the return trip, Victoria Strait should be impass-
able, or should there be any other obstacle to prevent the
Expedition reaching Ogchoktu by July 15th at the
latest, we shall work down towards Cape Colborne

(Dease Strait) which is said by Collinson to be low and

299

Supplement.

sandy. A cairn will then be erected at some visible
spot.

Then followed a review of the survey work carried out
up to that time, as it was by no means so very certain
that we should ever return.

Our sledges were ready on April ist. Ristvedt's
loaded with 500 lbs., mine with 450 lbs. I was to drive
in front, as we thought it would be easier in that way to
keep the rear dogs up to the scratch. We had iced the
runners in the Eskimo fashion. But what with wind and
snow the weather was too bad to start, so we postponed
our departure till the next morning.

April 2nd broke with good travelling weather. It was

still blowing fresh and the atmosphere was very hazy,

but the temperature was only down to about 25° Fahr. so

that the littl&wind there was would only act on us hardy

Arctic navigators like a breath of summer from the

distant south. When the great feat of the day in these

latitudes, indeed in any latitude I have ever been in,

namely, getting up in the morning, was accomplished, I

went up and looked out at the weather, and found it

suitable enough to make a start. Then when Ristvedi

came down, I said: "Well, so we are off to-day, eh?"

Yes, as far as he was concerned there was nothing to

prevent us starting at once. Of course, we knew we

were leaving the flesh-pots, the warm bunks, the fire-side

and bright lamp ; but now the winter was over we wanted

some fresh air in our lungs, and some under our wings

too. Both, of us loved Nature, and we wanted to see

300

LIEUTENANT HANSEN (SPRING, I906).

Towards King Haakon VII's Land.

what we were made of when we should meet her out in
her own kingdom, because she is not only seductively
attractive, she is also cutting and severe. We were
anxious to see if cold would dull our brains, want curb
our energies, monotony deaden our senses, or whether,
as we imagined, we should be the masters ; whether in
fact, there was real manhood behind our own self-
confidence. Now we were ready to start : the sledges
were equipped as well as could be with our previous
experience and with the aid of all the resources placed at
our disposal by the main Expedition.

When you are ready to start, when there is absolutely
nothing further to do than to sit with your arms folded,
if the departure has to be postponed, you are apt to get
very impatient and restless at the delay. You keep
getting up to look at the weather. If it is a little better,
you ask yourself if you ought not to start ; the very
human desire not to be outdone by others makes you
think it strange that you don't make a start. Such
a state of mind is by no mean'^ pleasant, so now that we
had decided to go, it was like a load taken off our minds.

Lindstrom's excellent coffee and reindeer steak were
very tasty. We had had cake on the previous day, and
Lindstrom was too sensible to give us cake again, " No,"
said he, "you have already had your farewell cake once,
and you must make it do. Someone might always be
making a pretence of starting next day." When break-
fast was over we went out to harness up. Hansen and
Wiik fetched the dogs and put them to the sledges.

303

Supplement.

We two travellers were to be spared as much trouble as
possible. Starting on such a protracted trip is not
altogether a festive occasion. Your comrades are
anxious to express their best wishes for the journey and
a happy return. They know what you are going to
encounter, for they have all had a turn at it, and they
show their goodwill up to the last moment by taking all
the work on themselves, even that of starting the
sledges. Unfortunately the ice fell off the runners as
they loosened the sledges, the mild weather having
rendered the ice covering too soft, so that it was torn off
just as the sledges were twisted aside. This is called
freeing the sledges. If the sledges stand still for a long-
time the under part of the runners freezes fast to the
snow, so that the sledge driver has to turn the hind part
of the sledge to one side or the other. It is very seldom
possible to get the dogs to do this, it being often too
heavy for them, and they won't put their shoulders to the
wheel till they see that the sledge is free.

We were now clear for starting. The "sledge was put
in commission ; that is to say, I fastened my Norwegian
sledge flag at the back of the sledge over the cyclometer.
Then I arranged the photographic apparatus, that those
we were leaving could obtain a good snapshot of us.
Yet another hand-shake all round, the last " good luck "
from the Captain, and off we went with the dogs at a
comfortable trot towards Fram Point. The first halt was
made when we passed Fram Point and turned round
behind Fram Hill, so that we could not be seen from the

304

Towards King Haakon VI Is Land.

ship. While we were resting at Fram Point we saw
Talurnakto come running as hard as his short leo-s would

PEDER RISTVEDT (SPRING, I906).

carry him. He came up with an igloo knife, a parting
gift from the Captain to Ristvedt. Igloo knives were
made of the blades of some large carving knives, and

VOL. 11. 305 X

Supplement.

were fastened to long, flat, wooden handles made by
Hansen. We had only a few of them, and they were
highly prized by the Eskimo, so it was necessary to keep
them in reserve in case an opportunity occurred to buy
any desirable object for the ethnological collection of the
Expedition. We had had one each given to us, but
Ristvedt had unfortunately lost his ; but now he had one
presented to him for use on this trip, and Talurnakto
went back with thanks and kind messages. Then a
sharp pull on the sledges, a call to the dogs, and we
started again along Petersen's Bay, over towards Snadde
Hill.

When we reached this spot, Ristvedt's dogs were
already fatigued, but it seemed to me too early to finish
up the day's travelling. We had intended to pass the
night at Svarteklid, in the igloo we had built on our
observation journey in the month of February. We then
drove down on the ice again, following the coast until we
turned in over the land towards the northerly Kaorka
Isthmus. On the top of this we turned round, and
sighted the mast of the " Gjoa," like a plain black line
on a grey background, grey clouds in the sky, grey haze
in the atmosphere, so dimming the light that even the
snow looked grey. With the glasses we could still see
the flag waving from her top mast. Then we went
further on, down the slope towards Kaorka Lake, and
south along Black Hill slope, and it was not long before
the dogs got scent of the igloos. This, I am thankful to

say, put some life into them, which was welcome, as we

306

Towards King Haakon VII's Land.

were rather tired of whipping and shouting, as we had
been compelled to do, the whole day long ; but this
renewed vio-Qur had the sad result of overturnino- me
twice with my load, and, as 500 lbs, are no small weight
to lift, it was no wonder it made my back ache. The
first time the sledge turned over, I was able to right it
again by myself, but the second time Ristvedt had to
help me ; and our trials and troubles for that day came
to an end five minutes after we drove up in front of
the igloo and stopped after a day's march of nine and
a-half miles. My dogs were fresh and ready for new
efforts, whilst Ristvedt's team was almost done up, but
we hoped that they would be better with a little practice.
When we stopped I made a pretty little speech. All
we could afford was a little drop of rum, and in this we
had to toast all that should be toasted on such an
occasion. We drank to the man who sent us out on the
trip, to our good comradeship in the times to come, to
reaching our goal near " Wynniat's (Collinson's)
Farthest," to a happy return full of honour to the flag
under which we travelled, and then the rum slid down
our throats. Should anyone now ask me if I enjoyed it,
I could confidently reply " Yes." Sledge driving on
long journeys is not what one sees in pictures of Green-
land, sitting In warm furs, and cracking the whip as the
dogs fly like race horses. There is no such racing with
the heavily loaded sledges necessary for such a long
trip as ours. It is only on exceptionally good ice that
one can even sit on the sledge at all, and at first one

307 X 2

Supplement.

often has to be the beast of burden, especially on
stretches of land covered with soft snow or rugged
uneven ice.

Although we had only covered nine and a-half miles,
not a very long distance in itself, yet we were thoroughly
tired out and hungry. The coffee in the morning and
Lindstrom's reindeer steak was all we had had the whole
day, so that our hunger was easily explained. Then
we had the rum. We saw its gold-brown sheen in the
silvery aluminium cup ; our hands lifted the cup, and we
sniffed the spicy fragrance like a breath from a sunburnt
southern plantation wafted over the barren ice plains.
The cup reaches the mouth safely and surely, for an
Arctic explorer's hand never shakes, and so it slides
down, ice cold, refreshing, heating, and invigorating.
You may turn up your teetotal noses, but I know how
useful alcohol is at such a time. Let me tell you one
thing ; I have known what it is to get up healthy and
fresh in the morning and drive out with my sledge ;
I have expanded my chest and felt the fresh air filling
my lungs, felt the blood circulating in my veins, felt as
if I had strength enough to run to the end of the world ;
the beauty of the sun and sky, all Nature filled my
soul with the most delightful sensation ; but when
evening came I was a wreck, I had lost faith in my luck,
I was dead tired, fagged in every limb, the brain
benumbed, my only desire being to keep on till
I dropped ; I shuddered at the thought of the effort to
break loose from the monotonous toil in the traces,

308

Towards King Haakon VII's Land.

to pitch the camp, although I knew from experience that
the sleeping-bag was the remedy for all this. It is in
such conditions I have found alcohol to be useful ; and,
even when the tiredness and exhaustion are not quite
so utter, the stimulating action on an exhausted man
with an empty stomach is astonishing. The tent is
pitched, the dogs are fed, and the food is boiling in half
the time it would otherwise take ; one evades much of
the effect of piercing wind and cold inseparably connected
with the pitching of a camp when heated from the day's
toil. When the reaction of the alcohol sets in you have
been in your sleeping-bag some time, so that this reaction
has almost the advantage of obviating the difficulty in
getting to sleep owing to over-fatigue.

On this particular occasion the pick-me-up had also
the grood result of making- us conduct ourselves like
Christians, when we found that the gentleman who had
used the igloo last had neglected to close it properly,
so that a mass of snow had driven in. Under other
circumstances our expressions would hardly have been
so forbearing ; now we simply made a hole in the wall
as the entrance was quite impassable, and some snow had
penetrated the house itself ; but there was still sufficient
room for a couple of sleeping bags. Then we got ready
for the night, fed the dogs, crept into the house, and
sealed up the entrance with blocks of snow. This we
did with very great care, for experience had taught
us what a quantity of cold can get in through a
crevice not larger than a keyhole. The possibility

309

Supplement.

of living in an igloo depends altogether on its being
air-tight.

On April 4th we succeeded in covering a greater
distance, 1 1 miles. Ristvedt, from his military training,
had a theory that in field service it is always the second
day's march that one feels the most, and this, indeed,
seems to be correct, for the third day everything went
much easier. We passed Point C. F. Hall, where some
of Franklin's men lie buried, with our flag hoisted ; but
we did not use the flag more than necessary, as the wind
and weather would soon have turned it into a ragged
trophy. It was also very inconvenient to carry it hoisted,
as I always got the lash of my whip wound round the
staff just at a critical moment ; but here we had to wave
the flag, and this we repeated every time we passed the
cairn. We never omitted this. Over this lonesome
grave, on a stony headland in the remotest seas, a spirit
of solemnity seems to hover. Once you have seen the
stony beach with its little sea, the creek just below, and
the low ridge of King William Land stretching beyond,
losing itself in the greyish haze of the winter's light,
you can never forget the sight. Bitterly sad was the
lot of these two men, and that alone would constrain
us to wave a respectful salute, though we also desired
to honour the memory of their deeds.

April 14th was the exciting day when we were to
arrive at the depot, and discuss whether our further
progress was assured. It was very beautiful weather
when we started. The ice had now quite a different

310-

Towards King Haakon VI Fs Land.

appearance. Out over the Straits it was broken up into
a mass of small packs, but where we were travelling
it was in fairly good condition, in a small belt along the
land. Soon after starting, Ristvedt went on land in
pursuit of a flock of ptarmigan sitting on the crest of a
hill. They disappointed him by taking to flight ; but
we were soon compensated for this, for, while I was
driving on, and had already got a good way ahead of
Ristvedt, I suddenly saw something a long way off,
which looked like a stone. If it was a stone it must
have been a very large one, judging from the distance,
and I could not remember having seen any exceptionally
large stone at this spot at the time of the boat trip.
So I took out the glasses, and there, sure enough, was a
reindeer. It can be well imagined that I immediately
stopped the dogs, lest they should scent the quarry and
spoil the sport. I waited quietly till Ristvedt came up,
and then took chargfe of both the sledg-es. Ristvedt had
long proved himself a much better hunter than I was,
and, however pleasant it might have been for me to have
a shot, this was not the time for practising. We had to
get the best possible result from our cartridges, no misses
being allowed, and, therefore, Ristvedt had to go out
whenever anything living appeared on the horizon.
Someone must remain with the sledges, otherwise it
would have been impossible to keep the dogs quiet. It
was hard enough to manage this with only myself in
charge, especially later on, when the dogs knew what
Ristvedt's absence with his ^un meant.

Supplement.

The reindeer stood out on the flat plain, it was impos-
sible to get any cover, and one could not help being seen
when advancing like a black spot over a white surface.
But Ristvedt adopted the Eskimo method : making a
long detour, until he had got the sun at his back, he
made straight for the deer with his head bent down, so
that it did not project above his shoulders, and only
moved his legs from the knees downwards. This is a
useful method, as the Eskimo secure many deer with it,
although they must approach near enough to be able to
use their bows and arrows, Ristvedt only wanted to
get within a couple of hundred yards. He was a sure
shot at that range. It was very exciting to follow the
hunt. At the moment there was hardly any wind, and,
what there was, was in such a direction that the deer
did not get any scent. When Ristvedt had proceeded
a certain distance in this fatiguing crouching position, I
saw the deer lift his head and look towards him. It was
evidently speculating as to what it could be. Ristvedt's
height was about the same as its own, and the breadth
about the same as that of a deer when approaching direct.
The sun was straight in its eyes, and made it blink ; but
there was surely no danger, it must only be a comrade.
It then lay down, apparently thinking : " So I can go on
digging in the snow and I must not lose any time if I am
to get a meal to-day." This was its last thought ; look-
ing through the glasses I saw it fall as if struck by
lightning, and then the short, sharp report of the gun
reached my ear. The dogs started up with stretched-out

312

Towards King Haakon VII's Land.

necks, pointed ears, and distended nostrils. A crack with
the whip and we started at a dashing rate towards the
spot from whence the report had come. I hardly had
time to jump on the sledge before we were off. When
we reached Ristvedt, who stood by the side of the deer,
the dogs stopped of themselves and began to lick up the
snow where the blood had run, and I had to use the
whip to get them to lie still until we could get the deer
on to the sledge. We then scanned the horizon with the
glasses, and perceived another deer ; off went Ristvedt
again, and we bagged a second.

This was a nice load to drive, two newly killed deer :
splendid food for us as well as for our dogs. We had
not far to go to the depot at Cape Crozier, so we pre-
ferred to load the deer as they were on the sledge and
drive off with them. If we had opened them first we
would have risked getting much blood over our sledges ;
we were, moreover, so anxious to see if the depot was in
order that we did not care to pitch camp on the spot,
although we had by this extra store of provisions added,
so to speak, to the days available. We then drove off
across Low Water Creek, a bay direct south from the
Cape depot, and so called because the entrance was so
low that, at the time of our summer trip, we could not
get our boat into it. Suddenly my dogs scented some-
thing. First Silla raised her head in the air and sniffed,
but then settled quietly down in the harness, so that I
thought I had made a mistake. But soon she began to
get restless again. Mylius and Gjoa also began to lift

313

Supplement.

their heads. It was better to stop and see if their noses
were better than my eyes. It seemed to me, however,
that I could see everything clear right away to the ridge
of Cape Crozier, forming a white, sharp line against the
sky, a few miles off. Armed with the glasses I saw that
the dogs were right ; far away up on the crest of the
ridge there were two deer, walking peacefully. A slight
breeze was blowing down from them towards us. Ristvedt
overtook me. Some of his dogs had also been a little
restless, and we set our course straight towards the deer.
We went along at a sharp trot over the snow, and at a
suitable distance we stopped again, and Ristvedt went on
alone. He had soon to lie fiat on his stomach ; he could
not have gone straight up the hill towards the deer, which
had a bird's-eye view of him. But the deer, which had
probably seen the sledges in the distance, were very
curious and wanted to come a little nearer to find out
what the black thing could be. I lay on one load with
the glasses to my eyes. When looking thus, it is difficult
to imagine why the man does not shoot, because through
the glasses, the distance between the huntsman and the
animal seems so short. At last there is a report, and
there lay one animal ; the other rushed quickly back,
stopped, probably wondering why his mate had lain down ;
then he approached again. If his comrade could lie so
quietly, surely there could be no danger. Step by step
he came nearer, with his head raised so that the antlers
lay back over his neck, stopped, drew a little back,
stopped, — off went the gun. The animal wheeled

314

Towards King Haakon VII's Land.

around and dashed off at full speed. "He has missed
him " thoug-ht I. But one can't run away from death.

Bay. Silla. Per.

OUR FAITHFUL COMPANIONS.

Death had gone out from Ristvedt's gun and it was now
draining the heart's blood out of the deer on to the white

315

Supplement.

snow. Fifty yards — quicker and quicker — one hundred
yards — a heavy fall, and all was over. "No, he hit him
after all," thought I. I let Silla loose so that she could
follow the deer in case he should rise again, but there
was no need. I then drove up to the hunter with the
sledges and we placed the two fresh deer on them. Now
with really heavy loads we continued along the ridge ;
we should soon be there, surely, as it was just around that
projection. Quite right, there lay the cairn large and
broad on the foreshore ; and the depot — the bears had
robbed it.

We pitched our tent, skinned the deer, and went to
bed. But that night, for the first time, I slept badly ; as
the four meagre reindeer by no means made up for my
ample depot, how could I now hope to cover a little new
ground ? New plans ran unceasingly through my head.
Supposing the dogs should break loose and eat the meat
lying outside unprotected on the snow. Every move-
ment made me listen attentively. Yes, and the bilberry
rum punch we had drunk as a cup of rejoicing for the
unexpected deer, and a cup of sorrow for the loss of the
depot, would have been better left alone.

Next day, April 15th, we had brilliant sunny weather,

which we utilised for drying our wet skin clothes. They

get wet at this time of the year, partly from inside and

partly from outside, from the snowy mist, which settles

on you and thaw^s when the sun shines and remains

matted in your dark clothes, one of the few dark spots in

the landscape. We divided up the reindeer meat and

316

Towards King Haakon VI Fs Land.

had to re-arrange our loads. We had now dog's meat
for thirty days added to what we had already. This
permitted of an advance of twenty days, if we were
prepared to sacrifice some of our dogs for the advantage
of their comrades, should luck desert us, and should we
find no game on the way. We established a depot of
deer's meat on the hill for the dogs and for ourselves for
four days. We put it amongst some loose stones on an
old shore line. By pulling the stones aside we made
a large hole in the earth. Alongside we placed a tin
containing two and a half gallons of petroleum which we
thought we would dispense with if we could only continue
for about twenty days more, then we rolled large stones
on top of it. Foxes could not touch it, and we hoped
that we had placed it so far on to the land that the
bears could not get a scent of it. As a rule bears do not
care to leave the ice. We, therefore, hoped to be able
to find the depot safe again, otherwise I really do not
know how property can be protected against bears. The
depot at Cape Crozier, which was established at the time
of the boat trip, consisted, as previously stated, of
500 lbs., partly of pemmican, partly of a mixture of fish
and suet, for dog's food, and put into two soldered metal
cases. At Cape Crozier there are huge rocks which
disintegrate into large flat slabs. We had set the two
tin cases on the foreshore and arranged round them
regular vaults made of heavy stones, which two strong
men could hardly carry. We had thus passed half the
day in piling stone blocks over the whole depot, stones

317

Supplement.

as large as any of us were capable of lifting. It was
quite a little mountain when it was ready, but all this the
bears had torn aside, and all we found was a single piece
of metal rolled together. The bear had set his mark on
it — five long rents through it lengthwise. He had thus
ripped the case open, but why he had afterwards rolled
the metal together and bitten it I am unable to say ;
I trust it was from rao^e at havino- cut himself with it.

Although we had taken thirteen days to reach Cape
Crozier (I had calculated on seven) I was sanguine
enough to think that we could drive home in five. It
was, as a matter of fact, only one hundred miles, and at
a better time of the year and with lighter dogs it ought
to be easily done, even if we were forced to kill some of
the dogs ; therefore I left behind stores for only four
days. For lunch that day we had marrow soup, made
of the marrow bones of the four deer. One ouofht not
to be too greedy when eating such a dish ; the rich hot
fatty stuff glides down so easily when one is hungry
after a tiring day. But it slipped down on too large
a scale. Ristvedt, who had a stomach like a harmonium,
although he was not a sailor, maliciously told me after-
wards, when the meal was well down, that on the
occasion of the sledge trip in the previous year he had
treated the Captain to a similar dish, with the result that
he had a dreadful stomach ache ; and, as a matter of fact,
I myself did not escape it.

On Sunday, April i6th, we stopped on account of bad

weather. We only took a little trip inland and saw that

318

Towards King Haakon VII's Land.

Inside the ridge at Cape Crozier there is a depression
running right across the land from Alexander Strait to
Simpson Strait. Two ptarmigan flew by us and there
seemed to be no scarcity of them. We had already seen
some in fact, so that there was every prospect of getting
a few into our stew pot if we cared for that sort of sport.
We also saw the first snow bunting ; it flew in front of
us, alighting here and there, pecking at the snow.
Where the ridge projected bastion-like towards the
depot point, we built a cairn. I hoped to be able to see
this from ~" Land seen by Rae," so as to have a definite
point to refer to. We then stole down and settled into
our sleeping bags ; we were frozen, as the wind was
blowing hard. The snow drifted in and the temperature
was nearly 4" below zero Fahr., but the snow-bunting sat
chirping on the top of the cairn.

The pack ice lay waiting for us. We had seen the
surface of the ice over the straits slowly changing its
level appearance ever since we left Fitz-James Island,
but it was only now as we looked from the ridge of land
on Cape Crozier towards the " Land seen by Rae " that
we failed to see level surface anywhere. Nevertheless,
we slept comfortably that night, for we did not yet know
what pack ice was ; we had only heard of it and had
been told that one had to struggle and wriggle through
it, and that as one advanced it flowed with the current
just as rapidly in the opposite direction. We knew also
that those who had told us of such difficulties were not
easily frightened, but we comforted ourselves with the

319

Supplement.

thought that the ice we had to pass over was only
" Strait ice." There were no mountain-high ridges of
pack ice to be seen there. It could only be trifling in
comparison with what may be met with in the great
Arctic Sea ; besides it was quite still, the frost had
solidly united it from coast to coast in this narrow
passage, so we did not risk drifting out of our way. We
should probably not be able to do more than ten miles
a day, but as it could not be much more than about
fifty miles to Victoria Land, we should there have " Land
seen by Rae " to travel on. This was consolation
enough and the last night on Cape Crozier we slept very
peacefully. The next evening we were not so hopeful ;
in fact, there lay the pack ice still waiting for us, and
after travelling on it one day, we knew what we were to
expect of it.

The first day, April 17th, we travelled from 9 till
3 o'clock ; I could do no more. During this time, we
had been travellingr at the maornificent rate of half a mile
an hour, that is to say, we had covered three miles in all.
We did not talk much together that evening, we were too
tired. However, we agreed that we could not go on like
this and that we should have to find some other method
of progression if there was much more of that kind of
ice. The next day we endeavoured to drive on with one
sledge at a time, harnessing all the dogs to it, but this
made the way three times as long, because we had to
return for the other sledge.

On April 19th we started by going some distance on

Towards King Haakon VII's Land.

ski and then turning back to fetch the sledo-es. In this
way the dogs followed the track made, and we could
devote all our attention to steadying the sledge so that
there were comparatively few upsets. But it was very
laborious work struggling on, half crippled. It was a
brilliantly clear day about 1 3° below freezing point ; in
front of us the land lay so near that it had quite lost its
monotonous white tone, and we could already see all the
details of the landscape. After three hours' more work
we got out of the pack-ice ; our toil was over for the
present, for, after all we had gone through, it was only
child's play driving over the level strip of ice that
separated us from the land. In a couple of hours we
reached the shore, but to our great astonishment we had
first to drive over two islets, some sixty feet high before
we made the land from whose shore rises the very
conspicuous Mount Rae to a height of about 330 feet
above sea-level. In the hazy light it was impossible to
see both islands ; it all appeared to form one unbroken
surface sloping up to the summit.

The day after, April 20th, we set our course towards
the land we had seen out westwards from the top of
Mount Rae. The route led us past very fresh bear
tracks, but we never caught sight of the bear ; while we
were resting out on a little islet in the middle of the
sound, a ptarmigan flew^ up and sat down close by Rist-
vedt's sledge, but it had not sat there long before it was
shot. It sat long enough, however, to lead me to think
how strange it is that ptarmigan are so shy at times that

VOL. 11. 321 ' Y

Supplement.

it is almost impossible to get within range, at other times
are so tame that they come and sit cackling beside you
and remain there even if you have to fidget about to get
hold of your gun.

When we reached the other side of the sound, to the
large low island we afterwards named " Easter Island,"
we saw some reindeer. As the dogs had not noticed
anything, we thought they would be quiet enough if we

Godfred Hansen.

