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'i m). ■4^' *¥■ ~i' t' l^ i" n 1 •*-'!■ i i§.t ■a^'-^ , H vi ,^ -^ 6^ «iJ »-« '4m t: ^ #•■ ^ ^ t% #,. , ..vj ■* • '/ ' * €---^> t,. ■s.-' NOTICES -«•»- l»-.V-. ...-( p 0 6IFT BOOK STORES . ^in-'f -"'<«< CAN GET UT OF 001 POBUUTIOIIS r( down Labor iu tlie North to Starvation Prices !— The Ball sot ih motion— Strike of Six Thouwiud Mechanics ia llassachiisotts— First Frufts of Bepublicauism. -- CHAPTER II. Statistical Fallacies of Helper's Book — The True State of the Case — Large Balance la fkvor of the South — ^The boasted Free Labor of the North overshadowed by (he Pro- ductions of the South — Report of the Secretary of tlie United States Treasury — The Bepublican Party trving to Dissolve the Union of the States — The South in favor of Perpetuating the Union of these States, as long as their rights are respeeted— Bepub- lican Party a Sectional Party — ^The Proofs from Northern Men. . , .■ :^ CHAPTER IIL Helper's Slanders on the Non-Slaveholding People of the South Refund- Better chance in the South for a Poor Man tlian in the North — The Proofs — Names of Prominent Statesmen of the South who have risen from Poverty to the highest Eminence — The Negro well treated in the South — Richly repaid for his Labor — Comparisons between the poor Wliites of the North and the Negro of the South — The Strike of the poor Whites In Massachusetts — They admit that they are wokse off than the Slaves In the South. CHAPTER IV. The Hypocrisy of Helper — In favor of Slavery in his Work issued 1833 — Driven from the South for stealing three hundred dollars — Writes " Helper's Impending Crisis of the South"— Helper Denounces Free Negroes in his "Land of Gold" — Valuable Statistical information lu regard to the Power and Wealth of the South — Seaports of the South — Shore line of States on the Atlantic Ocean in f^vor of the South of eight- een thousand miles more than the North— The power of the South to establish and maintain a separate and independent Government against the united North combined —The military strength of tbe South estimated at six million Whites— Her immense resoorces in case of War. .-.^ V-* ^t'i.t t^ i, ^fjj^f -J. l^sP^M^ 1 ^^Vf'- "7%- jffjf ," *t •»♦<-•■" 'if Ll^ v-;^K ;v.v cHAPTERV. ■ ■•' ••■ ' '"-■'^" |HeIp«r'« IgBoraBM of the fMling:! of the Nnn-Slaveholdln(f FopnlRtlon of the South t» their Country— The Negroet> of the South true to their Masters— The Proofs given at Harper's Ferry— Not a Slave attempted to run away— The South have no fears of the uprisinjf of the Xiegroes — How the Negroes aided their Masters to repel the British under Lord Corut allls, and at New Orleans-^Beport of the Vlrgiaia Legislature oa (he Harper's Ferry Outrage. ..•. >. __. . ^ CHAPTER VL iBepublican Party Ruining the Trade of the North— Trade Crushed- The Bankruptcy of the entire North Predicted— Helper's Advice to the North adopted by the entire South— Repoblioan Party Kesponslble for the Withdrawal of the Southern Trade — "The Shoe commences to Piuch" — Helper's Statistics of the Prices of Land in the South demolished. ■■-,,_ >.- • « CHAPTER VII. ' .' •■ iThe Declaration of Independence quoted to prove that the Negro was not born " Created Free and Equal" with the White Man— Judge Taney's Decision in the Dred Seott Case quoted to prove the Author's assertions. . "H ' " CHAPTER VIII. . |Korthern Testimony in regard to the Aggressions of the Republican Party against the South — Extracts from the Speeches of the Hon. J. A. Logau and Stephen A. Douglass —The Damage Inflicted upou the Northern Merchants and Manufticturers by the Re- publican Party — The ProofA— The South In favor of Disuuion in certain Contingent cles— Eloquent Defense of the South by Hoh. Horatio G. Seymour, of New York, and Col. J. W. Wall, of New Jersey. . S- - ', CHAPTER IX. The South united to a Man, ready to beat back the Northern Hordes with Cannon and Sword — Armories goluK up In the South — Manufactories increasing in every Southern State — The South could create a Bread Rlct In the North any season, by withhold- ing the Cotton Crop — Northern men should ponder well over these /acts, before urging on this Republican Crusade against the South. CHAPTER X. { Bloquent Defense of the South by the Hon. L. Q. C. Lamar, of Mississippi- Who In- ' troduced Slavery into this Country ? — The licpublicaus — Their Hypocrisy— A Dlsso> lutiou of the Union inevitable, if the Republicans oacceed — A War of Extermination Predicted, If once commenced- Are the Northern People prepared for this? — Answer at the Ballot-Boxes. CHAPTER XL .< • .' |Thb Bible sustains Slavery — Christ sustained Slavery — Slavery has existed Inevery' age since the foundation of the World— The Proofs— The Negro as he is— His incapa- city to govern himself— Free Negroes relapse Into Barbarism — The Proofs— Conclu- sion and Appeal to the Northern People to sustain this Glorious Confederacy, by putting down the Republican Leaders. .... ,, ■ ;,,,,, 10,000 AGENTS WANTED FOR THIS GREAT WORK. ■•■-r/- LARGE DISCOUNTS ALLOWED TO CANVASSERS. A Large Discount made to Postmasters and Agents everywhere. ^,, : THREE NEW WORKS NOW READY! r Address, ' ' * ■ ' * ^ ^ y JAMES T. LI.OYD, Agt., PubUsher, Philadelphia, Pa. '4 ■■m BEADY. # ' TRACED IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN. BoiQg a narra^tivo of the voyaee made by the scrow steamer ^' Fox" in search of Sir John Franklin and his companions. ]5y Captain MoGlintock, Commander of the Expedition. 8000 copies subscribed for in England in advance of publication, at $4 per copy. American Edition only $1. 1 vol. 12mo. 440 pages, with a preface by Sir Koderick Murchison, F. R. S. Sixteen Illustrations and a Map of the Arctic Ocean, showing the truck of Sir John Franklin and his companions, after abandoning their ships, in their dreary march towards << Great Fish River," as they dropped dead one by one from starvation and cold — their bleached bones a warning to all future Arodo explorers. •„ ,.•■.. A Record found written by Captain Franklin, oivinq PARTICULARS OP THEIR SUFFERINGS UP TO THE TfME OF HIS DEATH IN 1847 ; also the record kept by Captain Crozier, six years after Franklin's death. Skeletons of many of tlie doomed Arctic explorer* discovered bleached by the Arctic snows, forming THE MOST INTERESTING, TRUTHFUL, AND MELANCHOLY NARRA- TIVE OF ARCTIC GLOOM AND ADVENTURE EVER PENNED. This work is published from advance sheets of the Enr/Ush Edition, verbatim et literatim, which sells at $4 in London. The American Edition selling at only $1, Library style, bound strongly in cloth. To those who have sympathized with the lost Arctic Explorer and his noble wife in her great efforts to unravel the mystery concerning the fate of Sir John Franklin, this volume will be a rich treasure. Few can read this simple narrative without shedding tears at the recital of their dreary and hopeless march over the wide fields of Arctic ice and snow in hopes of reaching Great Fish River .ere their last morsel should be consumed ; how they perished one by one in their tracks — their heart-rending record handed from one to the other, to be filled with the history of their sufferings, in hopes that eventu- ally their friends in England might know of their sad end. This Book closes the Arctic Explorations for ever. Agents wanted in every district in America for this work. Any intelligent man or woman can make $5 a day. Sent by mail, free of postage, on receipt of price. Send for circulars of three new hookSf now ready. Address J. T. LLOTD, m ^ ' Publisher, PhUadelphia, Pa. In Paper Covers, only 60 ct$. , ^ . .)^^. ■■■r»,7^»-;TrT'* IT Ip w^-*" vrr- in- ,V.' iMt: R '4'I.^.S' «\: ^U<*f-^.^*^H"A!>*''--'^3it^ 4', u-tj;^ • " ■•* "' j; v,»*f;.^.' j>v •/> ^^-M' u 'f^ "^^^ ^^k-^J-Jv i^'^ 4>r>*i ^.'i'i !;^VJ; » -i >i wm a- 5'^*f ;;Wi; '«r-J, 1 si-J '/.■ ;m '-■t^' w •^;*:ff^:^ *1. 1 < fiil.i^i^.rr v»¥, ^ n:^^:;v.« ■ "'V'*,^V. rT-^ - : '^v . 4^ *5 '•%.:. f--' _ti>'-V'Vi»fT'''" i*?i:,!-orjjp- ;t».;;fc; ."*'(•' ■^Jl/^ ^M i- .'vi.- .tr-"/^!^*^)^'?:'^^^?^ f ^;->itt*^-aXi f ^ ;-r^>: r-.-^ uf A^Jkl A.[«k»J ^^ \ ''"i r --:( •<.*■.„ ;..**'■ m V '^\/ s u CA OQ ■v^-..V^ IK ^a CO s B 53 • je , vi.. ■..iJl«-- ".•'ir.;'rf: Ji'-jE-d^^s •■:'- •••"-"flTFT H[J.Im| I 1 i < ^^Bki' rl ii 5 1 5 ^M ^ 1 a J >5 HSfUi '^ ■Iwl >* ^ , w M ^Bh ^ ^^H o ■B H H^B m ^H ^ ^Iv ^ ^■V M ^■k ^Hm i^ Hk^ HJ^o ■^o: H^^ ii 5 fc. ^^Hi H ItI 39 ?li-^™i pj 1 1> Pi o AiiM ^ y^iUil*^ 1 'B ^ 1^ jlii ^' i nil '^' \Th •< till 5 lyff 1 CO L M 1 H 1 nlH ~^ ■ Moll ^ kIn''^ iji S ■ vii ^ LivS ^K W ^ bI? ^Dn| ^ BaCjII f^ HNm h U (fi ^ Kif S ' B 1 ^ B) 1 A V/ o r < 9 GODFREY'S NARRATIVE Cr TUB V( LAST GRINNELL V^i- ft ^rdit iiplflring C3r|eWli0«, v^- IN SEAHCIl OF ... :v. SIR JOHN FRANKLIN, ■..■^H^I ■■■^. ••J •a WITU A ^f ,'a^v"tf.^.i5WVjb BIOGRAPHY OF T)R. ELISHA K. KANE. ^:* > C-'' rKOlI TBB CRADLE TO THE GRAVE. -<. ..»»"■ ?lfe »■'- WM. C. GODFREY on or TBB auBrrroBii ■^:. SUPERBLY If j/v PHILA J- T- Ii Xi O 1860. 'M ;•■«■■, ^Ur/frs ^'^ ■■tonl ft«eordlng to let of QoBgnH ia the jmt 1807, by X. LLOTD, to U« 01«rk't OftM of th« Diatriet Coart of the United. SUt^ lo ana ba IM Eastern Dlatriot of Pennsylvania. PHiLADii-nrtA : ^; ■miOTVPRO BT nsOtUi* ONABLM. *'.-: » *■■ ■'> J>j4*t'*f»' .;^v ■ .A • r • •'V * « PREFACE. It has been a cause of deep regret with the author and publisher of this Narrative, that the circumstances referred to in the last chapter of the boolc, ha?e delayed the publi- cation. As some* passages in this volume are very much at variance with the common accounts we have of the temper and character of Dr. Kane, and likewise reflect somewhat on his conduct as a Naval Commander, it woirid have been more satisfactory if these charges had appeared during the Doctor's lifetime. But the explanations given by Godfrey himself show that the earlier publication of hit book was impossible ; however anxiously he might desire .to vindicate himself, and to remove the stains affixed to his cliaracter by the unfavorable mention made of him in '^t. Kane's book. It may bo remarked that, if Dr. Kane were now living, he could not repel Godfrey's charge! without a negation of his own statements. He has fully admitted, in his Journal, the most material facts connected with that extraordinary affair — the attempt to take God- frey's life. He has not only related those facts distinctly, and with very little difference from Godfrey's own account ; but he has related them in a manner which seems to call for public i^prob^tion. Thia last-meiij^ed circumstanc* < l» '■ ■■ ■ " ' - ""^^-' (5) ■ 6 ntispAci. •j'-.