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Page 43
The "Investigator," as it appeared from this despatch of Captain
McClure's, had been frozen up in the Bay of Mercy of Banks Land: Banks
Land having been for thirty years at once an Ultima Thule and Terra
Incognita, put down on the maps where Captain Parry saw it across thirty
miles of ice and water in 1819. Perhaps she was still in that same bay:
these old friends wintering there, while the "Resolute" and "Intrepid"
were lying under Dealy Island, and only one hundred and seventy miles
between. It must have been tantalizing to all parties to wait the winter
through, and not even get a message across. But until winter made it too
cold and dark to travel, the ice in the strait was so broken up that it
was impossible to attempt to traverse it, even with a light boat, for
the lanes of water. So the different autumn parties came in, the last on
the last of October, and the officers and men entered on their winter's
work and play, to push off the winter days as quickly as they could.
The winter was very severe; and it proved that, as the "Resolute" lay,
they were a good deal exposed to the wind. But they kept themselves
busy,--exercised freely,--found game quite abundant within reasonable
distances on shore, whenever the light served,--kept schools for
the men,--delivered scientific lectures to whoever would
listen,--established the theatre for which the ship had been provided at
home,--and gave juggler's exhibitions by way of variety. The recent
system of travelling in the fall and spring cuts in materially to the
length of the Arctic winters as Ross, Parry, and Back used to experience
it, and it was only from the 1st of November to the 10th of March that
they were left to their own resources. Late in October one of the
"Resolute's" men died, and in December one of the "Intrepid's," but,
excepting these cases, they had little sickness, for weeks no one on
the sick-list; indeed, Captain Kellett says cheerfully that a
sufficiency of good provisions, with plenty of work in the open air,
will insure good health in that climate.
As early in the spring as he dared risk a travelling party, namely, on
the 10th of March, 1853, he sent what they all called a forlorn hope
across to the Bay of Mercy, to find any traces of the "Investigator";
for they scarcely ventured to hope that she was still there. This start
was earlier by thirty-five days than the early parties had started on
the preceding expedition. But it was every way essential that, if
Captain McClure had wintered in the Bay of Mercy, the messenger should
reach him before he sent off any or all his men, in travelling parties,
in the spring. The little forlorn hope consisted of ten men under the
command of Lieutenant Pirn, an officer who had been with Captain Kellett
in the "Herald" on the Pacific side, had spent a winter in the "Plover"
up Behring's Straits, and had been one of the last men whom the
"Investigator" had seen before they put into the Arctic Ocean, to
discover, as it proved, the Northwest Passage.
Here we must stop a moment, to tell what one of these sledge parties is
by whose efforts so much has been added to our knowledge of Arctic
geography, in journeys which could never have been achieved in ships or
boats. In the work of the "Resolute's" parties, in this spring of 1852,
Commander McClintock travelled 1,325 miles with his sledge, and
Lieutenant Mecham 1,163 miles with his, through regions before wholly
unexplored. The sledge, as we have said, is in general contour not
unlike a Yankee wood-sled, about eleven feet long. The runners are
curved at each end. The sled is fitted with a light canvas trough, so
adjusted that, in case of necessity, all the stores, &c., can be ferried
over any narrow lane of water in the ice. There are packed on this sled
a tent for eight or ten men, five or six pikes, one or more of which Is
fitted as an ice-chisel; two large buffalo-skins, a water-tight
floor-cloth, which contrives
"a double debt to pay,
A floor by night, the sledge's sail by day"
(and it must be remembered that "day" and "night" in those regions are
very equivocal terms). There are, besides, a cooking-apparatus, of which
the fire is made in spirit or tallow lamps, one or two guns, a pick and
shovel, instruments for observation, pannikins, spoons, and a little
magazine of such necessaries, with the extra clothing of the party. Then
the provision, the supply of which measures the length of the
expedition, consists of about a pound of bread and a pound of pemmican
per man per day, six ounces of pork, and a little preserved potato, rum,
lime-juice, tea, chocolate, sugar, tobacco, or other such creature
comforts. The sled is fitted with two drag-ropes, at which the men haul.
The officer goes ahead to find the best way among hummocks of ice or
masses of snow. Sometimes on a smooth floe, before the wind, the
floor-cloth is set for a sail, and she runs off merrily, perhaps with
several of the crew on board, and the rest running to keep up. But
sometimes over broken ice it is a constant task to get her on at all.
You hear, "One, two, three, _haul_" all day long, as she is worked out
of one ice "cradle-hole" over a hummock into another. Different parties
select different hours for travelling. Captain Kellett finally
considered that the best division of time, when, as usual, they had
constant daylight, was to start at four in the afternoon, travel till
ten P.M., _breakfast_ then, tent and rest four hours; travel four more,
tent, dine, and sleep nine hours. This secured sleep, when the sun was
the highest and most trying to the eyes. The distances accomplished with
this equipment are truly surprising. Each man, of course, is dressed as
warmly as flannel, woollen cloth, leather, and seal-skin will dress him.
For such long journeying, the study of boots becomes a science, and our
authorities are full of discussions as to canvas or woollen, or carpet
or leather boots, of strings and of buckles. When the time "to tent"
comes, the pikes are fitted for tent-poles, and the tent set up, its
door to leeward, on the ice or snow. The floor-cloth is laid for the
carpet. At an hour fixed, all talking must stop. There is just room
enough for the party to lie side by side on the floor-cloth. Each man
gets into a long felt bag, made of heavy felting literally nearly half
an inch thick. He brings this up wholly over his head, and buttons
himself in. He has a little hole in it to breathe through. Over the
felt is sometimes a brown holland bag, meant to keep out moisture. The
officer lies farthest in the tent,--as being next the wind, the point of
hardship and so of honor. The cook for the day lies next the doorway, as
being first to be called. Side by side the others lie between. Over them
all Mackintosh blankets with the buffalo-robes are drawn, by what power
this deponent sayeth not, not knowing. No watch is kept, for there is
little danger of intrusion. Once a whole party was startled by a white
bear smelling at them, who waked one of their dogs, and a droll time
they had of it, springing to their arms while enveloped in their sacks.
But we remember no other instance where a sentinel was needed. And
occasionally in the journals the officer notes that he overslept in the
morning, and did not "call the cook" early enough. What a passion is
sleep, to be sure, that one should oversleep with such comforts round
him!
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