ON THE WAY TO VICTORIA LAND.

tied them so that they could not start off after us with the

sledees. Then each of us went out in a different direc-

tion, but neither of us had any luck. Ristvedt was the

first to scare his quarry, and the deer came at full speed

down towards where I was lying ; I crouched down as

much as possible, but it kept out of range. I saw Ristvedt

going to the sledges, and, as the two deer I had gone

after were still at some distance, I waited quietly until

322

Towards King Haakon VII's Land.

RIstvedt came up. Then he went after the deer. They
must, however, have seen the other run away, as they
were so frightened that they started off long before he
got near them. Then I drew up after Ristvedt, and on
the way I passed a deer track, which I thought was made
by the deer Ristvedt had gone after, I therefore let the
dogs follow up the fresh track as fast as they liked, as I
thought it would certainly lead me to Ristvedt ; but in
this I was mistaken, for this w^as the track of the first
deer that had been frightened away. The deer had long
ago disappeared in the distance, but these tracks were
fresh, and we followed them at such a speed that I could
neither turn the dogs aside nor get them to stop ; they
had got the thirst for blood. They started with their
noses down in the snow, like a couple of famished wolves.
Ristvedt got smaller and smaller in the distance, and soon
I could see nothing but the white snow-field all round.
Ristvedt's sledge had stopped long ago. His dogs were
exhausted, and this was fortunate, under the circum-
stances. At last I succeeded in turning my sledge over ;
this stopped the dogs, and it was now my turn. After
mvingr them a g^ood drubbinQ;, I turned them round
towards Ristvedt. I then righted the sledge and started
back. I ran alongside the sledge, so as to be ready to
turn it over, if necessary, but they had caught sight of
Ristvedt and there was no further trouble. Ristvedt was
standing wondering where I was off to. We then started
again in the usual order. We shaped our course towards
the setting sun, which glided like a glowing ball along the

323 Y 2

Supplement.

low ridofe in the west. The rido-e turned towards us its
coal-black, shady side, wherein every detail was lost
in the thick darkness. But the crest formed a sharp,
irreo"ular, notched line of rocks ao-ainst the red srlow of
the evening sky. Suddenly a deer was seen standing
right in the sun, its silhouette sharply outlined against the
sky. It must have been lying down, and had now^ got
restless. It really looked gigantic as it stood there, like
some mighty creature from prehistoric times. For a
moment it stood with its head erect, the neck curved
back so that the antlers spread over its back. The dogs
saw it, but did not seem to realise what this colossal form
was ; yet they stood, suddenly riveted to the spot, with
their lesfs extended. Men and doo-s were bathed in the
rays of the sun. The reindeer showed no sign of fear.
He simply turned round, and slowly disappeared behind
the ridge. Then the dogs seemed to realise that it was
a deer, and wanted to rush forward, I had to throw
myself on Per and Bay to force them to the ground.
Silla and Gjoa were both mad for the chase, so I seized
one under each arm, and, rolling over them, held them
all in a struggling mass, so as to prevent them from
howling. Ristvedt came up ; his dogs had not seen any-
thing, and they were quieter. I told him to go on. I
hardly expected that the deer would still be walking on
the other side of the ridge, for the few howls which had
escaped from the throats of Bay and Gjoa were enough
to frighten an animal whose race has for centuries been
hunted, terror-stricken at the ear-piercing, diabolical

324

Towards King Haakon VIl's Land.

howl of the wolves, die solitary sound that wakes the
majestic stillness of the winter's night.

Ristvedt went on and reached the top of the hill ; then
I saw him lie down and rest his Q-un on a boulder, so I
knew that the deer had not lono- to live. The eun went
off and I loosed the dogs. I had just time to get out of
the way of the sledge as it dashed past me like a gust of
wind. One would hardly have thought that ten minutes
ago the dogs were exhausted, with their tongues hanging
from their mouths ; bu.t now, having scented blood, no
effort was too o-reat for them. We had not far to o-o :
only over the crest of the hill. When we reached the
other side, Ristvedt was skinning the reindeer.

On Easter Eve, April 22nd, there was a southerly gale
and we had to remain in the tent. Eventually, on the
Monday, April 24th, there was nothing to prevent us
from proceeding. It was necessary to advance, and at
first it was easy travelling. The mile down to the coast
was a mere nothino- and the next mile and a-half out
presented no particular difficulty, but the route gradually
became more trying, and we were at last brought to a
standstill. I had to go and search for a path, and after
forging ahead for some two hundred yards, I reached
a level track — but what a track ! It looked level enough
between the bends, but we continually sank in it up to
our armpits. Indeed, it took us two hours to take the
sledges over the two hundred odd yards.

Thursday, May 4th, was a great day for the Expedi-
tion. First we drove as we did in Simpson Strait, in

325

Supplement.

what we called the good old days, each man alongside
his sledge, and sometimes on it ; but I had very soon to
go on in front, as it was by no means so level towards
the land as it looked at first sight. There were
hummocks and pack ice here and there in the ice
fields and to find the best course, one had to go on in
fi'ont. The does seemed to have a most astonishino-
inclination to q-q north-west, and not straip"ht out in the
direction we wanted them to take, towards the nearest
land. When we came to an extra large hummock
I wanted to go up to inspect the route. Hardly had
I stopped when Ristveldt called to me that he saw some-
thing; dark which was moving" on the ice a long" distance
away. What could it be ? I almost felt my heart
beating. It mattered little what it was ; any living
creature out here in the barren ice fields offered
prospects of further progress. I took out the glasses
and found it was not one dark spot ; there were many
spots spread out in the form of a crescent over the ice.
They were Eskimo, seal fishing. So it was by no
means strang-e that the dog's had wanted to g"0 in that
direction. We fixed the fiag" on the sledg"e and as we
thought there was a slight possibility that there might be
white folk among them, we began to rub ourselves over
with a little snow, to remove from our faces as much of
the soot from the petroleum stove as possible. Then we
drove on again. Evidently the Eskimo had also seen
us, for they came rushing over towards us, closing up as
they approached. When they were all collected together

326

Towards King Haakon VII's Land.

at about 400 to 500 yards from us, they halted, and we
did the same. Out in these wild reoions, where mis^ht is
right, one never knows w4iether one is meeting friend or
foe, so that it is best to be prepared ; the usual
formalities of an Arctic meeting had to be complied
with. We drove the sledges up so that they were
broadside on towards the strangers ; Ristvedt lay down
behind them with his g-un loaded and the cartridsfes
ready at his side. Then I braced up my courage and
went forward with my hands raised above my head to
show that I had no weapon ; an envoy also came out
from the Eskimo, holdino- his hands in the air so that
there was nothing to fear, and we met in the middle of
the arena. His white teeth shone in front of me, so
broad was the smile that spread over his flat amiable
Eskimo features. He was not afraid of me and there
was no expression of fear in his eyes at the sight of my
strange features ; indeed, the dirt which covered my face
was of the same kind as on his own. I returned his
smile with genuine pleasure. Such a meeting at least
indicated as much food as we could carry on our sledges.
When we came up to each other he said something
about " Kilnermium Innuit," the name of his tribe.
I understood that, because I already knew the name, and
I replied that we were " Kabluna " or white men. Then
we embraced and rubbed our cheeks together. W^hen
you are in Rome you must do as Rome does. He was
my friend for the two days we remained there, and
during that time he certainly thought I understood

327

Supplement.

everything he said, merely because I had said we were

" Kabluna " when he mentioned the name of his race,

but of course I did not understand a word. As our

Norwegian- Eskimo lano-uao-e was of no use to us, we

could not get any information about the land further

ahead, and any conversation which had a definite object,

had to be carried on by signs.

When our two parties, that is to say, Ristvedt and the

other Eskimo, saw that affairs had taken a peaceful

turn, they also approached the spot where we both

stood, chatting and gesticulating eagerly. With joy and

gladness we all rubbed cheeks together, and then started

off to their igloo settlement, a couple of miles away.

We went pretty quickly, for they attached what dogs

they had to the front of our sledges. When we

approached the igloos more people came out to meet us,

which led to more rubbino- of the cheeks, so that when

it was all over our cheeks were almost clean. We

would not move into their igloos, as at that time of the

year the snow house is a very miserable dwelling ;

the roof melts with the heat which quickly forms inside,

owing to the temperature of the outer atmosphere, so

that we preferred to remain in the tent which we raised,

surrounded by a large crowd of Eskimo filled with

curiosity. The spectators were highly amused, but

fortunately we had Lili to keep them aw^ay from the

sledges, so that we avoided any unpleasant results from

their curiosity.

There were about half a score of igloos, although some

328

Towards King Haakon VI Fs Land.

of them were empty, as several of the tribe had gone
northwards towards Admiralty Island. There were
about twenty to thirty individuals in this camp, and as
far as we could understand, about a similar number had
gone north ; but, on the whole, they were only a very
small portion of the large Kilnermium tribe, which had
come out seal hunting on Albert Edward Bay that
winter. Seven of them had died in the course of the
winter. The Eskimo who told me this laid his hand on
his chest and coughed to show us the cause ; it must
have been some lung disease. They were, if possible,
more primitive than our NechilH friends. They had to
manage, to a greater extent than the Nechilli, with
copper knives and copper needles, but their bows were
better, and it was clear that they had more facilities for
getting wood. Their dress was a little different from
that of the Nechilli ; the hoods had a blunt point at
the back of the head. The waist band reached up high
over the hips, but in compensation for this the
" anoraks " were cut off shorter, being even more like
dress coats than those of the Nechilli.

I boug-ht a seal which the owner had brouo-ht home
with him, and paid for it with a knife about two and
a half inches long, which had been made from one of our
ice-saw blades. It may have been rather mean, but if
a transaction is honourable when both parties are satis-
fied, this one was so, because it would have been difficult
to say which of us was the more satisfied with his
bargain. I badly wanted the seal, and he, poor fellow,

329

Supplement.

had never owned a steel knife in his life. Later we
bought more blubber, the price for half a side of seal
was a three-inch nail ; but the price made even me
blush. When the deal was concluded, and we had
procured as much blubber as we could use, I gave the man
a pair of surgical scissors as a present. Not only were
he and his wife delighted, but the whole tribe rejoiced at
the possession of such a treasure.

When we were resting in our sleeping bags we were
constantly visited by some of the ladies, who brought
us small mouthfuls of the cooked blubber from the
front flippers of the bearded seal, which tasted some-
thing like pigs' trotters. At first we were innocent
enough to believe that it was on account of our own
personal attractions, but we subsequently discovered that
it was some beads I had in a couple of match boxes
that were the main attraction. I made them a present
of about half a score ; I had to be very economical with
them. Gradually the mouthfuls became smaller, but in
compensation they were more frequent ; at last we had
to send them off without remuneration ; this had the
desired effect, and we were not further disturbed.

For supper we cooked some blubber and meat of the
seal I had bought. It was my first real meal of seal
meat. I had certainly eaten seal meat before as a steak,
but I had never tried it a la Eskimo, and without any
Polar boasting I can say it was excellent. The meat
tastes like mussels, and the blubber when fresh is just as
delicate, though not so fat as pork. We had to be very

330

Towards King Haakon VII's Land.

careful not to put too much in the pot, for it sHps down
so easily that we run the risk of repeating- the incident of
the marrow soup at Cape Crozier.

On May 5th we remained where we were. Indeed, it
would have been difficult to o-et our doo-s to move, as
they had been allowed to eat as much blubber as they
liked, and that was no trifle after their long diet on
reindeer meat. But it had proved rather too strong for
them. We spent the day in cutting up the meat and
getting" our loads ready for the next day. We had to
repack everything" now that the greater part of our tin
cases were wanted for the blubber. We removed the
false runners from the sledo-es ; we thouo-ht that the
snow was now so wet that German-silver runners would
glide more easily. We had sufficient food for one and
a half months ; we could not take any more because
the sledg-es were full. We could have gfot more from
the Eskimo, as they had been very successful with their
catches, and had large stocks of blubber. The next
night we slept just as well as the first. It was pleasant
to lie down quietly with the knowledge that we were
now to go over the level ice of Albert Edward Bay, and
be able to make good headway again. There were
probabilities of reaching new land, and these were
pleasant thoughts to slumber on.

On May- 6th we started off. Our friends were very
contented with the few things they had obtained, a
pair of scissors, a knife, a few nails, a match box of
beads What riches ! They would never forget the

331

Supplement.

day. I wished we could have given them more, but
we were not equipped for trading. Indeed, we had never
expected to meet any Eskimo, but we determined if we
encountered them on our return journey, to give them
anything we could dispense with. With these good
intentions we started out on the ice ; the Eskimo stood
looking after us as long as we could see them, probably
discussing who we were and what our real object was.
Possibly if they are left in peace in their poor land for
another couple of centuries, two weird names, represent-
ing Ristvedt and myself may be handed down among
their traditions. Our intention was to drive far enough
into Albert Edward Bay to get inside the pack-ice. We
had had enough of it, and even if we were obliged to
proceed right to the end of the bay, that would be prefer-
able to shortening the road ; but, unfortunately, it would
take much longer than followino- the direct route.

On May 7th we set our course direct for Cape Adelaide.
We wanted to o-et on a height in order to have a view of
the surroundinsfs. We had lono- had to content ourselves
with the poor view obtainable from a high hummock. We
advanced over the southerly slope, which I fancy must be
a paradise in the summer. There were already large
patches quite free from snow, and some long grass was
left there from the previous summer. The ground was
certainly frozen quite hard and the grass withered, but we
conjured up before our " snow-tired " eyes, fantastic
pictures of green grass and rippling streams, of flowers
and bilberries, of grazing reindeer, of hares tripping

332

Towards King Haakon VII's Land.

about, of lively ptarmigans, all bathed in the rays of the
sun just as it might be on a lovely August day. An entire
fata Morgana arose before the mind's eye, fortunately not
altogether, however, for we descried some real ptarmigan
and shot a brace.

On May 8th, towards noon, I noticed some jet black
spots ahead of us. I stood looking at them for a while
through the o-lasses, but as I could notice no movement
I concluded they were stones. Certainly they were very
isolated, apparently some distance from land, but I had
long ago ceased to judge of distances in the winter light.
Besides, we were accustomed to great surprises in the
shape of long low projections of land spits, the existence
of which we did not dream of till we drove over them
and saw a stone here and there projecting from the snow.
The sun had just come out, and we halted so that I
might take the latitude at noon. While I fixed up the
theodolite, Ristvedt took the glasses, and he arrived at
a totally different conclusion from mine. The stones
moved : they were seals — three huge ones lying basking
in the sun. Their broad dark backs offered a o-ood mark

for the sun's rays. Anything white, such as snow and
ice, throws back the rays of the sun, but black objects
absorb them. There they lay sleeping, as seals do, for
half a minute at a time. Every half minute they raise
their heads, look round and sniff the air, then they let
their heads droop again. So they go on without inter-
ruption, up and down, up and down. You must stealthily
approach them when they are down, as then the seal

333

Supplement.

neither sees nor hears anything, but it is all the more
watchful when its head is raised. You must then lie
as quiet as a mouse, concealed, if possible, behind some
upstanding block of ice or other projection ; but, above
all things, keep quiet. The least movement frightens
the seal, and, however quiet, heavy, and sluggish it may
have looked, it is gone like a flash of lightning. I was
not therefore very confident in Ristvedt's success, but it
was well worth his trying, while I attended to the
observations, and accordingly off he went.

He had tied his dogs to the side of the sledge, and
I had secured Silla close to the stern so that she could
not pull without hurting her hind legs. Gjoa had a
noose round her neck. These were the two worst I
thought, and if they could not pull, the other ones would
certainly keep quiet. But that is where I made a
mistake. Just as I was lying down quietly to have a
look at the sun through the instrument, which was
standing upon a box at the side of the sledge, the box
and the instrument received such a push that both
toppled over in the snow in different directions, and
away went the sledge. The dogs had heard the report
of a gun, but I had not, and in spite of Silla's and Gjoa's
efforts to hold on, off they went in Ristvedt's direction,
straight along his track. Ijut I was too quick for them,
I got alongside and upset the sledge ; I presume the
pack-ice had taught me that trick. In any case I
succeeded in stopping them. Ristvedt's dogs, having
to drag their sledge sideways, soon lost their inclination

334

Towards King Haakon VII's Land.

to run away. I then returned, set up the instrument
again, and succeeded in getting the latitude. The
instrument had fallen on such soft snow that it suffered
no damage. After taking the latitude I drove up to
Ristvedt. He had secured a bearded seal, 7 feet
6 inches long and six feet round at the fore-flippers —
a regular mountain of flesh to look at. There were a
number of small blocks of ice on the way, near the spot,
and distributed so favourable that Ristvedt had succeeded
in getting within range. Having selected one of the
three seafs lying round the hole in the ice, he aimed at
its head and killed it. It is important to kill a seal out-
right ; the shot must finish it off at once, otherwise even
its last convulsion will cause its body to slide down
through the hole in the ice, and then it is hopelessly lost.
He had fired at the moment when it was looking up.
It caused quite a thud on the ice as its head dropped ;
every muscle was relaxed. He ran up to plunge the
harpoon into it ; it was provided with a strap, and
we carried it for any contingency. However, he pre-
ferred sending another bullet through its head at close
quarters, to make quite sure of his booty. The size of
the seal frightened him. Had he harpooned it, and
there had been any life left in it, it might have regained
consciousness for an instant and disappeared down the
hole with the harpoon and line, possibly with Ristvedt
himself, if he had attempted to prevent it. The hole
was large enough for that, over two yards in circum-
ference, with an even slope — a slide— on one side, where

335

Supplement.

the seals could crawl up. When the shot was fired the
other two disappeared from sight, apparently at the same
instant. There must have been a little difference in time,
however, as the hole was barely large enough for even
one of the big creatures.

When starting on the morning of May 9th a fresh
northerly breeze faced us. It was very cold, so much so
that it was impossible to sit on the sledge, even with
a full set of furs on, except for the few moments neces-
sary for consulting the map. Whether the temperature
was really 22° below zero Fahr., as we surmised, I can-
not say. May be the high temperature of the past few
days spoilt us. Now we had to find our way into the
deep narrow bay charted by Rae, which cuts into the
land to the north, from the northern coast of Albert
Edward Bay. We wished to drive up through this bay,
as I thought it could not be very far to the water
beyond. Collinson has recorded a bay there. On
driving for an hour and a-half we sighted land in the
direction of our course. We approached it at a rapid
pace, as the dogs had now shaken off the effect of their
gourmandizing. It was no trifle they had managed to
stow away, and at first it took some persuasion at the
end of our whip to make them go at a reasonable speed.
They could not understand why we should drive away
from a spot where there was so much food. An Eskimo
would have reasoned just the same, so presumably it
was the most natural argument. It was civilisation that
prompted our longing to make progress. This was a

336

Towards King Haakon VII's Land.

thought worth keeping clear in one's mind. Sometimes
it required argument to convince ourselves that we were
civilised men. The picture I had before me in the
person of my fellow traveller, and the picture he had
before him of his companion, as also our utensils and
housekeeping arrangements, all the fat and dirt, petroleum,
soot, reindeer hair and strips of skin, might easily make
it doubtful. Our conversation about weather, wind, and
hunting — -i.e., food — sleeping bags and dogs, and nothing
else, would sometimes make us feel as though we were
simply what we looked. That we throve exceedingly
well on this : that we thought we had never eaten better
in all our life, never slept so well : that in reality only
sunshine, warmth, and food comprised all that we
expected from our existence, might at times make us
afraid of reflectino- on what we were doinsf towards
achieving our aim in life. But then we would again
ponder on the trodden footmarks of two men and the
narrow lines formed by the runners of our sledge on
the viro-in snow and the untrodden land beneath — the
sledge tracks that ended at our tent, but which were to
be continued to-morrow over the glittering expanse.
After all, it was only a picture of strenuous endeavour.
" To take life as one finds it " is called a virtue. Yes,
of course, in a sense it is, but it comes very natural.
Dogs have it and the Eskimo have it ; men in whose
hearts no such word as " Forward " is inscribed, rank no
higher.

By degrees, as land began to loom out of the ice

VOL. II. 337 Z

Supplement.

haze, driving became more pleasant. It was something
more to look at than the flat ice which previously
surrounded us on every side. To be sure, there was no
rocky land, but there were hills and slopes, some of the
heights rising to about three hundred feet. We got up
under the coast and entered a bay on the left, which we
had thought of following. To all appearance it was
the only opening on the coast. However, on reaching
the lower end of it we found we were in the wrong
street, and Ristvedt mounted a small hill to reconnoitre ;
thence he sighted the proper bay. He could distinguish
the ice from the land by the ridge of ice extending all
alonp- the coast. This ice rido-e is so formed that the
sea practically freezes right down to the bottom in the
shallow water near the beach. It is formed when
the water is at its highest (spring tides). At ebb tide
the sea recedes from under the ice, with the result that
the latter, unable to support its own weight, drops down
again on to the surface of the water, and then it breaks
off near land, where it settles to the bottom as it cannot
get away from the shore. The ice next the shore
remains there, and the ice outside on the deeper water
sinks a trifle more, thus forming a step, affording a
means of ascending from the ice to the shore. The
height of the step depends directly on the difference
between the spring and ebb tides. Here the steps
were a couple of feet high and enabled Ristvedt from
that elevation to see that a narrow sound extended
along the bottom of the valley. We had merely to

338

Towards King Haakon VII's Land.

drive across a narrow isthmus to get on the right road
again.

It was my intention to drive to the end of the bay, but
on getting down on the ice we perceived near the other
coast an island, with a very peculiar erection, like a cairn,
at the highest point. This, of course, had to be inves-
tigated more closely. The Eskimo do not build such
cairns, they merely place single stones on the top of
one another. This one, however, looked quite monu-
mental. We drove across the bay and pitched our camp
near the foreshore of the island. Sure enough, it was
a cairn, although not quite so high as it appeared at first
sight. Across the top of the island there was a ridge
about fifteen feet high. At the western end of this ridge
there was another pyramidal elevation, and the cairn,
consisting of large slabs of limestone, was built on the
summit. We pulled down the cairn. I have always
had an objection to this work of demolition. Cairns,
miserable stoneheaps though they be, are signs of human
beings, human work, in the midst of the wild deserts.
But that is not all. One's hesitation to take it down is
due to one's veneration for the men who have been there
before. The cairns meant something to them, just the
same as those we erect have a meaning for ourselves.
Some difficulty surmounted, some step forward towards
a goal. They leave a trace of our wanderings that is to
endure for centuries, when the snow has long since
melted from under the sledge tracks and when our names
have disappeared like the melting snow. They are a

339 Z 2

Supplement.

trophy of victory impressed upon land, won from dark-
ness, from the spirits of evil. But the cairn had to come
down, we had to see whether it contained anything,
perhaps a message from our brave precursor, Rae. We
found nothing, however. We thereupon descended to
our camp. On our way down we saw a hare, but tried
in vain to use Gjoa as a sporting dog. She did not seem
to take the slightest interest in the subject, and when the
hare took to its heels across the ice, we abandoned the
idea of that little luxury.

On May loth we placed a depot beneath Rae's stones.
All we had left of the dog's food, prepared by ourselves —
about I cwt.— w^as deposited there. We proposed using
it durine the difficult drive over Victoria ice. We were
kept prisoners for two days. During that time we
discussed what we should do in case the ice on Victoria
Strait broke up before we reached home. It was just as
well to talk about it some time in advance. However,
now that we had made a regular start on the new land,
and there was every chance that we could procure the
necessary food ourselves, we were tempted to prolong our
survey into the spring.

We left on the 1 3th. We had prepared the sledges on
the previous night, and in the morning we were awakened
by the ptarmigan outside our tent. It sounded very
jnuch like summer, but it looked anything but summer-
like. It was a regular snow-storm, but, having the wind
behind us, we decided on starting. We passed over a
few isolated slopes on the way, and from the summit of

340

Towards King Haakon VI Fs Land.

one of them, Alice Hill, we sighted pack ice in a northerly
direction. We had another eight miles to drive, however,
before we got there. I may mention that there was no
real bay where Collinson had charted one ; he had drawn
his map of this section at a distance. The point
" Collinson's Farthest " was situated some distance to the
east of the spot where we reached water. From there
he had taken the isolated slopes for islands and capes,
and the low ground between them for water. The low
stretches of lakes and swampy ground we passed could
not possibly be distinguished at a distance. When a slope
of this description extends out to sea, and when there is
little difference between the ebb and spring--tide, as is the
case at that spot, one cannot tell where the land ends and
where the sea beg'ins, except when driving- across the
boundary line. We reached the beach close to a small
headland and thereupon branched off on the ice in a
north-westerly direction. We soon sighted land, which,
however, only consisted of a group of islets and skerries.
Looking due west we saw a higher point inland near the
coast of the mainland. We drove over and remained
there the night. Our observations during the day were
not of much importance. The snow-storm prevented us
from distinguishing anything clearly.