-ifj^ I'. ■ *' ■;■ i ■ Batisiies ns that Dr. Kane thought that he was doing hii duty on that occasion. Perhaps very few persons who read his book attentively will come to the same conclasion. The circnmstances to be considered in connection with this matter are : 1. That Godfrey had formerly been dismissied , by his Commander, with permission to return to the United States. Did this permission release him from his compact to serve for a certain term on board of the Advance t 2. \ When, ander the pressure of starvation, he returned with - his companions, to solicit relief from Dr. Kane, did this iretorn renew his original obligations fihI restore him to his former position on board of the vessel ? 3. OotAd ht rea- sonably be suspected of an intention to desert in such a . country as Nortliem Greenland arid in the midst of an Arctic winter ? If he did desert, in sach circumstances, would^ his example be likely to be followed by others of the l»rig*6 cotittpany ? 4. Was his return to the vessel with a load of provisions such an act as might b^ expected from a de- serter f ^ Was the Commander justified in shooting a man for a mere refusal to come on board ? 6. It appears that, according to the contract made with the seamen before ' tJieir departure from New York, the strict regutattons of > ^. the ytvaA service were to be dispensed with on this Expe- dition ; the discipline of the brig could not, therefore, ^^tteMtf the Commands in resorting to such an eztremo measure as shooting a man to enforce an order. But, as the time has past when Dr. Kane could be held responsible for this act, we are disposed to consider it aa an errot' of the judgment ; and it may be easier to excuse him on that score than to overlook the deliberate wrong which he has done to William C. Godfrey by making vague charges of delinqneney against this man, who appears, even ■ait"* '■ " ' r ■ ■ " *■ ■ J r \ ■>• ■ ■'^ • .' '/. • PREFACE. .,■',' ■ ; ■ 7 .' ■.-■ ., • ..• . ,■ .», jV*.-'i'i . .«- . -, ■• . "■'. from the Doctor's own statements, to have heen the oonstant friend and benefactor of the whole brig's company. , It is a remarkable fact that Qodfrey appears, in the I>ootor'8 narrative, only as a half-pardoned criminal, even when acoonnts are given of signal services performed by hipa at the imminent hazard of, his own life! And yet we have found scarcely any specification of a fault of sufficient magnitude to call for a private reprimand; neverthelesB, this ttnfortnnate person has been rebaked by his eommand- ing officer before the whole world, and he may even be handed down to posterity as an object of distrust and abhorrence. . ' ' The death of Dr. Kane docs not make i« less incumbent on our author to clear himself from undeserved censure. If any of the Doctor's fellow- voyagers, who profess so much love and reverence for the Doctor^ memory, can show how Godfrey merited th^ harsh treatment he has received, they can do so as easily as Dr. Kane bimsj^lf could, if he were now alive. ' Although the two parties to this singular controversy occupied very different positions on board of the exploring brig Advance, at the bar of the American public thete is no recognizable distinction between Elisha K. Kan,e and William 0. Godfrey. We feel confident that the decision of the public in this case will be in accordance with the dictates of " even-handed justice." The merits of this work, as a complete and circumstantial history of the last Arctic Exploring Expedition, will be acknowledged, w«« think, by every candid and intelligent reader. f.«-7'i'» Philadelphia May 30, 185T. ity (^-^-r5l *V-, \ ■'Mfrf :if. ; -*-;v, ■^':'.:,-:'->^*iM»»*^'v;^ ♦.'. f^>f-i \ . \ J-|^v|-i!^|- • ri:\^ v*-;'>%'' v.* ;:^Ji>viv-.t. ■*•.. « ; '^a-^ ■*.i-' 111-, "^Vfo-ii;j. ■t:' •■^y? • -%,vf§; v4.v (■■* ■^m'-i^,,^-'^^^ 1-M:. % x >',^!A \ ^f ""■, . .-~(.V ■',,. » ■■■ ■■ -V . ^ , V 1-3 .-v..' wt'^J^i -.iPisi'SI" K '■h .^>. :^^'- ¥"**:'r" •••'-^ J'J^^^^t-' ■,ti^i?' if '!^ <-i--i ,>-if>-. ^-u ■■/',•» ' ■;' *■ :j0V ^^m^A< !|-.uf ?;i>4,,^;.t^* ,?'. ^■f!';\i :#?\K-4 . r" .-.'Jt' v' *■,:'.■*:• >■ '•■ 1 : ■^'A-\ *¥&:■ m ^ii,-*KV.: i US]^ ,'1. ,t >>!;■ ^.■^ »^p|v.W- -:^jK*(! ^^w^ v«*'t jj;'-jw";t- -ivy^* > fe Wn • \ ■ • ,■• !*?.»« rj « 'i!-c«- 'A^^ri'i. <<: '■*'>•■ ■%f« v\J ;i *= ..» 4 .:•'■'.■'.; *v' l \ — J. , V,: ■i^:i. •< \ ^m ^w'" % ft Ts^^iX^, "^■^■'.^ll *.»':'-*;■ ^•.•-•'*(.^ -'*» V ..'?* f ■» . » > ivjf.; )K^i£ ■-... -*-t < ■-..^ V^V'*.* *-;■ ' .',1 * . ^O) .'^*/i'.'*ft''''--'K'>'' .'■• ** f- . r?'': . - ''- ■. ^ • < •aa*-:;.- ♦ u. '^■f:*^^.*^ ■-yi 1*'.;.. -Xr*itL m-J "t -• '"-'f*': %»i»<'^^r<^■: ■CO NT.E NTS.*''^^^"*'"'^' :.'? ' "'»'^ ^ ; -V' 'f!^ v,^f CHAPTER I. > common sailor's motives for going on a Polar Expedition '' —The Author's particular inducement — No hope of glory or peouniarj profit — His anticipaticms of perils and Buffer* ,:; ings — ^His Reliance on his physical energies — ^The fate of ;^^;.' ; the Arctic voyagers — Dr. Kane's unhappy destiny — ^His funeral honors— Reportis concerning them — The Author's vindication— ;His reasons for writing a book, Id - ,_ '-v^^il-^.^;. ■chapter II. ■'-"■'.•/';'*:r^''^':-^' )bject of tfie Expedition — ^Where the exploration was to bei carried on — Groenland-—A frightful country— Land travel- \ ing in the Polar regions — Dog sledges— Navigatnn of the ^ icy seas — Dangerous sailing — The Author's views respect- ing the fate of Sir John Franklin and his party — Tribute to Lady Franklin — The absurdities of Arctic exploration! — ^Queer fancy of a great explorer^The Author's plebeian notions S7 t :« CHAPTER IIL * V [he voyage begun— Public demonstrations — The Author's v .', * emotions — lie alludes to an nffair of the heart — Catalogue' :,-, of the officers and crew — The exploring brig, Adoanc^-^ , proceeds to St. John's, Newfoundland — The officers and orew lionized — The voyage oontinued-~Arrival at Fisker- naes-^ Hospitable reception -~ The Esquimaux — Their comical appearance— Their peculiarities of tiharacter^— Hans ChristiaSi the ccmmaud< h pec, (11) •m -*"fe:: M. \ y.r 12 CONTENTS. ?.!*) -iiif.v'j » .t"/' CHAPTER IV. -^ *^^> Fiskernnes — Tho Author's hard service — Visit to n Moratian mission house — Two queer old missionaries — Sujert.:ik.:;>i,.. . CHAPTER XV. v-'^-*^".--^'--^-'^'^;!^^.. Return of the rescue party — Our great danger and providen*'^ ' tial deliverance — The whole company become delirious^ Strange phases of insanity — The Author's feelings of de#»> • peration — Terrible sufferings of his half-frozen companions — Arrival at the brig — Death and burial of Schubert and .. Baker — We are visited by savage' Esquimaux — Hans Chris- ' tian's romantic love affair, 151 -MJlJ.' ^.. .-J. •; • CHAPTER , XVI. Mf-' ' . •':/¥■ Dr. Hayes and the Author cross Smith's Sound — ^Trouble! and disasters — Suecessful explorations — Hqrrors of star* . vation — The Author's bouts and breeches used for feeding'^ dogs — Hard fare — The grand excursion of the season— 'r Sickness prevails — Dangerous illness of Dr. Kane — B^ars steal our provisions — Our desperate condition— We are obliged to turn back — Various afflictions, 163 fftv V &H'y.'-' CHAPTER XVII. ^^v^^^i ^ Several traveling parties sent out — Their ill success — Morton "^ * and Hans Christian travel northward — ^Their famous dis-* , .- coveries — A separation of our company — ^The Author, with ^ seven companions, permitted to leave the brig — Theytra*^ . *j. 4 OONTIlfTS. 4, 15 Tel southward — Are overtaken "by the winter— Their an- paralleled sufferingi from cold and famine — The Author H visits an Esquimaux settlement— The generosity and be- ' nevolence of these " barbarians"—- Their houses, modes of living, etc., i 173 CHAPTER XVIII. r ' in The Author and his party endure all the horrors of famine-^ "■' They resolve to return to the brig — The Author's reluct* -^ ance to go back— lie complies with the wishes of the map .^> jority-* Another troublesome journey — The Esquimaux try to out-yankee the Yankees — They miss their figur^-^ Virtues of "Godfrey's Cordial"— The Author's success- *' fttl stratagem, .< 18G CHAPTER XIX. ?^^ The wanderers return to the brig — Some of them are taken sick — Dr. Hayes has his toes cut off— Starvation on ship- board— Prevalence of the scurvy— The men dying for want of fresh provisions— Several parties sent out to procure food — ^The cold drives them back — The Author's solitary journey of ninety-five miles — His daring entefprise suc- ceeds— He obtains a supply of fresh meat — More of Hans Christian's love affair, 197 CHAPTER XX. The Author returns to the brig with a load of fresh meat— His warm reception — He becomes a target for pistol and rifle practice — Refuses to come oii board— Dr. Kane and Bonsali try to compel him — He treats the doctor disrespect- fully and retires under a galling fire — His desperate jour- ney back to Etah — He is overpowered by the cold, and sinks down in a snow-drift — His providential escape, 205 CHAPTER XXI. Hans Christian proves that fear can make a man slckvoa well , as love — Godfrey continues to supply the brig's company with provisions— Dr. Kane sends another order for him to come on board— He disobeys — The Doctor comes after him — ^An exciting dialogue between Kane and Godfrey— ■-'% ■**■ ;■*:■-■ '■m^- W :. 0OMTBMT8. When threats fail, Godfrey yields to persaasIon-^He re* turns to the brig, end meets with % oDrdial jreoeption from his oomredes, ^ m • • .' 214 '£ CIIAPTEB XXII. Dr. Kane's unfavorable notice of Godfrey— Charge of doser*. tion and niutiny~Qodfrey's defen8e---Comment8 of the MnrthBriiUh i?et»eio— That periodioal condemns Dr. Kane and exculpates Godfrey— ^odif^y sul^mits his case to the arfoitratioti of public opinion— A, warning to oppressosst. • 222 CHAPTER XXIII. \ The Author goes on another proTision-hunting ezpedition—- He chases a bear — Mutiny, among his dogs — He nhoots a seal and satisfies the demands of the canioe mutineers- Scarcity of provisions at Etah — The Author extends his journey to another settlement — Meets with the men who ^ took ' Godfrey's Cordial"— Their appreciation of the joke —A bear fight — Varioua adventuresT-Qodfrey returns to he brig with a load of fresh meat, * , . . . . 