May 1 5th was a very cold day. The temperature was
down to 22° Fahr. below zero. It blew a little, but the
wxather was clear enough for us to start. Before leaving
camp we fixed up one of our false runners on the top of
the hillock to have a mark for the telescope of the plane

341 '

Supplement.

table. I had previously noticed how quickly one loses
sight of cairns of snow, even when built to the height of
a man. It is impossible to distinguish them at a distance
of a couple of miles, even in clear weather. The false
runner was intended to help us to recognise our hillock at
a distance. After driving for a couple of hours we
reached a low clear slope at the end of a headland,
Cape Kofoed Hansen. We erected a cairn there and
drove across a bay — Roman's Bay — the second headland
of which we sighted to the N.N.W. Midway on the
bay we stopped to survey. There were two points from
which I could not see the far end of the bay, but when
doing charting of this kind one has not always time to
enter into little details. The main thing- is to get the
coast line fairly outlined as far as possible.

May 1 6th was another idle day, thanks to the frightful
weather. It gave us an opportunity of looking after
our clothes properly, but that was its only redeeming
feature, for we had no time to be really idle. We were
getting short of fuel. A couple of unfortunate upsets
had lost us some petroleum, and by gauging our stock
on May 13th we discovered that we had only one and
three quarters gallons left. We must therefore
economise.

May 17th was Norwegian Independence Day. We
began the day by breaking open a small box which
Lindstrom had presented to us for this occasion on
leaving. We had for some time regarded it with curious
glances and tried to make each other believe that it was

342

Towards King Haakon VII's Land.

silly to be dragging it about on the sledge : that it would
be much better to open it at once. But, fortunately,
it always happened that when one was weak the other
was strong, and when one was for opening the box the
other descanted on the enormity of so doing before the
appointed time. The result was that the box remained
intact. It contained a fish-pudding, two tins of milk,
some citron-pudding powder, wheaten bread, and six
cigars, the whole constituting a very acceptable present

Peder Ristvedt.
AT VICTORIA LAND.

for gendemen in our present position. We each lighted
a cigar forthwith, and when we had finished smoking we
struck camp. The weather was not particularly fine,
and we found it difficult to make progress from the very
start. The snowstorm on the previous day had caused
a quantity of loose snow to accumulate between the big
drifts around the mountain of ice, and we had almost
to swim through it, both men and dogs, to reach better
ground ; but, in fact, it was bad enough all the way.

343

Supplement.

Sometimes we would drive a little way in on the coast
and sometimes on the ice again. It was equally bad
on both, and we waded through snow knee-deep. We
reached a headland, Cape Christian Mikkelsen. To the
north of this a deep fjord runs inland. Later on, the
Captain named it Denmark Fjord. At the mouth of
this fjord there was an island falling off steeply to the
south. The island was probably about i8o feet high,
considerably higher than the land along the sides of the
fjord, seen from it summit. Remembering what day it
was, I asked Ristvedt the name of the most important
person who took part in forming the Norwegian Con-
stitution. " Falsen ! " he said, and so we named the
island. We then drove a little farther on towards some
hi^h land which we noticed on the north side of the
fjord, but at 5 o'clock we halted for the day. It was the
first time for many a day that we had halted to fix camp
simply because we were tired and too fagged to drive
any further. After we had had our dinner, Ristvedt
made a citron-pudding in our chocolate-pot. Of course
we partook of it too freely.

The weather was so fine on the morning of May i8th
that we were in good hopes it had now set in in earnest.
I did some surveying, and then we proceeded towards
the same hicrh land we had been makinof for on the
previous day. Soon, however, everything disappeared in
a haze, and we had to steer our course as best we could
from one section of the main ice to another. It is not
very convenient to stop too often to verify the course by

344

Towards King Haakon VI Fs Land.

means of the compass. In such heavy sledging" as we
had to contend with there, the dogs seemed to become
stiff-legged by waiting, instead of deriving benefit from
the little rest. I thought I was now sufficiently experi-
enced not to mistake land for water, however much snow
there might be, but that was a fallacy. While driving
merrily along in the belief that I was on ice all the time,
a stone suddenly protruded from the snow. Evidently
there was no water here. Soon after I noticed a small
piece of broken ice standing up on edge. Certainly this
could not be land. But the transition had quite escaped
my attention. I charted the whole as a ridge of skerries
and islets round the north headland of the fjord, Cape
Peter Anker. I think this will turn out to be right, when
checked in the summer.

We camped at Cape Nygaard. We had seen from
Cape Anker that the land ended here ; it was a ridge
extending from Mount Dirckinck Holmfeld, out towards
Cape Anker. Ahead of us we could see nothing. Sky,
land, and ice intermingled in one indefinite grey haze.
The clouds looked threatening. A large ring surrounded
the sun in the afternoon. Cape Anker lying behind us
was only recognised from the fact that the shallows off
the land at that point had stopped the larger ice, so that
the field beyond was smooth. Only Mount Dirckinck
Holmfeld, with its gradients, was illuminated by a strong
silvery light. Everything pointed to bad weather. We
were beino- dosed with it and no mistake.

On May 20th we had for the first time a temperature

345

Supplement.

of about 32° Fahr, Sleet, a mixture of snow and rain,
was falling when we awoke. The flakes falling upon the
canvas of our tent were large, and every now and then
they melted, leaving a wet sparkling spot on the tent.
Yet the weather was improving. The wind cleared
the atmosphere later in the day. However, it was out
of the question to think of moving before night. The
wet snow would have formed big lumps under the
runners of our sledge. We did not make a start till
9 P.M. The temperature had fallen during the afternoon,
with the result that a crust of ice had formed on the
snow, and this made excellent going. We spun along in
magnificent weather. Heavy clouds were forming all
round the firmament, the sun throwing streams of light
and dark rays down upon the ice. It was beautiful, yet
there was something uncanny, uncertain, and tempestuous
about the illumination. We dared not hope it would
keep fine for long — neither did it. The sun set at
1 1 o'clock behind a wall of bluish-black clouds. We
had been out some distance from land on a portion of
the main ice taking coast bearings, but now we set our
course direct for a high cape. On our way we passed
a long, low headland — Point Dietrichsen — just as it
started snowing. We built a cairn there, hoping that
this was only a squall of short duration, and that it
would be over by the time we had finished our work ;
but it grew worse and worse, so we drove out into the
haze of snow and were fortunate enouo-h to oret direct

O O

to the high land. It was an isolated hill, which I at

346

Towards King Haakon VI Fs Land.

first took for an island. It turned out later that it was
a final spur extending from the slopes round Mount
Dirckinck Holmfeld. The cape, the most prominent
point on the coast, was christened Cape Sverdrup.

At 2 A.M. on May 21st we encamped. The drive
during the night had made us so sleepy that we cooked
a little pemmican for our meal. We did not care to wait
the hour or so that would be required for preparing meat
from our " fodder-box." When we woke again, quite
eleven hours later, we were very hungry. It seemed as
if the meal of pemmican had not been substantial enough.
We had only used the regulation rations, 14 ounces. This
allowance included some chocolate, but we had not been
able to prepare it on account of the scarcity of fuel. W^e
quite recognised that the ration of pemmican for the
day's chief meal, if lbs. of food, could on no account be
reduced. We now treated ourselves to an extra cup of
chocolate.

It was rather a depressing thought that we should soon
have to turn back. The bad weather had only one
advantage — we were not tempted too far away from our
base. Yet it was a pity to be reduced to finding con-
solation in a line of argument that ought to be foreign
to a lit and energetic Arctic traveller.

We escaped with one day of idleness at Cape Sverdrup.
On the 22nd we got away. With a fresh breeze straight
in our faces we proceeded over the broad flat bay, Norway
Bay, to the north of Cape Sverdrup. Before our departure
I went up to Cape Sverdrup to take observations, and

347

Supplement

came upon an old tent ring there. On the very top
there was a huge boulder, on which I placed a long
stone taken from the tent ring. This kind of cairn is
visible from a much greater distance, and is more
substantial than the ordinary ones. The land along
the bay was quite fiat, so also was the northern headland
itself, Point Isachsen. When we reached this, I per-
ceived Ristvedt running after me, and stopped for him.
He asked me to lend him the glasses, and I thought
there must be somethino- the matter. I o-lanced over the
ice, however, and saw nothing, so 1 imagined he had
made a mistake. But he had seen enough — " Bear,"
he whispered. His lips formed the words rather than
uttered them. His sporting eagerness had got hold of
him ; he feared to scare his quarry, but this was rather
unnecessary. There was a bear, no doubt, but it was
a long way off. It was standing out on a large plateau
of smooth ice, extending outwards from Point Isachsen
and meeting the pack-ice quite near the horizon. Its
head poised on a wonderfully long neck, drooped down
towards the ice ; its leo-s resembled four short columns.
There was nothing very terrifying about it in that position ;
it was probably standing there asleep. Its yellowish skin
was much the same colour as a block of dirty pack-ice ;
it was almost impossible to distinguish it from the
surrounding blocks of ice. Suddenly it turned its head
round towards us, and then we could see its black snout
quite distinctly. No other object in this kingdom of the
vSnow Queen, no stone, no bare spot, no dark shadow is

34^

Towards King Haakon VI Is Land.

so black as the snout of a Polar bear. It cannot be
mistaken even miles away. It looked in our direction,
probably it had heard some of our dogs barking ; how-
ever, it soon turned it head away again and continued
dozing;.

Ristvedt took Silla and went off towards the bear.
When he got within a suitable distance, he let the bitch
loose, after showing her the direction. Away she went,
slowly at first, but suddenly she seemed to catch sight
of the bear, and then forward she darted, like a black
streak over the ice. I loosened more dogs. They had
by this time learnt what it meant when Ristvedt went
off with his rifle. Like a flash they followed his track
and passed him, as he stumbled along over the snow,
away after Silla. I noticed through the glasses how the
bear again slowly turned its head towards the sledge.
The dogs never barked ; it was possibly by the merest
coincidence that it turned its head. But the sight that
then met its eyes soon made it lively. It wheeled right
round and lifted its head, stood its ground, but only for
an instant. By instinct, or from experience, it must
know the wolves that can chase even a bear till it drops
from sheer exhaustion, though each one of them be such
a miserably small creature compared to its majestic self.
It now perceived a leash of six — seven — eight coming
towards it at a breakneck speed, black spots dotted
over the ice. Life was in jeopardy ; the peacefulness
of the desert was disturbed. Up it bounded, all its
four legs off the ice at once, and wheeled round. Then

349

Supplement.

off at a gallop towards the pack-ice, full pelt, to save
its life.

Silla was too quick for Bruin. Just before the bear
could reach the edge of the life-saving pack-ice, in the
maze of which — where it was quite at home and within a
yard or so of safety — the dogs could not have kept up
with it, it was overtaken. Silla bounded forward and
fastened her teeth in its tail. The bear had to stop and
throw itself round to shake off the enemy, and round it
spun, at such a rate that Silla had to let go her grip and
was sent flying on the ice. Scarcely had the bear turned
to resume its flight than Silla was on it again. This was
repeated several times, but meanwhile the other dogs
had caught up to the fugitive, and then there was no
hope for the bear. The dogs surrounded it, and no
matter to which side it turned, some dog or other w^as
at its heels. Through the glasses I could see it spinning
round, bounding off the ice like a rubber ball, at a speed
one would not have credited in such a clumsy creature.
Its rage increased. Then Ristvedt got up and fired.
The bear was wounded, but not mortally ; it merely rose
on its hind-legs and fought the air with its fore-paws.
The dogs closed in on it. Silla, in her fury, sprang
right at the face of the bear, and received a blow from
its broad paw. It must already have been somewhat
weakened, otherwise it would have killed the plucky
bitch outright. As it was, she took several minutes to
recover ; we had given up hopes of her ; her eagerness
for bear-hunting was knocked out of her now. The

350

Towards King Haakon VII's Land.

bear died in the belief that it had killed the enemy who
had first overtaken it and stayed its flight from death.
It was shot through the head by Ristvedt's second ball,
fired at a moment when the dogs were timidly holding
back after Silla had been struck, thereby enabling him
to fire without hitting one of them. It was a lean
young she-bear, with no trace of food in her inside, and
a curious hide-like layer of adipose tissue, almost devoid
of fat. We had bear-flesh for supper. The soup was
good, but the flesh was very coarse and stringy. Besides,
it was so~ lean that we were soon hungry again, notwith-
standing the ample helpings. To bring the soup up to
the proper standard, we ought to have put a good-sized
lump of seal blubber into the pot.

The same night we had an illustration of the difficulty
of gauging the size of things under certain conditions of
light. We had turned in when Ristvedt thought he
would have another peep through the little hole in the
door to see if everything was right, when he saw another
bear. We opened the door in double-quick time and
sure enough we saw a dirty yellowish object running
away on the ice. Per, Bay, and Silla were after it full
tilt. Contrary to our custom, we had not tied the dogs
up as the bear we had killed was too large to carry away
with us, and we did not mind the dogs having a feed
during the night. In any case they would find it prefer-
able to sailcloth and tarred rope. Now they were after the
bear in full chase. They overtook it and then began to
waltz round it in the same fashion as we had already seen

351

Supplement.

earlier in the day. The waltz suddenly ceased, and the
dogs came running back towards us, Per carrying the
" bear " in its mouth. I don't know whether it was the
light alone which accounted for this, or defective obser-
vation during our hurried preparations, or the blind
sporting fever that undeniably seizes one when confronted
with such bio- o-ame as Kino- Bruin, but we felt rather
crestfallen at the finish when the "bear" turned out to
be nothing more than a white fox. Full of the pride of
victory, Per arrived with the fox in its mouth and laid it
down. Next day it was consigned to the cooking pot.
Fox-flesh has a peculiar flavour, and the odour reminds
one of the smell of a wild beast cage ; apart from this,
it is, in the matter of fibre, the best meat procurable
during the winter. Bear is stringy, ptarmigan is tough,
and reindeer like firewood, but the fox keeps himself in
good condition all through the winter, so that the fat is
suitably distributed, and the meat tender. There is not
much feeding on him, as he is not much bigger than
a good-sized rabbit.

It was a trifle troublesome to get the dogs to move
next morning. May 23rd, just as it had been on the other
occasions when they had been allowed to eat their fill.
They groaned and panted in the hot sunshine. But as it
was nothinsf more than the headache following- the
debauch, we did not hesitate to use the whip to urge
them on. We never used it as a rule, and, of course,
we were more loth to do so when the doo-s had been on
short rations for some time. We made good progress

352

Towards King Haakon VI Fs Land.

to-day. The temperature had been 14° Fahr., but being
a beautiful calm day the sun had had sufficient effect on
the snow to cake it under the runners. The doo-s suffered
from the heat, so we decided to drive durino' the nig-ht in
future.

On May 25th it was fine all the day, and we expected
the best results from our latest march ; but we had hardly
made a start in the evening before a bank of clouds rose
very rapidly over the northern horizon. It was just as
though the sun fell from the clouds, so quickly did they
gather. Before we could count ten the beautiful evening,
with the glowing midnight sun and golden purple clouds,
with all its other glories, had changed into a cold,
clammy, dismal, dark autumn night. We had to get
along, however, as we meant to cover another twenty
miles. Now and then we adjusted our course by a pocket
compass. To judge from appearances we were on a
bay ; the ice was quite smooth. Soon after midnight we
reached land, and then the fog lifted a little. To our
astonishment we saw land on all sides of us. We had
driven into a bay that was completely land-locked. We
called it " Greely Harbour." This would be a splendid
winter-harbour ; it is the only good one on the coast.
There was plenty of deep water as we could see by two
or three large masses of sea-ice that had found their way
into the bay ; they must have been submerged quite
five fathoms. The land on the west side of the bay was
high, and that on the east side also. Between two slopes
there was a very low narrow isthmus, over which we

VOL. II. 353 ' 2 A

Supplement.

drove out on to the sea-ice again, and thence we followed
the coast northwards. Unfortunately it did not clear up
after all. The fog again enveloped everything, gloomy,
cold and clammy. This damped my courage. Why
struggle to advance, when we could not even see land,
and the most we could have done was only a matter of
another couple of miles. So we halted and went into
camp off a low rocky headland, very much like all the
others we had passed. This we called " Hansen's
Farthest."

Who has not at some time in his life stood over-
powered with the conviction, " Thus far and no farther."
Those who have, know how depressing it is. We had
long recognised that we could not reach our goal. When
we were labouring and toiling over the pack ice out on
Victoria Strait we had more than once remarked that we
would content ourselves with one or two days' journey
along new land ; but although we had done a good deal
more than that, still we were rather disappointed at not
having reached Glenelg Bay. We had to leave the
hundred miles separating us from it, in their untrodden
virgin whiteness. We did not conquer them.

On that day when I closed my journal with the words :
" Thus far and no farther," I felt almost as if the whole
of our labour had been wasted. When " Forward "
is your watchword your muscles are tense, your heart
beats, the blood courses through your veins, your head
is erect, and your form upright. But " Backward " seems
to turn you at once into a decrepit old man. It was

354

Towards King Haakon VII's Land.

some days before we could again reconcile ourselves to
the words of Bjornson's poem :

" Loft dit Hoved, du raske Gut !
Om et Halb eller to blev brudt,
Blinker et nyt i dit Oje."

We prepared the following document to be left in a
cairn : —

" A sledge expedition from the Norwegian ' Gjoa '
Expedition reached this point on May 26th, 1905, and
named it ' Cape Nansen.'

" It is situated 72° 2' N., 104° 45' W. (Greenwich).

" The coast appears to continue in a N. W. direction.

" We are returning to the ship on this date.
"Cape Nansen, May 26th, 1905.

" GoDFRED Hansen.
" Per Ristvedt."

Turning " back," as I have said, makes one feel old
and broken up, but turning "homeward" is quite a
different thing. We were now going home, home in
real earnest. Cape Nansen was our farthest point ; the
return journey would not terminate in Gjoahavn, it would
continue in the " Gjoa " as soon as the ice opened—
then onward, homeward.

At Cape Nansen we secured a bear. It was on the
26th, in the evening, just as I was preparing to strike
camp. Ristvedt looked out through the door of the
tent. But, instead of the sledo-es and the dogfs formino-
a crescent round the tent, and the fading outline of some

355 2 A 2

Supplement.

hummocks, and beyond grey nothingness, snow and ice
melting- into a haze : instead of all this, he saw a bear
standing some ten feet from the entrance to the tent.
The rifle was always lying in the tent, loaded. In an
instant Ristvedt picked it up and fired. The bear fell,
hut got up again and hobbled away on the pack ice.
The blood was running from its throat. We rushed out,
barefooted as we were, to loose the dogs. But our
hurry was unnecessary. The bear only got some thirty
paces away, and then rolled over stone dead.

May 27th. — The land north of Cape Nansen was again
quite fiat. To the south I could see the high land
surrounding Greely Harbour. The most prominent,
however, was Mount Ovidias towering high above the
perfectly level plain extending for miles round its base.
It is the most easily recognised point on the entire
coast. I then returned to the tent, and our homeward
journey began.

At Cape Anker we turned into Denmark Fjord, and
passed the night on Cloette Island, some ten miles up
the fjord. Although the weather was clear, we could
not as yet see the far end of the fjord, and we made up
our minds to proceed some distance further up next day.
According to the map I had sketched on our outward
journey, there should be a neck of land farther in, about
four miles wide, between Roman's Bay and Denmark
Fjord. I wanted to drive over there to check the work,
which had been carried out only by means of bearings

taken from the outside.

356

Towards King Haakon VI Fs Land.

It was surprising- to notice, as we proceeded along the
coast, how quickly the fine weather altered the appear-
ance of the land. On June ist, the sun, which was now
visible in the sky throughout the day, was shining with
its hill force on the snow, melting it, and laying bare the
black earth beneath. As yet there were no running-
streams apparent, but the snow-heaps continued to
diminish every day. In places that were thinly covered
it disappeared altogether, so that the hill crests became
almost black. We soon began camping on the ground,,
as we found that the warmth of our bodies penetrated
through our sleeping bags and the tent floor and melted
the snow, so that the bags became damp. Camping on
bare ground was therefore preferable. Even if the bed
were not so smooth as it might have been, we were not
so particular as the '" Princess " in the story of the " Pea,"
and we did not mind putting up with a small stone or so
in our beds. We saw hares while proceeding down
along the coast, often three to four at a time. Some of
them found their way into our pot. It was difficult,
however, to eet within sfun ranoe, and we dared not be
too reckless with our ammunition. It was meant for
bigger game. Off Cape Kofoed Hansen, we shot
another bear.

On June 5th we passed " Rae's Cairn " Island and
found our depot all right. The lemmings had had a
few mouthfuls, but not more than we could very well
spare. This is, I may say, an animal for which I have
a certain amount of respect. Should anyone wound its

357

Supplement.

spirit of independence by crossing its path, it resolutely
rises on its hind legs, with its back against a stone if
possible. Sitting on its hind legs it fights with its fore
paws in the air, for all the world like a bear, ready to sell
its life as dearly as possible. As you stand in front of it,
towering into the skies, while the tiny creature only
reaches to your ankle, you can scarcely help laughing at
such a curious exhibition of courage. Nevertheless, it
commands respect. We reached our depot of bearded
seal on the ice next morning. It took us some time to
discover it.

On June nth, just after midnight, we drove on, along
Tayler Island. We found traces of two Eskimo sledges
going south, and we followed them, hoping to overtake
the Eskimo. For some reason or other, however, they
must have been in a hurry to get south. Possibly they
were to meet kinsmen and had postponed the journey as
long as possible, hoping that we would return. They
had made no halt for the night all the way down to
Dehaven Point. From there we crossed straight over
to Lind Island, which was prominently visible to the
south. We halted for the day in the middle of the
sound.

On June 14th we tackled the pack-ice. I had thought
of it with some misgivings, in view of the possible scars
and inevitable exertions. We were, however, let off
easily. In two days we reached the " Land seen by
Rae." On the first day in the pack-ice we caught a
seal. It was most welcome, as the bearded seal blubber

358

Towards King Haakon VI Fs Land.

had become somewhat rancid. We had, in fact, seen
many seals since we began camping in the open. On
smooth floes of somewhat considerable extent one could
be certain of seeing seals that had come up to bask in
the sun. They were very shy, and it was only possible
to get within shooting range in places where heaps of
pack-ice had accumulated conveniently.

We reached land early in the morning of the 15th. It
was only an islet, but we sighted land, large and small
islands, to the north, south, and east. It was quite
summer on the islet, hardly any snow, fresh green moss,
ptarmigan and eider-ducks. To us it seemed quite
a regular litde paradise, and we named it Princess
Ingeborg's Island. I determined its longitude and
latitude. The chartinor of the other islands was done in
a somewhat perfunctory manner ; as we were, in fact,
in somewhat reduced circumstances. We cooked with
blubber, as we wanted to save up the remaining half-pint
of petroleum lest we should get such bad weather some
day as to make cooking outdoors impossible. Our
supply of bread was exhausted, and we had only two
rations of chocolate left. They would soon be anxiously
awaitinor us at home. All this caused me to hasten our

progress.

We made a day's journey of twenty-one miles south,
passing between a great number of islands and islets.
For the last two or three miles we drove over a Strait —
Markham Strait — and I had an idea that there must be
sufficient depth for the " Gjoa." We reached Bryde's

359

Supplement.

Island, south of the Strait, from the top of which I sighted
several islands to the south, and at the farthest point, pro-
bably about fifteen miles off, high hilly land, apparently
an island of some extent. I had an idea of examining the
group of islands farther southwards, and had started to do
so, but thinking that the group extended right to the main-
land, I concluded that the task would take too long, con-
sidering the advanced season, and I therefore altered our
course northwards again, to the east of the islands.

We named the group south of Bryde's Island "Norden-
skjold's Islands." The group north of Markham Strait
was named " Royal Geographical Society's Islands," and
the most prominent points of the islands were given
English names. This seemed to us the most appropriate,
as the land was first sighted by an Englishman.

On our way along the east coast we lost a dog.
Ristvedt had taken it out of the team, as it was impos-
sible to make it work, and it only caused trouble among
the other dogs. He was a reddish coated dog, with
short legs, answering the name of " Inagsayak." He
had been lazy all the time, and, as the dogs had for some
time been fed on blubber mixture, it had grown rather
fat. It followed behind the sledge for a time, but at last
even this was too much for it ; it lay down on the ice
and there it remained. We saw no more of it. We
fully expected it to turn up at our tent in the evening,
but it did not. It must have died there. Our con-
sciences pricked us a little at first, but there was,

apparently, nothing the matter with it when unharnessed.

360

Towards King Haakon VII's Land.

We therefore consoled ourselves with the thought that
if it had died, its death was due to its own laziness.

On June. i8th we started off across Alexandra Strait.
The snow in the pack ice had altered in a deplorable
manner. The crust of ice formed durino- the nigrht was
not thick enough to carry us and the dogs, but, fortu-
nately, the sledges floated on the surface, and we made
some progress after all. At Cape Crozier we found our
reindeer-meat, our petroleum and our chocolate, all in
good order. Our privations were at an end. We now
had the smooth ice of Simpson Strait to drive on, and
made quick marches along the coast.

One thing, however, was very embarrassing at this

late season : our doo-s o-ot bad feet. The snow was off

the ice, and the ice-water had rendered the surface rough

and uneven, with numberless small perpendicular icicles,

which injured the dogs' feet. There was blood on the

track after them, and one after the other they had to be

unharnessed — first Mylius, then Gjoa, then Silla. We

just managed to get them to follow behind our sledges.

If travelling is unavoidable when the ice is in an advanced

state of thaw, the dogs should be provided with suitable

foot-g-ear, otherwise the work is too much for them.

After a time, as we advanced, the features of the landscape

gradually became more familiar. We had often visited

the coast as far as the narrow part of the Strait. After

passing Todd Island, and turning into Peterson's Bay,

we began to feel quite at home. Our last camp was at

Svartheia (the Black Mountain).

361

Supplement.

On the morning of June 25th we started on our last
ten miles. Our sledge-flag, which had become somewhat
tattered, floated over the sledge from the end of a ski.
We intended to be seen by those on board at the earliest
moment, and they soon saw it, as they were anxiously
looking out for us. At 7 a.m. the flag was hoisted on
board. Lund was on the look-out that morning, and had
seen us immediately. We learned afterwards how many
times they had looked out for us on the ice, but in vain,
nothing but the level ice and Todd Island in the distance
dancing up and down in the haze ; but finally we arrived.
We entered the mouth of the harbour at 8 o'clock and
soon reached the vessel. The dogs had suddenly recog-
nised the place, and realised that they were going to have
a thorough rest. A man came down from the vessel,
advancing towards us with lono- strides. It was the
Commander. " God dag og velkommen " (" Good-day
and welcome "), said he, and welcome we were, that was
evident.

The journey was at an end. It had been a trying trip ;
you have to keep wide awake when travelling in the
deserts. Ever such a little blunder and you may lose
your life. A mistake means death. However, it is a
manly life ; you feel free when out there, where will is
law even though it is hard, for the road is strewn with
difficulties. One makes acquaintance with hunger, cold,
wet and fatigue. The fare is frugal. You have to say
good-bye to cleanliness, when every drop of water has to

be produced at the expense of the most precious of all

362

Towards King Haakon VII's Land.

your possessions, fuel. However, on you go, and every
mile covered seems another victory. And life : La vie
nest pas zm plaisetir ni tme douleur, mais une affaire
grave, dont nous sommes charg^e, et qicil fatit conduire et
terminer d notre honneurT

We had achieved this ; we had charted another stretch
of coast on the blank part of the Northern Hemisphere ;
we had caused new land to be trodden by the foot of
man, and had made this land, its geology. Its physical
conditions, and Its geography known. During our
journey we had covered 800 miles.

Conchision.
As I sat out there on my sledge, without any guide-
post ahead of me, the runners of my sledge making the
first tracks through those fields of snow, I often thought
It would be a good subject to write about on my return
home. It seemed to me that our journey was not with-
out Importance. Though the coast along which we drove
was stern, stormy, foggy, and Ice-bound both In summer
and winter, though the land we wrested from the realm
of darkness, and mapped out on our chart was barren
and stony, shorn of natural beauty, useless to mankind,
yet It seemed to me that the Infinite wastes gave birth to
conceptions of greatness, beauty, and goodness. This
was to be my theme. I desired so to write that those
who would read might enrich their ideas and gain some
Impressions, at least, of the -Stupendous, such as were
conveyed to me In those pathless regions, where God's

363

Supplement.

sun or the bright stars alone point the way. Now that
I have come to the end of my task, I realise how little I
have been able to offer, because the thoughts that to me
were overwhelming, are such as find expression in the
soul rather than on the lips. If, however, I have, to
some extent, succeeded in telling the story of two men
and twelve dogs wading through snow, crawling over
ice, resting in the lonely tent, exposed to the winds ; if
I have only once succeeded in faintly picturing the
impressions produced by what is seen out there in the
endless expanse, in storm and in sunshine, I shall have
done something more than add to the chart a few miles
of land north of " Collinson's Farthest."

3<^'4

Addendum.

Addendum by Captain Roald Amundsen.
I desire to express my most respectful and hearty
thanks to all those who have lent their kind support to
the " Gjoa " Expedition by contributions of money, goods,
or presents, or by undertaking guarantees.

H.M. King Haakon VII .

H.M. King Oscar II ....

The Norwegian Government

Mr. N. A. Stang, Merchant

Mr. P. M. Anker, Landed Proprietor

Mr. Mails Wiel, Merchant

His Excellency Fridtiof Nansen, Minister of State

The Nansen Fund .....

Mrs. Olava Christiansen ....

Mr. W. Nygaard, Publisher

Mr. Haaken Mathiesen, Chamberlain

Anonymous ......

Royal Geographical Society .

Mr. K. R. Berg, Manufacturer .

Mr. Kristen Irgens, B.A. .

Mr. Gunnar Knudsen, President of the Storting

The Ostlandske Petroleums Co.

Mr. C. H. Homan, Barrister

Mr. Ths. Fearnley, Master of the Royal Hunt

Mr. T. H. Schjelderup, Merchant

Mr. Johs. G. Heftye, Telegraph Director .

Mrs. Evenstad ......

Christiania Soforsikringsselskab

Mr. Hans Kjaer, Merchant

Mr. Carl Lovenskiold, Minister of State

Mr. M. W. Stand, Consul ....

Mr. Axel Heiberg, Consul

Carried forward
365

Kr.

Ore

10,000

. 40,000

10,000

5,000

' S,ooo

5,000

3,000

2,500

2,000

1,800

1,000

120,300 00

Supplement.

Brought forward
Mr. Joh. Thome, Councillor of State
Mr. Ellef Ringnes, Brewery Proprietor
Messrs. O. Mustad and Son .
Mr. Chr. Schou, Manufacturer
Mr. Thv. Meyer, Merchant .
Miss Harriet Wedel Jarlsberg .
Mr. J. C. Juel, Merchant
Mr. H. F. Dessen, Merchant, London
Mr. Th. Fagelund, Shipowner, London .
Mr. Jacob Hessler, Merchant, West Hartlepool
Mr. J. Jorgensen, Merchant, London
" A Friend," through Mr. Fagelund, Shipowner
Mr. J. C. Pharo, Merchant, London
Mr. Johan. Anker, Engineer ...
Mr. J. Hoist, Merchant, through Mr. Fagelund,
Shipowner ......

Mr. J. W. Constantin Schroter, Cardiff" .
Mr. L. W. Longstaff ....

Union Internationale, Antwerp, through Kjeld
Stud and Co. .....

Through Mr. Arvid Bergvall —

Kgl. Oct. So-Assurance Kompagnie

The British Dominion Marine Insurance Co

AUgemeine Seeversicherungs Gesellschaft

Total

About . .

Kr.

120,300

1,000

500

Ore.

00
00
00
00
00
00
00
00
00
00
00
00
00
00
00

456 30

20c 00

180 00

100 00

50 00

133^986 30

^7,440

Contributions in the shape of Goods and Instruments.

Provisions and instruments from Mr. Axel Heiberg,
Consul, and Messrs. Ringnes Brothers.

Instruments from the Meteorological Institute and the
Astronomical Observatory, also from the International
Central Laboratory for the Study of the Sea.

366

Addendum.

Chocolate from Messrs. Brodrena Cloetta.

Tobacco from Mr. J. L. Tiedemann (Mr. J oh. H.
Andresen), and Johs. N. With's Tobaksfabrik A. G.

Matches from the Nitedals Taendstiksfabrik.

Drugs from Mr. Ths. O. Alstad, Chemist, and
Mr. TilHer, Chemist.

Medicine Chest Outfit from Messrs. Nyegaard and
Co.

Surgical Instruments and Dressings from Mr. Christian
Falchenberg.

Instruments from Mr. Fr. Aug. Michelet.

Gunpowder from the Nitedal Powder Factory.

Books from Messrs. H. Aschehoug and Co., Mr. Jacob
Dybwad, and Messrs. Feilberg and Landmark.

Christmas and Birthday presents from relatives, friends,
and acquaintances.

Loan and Guarantees.
Bank Loan through Mr. O. Didev-Simonsen, Ship-
owner, with the following Joint Guarantors : —

Mr. Einar Bjornson, Director.
Mr. Hans. Br. Blehr, Shipbroker.
Mr. Johan Bryde, Shipowner.
Mr. Ludwig Castberg, Shipowner.
Mr. Joachim Greig, Shipowner.
Mr. Ivor Klaveness, Shipowner.
Mr. Fred Olsen, Shipowner.
Mr. Th. Pedersen, Shipowner.
Mr. Hj. Siegwarth, Shipowner.
Mr. D. Ditlev-Simonsen, Shipowner.
Mr. Chr. P. Staubo, Shipowner.
367 .

Supplement.

Cash loan, free of interest, from Jens Amundsen,
Shipowner of Fredrikshald, i,ooo kr.

Loan on bills through Dr. Fridtjof Nansen, Minister : —

Kr.

Dr. Fridtjof Nansen, Minister .

6,000

Mrs. Evenstad, Widow

4,000

Mr. Jobs. Heftye, Banker .

3,000

Captain Scott-Hansen, R.N.

1,000

Total ..... 14,000

Guarantee for payment of debt, through Mr. C. H.
Homan, Barrister, to the amount of 2,120 kr. 65 ore.

THE END.

368

INDEX

Abva (Mount Matheson), (ij i8o, 182, Alaska. (conL)^

203, 230, 232.
Barren waste, with sand and stones, (i)

232.
Achievements of previous Expeditions in

discovery of North West Passage —

achievements which were of value in

planning and executing "Gjoa"

Expedition, (ii) 102-6.
for particular Expeditions, refer to their

names.
Achievements of the " Gjoa " Expedition.
North V/est Passage accomplished, (ii)

120, 125.
Victoria Land — ^sledge expedition for

charting unknown land, refer to title

Victoria Land.
Achliechtu and Achlieu Islands, (i) 178,

196, 199, 200 ; (ii) 296.
Adams and Milne — Scotch whalers, (i)

22, 39, 41.
Adelaide, Cape —
Description of, (ii) 332.
Magnetic North Pole of James Ross, (i)

61.
Adelaide Peninsula — Boundary of

Eskimo tribe, (i) 292.
Admiralty Island, (ii) 329.
Adolf Schmidt's Hill, or St. John's Hill,

(i) 209.
Aerial ropeway, construction of, to

facilitate unloading stores at Gjoa-

havn, (i) 93, 94.
Ahiva, Eskimo and his wife Alerpa —

exchange of wife incident, (i)

.3°9-
Air in Polar regions — not absolutely pure

and free from bacilli round King

William Land — epidemic of colds

among Eskimo, (i) 250.
Akla, Eskimo and his wife Pandora —

married life of, etc., (i) 307, 308,

333-
Alaska —
Amundsen's, Captain, post journey, see

title, Herschel Island to Eagle

City.
Mail carriers — superior sledge drivers,

etc., (ii) 244.

Prices, high prices of commodities, (ii)

245-
Road houses ("hotels") rxiet with from

Circle City, description of, charges,

etc., (ii) 244, 245.
Alaska Coast — ice and ice conditions,

attempts made to get into open

channel, (ii) 254, 258-9, 266,

268-81.
No further traces of ice seen off Cape

Belcher, (ii) 284.
Albert Edward Bay, (ii) 329, 331, 332,

336.
Alcohol, benefit of under certain con-
ditions— rum drunk on sledge ex-
pedition to Victoria Land, (ii) 307,

308, 309.
Aleingan — grey-haired Eskimo, chief of

his tribe, and reputation as magician,

(i) 320, 321.
Aleingarlu — boy Eskimo, (i) 257.
"Alexander" — American whaler com-
manded by Captain Tilton, (ii) 250,

251, 252, 253.
Passed by the " Goja "—assistance

offered, etc., (ii) 136, 141.
Visit of Captain Amundsen to Herschel

Island, (ii) 164, 212, 215.
Alexandra Strait, (ii) 319, 361.
Alfred, Cape, (ii) 299.
Alice Kill, (ii) 341.
Alvert, John — Indian merchant met with

at Porcupine River, (ii) 238.
American charts obtained from Captain

McKenna, value of, (ii) 130.
American whalers, see title Whale

Hunting, also names of ships.
Amgudyu, Eskimo and his wiie

Kimaller, (i) 318.
Amundsen, Captain Roald —
Brothers of, assistance rendered by, (i)

6, 14.
Foot trouble resulting in Captain

Amundsen lying up, (i) 186.
Inspiration to achieve the North West

Passage, (i) 4.
Training for Arctic Exploration, (i)

4, 5-

369

2 B

Index

Anakto, Eskimo from Herschel Island,

(ii) 192.
Anana, Eskimo — mother of the " Owl,"

(i) 163, 193, 224, 226, 244, 315.
Anchors — ice anchors used along Alaska

Coast, (ii) 278,
Andreson, gunmaker, Tromso — name on

lock found at Beechey Island, (ii)

57- .
Anglo-American Polar Expedition —
welcoming the " Gjoa " at Barrow
Point, (ii) 282.
Animal life —
Re-appearance following first winter

sojourn at Gjoahavn, (i) 157.
refer also to titles. Foxes, Reindeers,
Lemmings, Bears, etc.
Anker, Cape, (ii) 356.
Arctic Ocean — current near Point
Barrow, risk of involuntary trip to
North Pole, (ii) 279.
Arnana, Eskimo, (ii) 75.
Astrup, Eivind — member of Peary

Expedition, (i) 45.
Atangala, Eskimo — Visit to Gjoahavn,
English spoken by Atangala, acting
as post-boy, etc., (i) 263-8, 271 ; (ii)
69-76.
Atikleura — Nechilli Eskimo —
Black eye inflicted by Talurnakto

incident, (ii) 61.
Meeting with on sledge expedition
towards Matty Island, (i) 164-72,
179.
Snow hut construction — Atikleura as

master builder, (ii) 3.
Tent and tent-circle constructed by —

model tent, etc., (i) 298.
Visit to Gjoahavn — salmon and seal
blubber bought for the Expedition,
etc., (ii) 58.
Auks —
Cape Belcher — auks seen off, (ii) 285.
Cape York — shooting enough birds for

a dinner, (i) 38.
Melville Bay^ — convoys of little auks
seen near, (i) 36.
Aurora Borealis, (ii) 170, 225, 234.
Autumn —
Eskimo's most dismal season, (i) 329,

330.
Season — autumn not recognised by
Eskimo, (ii) 47.
Auva — Eskimo woman, death of, (i) 257.
Axel Steen's Hill — visits to investigate
ice conditions in connection with
departure from Gjoahavn, (ii) loi.

Baffin Bay — circumnavigating by Bylot
and Baffin, (ii) 102.

Bailey Island — passing of the ' ' Gjoa,"
etc., (ii) 134, 170, 195.

Barrow Point, (ii) 256, 265, 279.
Arrival of the " Gjoa" — ships welcom-
ing, etc., (ii) 282.

Barrow Strait — fog encountered, (i)

56- . .

Bartering with Eskimo, refer to Eskimo.

Bathing facilities on board the " Gjoa,"

(ii) 202.
American steam bath used— advantages

of, etc., (i) 258.
Bathurst, Cape — ice conditions, passing

of the " Gjoa," (ii) 132-4.
Beads, no market value among Eskimo

women until made into trinkets,

(ii)S8.
Bears^
Hunting by Eskimo- — division of spoil

among those taking part in hunt,

(ii) 41-
Shooting —
Franklin Bay, (ii) 131.
Victoria Land Expedition, (ii) 348-51,

355-
Tracks of she-bear with young seen near
Gjoahavn — first track seen, (i)

247.
Bearskin — gift from Nechilli Eskimo,

Atikleura, (i) 170.
Beaufort Islands, (i) 63.
Stranding of the " Gjoa " off low island

southernmost of Beaufort Islands,

(i)62.

Beauvais, American — employed on board

the " Gjoa," (ii) 199.
Beechey Island —

Arrival of the' " Gjoa," (i) 47.

Chart made by Commander Pullen in
1854, (i) 49.

Departure of the " Gjoa," (i) 55.

Depot (Northumberland House) erected
by Pullen for Sir E. Belcher's
squadron, remains of-^relics taken
by members of Captain Amundsen's
Expedition, etc., (i) 50, 51.

Description of' — absence of life and
vegetation, (i) 51.

Exploring, fossils collected, etc. , (i) 49.

Franklin's last safe winter quarters, (i)

47-
Graves of members of Franklin Expe-

, dition, condition of, (i) 55.
Magnetic observations taken, (i) 46,

49-
Marble slab erected by M'Clintock on
behalf of Lady Franklin, (i) 5 1.

370

Index

J^i^echey Island {con^.)—

Position of tent pitched hy Captain

Amundsen — spot marked and

account of progress of expedition

deposited, in tin case,:(i) 53.

Behring Sea, whale hunting in^-fir^t

bowhead whale caught, (ii) 257.
I Behring, Vitus — discoverer of Behring

Strait, (ii) 103.
Belcher, Cape — ice lost sight of, (ii) 284.
Belcher, Sir E., (i) 50.
Belgian Antarctic Expedition under
Adrien de Gerlache — Captain
Amundsen as m-ate, (i) 5.
Bellot, Lieutenant — memorial tablet on

Beechy Island, (i) 51.

Bellot Strait — M'Clintock's two years'

sojourn, point reached by the

" Gjoa," (i) 59. _

" Belvedere" — American whaler, (ii) 270.

Bernier, Captain of " The Arctic " — ^letter

,to Captain Amundsen, (ii) 70.
Letz I'd's Point, 7-e/er to Von Betzold's

Point.
Beverly Islands, (i) 67.
Big Halibut Bank ("Store Hellefish-
bank") — icebergs encountered, (i) 26.
Bird life-^
Absence of — Melville Bay, (i) 36.
Migrating birds — flights of, indicating

commencement of winter, (i) 236.
Numbers met with —
Gjoahavn, (i) 84.
Hansen's Hill, (i) 224.
Kaa-aak-ka, (i) 200.
Nordligste Nordhoi, (i) 205.
Shooting at King Point, (ii) 206.
for particular birds, see their names.
Black Hill, (ii) 306.
Blood pudding — Eskimo dish, (i) 208,

328.
Blow-hole, notorious narrow pass —
journey from Herschel Island to
Fort Yukon, (ii) 227.
Blubber, refer to Seal Blubber.
Blue-bottles, swarms of, in Eskimo tents,

(i) 306.
" Bonanza " — American whaler, (ii) 257.
Wreck of, at King Point, (ii) 138.
Ship visited by Captain Amundsen,
and articles of use carried to the
"Gjoa," (ii) 142, 143.
Bones and skulls of white men met with
— remains of Franklin Expedition,
etc. —
.Hall Point — bones collected and put

under cairn, (ii) 109, 297, 310.
Hunger Bay, (i) 252.
Todd's Island, (i) 257.

Bones of reindeer and fish-r-Eskimo's

superstition, (i) 329. , , , : ,

Booth Points
Eskimo camp^ (i) 99.
Fog encountered, (ii) 107,. ; ,. .

Boothiaj .coast of-^-lack of interesting

features, ,(i) 185, 186.
Boothia Felix, (i) 63, 68, 75.
Character of land — variation fronj high

granite to low limestone, (i) 61,.
Depot erected northward of Cape

Christian Frederik, (i) 184.
Eskimo tribe^ and their boundaries —
home of the NechilH Eskimo, (i) 292,
297-
Observations made along the coast, dis-
crepancies-r-establishing dep6t for
sledge tour in a,utumn, (i) 228.
Sledge stolen by Eskimo and afterwards
returned, (i) 288.
Botanical collections made on Herschel

Island, (ii) 259.
" Bowhead" — American whaler, (ii) 250,
271,, 272.
Passed by the " Gjo^, ".^r- assistance
offered, (ii) 136.
Bows and arrows used by Eskimo, (i)

294.
Bread baking on board the "Gjoa,"
etc. — •
Fresh bread and rolls supplied by Lind-

strom, (ii) 269.
Quantity baked before leaving King

Point, (ii) 250.
Syrup, bread made with, kept best, (ii)
269.
Bryde's Island, (ii) 359, 360.
Building material, packing cases as — first
time used in Polar regions as building
material, (i) iii.
Buildings constructed at Gjoahavn, refer
to Gjoahavn, also title Magnetic
Stations.
Bylot and Baffin's Expedition, (ii) 102.

Cadzow, Mr. D. — Hospitality to Captain
Amundsen at Porcupine River, (ii)
249.
Cairns — ■
Deposit of Reports as arranged with

Nansen, object of, etc., (i) 75.
Gjoahavn— traces of Eskimo habitation,.

(i)83.
King William Land, (i_) 188. ,
Victoria Land Expedition —
Cairn built of slabs of limestone met
with, (ii) 339, 340, ,

371 2 B 2

Index

Cairns {cont.)- —
Victoria Land Expedition {co/if.) —
Cairns erected by the Expedition, (ii)
85, 342, 346, 348, 355.
Cambridge Bay — •
Anchoring of the " Gjoa" on west side

of Cape Colborne, (ii) 120.
Unnavigated portion of North West

Passage, (ii) 61.
Winter quarters of CoUinson Expedition,

(ii) 105.
Camden Bay, (ii) 274.
Carr, Mr. J. — Merchant met with at
Fort Yukon — hospitality to Captain
Amundsen, (ii) 241, 246.
Celebrating the final accomplishment of
the North West Passage by ship —
first cup drank on board the " Gjoa,"
(ii) 286.
" Charles Hansen," American whaler
commanded by Captain McKenna —
Desertion of members of crew, (ii) 189.
First welcome of the Expedition on
getting through the North West
Passage, (ii) 125-31.
Stuck on the ice off Toker Point, (ii)
170.
Charlie, Indian guide — character, etc.,

(ii) 242, 243.
Charting land, etc., by the Expedition,

refer to names of places.
Charts —
American charts obtained from Captain

McKenna, value of, etc., (ii) 130.
Faulty charts —
Boothia — island on James Ross' Chart
which proved to be part of mainland,
(i)63.
Draughtsmen misled by snow, (i) 77.
Island not charted — land mistaken for

Ogle Point, (i) 99.
Parry Skerry wrongly marked, (i) 33.
Chesterfield Inlet, (ii) 76.
Chilblains and frostbites discomforts, (i)

. 156, I73> 177-
Children of Eskimo, refer to Eskimo.
Christian F'rederik, Cape, (i) 174.
Anchor of the " Gjoa" to leeward of —
deposit of Report in cairn, collection
of fossils, etc., (i) 75, 76.
Depot laid down in connection with

sledge expedition, (i) 159, 184.
Eskimo tents, remains of, (i) 76.
Running aground, danger of, (i) 76, TJ.
Sea bottom changes from rock to clay —
difficulties of detecting shoals, (i) 77.
Christian Mikkelsen, Cape, (ii) 344.
Christiania — Nansen's return from Green-
land P^xpedition — rejoicings, (i) 4.

Christmas, preparations for — festivities,
etc. —
First Christmas, (i) 126-31.
Second Christmas, (i) 274.
Third Christmas, (ii) 179.
Circle City — ■
Description of, (ii) 243.
Fort Yukon mails, terminal point, (ii)
241.
Clerk Island — not sighted, (ii) 124.
Climatic conditions —
Gjoahavn, summer at, (i) 228, 236, 297,

329 ; (ii) 99.
King Point, spring and summer at, (ii)

181, 189, 198, 207, 208, 209.
Victoria Land, (ii) 319, 336, 341, 344.

345> 353-
refer also to titles Fog, Storms en-
countered, etc.
Cloette Island, (ii) 356.
Clothing-
Eskimo, clothes worn by, refer to title

Eskimo.
Foot gear, see that title.
Skin clothing —
Exchanging underclothing with Eskimo

Atikleura, (i) 169.
Obtaining sealskin clothing by barter

with Eskimo off Greenland, (i) 34.
Reindeer skins, converting into under-
clothing— preparing skins, etc., (i)
108.
Utility of clothes made of deerskin for
winter use — how they should be
made, etc., (i) 149 ; (ii) 90.
Thick underclothing served out at God-

havn, (i) 33.
Woollen underclothing with seal-skin
outer clothing, suitability of for
summer wear, (ii) 90.
Coal — relic of Franklin Depot at Beechey

Island, (i) 51.
Cod fishing by the Eskimo, (i) 317 ; (ii)
80.
Number of cod in Hunger Bay, (i) 255.
Colbourne, Cape (Dease Strait), (ii) 299.

Anchoring of the " Gjoa " at, (ii) 120.
Cold — autumn and spring cold felt most,

(i) 256.
Cold storage provided on the stranded

"Bonanza," (ii) 186.
Colds —
Eskimo suffering from, (ii) 187, 188.
Epidemic in regions around King
William Land, (i) 250.
Members of the Expedition suffering
from, at King Point, (ii) 160.
Coleen River, (ii) 234.
CoUett, Professor, (i) 219.

372

Index

CoUinson Expedition, (ii)6i, 120, 121,274.
Achievements, (ii) 105, 106.
Bay recorded — Victoria Land, (ii) 336.
No real bay where Collinson had
charted it, (ii) 341.
CoUinson's Farthest, (ii) 299, 307, 341.
Colville, Cape, (i) 78.
Comer, captain of the " Era " — letter and
gift of dogs to Captain Amundsen,

(ii) 75- .
Communications from and with the out-
side world —

Barrow Point — letters, parcels, etc.,
awaiting the " Gjoa," (ii) 283.