229 CHAPTER XXIV. Final abandonment of the brig Advance — Her probable fate —Commencement of a sledge and boat journey — ^Herca- „j lean labors and slow progress — Elopement of Hans Chris- tian-Fatal accident— Death and burial of Mr. Ohlsen, the ,. carpenter — Scarcity of provisions — Robbery of duck nests > '^ — Slaughter of sea-fowl — ^We meet a Danish boat — Arrival at Upernavick — Our reception— EmbaAation for the *i United States— Arrival at New York, '241 1 CHAPTER XXV. Concluding observations — The Author's unfortunate posi- tion— Results of the Grinnell expedition — ^What was dis- covered— ^Explorations of the coast— Important additions to geographical science— Meteorologfcal observations — The ^, open Polar sea— Suggestions by the Author— He expresses -:^ X his willingness to join another expedition,. 252 BiooiAroiCAL Skitcb or Dr. Eusha K. Kani,. 263 -He »#. ion Aom 214 of the ^C'Sone 0 to the MOW,.. 222 lition— . hoots n Q^ere— ndg bit en who \ he joke urns to •».... 229 »Ie fate Seron- Chrie. \ »n, the : neati Lrrivftl p the 'i '241 poai. I die. Uone -The 98800 ••.. 252 ... 263 G] / *■■ ' St' m^ El e ' f , GODFREY'S NARRATIVE or TBM GMl^^-ELL JiXPLOBING EXPEDITION. CHAPTER I. A OOICMON sailor's MOTIVES FOR QOIKQ ON A POLAR BZPSDITTON — THE AUTHOR'S PARTICULAR INDUOI- MENT— :N0 HOPE OF QtORT OR PEOUNIART PROFIT — BIS ANTICIPATIONS OF PERILS AND SUFFERINGS — HIS RELIANCE ON HIS PHTSIOAL ENERGIES — ^THB FATE OF THE ARCTIC VOTAOERS— DR. KANB*S UNHAPPT DBS- TINY — HIS FUNERAL HONORS — REPORTS CONOBRNINe THEM-^-THB AUTHOR'S VINDICATION— HIS BBASOITS tOI '.tAITINa A BOOK. It U not very easy for people in general to ander- Btand the motives wjiich impel some men to undertake toilsome and dangerous eDterprises, without much rea« sonable expectation of fame or profit. In exploring expeditions, as well as in warfare, the commander and 19 20 GODFREY'S NARRATIVE OF THE i *'>» Ill's principal officers obtain nearly all the credit ; and, if there are any emoluments or spoils, they commonly hiive the 'Mion's share" of these also. I have nothing t(t say against the propriety and justice of this arrange- ment ; but while the honors and rewards due to great undertakings are distributed in the manner just speci- fied, it may be difficult for some people to conceive why any man should consent to play a subordinate part in those undertakings — assuming a full share of the dangers and inconveniences thereof — without any prospect of celebrity or pecuniary recompense. In the last arctic voyage of Dr. E. K. Kane and his company, I served on board of the exploring brig, *^ Advance" in the humble situation of a sailor "before the mast.'* Or, to speak more correctly, I shipped with the understanding that I should be required to perform the duties which properly belong to that ob- scure station. Thus far the agreement was punctually fulfilled by the contracting parties on both sides ; for I received the regular wages of a man before the mast, and nothing more ; and I executed all the tasks which a seaman in my situation could be expected to perform, to say nothing of many other tasks and services which were purely gratuitous on my part. .j,^^ In order to become an arctic sailor, with the pay of eighteen dollars per month, I quitted a far more agree- able employment, which afforded me more than three times the amount of compensation just mentioned. This, of course, will be considered as a fair example of that Worldly wisdom for which sailors are not vema,vk- V. I hardsbips, which my datj as an arotio sailor would im* pose on me. It is needless to deny that there was somewhat of youthful audacity, somewhat of a restless craving after novelty and change, mingled with the better impulses which engaged me in this enterprise, the results of which have been calamitous to some of my fellow-ad- venturers, and particularly so to our commander him- self. Possibly some of u? may have been made wiser and better men by the lessons of adversity which we received during our wanderings in the realms of per- petual ice ; but (moral and mental improvement out of the question] I do not know that any of us received much individual benefit from the voyage. Several of my comrades lost their lives, in consequence of their unparalleled suflferings in the polar climes. Dr. Hayes lost his toes, which were frozen and afterward ampu- tated; and two or three others of our company met with similar misfortunes. But my loss appears to be the most afflictive of all ; for I find, with equal sorrow and surprise, that I have lost some reputation by my con- nection with this enterprise. On this painful topic, I shall have more to say hereafter. Dr. Kane himself was singularly unfortunate; al- though, in some respects, he appeared to be most highly favored. It is stated that some booksellers have reaped immense profits from the sale of his narrative ; and they are probably the only persons,to whom this arctic voyage has been profitable, so far as money matters are concerned. Dr. Kane, as I understand, ^. '■^■■.■<:^'\ip-. t ' ■ Nevertheless, I do not flatter myself that the vin- dication of an obscure individual like myself would ob- m X;i'&',-Sf'-> ■ ,i ^^■K^ ■•■:■: 1 ; . ■ / 24 qodfrey's narrative of the I ; : - ta'ti the ear of the public, if unaccompanied by matters of greater importance and more general interest. I have, therefore, prepared a narrative of the events of the Grinnell Exploring Expedition, "which I can consci- entiously recommend to the public as a faithful and true account of that enterprise ; and, in some respects, the most complete account that has ever been pub- lished. No one can deny that the several narratives of this expedition which have already appeared, arc somewhat contradictory and irreconcilable. I have no doubt, or I wish to believe, that the authors of these various narratives intended to relate facts as they oc- cured ; but, in some instances, their memories appear to have 'failed them, or they were not correctly in- formed in relation to matters which did not come under their own personal <^servation. During the whole pro* cess of exploration by Dr. Kane's party, I was engaged, without intermission, in the most active duties. I was, therefore, an eye-witness of almost every important event connected with these explorations. I have no motive for misrepresentation ; and I believe that my memory is su£Sciently retentive to enable me to rdate every notable adventure of our party precisely as it took place. At all events, I shall be careful to do no injustice to any man, living or dead, in the course of my recital. ■ ' ; > i ■' <%■ ' : k. »■■ i. :" *=^g r', '■ %■ S'" • • I bj maiters interest. I e events of [ can consci- faithful and me respects, • been pub- 1 narratives )peared, arc I have no )rs of these 1 as they oc- >ries appear iorrectly in- come under e whole pro. as engiaged, cs. I was, important I have no ^e that my ae to rdate cisely as it ul to do no course of WM. C. GODFREY. ^■>'^^. ■:-.f t' ;# -^ ■^. ---.^. s- if.-'r '^ "^; - *v\/\rifr wvo *•+ ior the most part, is a mass of rocks, interspersed with -y- 28 GODFREY'S NABBATIVE OV THX m glaciers or rivers of ice, which have a slow progressive motion toward the sea. The most southern point of Greenland is Cape Farewell, in lat. 59° 49', Ion. 43° 54'. Concerning the northern and eastern coasts, very little is known. Greenland was formerly supposed to be a peninsula attached to an arctic continent ; but recent discoveries make it appear that this region is a group of two or three large isknds, surrounded by several smaller ones. The neighboring seas, bays, and sounds are, at all seasons, more or less encumbered with ice ; and, at some particular times in the year, are totally unnavigable. The climate of Greenland is intensely cold, especially in the more northern lati- tudes, ahd during the arctic night, which lasts for seve- ral months. Greenland belongs to the Danish govern- ment, which has several trading stations on different parts of the coast. There are many Exquimaux Settle- ments scattered over the country. Some of the Es- quimaux are partly civilized, having become so by con- stant intercourse with the Danish settlers, who supply them with European commodities in exchange for skins, blubber, &C. :.,,ur^,'...v^ ,w--/,,^,^ W.;.._,:,s. ..,.,.j-,;;^/,,;^.V >- The northern parts of Greenland are not inhabitable even by the Esquimaux themselves, who are fitted by nature and habit to endure more cold than any other human beings on the face of the earth. The surface of the country is too rough to afford any facilities for traveling; and the neighboring waters when frozen over, as they generally are, present similar obstacles, as the ice is full of boulders, hummocks, bercs. and .'V ^M>S&^ ORINNELL EXPLORING EXPEDITIOiV. 29 Other obstructions. The usual mode of traveling on land and on the ice is in sledges drawn by dogs. No other vehicle and no other draught animals could be U6ed, probably, in these localities ; and the dog-sledge conveyance itself is liable to many inconveniences. The Esquimaux dog, used for this purpose, is neither large nor poAverful. A team of six or eight dogs can transport a moderate load over the snow or ice, at the rate of from fifty to sixty miles per day, provided the route is favorable ; but when the track is very rough, as it often is, the strength of the dogs is wholly unequal to the task of drawing the sledge. In these circum- stances, the driver must dismount and assist his team by pushing behind and lifting the sledge over the ine- qualities of the road. * / The navigation of the polar seas and sounds is at tended by still greater difficulties, and is never free from danger. When there is a track open for the passage of the ship, it is generally a sort of canal (technically called a " lead") with an icy embankment on each side. One of these embankments, called the "land ice," is usually stationary, being part of a large mass of ice many miles in extent, and connected with the shore. The other side of the canal, or " lead," is generally a movable body of ice, called a "floe," which is often driven by the wind or tide with tremendous force against the lanc^ ice, closing up the canal or lane of open water, and sometimes crushing an unfortunate ship which may happen to be sailing therein. The ice sides of the canal, or " lead," is often twenty V -i-l- UU UOlll 3* \ 80 oodfrey'8 narrative of tub or thirt}' feet in height, above the level of the water ; and the ''floe," or movable body of ice, is commonly of immense magnitude, so that its momentum, when it is set in motion by the tide or wind, is irresistible. The stoutest ship must inevitably be crushed, if caught between the icy masses. Ships intended for arctic navigation are built in a particular style, the hull being wedge-shaped, so that when pressed on each side by approaching masses of ice, the vessel is forced upward, and thrown on her beam ends on one of the icy platforms. This is the only contrivance which could save a vessel from being broken to pieces, in such 'iircumstances. « - I need not remind my readers that the navigation of a sea which is agitated by powerful winds, is always dangerous ; but sailing on an ice-encumbered sea, such as I have described, is perilous in the highest decree. In this case, you are surrounded by breakers of the most formidable character— breakers of ice which are more to be dreaded than the *' insidious rock," because the latter lies still, and may be avoided by the skillful management of the vessel ; but the uncertain motions of the masses of ice in the polar seas, often make a collision with them unavoidable. Very often, the arc- tic navigator is menaced with destruction on all sides ; the multiplicity of dangers distracts his attention, and makes him powerless and inactive at the very moment when all his energies should be aroused. In short, the dangers of arctic navigation are so great and so complicated, that we should not wonder I OBTIfNELL IXFLOmNO XXFEDITIOIf. 