Herschel Island, letters, etc., received
at, (ii) 271.

King Point — letters and newspapers
received while wintering at, (ii) 162,
165, 179, 180.

Letters entrusted to Atangala to meet
vessels at ~ Cape FuUerton and
Hudson Bay, (i) 267, 268 ; (ii) 76.

Mail expedition to Eagle City — tele-
graphic communication with home
and letters and papers received, (ii)
245, 246.

Tin box containing letters, news cuttings,
etc., sent by Major Moodie and cap-
tains of the " Arctic " and " Era,"

.(ii)7o, 75'
Wiik's death — telegram which never
reached its destination, (ii) 198.
Compass —
Commencing to move again after passing

through Eta Strait, (ii) 121.
Floating compass by E. S. Ritchie —

excellent compass, (i) 55.
Pocket compass used on sledge expedi-
tion to Victoria Land, (ii) 353.
Refusing to act off Prescott Island in
Franklin Strait — resorting to steering
by stars, (i) 57.
Sun as compass, (i) 60.
Unreliable compass due to iron in
mountains, etc., (ii) 125.
Phenomenon well-known on west coast
of Greenland, (i) 24, 46.
Contributions towards Expedition — list

of contributors, etc., (ii) 365-8.
Cook, captain of the " Bowhead," (ii)

136, 250.
Cook, Captain J.- — Icy Cape discovered

by, (ii) 103.
Cook on- board the " Gjoa," refer to

Hansen and Lindstrom.
Cooking stove used, refer to " Primus."
Coppermine River — Kilnermium Eskimo
race living near, (i) 247, 292 ; (ii)
327-30-

Court, Cape, on North Somerset^ — first
large accumulation of ice encoun-
tered, (i) 56.
Croker Mountains, (ii), 103.
Cross Island — passing of the "Gjoa,"

(ii) 276.
Crozier, Cape —
Depot erected for sledge expedition —
Boat trips — dep6t deposited, etc., (i)

225, 233, 234, 283 ; (ii) 296, 297.
Expedition reaches dep6t, which is
found to have been robbed by bears,
(ii) 84, 316, 317, 318.
Stores deposited by sledge expedition
found in good order, (ii) 361.
Franklin Expedition — one of the ships
found by Eskimo, (ii) 61.

Dalrymple Rock — ■
Eggs — quantities gathered by Eskimo,

(i) 39.
Stores deposited by Scotch whalers,

(i) 39, 41, 42.
Danish expedition under Mr. Mikkelsen,

object of expedition, (ii) 271.
Danish Literary Expedition to Greenland,

meeting with, (i) 40.
Darkness, artificial light used all day —

failure of joatent lamps, etc., (i)

^73-

Darrell, Mr. — visit to Captain Amundsen
at King Point — courageous post-
journey carried out by, (ii) 195-7-

Daugaard - Jensen, Inspector — dogs,
sledges, etc., provided by, (i) 26,
29.

Davis, John — North West Passage Ex-
pedition— result, (ii) 102.

Dawson City — postal communication be-
tween Fort Yukon and Dawson City
via Eagle City, (ii) 242.

De la Guiche Point, on American main-
land, (i) 77.

De la Roquette Islands — •
Point at which Sir Allen Young reached

with the " Pandora," (i) 58.
Swell under the " Gjoa" — message from
the open sea, (i) 58.

De Long, (ii) 279.

Dease and Simpson Expedition — result,
(ii) 104.

Dease Strait, (ii) 105, 299.
Voyage of the " Gjoa "^ — through hitherto
unsolved link in the- North West,
Passage, (ii) 120.

Deck-cargo — cases thrown overboard on
stranding of the " Gjoa," (i). 69,

- 74. ■ ■ ■ ■ .:

373

Index

Dehaveri Point, (ii) 358.
Dejnev'^Expeditiori— Result, (ii) 102.
Demarcation Point, (ii) 270.
Denmark Fjord, fii) 344, 356.
DepSts- — ' '

Beechey Island Depot — warning to

Arctic travellers, (i) 51.
Danish Govfefriment Depot established

at Leopoldhavn,'(ii) 75.
Dep6tS deposited by the Expedition

iot sledge expfeditions, etc.—
Abva Depot^left in charge of Eskimo,
(i) 177.
Dfetiot revisited and found intact,

Cape Chtistiail Frederik, (i) 184.
Depot plundered by Eskimo, Kau-
mallo and Kalakchie, (i) 186.
Cape Crozier, (i) 234, 283, 297.
Bears, havoc made by, (ii) 84, 316,
317,318.
Eskimo Depots, mode of constructing,
■ (ii) iizg:
"'Devil's Thumb," (i) 35. '
Dietrichsen Point, (ii) 346.
Diomedes Island sighted — Eskimo tribe

inhabiting, etc., (ii) 285.
Dirckinck Holmfeld, Mount, (ii) 345,

347-
Disco Isle sighted, (i) 26.
Discovery of North West Passage —

Franklin as discoverer, (i) 48, 49.
Dogs^
Alaska sledge dbgs^ — different kind to

Polar dogs, (ii) 244.
Birth of puppies, (i) 125, 260.
Borrowing by Eskimo at Gjoahavn to
bring home supplies from depots,
(i) 277.
Deaths among — number of dogs lost,

(i) 18, 125.
Eskimo dogs —
Condition of — badly fed, etc., (i) 329 ;

(ii) 3o,_ 77-
Names given to — dogs rechristened by

Captain Amundsen, (ii) 77.
Obtaining for sledge expedition, (i)
283.
Feet — injury caused by thaw, necessity

for footgear, (ii) 361.
Fighting among — struggles for supre-
macy, etc., (i) 16, 19, 151, 155, 162.
Food, nature of — rations, etc., (i) 16,

284.
Gifts of dogs frotn —
Daugaard-Jensen, Inspector, (i) 29.
Erichsen, Mylius, (i) 45.
Sten, C, (ii) io8.
"The Arctic" and " Era," (ii) 70, 75.

Dogs (co7zi. ) — ■'
Losing —
Fiks and Syl lost during bear hunt,

(i) 186.
Sledge expedition to Victoria Land —
'dog left behind, (ii) 360.
Kennels built at Gjoahavn, (i) 107,

228.
Letting loose on Dalrymple Rock, (i)

.44-

Miserable condition during stay at King
Point — ^ hunting expedition named
" Invalid Corps," (ii) 190.

Number — dogs which had formerly done
service in the second " Fram "
Expedition, (i) 15.

Sledge expeditions — condition and be-
haviour of dogs, etc., (ii) 239, 306,
307, 322, 323, 331, 334, 352, 353.
360.

Tying up securely — problem which was
never solved, (i) 155.

Tape-worm — treatment devised by Risf-
vedt, (i) 157.

Winter quarters at Gjoahavn — dogs re-
moved from ship, (i) 93.
Dolphin and Union Strait —

Finding narrow sound leading out into
the straits, difficulties as to — voyage
of the "Gjoa," (ii) 122, 123.

Survey by Collinson Expedition, (ii)
105.
Douglas Bay — passed by the " Gjoa,"

(ii) 109.
Douglas Island— anchoring of the "Gjoa,"

description of island, etc., (ii) 122.
Dress, refer to Clothing.
Dress reform — residence in Polar regions

suggesting, (ii) 258.
Drifting of the "Gjoa" in the Rae

Straits, (i) 78.
Driftwood —
Absence of, in Nechilli, (ii) 3.
First piece seen on King William Land,

. (i) 232.
Little found on Douglas Island, (ii)

122.
Quantities found — •
Cape Sabine, (ii) 137, 250.
Collecting for winter use at King
Point, (ii) 159.
Driftwood Point, (ii) 299.
Drygalski, Erik von, (ii) 70.
" Duchess of Bedford " — Anglo-American

Polar Expedition, (ii) 282.
Ducks —
Eider ducks, see that title.
Shooting by members of the Expedition
at King Point, (ii), 149.

374

Index

Dudley Digges, Cape, (i) 38.

Duke d'Abruzzi's Point, refer to Luigi

d'Abruzzi.
Dundas Islands^ — land lost sight of, etc.,

(i) n-

Eagle City —
Meeting betw-een Captain Amundsen

and Mr. Darrell, (ii) 196. •
Post journey from Herschel Island to
Eagle City, refer to Herschel
Island.
Earth — bare sjDots first met with — Hov-

gaard's Islands, (i) 199.
Easter —
King Point, Easter at, (ii) 188.
Preparations for, on board the "Gjoa,"
(ii) 58.
Easter Island — island named during
expedition to Victoria Land, (ii)
• 322.

Egbert, Fort, (ii) 246.
Eggs — addition to zoological collection,

(i) 207 ; (ii) 90.
Eider ducks —
Additions to zoological collection, (ii)

Food, eider ducks as, (i) 203.
Eider Duck Island, (i) 39.
Eivili (Repulse Bay and arm of Hudson

Bay), (i) 231, 294.
Eivind Astrup's Islands — small islands

off the coast of King William Land

christened, (i) 79.
Eldro or Praederik — old reindeer paunch

bargain, (i) 211.
Electric light installation experiment at

Gjoahavn, (i) 258.
Elk meat obtained at the mouth of

Mackenzie River, (ii) 179, 181.
Filing Hill — Eskimo camp christened

Hotel Filing Hill, (i) 251.
Enamelled ironware on board the

"Gjoa" — Eskimo women fascinated

with, (ii) 80.
" Era " — American whaler — letter from

Captain Comer to Captain Amund-
sen, (ii) 75.
Erebus. Bay — "Gjoa" anchored in, (i)

47.
"Erebus" and "Terror" of Franklin's

Expedition, (i) 47.
Erichsen, Mylius, Danish Literary

Expedition to Greenland,
Amundsen's Captain, meeting with, (i),
' 40,41.
Presentation of dogs; (i) 45.

Eskimo — inhabitants of Magnetic North

Pole, etc. —
Adoption of boy by Captain Amundsen

experience, (i) 271.
Amusements, (ii) 18, 23-6.
Appearance — tribe which could be

called handsome, (i) 116.
Bartering — Articles as bartering

medium, (i) 30, 120 ; (ii) 58, 84, 114,

1 1 5> 329. 330-
Shortage of acticles — issue of warrants
for future delivery, (ii) 64.
Bathurst, Cape — number of Eskimo
seen from board the " Gjoa," (ii)
134.
Beverage' —
Chocolate, liking for, (i) 225.
Water only beverage known, (i) 331 ;
(ii) 12.
Black eye: — Eskimo's pride in inflicting,
deteriorating effect of civilisation.

Business instincts, (i) 294; (ii) 55, 56.
Child birth — two deaths among women,

(i)27i. .
Child life, (1) 301, 302, 311, 312, 313.
Child marriages, (i) 307, 313, 314.
Children —
Amusements, (ii) 26.
Atikleura, children of, (i) 168.
Carrying by mothers, mode of, (i) 312.
" Comforter," substitute for, (i) 312.
Dress, (i) 310, 311.
Fishing for cod, etc., (i) 317 ; (ii) 80.
Herschel Island Eskimo children —

mixed race, etc., (ii) 262.
Mother suckling boy ten years old,

(i) 267.
Unruly son of Atangala, (i) 264, 267.
Washingfand feeding process, (i) 311.
Civilisation, Eskimo coming in contact
with, deterioration resulting from,
(i) 317 ; (ii)6-i, 142, 169.
' Appeal to civilised nations on behalf
of, (ii) 48, 51.
•Diseases among Eskimo on Herschel

Island, (ii) 261.
Tribe which had come mostly in
contact with, (i) 293.
Clothing— skin clothing, (i) 324, 325.
Fashion, Eskimo who led the fashion
—description of garments, (ii) 1-5,
16, 17.
Making — cutting out and sewing

described, (ii) 14,' 15.
Utility of, (i) 149.
Colds, Eskimo suffering from — chest
diseases, etc., (i) 250, 331 ; (ii) 187,
•188, 329.

37S

Index

Eskimo — inhabitants of Magnetic North
Pole, etc. {cont.) —
Collarbones, broken bones set by
Captain Amundsen, (i) 321 ; (ii) 57.
Conjuring tricks, performed by, (ii) 18,
Dawdling habit, (ii) 28.
Depots left in charge of, refer to

Depots.
Disrobing in presence of strangers —
Polar Eskimo unlike Greenland
Eskimo, (ii) 13.
Domestic appliances — primitive appli-
ances, method of cooking, etc.,
(i) 294, 295, 298, 301, 302; (ii)
7, 8. _

Enamelled ironware, china, etc., on
board the " Gjoa " — Eskimo women
fascinated with, (ii) 80.
Embracing— rubbing noses as form of,

(i) 257, 309, 315.
Employment of by Captain Amundsen,

refer to names of Eskimo.
Farewell to on leaving Gjoahavn, (ii)

107, 113, 115.
Festivals kept by —
Building large igloo which served as
common assembly room, (ii) 17, 18.
Christmas time, festival corresponding

to, (i) 274 ; (ii) 17. 23.
Dance and chants performed — seal
catching festival, etc., (ii) 24-6.
Fire for cooking and heating purposes,
methods of obtaining, (i) 294, 301,
. 302 ; (ii) 8.
First Eskimo seen at Gjoahavn — sur-
prise encounter. Captain Amundsen's
return visit to Eskimo huts, etc.,
(i) 113-22.
Fishing and fishing implements, refer to

that title.
Fog and darkness, no obstacle to
Eskimo travelling, (i) 121 ; (ii) no.
Food, nature of, etc., (i) 302; (ii) 265,
refer also to titles Fish, Reindeer,
Seals, etc.
F'ootball played by both sexes, (i) 176.
Footgear —
Care taken of feet, (i) 143.
Description of, method of removing,
etc., (i) 313 ; (ii) 10.
Foresight practiced by, (ii) 20.
Games on board the " Gjoa," Eskimo

taking part in, (i) 289.
Giants race of — ancient tradition among

Eskimo tribe, (i) 321.
Graves —
Closed and open Nechilli graves,

(i) 220, 221.
Herschel Island Cemetery, (ii) 260.

Eskimo — inhabitants of Magnetic North

Pole, etc. {cont.) —
Gymnastic exercise, (ii) 17.
Happiness and light heartedness, (i)

250, (ii) 13-
Hospitality — tea and fresh bread offered

to strangers, Eskimo met with on

Canadian and Alaska Coast, (ii)

163, 226.
Hut and hut building, refer to title

Huts.
Impressions of — different opinions, (i)

291.
Intelligence, (ii) 54, 61.
Iron and iron articles — possessions of

various tribes, (i) 293.
Language —
Difficulty as to, (i) 292 ; (ii) 328.
Identical among different tribes, (ii)

142.
Norwegian-Eskimo language, (ii) 52.
Magician, (i) 320 ; (ii) 18.
Making fun of failings of others —

wearisome custom, (i) 164, 190.
Medicine man of Nechilli tribe —

Kagoptinner, (i) 161.
Morals and manners, (i) 171, 196, 202>

230, 231.
Mother-in-law, daughter-in-law's affec-
tion for, (i) 316.
Musical instrument, (ii) 24.
North Greenland Eskimo, meeting with,

in connection with Danish Literary

Expedition, (i) 39.
Order, lack of, (i) 316.
Plans and calculations made by, (ii) 28.
Pleading poverty trick, (i) 241.
Primitiveness of the Kilnermium tribe,

(ii) 329.
Privation — period of greatest privation,

(ii) 23. _

Punching holes in under lips and insert-
ing buttons by way of ornaments,

(ii) 146.
Religious ideas —
Inhabiting moon and stars after death,

belief in, (i) 320.
Life after death imagined — love of life

without fear of death, etc. , (ii) 48.
Respect for the white man inspired by

Amundsen and his men, (i) 287 j

(ii) 60.
Seal fishing, refer to that title.
Sewing — reindeer sinews as thread, etc.,

(i) 305, 328 ; (ii) 14, 15.
Singing, love of —
Chant at Eskimo festival, (ii 25.
Missionary's experiment at Herschel

Island, (ii) 166.

376

Index

Eskimo — inhabitants of Magnetic North
Pole, etc. {cont.) —

Singing, love oi (coni.) —
Monotonous and unmusical perform-
ance, (i) 303.

Ski, snow-shoes, etc., not used, (i) 120.

Skill and practical sense, (i) 316.

Sleeping — no regular night sleep in
summer, (i) 317.

Snow huts, refer to title Huts.

Sorcery practised, (ii) 19, 20.

Spitting habit, (i) 250.

Suicide, sickness or misery resulting in
Eskimo strangling themselves — in-
stances, (ii) 48.

Superior types of Eskimo — swells among
various tribes, (i) 309, 316.
Atikleura — reception given to Captain
Amundsen, gifts exchanged, etc.,
(i) 164-72, 179.

Superstitions among, (i) 277, 329, 331,

.333, 334-
Swimming unknown to, (ii) 91, 268.
Tattoo marks on different parts of body,

(i) 168.
Tea drinking among Eskimo on the

Alaska coast, (ii) 163.
Teeth and mouth Eskimo's universal

tool, (i) 315; (ii) 14.
Tents constructed by, see title Tents.
Thefts by Ogluli Eskimo, (i) 248, 281,
286.
Thieves forbidden to return to Og-
choktu, (i) 282.
Carrying out prohibition, (ii) 59, 60.
Time, computation of, (ii) 45-7.
Traces of Eskimo habitation — cairns and

tent circles, (i) 83, 298.
Tribes, different tribes met with —
Camp at Booth Point, (i) 99.
Different tribes and their boundaries,

(i) 292.
Kagmallik — King Point, (ii) 142.
Kilnermium — Victoria Land, (i) 247,

292 ; (ii) 84, 326-30.
Nechilli — towards Matty Island, (i)

160-79.
Nunatarmiun — King Point, (ii) 142.
Ogluli — Gjoahavn, (i) 116, 127.
Original parent tribe — the Nechilli

theory, (i) 293.
Social intercourse and inter-marriage —
amalgamation of various tribes into
one single tribe resulting from, (i) 292.
Trustworthiness among the Nechilli
tribe — keeping of promises, etc., (i)
235, 24S, 319- .
Solitary instance of breach of trust,
(i) 271.

Eskimo — inhabitants of Magnetic North
Pole, etc. {cont.) —
Visits of Eskimo to Gjoahavn during
sojourn of the " Gjoa " —

Accommodating on board the " Gjoa"
on cpld nights, (i) 288.

Census taken — number of Eskimo dis-
tributed among eighteen families,
(i) 281.

Departure for seal fishing, (i) 283.
Reappearance at commencement of
second winter, (i) 237.

English, Eskimo speaking — Atangala's
visit, (i) 263.

Gifts distributed previous to the depar-
ture from Gjoahavn, (ii) 78.

Hundreds of miles travelled to reach
Gjoahavn, (ii) 55.

Large parties of Ogluli Eskimo, (i)
127.

Lively and variegated aspect of harbour
imparted by, (i) 250.

Protection against — mode of impressing
Eskimo of white man's power, (i)

259-
Return of hospitality, etc., (i) 178, 179.
Settlements round Gjoahavn, (i) 178,

201.
Unpleasantness of being surrounded by

Eskimo beggars, (i) 272.
for particular Eskimo, refer to their

names.
Visits to Eskimo settlements by Captain

Amundsen — •
Kaa-aak-ka, (i) 120-3, 132-5-
Matty Island — Magito first met with,

(i) 184.
Nechilli camp —
Description of camp — reception given

by women Eskimo, etc., (i) 160,

162, 163.
Second visit — process of removal of

the tribe towards south witnessed,

(i) 174-
Wedding celebrations, (i) 314.
Wives —
Exchanging, instance of, (i) 309.
Position held by —
Feasts, women riot admitted, (i) 122.
Ill-treatment by husbands, (i) 278,

306, 318.
Object of marriage, (i) 314.
Sale of — Eskimo with an eye to busi-
ness, (i) 310.
Two wives, Eskimo with, (i) 321,
for particular Eskimo wives, refer to
their names.
Women —
Cunning instinct, (i) 172.

377

Index

Eskimo — inhabitants of Magnetic North

Pole, etc. (cont.) —
Women {cont.) —
„ Fear of white men, (i) 256.
Personal appearance, etc., (i) 163, 168.
Hands and feet, shapeliness of, (i)
- 306.

t Handsome specimens, (i) 307, 318.
Unattractiveness, (i) 133, 137, 138.
Eta, Island of, (i) 104.
Channel between Eta Island and King
William Land — ice conditions, (i)
234.
Hunting for Reindeer — Lund and
Hansen's Expedition, (i) 97, 99.
Eta Strait — exciting passage through,

etc., (ii) 1 14-6.
Ethnographical collection, addition to —
Eskimo boy's magician's sign, (ii)
79-
Expeditions for discovery of North West
Passage, achievements of, etc., (ii)
102-6.
•for- particular Expeditions refer to

names of explorers.
Explosives — gun cotton taken on board
at Horten Harbour — importance of
. explosives on Polar Expeditions, (i)
IS-

Fair Isle and the Orkneys, passing

between, (i) 17.
Fairbanks on Tanana River, (ii) 245.
Fairway Rock sighted, (ii) 285.
Falsen Island named, (ii) 344.
Farewell, Cape — land sighted to the

west of, (i) 22.
Faulty course taken near Boothia, (i)

61.
Festivals kept on board the " Gjoa " —
Christmas, (i) 126-31, 274; (ii) 179.
Easter, (ii) 58, 188.
King of Norway's birthday, (ii) 270.
Norwegian Independence Day, (ii)

202. 342.
St. John the Baptist Day, (ii) 83.
Financing the Expedition —
Contributions of money, goods, etc. —

List of contributors, (ii) 365-8.
Difficulties of getting financial help,
, (i) 6, 13, 14.
Finlayson Island — passing of the
"Gjoa" through sound between
Finlayson Island and two small
islets — sea free from ice, etc., (ii) 121.
Fire arms —
Exchange of ammunition with Eskimo
incident, (ii) 56.

Fire arms {cont.) —
Gifts of revolvers, etc. , to Eskimo —
Care bestowed on gun given to

Atikleura, (ii) 58.
" Garden syringe " — bursting incident,
(ii)63.
Invention by Lund and gun presented

to Uchyuneiu, (ii) 56.
Krag-Jorgensen rifle used for killing
reindeer, (i) 106.
Superiority of -^ over Winchester for
, killing reindeer, (ii) 192.
Mauser Rifle used by Captain Amund-
sen, (i) 243.
Shot guns, failure to purchase at God-
havn — guns lent by Governor, etc..

Fire brigade ihstitution at Gjoahavn —
1 new method of providing water, (i)

249.
Fire on board the " Gjoa " — engine

room alight among tanks of

petroleum, (i) 64.
Fire-proof bricks brought from Godhavn,

utilising for constructing stove

incident, (i) 269.
Fish-
Shoal of white fish near Beechey Island,

(i)53. ,
Supply of to the Expedition by Eskimo,
' etc., (i) 157, 206, 210, 235, 248;

(ii) no, 144, 259.
White fish, species found at King Point,

(ii) 148.
for particular fish, refer to their names,

such as Salmon, Cod, etc.
Fishing implements of the Eskimo, (i)
. 294, 301, 317.
Line of reindeer gut, hook, bait, etc.,

(i) 238, 25.5.
'Spear, description of, (i) 301.
Fitz -James Island, (ii) 319.
Flaxman Islands — passing of the " Gjoa,"

(ii) 274, 275.
Flour supplied by the "Gjoa" to

American whalers at Herschel

Island, (ii) 180.
Flowers —
Herschel Island — quantities of flowers,

(ii) 259.
Hovgaard's Islands — little flowers seen,
^ (i) 199-
Kaa-aak-ka — variegated carpet of

coloured flowers covering hills, (i)

226.
Nofdligste Nbrdhoi^sprouting flowers

and herbs, (i) 206.
Sabinej Cape — forget-me-nots found on,

(ii) 137.

378-

Index

Fog encountered, (i) 2i ; (ii) 107.
Barrow Strait, (i) 56.
Bathurst, Cape, (ii) 132, 135.
Bellot Strait, (i) 59.
Density of fog of Arctic Ocean — London

fog tiothing to it,' (i) 36.
Eskimo's indifference to, (i) 121 ; (ii)

no.
Herschel Island, voyage from along

Alaska Coast, (ii) 271, 272, 273,

274, 27s, 276, 280.
Maguire, Cape — thick wall of fog, (i)

60.
Victoria Land sledge expedition, (ii)

'■ 353> 354-
Football played by both sexes of Eskimo,

(i)i76.
Footgear —
Eskimo, footgear worn by (i) 143, 313 ;

(ii) 10.
Stockings and boots worn by members
of Expedition — sedge grass put in
feet of stockings, (ii) 90.
Foss, Ole — service on board the " Gjoa,"

(ii) 199-
Fossils collected —
Beechey Island, (i) 49.
Cape Christian Frederik, (i) 76.
Pfeffer River trip, (ii) 96.
"Fox"— Sir L. M'Clintock's voyage, (i)

51 ; refer also to M'Clintock.
Fox steak enjoyed by Expedition at

Gjoahavn, (i) 289.
Foxes —
Havoc among reindeer depots caused by,

(i) 328.
Number — catching in traps, etc., (ii)

62.
Shooting — Victoria Land sledge ex-
pedition incident, (ii) 351.
Tracks of seen, (i) 205 ; (ii) 52.
" Fram " expeditions —
Dogs which did service in second ex-
pedition— return to native home in
the "Gjoa," (i) 15.
Dogs' fat which came from second

expedition, (i) 284.
Speed indicator applied to dog sledge —
old apparatus from second "Fram"
Expedition, (i) 156.
Fram Point — sledge expedition to

Victoria Land, (ii) 304, 305.
Franklin Bay passed — " smoking rocks "

seen, etc., (ii) 131, 132.
Franklin Expeditions, (i) 2, 293.
Beechey Island — Franklin's last safe

winter harbour, (i) 47.
Discoverers of North West Passage, (i)
48, 49.

Franklin Expeditions {conf.) —
Fate of the' Expedition of 1845, (ii) i°4'
Information obtained from the Eskimo
— ships found on south coast of
Cape Crozier by Eskimo, etc., (ii)
61.
News of, brought by Dr. J. Rae and
Admiral Sir L. M'Clintock, (i) 48.
Herschel Island, discoverer of, (ii)

255-
North American coast mapped by, (ii)

104.
Remains of last Expedition — bones and
skulls found —
Hall Point, (ii) 109, 297, 310.
Hunger Bay, (i) 252.
Todd's Island, (i) 257.
Franklin Strait, (i) 57.
Eraser, Mr. — visit to the "Gjoa" at

King Point, (ii) 146, 152.
Freezing point, colour affecting — glass of
water on board the " Gjoa "
incident, (ii) 202.
Frith, Mr. — Manager at Fort McPherson,

(ii) 198. _ •

Frost-bites discomforts, (i) 173.
Eskimo's knee warmer utilised as nose

protector, (i) 177.
Rubbing with snow not known among
Eskimo, (i) 15&.
Fullerton, Cape, (i) 267.

Gaff of the "Gjoa," refer to "Gjoa."
Gales encountered in the North Sea, (i)

16.
Games of amusement taken out — Eskimo
amusing themselves, with at Gjoa-
havn, etc., (i) 289.
Gauss — -terrestrial magnetism theory, (i)

85, 90.
"Gauss" — used for German South Polar
Expedition, ship now known as
"The Arctic," (ii) 70.
Geese —
Flocks of, found at Gjoahavn, (i) 84.
Killed with stones by Eskimo, (i) 227.
Number of, at Nordligste Nordhoi,. (i)
• 205.

Shoot at King Point, (ii) 149.
Geographical observations — theodolite

lent by Nansen, (i) 144.
Geological character of land — high granite
to low limestone, land altered after
leaving Tasmanian Island, (i) 61.
Geological character of sea bottom —
Clay and stone — Simpson Strait, (ii)
107.

379-

Index

Geological character of sea bottom [cont. ) —
Rock to clay — Cape Christian Frederik,

(i) n-

Sand and stone — Queen Maud's Sea and

Victoria Strait, between, (ii) 119.

Gerlache, Adrian de — Belgian Antarctic

Expedition under, (i) 5.
Giants, race of — ancient tradition among

Eskimo tribe, (i) 321.
" Gjoa "—
Accommodation — ■
Additional berths constructed, (ii) 191.
Re-arranging on Ristvedt and Wiik re-
turning on board at Gjoahavn, (ii) 86.
Boom stopper, breaking of, incident,

(i) 19;
Built as a herring-boat in the Rosendal
shipyard on the Hardanger, (i) 3, 6.
Preparation and fitting out — trial expe-
dition, etc., (i) 9, 10.
Cabin decorations, (ii) 208.
Departure from Gjoahavn, preparing for,
(ii) 52, 56, 65, 76, 99-101.
Painting, oiling, and smartening up

ship, (ii) 82.
Sails set and departure from Gjoahavn,
(ii) loi.
Departure from King Point, preparation
for and departure of the " Gjoa," (ii)
202, 205, 207-11.
Discipline — no strict rules on board,

successful working of, (i) 17.
Engine — what it achieved, etc., (i) 9,
10, 18 ; (ii) 273.
Accident to propeller blades — engine
stops working off Fatigue Bay, (ii)
279.
Engine-room flooded — alarming incident
on starting out from King Point, (ii)

Fire in engine-room among petroleum

tanks, (i) 64.
Gaffs, accidents to, (ii) 120.
Material for new gaffs discovered, (ii)

137, 138.
No engine and no main sail off Fatigue
Bay, (ii) 279.
Materials for repairing — obtaining at

Barrow Point, (ii) 283.
New gaff", procuring at Nome, (ii) 291.

Improvements eff'ected for second winter,
(1), 258.

Kitchen, description of — winter quarters
at Gjoahavn, (i) 121, 126.

Living quarters of Captain Amundsen
and Lieutenant Hansen during
winter sojourn at Gjoahavn — Chop-
ping icebergs out of bunks, etc.,
(i)iii.

"Gjoa" (cont.) —
Preparing for winter, (i) loi ; (ii) 152.
Services of two more men required, visit
to Herschel Island to negotiate for,
(ii) 189, 191.
Arrival of two men engaged from
whalers — names, nationality, etc. ,
(ii) 199.
Speed, (i) 16, 18, 19, 46 ; (ii) 253.
Stranding —
Beaufort Islands stranding off a low
island, southernmost of the Beaufort
group, (i) 62.
Matty Island — grounding on sub-
merged reef near little island to the
north of Matty Island, (i) 68.
Efforts to refloat — deck-cargo thrown
overboard and ultimate refloating of
the ship, (i) 69-75.
Work on board —
Organising and provision of duties on

board, (i) 16, 17, 18.
Variations arising out of being short
handed, (ii) 274.
Gjoahavn or Ogchoktu — winter quarters
of the "Gjoa," (i) 80.
Description of harbour and shore, (i)

.83. .
Discovery of and christening, (i) 79.
Distance from the Pole, etc., (i) 93.
Division of duties between members of

the Expedition, (i) 123, 126.
Eskimo, visits from, etc., refer to title

Eskimo.
Ground above Gjoahavn — broken

ground, etc., (i) 103.
House in which Ristvedt and Wiik were

to live, building of, (i) 99.
. Completion of and christened Villa

"Magnet," (i) 109, no.
Improvements made, (i) 235.
Situation, material used for building,..

description of interior, etc. , (i) no,

III.
Surprise visit by Eskimo, (i) 119.
Landmarks, absence of — difficulties of

finding harbour in the dark, (i) 105.
Magnetic pole — suitability of^ Gjoahavn

for a fixed magnetic station, (i) 80,

83> 93-

Observatories erected, refer to title Mag-^
netic Stations.

Ship berthed and preparations com-
menced for taking up winter quarters,

(i)93-
Winter quarters taken up — distance of

" Gjoa " from shore, etc., (i) loi.
Spring and summer at Gjoahavn^
description of, (i) 188, 201.

380

Index

Gjoahavn {cont.) —
Stores, removing on shore — -building of

storehouse, etc., (i) 94-6.
Temperature of water, (ii) 91.
Termination of sojourn — preparations
and departure from Gjoahavn, (ii)
55. 56, 76, 99-101.
Glenelg Bay, (ii) 299.
Sledge expedition to Victoria Land,
disappointment at not reaching the
bay, (ii) 354.
Gloves worn when constructing snow-
huts, (i) 151 ; (ii) 5.
Glue made by Eskimo from reindeer

blood, (i) 305.
Gnats, plague of, (i) 33, 216, 222, 224,

297 ; (ii) 86, 208.
Goat — mountain goat of Alaska, (ii) 226.
Godhavn — •
Departure from and leave-taking, etc.,

(i)33-
Governor Nielsen's welcome and assist-
ance, (i) 26, 29.
Great Ristvedt Lake, (i) 206.
Greely Harbour — bay on Victoria Land

christened, (ii) 353, 356.
Green ash, preference for to hickory
as it was less brittle in Arctic
regions, (i) 286.
Greenland —
Compass not to be relied upon — well
known phenomenon on west coast,
(i) 24, 46.
Eskimo —
Meeting with in connection with

Danish Literary Expedition, (i) 39.
Treatment of by Royal Danish Trad-
ing Company — example to other
nations, (ii) 51.
Nansen's Expedition, refe^- to Nansen
Temperature of water on west coast of,
(i) 24.
Grounding of the " Gjoa," refer to

" Gjoa " — stranding.
Grouse shot at King Point, (ii) 149.
Guncotton taken on board at Horten
Harbour, (i) 15.

Halkett, Cape, (ii) 276.

Hall, Point C. E. — bones and skulls of

white men met with, (ii) 109, 297,

310.
Hansen, Helmer — member of expeditioji,

Duties performed by, (i) 29, 125, (ii)

96.
Expedition to island of Eta in search of

reindeer, (i) 97, 99.

Hansen, Helmer [cont.) —
Ice anchors, loosening — Hansen chosen

for the work, (ii) 278.
Snow-hut, building, (i) 143.
Tobacco, chewing habit, (ii) 187.
Hansen, Lieutenant Godfred — member of

expedition, (i) 10.
Astronomical duties, (i) 29.
Bead trinkets — how market value of

beads among the Eskimo was

brought about, (ii) 58.
Born sportsman, (i) 103.
Electric light installation at Gjoahavn,

experiment, (i) 2i;8.
Magnetic work — Lieutenant Hansen as

assistant, (i) 282.
Sledge expedition to Victoria Land,

refer to title Victoria Land.
Snow-hut, building, (i) 143.
Stranding of the " Gjoa " incident, (i)

74-
Hansen's farthest — point at which sledge

expedition to Victoria Land turned

back, (ii) 354.
Hardy, Cape, (i) 174, 182.
Hares —
Numbers met with — tracks indicating

numbers, etc., (ii) 239.
Quantity obtained at King Point, (ii)

179, 181, 185, 187.
Sledge expedition to Victoria Land — •

hares shot, (ii) 357.
"Harold Dollars," (ii) 282.
Harpar, Mr., (ii) 244.
Harpoons and knives — grinding,

engineer's inventive method, (i) 23.
Harrison Bay — ice encountered, (ii)

276.
Health of members of expedition, (i)

188.
Plealthiness of polar regions — air not

absolutely free from bacilli — epidemic

of colds among Eskimo in regions

around King William Land, (i)

250.
Heat, scorching sun experienced in July

at Gjoahavn, (ii) 99.
Heather as fuel, (i) 224.
Eskimo's mode ot procuring fire for

cooking purposes, etc., (i) 301.
Smoked salmon experiment at Gjoa-
havn, (ii) 94.
Helmer Hansen's Hill —
Magnetic observation trip — stay at

Helmer Hansen's Hill, description

of, etc., (i) 222, 224.
Herbs — Nordligste Nordhoi, sprouting

herbs, (i) 206.
" Herman," (ii) 271.

381

Index

Herschel Island —
Amundsen's, Captain, journey and visit

to Captain Tilton at, (ii) 163, 212,

215.
Arrival of the "Gjoa" — unfavourable

ice conditions for continuing voyage,

(ii) 254, 258, 266.
Attempts to get into open channel, (ii)

268, 270, 271, 272.
Burial ground — curious Eskimo graves,

(ii) 260.
Description of, (ii) 255.
Eskimo tribe inhabiting — mixed race,

etc., (ii) 169, 260, 261, 262.
Franklin as discoverer — importance of

the island to the whalers, (ii)

255-

Ice conditions, etc., (ii) 130.

Vegetables — Kagmallik potatoes, (ii)
265.

Vegetation — quantities of flowers, etc.,
(ii), 259.

Whale hunting, refer to that title.
Herschel Island to Eagle City — Captain
Amundsen's post journey with Cap-
tain Mogg across Canada and
Alaska — -

Aurora Borealis — lighting travellers on
their way, (ii) 234.

Blow-hole, notorious narrow pass be-
tween rocks 1,500 feet high reached,
(ii) 227.

Camping places ■ — division of labour
between members of the Expedi-
tion, etc., (ii) 219, 224, 228, 230,
236.

Circle City reached, (ii) 243.

Climatic conditions, (ii) 233, 234.

Coleen River reached, (ii) 234.

Departure of Captain Amundsen, Cap-
tain Mogg, Eskimo Jimmy and his
wife Kappa, (ii) 216.

Dogs scenting hares, etc., (ii) 239.

Eagle City reached— telegraphic com-
munication with home and letters
and papers received, (ii) 245, 246.

Equipment and provisions for the
journey- — Captain Mogg's objection
to pemmican, etc., (ii) 212-4.

Eskimo met with — hospitality offered in
the way of tea and fresh bread, etc. ,
(ii) 226, 228.

Eskimo depot, different system to
Nechilli Eskimo (ii), 229.

Guide, Charlie — character, etc., (ii) 242,

243-
Gusts of wind which overturned dogs,
sledges, etc., encountered in narrow
passes, (ii) 224.

Herschel Island to Eagle City, etc.
{cont) — . ,

Indians met with — exchange of com-
modities, hospitality shown towards
Captain Amundsen and his party,
(ii) 235, 236, 237, 238, 239.
Dress of Indian tobogganners of
Salmon Creek — bead embroidered
clothing, etc., (ii), 240.
Mode of sledge running, (ii), 218.
Mountains, height of, (ii), 229, 231.
Porcupine River, (ii) 232, 233, 238.
Reindeer and wolf tracks .crossed, (ii)

229.
Return journey to the north — rhospitality
met with in Alaska, etc.,. (ii),246(,
249.
Road houses (" hotels ")^descrip.tion

of, charges, etc., (ii) 244, 245.
Rocks and fir trees, Captain Amundsen's

delight in, (ii) 223, 224.
Scenery, (ii) 225, 228, 231, 235.
Ski and snow-shoes, relative value as
means of transport, (ii) 218, .224,
225, 234.
Supplies of fresh meat obtained from

Eskimo, etc., (ii) 226, 228.
Telegraphic communication, no facilities

at Fort Yukon, (ii) 241.
Tent used — preference for three polp

triangular tent, (ii) 220, 221.
Toboggans used on the Expedition, (ii)
214, 230.
New toboggan purchased at Yukon,
(ii) 242.
Tragedy in connection with whaling

fleet crew desertion, (ii) 229.
Wooden hut put up for mail carriers,

night spent in, (ii) 242.
Yukon, Fort, arrival at, (ii) 241.
Herschel Island River, (ii) 218, 219.
Hickory, green ash preferred to, as it was
less brittle in Arctic regions, (i) 28^.
" Hicksies " (earth-rat) — number at King
Point, value of skins, etc., (ii) 192.,
Holms Island, (i) 34, 35. j

Homann's Bay, survey of, etc., (ii) 342,

356.
Hooper Island, (ii) 135.
Horsburgh, Cape, (i) 46. : '

Horten Harbour — guncotton taken on

board at, (i) 15.
Hovgaard's Islands — named by Eskimo
Achliechtu and Achlieu —
Islands discovered in Simpson Strait
and christened after Commander
Hovgaard, (ii) 296.
Magnetic and surveying expedition, (i)
178.

.382

Index

Hovgaard's Islands (cont- ) —
, Magnetic and surveying — [cont. ) —
Charts made and magnetic observations
- investigated, (i) 199, 200 ; (ii)

296.
M'Clintock, Islands not observed by, (i)
196.
Howard, Major — Herschel Island ap-

, pointment, etc, (ii) 188, 261.
" Hunger Bay " refer to Navyato.
Hunting expeditions lin search of reindeer

refer to Reindeer.
Hunting ground of Eskimo — boundaries

of different tribes, (ii) 45.
Huts—
Ice-huts, building by Eskimo —
Description of hut built by the ".Owl,"

(i) 331-
Tamoktuktu's hut visited by .Captain
Amundsen below Wiik's Hill, (i)
237. ^
Snow huts —
Art of building — appliances, selection
of snow, etc., (i) 142, 143.
■ Eskimo huts —

Interior and its furniture, etc., (ii)
7-12, 14.
Selection of site and snow and
mode of construction described, (ii)

, I-IO.

Sleeping berths, (ii) 7, 8.
Windows of ice inserted, (ii) 14.
. Sledge expedition, snow huts built on,

(i) 151-
Sledge packing, hut for, built by

Teraiu, (i) 144.
Superiority of, to tents in matter of

warmth, etc., (i) 142, 159.

Ice —

Absence of — Peel Sound, (i) 56.
Breaking up —
Bluish tinge indicating thinness of ice,
(ii) 96, 99.
- Gjoahavn, date at which harbour was
free from ice, (ii) 96.
Difficulties of getting into open channel
— journey from Herschel Island
along Alaska coast, (ii) 254, 258-9,
266, 268-84.
Drift ice — first real drift ice met with,

(i)6o.
First ice met with, (i) 21.
. Large quantities encountered — Cape

Maguire, (i) 60.
. Optical illusions —

A sail ahead— icebergs mistaken for,
(i)-25. .

Ice [cont.) —
Optical illusions (con/.) —
Mirror-like glitter of calm sea mistaken
for solid mass of unbroken ice, (i)

56.
" Pancake ice" — ice so called, (i) 53.
Sledge expedition to Victoria Land,

refer to Victoria Land.
Thickness of, at Ogchoktu — comparisons

with previous year, (ii) 62.
- Voyage southwards — last ice seen off

Cape Belcher, (ii) 284.
Ice anchors, use of, along Alaska coast,

(ii) 278.
Icebergs encountered, (1) 22, 62.
" Ice blink " — optical illusions resulting

from, (i), 56.
Ice fog, refer to Fog.
Jce-huts, refer to Huts.
Ice-windows — -
Eskimo huts -construction, (ii) 14.
Magnetic observatory construction, (i)

282.
Ichyuachtorvik — district where Sir J.

Ross wintered with the "Victory,"

(i) 292.
Icy, Cape — discoverer of, (ii) 103.
Icy Reef — glacier seen, (ii) 273, 274.
Idleness, demoralising effect of — difficulty

which leader of Arctic exploration

had to contend with, (i) 268.
Igloo — Eskimo name for snow-hut, (i)

152 ; refer also to title Huts.
Igloo knives prized by Eskimo, (ii)

305-
Illustrated papers — Eskimo s mterest m,.

(i)289.
Implements of the Eskimo —
Fishing implements, refer to that title.
Seal fishing implements, (ii) 29.
Snovr-hut constructing — implements-
used, (ii) 2, 3, 4.
Independence Day kept as a festival,

(ii) 202, 342.
Indians —

American whalers, mails conveyed by^
from Fort McPherson to Fort Yukon,
(ii) 169, 195.
Amundsen's, Captain, post journey from
Herschel Island to Eagle City,.
Indians met with, (ii) 235, 236, 237,
238, 239, 240.
Insect life — swarms of insects —
Hovgaard's Islands, (i) 199.
Nordligste Nordhoi, (i) 206.
Iron— superstitions among Eskimo as to-
use of iron implements, etc., (i) 329,.

334-
Isachsen Point, (ii) 348.

.383

Index

Itivdliarsuk — northernmost spot inhabited
by civilised men, (i) 34.

James Ross Strait, (i) 61, refer also to
Ross.

" Jeannette," (ii) 250, 253, 279.

Jelly-fish — sight of, hailed with joy, (ii)
285.

Jimmy the Eskimo and his wife Kappa —
post journey to Fort Yukon accom-
panied by, etc., (ii) 177, 178, 215,
218, 219, 221, 222, 231, 232, 233,
234, 237, 241. _

Johannesen, Captain H. C. — owner of
the " Gjoa," (i) 9.

Kaa-aak-ka —
Description of — Arctic paradise in sum-
mer, etc., (i) 200, 226.
Eskimo huts visited by Captain Amund-
sen, (i) 123.
Second visit on behalf of Teraiu, hard-
ships endured, etc., (i) 132-7.
Survey and magnetic observations car-
ried out, (i) 200, 201, 226.
Hansen's, Lieutenant, sledge expedi-
tion, (i) 285.
Previous year's work, which had to be
repeated owing to error ia laying
down field magnet, (i) 2S7.
Temperature — lowest temperature ob-
served, which showed the second
winter to be milder than the first,
(i) 287.
Kaa-aak-kea, Eskimo — description of

tent occupied by, etc., (i) 306.
Kabloka, Eskimo — wife of the " Owl,"

(i) 193, 244, 245 ; (ii) 60.
*'Kabluna" — Eskimo word for white

man, (i) 121.
Kachkochnelli, Eskimo, (ii) 46.
Business instincts of Kachkochnelli,

etc., (i) 310.
Performance at Eskimo festival, (ii) 24,

25-
Seal catching, (ii) 28, 30, 32.
Kagmallik potatoes — • Herschel Island

vegetable, (ii) 265.
Kagoptinner — grey-haired Eskimo, (i)

161, 320; (ii) 18, 58.
Kallo, Eskimo boy, (i) 310.
Kamiglu —
Description of, (ii) no.
Meeting with Eskimo old friends and
collecting supi)lies in the way of
meat and fish, (ii) 109-13.
Kaorka Isthmus, (ii) 306.
Kaorka Lake, (ii) 306.

Kappa, wife of Eskimo, refer to Jimmy.
"Karluk" — ^American whaler, (ii) 180,

191, 271, 283.
Kataksina, wife of Christian Sten, (ii)

156, 251.
Kaumallo, Eskimo boy adopted by

Captain Amundsen, (i) 271.
Kaumallo and Kalakchie, Eskimo —
Meeting with a second time, (i) 183.
Plundering of dep6t by, (i) 186.
Kayaggolo, Mrs. Teraiu— wife of Eskimo,
unattractiveness of, etc., (i) 133, 137,
138, 179, 180, 293, 319.
Kayak used by Eskimo-
Amundsen's, Captain, experiment with,

(i) 226.
Compared with those seen among Green-
land Eskimo, (i) 222.
Constructing and preparing, for hunting
reindeer, (i) 305.
Covering kayak — process of dressing
skins, etc., (i) 322.
Kennel for dogs at Gjoahavn, (i) 107,

228.
Keuna Island — stone set up in memory

of Franklin's men, (i) 258.
Key Point, (ii) 143, 160, 163, 177.
Keyo, Eskimo and his wife Nalungia —
deterioration due to coming in
contact with civilisation, (i) 317.
Kilnermium Eskimo tribe —
Boundaries of various tribes, (i) 292.
Meeting with on Victoria Strait, (ii) 84.
Kimaller, Eskimo wife, (i) 318.
King Point — •
Arrival of the "Gjoa" — shore visited
and Norwegian tinned provisions
exchanged for American, etc. , (ii) 141 .
Colony at — number of persons en-
camped, number of dogs, etc., (ii)

155, 159-
Eskimo tribes met with, (ii) 142, 143,

144.
Fish, supply of — number caught, etc.,

(ii) 17b.
" Hicksies," appearance of, on sub-
sidence of snow, (ii) 192.
House to accommodate members of the

Expedition, building of, (ii) 147-50.
Desertion of after death of Wiik, (ii)

185.
Hunting expeditions fitted out— results,

etc., (ii) 175, 179, 189, 192-
Observatories, construction of, (ii) 147.
Mark showing position of magnetic

instruments stand, (ii) 209.
Post expedition, departure of Captain

Amundsen, (ii) 177.
Sten's house, building of, (ii) 144, 156-

384

Index

King Point {cont. ) —
Thefts by Eskimo and their dogs, (ii)

173, 174-
Water, supply of — quality of water,

etc., (ii) 159, 201.
Wiik's illness and death, (ii) 182-5.
Grave at King Point, (ii) 200, 201,
251.
Winter, termination of and departure of
the "Gjoa" from King Point, (ii)
208-11, 250, 251.
King William Land —
Magnetic conditions — refer to that

title.
Mount Matheson, (i) 78, 79, 180, 182,

203, 230.
Reindeer, summer sojourn of — herds
observed crossing the Sound to
mainland, etc., (i) 102, 104.
Small islands off the coast which were
not charted — christened Eivind
Astrup's Islands, (i) 79.
Society founded to taste all the products
— successful dishes produced, (i)
289.
Terminal Point christened in memory
of Duke d'Abruzzi, (i) 79.
King's Birthday — festival kept on board

the "Gjoa," (ii) 270.
Kirnir, Eskimo — husband of Magito, (i)

278,318.
Kitchen on board the " Gjoa," descrip-
tion of, (i) 126.
Klutschak and Ross, (i) 113,
Kofoed Hansen, Cape, (ii) 357.

Cairn erected, (ii) 342.
Kokko, Eskimo — wife of Atangala, (i)

264.
Kotzebue Sound, Eskimo hailing from,

(ii) 142.
Krag-Jorgensen rifle — useful weapon for

killing reindeer, (i) 106 ; (ii) 192.
Krenchel — office manager of Royal
Danish Greenland Trading Company
— assistance rendered to the Expedi-
tion, (i) 29.
Kunak, Eskimo family at King Point, (ii)
156, 251.

La Trobe Bay, (i) 158, 232.

Lame Eskimo boy — sledge presented to,

by Captain Amundsen, (ii) 79.
Lamps —
Blubber oil lamp used by the Eskimo,

(i)30i ; (ii)7.
Failure of patent lamps taken out by
the expedition, (i) 273.