81 ? at any loss of life or any destruction of ships engaged in that service ; on the contrary, every escape of the arctic voyager appears to be almost miraculous. I fear there was a good deal of insincerity exhibited by those experienced old seamen, who affected to consider that it was almost impossible that Sir John Franklin and his company should have perished while making their polar explorations. My own limited experience con- vinces me that nothing could be more probable than the total destruction of Franklin's party before the expiration of their third year in that most inhospitable climate. If, as Dr. Kane seems to have supposed, some of their party might still have been living in the northern regions of Greenland, at the beginning of the year 1853, they must have acquired an aptitude for living in ice quite as wonderful as the salamander's supposed ability to live in fire. Granting that Franl*- lin and his company might have obtained a sufficient supply of provisions to maintain themselves for seven or eight years in such a country as northern Green- land, how would they have supplied themselves with fuel and other appliances to keep themselves from freezing in a climate where the temperature, for the greatest part of the time, is from 40° to 55° btlow zero ? True, they might have used their ships and boats for firewood, but even that supply would not have la;dted the whole time. We burned about half of the Adv'tnce and her combustible equipments in a single winter, and with all that waste of valuable burning material, our men suffered excessively from the cold. ■ ... 82 QODFBEY's NABRAliVE OF TUB I do not believe that there was a single survivor of Franklin's party in 1853 ; and I do not consider that it is presumptuous for me to say so, in opposition to the ex- pressed opinions of some distinguished navigators ; be- cause I am satisfied that these *^ old salts" were prompted to express such opinions by the warmth of their feelings, and not by the sober dictates of their judgment. A very amiable sympathy for Lady Franklin, (that rare and admirable Penelope of modern times,) influenced several experienced naval officers, familiar with the perils of arctic travel, to express hopes which they could not have felt, in order to administer consolation to that bereaved lady who is so unwilling to believe in her own widowhood. , - ,, t _, :j , , ^ v.,, A " common sailor," conscious of his privilege as an American freeman, takes the liberty to declare his solemn conviction that any polar expedition in search of Sir John Franklin, after the year 1846, must be considered as a futile enterprise, in which human life was exposed to unnecessary hazard. No man can re- gret the fate of Sir John Franklin more than I do — no man can feel a greater admiration for the conjugal de- votion of his lady ; but I cannot approve of the sacrifice of many lives in the prosecution of needless searches which can afi"ord no relief to the lost commander, and no satisfaction to his widow, whose agonizing suspense is merely protracted by these unprofitable inquiries. I strongly suspect that the most distinguished arctic navigators have generally been men of ardent tempera- ment, whose generous enthusiasm more than counter- '•f^'-^T- QBINNILL IXPLUIUNO EXPEDITION. 8S balanced their rational and reflective powers. It is impossible, in any other way, to account for the reck- less hardihood with which these undertakings have been repeated, in pursuit of objects which were too evidently unattainable, and which, if accomplished, might not have been of sufficient value and importance to deserve the efforts which have been made for their attainment. Of course, in this connection, I do not speak of the search after Gapt. Franklin, for that was an object on which too much time, labor, and money could not bo expended, while there was any hope of success. But the arctic seas have been explored for several other objects, not one of which, if attained, could have been of much practical utility to mankind, on account of the difficulties which beset the navigator of those seas at every stage of his progress. The discovery of a shorter route to the East Indies, via the Arctic seas, is the most rational object that ever engaged the atten- tion of polar navigators ; but what would avail a shorter route, if it were found to be impracticable, or if tra- velers by the new route were liable to be frozen up for two or three years while on their passage ? One of the arctic explorers (Capt. Parry) considers that the successful navigator of the icy ocean would be well remunerated for all his toils and dangers, by having it in his power to boast that he had placed his foot on the pivot of the earth's axis ! I have seen the time (while journeying in the neighborhood of the polo) when it would have pleased me much better to place my foot on a warm stove-plate, or in a pile of hot i. ^iili^l r- 84 GODFREYS ^ARRATi ;r*. OF THE ashes, than to have accomplished that object, which appears to have been the apex of Captain Parry's am- bition. But I am a plebeian — a mere Jack-tar — and of course cannot be expected to appreciate the noble aspirations of an accomplished gentleman and a naval officer of high rank, like Captain Parry. f: ■«r-' ■: .V'-7'^7"»T^.'' GRINNELL EXPLORINa EXPEDITION. 95 CHAPTER III. ; ^ f the voyage begun — public demonstrations — the author's emotions— he alludes to an affair of the heart — catalogue of the officers and crew — the exploning brig advance proceeds to st. john's, newfoundland — the officers and crew lionized — the voyage continued — arrival at fiskernaes — hospitable reception— the es- quimaux— their comical appearance — their pe- culiarities of character— hans christian, the commander's PET. On the memorable 30th day of May, 1853, the ex- ploring brig Advance, fitted out at the expense of Mr. Henry Grinnell, and under the command of Dr. E. K. Kane, of the United States Navy, started on her last voyage from New York. The wharves were crowded with spectators to witness her departure; the air re- sounded with huzzas and the strains of martial music — the valedictory greetings of our fellow-countrymen, who thus expressed their enthusiastic approbation of our enterprise. It was an exhilarating moment for all on board; every man of our company, from tho commander down to Mons. Schubert, the French cook, must have experienced a feeling of expansion for the .''(A&iiWvl.... !^..,jsMAiL^i!^-li-ti^'.' . V' \ 16 GODFREY'S NARRATIVE OP THE time being, as though we had all been suddenly en- larged to heroic dimensions. I, who never suspected before that I possessed any element of greatness, was agreeably surprised to find myself one of the " observed of all observers ;" an.^ while the tarry ropes glided be- tween my fingers, my eyes were almost ready to stream with tears of joy and gratitude. In the excitement of that moment, my thoughts wandered to one to whom, with youthful indiscretion, I had dedicated my early aifections, and whose condition in life, being far supe- rior to my own, made this aberration of my youthful fancy doubly indiscreet. But on this occasion, the public attention which had been attracted to our party, so excited my organ of self-esteem, that my erring Attachment no longer seemed, presumptuous; and I began to suspect, for the first time, that the mandate which forbade my approach to the object of my aliec- tion was tyrannically severe. ■ * ^^ ^ " ' ' My comrades, who were probably less sentimental than myself, appeared to enjoy, with unmingled delight, the vociferous plaudits they received from the crowds on the wharves. Several of them had friends and re- latives among the assemblage, to whom they made their adieus with sailor-like levity. I must acknowledge that I saw none of those afiecting leave-takings which my learned comrade, Professor Von Sonntag, refers to as being among the incidents of our departure. Se< veral steamboats, thronged with passengers, and ;)ro- vided with bands of music, accompanied us several miles oh our voyage. Our patriotic feelings were stimulated i'lliKlmLLJl . .1 'i?i:i^^i^^?^Wi ll' „ Ji' nit . ^11 1 V-l.Li^iU^ ,.-li',;i ,':^<^^iiai\,'t'^,-jA-JJlK-: ..F. I # ■■^3^- ; GRINNELL EXPLORING EXPEDITION. by the performance of national airs, and the display of the "stars and stripes" from every point where a flag-staff could be planted. Thus the commencement of our voyage was all romance and unalloyed pleasure, like the commencement of the voyage matrimonial; and, like many who embark in the last-mentioned en- terprise, we enjoyed our honey-moon, unmindful of the icebergs to which our course was directed. The Advance^ in which we were now sailing, was not a " ship" (as one of my traveling companions is pleased to call it, repeatedly), but an hermaphrodite brig ; that is to say, a combination of brig and schooner. The hull was altered and adapted to the purposes re- quired ; the bow or fore-part of the vessel being so filled up with timber as to be almost solid. This contrivance was intended to fit the vessel for butting against icy impediments, when they were of such a nature as would admit of their being broken or displaced by collision with the head of the brig. The shape of the Advance was altered to suit the exigencies of arctic navigation ; the sides of the vessel were so fashioned, that when caught between two masses of ice, she would be forced upward instead of being crushed. * . ;^v *>.!