Lancaster Sound, (i) 46.
Existence of questioned by John Ross,
(ii) 103.
Lancaster Strait, situation defined by

By lot and Baffin, (ii) 102.
" Land seen by Rae," refer to Victoria

Strait.
Leather — relic of ruins of Franklin
Depot, Beechey Island — good condi-
tion of leather, (i) 51.
Lee Provost — Woodcutter met with near

Fort Yukon, (ii) 242.
Lemmings —
Fighting instincts of, (ii) 357.
Swarms of at Nordligste Nordhoi —
movements and habits described, (i)
205, 206.
Tracks of, (ii) 52,
Leopold Harbour on North Somerset

Island, (i) 140.
Leopoldhavn — dep6t established at by

Danish Government, (ii) 75.
Letters, refer to title Communications
with the outside world, also title
Mails.
Light, artificial light, provisions as to —

failure of patent lamp, (i) 273.
" Lille Hellefishbank " (Little Halibut

Bank) fishing incident, (i) 23.
Limestone Island, (i) 55.
Lind Island, (ii) 358.
Ice conditions, (ii) 120.
Lindstrom, Adolf Henrik — member of

expedition, (i) 13.
Accident to — exploding of the " Primus"

stove, (ii) 95.
Bartering with Eskimo, (i) 29, 30.
Botanical collection from Herschel

Island, (ii) 259.
Duties on board the "Gjoa," (i) 1261;

(ii) 269, 274.
Illness, (i) 267.
Sten and Lindstrom, friendship between,

(ii) 186.
Tricks played on, (i) 189, 216, 274 ;

(ii) 88.
Zoological collection, refer to that title.
Lister Light — last land seen after leaving

Horten Harbour, (i) 16.
Listen Islands — passing of the " Gjoa,"

(ii) 123.
Little Halibut Bank (" Lille Hellefish-
bank ") fishing incident, (i) 23.
Little Ristvedt Lake, (i) 207.
Low Water Creek, (ii) 313.
Luigi d'Abruzzi's Point, (i) 229.
Magnetic observations carried out, (i)

203.
Position determined, (ii) 90.

385 2 C

Index

Luigi d'Abruzzi's Point {cojit. ) —
Terminal point of King William Land
christened in memory of Duke
d'Abruzzi, (i) 79.
Lund, Anton — member of expedition,
_(i) 10.
Chief of fire brigade, (i) 107.
Duties performed by, (i) 29, 125.
Expedition to island of Eta in search of

reindeer, (i) 97, 99.
Gun invention, (ii) 56.
Lund, H. — -Consul in San Francisco,

letter from, (ii) 165.
Lynx, shooting at King Point, (ii) 202.

M'Clintock's, Admiral Sir L., expedi-
tion, (i) 159, 232, 293 ; (ii) 106.
Achliechtu Island not observed by, (i)

196.
Beechey Island visited, (i) 51.
News of the region where Franklin's
expedition was lost brought by, (i)
48.
M'Clintock Channel, (i) 60.
Charting unknown western stretch of
coast, refer to title Victoria Land.
M'Clintock's chart — island not charted,
land mistaken for Ogle Point, (i)

99-
M'Clure, Sir R. — North West Passage

Expedition, results, (ii) 106.
McGregor, Captain of the "Karluk,"
(ii) 191.
Hospitality shown to Ristvedt, (ii) 180.
McKenna, Captain J. — master of the
" Charles Hanson," (ii) 170.
Desertion of members of crew, (ii)

189.
Welcome of the expedition on getting
through the North West Passage,
(ii) 125-31.
Mackenzie River, (ii) 134, 136.
Water at King Point — fresh water
brought out by the Mackenzie
River, (ii) 159.
McPherson, Fort, (ii) 146, 152.
Mails via Fort McPherson for Fort
Yukon, (ii) 169, 195, 196.
" Magdalena " — Captain Amundsen's

training on, (i) 5.
Magician's sign presented to Captain
Amundsen by lame Eskimo boy,

(ii) 79-
Magito, Eskimo — Belle of Ogchoktu —
Daughter of Navya — white man's

fascination for, (i) 278.
Ill-treatment by husband, (i) 318.

Magnetic conditions on King William

Land — Magnetic and surveying

expeditions, Eskimo accompanying

expeditions, etc., (i) 190.
Achliechtu and Achlieu Islands, charts

made and magnetic observations

investigated, (i) 199, 200.
Adolf Schmidt's Hill or St. John's Hill

Station, (i) 209.
Boat expeditions, (i) 222-7, 228.
Circle of magnetic stations round head

station, establishment of, (i) 203-212.
East coast, establishing station as far

north as could be got — boating trip

and its results, (i) 228-33.
Kaa-aak-ka, arrival at — survey and

magnetic observations carried out,

(i) 200, 226.
Nordhogda, arrival at, (i) 206.
Nordligste Nordhoi (Farthest North

Hill), arrival at, 205.
Schwatka Bay — course set towards, (i)

204.
Termination of summer expedition, (i)

212.
Tyataa-arlu (Point Luigi d'Abruzzi) —

observations made, (i) 203.
Magnetic instruments —
Provision of, (i) 6.
Stopping — preparing for departure from

Gjoahavn, (ii) 78.
Magnetic observations —
Beechey Island — route to North West

Passage determined, (i), 49.
Doubt as to observatories being too near

the ship — further observations made

which removed question of doubt,

(ii)55- ..

Error in laying down field magnet
necessitating repetition of work, (i)
287.

King Point — observations taken, (ii)
180.
Magnetic North Pole —

Cape Adelaide — magnetic pole of James
Ross, (i) 61.

Line of variation from the true North
to South Line determined, (i) 97.

Nearing — sea-sickness among members
of the Expedition, (i) 62.

Obtaining exact data as to — first and
foremost object of Captain Amund-
sen, (i) 5, 80.

Passing over both old and new Poles,
(i) 185.

Photograph given by Professor Neu-
mayer to be placed as near as pos-
sible to — reasons why not deposited,
(ii) 81.

386.

Index

Magnetic North Pole {coiif. ) —

Ross's, J. C. , Expedition — position of
Pole found and determined by, (ii)
104.

Station for obtaining exact data — suit-
ability of Gjoahavn for a fixed mag-
netic station, (i) 80, 83, 93.
Magnetic stations — building of observa-
tories, etc. —

Absolute magnetic observations, obser-
vatory for — building constructed of
snow, etc., (i) 107, 108.

Amundsen's, Captain, observatory, (i)
144.

Astronomical observatory — " Uranien-
borg," last of series of buildings to
be built, (i) 112.
Alterations and improvements — Rist-
vedt's arrangements for comfort, (i)
260, 263.

First station,, placing on Matty Island —
observations taken, etc., (i) 182, 183,

King Point, (ii) 147, 151, 170, 173. _
Magnetic observatory — converted into

mausoleum for Wiik, (ii) 200.
Mark showing position of magnetic
instruments stand, (ii) 209.

" Magnet " Villa — house in which Rist-
vedt and Wiik were to live, descrip-
tion of building, etc., (i) 99, 109,
no. III.
Eskimo visit — Ristvedt and Wiik's

surprise, (i) 119.
Improvements made, (i) 235.
Pulling down on departure from Gjoa-
havn, (ii) 66.

Termination of sojourn at Gjoahavn —
dismantling of observatories, (ii) 66,
80.

Variation House — utilising outer cases
of provision chests, choice of site,
etc., (i)97.
Photograph given by Professor Neu-
mayer buried on site of, (ii) 81,

Winter observatory constructed — ice
windows let into igloo, (i) 282.
Magnetism — terrestrial magnetism and
the use of magnetic instruments
explained, (i) 84-93.

Chart I — lines drawn which show direc-
tion of compass needle at every point
of the earth's surface, (i) 85, 86.

Chart II — direction of magnetic force in
relation to "horizontal plane," (i)
86, 87.

Chart III — showing idea of value of
horizontal intensity, (i) 89.

Self-registering magnetic variation appa-
ratus, (i) 90, 91.

Magnetism {conf.) —
Variation diagrams — examples of, (i) 92.
Maguire, Cape — ice encountered, (i) 60.
Mails —

American whalers at Herschel Island —

mail carrying to Fort Yukon —

Barren's, Mr., achievement, (ii)

195-7-

Mogg, Captain, and Captain Amund-
sen's trip —
Decision of Captain Amundsen to
. take post-journey, (ii) 169.
Letters written and departure of

Captain Amundsen, (ii), 177.
for details of journey, refer to title

Herschel Island.
refer also to title Communicating with
from the outside world.
Manichya, Eskimo, (ii) 205, 206, 272.
" Manik-tu-mi," Eskimo, (i) 116.
Manni, Eskimo employed on board the
" Gjoa," (ii) 113, 115, 116, 142,
179.
Character — love of hunting, etc., (ii)

187.
Cold and haemorrhage of the nose

suffered by, (ii) 160.
Educating — teaching to read and write,

(ii) 176, 190, 205.
Leaving the " Gjoa " — Manni's decision
to remain among Eskimo, (ii)
205.
Deplorable result — return of Manni to
the "Gjoa," (ii) 206.
Shooting ducks at Herschel Island —
Manni drowned, (ii) 266, 269.
Manning Point — passing of the " Gjoa,"

(ii) 274.
Markham Strait, (ii) 359, 360.
Matheson, Mount, (i) 78, 79, 180, 182,

203, 230.
Matty Island, (i) 159, 173.
Magnetic station, placing first station,

_(i) 182.
Making for, (i) 62, 67.
Stranding of the " Gjoa " near little
island to the north of, (i) 68.
Meat, supply of, see title Reindeer.
Melville Bay —
Most dreaded stretch in that part of

Arctic Ocean, (i) 34.
Voyage across, (i) 34, 39.
Members of Expedition —
Front and back view, (i) 152, 153.
Names and qualifications, (i) 10-13.
{For particular members refer to their
names.)
Meteorological instruments, fixing at
King Point, (ii) 173.

387

2 C 2

Index

Meteorological observations —
Hardships besetting astronomer in Polar

regions, (i) 124.
King Point — observations taken at, (ii)

180.
Taking observations — zeal and devotion

of, Ristvedt, (i) 124.
Testing instruments, (i) 144.
Work started at " Fixed Station " — self
registering magnetic instruments
fixed, (i) 123.
Mikkelsen's, Mr., expedition, (ii) 271.
Welcoming the "Gjoa" at Barrowf

Point, (ii) 282.
Miles Islands — more islands than marked

on map, etc., (ii) 121.
Milne and Adams — Scotch vsrhalers, (i)

22, 39, 41.
Minto Inlet, Prince Albert Land, (n)

272.
Missionaries met with at Herschel Island,
etc. —
Fraser, Mr. — visit to the "Gjoa" at

King Point, (ii) 146, 152.
Whittaker, Mr., Captain Amundsen's

visit to, (ii) 166, 188, 190.
Mogg, captain of the wrecked whaler
" Bonanza," (ii) 138, 169, 170, 173.
Meeting with at Barrow Point, (ii)

282.
Trip with Captain Amundsen to Eagle
City, (ii) 212-5, 222, 231, 232, 233,
234, 237, 239, 240, 241.
Moltke, Count — member of Danish
Literary Expedition to Greenland,
meeting between Moltke and Captain
Amundsen (i), 41, 42.
" Monterey," (ii) 282.
Months of the year — Eskimo's mode of

reckoning time, (ii) 45-7-
Moodie, Major — chief commander of the
"Arctic," etc., letter to Captain
Amundsen, (ii) 70.
Moon-light, intensity of, (ii) 23.
Moon and stars — inhabiting after death

— Eskimo's belief, (i) 320 ; (ii) 48.
Moss, refer to Reindeer Moss.

Nalungia, wife of Eskimo, (i) 298,

317-.
Domestic life — romance, etc., attached

to marriage, (i) 311, 313.
Fear of white men, etc., (i) 256.
Needles, beads, etc., presented to, (ii)

58.
Snow-hut construction — woman's part
in (ii) 5, 1-

Nansen, Dr. Fridtjof —
Amundsen's Captain, project submitted
to — Nansen's approval, etc., (i) 5, 6.
Greenland expedition— return of Nan-
sen, rejoicings at Christiania, (i) 4.
Nansen, Cape — point reached by sledge
expedition to Victoria Land, (ii)

355-
Navya, Eskimo widow —

Children of — tragedy surrounding her
life, etc., (i) 278.

Needlewoman on board the "Gjoa"
during sojourn at Gjoahavn, (ii) 79.

Navyato — " Hunger Bay," (i) 247.

Description of — most beautiful spot on
American North Coast, (i) 252.

Eskimo camp visited by Captain
Amundsen which he named " Hotel
Filing Hill," (i) 250, 251, 252.
Return of Captain Amundsen with
sledges laden with fish, (i) 257.

Franklin expedition, remains found of
skeletons, etc. — name Hunger Bay
arising from, (i) 252, 255.
Salmon caught at, (ii) 94.

Nechilli Eskimo tribe, refer to Eskimo.

Needles, refer to Sewing Needles.

Neiu, Eskimo, (ii) 202, 251.

Nelson Head on Baring Land, mistaken
for Cape Parry, (ii) 124, 125.

Neumayer, Professor Dr. G. von —
instruction of Captain Amundsen
previous to expedition, (i) 5.

Neumayer Peninsula, (i) 79, 180.
Photograph given by Professor Neu-
mayer buried on, (ii) 81.
Work of charting, (i) 188.

Nielsen, Governor of Godhavn — welcome
and assistance rendered to the
expedition (i), 26, 29.

Night — Polar sunlit night, (i) 317, 329.

Nome, arrival of the " Gjoa " at — recep-
tion accorded the expedition, (ii)
291, 292.

Nordenskjold — North East Passage
achieved by, (i) 2.

Nordenskjold Islands — christening, map
made by Lieutenant Hansen, etc.,
(ii) 117, 120, 360.

Nordhogda magnetic station — description
of surroundings, (i) 206.

Nordligste Nordhoi (farthest north hill)
— high summit N.N.W. of Schwatka
Bay christened — description of sur-
roundings, etc., (i) 205.

North American Eskimo, refer to title
Eskimo.

North East Passage — achievements of
Nordenskjold, (i) 2.

Index

North Somerset Island, (i) 56, 140.
North West Passage —
Achievements of previous expeditions
in the direction of solving problem,
(ii) 102-6.
First discoverer — Franklin expedition,

(i) 49.
"Gjoa" achievements — vessel sighted
and North West Passage accom-
plished, (ii) 120, 125.
Celebrating — first cup drank on board
the " Gjoa," (ii) 286.
Unnavigated portion of North West
Passage — fixing in accordance with
information obtained from Eskimo
of the finding of one of Franklin's
ships, (ii) 61.
Northern Commercial Company, (ii)

246.
Northern Lights seen, (ii) 170, 225,

234. -
Northernmost spot inhabited by civilised

men, (i) 34.
Northumberland House — name given to

building erected on Beechey Island

by Pullen, (i), 50.
Norway Bay, (ii) 347.
Novo Terro, (i) 252.
Nulieiu, Eskimo, (i) 310, 319 ; (ii) 42.
Nygaard, Cape, (ii) 345.

Object of the "Gjoa" Expedition, (i)

5-
Object of penetrating the Arctic Region,

(i)2.
Ogchoktu, refer to Gjoahavn.
Ogle Point — land seen not Ogle Point,

but an island, though not charted by

M'Clintock, (i) 99.
Ogluli Eskimo tribe, refer to Eskimo.
Ogluli Sea — investigation showing num-
ber of islands, (ii) 86.
Ogluli seals — large and powerful species,

methods of catching, etc., (ii) 42.
Oil stove used by the Expedition, refer to

" Primus."
"Olga" — American whaler —
Arrival at Herschel Island, (ii) 272.
Rumours concerning loss of, (ii) 170.
Onaller, Eskimo wife, (i) 194.
Outfit, refer to Clothing.
Ovidias, Mount — easily recognised point

on coast of Victoria Land, (ii) 356.
" Owl " — nickname of Ugpi or Uglen,

Eskimo, (i) 190, 220, 222 ; (ii) 19.
Broken collar-bone treated by Captain

Amundsen, (ii) 57.

"Owl" {cont.)—
Hunting expedition with Captain

Amundsen, (i) 241.
Kamiglu, meeting the " Owl " at,

(ii) 114, 115- .
Position held by wife — acting as boot-
jack, etc., (i) 314.
Return to Gjoahavn, (i) 237.
Thefts by Ogluli Eskimo — services
rendered by the " Owl," (i) 281, 286.
Owls — peace of Polar sunlight night dis-
turbed by, (i) 329.
Owl's nest — lemmings found in, at Nord-

ligste Nordhoi, (i) '^06.
Oyara, Eskimo and his wife Alo-Alo —
exchange of wife incident, (i) 308,
309-

" Pacific shoal," (ii) 276.

Palander Strait — christening, (ii) 119.

" Pancake ice " — ice so called, (i) 53.

" Pandora" — Sir A. Young's Expedition,
(i) SI, 58..

Pandora, Eskimo wife — married life of,
(i) 307, 308.

Parasites — North Greenland Eskimo
notorious for, (i) 117.

Parry, E. — North West Passage Expe-
dition, results, (ii) 103.

Parry, Cape — Nelson Head mistaken for,
(ii) 124, 125.

Parry Skerry — wrongly marked on chart,

(i) 33-
Peary Expedition, (i) 45.
Peel River and Porcupine River, moun-
tains between, (ii) 195, 196.
Peel Sound, (i) 55.
Pelly, Mount — landmark mentioned by

Collinson, (ii) 120.
Pelly Point, (ii) 299.
Pemmican —
Preparation of, for the Expedition, (i)

10.
Unsuitable provision for sledge trips —

Captain Mogg's opinion, (ii) 213.
Value of, as food for Arctic Explora-
tions, (i) 284.
Peter Anker, Cape, (ii) 345.
Petersen's Bay, (i) 79 ; (ii) 306, 361.
Petroleum —
Amount taken on board, etc. (i) 18, 29,

44, 45-
Thermometer, petroleum acting as, (i)

159-
Petroleum casks turned into dog kennel,

(i) 228.
Pfeffer River — trip to collect fossils, (ii)

96.

389

Index

Photography — development of plates, (i)

222.

Planning and executing " Gjoa " Expedi-
tion—
Achievements of previous Expeditions,
which were of the greatest value, (ii)

I02.

Voyages and explorers' achievements, (ii)
1 02.

Poieta, Eskimo, (i) 251, 256.
Domestic life — romance, etc., attached

to marriage, (i) 311, 313.
Guide of sledge expedition on way to
Matty Island, (i) 172, 173, 174.

Porcupine River, (ii) 195, 196, 232, 233,
238.

Potatoes — Herschel Island product, (ii)
265.

Praederik, Eskimo — conjuring and sor-
cery practised by Praederik and his
wife, (ii) 18, 19, 20.

Prescott Island in Franklin Strait^ — point
at which needle of compass refused
to act — steering by stars resorted to,

(i)57-
" Primus " stove used by the Expedition,

(i) 134. I35> 230, 243, 246.
Bread baking by means of, (ii) 149.
Explosion — accident to Lindstrom, (ii)

.?5.-
Utilising fire-proof bricks brought from

Godhavn for constructing new stove

incident, (i) 269.
Prince Albert Land, west coast of —

examined by Collinson's Expedition,

(ii) 105.
Prince of Wales, Cape, sighted, (ii) 285.
Prince of Wales Land, (i) 56.
Princess Ingeborg's Island, (ii) 359.
Provisions, refer to title Stores and Pro-
visions.
Ptarmigan, shooting, (i) 105, 186, 199,

200, 203 ; (ii) 52, 62, 144, 187, 311,

319, 321, 333> 340.
PuUen, Commander — Chart made at

Beechey Island in 1854, (i) 49,
Puyalu, Eskimo wife, (i) 238, 241.

Queen Maud's Sea — ice conditions, etc.,
(ii), 117.

Rae, Dr.—
" Land seen by Rae," refer to title,

Victoria Strait.
News of the region where Franklin
Expedition was lost, brought by, (i)
48.

Rae, Dr. {co7it.) —
North- Eastern America Explorations —
results, (ii) 105, 106.
. Rae Mount, (ii) 321.

Rae Strait, (i) 78, 79 ; (ii) 106.
■ " Rae's Cairn " Island, (ii) 357.
Rampart house on Porcupine River —
Cadzow, Mr. D. — hospitality shown to

Captain Amundsen, (ii) 249.
Darrell, Mr., meeting with, (ii) 195,
196.
Rasmussen, Knut, (i) 41.
Raven seen — appearance indicating

spring, etc., (i) 182 ; (ii) 186.
Reindeer —
Cape Christian Frederik — reindeer seen,

(i) 76.
Drying meat as means of keeping, (ii)

206.
Fat and well nourished, (i) 248.
Hunting expeditions — number of rein-
deer shot, etc., (i) 241.
Amundsen's, Captain, and the " Owl's"

expedition — results, etc., (i) 241.
Eskimo hunting, description of —
division of booty between two hunt-
ing parties, etc., (i) 326-9.
Eta, Island of — fortnight's expedition

and its results, (i) 97, 99.
King Point, (ii) 175, 179, 189, 192.
Lund and Hansen's expedition towards

the west of Gjoahavn, (i) 247.
Patience and endurance in hunting
reindeer in region of I^ng William
Land, (i) 103.
Soft grey hat — engineer's fixed idea

that it brought luck, (i) 104.
Transport — trying work of bringing
the game in, etc. (i) 103, 105.
King William Land — herds of reindeer
observed crossing the Sound to
mainland, (i) 102, 104.
Leanness of — probably due to want of

food, (i) 106.
Rifle used for shooting— KJrag-Jorgensen

rifle, (i) 106 ; (ii) 192.
Shooting — supply of meat by Eskimo,
etc., (i) 83, 84, 201, 233, 235, 248 ;
(ii) 1 10, 198.
Sledge expedition to Victoria Land, (ii)
311-4,322.
Reindeer marrow as dessert, (i) 170.
Reindeer moss —

Joy at sight of moss and bare spots of

earth on Hovgaard's Islands, (i) 199.

Parched moss showing warm summer at

Gjoahavn, (i) 83.
Tyataa-arlu — moss and small lakes
found, (i) 203.

390

Index

Reindeer sinews — thread used by the
Eskimo women, (i) 305, 328 ; (ii)
14, IS-.

Reindeer skins, refej- to Skins.

Reindeer tongues —
Gifts from Eskimo, (i) 170, 171.
In praise of, (i) 203.

Reindeer tripe as food, (i) 289.

Richardson Islands — passing of the
"Gjoa,"(ii) 121.

Richardson, Point, (i) 252.
Sledge trip to islands in Simpson Strait
discovered which were christened
after Commander Hovgaard, (ii)
296.

Ristvedt, Peder — member of expedition,

(i) 13.
Duties performed by, (i) 29.
Improvements to astronomical observa-
tory— arrangements for comfort, (i)

260, 26j:.
Journey to Plerschel Island to consult

doctor, (ii) 180.
Meteorological observations carried out

by — hardships endured, etc., (i)

124.
Pemmican for the Expedition prepared

by, (i) 10.
Sledge expedition to Victoria Land — ■

services rendered, (ii) 297, 311, 312,

313. 322.
Tobacco chewing habit, (ii) 187.
Veterinary surgeon qualifications, (i)

155-

Ristvedt River, (i) 207, 238.

Ritchie's, E. S. , floating compass — ex-
cellent compass, (i) 55.

Roksi, Eskimo, (ii) 146, 152.

Ross, James —
Chart — land marked as an island which
proved to be part of mainland of
Boothia, (i) 63.
Magnetic North Pole of, (i) 61 ; (ii)
104.

Ross, Sir John — expeditions, results,
etc. ; (i) 292 ; (ii) 103, 104.

Route to magnetic pole — magnetic obser-
vations taken at Beechey Island,
determining, (i) 49.

Royal Danish Greenland Trading Com-
pany—
Assistance rendered to the Expedition,

(i) 29.
Treatment of Greenland Eskimo —
example to other nations, (ii) 51.

Royal Geographical Society Island, (ii)

61, 86.
Groups of islands north of Markham
Strait christened, (ii) 360.

Royal North West Mounted Police,
(ii) 179, 188.

Rum as a pick-me-up on sledge expedi-
tions, (ii) 307, 308, 309.

Rydberg, Director of Royal Danish
Greenland Trading Company —
assistance rendered to the Expedi-
tion, (i) 29.