«*/. The brig, as I shall show hereafter, was not supplied with the necessary stores and equipments ; and hence the sufi^erings of the crew in the polar regions were much aggravated. I should think that all who were concerned in fitting her out ought to have known that we were not going on a holiday excursion. My object in alluding to this deficiency of equipments, is not to 1% j^^-^'-''^'^' 40 GODFREY'S NARRATIVE OF THE cast censure on any person, but to admonish others, who may contemplate similar undertakings, to make suitable provision for the health and comfort of the seamen. And I would earnestly advise my brother sailors to be well assured that all the necessary prepa- rations for the voyage have been made, before they enter their names on the books of any vessel which may be about to start on a polar expedition. \ The officers and crew of the Advance consisted of eighteen persons, namely : — ■^^H' ..1. .'t'-r'li i,' A- ,;,^«.''.^-f Dr. Elisha Kent Kane, Commander. . , - . Henry Brooks, First Officer. ^U : -^. ; >.•; Isaac J. Hayes, M. D., Surgeon. August Sonntag, Astronomer and Draughtsman. 0. Ohlsen, Carpenter. ^ .,•. .^ George Riley, James McGarry, Henry Goodfellow, John W. Wilson, Amos Bonsall, Seamen. .' George Stephenson, George Whipple, John Blake, , Jefferson Baker, William C. Godfrey. Thomas Hickey, Cabin Boy. Peter Schubert, French Cook ,f ;*& • :'U-k William Morton, Steward. .^, 4^;,%^,«» "i-.'ifeA- On the 2nd of June, eighteen days after we left New York, we arrived at St. John's, Newfoundland, where Dr= Kane made some necessary additions to his supplies • ■-; --■ (■— fTTpr— ; •"^rei'v 'yT?" ti', igp-; -"'-r^t(,-..yj-.y-T.',"^F-';" ■■ -T''-"'TlrT J' r","' ■"•"T "'^ WT":'*'"~'-,vj.-' -^-^ - - ^:' aWNNELL EXPLORING EXI EDITION 41 we left New and equipments. "We obtained at St. John's a quantity of beef and mutton, which we prepared for preservation by a process, well known to mariners, called "marl- ing." In this process, the bones are removed, and the meat, after being salted, is hung upon the rigging to dry. At St. John's we also procured some addi- tional tinware and cooking utensils, and several dogs of the celebrated Newfoundland breed, v hich we intended to use as draught animals when we should arrive in those regions where the services of these quadrupeds are indispensable. Our passage from New York to St. John's was not very agreeable, — the weather being, foi the greater part of the time, quite boisterous. Oui deck cargo was much disarranged by the pitching of the vessel and some of the " green-horns," myself in- clusive, were considerably sea-sick. However, in this affliction I had very respectable company, for Dr. Hayes, whose seafaring experience was not much more extensive than my own, suffered considerably from gas- tric discomposure. By the way, it may as well be men- tioned here, that Dr. Hayes, who did duty as surgeon on board of the Advance^ was not a regular sea-bred " saw-bones," — but had previously been doing duty on dry land, in the capacity of a country physician, and resided in some rural village near Philadelphia. Ho is a gentleman whom I very highly esteem ; but I must say, nevertheless, that, like almost every other person who has undertaken to give an account of the Grinnell Expedition, he has made some statements which are not quite accurate. 4* :5afe> • '..,:/?;' i^- 42 Godfrey's narbative of tdi 1^ The English authorities at St. John's gave us a hearty welcome. Governor Hamilton especially ren- dered us every service that vras ir his power; and, among other acts of kindness, he presented us with a fine team of Newfoundland dogs, which afterward proved very useful to us in our sledge journeys over the ice. We remained at St. John's two days, during which we were considerably lionized by the inhabitants, — the ladies in particular, who seemed to regard us as a ** noble army of martyrs," about to offer ourselves as a willing sacrifice on the altars of science and humanity. From St. John's we steered, as nearly in a straight line as possible, for the coast of Greenland, direct- ing our course, in the first place, toward a Danish settlement, called Fiskernaes, — situated near the en- trance of Davis' Strait. We came within a few miles of this place on the 1st day of July ; but, as the atmosphere was very foggy, we had some difficulty in finding the settlement. Another seaman and myself were sent ashore in a boat to obtain a pilot. We landed on the coast, after eome hard rowing, — and on approaching a hut which we saw at some distance from the water, — we met a queer specimen of human nature, — a dumpy, duck-legged fellow, who proved to be a "cross" between Dane and Esquimaux. After both parties had stared at each other sufficiently, wc began to communicate by signs, — and thus we contrived, after a gk at deal of trouble, to make the Green- lander understand what we wanted. The reward of an invalid jack-knife induced him to enter our boat and ■ '♦ GRINNELL EXPLORING EXMEDITION. 43 r /Mi»» nnof ond pilot us to Fiskernaes, which we reached after a pretty hard row of four hours duration. 'I ..e " Gov- ernor," as the resident agent of the Danish government is called, gave my companion and myself a hearty re- ception, and treated us to a lunch, consisting of a lump of rye bread and a glnss of grog for each of us. After this refreshment, we engaged a pilot, recommended to us by the Governor, and embarked with him in our boat. The brig was standing off and on, awaiting our return, — but we were obliged to row eight miles before we reached her. With our pilot's assistance, the Ad' vance soon entered the harbor of Fiskernaes. As soon as we came to anchor, the Governor sent a boat with an invitation for the officers to come on shore, and attend a fete which his Excellency gave in honor of our arrival. The invitation was accepted by Dr. Kane, Dr. Hayes, Mr. Brooks, and Mr. Sonntag. Bonsall and I were selected to row these gentlemen ashore. The inhabitants of the town, Danish and Esquimaux, crowded the beach to see us land. They appeared to be very much amused at our appearance, and laughed in our faces without any restraint. We did as much for them, as their figures and dress were no less ridicu- llous in our eyes than our tout ensemble was in theirs. The Esquimaux in general are about as comical a racer^ of mortals as ever I had the good fortune to meet ith. Their corporal construction itself is unlike that of mankind in general, and they make themselves • still lore uncouth by their grotesque style of dressing. I rofessor Sonntag contradicts the common report •mi ,t^^.i 44 qodprey's narrative op thb R' that these people are dwarfish in stature, and avers that they are very little, if any, below the average height of Europeans. The Professor must have observed them through a convex lens, or some other magnifying medium, — for all my observations tend to confirm the general '^ statement, that the tallest of them are below the middle 1 height of Englishmen and Americans. Their complex- | ions appeared to me to resemble those of the North American Indians in general, — but in elegance of | figure, in .nobility of character, in bodily activity and courage, they are very far inferior to the aboriginal inhabitants of the American continent. However, the Esquimaux have some admirable traits ; they are very hospitable to strangers ; they are exemplary in all their domestic relations, and the several tribes maintain a peaceable and friendly disposition toward each other. They have none of that vengeful ferocity which is im puted to savage tribes in general — in fact, there is nothing sanguinary or warlike in their character. t The Esquimaux who reside near the Danish settle- ments are partly civilized, and many of them are as good > Christians, at least, as their Danish neighbors. One of these converted Exquimaux, a youth about eighteen years of age, named Hans Christian, was shipped on 5 board of the Advance at Fiskernaes, and afterward became very useful to the Expedition and a special favorite of Dr. Kane, to whom he is indebted for aa much celebrity as he deserves. ,n(l avers that •age height of bserved them fying medium, a the general low the middle ?heir complex- of the North elegance of ^ activity and the aboriginal However, the they are very ary in all their 3e3 maintain a ,rd each other, y "which is im fact, there is laracter. Danish settle- em are as good jighbors. One about eighteen as shipped on and afterward and a special tidebted for as ESQUIMAUX UUIDB. 'JA- k » '*■ 'A /'A. ^4 1 Kj; 1 "Vr i»(^»iifc(*> f/Jiw-i t: ABINNELL ISXPLOOINO KXViDlTlQK. 47 1. ;..>•' r,'j nAi 'ii.1 ♦iWttd ^ , CHAPTER IV. .' ,,L^.^ FISKERNAES — ^THB AUTHOR S HARD SERVICE — VISIT TO A MORAVIAN MISSION HOUSE — TWO QUEER OLD MISSIONARIES — SUCKERTOPPEN — ITS MAGNIFICENT PEAKS — ARRIVAL AT PROVi-N — GRAND FANCY BALL — THE AMERICAN SAILORS DANCE FOR THE HONOR OF THEIR COUNTRY — THE AUTHOR INVITED TO OPEN A DANCING SCHOOL — HIS QUALIFICATIONS — WB PRO- CEED TO UPERNAVICK — THE TOWN AND ITS IN- HABITANTS— MR. PETERSEN. ^1 ^^f«mi4»iijfei. FiSKERNAES is the most southern port of Greenland. It scarcely deserves to be called a tow?' or village, as the only building of any importance which it contains is the governmental store-house, or lepot for Danish merchandise, which is replenished, once a year, on the arrival of a ship sent from Denmark for this purpose. The Governor has the management of this store-house, to which the Esquimaux resort for the purpose of ex- changing their furs and other commodities for European goods. Fiskernaes is situated, if I remember correctly, about nine miles from the southern extremity of Davis Strait. Besides the trade which this settlemgnt carries on with the Esquimaux of the interior, it does a good deal in the fishing way ; indeed its cod-fishing affords a .^i' ii GODFREY'S NARRATIVE OF THS considerable revenue to the Danish government. The name of the present governor is Lassen ; his estima- ble qualities and his pipe-smoking propensities have been spoken of at large by some of my illustrious pre- decessors, especially by Mr. Sonntag, whose German sympathies were naturally enlisted in behalf of a gen- tleman who could smoke tobacco for forty-eight hours without intermission. In justice to Mr. Lassen, I must say, that he deserves to be commemorated for more gentlemanly attributes than we can easily connect with the character of an incessant tobacco- smoker. ''"-'■■■ ■--^^* + ' "■ , " ^■ As it was my good or ill fortune to be one of the most stalwart and active ** hands '* on board of the Advance^ it was my lot to perform a full share of the most laborious duties ; such, for instance, as rowing the small boat. While the brig lay in the harbor of Fis- kernaes, I had the honor to row Messrs. Kane, Hayes, and Sonntag to a neighboring missionary establishment at Lichtenfels, where tie Moravians have a sort of monastery, if it is no offense to give it that name. Our officers received a cordial welcome from two brethren of the Order, the only survivors of some six or eight of their fraternity, who established themselves in this desolate place about thirty years ago. The missionary house is an antiquated building, in the Dutch style of architecture, one story high, and " hip- roofed," with a droll little steeple and belfry on the top. On glancing around on the hideous landscape, where nothing could be seen but rocks stuccoed with OBINNELL EXPLORING EXPEDITION. 49 ice and plains carpeted with eternal snow, I felt the conviction that men who could dwell contentedly in such a place for more than a quarter of a century most be either sanctified or insane. The dress of the two brethren who received us, like the architecture of their dwelling, belonged to a former century. While I looked at them, I could scarcely persuade myself that they were not two of the Sever. Sleepers, who had just waked up, after their protracted nap, and had not had time to change their apparel. The good old gentlemen gave us an excellent d ler, cooked of course in an antique style, by the silver-haired matron of the establishment; and, after the repast was over. Dr. Kane and the Moravian brethren had a long confab on religious sub- jects, in which the Doctor always took a lively interest. After our return to the ship, our commander sent me back to the Leichtenfel missionaries with a philopena, consisting of about two barrels of excellent Mdrcer potatoes, which they received with many grateful acknowledgments. . . s* ..Ki.. .*; ^s.^. ^ From Fiskernaes we proceeded slowly, on account of adverse winds, to another Danish settlement,, called Suckertoppen, (Sugar-peak,) from some fancied re- semblance of a stupendous rocky spire, at the entrance of the harbor, to a sugar-loaf. I supposed this peak to be more than 2,500 feet high. It is truly a mag- nificent object, when the observer is near enough to perceive its astonishing altitude and dimensions. In comparison with this great work of Nature, the tallest Egyptian pyramid, the dome of St. Peter, or any other 5 1 ■ -■■t^-w3!-...^?-i'^'jiii*^jaK^.'. 'T.tti^-!- yi-^^-^-ii ■ y^^mr 50 Godfrey's nasbatiye of the production of human art, would appear perfectly insig i*'.Vii',U • Jf.\.- M. f.-t-Jlit. ^■«f. ! *4.. nificant. Our next remove was to Proven, situated on the western coast of Greenland, several miles above Sucker- toppen. At all of these Danish settlements we stopped to obtain additional supplies of furs, carpenter's tools, and other necessaries, with which our brig had not pre- viously been furnished. A few more dogs of the Es- quimaux breed, famous for their sledge-drawing abilities, were shipped at Suckertoppen and Proven. At the last-named place we remained more than two days, enjoying the luxuries and amusements of the locality ; and while there, we were lionized almost as much as we had previously been at St. John's, but in a somewhat different style. The Governor of Proven gave a grand fancy ball for our special entertainment. All the ladies of the settlement, Danish and Esquimaux, and all the male aristocracy of the place, participated in this e\e- gAntf^tey which, as we were informed, was never sur- passed in splendor by any thing of the kind which the oldest inhabitants had witnessed. The saloon in which this ball took place was an apartment over the store- house, the floor of which consisted of boards which had never been profaned by a touch of the? jack-plane. In the ceiling over head were seen the naked rafters, and the slate-roof inclining on each side, like an angular sky, to the plane of the horizon. This chamber, now devoted to Terpsichorean festivities, had been for twenty years at least in the undisturbed possession of the rats, which appeared to consider that they had ^"•^&i:f"'"^ni^ J— 7™ -rCf "S'-"-* •■« ■ QRINNELL EXPLORING EXPEDITION. 51 i% f^ix'^/i^fviSiiviiis acquired a legal right to the premises. Owing to the shape of the ceilinrj, the dancers were confined to the middle of the room, while, in the angles where the ceiling and floor came together, the rats, with " shock- ing tameness," sat in full view, and watched our mo- tions with their sharp twinkling eyes, which seemed to sparkle with indignation at our intrusive audacity The company was such as I never saw in a dancing saloon before, and never expect to see again. Imagine a score of Esquimaux ladies, in seal-skin pantalettes (fur side outward), long boots of the same material, and "monkey-jackets," as the sailors call them, composed of coarse cotton clotk r incd from the Danish store- house. The costume '«he Esquimaux men was very little different from that of the females. The personal appearance of both sexes was more striking than pre- possessing. Their short and broad faces, flat noses, wide mouths, and big round eyes, their long bodies and duck legs, their copperish complexions, their perpetual broad grins, their uncouth gesticulations, all these pe- culiarities together gave me the impression that they were the most extravagantly burlesqued specimens of humanity that were ever produced in Nature's work- shop. The Danish portion of our company made a somewhat better appearance; but when the dancing commenced, the scene altogether was so exceedingly funny that no description could do it justice. Every gentleman of the company selected a female partner, and then we executed some of the most original waltzes and polkas that ever were witnessed between the paral- .-* 'rIV\'yPi':''i*yit^ ?;.'V^ ,-r«--" t^'I'^X ■^"•~' ■'h~- GODFREY S NARRATIYB OF THA ^ , lels of 20"" and 80° North lat^tade. The general impres- Bion seemed to be that whoever could jump highest and fall hardest was the greatest adept in the graceful art of dancing ; and jveral of our ship's company, being young and active fellows, far surpassing both Dai;>eb and Esquimaux in agility, acquitted themselves much to their individual credit, and to the honor and glory of the nation which they represented. The ladies of the party expressed much admiration of my perform- ance at their ball, and several of them were pleased to remark, that if I would remain at Proven and open a dancing-school, I could, no doubt, obtain a very liberal share of public patronage. By the way, all the knowl- edge of dancing which I possessed must have been in- tuitive, as I had never received any instruction in the art, and my postures and motions, which elicited so much applause, were all of my own invention, and were most extravagantly original. ^,^^ Having greatly improved our stock of provisions, &c., at Proven, we took leave of our numerous friends and acquaintances at that place, got our brig under weigh, and steered for the port of Upernavick, the most north- ern Danish settlement on the coast of Greenland, in lat. 72° 40' N., Ion. 66° W. from Greenwich. This village consists of some half a dozen comfortable wooden houses, occupied by the Danish settlers, a store-house, a carpenter's shop, a blacksmith's shop, and several Esquimaux huts composed of earth or clay. In all of these Danish settlements on the coast of Greenland, the population is partly composed of a mixed breed o" -i'-^'"""^-*- 'r.'ym- QBINNELL EXPLORING EXPEDITION nn Danes and Esquimaux ; a '* cross" ^hich, in the opinion of our astronomer Sonntag, is superior to the original stock on both sides. This opinion is not very compli- mentary to the Danes. They, to do them justice, could hardly be improved by an «.malgamation with the Es- quimaux, who are, physically and intellectually, inferior to any race of people in the world, except some tribes of Africans, which are scarcely allowed, by several sci- entific writers, to take rank among the human species. At Upernavick we opened a trade with the sr i lers and natives, bartering knives, cheap jewelry, beads, &c., for furs and fresh provisions. We also obtained another team of dogs at this place, and engaged a Dane named Petersen, who resided here, to accompany us as an in- terpreter, to facilitate our communications with the more northern tribes of Esquimaux. Mr. Petersen made himself generally useful on board of the brig ; he was a skillful hunter, and a tolerable carpenter ; and, unlike our commander's pet, Hans Christian, and two or three others of our company, he had no repugnance for work, even when the labors to be performed were out of the line of his prescribed duties. -s 6* . ,,.. • ■■■■ ■■■ .;■ '" V T- '}' 6ii oodfrey's nabeativs of ihb '<;V fn 'tf->'-m^i^l^^i CHAPTER V. ' WB LEAVE UPERNAVICK AND BID ADIEU TO THE HABIT- ^' ABLE WORLD — THE DEVIL'S NIP — ICEBERGS — THEIR "* MAGNIFICENCE AND SUBLIMITY — ROCKS IMBEDDED IN '^ THEIR SIDES — THIS PHENOMENON ACCOUNTED FOR— *'• THE author's MOONLIGHT MUSINGS — A STRANGE »* FANCY — OUR BRIG IN DANGER — MIRACULOUS ESCAPE t — TOWED BY AN ICEBERG — ARRIVAL AT HAKLUYT ^ ISLAND-^DR. KANE AND THE AUTHOR CATCH A COLD -^' DUCK. -, <-■ -:■ t ■ .■- .-.:.. .^:i^„, . ♦' Our departure from Upernavick was almost equiva- lent to a withdrawal from the inhabitable world ; for, bejoiid that point, all traces of civilization disappear and the dominions of the Ice-King are fairly entered. Sixty miles beyond Upernavick, we reach that bug- bear of arctic navigators, called Melville Bay, which occupies a semi-circular hollow in the coast of Green- land, extending from Cape York southwardly to the 74th parallel of north latitude, fifty miles beyond a point called the Devil's Thumb. This Bay is also called the Devil's Nip — as significative of its dangerous character. A great part of Melville Bay, namely, that portion which lies nearest to the land, is constantly frozen over, presenting a solid platform of ice from thirty to forty miles in breadth, and more than a hun- QRINNELL EXPLORTNG EXPEDITION. m dred miles in length. From the outer or off-shore edge of this platform, huge masses or floes are broken by the action of the waves, and these fioes, obeying the impulse of the winds and tides, are sometimes driven out seaward and sometimes floated in toward the land- ice, with which it comes in violent contact, producing a .crash like ** the crack of doom.