Sabine, Cape, (ii) 250.
" Gjoa " anchored, and expedition goes
on shore — description of land, (ii)
137.
Saeland Valley — Eskimo encampment,

(i) 272.
Sails of the "Gjoa" — preserving during

winter, (i) 209.
St. John's Hill or Adolf Schmidt's Hill,

(i) 209.
Salmon —
Fishing by the Eskimo, (i) 317.
Number caught in Hunger Bay, (i) 252,

Smoke-drying experiment at Gjoahavn,

(ii) 94.
Supply of, to the Expedition by the
Eskimo, (ii) 94, refer also to title
Fish.
Salmon Creek — arrival of mail expedi-
tion from Herschel Island to Fort
Yukon (ii), 239.
Saunder Island — farewell to Danish

Literary Expedition, (i) 45.
Schmidt, Professor Adolphus, (i) 93.
Schwatka Bay, (i) 79, 229, 233, 241.
Description of, (i) 204.
Ice hut building, (i) 243.
Schwatka Expedition, (i) 293.
Scoresby, W., junior, (ii) 103.
Scotch whalers, refer to Whale Hunting.
Sea-fowl seen off Cape Belcher, (ii) 285.
Sea-sickness — nearing Magnetic Pole,
sea-sickness among members of the
Expedition, (i) 62.
Seal bladders — number inflicted on the
Expedition by Eskimo women,
(ii) 64.
Seal flippers as food, (i) 204.
Seal liver as a delicacy, (i) 23.
Seal meat fried in oil — favourite dish, (i)

184.
Seals —
Catching seals by Eskimo —
Amundsen, Captain, joins Eskimo

hunting party, (i) 177.
Commencement of season, custom as
to, (ii) 23.

391

Index

Seals (cont.) — •
Catching seals by Eskimo [coiii. ) —
Date of commencement of fishing —

superstitions, (i) 277 ; (ii) 27.
Division of hunting grounds between

different tribes, (ii) 45.
Festival held in order to propitiate

the powers to induce good catch,

(ii) 23-7.
Methods — implements used, outfit,

etc., (ii) 27-44, 333-5-
Number caught off King William Land,

(i) 177-
Peculiarity about seals at King Point,

(ii) 207.
Return of sealers — method of dealing
with seal flesh and skins, etc., (i)
189 ; (ii) 40, 41.
Fresh meat enjoyed by the Expedition,

(i) 22, 23.
Sherard Head and Cape Court, seals

shot between, (i) 57.
Small species met with in Nechilli's

hunting field — reasons, (ii) 42.
Victoria Land Expedition, seals caught

— blubber eaten, etc., (ii) 358.
Von Betzold Point, Eskimo settlement

on, (i) iSg.
Sealskin clothing, 7-efer to titles Clothing

and Skins.
Sewing for members of the Expedition —
Eskimo woman's services on board
the " Gjoa," (ii) 79.
Sewing needles —
Bartering with Eskimo — needles ex-
changed for skins, (i) 120.
Gifts to Eskimo — special value set on
needles, (i) 120 170, 172, 316.
Sexe, Captain Asbjorn — owner of the

"Gjoa,"(i)9.
Sherard Head — first large accumulation

of ice encountered, (i) 56.
Shingle Point, (ii) 145, 189.
Shooting expeditions, refer to title Rein-
deer.
Simpson, Cape — ice encountered, (ii) 277.
Simpson Strait, (i) 79, 97, 104, 252,

299, 319, 325. 361.
Ice conditions, (i) 80, 215 ; (ii) 99.
Islands discovered during sledge trip to
Port Richardson and christened after
Commander Hovgaard, (ii) 296.
Soundings taken —
Narrowest portion between Eta Island

and the coast, (i) 225.
Sea bottom consisting of stone and
clay, (ii) 107.
Simpson and Dease Expedition — result,
(ii) 104.

Ski, use of —
Eskimo accompanied by Captain

Amundsen on ski, (i) 120, 121.
Relative value of ski and snow-shoes as
means of transport — journey from
Herschel Island to Fort Yukon, (ii)
218, 224, 225, 234.
Skins — reindeer and sealskins —
Bartering with Eskimo — sewing needles

exchanged for skins, (i) 120.
Clothing made of, refer to title Cloth-
ing.
Process of dressing among Eskimo, (i)

322-5.
Tents, skins covering Eskimo tents — ■
significance of sealskin tents, (i)
298, 325-
Uses to which skins were put among
Eskimo, (i) 324, 325.
Sledge expeditions —
Hansen's, Lieutenant, first expedition —
taking magnetic observations at
Kaa-aak-ka, (i) 285.
Herschel Island to Eagle City, Captain
Amundsen's post journey with
Captain Mogg, see title Herschel
Island.
Towards the Pole — •
Preparation and equipment for first
expedition from Gjoahavn, (i)
139-146.
Camp pitched — building of snow-hut,
etc., (i) 150-3.
Dogs let loose — fights among dogs,
etc., (i) 151, 155.
Speed indicator applied to dog sledge
■ — old apparatus from " Fram "
Expedition, (i) 156.
Starting of the expedition, (i) 150.
Unfavourable conditions^difficulties
of making headway over drift-snow,
etc., (i) 150, 156.
Turning back to wait for milder
weather, (i) 156.
Second expedition — more favourable
conditions, etc., (i) 158.
Depot, placing under charge of

Eskimo, (i) 174.
Dogs —
Fight with Eskimo dogs, (i) 162.
Loan of dogs by Eskimo, (i) 171,
172.
Eskimo tribe met with — Nechilli
Eskimo — reception given to Cap-
tain Amundsen, exchange of gifts
and hospitality, etc., (i) 160-72.
Another Eskimo camp encountered
— inferior character of the Nechilli
Eskimo, (i) 173.

•392

Index

Sledge expeditions (couL) —
Towards the Pole (cont.) —
Second expedition {cotit. ) —
Snow-hut, building of — Eskimo's
hilarity at Captain Amundsen's and
Hansen's work, (i) 164.
Snow-hut with its dep6t found in

good order, (i) 158.
Tent in place of snow-hut, experience.

Third expedition — pushing forward to
Leopold Harbour, (i) 180.
Cape Hardy on Matty Island reached
and magnetic station placed, etc.,
(i) 182.
Return to Gjoahavn — results of ex-
pedition, etc., (i) 186, 187.
Victoria Land Expedition, 7-efer to title
Victoria.
.'Sledges-
New sledge constructed by Sten for

post expedition, (ii) 175, 177.
Provision of, by Inspector Daugaard-

Jensen, (i) 29.
Sails, sledge carrying, met with on way
to Herschel Island, (ii) 177.
.Sledging by Eskimo, mode of harnessing

dogs, etc., (ii) 152, 155.
Sleeping bags — preparing for sledge ex-
pedition— best design of bag, (i) 140,
141.
.Smith Bay, (ii) 277.
Smith, Mr. F. N. — hospitality to Captain

Amundsen at Eagle City, (ii) 246.
Snadde Hill, (ii) 306.
Snow-blindness, risks of, (i) 19&.
Snow bunting, first seen on sledge expe-
dition to Victoria Land, (ii) 319.
Snow-huts, refer to Huts.
■Snow-shoes —
Expedition to Navyato on, (i) 251.
Relative value of snow-shoes and ski as
means of transport — ^journey from
Herschel Island to Fort Yukon, (ii)
218, 224, 225, 234.
Soundings taken —
Barrow Point, (ii) 282.
De la Guiche Point on American main-
land, (i) 77, 78.
Dundas Islands, (i) 77.
Eta Strait, (ii) 116.
Flaxman Islands, off, (ii) 275.
Gjoahavn, (i) 80, 83.
Herschel Island — narrow sound between

island and coast, (ii) 259.
Matty Island, off, (i) 67, 68.
Rae Straits, (i) 79.
Sabine, Cape, (ii) 137.
Simpson Strait, (i) 225 ; (ii) 107.

Soundings taken {cont.) —
Victoria Strait, westward of, (ii) 118,

119.
Spitsbergen deer, condition of in summer,

_ (i) 248.
Spring —
First spring — absence of spring weather,

(i) 188.
Indications of —
King Point — arrival of a raven, (ii)

186.
Tracks of animals returning north, (ii)

52- . . .

Second spring — signs which promised

well for summer, (i) 290.
Stanley Island, (i) 78, 79.
Stars and moon — inhabiting after death —

Eskimo belief, (i) 320 ; (ii) 48.
Starting of the Expedition, date of —

leave-taking at Christiania, etc., (i)

13-4-
Steamer first used in Arctic Ocean — •
" Victory " of John Ross Expedition,
(ii) 104.
Steen, Aksel S. — Captain Amundsen's

project submitted to, (i) 5-
Steering by stars — point at which com-
pass refused to act, (i) 57.
Steffensen, Mr., (ii), 271.
Sten, Christian, meeting with at King
Point, (ii), 138.
Exchange of tinned ijrovisions, (ii) 141.
Friendship between Lindstrom and

Sten, (ii) 186.
House, building of, at King Point, (ii)

144, 156.
Theft of dry fish by Eskimo incident,

(ii) 174, 175-
"Store Hellefishbank " (Big Halibut
Bank) — icebergs encountered, (i) 26.
Stores and provisions —
American and Norwegian tinned pro-
visions exchanged at King Point, (ii)
141.
Amount of provisions, etc. — five years
supply packed in the " Gjoa," (i)
10.
Bread and bread making refer to title

Bread.
Cases forming deck-cargo thrown over-
board on stranding of the " Gjoa,
(ii) 69, 74.
Dalrymple Rock — stores deposited by
Scotch whalers, Milne and Adams,

(i) 39> 41-
Transport of stores on board the
"Gjoa," (i) 42.
Flour supplied to American whalers at
Herschel Island, (ii) 180,

393

Index

Stores and provisions (cont.) —

Godhavn, dc^s, sledges, etc, provided
at, (i) 29.

Hermetically sealed goods tested and
examined by Professor S. Torup, (i)
10.

Meat and fish — procuring for the Expe-
dition, refer to titles Fish and Rein-
deer.

Pemmican — indispensable provision for
Arctic explorations, etc. , (i) 10, 284 ;
(ii) 213.

Taking on shore at Gjoahavn — con-
struction of aerial ropeway, etc., (i)

93' 94- .

Departure from Gjoahavn, preparation
for, getting stores on board, etc.,
(ii) 65, 76, 77.
Stoves for cooking purposes, etc. —
Additional stove taken from the

" Bonanza," (ii) 143, 148.
" PVimus " stove used by the Expedi-
tion, refer to that title.
" Sugarloaf," (i) 24-
Summer —
Gjoahavn, summer at, (i) 201, 228, 236,

329-

Glorious and brief, (i) 329.

Most beautiful season — middle of Tvuie,

(1)297-
Unreliable — ^rain and sleet in August,
(i) 228.

Sun as compass, (i) 60.

Sunday Hill — magnetic station erected,
(i) 212.

Survej-ing expeditions, refer to title Mag-
netic Conditions of King William
Land, also names of places.

Sutton Islands — passing of the " Gjoa,"
(ii) 123.

Svarteklid, (ii) 306.

Svartheia (Black Mountain), (ii) 361.

Sverdrup, Cape — point christened by
members of Victoria Land Expedi-
tion, (ii) 347.

Swan Hill — magnetic station erected, (i)
212.

Swimming — no knowledge of among
Eskimo, (ii) 91, 268.

Swimming bath at Gj6aha%-n — Hansen
and Lund taught to swim, (ii) 91.

Talumakto, Eskimo — employed by Cap-
tain Amimdsen, character, etc., (i)
190, 194, 220, 222, 225, 228, 229,
230, 233, 267, 268, 271 ; (ii) 47,
107, 305. 319-

Talumakto, Eskimo (cont. ) —

Accompanjnng Expedition homewards

proposal, Talumakto's distress at

thought of leaving his native country

— place on board filled by Tonnich,

(ii) 91-4-
Black eye inflicted by on Atikleura, (ii)

61.
Costume — gift firom Wiik, (ii) 65.
Elopement escapade and its results, (i)

285,308.
Expedition into the interior with Lind-

strom joke, (li) 88.
Gifts presented to, previous to the

departure firom Gjoaha^-n, (ii) 78.
Gun presented to, by Lieutenant

Hansen — bursting incident, (ii) 63.
Ice-hut building, (i) 331.
Knife belonging to the "Gjoa," appro-
priating— punishment, (ii) 82.
Lodged on board the " Gjoa " — snoring
proclivities, etc., (ii) 54-
Tamoktuktu, Eskimo —
Ice-hut inhabited by, Captain Amund-
sen's visit to, (i) 237.
Return visit to Gjoahavn, (i) 241.
Theft on board the " Gjoa," (i) 282.
Tasmania Islands, (i) 60, 1S5.
Tattooing among Eskimo, (ii) 79.
Tayler Island, (ii) 358.
Tent Circles —
Atikleura's tent, description of Circle

round, (i) 298.
Traces of Eskimo habitation —
Cape Christian Frederik, (i) 76.
Gjoahavn, (i) 83.

Number found on King William Land,
(i)298.
Tents —
Eskimo tents —
Description of model Tent made of

sealskins, fi) 298, 325.
Doorway difficulty — ingenious contriv-
ance for keeping out snow, etc. , (i>
141.
Fires, lighting — superstition as to, (i>

33^5 333-
Protecting from snow storms by
erecting snow walls, (i) 334.
Kind of tents — preference for three pole

triangular tent, (i) 220, 221.
Preparing for sledge expedition, (i) 141.
Superiority of snow-huts over, in
matters of warmth, etc., (i) 159.
Teraiu, Eskimo family, (i) 293 ; (ii) 60.
Desertion by tribe, Captain Amund-
sen's hospitaht}-, (i) 131-8, 179.
Snow-huts, building by Teraiu —
rewards for, etc., (i) 143, 145.

394

Index

Teraiu, Eskimo family (co7it. ) —
Theft from board the "Gjoa," (i) 282.
Visit to " Gjoahavn " to get medicine, (i)
257.

Terrestrial magnetism, refer to Mag-
netism.

" Terror "' and " Erebus " of Franklin's
Expedition, (i) 47.

" The Arctic" — Investigating conditions
round, letters from Major Moodie
and Captain Bemier to Captain
Amundsen, (ii) 70.

Theodolite for geographical observations
lent by Dr. Nansen, (i) 144.

Thermometer, petroleum acting as, (i)

" Thetis ■' American Revenue Cutter, (ii)

282.
Exchange of courtesies between the

" Thetis " and " Gjoa " incident, (ii)

283..
Thetis Islands — Passing of the " Gjoa,"

(ii) 276.
Tilton, Captain of American whaler

"Alexander," (ii) 136, 141, 163,

164, 250, 252.
refer also to " Alexander."
Time, computation of, (ii) 45-7.
Eskimo method, (ii) 45-7.
Miscalculation by crew of the " Olga,"

(ii) 272.
Tinned provisions, refer to titles Stores

and Pro\-isions.
Tins — scrambling for, by Eskimo women,

(ii) 78.
Toboggan running, mode of — journey

from Herschel Island to Fort

Yukon, (ii) 230, 232, 237.
Toboggans, packing, hints on, (ii) 230.
Todd Island, (ii) 361, 362.
Difficulties of getting through narrow

channel, (ii) 104.
Skeletons and other traces of Franklin's

Expedition found here, (i) 257.
Toker Point, (ii) 170.
ToUmao, Eskimo seal catcher, (ii) 43.
Tomachsina — religious services on Her-

schell Island conducted by, (ii)

265.
Tonnich, Eskimo, (ii) 88.
Taken on board the " Gjoa" as member

of the Expedition, (ii) 92-4.
Departine from the " Gjoa," (ii) 115.
Torup, Professor Sofus — stores and pro-

\"isions tested by, (i) 10.
Tragedy of the Polar ice, (i) 3, 47,

48.
" Treasure ' — American whaler, (ii) 271,

283.

Trout fishing by Eskimo — supply of

trout to the Expedition, etc., (i)2io,

238, Z17.
Tungi — race of giants, ancient tradition

among Eskimo tribe, (i) 321.
Tyataa-arlu (Point Luigi d'Abruzzi),

(i) 203.

Uch}Taneiu, Eskimo, (ii) 57.
Information relating to Franklin Expe-
dition, (ii) 61.
Ugvi, Eskimo — theft from Expedition's

store tent, (ii) 59.
Umiktuallu, Eskimo — great seal hunter,
etc., (i) 193, 316; (ii) 113, 115.
Business instincts, (ii) 55, 56.
Murder of foster-son, (i) 212, 221.
Powder and shot exchange incident,

(ii) 56.
Reindeer and fish supplied by, (i) 267.
Visit to Gjoahavn — news brought by,
of white man seen near Coppermine
River, etc., (i) 247.
Unknown waters, saihng in, (i) 55.
Commencement of task of the " Gjoa,"

(i)59.
Upernivik, (i) 34.
Utkohikchyalli — Eskimo tribes and their

boundaries, (i) 292.

"Vega" Expedition, (i) 3 ; (ii) 119, 120.
Victoria Harbour, (i) 185.
Victoria Land — sledge expedition under-
taken by Lieutenant Hansen, accom-
panied by Rist%-edt, for charting
unknown western stretch of coast
along M'Clintock Channel, (i) 283.
Achievements of the Expedition, (ii) 85,

86, 363.
Bay that was completely land-locked
which would make good winter
harbour reached and christened
" Greely Harbcm:," (ii) 353.
Bears shot, (ii) 348-51, 355.
Cairn built of slabs of limestone met
with — nothing found inside, (ii) 339,
340.
Cairns erected, (ii) 342, 346, 348.
Document left in cairn at Cape Nansen,

(ii) 85, 355-
Campmg places, (u) 306, 309, 328, 339,

345^ 347> 354, 356, 361.
Camping in the open, (ii) 357, 359.
Climatic conditions, (ii) 319, 336, 341,

344, 345, 353-

395

Index

Victoria Land — sledge expedition, etc.

(cont.) —
Departure of Expedition, (i) 290; (ii)

300, 303-4.
Depot at Cape Crozier, contents of —

dep6t robbed by bears, etc., (ii) 84,

299, 317, 318.
Distance — number of miles travelled,

(ii) 363-
Dogs, condition of — behaviour of dogs,
etc., (ii) 306, 307, 311, 313, 322,

323, 33i> 334, 352, 353-
Feet injured during thaw — footgear

suggested, (ii) 361.
Loss of dog, (ii) 360.
Endurances necessitated by such an

expedition, (ii) 362.
Eskimo tribe met with — greetings and

commodities exchanged, etc., (ii)

84, 326-30.
Fog encountered, (ii) 353, 354.
Food consumed during expedition,

amount, nature of food, etc., (ii)

318, 330, 344, 351.
Fox shooting incident, (ii) 351.
Groups of islands south of Bryde's

Island and north of Markham

Strait, (ii) 360.
Hares, shooting, (ii) 357.
Hills and slopes — heights rising to

about 300 feet, etc., (ii) 338, 353.
Ice conditions, hardships of sledge

expeditions in Polar regions, (ii) 85,

86, 309, 319, 320, 325.
Return journey — better conditions, (ii)

358, 361.
Ice-ridge, formation of, (ii) 338.
Independence Day kept as Festival, (ii)

342.
Land, description of, (ii) 353, 356, 357,

359-
Land sighted, (ii) 336, 338, 341.
Latitude taking, (ii) 333, 335.
Object of Expedition, date of starting — •

duration of absence, etc., (ii) 299.
Ptarmigan shooting, etc., (ii) 311, 319,

321, 333, 340.
Reindeer shooting — method, etc., (ii)

31 1-4, 322.
Depot of deers' meat established, (ii)

317-
Report presented to Captain Amundsen,

(ii) 297.
Return of Expedition —
Starting on homeward journey, (ii)354.
Welcome accorded to Hansen and
Ristvedt, etc., (ii) 83, 362.
Rum — benefit of alcohol under certain
conditions, (ii) 307, 308, 309.

Victoria Land — sledge expedition, etc.
(coni.) —
Runners — use of German silver runners,

etc., (ii) 331.
Seals secured, methods employed, (ii)

333-5. 358.
Ski experiment, (ii) 321.
Stores taken, (ii) 298.

Exhaustion of, (ii) 359.
Survey work, (ii) 85, 342, 344, 345,

359, 363-
Turning back — disappointment at not

reaching Glenelg Bay, (ii) 354.
Victoria Strait —
Difficulties of navigation between Queen

Maud's Sea and Victoria Strait (ii)

1 17-9.
Ice conditions, (ii) 120.
Land seen by Dr. Rae investigated —

islands charted, etc., (ii) 85, 299,

319, 320, 336, 358, 359, 360.
Passage across — -difficulties encountered

by sledge expedition, (ii) 84.
" Victory " — Sir J. Ross's expedition,

(i) 292.
First steamer used in the Arctic Ocean,

(ii) 104.
Von Betzold's Point, (i) 79.
Boat expedition — ice difficulties, (i)

228.

Walrus — first seen after leaving Green-
land Coast, (ii) 284.
Warrender, Cape, (i) 46.
Water supply —
Fire, danger of, at Gjoahavn — method

of providing water, (i) 107, 249.
Fresh water supply —
Advantage of drift ice, (i) 36.
Gjoahavn, (i) 83.
Washing in salt water, (i) 21.
Whale hunting — ■
American fleet —
Constitution of fleet of 1905 at

Herschel Island, (ii) 257.
Mails, refer to that title.
Queer tales told of, (ii) 164, 165 [for
particular boats, refer to their
names).
Dangers attending — number of lives

lost, etc., (ii) 256.
Eskimo — capable whalers, (ii) 143.
First bowhead whale caught in Behring

Sea, (ii) 257.
Herschel Island, history of, in connec-
tion with whale hunting, (ii) 255,
256.

396

Index

Whale hunting {cont. ) —
Mode of hunting, etc., (ii) 256, 257,
Scotch whalers —
Dangerous and difficult conditions of

whaling in Melville Bay, (i) 34, 35.
Milne and Adams, (i) 22.
Stores deposited by at Dalrymple
Rock, (i) 39, 41.
Value of whalebone — uses to which it
was put, etc., (ii) 256, 257.
Whales, skeletons found — •
Abva, north side of, (ii) 232.
Wiik's Hill, (i) 208.
Whittaker, Mr.- — Missionary at Herschel
Island visited by Captain Amund-
sen, etc., (ii) 166, 188.
Arrival at King Point as guest of
'dlb' Captain Amundsen, (ii) 190.
Wight, Dr.— Journey to the south in the
" Gjoa," etc., (ii) 200, 250, 252,
253, 265, 269.
Wiik, Gustav Juel — Member of Expedi-
tion, (i) 13.
Duties performed by — Magnetic obser-
vations, etc., (i) 29, 49, 97, 123.
Illness and death, (ii) 181-5.
Communicating information to relatives
— telegram which never reached its
destination, (ii) 198.
Grave — magnetic observatory con-
verted into mausoleum — Funeral
ceremony, etc., (ii) 200.
Departure from King Point of the
"Gjoa" — flag lowered, etc., (ii),

Wiik's Hill — beautiful camping place,

etc., (i) 206, 207.
Willersted Lake^ — Eskimo tribes and

their boundaries, (i) 292, 297.
Winchester carbine — superiority of the
Krag-Jorgensen ove:r, for killing
reindeer, (ii) 192.
Winter —
First winter at Gjoahavn, (i) loi.
Second winter at Gjoahavn, (i) 236.
Signs of commencement — flights of

migrating birds, etc., (i) 236.
Third winter at King Point — circum-
stances enforcing, (ii) 145.
for details to the winter quarters refer to
titles Gjoahavn and King Point.

WoUaston Land — examined by CoUin-
son's Expedition, (ii) 105.

Wood-
Driftwood, see that title.
Hickory — green ash preferred to, as it
was less brittle in Arctic regions,
(i) 286.

Wooden cases, use of, for constructing
observatories, refer to Magnetic-
Stations, etc.

Wynniat's (Collinson's Farthest), (ii) 307.

Year — mode of com.putation of time by

the Eskimo, (ii) 45-7.
York, Cape —
" Gjoa" anchored off, (ii) 291.
Ice difficulties of voyage across Melville

. Bay, (i) 35.
View of — fairyland scene as the " Gjoa "'
passed through the fog, (i) 37.
Young, Sir Allen — "Pandora" Expedi-
tion, (i) 51, 58.
Yukon, Fort —
Mail Expedition from Herschel Island,,
arrival of — Captain Amundsen dis-
appointed with Fort Yukon, etc.,,
(ii) 241.
Mails for, via Fort McPherson, (ii) 169,

195-
Postal communication between Fort
Yukon and Dawson City via Eagle
City, (ii) 242.

Zoological collection under control of

Lindstrom —
Additions to, (ii) 88, 90.
Airing at King Point, (ii) 198.
Depot built for, at King Point, (ii)

180.
Eider, loon, and geese eggs added,

(i) 207.
Mode of collecting — prizes offered to

Eskimo, etc., (i) 209.
Skin of reindeer buck specimens, (i)

106.
Trout — mother and young one, trick

played on Lindstrom, (i) 216.

397

LONDON:
HARRISON AND SONS, ST. MARTIN'S LANE,

PRINTERS IN ORDINARY TO HIS MAJESTY.

MAP OF KING HAAKON VII COAST AND QUEEN MAUD'S SEA

AND OF LIEUT. HANSEN AND SERGT, RISTVELDT'S SLEDGE EXPEDITION 1906

(COMPrLED BY LIEUT H/

Date Due

l-UT^-

MAY

ft ^ 2MB

L. a. CAT

. MO I13T

CLAPP

3 5002 00229 1578

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Full text of "Roald Amundsen's "The North West passage" : being the record of a voyage of exploration of the ship "Gjöa" 1903-1907"

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