*' When the floes set off from the land-ice, an open space is left for the pas- sage of ships, if they choose to avail themselves of this precious but perilous opportunity. When a ship enters this dangerous passage, it must always be with the un- derstanding that a change of wind may bring the floe and land-ice together with a force sufilcient to crush any oaken fabric to atoms. Instead of hugging the ice- bound shore of the bay, according to the usual practice of mariners who make this voyage, the Advance stood out to aea, taking a north-westerly course for Cape York, without entering Melville Bay at all. By this expedient we avoided the danger of being caught be- tween the masses of ice with which the bay is always covered, but we incurred other dangers almost or quite as great, for we encountered many bergs and other large bodies of ice, put into rapid motion by tho currents proceeding from Lancaster and Smith's Sounds. We had the ill-luck, likewise, to be encompassed by a dense fog, which greatly increased the danger of collision with the icebergs that bore down upon us from seve- ral directions. "^ \'' »«''%<-'''-> v.? iw .•■.;^vii-?ir.: vy :.,^^;%,. -■ The appearance of icebergs has been often described 5 at least, attempts have often been made to describe ^.,.,,. ••■TS»~» r-^t 56 GODFREY'S NABBATIVE Ol! THE thorn ; but the truth is, they are indescribable. Thej are certainly the most magnificent and stupendous ob- jects in Nature. Even when stationary, they are un- rivalled in grandeur and splendor of appearance bjr any other terrestrial object, but their motions cannot fail to impress the spectator with astonishment and awe. The element of terror is not wanting to make them sublime ; for when they present themselves to the mariner, they are always suggestive of trouble and danger. I have seen some icebergs which appeared to ascend to the height of from two hundred to five hun- dred feet above the level of the water. Their appear- ance is often white, so thiit they resemble clouds at a distance. At -other times they appear like mountains of glass, with many dark objects, rocks or boulders, masses of earth, &c., imbedded in their sides. The presence of huge rocka in floating icebergs is a phe- nomenon whi'^h requires som«) explanation. The polar icebergs are produced by glaciers or streams of ice, which have a very slow but constantly progressive mo- tion from the interior of Greenland to the sea. These ice-streams probably do not move, on an average, more than one fathom in a week ; however, they have suffi- cient force to take up and carry along large masses of rock which may happen to lie in their course. When the ice-current reaches the sea, a deposit is formed near t coast, the ice being heaped up in masses, which are .Jiy increased or enlarged by accessions of new ice from the glaciers ; and this icy-river, with the rocks ill nfia tf\vtxr\ iir\ trt lia T\t\ mil !*«•£> vwuCU up »U AVO pu puosugc, otill augments the heap, a on rmr% ~r-^^^^-. ORINNELL EXPLOHINO SXPEBTTION. OT nntil a mountain of ice is formed, and this mountain, being detached from the shore by the winds or waves, becomes a moving iceberg, the rocks and other foreign sabstanoes which it acquired in the process of its form- ation, being still a part of its component material. Sometimes, when I have been keeping watch on deck, and when an iceberg, glittering in the cold arctic moonlight, has swept past our vessel, I have imagined strar«ge but not impossible things. I have supposed, for example, that the body of the lost navigator might be enclosed in that crystal mass — enshrined in a mov- able sepulchre of ice — and that, by some conceivable chance, the frozen corpse of the missing Captain might be thus conveyed to some region inhabited by civilized people, his own countrymen perhaps, or others who have been deeply interested in his fate. However un- likely such a thing might be to happen, it is not beyond the scope of poasibiliti/. If the arctic voyagers had forsaken their ships and betaken themselves to land I travel, they might have sunk exhausted on the surface of a glacier ; in that case, their bodies would have been carried onward by the gelid current, and finally incor- porated with an iceberg. And, as large rocks are often transported in icebergs to far distant shores, the [body of a man might change its locality by means of Ithe same kind of conveyance. But this may appear to ■the reader to be a very idle speculation ; much like |Hamlet*s attempt to show how the mortal remains of Julius Caesar might be used to stop the bung of a beer* 'Ui ici. 'I u'««-. 58 GODFREYS NARRATIVE OF THE On the 29th day of July, we found ourselves sur. rounded by drifting ice, nvhich threatened to close in on us — an event which would probably have wrecked the brig and endangered the lives of all on board. On each side of us was a floe of vast extent and several feet in height above the water-line; and we saw, with no little dread, that these floes were approaching each other, 80 that the lane of water in which the brig was sailing became narrower every moment. It was easy to foresee what would be the catastrophe if we did not escape from the contracting passage before the two floes came in actual contact. At this critical juncture, an iceberg, impelled by the current from Lancaster Sound, came drifting past us with a degree of speed which our vessel could not attain. We concluded to employ this berg as a tow-horse, and one of my com- panions and myself were sent out in a boat with a tow- line and ice-anchor to make fast. The ice-anchor used by us was similar in form to a pot-hook, or the letter S ; the line was attached to one extremity, and the other was inserted in a hole which we were obliged to cut in the ice with a mallet and chisel. I found it rather a *' ticklish" operation to cut a mortice in a moving ice- berg ; for, in the performance of this task, I was com- pelled to stand in the boat, which my comrade sculled and held as steadily as possible against the side of the berg. With riuch labor, wo succeeded at last in get- ting our anchor firmly planted ; and, before the line was drawn taut, we got on board of the brig, which soon beoran to bound forward like a wild horse, the iceberi! 9 ' ■ / w ■w i --.■J (lIVJt.tSlui-A Jli"*.! Duraelvea 8ur« id to close in have wrecked n board. On it and several we saw, with reaching each \ the brig was It was easy I if we did not efore the two itical juncture, om Lancaster gree of speed » concluded to ne of my com- )at with a tow- ce-anchor used ►r the letter S ; and the other )liged to cut in nd it rather a a moving ice- sk, I was com- )mrade sculled he side of the at last in get- re the line was ig, which soon se. the iceberg ■% QBnflfILL IXPLORIMQ XXPBDITION. •1 dragging her along much better than a steam " tug" could, have done it. In order to got ahead ns fast at possible, as no time was to be lost, we drew in the tow- line and thus brought the brig under a projection of the berg, which was somewhat higher than our main-mast. We had scarcely placed ourselves in this position, when a curious crepitation above our heads was heard ; and, at the same time, a sort of shower of hail began to fall on deck. Lumps of ice as big as hen's eggs cane rat> tling down ; and one of our fellows, while inconsiderately looking up to see where they came from, was knocked flat on his back by one of the ice-lumps, which struck him between the eyes. We now began to guess what was about to happen, and immediately commenced pay- ing out the tow-line as fast as possible, thus allowing the iceberg to shoot ahead of the brig ; and we did not escape from our dangerous neighbor too soon, for we had scarcely fallen back to the distance of thirty fathoms, when a mass of ice, weighing probably fifty tons or more, fell from the overhanging summit of the berg, with a thundering report, caused by the sudden fracture of so large a body. The huge fragment drop- ped into the sea at the very spot which the brig would have occupied, had we not cast off in time to avoid the impending danger. With considerable exertion, we ex- tricated the brig from her perilous position among the floating ice ; and, after the alarming adventure related above, we met with little obstruction until we doubled Cape Dudley Digges, in lat. 76°. We were now in a i part of Baflin's Bay called bv the whalers North Water* P , qOI>i'B£T8 NARRATIVZ Of THE ^ Here the ice seldom collects in any considerable quan- tity, and we were enabled to proceed on our voyage for several days without any impediment, passing Gapes Athol, Abernethy, and Parry, and the islands of BqX- rymple and Carys. On the 6th of August, we reached Hakluyt Island, lat. VT*' 22^ This is the most westerly island of a group, lying in an indentation of the shore, between Capes Parry and Robertson. Hakluyt Island is dis- tinguished by a tall rocky peak, which rises to the height of about five hundred and eighty feet above the level of the water. In the neighborhood of this island, we shot ^wo white bears on the ice. As we had not tasted any fresh meat for several weeks, the flesh of these animals was an acceptable article of food, though the flavor is rather stronger than delicate stomachs might tolerate. The liver of the polar bear is said to be poisonous ; and we had some evidence of the fact, for several of our men who partook of it were extremely ill afterward. At Hakluyt Island Br. Kane and I went ashore in a boat. The place was frightfully desolate, but having made our boat fast to the shore, we walked a little way into the interior, to make observations. The island seemed to be a compound mass of rock and ice, and we soon became tired of a scene which presented so little variety. On our return to the boat, we found that the brig had set sail to avoid some drifting ice which threat- ened to surround her, and I was obliged to row the boat six miles before we overtook the Advance ; and then^ %, OBINNELL EXPLOBINQ EXPEDITION. 63 while endeavoring to get on board^ yre had our boat '' stove," or crushed, between a large cake of ice and the side of the brig. The Doctor and I were both pretty well " ducked," being plunged head and ears in water which must have been near the temperature of melting ice. As I had been rowing hard for six miles, I was in a profuse perspiration when, by the smashing of the boat, I was plungeO into the icy water; yet, strange to say, I did not take cold, nor did any of my subsequent exposure aifect my health in the slightest degree. I never had a touch of catarrh or rheumatism while I was in the Arctic regions ; but since I returned to a temperate climate, I have seldom been quite free from one or the other of these diseases. These are facts which the medical men may find it somewhat diffi- cult to explain. , . , , C \AA^i*^ '"Sfff '^ '*' *■ ^ ^^^'n'i * ■^% i'jfe**»1^ i^^.^^tV-Jiik' « iy * 'V'>'W«|^ '^t>»*fijj n jvx<<#H ***• ■ ■.-;"-"""'>■ v'"» m GODFREY'S NARKATZYB OF THS ^ Hl*tr< fc^:ri^^t;i^^^^^^^ CHAPTER VI. ■-"-'' -i-^:/- .^ .v> MR. WILLIAM MORTON'S FAMOUS DISCOVERY — THE AU- THOR'S MISGIVINGS ON THE SUBJECT — VISIONARY MIS- TAKES AND HALLUCINATIONS OP ARCTIC TRAVELERS f ^-BLOOD-STAINED SNOW — NO ACCOUNTING FOR THE PHENOMENON — WE ENTER SMITH'S SOUND AND MEET iWlTH GREAT OBSTACLES — THE AUTHOR'S PECULIAR ^HARDSHIPS— HIS UNPOPULARITY AMONG THE OFFICERS —HINTS FOR AMERICAN SEAMEN. ^ ^^H Smith's Sound, or Smith's Strait, (as Dr. Kane is pleased to call it), extends almost due northward iVoni the Capes Alexander and Isabella to the ^* open polar sea," discovered by Mr. Morton, steward of the Advance, jn whose statement Dr. Kane appears to place unlimited confidence. However, as much depends on the correct- ness of Mr. Morton's statement, I will take the liberty to remark that he may have possibly been mistaken. The Arctic regions are a kind of " Dreamland," in which people are apt to imagine that they see more than is to be seen. We have an example of the kind in the famous discovery of the " Croker Mountains," by Cap- tain Ross. These mountains, supposed to be situated near the entrance of Lancaster Sound, never had any existence except in the imagination of the Captain juat GRINNELL SXPLORINO EXPEDITION. named. And yet very few people suppose that Captain Ross intended to deceive. One eflfect of the extreme cold in the polar regions is to make some persons de- lirious; and, under the influence of their temporary phrenzy, such persons may persuade themselves that they see ohjects which have no real existence. I could give the reader many striking exemplifications of this curious fact ; but one instance, in particular, occurs to my rememhrance. Once when Dr. Kane and I were traveling together in the interior of Greenland, the cold was so excessive that the Doctor partially lost his seDses. At this time he fancied that we were pursued by a bear; and so strong was the impression on his mind, that he often referred to the circumstance after- ward, seeming to have no doubt that it was a veritable fact. Now, to my certain knowledge, no bear was seen while we were on that journey, and the one which the Doctor thought he saw must have been an ideal creation* Various circumstances incline me to suspect that Mr. Morton labored under a similar hallucination when he thought that he saw an open polar sea at the northern extremity of Smith's Sound. If such a sea exists, it is a settled fact tV'^t Greenland is an island, and not a peninsula or a part of an arctic continent. I do not think that the statement of one man should settle a question of so much importance to geographical science ; and, while I acquit Mr. Morton of any intention to mislead the public mind on this subject, I feel justified in warning future navigators not to place too much re- liance on his supposed discovery. r)i,^:>mi^"^w^^ -^tm:^. 6* :.^ ' ' "^'^ ■■*■■ m QODPREY^S NARRATIVE OT THB ■'*, ^ We reached Cape Alexander, at the entrance of Smith's Sound, on the 6th of August. At this cape, as well as on many other parts of the Greenland coast, there is a rocky embankment several hundred feet in height. The shelving rocks on the coast are usually covered with snow; but the precipices are bare, and present a hideously frowning and gloomy appearance. At some points, the snow on the lofty embankment is almost as red as blood, especially at a place called " Crimson Cliffs," near Capo Dudley Digges. I have heard that snow often assumes this appearance in cer- tain situations. Captain Koss observed the same phe- nomenon at various points on the shore of Melville Bay. Saursure witnessed a similar appearance of the snow on some parts of the Alps, and Martin observed the same thing at Spitzbergen. It seems, then, that the cause of the appearance, whatever it may be, is not confined to any particular locality. Curiosity induced me to examine the snow at ** Crimson Cliffs," and, with the Captain's permission, I took a boat and went ashore for that purpose. The snow on these cliffs appeared to be stained by some foreign substance, and I expected to find the discoloration only on the surface ; but, to rr*j great surprise, the same crimson hue was observable r«h:m I had dug through the snow to the depth of ten feet. At the same time, I satisaed myself that the coloring process did not begin at the bottom, for, in all cases, the lower stratum of snow, or that portion which was in immediate contact with the rock, Tiis white. But for this circumstance, I micrht have susnected that GBINNELL EXPLORINa EXPEDITION. 67 the unusual color of the snow is caused by some pecu- liarity of the rock on which it rests. I am sorry that I am unable to offer the reader any satisfactory expla- nation of this curious matter ; and I do not know that it has ever been explained in a manner to satisfy any rational inquirer. .^.^j, ,^ If Smith's Sound had been navigable, it would have offered us.a passage in the direction we wished to travel, nearly to the northern parts of Greenland. But we soon ascertained that sailing up this Soun4 was an ex- tremely diflScult undertaking ; for this piece of water is incumbered with ice at all seasons ; and, for much the greater part of the year, sailing is entirely out of the question. From the time we passed Cape Alexander, at the entrance of the Sound, the brig, for all purposes of progression, might as well have been a scow or a raft, or any other nautical contrivance without masts or sails. These appendages were now entirely useless, for there was not sea-room enough to make them serviceable. The only open track through which the brig could pass, was a narrow "lead," or lane of water, near the shore, where the ice had been partially broken up by the waves. Owr only mode of progres- sion was by "trailing" or "warping;" a toilsome pro- cess, which consists in affixing a line or hawser rj some object ahead, and dragging the vessel along by winding I up the rope on the capstur.. In this way, whole days were consumed in advancing a few miles, the men being exhausted by severe labor and discouraged by their Aardy progresa, I believe Captain Kane himself «.- fl.i. < MT^iiifiriaiJ^ ■ J \:li'>^i. ^J 68 ^<:»me a favorite with our oflScers. Doub;V les^ my unpopularity among the aristocracy of the brig was, in some measure, the effect of a certain inflexibility of disfjK nation, for which Yankees, in all situations, are more or less remarkable. The discipline of the Navy requires the common seamen to be humble and submis- sive to their superiors, viz., the officers ; and the latter often exact as much homage from the sailors as a king could exptjct to receive from his subjects. My early training, ray feelings of independence and sense of equuiifcy, did not qualify me for the station in which I had thoughtlessly placed myself; and hence, withon; intending to offend the officers, I often excited th indignation and resenttn ot. I felt little re ^ec? affection for some offic*. personages on boaro ■i Advance* and what I did not feel, I did not choc'v to fs. »"■ orions opera- L and activity I wing to soin:' e aflFec*;ed hr iaY\ any other aL therefo «f4 ,wo involved most bec?mc a/ofc rpenter. Gog- breeches and short, Caleb ty of occupa- to he a uscfal r had the goo'l cers. Doubt- cy of the hrig | in inflexibility situations, are | ) of the Navy e and submis- and the latter ilors as a king ts. My early and sense of ation in which lence, •withon'. ^ excited th tie re ;^9fl' boaro f .' AAV V V*J *.'<- .' oBonqoL xxPLOBDva izraDinoN. affect. However, I did my duty faithfully, and treated tha oncers with as much deference as I supposed the exigencies of the service to require. In this connec- tion, I fi ^'1 constrained to say that the naval service , of the Hem :^u States, as well as that of Great Britain, must be grievously oppressive to any seaman or sub- ordinate officer who has that nice sense of honor, and , thut iiVLrRlT*8 NARRATIVIS OF Till r ■m'^'- Hj^ ' ■^ ' p: ' ^-S:- '■••a'". ,t >~ /!♦■• .jji^if^v. •• -^^i^ftiif^':- --#^^^ ■.^.c^r'i.i '^-'■--'''tv. CHAPTER VII. v-i; WB VISIT A DESOLATE ISLAND — MELANCHOLY SIGNS Of FORMER INHABITANTS — ^WE ARE FROZEN UP — EXTRI- CATS OURSELVES BTHARD LABOR — ANCHOR UNDER OOD* BEND LtiDGE — TERRIFIC STORM — DESPERATE SITUA- TION OF THE ADVANCE — A BOLD EXPEDIENT — WB ARB AGAIN TOWED BT AN ICEBERG — OUR MIRACULOUS DE- }t % LIVBRANCE— PROBABLE FATE OF SIR JOHN FRANKLIN. A SMALL pat6h of gronnj, or rock, (to speak more properly), called Littleton Island, lies near the entrance of Smith's Sound. August 6, we landed on this island, which is destitute of all vegetation except a certain kind of moss which grows on the rocks. Scarcely any thing Was visible except masses of rocks and lumps of iee; but, after walking a little way from the shore, we were surprised to find the ruins of Exquimaux hut>. It is hard to imagii)^ how any human beings could live in such a frightful place ; and there was reason to think that the former iph|ibitaptj9 of thip desolate isle had perished either with hunger or cold. Skeletons were found lying on the ground, ^ear the remains of the wretched dwellings. We thought it possible that one hundred and fifty or two hundred years had elapsed since the place was inhabited, ^s many of the bones had almost crumbled to dust.. ^ St. Ji_^^ ' '^' 'l^ ..'.^.^ !'^.i our fastenings to a severe ^est. The cLwiu-cable was the first to give way; it t; .^. TT-- -- 12 qodfbet's nabbative of the parted with a sharp eor-torturing snap ; the brig fell back and hauled the whale lin*^ ♦--ut ; this rope stretched and chafed for a few min '.r>b un